Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to Bits, Bites, and Beyond, your go-to podcast for everything gaming, technology, firearms, and cars. I'm Audreau, your tech geek and gaming enthusiast. And I'm Trippie, bringing the horsepower, firepower, and a healthy dose of skepticism to the conversation. From the virtual battlefields to the firing range, and from the hottest cars to cutting-edge tech. We've got it all covered. So buckle up, lock and load, and let's dive into the world of Bits, Bites, and Beyond.

Speaker 2: 0:32

So we got a special treat for you guys today. We're going to introduce our new host Aaron. So there will be three hosts total on the show now. Aaron, you want to introduce yourself?

Speaker 3: 0:46

Ayoooooo! How you guys doin' out here?

Speaker 2: 0:51

So Aaron

Speaker 3: 0:57

Who's going first we got Drew Mike

Speaker 1: 1:01

I was just gonna say it's pretty exciting to have a new host on a third host. I think it's gonna bring a new Insight to the podcast and kind of a different perspective into things. So I'm pretty excited about it

Speaker 2: 1:13

I agree. Yeah, I'm excited. Aaron, you want to tell everybody a little bit about your...

Speaker 3: 1:22

so a little bit about me alright this is always the hard part Prior military, nothing special there. Joined when I was in high school. And Basically from there. I've just worked in factories my whole life. Always had a love for. And I Don't think. There's really too much else to me. I'm a pretty sadist.

Speaker 2: 1:59

Fair enough. You're a gamer as well, just like me. what kind of

Speaker 3: 2:06

So when I first got into gaming I was you know. early-era You know Call of Duty so I was big good days good old days. Oh, yes. Yeah good And now, lately, I've been into RPGs, you know, Baldur's Gate 3, LBG, and I've been into... Dark Souls, it's just, I've kind of switched it up into more soul. I can just kind of chill and relax.

Speaker 2: 2:43

Fair enough. So we got a decent mix of gaming here. Me and Mike both play a lot of simulation games. Mike plays Call of Duty. I do a little bit more racing. Mike also does racing games. everything. Yeah, it's kind of generalized everything. I did play Baldur's Gate three fantastic game. What was the most recent color?

Speaker 3: 3:14

[A] MW2 2019? No, so that wasn't MW2, that was just Modern Warfare 2. So, the newest first installment of-

Speaker 2: 3:27

warfare. So yeah that'd be the when they brought.

Speaker 3: 3:30

out correct yes exactly yes when they brought warzone out because so I played before that and then, you know, got into warzone a little bit. And in every- feels like you know it's just going downhill I mean I'm not trying to but I mean you... on Facebook or YouTube and you watch these videos of people of these big streamers and they're basically in bot lobbies and everyone's calling them out for it but... admit it and it's like, well we're not stupid. here. Yep. So... not played really any... minutes.

Speaker 1: 4:17

For all the topic of streamers and in Call of Duty, there's a conspiracy and a theory out there. I should say, maybe not experience. But a theory that Activision was rewarding players who spent money in their stores. So if you were buying Battle Pass, buying skins, if you are a streamer who spends thousands and thousands of dollars on the game, you get put in lower skill level lobby. So your kills are easier. It's more rewarding. And.

Speaker 3: 4:54

too. I can definitely believe that I mean. Yeah, me too. There's there's like I said you watched. or whatever. There's one I watched today where this dude was playing on... me. in a default skin and he was using the new... And it was just like, why is everybody in a default? what's going on here. And there was no, there was no grenades. airstrikes or anything. thrown around.

Speaker 2: 5:34

very odd for shipment. - Yeah, and like I said,

Speaker 3: 5:39

where everybody just throws grenades, calls in...

Speaker 2: 5:44

strikes they're launching...

Speaker 3: 5:46

rockets all the time. And it's just like, how is this, you know, this dude's just running around through the spawns and he's getting all these kills and everybody's just like, oh, well, I'm looking at the wall. I'm not gonna shoot back. Yeah, exactly. That's my favorite words on and yeah, and I went through the comments and everyone's like well This dude's just going through XP boost lobbies and bought lobbies and it's like well, I can I can see that better a default skin and there's just nothing.

Speaker 2: 6:19

lobby. Yeah. Fair enough. So like Mike, you were saying about, you know, pouring money into the game and getting better response, kind of jumping to a slightly different version of war zone. Have you? the grid.

Speaker 3: 6:37

No, yes

Speaker 2: 6:38

Okay, Aaron has. So I'm assuming you probably watched the trailer to it? Yes, I have.

Speaker 1: 6:46

It looks fantastic.

Speaker 3: 6:48

I would say decent. I to get my hopes up because you know battle royale. they've gone!

Speaker 2: 7:00

Now. This battle royale is a bit different than the and I know they all say that but so this Battle Royale actually has ties to a blue for crypto currency. And I have not played the game. I'm just speculating from what I've seen in the trailers and such. But it seems like your in game currency that can be earned playing matches and so on but you can apparently also buy it as a crypto to you. or some form of that. So I thought that was kind of weird. That works for me. Well, it just kind of goes into that point of like what Mike said, you know, people just porn. into these games, and what do you get out of it? A cosmetic that may make your character run. or reload a bit quickly.

Speaker 3: 8:04

or you blend into the background.

Speaker 1: 8:06

better right well it's.

Speaker 2: 8:08

That's that was a lot of that. That was the thing about off the grid, though, is it has like abilities, like there's an invisibility. ability like it's almost seems like it's a game tailored to.

Speaker 1: 8:26

transactions and cheating. I mean, that's what X-Defiant was supposed to be. X-Defiant had those same modes. You could go invisible. You could see through walls.

Speaker 2: 8:37

ping the whole team for your team? I don't want to say cheating, obviously the people who are playing the game aren't necessarily cheating, but it's just all those things that you see and hear about in Call of Duty that are claimed to be cheating now. Holy, hey, here you go.

Speaker 3: 8:58

Yeah. I mean, that's the same with-- You can't beat him. Yeah if you can't beat him join them. I mean, yeah. to be the same way when it first came out. I mean, so...- You've all heard of Dr. Disrespect, right? - Oh yeah. - Oh yeah. - So he was a map designer. if I'm wrong. But yeah, he was a map designer on Valorant. designer on. warfare as well. -Crash game? -Yes, exactly. So basically, that's his baby, and it's basically going the same way as... Microtransactions out the a-

Speaker 2: 9:47

Yeah, that's every game too. It is. It truly is and like I was telling you, Drew...

Speaker 3: 9:58

Diablo! Diablo 4. Oh, yeah, I played that. I played that from release and what we're on season. I don't even. or six or something like that but it's just it is so in... how micro-

Speaker 2: 10:19

or becoming a fan of the show.

Speaker 3: 10:23

in in gaming that I get in and I I I People are saying, "Oh, well, you don't have to participate in it," but it's not. getting thrown in your face so much that...

Speaker 1: 10:37

- Right, you open up college duty. - Especially when it's easier to win.

Speaker 3: 10:41

Exactly. Yeah. I mean, it's it's pay to win basically. That's what brings the enjoyment then. That's what

Speaker 1: 10:47

Most people play these types of games winning brings that satisfaction. Well, if I could spend five or $10 to bring me that satisfaction, it's done. It's a done deal for most people. Exactly. I mean, yeah.

Speaker 3: 11:02

see that anymore. Yup. Yeah. And I mean, that's why, stick to solo games and it's kind of like a... like, "Meh!" There's nothing really like that in there, you know, Elden Ring.

Speaker 2: 11:16

No microtransactions in that game whatsoever. Well, in the- I mean let's be honest. to do to you what other online games do you play.

Speaker 1: 11:26

Uh, not a lot. But I haven't really been into many multiplayer games lately. been in many single players. I've been playing a couple sims but I mean it's... that's really grabbed my attention lately even out of shooters.

Speaker 2: 11:45

We started playing American trucks and. for about a week or two and... bored with that again. That's how it normally goes. We even played that construction simulator. Couple days and yet again. I got

Speaker 1: 12:05

- Well, for one we did.

Speaker 2: 12:08

That was fun.

Speaker 3: 12:10

So Drew that's like I got you to re-download Borderlands 3.

Speaker 2: 12:15

earlier today? Yep.

Speaker 3: 12:17

on that. So yeah it's which so far...

Speaker 2: 12:22

I mean I do remember the campaign because I told you I thought I played it before.- Yup. - Like I don't even remember. So it's like playing a whole new game. Exactly.

Speaker 3: 12:32

The from what I've experienced I mean I've had what you looked at at the other day. 20 hours or something played. Yeah. Redux mod. that we were talking about earlier about. Developers allowing more mods. because that allows the keepers to keep the game.

Speaker 2: 13:01

to input what they want into the game. Agreed. I can't tell you how many. on it being modded. And I'm like, this is awesome. Yeah. Well.

Speaker 3: 13:17

All the fallout. I mean, Bethesda even realized what they did wrong and they allowed mods to...

Speaker 2: 13:30

just be okay well here you go. download whatever mod you want yeah and it and the good the good thing for the devs devs It prolongs the life of their games, I mean even if the game's on-screen. Somebody's going to see something and be like, I want to play that and they'll go by it.

Speaker 3: 13:55

Let's just like put the fallout TV s- Yeah. I mean you and I were talking about it at work. And it was like, Hey, I got back into Fallout because the TV series came out. Yeah, which I was.

Speaker 2: 14:09

It was, I know everybody had high hopes for it and it was.- Yes. - It's actually pretty good.

Speaker 3: 14:19

got about halfway through. Oh really? Yeah. The Halo series. Oh yeah. God. like halfway through episode one and I was like I cannot even watch this anymore.

Speaker 2: 14:34

the movies man like the first movie that came out was that forward under dawn yes like I watched that one it was watched the second one that came out I'm like this this is terrible.

Speaker 3: 14:49

It was just, like I said, that was a good one. They tanked it in my opinion.

Speaker 1: 14:58

Got anything new on your side, Mike? Anything? I've been kinda watching this off the grid gameplay off and on here. And it's an interesting take on a Battle Royale for sure. It kind of reminds me like battlefield and in wars on met, you know Yeah, I actually watched stone mountain play it early

Speaker 2: 15:26

on the Epic Games Store. I'll have to check it out. At least give it a try! I was gonna download it earlier but I didn't end up doing it. I was kinda surprised you did. being a battle royale. I figured you, you and the other guys.

Speaker 3: 15:48

It honestly kind of reminds me of... Battle Royale, that Call of Duty tried to do. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 16:01

It thrived for no-

Speaker 2: 16:04

I like the blackout. I honestly did. I was just terrible at it.

Speaker 1: 16:10

Me too that's everybody who's not in a bot lobby come on. Yeah true. Yeah, I was out of Call of Duty for a good period of time from like I Mean for black ops 3 and 4. I really didn't play I was off playing other games. I got really heavy into 5m which is like a roleplay mod or RP mod for GTA 5 There's like tons of other custom servers out there I got into that for a couple years and quit playing Call of Duty pretty much until WordZone came out. And I kinda got back into that, and COVID too, so everybody was stuck at home. Perfect. Yeah, I will say it was a pretty decent year for gaming though. Got a lot of game done. Well, I mean, it's crazy to see how much technology has changed just in the last few years post COVID not saying that COVID was a change during any of that, but just that time period where everybody quarantined it changed our industry, especially in technology a lot. We're seeing such a major push to automation, automate everything. Like I saw a video this morning that, you mannequin robot. full range of movement and it talks to you has live conversation. It's a bartender. So it tells you like, hey, welcome to the bar. There's a menu right here. Take a look at what you'd like to drink and I'll make it for you. And he's like, okay, I'll take this. And the guy asked him several questions about how he wanted it made as he's like preparing the drink, makes it all, doesn't spill it at all, and then like reaches it up. it was so natural the movement and the spirit. It was unsettling man. Like we've seen... It doesn't sound like Skynet at all. Yeah. It's like iRobot with like, I'm sure you guys have seen the AI conversations where like people can clone voices and stuff. It's like that level of conversation. on a mannequin man that's like with gesture. in everything. by 2030, they're going to be in our homes, iRobot style. And then they're all going to turn on us when AI turns.

Speaker 2: 18:45

How long do you think it will be before you stop seeing people running cash registers?

Speaker 1: 18:50

and stuff? Not long at all. That's no, that's that's four or five years max. My coworker just went to a conference like in a huge shopping mall, essentially. They were entirely cashless and you could not use cards. It was tap only. So if you don't have like tap on your card or Apple Pay or whatever on your phone, you can't pay there. I thought that was crazy. payment with a card?

Speaker 3: 19:27

I mean, the thing with... is they just want to control what you can buy basically. - Yeah, they claimed it was the premise because there's so many muggings in that area.

Speaker 1: 19:41

removed cash from the store to prevent people from getting mugged, but whatever.

Speaker 2: 19:47

Yeah, it does make sense though, but now you're just punishing the good people because a few bad apples Yeah, I mean it doesn't matter anyways cuz I never carry cash unless I go to the gun store right Yeah, I mean and that's that's another thing it's just become so natural to not carry cash to just have plastic on you all the time that You just don't ever think about it cash limit yourself

Speaker 1: 20:17

and bad but I mean if you need to spend a thousand dollars... If you got to go to the bank to get cash

Speaker 3: 20:22

and you're like, "Oop, here's my card." You know what I mean? Well, and then the other side of that also is that if you have cash in your wallet, or your partner is a cashier, you can use that to get cash. you're like, Oh, well, I have extra money, you know, because you're not thinking about it as in your bank. Yeah. So it's kind of like, Oh, well, you know, I can just spend this and not worry about it. It's like, sometimes I forget I have cash in there. Yeah.(laughing) - Yeah, you still have to work. because that still came out of your bank account.

Speaker 1: 20:55

Ugh, yeah it's a crazy time. It is, yeah.

Speaker 3: 21:03

It's just, it's just, it's... I don't know how to explain it. The past ten years has changed so much that it's crazy to think that it's the same thing.

Speaker 1: 21:19

You know that was really simple times and now it's kind of like well what the fuck are we doing? Right. Yeah It's they're unsettling. I mean it's Things can take a turn at especially after this election. It's going to be very Interesting to see what happens with our world

Speaker 3: 21:39

I don't even... I was telling everybody

Speaker 2: 21:45

[ Silence ]

Speaker 3: 21:47

I had a feeling that Biden was going to win. It was just a feeling, no evidence or what. ever. I'm not so sure about that. I'm pretty sure that Biden's gonna win and what happens. Yeah, right Biden will There's been so many investigations of election fraud there that have never found enough evidence

Speaker 1: 22:16

charge them but they couldn't prove that they didn't do it at the same time, you know? Exactly. It's just the evidence gets buried. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 22:26

has predicted the past nine out of ten presidencies and he's saying this is a lie.

Speaker 3: 22:32

this. I mean, with the way that people are leaning, I can see. going that way as well.

Speaker 1: 22:43

I looked at polling earlier this week because early voting started. already yes and. Kamala's leading most of the polls in most.

Speaker 3: 22:54

is very unsettling. Well, and so the thing with polls is...

Speaker 1: 22:59

kind of have to take that as a grain of salt. Right. This isn't like just public polls. These are reported early votes. Yes. From the board of elections. So they're official votes. But I mean, anything can still change as far as what the final outcome is.

Speaker 3: 23:17

in the election three weeks? What I mean those early votes could be illegals as well we don't know.

Speaker 1: 23:23

yeah yeah the dead people that are voting yeah yeah that too that too I mean I think they need to do away with absentee ballots you should not be able to a mail-in ballot yes that is one thing that I agree on I supposedly as part of you know come wants to make it so anyone can request the mail-in ballot at least I mean this is what I saw this could be incorrect of course it's fucking politics media. But I had seen that part of her policy was any of- request a mail-in ballot and do a mail-in ballot. for any reason, anytime. It's like yeah, that's that's gonna go over real well prove that that's an actual voter. Yeah

Speaker 3: 24:06

is like, my dad and I, we got meal in- but we didn't even request them. It's just like sending these mail-in ballots to people. haven't even requested them.

Speaker 1: 24:24

Oh, sometimes they're a scam! Exactly, but that doesn't make...

Speaker 3: 24:28

sense. But this was from um... This was from the state of uh, yeah, this was from Ohio. Yeah, a mail-in ballot from Ohio for

Speaker 1: 24:40

election. I remember the I remember the last year I got absentee ballots it wasn't obviously wasn't for the general election but I questioned it and I actually took it to my Board of Elections and it It does kick ass. the people were sending out to voters just to make them think they had voted but they actually.

Speaker 3: 25:03

that as well.

Speaker 1: 25:06

lot of money and money. So.

Speaker 3: 25:11

100 percent. Yep. If you got an... Well, I mean, this just like the five families in the world, you know this, I don't want to say conspiracy, The top five families in the world the richest families in the world that run the whole world And and you know everybody but there's people above them that people--

Speaker 2: 25:44

on them because they're that rich that they ride yeah everything

Speaker 3: 25:53

Yeah, I wish. I wish I was that rich as well.

Speaker 2: 26:09

born into wealth. You just have everything handed to you right from the start. How can you create any morals for yourself? You can. That's why most rich kids that are born into wealth are usually uptight, arrogant pricks. Dickheads. I mean, that's what they are. grew up with those morals. this, bam there you go. I want that. There you go. Yep.

Speaker 3: 26:45

And adjust it. I just can't imagine a world where... Everything. gets handed to you. People nowadays that are born into middle class... people go... They just want everything.

Speaker 1: 27:07

believe that? How can you try and make that a reality? Because for some people there is no such thing as reality, especially with the world of social media. All we see all day long is fake. It creates that false reality in so many people. like that person and I mean it's just it's not real. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 27:39

That goes back with the... Some people just can't figure that out. The Barbies. You know, if you look at it. from like, you know, what is it, 50s or 60s. She has a normal body shape and then as the years progress, she got thinner and thinner and more unnatural. and look at how the people changed with that, all these girls and boys, whatever, growing up playing with Barbie. I want to look like that. Got to follow trends. Yeah. I mean you give me some thick thighs around my head and I'm happy. Right.

Speaker 1: 28:14

- Times have changed. - Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 2: 28:18

how something as simple as a... Toy. literally change the whole outcomes for generation.

Speaker 3: 28:27

and well and that's like I remember playing with GI Joe's I can't even find them no

Speaker 2: 28:35

You can't even find GI Joe's anymore. I've been looking for some for my my boy and I ended up having to get on Amazon and actually ordering like Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes like the actual GI Joe's from the movie and then I ordered him a Master Chief you know like that's literally all I could find you know I I was right there with him. He was like "I'm going to go find him." I was Joe's, you know, they came with the... The gun belt you could put over them, the little plastic gun, you know, like... for boys.

Speaker 3: 29:10

because I remember having the big, you know, massive troop hauler or whatever it was called. I Joe's on there and just going around and hey, this is pretty fucking cool. Yeah, you can't find that shit anymore

Speaker 1: 29:29

You can if you look around. Like, but it's not in the stores. You know?

Speaker 3: 29:33

No, it's just not marketing to the kids anymore. It's not obvious. Like you have to go searching for... a deep dive on eBay or Amazon or whatever it is to actually get to that point. find those things now. Whereas, like Drew was saying, Barbie, you can just, you type in Barbie on anything and boom, there it is. different Barbie dolls that you can buy. Try like 1000. Yeah, I was like...

Speaker 1: 30:05

Yeah, 100. I'm a girl with that, man. There's like two damn many, man. Yeah, I don't have kids. And then you get one, there's like a thousand. pieces in the kit. I'm like, oh my God.

Speaker 2: 30:16

Yeah, yeah next thing next morning wake up stepping on Barbie shoes. Oh, that's worse

Speaker 1: 30:24

I don't know if I'd go that far. Oh jeez. Ah, it's right there at least. It's comparable for sure. For me. Legos are the bane of human existence. Yeah. Yeah, you're not. [cough] I think we're probably gonna close this one out. - Well, hold on, actually.

Speaker 3: 30:43

I have a little article. found. dogey man. So it's a magazine-shaped humidor. that in English. So it's a magazine. that can store 6 cigars. Oh, okay I gotcha. An AR mag? Yes, so it's like an AR mag.

Speaker 2: 31:19

But it is.

Speaker 3: 31:21

5.25 by 50. magazine. And it can store six mag- or six cigars, has a cover on it, and it's a little And it acts as a humidifier. Yes, so if you guys are interested in that it is called Stogimag. That is STO-G-MAG. Mag. Not sponsored. Not sponsored at all. None. No. I just found this article and I thought it was pretty. cool so I thought that is pretty nice yeah unless yeah like here's this and wants to throw us some helps out there awesome-looking. That is, yes, and it is massive. Like, the picture of the dude holding... fuckin' 50 cal mag.

Speaker 2: 32:19

That's so cool. Huh. It would suck if you're at the range and you're grabbing-

Speaker 3: 32:24

[laughter] I'm loading stogies instead of my 50 cow. What the fuck's going on? [laughter]

Speaker 1: 32:32

go to grab your AR or whatever go to pull the trigger and nothing happens bro because you grabbed your stogie Mac oh yes- So. - So.

Speaker 3: 32:47

place your Stogie mags and your 50 K.

Speaker 1: 32:52

That's a good life lesson right there. Oh man. Well, alright, I think we'll close this one out. It's been real. Had some great results in the first two episodes. We really appreciate all your feedback and really listening in. There's a send us a text. in the podcast. You can tap on that link, send us any feedback you'd like, something you'd like us to include on the podcast. Tell her and he's a bitch. That's fine. That's true. All feedback. Welcome. But you can get ahold of us.

Speaker 2: 33:32

Facebook X X. Yeah, not Twitter. Sorry X even email us directly at contact at bits. Beyond. Yeah. Oh. We'd love to hear everything. Make sure, uh, make sure you guys give the podcast a rating and we'll see you guys next week.