The Giant Beastcast: Episode 259

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Regarding chairs, ask Will Smith.

Giant Beastcast: Infinite

@1:45:20 @jeffbakalar reading the email he says Nair instead of Nier the poor guy just cant get hair of his mind. I am 32 and balding I feel ya jeff, I buzzed all my hair off last week because it looks bad when I cant go to the barber and clean it up but I also dont mind the #3 all around so now is the best time to test it out. ALSO jeff look on the bright side you have a wife already you don't need to impress anyone anymore as for me i'm thinning,short,chubby and I have no girlfriend im fighting a very uphill battle

Alex PCs plug right into tvs. Been PC gaming on a large tv since 2006.

There are normal desk chairs out there and $399 is actually the low end if we’re talking new chairs that won’t wreck your back. Start getting into the really nice ones like Steelcase Leap and we’re talking $1200.

As a person who has been thinking about starting and producing multiple podcasts for about a decade, and also had my pitches shut down with a reply like "there are already so many podcasts covering this topic", I just want to say there's no such thing as too many podcasts. Most people who start podcasts stop after a handful of episodes because of the novelty wearing off or that it didn't get enough attention as they wanted. And even with that in ind, I still want to start podcasting.

I also listen to a lot of podcasts, some are smaller and some are bigger, and a lot of them started from nothing (as in didn't have any or very little social reach) but kept going, and are now recording shows for a good chunk of people.

1:46:00 I had a similar experience to Jeff with Fallout 3; I beat the whole game and I never knew VATS existed until Fallout: New Vegas. It's never tutorialized or mentioned in-game, and I played on PC so the chances of me randomly finding the VATS button wasn't very likely. I always assumed it was just a weird cinematic choice they used for the trailers/pre-release footage.

I spent over $300 on a chair and it was bad. You definitely will be paying 300 and up for duds.

Alex was somewhat correct, I think Ubisoft might have sent some mixed signals to MS as far as what they were getting to show. The creative director for AC Valhalla, in his twitter responses, flat out said that it wasn't going to be a gameplay demo late last night, and they already out there apologizing on Twitter. That said MS should have still of had time to temper some expectations so Phil is going to have to take the hit on this one. Not the end of the world, just a small 25 minute Inside Xbox show at the beginning of May, still a long time to go.

As someone that started balding in his 20's, I just reached a point where it stopped bothering me. Maybe it's easier as a tall person though, having the knowledge that I don't fit the "short, bald" George Costanza stereotype

Thank you Abby for fixing the chair! =)

I was at Bakalar's hair state at 20. At 22 I was pretty much had the Costanza going on and people noticed and made comments, at 30 no one cared, at 40 all those jerks that made comments are now bald too.

Change is scary and I do occasionally miss having a real cool hipster hairdo or something, but I've revitalized a lot of what I felt was missing by growing a beard and seeing my barber for a shave and a beard trim. Yeah, yeah, cliche. Whatever.

I agree with Abby, worst thing you can do is pretend it's not happening. Once you're done, clipper your head up tight and move on with your life. It's less of a stigma than it used to be, the highest paid actor in 2019 is bald (Dwayne Johnson).

chairs! Get a refurb fancy office one, not a gamer one. steelcase or herman miller etc - you'll pay about 25% of the RRP so maybe $300ish. don't buy it new!

@alex Please don't get a gamer/racing chair. I've been sitting on those crappy chairs for years and developed tons of issues. I would look at refurbished Herman Miller chairs, or anything that's actually meant for office work. They're so much better for your back. I've got a Herman Miller Mirra myself and it's been fantastic.

I know they're expensive, but they also last a lot longer. I went through 3 gaming chairs in the time I've had my current one (so far).

Vinnie - SUCH a well timed yeehaw during the skate news bit!

Anyone know where that sound byte is from?

Friendly correction: Giger is pronounced "gee-ger," not "guy-ger." Yeah, I know, I just did a "that guy" thing.

Vinny don't get a racing wheel and Alex don't get a gaming chair.

I just bought a $900 Steelcase Gesture chair. I figured Vinny and the GB guys would know more about office chairs considering they work in offices. Can't give you a first hand review as an owner yet but when I sat in one it was great.

The most expensive gaming chairs are still under the cheapest of nice legit desk chairs. Herman Miller came up and I'm not sure they realize how much those cost.

It's a worthwhile investment though if you are going to use it. I'm at my desk a lot and it should last about 20 years.

Used is a fine way to go too. I looked at a used one in my area but it was about 15 years older model or so and 300. In some areas I'm sure you have better options (also not the time I want to go around to physical stores). The online options are also a bit shady.

I get the basement factor for Vinny but I think a nice mesh chair would be the right answer. I prefer the cushion for myself but those work too.

As far as balding, I get Abbys reaction and appreciated it. Part of it is one of those male things that can really wear on men in a similar way the expectation of beauty she brought up do for women so I appreciate Jeff's candidness as well.

Abby's advice is really important though and a lot of people could use to hear it when they stress about smaller matters of physical appearance so much. I can do that myself.

Since movies need to have a cinematic release to be considered for most awards, isn't that some leverage cinemas have?

I don't know the full ins and outs of that though.

Not really. I'm not an expert, but I think the bar is very low, as long as the film was in theatres for like a couple weeks somewhere. Like all of the films nominated for Best Feature-Length Documentary and Best Short Documentary and Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards see very limited release in cinemas. There's a little bit of gatekeeping/leverage I guess, but if you're playing ball enough that you raised $10,000-$10,000,000 to make a documentary/feature film, you probably have enough industry contacts to get it played at cinemas briefly somewhere.

Also, they honestly might loosen those requirements as time goes on. It's getting silly that Netflix-only movies like The Irishman have to game the system and have these brief theatrical releases for like a week just so they technically qualify for film award season.

Movie theaters are the Gamestop of the movie business, upselling you on concessions instead of trade-ins and game insurance. The studios will gladly sidestep movie theater chains and sell movies directly to consumers whenever they conveniently can cut them out. We'll see if the entire concept of "go to see a movie in a theater" collapses after an entire generation grows up pirating movies off the internet or watching them on Netflix.

I genuinely had a big laugh out loud when Alex said getting a chair isn't hard and gave the recipe.

Thanks, I needed that.

During the discussion on podcasts:

Yeah, I don't listen to podcasts at high speed very often - it doesn't seem necessary most of the time. I don't think I've ever done it for any gaming podcast. However, I listen to Marc Maron's podcast, and sometimes he'll interview some old comedian who is 85+, and those interviews are insufferable at anything less than 1.5x speed. Sometimes I put it on 2x speed and it's still too slow.

Also those conversations bore the hell out of me and I honestly don't care what comedy was like in the 40s and 50s, so I might have a very low tolerance for conversations with elderly celebrities in general.

Apropos of nothing, turns out Jeff has been saying Mario correctly this whole time:

I was curious about this "Murphy's Miracle Oil" that Abby said she used on her chair and had from working on her moped because I work on motorcycles (as a hobby not professionally) and had never heard of it. Only thing I could find is that this might be the old name of a product now called "Marvel's Mystery Oil". This a fuel additive and not a dedicated lubricant. No wonder she stunk up her place if this is indeed what she used.

For household door hinges, drawer tracks, squeaky chairs, etc. I recommend a silicone lubricant. WD-40 makes a silicone lube that's widely available, note that this is not the regular WD-40, which is different stuff.

My workplace has chairs that cost like 1200€. Definitely a thing I'm missing while working from home.

Microsoft isn't trying to sell a console. They're trying to sell a gaming ecosystem. To that end, I think they're doing an excellent job with the constant "smart delivery" and "available on Game Pass" tags on most (all?) of the games they showcased.

For long hours at the computer, I like the Steelcase Leap office chair. @alex

@permanentsigh: Especially gaming chairs.

I was listening to the podcast and swiping on Tinder at the same time, and just as Abby was done saying she doesn't judge baldness a woman's first line in her bio said "No baldies". It was hilariously timed.

I've always been very self conscious about my hair but it helps to remind yourself that it's not a huge deal. Took a while to learn that.

i have spent a bit of time amongst both the country club set and the hunting cabin set of the greater NY region and i assure you that casual racism is considered by them to be a feature and not a bug

I listen to podcasts and watch most videos now at 1.13x speed, there's no reason for the specific number that's just what happens when you nudge the VLC speed bar over a few times, which according to my bootleg math shaves 23 minutes off of a 2 hour podcast.
The only negative i've found is that Gerstmann has a lower frequency to his voice, which when sped up sounds like a robot.

dont be afraid to take hairloss pills @jeffbakalar, you can easily do some research on finasteride and know the side effects and decide for yourself instead of being scared at just hearing that there's side effects. and while you can definitely rock the shaved head look like vinny and look great, dont get pressured into thinking caring alot about keeping your hair is somehow bad, theres nothing to be ashamed of for not wanting to lose your hair, or for taking hairloss medication, i've heard of too many men complain about balding and who've never even done the research on the medication and just think its fake or not worth it, do the research now, dont let it be too late.

i don't think i'll ever understand the logic of people that own a decent PC but say this still want to couch game on a TV,you can do that since the mid 2000s with one simple plug the only difference is do you want to use a controller or keyboard

can only see it as a issue for newer people to gaming that don't like to fuss around with the world of building pcs and the amount of money it cost to get into it but if you already got all of that then why you slacking?? .

I think "one simple plug" is an exaggeration. Yes, you can connect a PC to a modern TV unlike 30 years ago, but it can still be inconvenient to do so if the PC and TV are in different rooms/different floors of someone's home. Wireless options exist, but some people don't like the latency that introduces.

Also, while devs are getting better at it, some PC games still don't have UI that properly scales for TV. Occasionally you will still play games where the entire UI is designed on the assumption that your eyeballs are looking at a monitor 12 inches away from you on a desk, so when you're sitting on a couch 10 feet from a TV the UI is unreadable.

I don't think you tried very hard if you can't think of any reasons people who own a decent PC might not play every single game on it.

@sweetz: She may have been talking about Murphy Oil Soap or confusing it with something else,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy_Oil_Soap

It can be used as a lubricant, but also it's cleaning properties could remove residue causing things to creak and making joints and bearings work better.

As for the office chair, I got a HON VL700 Series Black Mesh Swivel/Tilt Mid-back Chair from Costco right at the beginning of the quarantine and it works great.

Didn’t know Jeff was so self conscious! You look great man! I know that nothing anyone can say can convince you out of your insecurities but you really are a good looking dude.

@toxicantidote: Do it. Just get some friends together, sit down, and make a podcast about whatever the hell you want to. "Too many podcasts" is gatekeeping nonsense. Podcasts are not a finite resource; you're not taking something from someone else by doing it.

I've been making a podcast with a group of friends for years now. We don't have a big audience. It will never be our jobs. But it's a fun outlet for discussing the things we like, and we do it for that: fun. We just started streaming again. Right now, each of our videos are sitting at a dozen or so views. If you wanna do a podcast, go ahead and do it!

Secret Lab chairs are a scam, I bought one and it's easily one of my biggest regrets

My brother got me a gamer chair from a brand I've never heard of as a Christmas present in 2018. (Wasn't something I was asking for.) My fat ass broke it in a little over a year - a little metal ring that holds the chair seat tilt in place eventually gave out, and now the seat tilts forward constantly. Not to mention when I first starting using it, it was uncomfortable as shit compared to the chair I had replaced. I eventually got used to it, but that's just me getting used to it and doesn't change the fact it was not immediately comfortable (which a chair should be). Definitely wasn't worth the price, whatever he paid for it. I wish I had received a "normal" chair instead. I'm back to using the chair I was using before I got the gaming chair, and it's simply better. The chair tension is a little wonky though, like Vinny was talking about.

People who listen to podcasts on higher speeds are insane. I tried it once and couldn't last 30 seconds. It makes it unlistenable.

Damn you guys a bunch of negative Nancy’s. First off it’s May, you will get your damn “gameplay” trailers. You guys talked about a name for cross gen games for like 5 minutes shitting on it. It’s a name, it’s not that serious omg lol. They called it smart delivery omg shut it down.