Ravi 64
Newsletter (Digital)
I’ve been covering technology for over two decades, with a special focus on video games and consumer devices.
I was the Deputy Editor at Rest of World, a non-profit outlet covering the impact of tech outside the Western bubble. Before that, I helped to create and served as the editorial lead for Abacus, a spin-off site at the South China Morning Post focusing on Chinese consumer tech. I also spent 14 years at CNN International producing live world news shows like News Stream. And I used to write for various gaming outlets and magazines, like IGN, GameSpot, 1UP and The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine.
Over the years, I’ve seen too many of my stories disappear due to sites closing or overhauling their CMS; I’m also becoming increasingly wary of how much of my content lives on platforms controlled by capricious owners. I’m hoping to use this site both as a record of what I’ve done, and as a place for personal musings. It’s my little home on the web.
And as my own site, I have a little pledge: none of what you see on this site was generated by or made with the help of AI. I do not use AI tools for writing, nor do I use them to generate images. Wherever possible, the images on this site are ones I've taken or created. Source
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| Language | English |
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Recent Articles
Search ArticlesQuitting a forever game
Pokémon Go just turned 10. And yes, I still play Pokémon Go. Wait, no, sorry: force of habit. I used to play Pokémon Go. I stopped six months ago. Pokémon Go was more than a game to me. It was a constant of my life. The last decade marked a series of major events: I got married, I changed jobs three times, moved twice, had two children and survived a global pandemic.
Steam Machine in the hands of a console sicko
It doesn’t matter how many pictures or videos you may have seen of Steam Machine, you just won't be prepared for how small it is. Remember, I’m a hardcore console guy. I like compact bits of kit, like the Dreamcast or GameCube. The Steam Machine is the size of an Xbox Series X chopped in half, and yet somehow feels much smaller still. It’s even funnier still when you realize that this is from the same company that produced the comically oversized Steam Deck.
The effortless genius of Super Mario 64
My favorite football player is Lionel Messi because he makes the sport look so easy. He glides past defenders without overly fancy footwork. Every pass finds a teammate, no matter how near or far. When he shoots, it’s always into the corners of the goal. Everything he does on a football pitch just seems so logical, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world to swivel one way to lose a defender and then calmly stroke the ball past the keeper.
History repeating
Nintendo is remaking the greatest game of all time, and not everyone is happy about it. Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct ended with a brief clip showcasing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. It's only a couple of minutes, but what was shown suggests that the game’s art direction leans away from the more stylized looks of previous titles and more towards grounded realism. The graphics are sharp enough to show the stitching on Link’s bedsheet.
Xbox and the perils of being too online
Xbox is flip-flopping again. Microsoft’s gaming chief Asha Sharma opened the company’s annual showcase by proudly stating that Gears of War: E-Day, the big holiday game, will be an Xbox console exclusive. It is the latest twist in Microsoft’s clumsy attempts to chart a new path for the ailing Xbox. Phil Spencer, Sharma’s predecessor, publicly backed releasing Xbox games on other platforms, though his execution of that strategy left much to be desired.
Outgoing Microsoft exec Phil Spencer couldn't save Xbox
It’s funny to think about now, but at a certain point Phil Spencer was widely celebrated as the rare executive that Got It. Taking over from the deeply unimpressive Don Mattrick, Spencer took charge of an Xbox at its lowest ebb. (Well, at the time, anyway.) Mattrick’s Microsoft took a sad song and made it sadder. They produced a flawed product in Xbox One and somehow managed to compound that with a non-stop parade of unforced errors in communication and marketing.
The secret tricks behind Nintendo Direct
It’s happening: the most exciting event in gaming is back. A new Nintendo Direct is scheduled for February 5. On the face of it, it’s absurd to get excited about this. Nintendo Direct is an ad, or rather, a series of ads: it’s a taped YouTube broadcast hosted by an executive from Nintendo who introduces trailers and gameplay snippets from upcoming games. From a certain point of view, celebrating a Nintendo Direct is like cheering for a commercial break. And yet they are hugely popular.
Ghost of Yōtei, Donkey Kong Bananza and my games of the year
I’ve said before that this has been a tough year for me, and that’s reflected in the games I chose to play… and the ones I didn’t. To be blunt, I’m a little disappointed in the lack of variety in my choices this year. I pride myself on playing a wide selection of titles on every platform, but this year’s list contains games from just two consoles. I mostly played the gaming equivalent of comfort food in 2025.
why it led the way for PS5 and Switch 2
The funny thing about the Xbox 360 is that it actually lost. I know the idea of winners and losers in the Great Console Wars™ are a bit childish. But it feels surprising that, between the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it’s Microsoft’s console that sold the fewest of that trio. It even had a year’s head start! It feels intuitively wrong because of the impact it had. Twenty years on, so much of what makes a modern video game console comes from the ideas and concepts introduced by the Xbox 360.
Why the smartphone killed the Xbox
Games — 8 min read Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but: the console wars are over. All the reliable sources are saying it (and some unreliable ones too). The common consensus is that the PlayStation killed the Xbox, which is logical enough. The two are pitted in direct competition, after all: the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have similar specs, play virtually the same games and are targeted at the same audience.