The Level Up Times Show - Episode #003 - Please Replace Your Batteries (And Staff)

Please Replace Your Batteries (And Staff): The second act of Xbox's "Reset" arrives, and Microsoft gives us a masterclass in why "digital ownership" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

In Episode 3 of the Level Up Times Show, Adrian digs into the human cost of Xbox's ongoing "reset," as id Software and Obsidian take their turn under the axe, with a sliver of hope given to players, as Obsidian has reportedly been handed a new Fallout game led by New Vegas director Josh Sawyer. Over at Halo Studios, allegations of toxic leadership surface alongside the cancellation of the mysterious Project "Ekur."

And in a story that should worry anyone leaning digital-only, Microsoft locked a 25-year Xbox veteran out of his account entirely — baby photos, purchased games, and all — right as rumours swirl that Xbox's disc-to-digital program "Project Positron" might be closer than we think.

Oh, and Nintendo's discontinuing the original Switch in Europe, all thanks to a battery law.

What have we been playing? Edward Kenway sails again in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, we mop up the last few mini-games in Rhythm Heaven Groove, and discuss just how damn good its accessibility options are, while we paint ourselves into the background in the silly but ultimately fairly shallow Meccha Chameleon.

Plus, this week's Drop brings retro anime robots with 70s-Style Robot Anime GEPPY-X, Lovecraftian co-op horror in The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu, and are we finally getting Cat Chess?

In our Mailbag, listeners chime in on what a $1,000+ console might really look like, and Adrian discusses what the reality of that price might look like 18 months from now.

Don't forget our members-only Memory Dump waiting for you tomorrow, digging into life after physical media.

Got questions? Send them through to us at [email protected]!

Special Thanks to:

• Show Cover Image of Josh Sawyer by Alecto Chardon, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Sawyer#/media/File:Josh_Sawyer_GDC_2025.jpg

• Ian Hamilton: https://bsky.app/profile/ianhamilton.bsky.social

• Victor - Blind Journalist & Accessibility Advocate on YouTube:

• Sightless Kombat's Accessibility Review of Rhythm Heaven Groove: https://www.sightlesskombat.com/a-natively-accessible-nintendo-title-rhythm-heaven-groove-accessibility-review/