Episode 594: The Steam Machine Is Weaker Than a PS5 (And Costs 2x)

Episode 596: MW4 Gameplay Reveal: Kill Block, Recoil Backlash & the DMZ 2 Problem

Infinity Ward just had its biggest Modern Warfare 4 reveal week yet — and the community immediately found the flaws. We break down everything shown at the MW4 creator event and Fanatics Fest: the Kill Block modular map with 500+ configurations, the gunplay reveal and the instant visual recoil backlash, VFX masking, no-bloom hipfire, doors, takedowns, proximity chat, and the Aston Martin Dreadnought that quietly confirmed Warzone isn't dead yet. Then the real question: MW4 looks like MW19 2.0 — but is a well-executed return to form enough in 2026? We get into why the arcade shooter can't hold anyone's attention all year anymore, why the "third game mode" is the entire Call of Duty paradigm now, and why everything — the game, the year, maybe the franchise's momentum — is riding on DMZ2. Plus: why you should treat beta weekend two as the final verdict, because beta tests aren't beta tests anymore. Also announced: monthly Patreon hangouts are BACK starting in August — hot take open mics, trivia, and more. patreon.com/thedropshot One of us is buying in. One of us has seen this movie before. You know how this goes. 0:00 - Intro 1:18 - MW4 reveal week: how we got here 3:30 - Patreon hangouts are BACK (August) 8:31 - Topic of the week: the MW4 reveal 9:07 - Kill Block: the shapeshifting map 15:01 - Was Kill Block worth the dev time? 20:00 - Kill Block in a BR? The bigger idea 25:15 - The gunplay reveal & firing range video 27:56 - Realism vs. fun: the two camps 30:06 - The visual recoil backlash 34:08 - Jake: I'll take Infinity Ward's flaws 35:48 - Raz: "Wouldn't it be nice?" 42:22 - VFX masking & visual noise 43:51 - The feedback honeypot pattern 48:43 - Bullets punch holes through smoke 51:09 - Underhand grenade throws 53:15 - "MW2 with improvements?" debate 57:27 - Raz: it's just more CoD slop 1:01:10 - Is a return to form enough in 2026? 1:07:49 - The third-game-mode paradigm 1:15:23 - Did Aston Martin just confirm Warzone? 1:16:31 - The Warzone fan's dilemma 1:19:10 - Doors, takedowns & prox chat 1:21:39 - No-bloom hipfire & the Tarkov skill gap 1:27:44 - The Aston Martin Dreadnought 1:31:51 - Combined-arms big maps 1:34:25 - Raz's beta advice 1:36:17 - Where is CoD Next? 1:39:21 - Wrap-up & what we're playing _Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._ The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out! 🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time): 🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week 🔹The Dropshot: 🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod 🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast 🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot 🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/ 🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast 🔹Razinon: 🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv 🔹Jakedown: 🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_ 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Episode 595: Bethesda Layoffs, Black Flag Resynced & Tarkov Kord Breach

Black Flag Resynced just became the biggest Assassin's Creed launch in history — and it's a remake of a 13-year-old game with mixed Steam reviews. The boys break down the day-one microtransaction backlash, whether the remake gold rush is good for gaming, and which classics deserve the full ground-up treatment next. Then it gets heavier: Microsoft's July layoff wave hit Bethesda and ZeniMax hard, and Raz makes the case that AI is a top-three reason why. Plus the office memorial HR forced down, 14 layers of management, and why Elder Scrolls 6 should have shipped a decade ago. Also on the docket: Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations DLC and its Metroidvania-inspired level design, Stop Killing Games taking Ls in the EU and California (and the list of "dying" games nobody has ever heard of), the full corrected rundown of Tarkov's Kord Breach Season 1 modifiers, and the BO2 remaster shipping with bugs that were patched a decade ago. One host thinks the ownership question matters. The other thinks the market already answered it. You know how this goes. 0:00 - Intro 3:48 - Black Flag Resynced: biggest AC launch ever 12:35 - The day-one microtransaction backlash 24:29 - Remakes are the new meta 34:19 - Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations DLC 42:29 - Bethesda layoffs 43:35 - Did AI cause the layoffs? 47:50 - The office memorial HR took down 53:43 - Where the hell is Elder Scrolls 6? 1:01:12 - AAA studios don't take risks anymore 1:07:45 - Stop Killing Games takes two Ls 1:10:01 - Roasting the "games being killed" list 1:16:47 - Our AI's $70 take gets destroyed 1:18:51 - Brazil is bigger than Australia?? 1:20:52 - Gold injections & ayahuasca (don't) 1:26:43 - Tarkov Kord Breach: what we got wrong 1:40:28 - BO2 remaster: same bugs, 12 years later 1:41:49 - Jake's Tarkov check-in 1:45:38 - Announcements & Patreon _Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._ The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out! 🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time): 🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week 🔹The Dropshot: 🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod 🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast 🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot 🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/ 🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast 🔹Razinon: 🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv 🔹Jakedown: 🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_ 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown #TheDropshot #GamingPodcast #PodcastClips #BlackFlagResynced #AssassinsCreed #Bethesda #ElderScrolls6 #DoomTheDarkAges #EscapeFromTarkov #KordBreach #Ubisoft Trending: #StopKillingGames #GamingLayoffs #AI #GamingNews Format: #GamingDebate #HotTake #Shorts #FYP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Episode 594: The Steam Machine Is Weaker Than a PS5 (And Costs 2x)

Valve's Steam Machine reviews are in — and the verdict is brutal: by most measures it's slightly less powerful than a base PS5 while costing more than double. We break down the benchmarks, why Valve went semi-custom on the chips, and whether "access to the entire Steam library" is worth the price of admission. Before that, we go deep on Escape from Tarkov's first-ever season, Cord Breach — the new seasonal character system, the Path of Exile-style trait modifiers, the Kappa protocol, and whether this shakes up the Tarkov loop for good. Then it's War Dogs: the alpha impressions are rolling in, the hype is real, and the only "complaints" are people mad about camping in a large-scale warfare game. Plus: Sony is killing physical disc production for new PlayStation games in 2028 — do you even own your games anymore? And one last Call of Duty story from our CoD heritage: Warzone's cheater problem has never been worse, to the point streamers are teaming up mid-match just to survive. Jake sees the upside, Raz calls it like he sees it. 0:00 - Intro & Happy 4th of July 1:26 - This Week In Gaming (the rundown) 2:33 - Tarkov's First-Ever Season: Cord Breach 9:22 - Breaking Down The Seasonal Traits 21:28 - The Kappa Question & Big-Ticket Perks 26:46 - Neutral, Season-Wide Modifiers 29:44 - The Negative Traits 39:18 - Verdict: Is Cord Breach Worth It? 39:32 - Seasonal vs. Permanent Characters 47:03 - War Dogs Alpha: The Hype Builds 1:00:31 - Sony Kills The Disc (2028) 1:10:26 - Do You Even Own Your Games? 1:17:06 - Steam Machine: Impressive Hardware, Baffling Price 1:22:26 - Benchmarks: Weaker Than A PS5 For Double 1:33:24 - How Chips Are Made & The Silicon Lottery 1:34:16 - One Last CoD Story: Warzone's Cheater Hell 1:39:55 - Landing The Plane _Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._ The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out! 🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time): 🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week 🔹The Dropshot: 🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod 🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast 🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot 🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/ 🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast 🔹Razinon: 🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv 🔹Jakedown: 🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_ 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown #TheDropshot #GamingPodcast #Podcast · #EscapeFromTarkov #Tarkov #CordBreach #WarDogs #SteamMachine #Valve #PS5 #CallOfDuty #Warzone · #SteamMachineVsPS5 #GamePrices #PhysicalMedia · #GamingNews #HotTake #PodcastClips #GamingShorts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Episode 593: GTA 6 Is $100 For a Code in a Box (And You'll Buy It)

GTA 6 pre-orders are live, the price is confirmed, and the internet is melting down — so naturally that's the whole episode. Raz and Jake break down the $80 standard / $100 Ultimate pricing, the "physical copy" that's really just a download code in a box with no disc, and whether you're actually losing anything (spoiler: lending to your buddies, and not much else). Then it's the free-market case for why $80 is eminently fair, the cost-per-hour argument that makes GTA the cheapest entertainment on Earth, and the uncomfortable truth that the loudest complainers have already pre-ordered. Then, meanwhile: EMPULSE. The $15 Titanfall-like from the Splitgate devs launched into early access with no store, no battle pass, and no microtransactions — and the guys explain, with the utmost confidence and zero gameplay watched, exactly why it's dead on arrival. Paint bombs included. Plus: 50 million GTA 6 pre-orders, companies closing on launch day, and a $1,000 bet on EMPULSE failing inside three months. 0:00 — Intro & "we have no likes" cold open 1:34 — GTA 6 pre-orders are live: $80 standard, $100 Ultimate 2:58 — The "code in a box": a physical copy with no disc 4:47 — Is the disc even a loss? Lending, Blockbuster, PS2 days 9:00 — Servers, Stop Killing Games & whether discs matter anymore 12:17 — Onto pricing: is $80 fair? "That person does not exist" 15:31 — The $100 Ultimate Edition: scam or just a menu? 19:22 — Does $80 GTA give every other studio license to charge $80? 23:00 — Big Macs, Netflix & the "communists in our comments" tangent 31:00 — Cost-per-hour: video games are the cheapest entertainment on Earth 34:22 — The one scummy thing: PC release delayed behind console 39:59 — Back to physical ownership: resale, lending, longevity 43:13 — Did GTA kill the disc? No — it was already dead 1:00:30 — Why no disc, really: anti-leak vs. just cheaper (part 2) 1:05:20 — Ultimate Edition breakdown: tattoos, car finds, gang raid 1:06:30 — Day-one Ultimate content: cut from the base game? 1:06:40 — "We're going to pre-order anyway, aren't we?" 1:09:54 — Is GTA review-proof? Outrage-proof? The Kotaku prediction 1:11:06 — Vote with your wallet & why a boycott is inconceivable 1:18:40 — 50M pre-orders, $4B, companies closing on launch day 1:11:06 — MEANWHILE: EMPULSE, the $15 Splitgate-devs shooter 1:13:01 — "This game will fail" — the arena shooter genre is dead 1:18:10 — No store, no battle pass, no microtransactions = $60k revenue 1:23:31 — "60 grand, baby" & the $1,000 bet it fails in 3 months 1:30:20 — GTA vs EMPULSE juxtaposition & "consumer-friendly?" rebuttal 1:32:31 — Announcements: bonus eps, Patreon, shoutouts, sign-off _Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._ The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out! 🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time): 🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week 🔹The Dropshot: 🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod 🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast 🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot 🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/ 🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast 🔹Razinon: 🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv 🔹Jakedown: 🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_ 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown #TheDropshot #DropshotPodcast #GamingPodcast #PodcastClips #GTA6 #GTAVI #Rockstar #EMPULSE #Splitgate #Titanfall #ArenaShooter #FPS #GTA6PreOrder #GamePrices #GamingNews #1047Games #HotTake #PodcastMoments #GamingClips #Shorts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Episode 592: Halo on PlayStation, GTA 6 Pre-Orders & WARDOGS Killcam Drama

Halo is on PlayStation. Let that sink in. On this one we get into Halo: Campaign Evolved — the full Unreal Engine 5 remake landing on PS5, Xbox and PC on July 28 — and why cutting the multiplayer to protect the "next mainline Halo" might be the dumbest part of the whole thing. Plus the AI controversy Halo Studios can't stop being squirrely about. Then it's GTA 6: pre-orders go live June 25, November 19 release, no PC version, and the $100 price question nobody wants to answer honestly. Spoiler: if you'll pay $70, you'll pay $100, and we explain exactly why. But the one we're actually hyped about is WARDOGS — Bulkhead addressed the "too arcadey" killcam feedback head-on instead of going quiet like every AAA studio does. We break down the ghillie-suit compromise, the hardcore servers, and why devs who actually play their own game are so rare right now. Lightning round: CoD 2026 bringing DMZ back as the third mode, Black Ops 1 & 2 hitting PlayStation, and where the extraction-shooter graveyard leaves Marathon. Jake's optimistic. Raz sees the greed trap coming. Same as always. 0:00 Intro — back in the saddle 1:31 It's all about shooters 2:27 WARDOGS & the killcam controversy 7:07 Can't have it both ways: the killcam debate 7:49 The ghillie suit & hardcore server compromise 15:56 Devs who actually play their own game 19:59 The greed trap: how good shooters get ruined 29:50 Halo: Campaign Evolved comes to PlayStation 30:54 Cutting multiplayer to protect the next Halo 33:23 Are you a Halo or a Call of Duty guy? 45:52 The Halo AI controversy 1:05:09 GTA 6 pre-orders are live 1:05:40 No PC version — the PC wait 1:10:35 The $100 question & CEO spin 1:13:31 If you'll pay $70, you'll pay $100 1:15:56 Lightning round: CoD 2026 & DMZ returns 1:17:12 Black Ops 1 & 2 hit PlayStation 1:23:40 Marathon & the extraction graveyard 1:28:30 Patreon, wrap-up & goodbye _Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._ The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out! 🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time): 🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week 🔹The Dropshot: 🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod 🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast 🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot 🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/ 🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast 🔹Razinon: 🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv 🔹Jakedown: 🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_ 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown #TheDropshot #DropshotPodcast #GamingPodcast #Halo #HaloCampaignEvolved #GTA6 #Rockstar #WARDOGS #CallOfDuty #BlackOps2 #ExtractionShooter #PS5 #Xbox #GamingNews #FPS #HotTake #PodcastClips #Gaming Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]