Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Gaming hardware used to get cheaper as it aged, but those days seem to be over. This week, Trev and Stu discuss Valve’s surprise Steam Deck price hike, debate whether gaming is becoming more expensive, and explore how changing buying habits could shape the future of consoles and PC gaming.

Valve shocks gamers with major Steam Deck OLED price increases.

Does the Steam Deck still offer good value, or have rivals overtaken it?

Comparing the Steam Deck against the Lenovo Legion Go S and ROG Ally.

Why modern consoles and handhelds are getting more expensive instead of cheaper.

A look back at the PS2, Nintendo 64 and the era of dramatic hardware price cuts.

Is gaming really more expensive today, or are we getting more value from longer-lasting hardware?

Budget PCs, second-hand components and why more players may be moving away from traditional consoles.

Predictions for the Steam Machine, PS6 and the future cost of gaming hardware.

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Title Theme – Pinball Dreams (1992) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Olof Gustafsson

Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! This week we switch things up with a listener Q&A-style episode, tackling a range of topics like the ever-blurring line between PCs and consoles, and debating whether devices like Steam Deck, SteamOS, and Microsoft’s rumoured “Project Helix” represent the future of gaming. Along the way, we revisit the biggest console generation leaps of all time — from the jump to 3D on the PS1 and N64, to the HD revolution of the Xbox 360 era — before diving deep into modern graphics tech like DLSS, FSR, and frame generation.

In this episode:

PC vs console convergence – Why SteamOS has pushed Microsoft and others toward more console-like PC gaming experiences

Project Helix speculation – Will Microsoft’s future Xbox hardware behave more like a console, a PC, or something in between?

The old days of PC gaming – Remembering when installing a PC game could feel like a technical qualification

Biggest console generation leap – Why the jump from 16-bit systems to PS1, Saturn, and N64 still feels unmatched

Mario 64 & open worlds – How Nintendo’s 3D platformer changed the way games were designed forever

Metal Gear Solid & cinematic gaming – The moment games started to feel like interactive movies

The HD gaming revolution – Why the Xbox 360 and PS3 era transformed online gaming and visual clarity

DLSS, FSR & upscaling explained – Breaking down how modern games fake higher resolutions for better performance

Frame generation debate – Smooth visuals vs controller responsiveness, and where the tech works best

Steam Deck & emulator experiments – Using modern PC features to breathe new life into retro and PS3-era games Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Title Theme – Pinball Dreams (1992) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Olof Gustafsson

Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! It’s another trip to the world of Xbox, as we’re joined by special guest Lee from the EternalLee HD YouTube channel—a prolific Xbox 360 collector who knows the system inside out. Together, we dive into CEX chaos, physical media quirks, and the golden era of the 360, from reprinted covers to rare oddities. It’s a proper enthusiast’s look at what made the generation so special—and so challenging to collect for! In this episode:

CEX cover drama – Why “cover reprinted” games just don’t cut it for collectors (and shouldn’t cost the same)

The CEX lottery – Ordering multiple copies, building one perfect version, and returning the rest—chaotic, but once very real

Postage problems – How CEX’s store-to-store fulfilment model leads to inconsistent shipping costs and customer confusion

Death of the manual – The slow fade from full booklets to flimsy inserts… to nothing at all by the end of the 360 generation

Building the ultimate 360 database – A community-built database documenting every detail of Xbox 360 physical releases, from barcodes to inlays

All-time greats – Fallout: New Vegas takes centre stage, alongside heavy hitters like Modern Warfare 2 and Red Dead Redemption

Hidden gems & variety – From Blur and Split/Second to Enslaved, celebrating the sheer range of the 360 library

Weird & wonderful moments – Rare titles like Handball 16, industry stories, and even a surreal Lips performance tale to round things off Check out Lee’s YouTube channel here:‪@EternalLeeHD‬ Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo