Dan Stapleton
@danstapleton.bsky.social
Retired. Formerly IGN’s Director of Reviews, EIC of GameSpy, and Reviews Editor at PC Gamer. Dad (so expect dad jokes). Careful: you might hear some opinions.
Something I learned is that while kitchen cooktops come in a few standard sizes, most notably 30” and 36”, the hole you have to cut in the countertop for them to fit into varies wildly from manufacturer to manufacturer. So now I’ve got a cooktop that is literally 1mm too wide for the hole. Fuuuck.
November 25, 2025 at 4:57 AM
Something I learned is that while kitchen cooktops come in a few standard sizes, most notably 30” and 36”, the hole you have to cut in the countertop for them to fit into varies wildly from manufacturer to manufacturer. So now I’ve got a cooktop that is literally 1mm too wide for the hole. Fuuuck.
Just noticed that the Steam store page for Black Ops 7 seems to have disabled displaying the amount of time people who left a review have played. It still shows up on everything else, eg ARC Raiders. Dunno if I've ever seen that before, or why they'd do that.
November 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Just noticed that the Steam store page for Black Ops 7 seems to have disabled displaying the amount of time people who left a review have played. It still shows up on everything else, eg ARC Raiders. Dunno if I've ever seen that before, or why they'd do that.
Canonically, Morpheus died during the events of The Matrix Online.
After "film trilogy that dropped a critical plot point exclusively via timed Fortnite event" and "video game series whose story only makes sense if you're aware of the events of a canon pachinko machine", I feel like there are whole frontiers of user-hostile narrative design waiting to be explored.
November 22, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Canonically, Morpheus died during the events of The Matrix Online.
Aaron Paul sure is doing his best H John Benjamin impression in Dispatch.
It’s a pretty good impression actually.
It’s a pretty good impression actually.
November 21, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Aaron Paul sure is doing his best H John Benjamin impression in Dispatch.
It’s a pretty good impression actually.
It’s a pretty good impression actually.
How is it that there's no button to push on your phone that says "I'm the person connected to the Bluetooth speaker at a party, don't stop playing the music if I forget and try to show someone a stupid YouTube video."
Proof that none of the people who make these things have ever been to a party.
Proof that none of the people who make these things have ever been to a party.
November 20, 2025 at 8:27 AM
How is it that there's no button to push on your phone that says "I'm the person connected to the Bluetooth speaker at a party, don't stop playing the music if I forget and try to show someone a stupid YouTube video."
Proof that none of the people who make these things have ever been to a party.
Proof that none of the people who make these things have ever been to a party.
Did the first episode of Dispatch. I *love* the vibe of it, which is very much in the vein of Invincible, The Watchmen, The Incredibles, The Tick, and Freedom Force.
Also, having a more fleshed-out game of dispatching the right hero makes me want to keep playing it rather than just watch a video.
Also, having a more fleshed-out game of dispatching the right hero makes me want to keep playing it rather than just watch a video.
November 20, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Did the first episode of Dispatch. I *love* the vibe of it, which is very much in the vein of Invincible, The Watchmen, The Incredibles, The Tick, and Freedom Force.
Also, having a more fleshed-out game of dispatching the right hero makes me want to keep playing it rather than just watch a video.
Also, having a more fleshed-out game of dispatching the right hero makes me want to keep playing it rather than just watch a video.
When I’m dead my kids will look through our family photos and see way more of my daughter than there are of my son. They’ll say he clearly loved his daughter most.
OR it could be that his son wouldn’t smile for a picture no matter how much he was threatened while his daughter happily vamped.
OR it could be that his son wouldn’t smile for a picture no matter how much he was threatened while his daughter happily vamped.
November 19, 2025 at 7:24 AM
When I’m dead my kids will look through our family photos and see way more of my daughter than there are of my son. They’ll say he clearly loved his daughter most.
OR it could be that his son wouldn’t smile for a picture no matter how much he was threatened while his daughter happily vamped.
OR it could be that his son wouldn’t smile for a picture no matter how much he was threatened while his daughter happily vamped.
Tonight for dinner I did a lamb roast (sous vide to 148) with Greek seasoning, Brussels sprouts (par-boiled then roasted), and mandolin-sliced potato stacks with butter and Parmesan.
Pleased with myself.
Pleased with myself.
November 19, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Tonight for dinner I did a lamb roast (sous vide to 148) with Greek seasoning, Brussels sprouts (par-boiled then roasted), and mandolin-sliced potato stacks with butter and Parmesan.
Pleased with myself.
Pleased with myself.
I love how the Switch 2 will periodically just die for a bit and refuse to turn on no matter how long I hold down the power button until it randomly works.
November 16, 2025 at 4:05 PM
I love how the Switch 2 will periodically just die for a bit and refuse to turn on no matter how long I hold down the power button until it randomly works.
I've become a huge fan of BuyNothing. So much of the clutter I've accumulated has been due to it being perfectly good stuff so it would be awful to send it to a dump, but it's also not worth enough to try to sell. It's great to just have people come and take it and maybe actually use it.
November 15, 2025 at 12:17 AM
I've become a huge fan of BuyNothing. So much of the clutter I've accumulated has been due to it being perfectly good stuff so it would be awful to send it to a dump, but it's also not worth enough to try to sell. It's great to just have people come and take it and maybe actually use it.
I’ve been enjoying the heck out of an MCU rewatch with my son - it’s like a TV show for him, where he watches one every night instead of every 6-12 months. Magical!
But now we’re at the point where we have to watch either Thor: The Dark World or Iron Man 3 and they both suck.
But now we’re at the point where we have to watch either Thor: The Dark World or Iron Man 3 and they both suck.
November 14, 2025 at 5:20 AM
I’ve been enjoying the heck out of an MCU rewatch with my son - it’s like a TV show for him, where he watches one every night instead of every 6-12 months. Magical!
But now we’re at the point where we have to watch either Thor: The Dark World or Iron Man 3 and they both suck.
But now we’re at the point where we have to watch either Thor: The Dark World or Iron Man 3 and they both suck.
I wish I were more bullish on the Steam Frame VR headset. It looks like nice hardware, for sure. There just haven't been enough enticing VR games lately to make it feel like I need new hardware, so the cart is a bit ahead of the horse on that one.
November 12, 2025 at 8:04 PM
I wish I were more bullish on the Steam Frame VR headset. It looks like nice hardware, for sure. There just haven't been enough enticing VR games lately to make it feel like I need new hardware, so the cart is a bit ahead of the horse on that one.
If you have not used the Steam OS Big Picture console UI, you should check it out. (4th icon from the top right launches it.) It's pretty smooth, and intuitive enough that my 7-year-old likes using it. Only thing that annoys me about it is user switching takes way too long.
November 12, 2025 at 7:50 PM
If you have not used the Steam OS Big Picture console UI, you should check it out. (4th icon from the top right launches it.) It's pretty smooth, and intuitive enough that my 7-year-old likes using it. Only thing that annoys me about it is user switching takes way too long.
What I desperately need at this point is more than 4 HDMI inputs. With a Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, and Apple TV, I have no room for another console/Steam Machine. HDMI switchers are an absurdly clunky solution. It's crazy that TV manufacturers don't make an add-on that gives you more ports.
November 12, 2025 at 6:56 PM
What I desperately need at this point is more than 4 HDMI inputs. With a Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, and Apple TV, I have no room for another console/Steam Machine. HDMI switchers are an absurdly clunky solution. It's crazy that TV manufacturers don't make an add-on that gives you more ports.
Obviously price will be make or break for this thing, but if it's like $600-$700 for the 512GB model the Steam Machine will be a fantastic point of entry to PC gaming for a whole lot of people who want something affordable that plugs in and just works.
Valve Announces Next-Gen Steam Machine, Says It's 'Over 6x More Powerful Than Steam Deck,' but There's No Price Yet - IGN
Valve has announced a return to its Steam Machine PC / console hybrid hardware alongside a new version of the Steam Controller.
www.ign.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Obviously price will be make or break for this thing, but if it's like $600-$700 for the 512GB model the Steam Machine will be a fantastic point of entry to PC gaming for a whole lot of people who want something affordable that plugs in and just works.
Parents of formerly picky eaters: does it get better gradually, or is there a switch that goes off in their heads where they will suddenly voluntarily eat things other than pasta with no sauce and baby carrots?
November 10, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Parents of formerly picky eaters: does it get better gradually, or is there a switch that goes off in their heads where they will suddenly voluntarily eat things other than pasta with no sauce and baby carrots?
That’s Iron Man done - and he’s eager to roll right into Captain America. This kid blew through the entire Batman animated catalogue pretty quick so I think he might have the stamina do basically the whole MCU on a tight timetable.
This was the first Marvel movie I've watched with my son (though we saw Superman together in the theater a few months back). I guess now I've gotta speed run him through the whole MCU (or at least the good ones) before this time next year.
November 10, 2025 at 3:07 AM
That’s Iron Man done - and he’s eager to roll right into Captain America. This kid blew through the entire Batman animated catalogue pretty quick so I think he might have the stamina do basically the whole MCU on a tight timetable.
Finally watched Fantastic Four: First Steps and was entertained. I liked how detached it is from the MCU - literally in its own universe. If only they'd taken this approach with a few more movies (X-Men, Blade, etc) before mashing it all together in Doomsday.
November 9, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Finally watched Fantastic Four: First Steps and was entertained. I liked how detached it is from the MCU - literally in its own universe. If only they'd taken this approach with a few more movies (X-Men, Blade, etc) before mashing it all together in Doomsday.
Went to Costco the other day and right by the entrance they had a 98" mini-LED TCL TV for $2,000. It had me looking at my 85" QLED and trying to come up with a way of justifying that one to my wife.
...so far I'm coming up empty.
...so far I'm coming up empty.
November 6, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Went to Costco the other day and right by the entrance they had a 98" mini-LED TCL TV for $2,000. It had me looking at my 85" QLED and trying to come up with a way of justifying that one to my wife.
...so far I'm coming up empty.
...so far I'm coming up empty.
Reposted by Dan Stapleton
The grand jury refused to indict felony charges so DOJ brought a misdemeanor. The trial jury acquitted—note: that means that every single person on the jury voted for acquittal. There wasn’t even a single vote to convict. joycevance.substack.com/p/prosecutor...
Prosecutors Can Indict a Ham Sandwich, But Can They Convict?
What happens when you indict a ham sandwich?
joycevance.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:42 PM
The grand jury refused to indict felony charges so DOJ brought a misdemeanor. The trial jury acquitted—note: that means that every single person on the jury voted for acquittal. There wasn’t even a single vote to convict. joycevance.substack.com/p/prosecutor...
Nancy Pelosi should've retired so long ago that her successor should've been looking to retire right around now.
November 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Nancy Pelosi should've retired so long ago that her successor should've been looking to retire right around now.
While I agree that the POV of someone who doesn't like a given genre isn't valuable to a fan of that genre (which is most of the audience for a review), there's no rule that fans must be the *only* ones allowed to review anything. No single review is for everybody, which is why we need lots of them.
Wild opening paragraph, maybe you shouldn't be the one reviewing a Warriors game then
November 5, 2025 at 12:54 AM
While I agree that the POV of someone who doesn't like a given genre isn't valuable to a fan of that genre (which is most of the audience for a review), there's no rule that fans must be the *only* ones allowed to review anything. No single review is for everybody, which is why we need lots of them.
Reposted by Dan Stapleton
Nintendo’s embargo for Age of Imprisonment stipulated that reviews could not cover ANY non-public story details. None.
Avoiding spoilers or surprises is one thing, but we simply could not agree to such a broad restriction, so we decided to hold our review until launch.
ign.com/articles/hyr...
Avoiding spoilers or surprises is one thing, but we simply could not agree to such a broad restriction, so we decided to hold our review until launch.
ign.com/articles/hyr...
Where Is Our Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Review? - IGN
ign.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Nintendo’s embargo for Age of Imprisonment stipulated that reviews could not cover ANY non-public story details. None.
Avoiding spoilers or surprises is one thing, but we simply could not agree to such a broad restriction, so we decided to hold our review until launch.
ign.com/articles/hyr...
Avoiding spoilers or surprises is one thing, but we simply could not agree to such a broad restriction, so we decided to hold our review until launch.
ign.com/articles/hyr...
Okay I'm doing it: gonna get me an induction cooktop.
Anybody have recommendations? Wirecutter recomments Bosch and I messed with one at the store today that seems good.
Anybody have recommendations? Wirecutter recomments Bosch and I messed with one at the store today that seems good.
November 3, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Okay I'm doing it: gonna get me an induction cooktop.
Anybody have recommendations? Wirecutter recomments Bosch and I messed with one at the store today that seems good.
Anybody have recommendations? Wirecutter recomments Bosch and I messed with one at the store today that seems good.
Catching up on Gen V season 2 and it occurs to me that Hamish Linkater is actually an extra large Peter Dinklage.
November 2, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Catching up on Gen V season 2 and it occurs to me that Hamish Linkater is actually an extra large Peter Dinklage.