miniblog.

The games console market is fascinating: there's incentive to *not* provide upgraded models. You want the guarantee that a game for $X just works on any $X purchased. E.g. the Switch OLED has a bigger screen, and a better CPU than the original, but it's downclocked to match the original Switch's CPU.

It's odd that games often show the hours played, but I've not seen this in other apps. "You've spent 20 hours talking to this person." Would this be a usage deterrent? If so, why do many games offer it by default?

I'm always hesitant when I see digital services funded by a single one-off payment. Running a service requires ongoing funding. You sometimes see this with games that have a multiplayer component. People buy the game, but the multiplayer servers won't last forever.