Not sure about current options, but I came across a physical copy some time ago. Wine was able to install it and run it without much fuss. Iirc I didn't even have to put the disc back in to play.
I didn't get around to sticking with it though, so there might have been more issues down the line, past the first bit of gameplay.
Amazing game. I remember hearing folks describe it, before I ever played. I couldn't get my head around the concept. Then you play, and all the rules just make sense.
When I played through Portal in dev commentary mode, I was surprised at the time to realize they're basically trying to teach you things through the whole game (or at least heavily signpost). Made me realize a lot about game design, and design in general.
If it ever does calm down and stabilize, beware. That means something expensive is about to break. It's always something!
But really, it does get a lot less hectic after you close, get utilities and address records sorted, finish any big upfront renovations you want to do, and get most of your stuff unpacked.
But who staples things directly to the box of a collector's item or an of expensive piece of electronics? Store was asking for trouble. The staple would have bothered me even if it didn't touch the screen.
There are lots of great things to do, but most important is to build a habit and keep working at it. Engage with the language every day, and work up to consuming content designed for native speakers.
Duolingo and similar apps are helpful, but don't put all your eggs in that, or any single, basket. Also do Anki or some other flashcard thing. And at the very least a beginner textbook or grammar guide is good to have. Early on, mix time between textbook, apps, 'comprehensible input' videos. Work your way up to reading, and look for graded readers to get started.
(Also, as Duolingo gets worse, consider alternatives like Memrise and Mondly. Or even paid stuff like Busuu, Lingq, Pimsleur, Babbel, Rosetta Stone. Also, your local library may give access to Transparent Language or Mango. Although of course I can't vouch for most of these personally.)
Another rec: check out !languagelearning@sopuli.xyz for a cool community. Good place to ask questions and get support.
There are probably a ton of cool learning resources specific to your target language. Look online for communities around it.
Kinda, but I think phrasing it that way overstates how bad it is right now. Generally, you buy a physical game and you get something that's a reasonably complete product, playable to the end without ever patching.
Basically every game has a patch, but it's usually minor bug fixes, optimizations, or extra content that's not so important.
Truly broken and deeply unfinished games shipping on cart/disc are (were?) still kinda the exception.
Good question. I always assumed the updates were cumulative (as in, a later version would contain anything needed from older versions) and that pretty much every cartridge required some firmware that was newish at time of release... such that yeah, each cart would have a version of firmware update on there.
But there are a lot of assumptions on my part there. And the Switch 2 situation could be a totally different kind of thing for all we know.
I can see an argument for it. The Internet was widespread and accessible to common people, but governments and major corporations hadn't really figured out how to completely abuse it yet.
But the real thing is probably that the peak of culture is probably based on whenever a person was between 5 and 25 years old. For most I think those were the good old days, no matter when they actually were.
That sucks, but I wonder if future games will have the needed firmware update on cart?
A lot of Switch 1 games require your system to have newer firmware, but then it'll ship the update on cart so you never have to go online. PS4 and 5 do that too. Up to now, only Xbox One (and I assume Series does it too) has required me to do periodic system updates online.
One of the best things you can do to be active is walk/run/use cardio machines for long stretches of time. So,
Get some wireless headphones and catch up on some podcasts, albums, or audiobooks you've wanted to check out.
If you have a convenient way to set it up, you can try to get an excercise bike or treadmill in front of a TV screen, and watch or even game while you're active
Find some trails nearby. It's more fun moving around if your focus is on sightseeing and exploration, instead of exercising
But also, gamification can be fun. Stuff like,
Last time I did 3 sets of 12 reps of 100 lb, can I do more this time? Get an app and keep track, aim to increase either reps or weight when you can
Last time I went a half mile in 20 minutes, can I do it faster this time?
Yesterday I walked for 5 minutes, can I handle 6 today?
Can I piece together a workout from some exercises that I don't hate? One that gives me push/pull/legs? One that covers certain muscle groups? That planning can be kinda fun
Likewise with diet, get a calorie counter app and try to eat with intention. Think of it like a strategy game for min/maxing numbers. Can I get a slight surplus? Deficit? Can I get xyz grams of protein a day, or stay below xyz grams of sugar?
Probably means no general direct this summer.
But that's also what we thought when the Switch 1 direct happened right before the Switch 2 thing. Crazier stuff has happened. /shrug