|OT| MetaConsole | Here we can talk about anything regarding consoles
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OP
OP
That a terrible direct. Jesus christ Im so happy I mainly play on PC/Steam. No BG3, no RDR 2, no Resident Evil games, no KCD2, no big indie, no Microsoft games etc. etc.
Terrible.
Terrible.
Switch 2 worldwide sales top six million, Switch tops 153.10 million
Nintendo Switch 2 sold 5.82 million units and Switch sold 153.10 million units worldwide by June 30, 2025, Nintendo announced in its latest earnings release. Seven weeks after launch (around July 2…
www.gematsu.com
I had zero expectations and got Monster Hunter Stories 3 (that I'll be playing on Steam). I'm satisfied. My Switch 2 is just a first party machine anyway.
Switch price increase announced for the U.S.
Nintendo will increase the price of the original Switch family of systems in the United States based on market conditions, effective August 3, Nintendo of America announced.
www.gematsu.com
He did that.
Got my Switch 2 this week and a copy of Donkey Kong Bananza.
I'm pretty happy with this capture I took using the photo mode.
mastodon.gamedev.place
Btw, IDK why but the mastodon embedder doesn't seem to work. Hmm...
Really like it so far but I'm pretty early. Felt a bit odd buying a switch 2 because it felt really expensive and I have a lot of other stuff I want to do. However, I knew I'd eventually buy one anyway and when that email came in from Nintendo it was kind of a done deal.
I'm pretty happy with this capture I took using the photo mode.
Eoin O'Neill (@eoinoneill@mastodon.gamedev.place)
Attached: 1 image The game does look pretty good. Looking forward to the rest, but the start is strong if a bit easy. #Nintendo #Switch2 #DonkeyKongBananza
mastodon.gamedev.place
Btw, IDK why but the mastodon embedder doesn't seem to work. Hmm...
Really like it so far but I'm pretty early. Felt a bit odd buying a switch 2 because it felt really expensive and I have a lot of other stuff I want to do. However, I knew I'd eventually buy one anyway and when that email came in from Nintendo it was kind of a done deal.
So I've mentioned before that Nintendo has no official distribution network for any of their stuff in my country. Thanks, however, to the magic of the free market, all their hardware and software does find it's way here it just takes longer and is more expensive. The initial batch of Switch 2 consoles were selling here at/before launch for USD $750 but the price went down as supply stabilized. I had planned to wait for a while until the prices went down. That waiting period lasted longer than I thought it would because I had severe medical issues for a month, but I did eventually pick up the Switch 2 a couple of weeks ago for a bit over $500 (non Mario bundle). I traded in my old LCD Switch for an okay price and picked up Donkey Kong as well.
Due to the aforementioned health issues, I've not been able to play much of anything but the little I have played of DK is great. Just a joyous game with fun stuff to find while exploring all over the place.
My big problem with the system are the game prices. Many of you who live in Europe or the Americas have seen your prices go up by 10-20 of your currencies and I saw how much that upset a lot of people. The prices of Switch 2 games here are a straight 50% higher than Switch 1 games used to be. Actually, getting it at a 50% premium over what we used to pay for Switch 1 games is a bargain. Mario Kart World in particular is by far the most expensive game and can sell for 75% higher or even more. Imagine if your $60 games went straight to $100. That's what we're seeing with prices here. Then you add in the fact that we're a poorer country with a weaker currency and the price become ludicrous. Gaming has always been sort of a luxury entertainment medium but the prices we're seeing now (and not just on Switch 2) firmly cements it in that category.
Importers and retailers also understand that the prices of games are just too high for the market so they've been trying to get supply from cheaper regions. To my knowledge, the cheapest games we can get here come from Hong Kong. In the grand scheme of things they're $10-15 cheaper than EU games but that matters. So my copies of DK and Mario Kart are from that region and I thought maybe you guys would like to see the boxart of them.
In addition to these I did pick up some other games where the boxart has English text and no ESRB/PEGI logos which look nice. It's going to be a mixed bag going forward of trying to buy games for the cheapest price possible and not to be precious about how the box looks.
I also wanted to chime in on the Game Key Card (GKC) debate, a fashionable 3 months late. I would assume that most people who are like us and fall into the 'core gamers' category are not too happy about the idea, for reasons that do not need to be restated. Everything the algorithm shows me on the internet leads me to believe that disliking GKCs is a popular position. But my theory is that these GKCs will be normalized faster than any of us can imagine. For me personally, the oppressive pricing of Switch 2 games means this will remain a first party device with maybe some exclusives along the way. I'll pick up GKCs for those if need be. I don't have a militant stance against them. I think this issue will cause quite a few people to prefer third party games on other platforms. But that all being said, I think the debate around GKCs will be settled very quickly and most people just don't care enough. GKCs will sell like crazy when the games come. Nintendo should have planned for this better but time travel isn't a thing so here we are. I think, depending on how third party release schedules go, within half a year or a year GKCs will be completely normalized and the 'war' will be lost. Well, what I'm saying is that the war is already lost, we just don't see the end yet.
Anyway apologies for any typos or errors in this post. I'm not checking anything. My health is actually still quite fragile and I don't have the energy to go through this wall of text
Due to the aforementioned health issues, I've not been able to play much of anything but the little I have played of DK is great. Just a joyous game with fun stuff to find while exploring all over the place.
My big problem with the system are the game prices. Many of you who live in Europe or the Americas have seen your prices go up by 10-20 of your currencies and I saw how much that upset a lot of people. The prices of Switch 2 games here are a straight 50% higher than Switch 1 games used to be. Actually, getting it at a 50% premium over what we used to pay for Switch 1 games is a bargain. Mario Kart World in particular is by far the most expensive game and can sell for 75% higher or even more. Imagine if your $60 games went straight to $100. That's what we're seeing with prices here. Then you add in the fact that we're a poorer country with a weaker currency and the price become ludicrous. Gaming has always been sort of a luxury entertainment medium but the prices we're seeing now (and not just on Switch 2) firmly cements it in that category.
Importers and retailers also understand that the prices of games are just too high for the market so they've been trying to get supply from cheaper regions. To my knowledge, the cheapest games we can get here come from Hong Kong. In the grand scheme of things they're $10-15 cheaper than EU games but that matters. So my copies of DK and Mario Kart are from that region and I thought maybe you guys would like to see the boxart of them.
In addition to these I did pick up some other games where the boxart has English text and no ESRB/PEGI logos which look nice. It's going to be a mixed bag going forward of trying to buy games for the cheapest price possible and not to be precious about how the box looks.
I also wanted to chime in on the Game Key Card (GKC) debate, a fashionable 3 months late. I would assume that most people who are like us and fall into the 'core gamers' category are not too happy about the idea, for reasons that do not need to be restated. Everything the algorithm shows me on the internet leads me to believe that disliking GKCs is a popular position. But my theory is that these GKCs will be normalized faster than any of us can imagine. For me personally, the oppressive pricing of Switch 2 games means this will remain a first party device with maybe some exclusives along the way. I'll pick up GKCs for those if need be. I don't have a militant stance against them. I think this issue will cause quite a few people to prefer third party games on other platforms. But that all being said, I think the debate around GKCs will be settled very quickly and most people just don't care enough. GKCs will sell like crazy when the games come. Nintendo should have planned for this better but time travel isn't a thing so here we are. I think, depending on how third party release schedules go, within half a year or a year GKCs will be completely normalized and the 'war' will be lost. Well, what I'm saying is that the war is already lost, we just don't see the end yet.
Anyway apologies for any typos or errors in this post. I'm not checking anything. My health is actually still quite fragile and I don't have the energy to go through this wall of text
PlayStation 5 price changes in the U.S.
New prices effective starting on August 21.
blog.playstation.com
He did that.
OP
OP
In some way Im starting to regret buying a Switch 2. It's only because of a lack of time.
I have so many goddamn games on Steam/PC that I wanna play/playing that I have yet to find time to play on my Switch 2. I have only played like 10 min og MKW and Bananza since I bought the machine a few weeks ago.
I mean, Bananza seems fantastic, but I just can't find the time for it due to the amount of Steam games I have.
I know I would have bought a Switch 2 at some point anyway, so it is sorta not a regret that I bought it at the same time as it is a regret.
I have so many goddamn games on Steam/PC that I wanna play/playing that I have yet to find time to play on my Switch 2. I have only played like 10 min og MKW and Bananza since I bought the machine a few weeks ago.
I mean, Bananza seems fantastic, but I just can't find the time for it due to the amount of Steam games I have.
I know I would have bought a Switch 2 at some point anyway, so it is sorta not a regret that I bought it at the same time as it is a regret.
A Nintendo Direct is reportedly planned for mid-September | VGC
A Metroid Prime 4 release date is expected soon as the game is rated around the world…
www.videogameschronicle.com
Prayer circle assemble!
A Nintendo Direct is reportedly planned for mid-September | VGC
A Metroid Prime 4 release date is expected soon as the game is rated around the world…
Prayer circle assemble!
I bought Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition during the summer sale but I am holding off on playing it until there is a performance patch released for it on Switch 2.
Sega will probably charge £50 again for a Switch 2 version, but I’d love to see Persona 5 Royal get updated.
I can’t believe DF once said the Switch version on an OLED console was a better experience than on the Deck LCD. I played it for 5 minutes on my OLED and it was a blurry mess at 30fps.
I bet it looks even nastier on the Switch 2.
Alas, I think most third party Switch games will be left well enough alone on Switch 2, which is a shame.
I do hope Nintendo makes their way through their back catalogue and updates everything, though. Even if it’s just a resolution and framerate boost.
I can’t believe DF once said the Switch version on an OLED console was a better experience than on the Deck LCD. I played it for 5 minutes on my OLED and it was a blurry mess at 30fps.
I bet it looks even nastier on the Switch 2.
Alas, I think most third party Switch games will be left well enough alone on Switch 2, which is a shame.
I do hope Nintendo makes their way through their back catalogue and updates everything, though. Even if it’s just a resolution and framerate boost.
Shinrei Jusatsushi Tarōmaru has been translated into English (as Psychic Killer Taromaru). It seems like a low key release at the moment (despite the game being one of the rarest, most expensive for the Saturn these days), I can't find footage of anyone playing it yet so here are videos in Japanese instead. This is a very unique and cool game with some awesome level and boss visuals, just imagine if Castlevania or something had taken full advantage of 32 bit systems in the same way back then (instead of be like SNES++ with some extra effects/polygons here & there - which was still great).
github.com
Granted it's smaller in scope than a Metroidvania that would need a huge budget to have all those areas and enemies up to this level (it's not like Konami couldn't afford it anyway) but hey, they could have had a Classicvania (or three, then use their tech/assets for a Metroidvania) alongside SOTN...
GitHub - ExxistanceDC/Shinrei-Jusatsushi-Taromaru-English-Patch: An English patch for the Sega Saturn Japanese exclusive, Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru
An English patch for the Sega Saturn Japanese exclusive, Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru - ExxistanceDC/Shinrei-Jusatsushi-Taromaru-English-Patch
github.com
Psychic Killer Taromaru English Patch
Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru (Psychic Killer Taromaru) English Patch An English patch for the Sega Saturn Japanese exclusive, Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru. Also known as Psychic Assassin Taromaru, Psychic Warlock Assassin Taromaru, Divine Spirit...
segaxtreme.net
Granted it's smaller in scope than a Metroidvania that would need a huge budget to have all those areas and enemies up to this level (it's not like Konami couldn't afford it anyway) but hey, they could have had a Classicvania (or three, then use their tech/assets for a Metroidvania) alongside SOTN...
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Seems like this port (or rather the Switch 2) was panned cos of some youtuber saying it runs like ass but apparently it's a solid one, especially given the RT stuff.
Loving what it means for upcoming handheld PC hardware tbh, come on Deck 2, it'll probably be enough for me to not have to shell out for a desktop overhaul.
Loving what it means for upcoming handheld PC hardware tbh, come on Deck 2, it'll probably be enough for me to not have to shell out for a desktop overhaul.
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A Nintendo Direct is reportedly planned for mid-September | VGC
A Metroid Prime 4 release date is expected soon as the game is rated around the world…
Prayer circle assemble!
I still remember ages ago when big anime games were console only and it was a distant dream to have them on steam.
Maybe one day we'll see xenoblade too (and vanillaware....), lol
EXCLUSIVE - PlayStation 6 is Planned to Have a Detachable Disc Drive on Launch
Insider Gaming has learned that the PlayStation 6 is planned to have a detachable disc drive when the console launches.
insider-gaming.com
Hopefully this is true. The PS5 is the ugliest piece of consumer electronics I have ever owned.
Xenoblade prayer circle etc etc etc. Just do it already Monolith.
So, after an ginormous amount of research and consultations from top men, I decided to buy a state of the art console along with the latest and greatest game available.
The only issue is that it comes in some weird, unknown language so I am currently attempting to contact aliens to see if I can learn more about this language
In all seriousness though, I got this a couple of weeks ago. It all started off with the reveal of this handheld PC/gaming device that is due soon
I was kind of enamored by this machine because I really do love this dual screen form factor and there are still a bunch of DS and 3DS games I want to play. The company making this machine started pre-orders for it and it's fairly reasonably priced too. I'd want to get the $350 variant if possible. The problem is that my country charges upwards of 40% import duties on cost + shipping for any item that gets imported. So $350 plus let's say $50 shipping would mean the whole thing would cost me $550 and now that's very, very expensive. So I got to thinking about what I can do about it. Russ from RGC had a video up a few weeks ago where he listed all his favourite modern hardware to emulate every old gaming system and for some reason, his preferred devices to play DS and 3DS games were... original DS and 3DS machines. That was actually surprising because I feel that surely playing those games with higher power hardware and better screens through emulation would be a better experience but hey, subjective opinions. It got me thinking about getting another 3DS. I actually have one which has custom firmware on it but I always sort of regretted not getting a second one while they were available.
Now, most of you reading this wall of text probably live in a country with a large gaming market so you can buy a (new or used) 3DS if you wanted from ebay or something similar. Unfortunately, there is no such secondary market in my country (that isn't full of scammers anyway) and I live in a relatively smaller city so there isn't even a CEX here. So my only option to get a device like this was to import it, which again means 40% taxes. Anyway there aren't even a lot of options for importing but luckily Amazon Japan does ship some stuff here. I went looking there and they didn't have new 3DS devices for sale at all. They did have a handful of 2DS devices and I ended up buying one of them. This was not my preferred colour (I would have chosen black and blue) but it was the cheap and from a reliable seller. In the end it cost me 47000 yen shipped. Which is actually a fairly reasonable price these days for a brand new 2DS/3DS device even though it's roughly twice what the thing used to cost back when it was actually available.
The plan is to put custom firmware on it and change it to a US region device. The process of installing of custom firmware is super easy and idiot proof, but having to navigate the console in Japanese during the process is going to cause a lot of problems especially since you need to connect to the internet through the device during the hacking process. I'll get around to it at some point. I picked up the Pokemon game because for some reason I feel like getting 1-2 of these for both the 3DS and Switch. It's just a matter of figuring out which ones to get and finding them at a reasonable price. For 3DS I got Ultra Moon and I'm hoping to find a copy of X/Y at a decent price somehow. For Switch I got Arceus and I'm hoping to get Violet by the end of the year. Anyone here have any suggestions for any other Pokemon game I should consider? All the Switch games are available but unfortunately they're all expensive and Nintendo stuff never goes down in price here so it has to be a carefully thought out decision to buy those games.
On an unrelated note, I'm not far into Donkey Kong Bananza but I really liked what I've played so far. I just feel like I have a goofy grin while playing the game and discovering secrets and hidden bananas and stuff. Just a joyful game honestly.
The only issue is that it comes in some weird, unknown language so I am currently attempting to contact aliens to see if I can learn more about this language
In all seriousness though, I got this a couple of weeks ago. It all started off with the reveal of this handheld PC/gaming device that is due soon
I was kind of enamored by this machine because I really do love this dual screen form factor and there are still a bunch of DS and 3DS games I want to play. The company making this machine started pre-orders for it and it's fairly reasonably priced too. I'd want to get the $350 variant if possible. The problem is that my country charges upwards of 40% import duties on cost + shipping for any item that gets imported. So $350 plus let's say $50 shipping would mean the whole thing would cost me $550 and now that's very, very expensive. So I got to thinking about what I can do about it. Russ from RGC had a video up a few weeks ago where he listed all his favourite modern hardware to emulate every old gaming system and for some reason, his preferred devices to play DS and 3DS games were... original DS and 3DS machines. That was actually surprising because I feel that surely playing those games with higher power hardware and better screens through emulation would be a better experience but hey, subjective opinions. It got me thinking about getting another 3DS. I actually have one which has custom firmware on it but I always sort of regretted not getting a second one while they were available.
Now, most of you reading this wall of text probably live in a country with a large gaming market so you can buy a (new or used) 3DS if you wanted from ebay or something similar. Unfortunately, there is no such secondary market in my country (that isn't full of scammers anyway) and I live in a relatively smaller city so there isn't even a CEX here. So my only option to get a device like this was to import it, which again means 40% taxes. Anyway there aren't even a lot of options for importing but luckily Amazon Japan does ship some stuff here. I went looking there and they didn't have new 3DS devices for sale at all. They did have a handful of 2DS devices and I ended up buying one of them. This was not my preferred colour (I would have chosen black and blue) but it was the cheap and from a reliable seller. In the end it cost me 47000 yen shipped. Which is actually a fairly reasonable price these days for a brand new 2DS/3DS device even though it's roughly twice what the thing used to cost back when it was actually available.
The plan is to put custom firmware on it and change it to a US region device. The process of installing of custom firmware is super easy and idiot proof, but having to navigate the console in Japanese during the process is going to cause a lot of problems especially since you need to connect to the internet through the device during the hacking process. I'll get around to it at some point. I picked up the Pokemon game because for some reason I feel like getting 1-2 of these for both the 3DS and Switch. It's just a matter of figuring out which ones to get and finding them at a reasonable price. For 3DS I got Ultra Moon and I'm hoping to find a copy of X/Y at a decent price somehow. For Switch I got Arceus and I'm hoping to get Violet by the end of the year. Anyone here have any suggestions for any other Pokemon game I should consider? All the Switch games are available but unfortunately they're all expensive and Nintendo stuff never goes down in price here so it has to be a carefully thought out decision to buy those games.
On an unrelated note, I'm not far into Donkey Kong Bananza but I really liked what I've played so far. I just feel like I have a goofy grin while playing the game and discovering secrets and hidden bananas and stuff. Just a joyful game honestly.
At first the Direct seemed naff but new yoshi's story thing and hyrule warriors looked good.
Also dragon quest vii remake & other multiplatform stuffs. Remaking fatal frame 2 again?
Didn't see that coming for metroid prime. Having a motorcycle so guess there's open worldish stuffs. Too short tease. Release date!
Monhun stories 3 looks good too. Switch 2 getting resi requiem is nice, hopefully it's a sweet port like star wars outlaws.
New fire emblem looks rad!
Also dragon quest vii remake & other multiplatform stuffs. Remaking fatal frame 2 again?
Didn't see that coming for metroid prime. Having a motorcycle so guess there's open worldish stuffs. Too short tease. Release date!
Monhun stories 3 looks good too. Switch 2 getting resi requiem is nice, hopefully it's a sweet port like star wars outlaws.
New fire emblem looks rad!
I'm very interested in the new Fire Emblem. They didn't show a ton but there was some new (to me?) in general?) stuff in those brief shots.
Not super interested in Yoshi but it think it's awesome that it is being made. Same with making Galaxy 1 & 2 available to more people. I worry on the pricing on all of those though.
DQ 7 remake is interesting. I liked DQ XI. Was not super interested in the HD-2D remakes, but this looks like it's splitting the difference between those ends. Feels like XII is still a few year out with an announcement like this too.
Not super interested in Yoshi but it think it's awesome that it is being made. Same with making Galaxy 1 & 2 available to more people. I worry on the pricing on all of those though.
DQ 7 remake is interesting. I liked DQ XI. Was not super interested in the HD-2D remakes, but this looks like it's splitting the difference between those ends. Feels like XII is still a few year out with an announcement like this too.
Didn't love the art style of DQ7, but I am not a fan of the series anyway. I think the HD2D ones were more appealing to me, but I still never bothered.
Fire Emblem is the kind of series that keeps drawing me in when the character designs are good (which isn't a sure thing with this series), but the gameplay never really hits right with me. I want to give Three Houses another shot as I don't think I was in the right mood for it when I last tried it. This one again appeals to me, but I suspect I will be disappointed by the gameplay.
I'll probably grab the physical edition of Galaxy 1 & 2. I already have 3D All-Stars on Switch and Galaxy 2 on Wii, but having versions of both games on one cart is appealing.
Other than that it was a pretty lukewarm direct. A few games appealed, but given the lacklustre (and overpriced) storage on Switch 2 I'm only buying physical non-GCK releases, so that kinda limits what I'll play on the system.
So far I am not disappointed in Switch 2 as DK Bananza and MK World have made the system worth it, but I can't say I'm super happy either. This system has "early 3DS days" vibes about it, and I think that's because Nintendo is still only one foot out of the door with Switch 1. I don't blame them given the number of sales that system has, but there will come a point where they need to say bye bye to Switch and get people on the upgrade treadmill, because they won't get a second chance this time as it's their only system with nothing to prop it up.
"Let's make our games as unappealing as possible!" - The Games Industry, apparently.
This quote also just doesn't plain make sense. Nintendo are the second worst (only behind Sony) for re-releasing games and are far and away the worst for limiting a game's lifespan, and they're not touching GKC's with a ten-foot barge pole.
The GKCs are basically a fudge. Nintendo increased the IO of storage on Switch 2 and haven't been able to match it on physical copies. We've seen this play out in real world situations where games like CP2077 and first party Nintendo games load faster when installed to storage vs when played from the cart.
But instead of doing the sensible thing (using cheaper and slower cards that users can install games to storage from) they opted for the GKC albatross. In fact, there were a number of sensible things Nintendo could've done, that they chose not to.
I suspect many in Nintendo were very shocked about the reception to GKCs, which in their mind they probably thought was the only compromise solution available. They had to take down an online survey because they were getting hammered about them.
Absolutely thoughtless and shortsighted.
Fire Emblem is the kind of series that keeps drawing me in when the character designs are good (which isn't a sure thing with this series), but the gameplay never really hits right with me. I want to give Three Houses another shot as I don't think I was in the right mood for it when I last tried it. This one again appeals to me, but I suspect I will be disappointed by the gameplay.
I'll probably grab the physical edition of Galaxy 1 & 2. I already have 3D All-Stars on Switch and Galaxy 2 on Wii, but having versions of both games on one cart is appealing.
Other than that it was a pretty lukewarm direct. A few games appealed, but given the lacklustre (and overpriced) storage on Switch 2 I'm only buying physical non-GCK releases, so that kinda limits what I'll play on the system.
So far I am not disappointed in Switch 2 as DK Bananza and MK World have made the system worth it, but I can't say I'm super happy either. This system has "early 3DS days" vibes about it, and I think that's because Nintendo is still only one foot out of the door with Switch 1. I don't blame them given the number of sales that system has, but there will come a point where they need to say bye bye to Switch and get people on the upgrade treadmill, because they won't get a second chance this time as it's their only system with nothing to prop it up.
"Let's make our games as unappealing as possible!" - The Games Industry, apparently.
This quote also just doesn't plain make sense. Nintendo are the second worst (only behind Sony) for re-releasing games and are far and away the worst for limiting a game's lifespan, and they're not touching GKC's with a ten-foot barge pole.
The GKCs are basically a fudge. Nintendo increased the IO of storage on Switch 2 and haven't been able to match it on physical copies. We've seen this play out in real world situations where games like CP2077 and first party Nintendo games load faster when installed to storage vs when played from the cart.
But instead of doing the sensible thing (using cheaper and slower cards that users can install games to storage from) they opted for the GKC albatross. In fact, there were a number of sensible things Nintendo could've done, that they chose not to.
- Cheaper SD card compatibility for playing Switch 1 games and "cold storage" of Switch 2 titles
- Slower game cards that can selectively install Switch 2 data to internal storage, either in full or progressively (to free up total storage used at any one time) as users make their way through the game, which could also be used with digital copies of games in "cold storage" on the SD card
- Replaceable internal storage via 2230 NVMe
I suspect many in Nintendo were very shocked about the reception to GKCs, which in their mind they probably thought was the only compromise solution available. They had to take down an online survey because they were getting hammered about them.
Absolutely thoughtless and shortsighted.