The Front Row

Not to say he hasn’t been. However, the roles he has taken on mostly over the years due to the obvious reasons known were more inline with what he needed to take on at the time. This really could be his Brendan Fraser moment. Nicholas Cage is bloody brilliant when he gets the right role. Spider-noir really is the kind of TV series where I can see his range going really well with the dynamic of this particular character and everything that it entails.

That’s why I am excited to see it streaming in its entirety on May 27th. And it’s also the reason why you should be too. Because if anybody deserves a comeback story. It’s Nicholas Cage.

Not to mention, that in just a short period of time he has us leading the table for the best performing team in the Premier League while he’s been there with now Champions League confirmed. It shows Carrick is a steady pair of hands who has seen through many challenges this season. The question from most pundits is their concerns for how he deals with more games and the Champions League. I think it’s really up to Manchester United to support him with transfers and a strategy. If the club and Carrick are on board with the direction and where they both want to take the club. That has to be the way they go.

Sure, Manchester United can talk to other managers that are ‘best in class’. But with any appointment, that brings its own concerns and problems as well. Do they understand the culture and will the players support the change? Because from what I am seeing Mainoo is having a rave out there on the field under Carrick and we’re playing the ‘United’ way, and when a team responds in the case of adversity and there is a spirit, what more do you actually want?

If he gets help recruiting, I think he will. While also, bringing some more through the youth system. Having been a Manchester United player in the more modernised era and having an ample range of information from Sir Alex to call from to compliment his own knowledge. It’s only one choice for me, and it’s, Carrick, You know.

There are already very interesting things happening in the stores which means they’re getting them ready. It is 6 months from release and is edging closer to the amount of time both Sony and Rockstar will want to utilise that space in time to showcase the game. There is always a chance it could be delayed, but when so much of this is happening all at once. It almost always certainly indicates they’re in a position where ‘they’re good to go’.

This is a win for Xbox fans and it really supports the faith I had in her from the beginning. Just recently, Sharma has even invited back the ‘original Xbox’ creator Seamus Blackley for a bit of a chit chat. So where is this all leading to? Big changes that are happening right now and even better things to come for the next generation. I only see Sharma listening to more of your feedback and I think effectively this is going to bring the brand back into the spotlight with any decisions that happen to make Xbox better.

There’s been talk about buying more studios where it makes sense. They want the ‘premium’ feel that we even talked about here in earlier articles. The interesting thing now will be how they welcome the gaming world back to the Xbox world. We know there are decisions being made on whether Xbox exclusives will stay on PlayStation. What’s quite clear is that there are fundamental changes happening at Xbox. As successful as Xbox Game Pass is. It’s just a component within the Xbox eco-system.

It’s about how they can maintain growth from that and it’s going to be interesting how they not only invest in the content to support that growth. But also, how they decide to manage Xbox Studios. A lot of the talk on the PlayStation side was. Oh, they ‘Xbox’ are taking the exclusives back?

Oh Nevermind. The thing about that is Microsoft owns Bethesda who is also working on the next Elder Scrolls. Many PlayStation fans will want to play that day and date. Especially if exclusive and especially if significantly optimized for the next generation of consoles.

So the way I see it, even if they do have some sort of exclusivity. It does give Xbox some of the leverage that’s needed to be behind it. Especially from a marketing standpoint.

A lot also forget that the Series S sold ‘a lot’. That will not be going unnoticed either, and as I’ve been saying for a while. I only see more suggestions from fans, and a more open-minded Xbox that brings it’s community-centric with a real sense of pro-consumer all around. This ‘could’ change things for them going into a next generation where they haven’t got anything to lose. And they need big wins all around.

So whether you’re a fan of Xbox or not. I think we can all be excited about what this new focus might mean for ‘gaming’.

The reason for that is how disengaged most have been with this generation for whatever reason. Not only that, Sony knows about the economic situation and how the console hardware has increasingly increased over the last year with the PS5.

We all know what Microsoft intends to achieve. They’re going to have a series of mid-range to premium console specs in terms of offering different price points to Xbox fans. The way Sony I believe intends to do it will be the same. The newly rumoured PS6 S is making its round across the internet.

The interesting thing will be how Sony makes their entry point in gaming considerably cheaper and how they go about achieving that. That means for probably the first time we could actually see a PS6 Pro launch when the generation starts. That’s if Sony decides to go off script and cater to an entry level that needs to be there to get people onto PS6 as well ‘which is being rumored’.

Sony knows that ‘specs’ are really hitting a ceiling anyway, so it’s all about price points and doing a version that is still as next generation as possible. That’s at least my belief here anyway.

It’s about getting people to upgrade and I foresee Sony doing a lot more in that regard to achieve the sort of outcomes they want. Not only on the console front against Xbox, but also, on the handheld front as well against Nintendo where we could see some competitive situations unfold. If we think about how prices have increased over time with the PS5.

It does make a lot of sense if we see this situation with PlayStation come to fruition. Because it puts the power back in the player’s hands. It entices them to upgrade and you’ll be doing so from the beginning. It also allows Sony to control pricing a lot more where the economics of all this are concerned across most of that new generation.

I’ve always stated that football is a results game. I would love to see Micheal Carrick do great things at Manchester United. I still believe INEO’s still want to give it time as well. I think fundamentally what we’re seeing right now is the biggest test of Carrick’s reign here.

It’s how you differentiate yourself and start to enforce your philosophy into the team that was there from the beginning. The judgement of Carrick’s role is getting Champions League football. But at the same time, you cannot ignore all the signs around you when we’re falling off.

Obviously looking at other managers has to be something that is considered, as well, just based on the significance of how we’re failing to play how we played from the beginning. Then it’s about who you actually go for out there that can get the best out of this current situation.

My fear is we stick with Carrick because he’s the safest pair of hands without the considerable investment that would be needed at Manchester United. Because every manager is going to be looking at the investment aspect when they sign that contract. There must be a plan and if we don’t have one.

If we’re just doing things based on the ‘feel good’ factor. It isn’t going to work. We all know Carrick brought an aura that the fans really aligned to at the beginning and that needs to come back very quickly otherwise there may be a reconsideration. It’s also about how the club is going to support ‘any’ manager with the significant investment and plan that’s needed to continue our momentum. Especially if Carrick seals the deal with Champions League football.

Where do I stand? Of course, I support Carrick and want him to succeed. However, the decisions that the club makes from here on out will be based on the results and how we play as we go on and that has to get ‘better’. The significance of Champions League football is massive. However, it’s all going to be about ‘our ambition’ and the next steps we take from here. That’s going to underline any future success at Manchester United no matter who is in the dugout.

In terms of myself, I think I am happy with what the movies represented and how the actors there made the magic possible. However, this ‘younger’ and new generational retake of the story is going to have its own audience. I do feel though that this series does have to ‘get everything right’ in the first season and second seasons. It’s a huge commitment and undertaking by all that are associated with the series. The fact that it could be with us until the latter end of the 2030’s shows us that.

Game

I actually believe there is more to this TV series than meets the eye. The videogame and follow up to Hogwarts Legacy is going to be a huge factor in how it all connects. That’s a smart play, because we all know how popular Fallout the ‘TV series’ has made those actual games.

The uptake in that first season was huge. That videogame connection does have me intrigued I must admit. There is definitely more to this new ‘Harry Potter’ TV series than we know and ultimately there is a thirst for this world especially in the games. We saw that with how successful Hogwarts Legacy was.

This is a role reversal that will make the TV series benefit from that, I am sure. I am certainly going to keep a watchful eye on this and I am sure a lot of you will also. No matter how the portrayals are being told now. Ultimately, the audience will decide if Harry Potter can rekindle the magic for an entire new generation.

I say temporarily because we all know what Sony is working on. They’re working on a new handheld that will rival the Nintendo Switch 2 in the future. However temporary an action this is though. It’s not the sort of resolute message of confidence you want to give back to your homeland audience with a console that’s now more than half a decade old.

Not only that, but the future optics of this are incredibly important for PlayStation too. No matter what is going on in the world right now from an economic point of view these sorts of rises cannot continue to go on. It’s putting the gaming industry into a position where it’s going to become untenable if we continue to see these sorts of decisions going into the next generation.

So what can Sony theoretically do? They ‘could’ reverse their decision. Or they could wait it out. But no matter what they actually do. If Nintendo decides to not invoke a price rise. The Japanese audience will act accordingly as they always do in support of that even if Sony decides to stick to the course until then. It’s quite the position PlayStation are in right now. Of course, they’re doing really well everywhere else, or they have been doing, but it’s going to be very interesting how these price raises affect their long-term ambitions to reach their hardware targets for the generation because of the actions they’re taking.

There are some really big decisions to be made in the future of PlayStation. Whatever they decide, it has to speak to their audience in the ‘right way’ and actually be pro-consumer.