Shadowing Practice: Gaming Doesn't Have To Be Expensive. - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Now, a few weeks ago, I saw this post on Reddit from anyiunique asking

if there's any affordable way to get into gaming left for under $500 for someone who doesn't have anything.

No TV, no previous PC setup, no laptop.

And some of the comments just said, Dude, gaming's not the hobby for you if you only have $500.

Dare I say, that's too disheartening and sad.

What if you're a kid or a teenager?

Then you have even less.

Back in the day, gaming was a lot cheaper.

You could get a whole GameCube and a game for $99 bucks

so i dare to say even in 2026 there is hope

as someone that's been slowly getting into gaming since my kid

is finally old enough to give me back some spare time

i seriously wondered what would be the most affordable way to

go about it even a used budget tv runs about a hundred bucks

and that's already a fifth of the budget don't forget the controllers

and the actual cost of the games

but i really think the best way to go about this specific question would be with a handheld console something

that includes the tv the controllers and the console itself

and you get access to a bunch of new games as

well as a bunch of older ones now at first thought there's an obvious answer

and that's the switch one or the switch lite

which came out in 2017 and 2019 respectively

and i know what you're thinking the prices for these things new is a bit outrageous for something this old

and underpowered but used it's extremely affordable at a bit over a hundred bucks pretty much everyone

and their mom owns one it's one of the best -selling

consoles of all time you won't have a problem finding a good deal off facebook marketplace

or ebay or wherever you buy used stuff

and it's got a huge game library

if you're lucky someone might throw in a few games too plus

if you someday get a huge pay bump

or upgrade to the switch 2 you can still play your games

but there's another huge elephant in the room you have the console

but now you need to add on the price of games

if you're buying fancy triple a and first party nintendo games then

that costs big money i have 50 to 80 dollars a

game that's two games for the same price for the console itself.

Now sure, you could buy used or wait for a sale, and we're going to get into that later.

So while I was contemplating this idea, one of our writers, Tyson, proposed another idea.

One that's potentially better, but maybe not.

What if there's another method that might cost more upfront, but you end up spending less for each individual game as time goes on?

And that's the LCD Steam Deck, which came out in 2022.

They're no longer available from Valve, but they go for about $400 on the used market.

Perhaps even less if you find a really, really good deal.

This way, you can unlock a bigger game library

that also costs less over time with all those big sales

steam is always having throughout the year between the switch one at its super affordable price

but with an expensive game library versus the more affordable lcd steam deck with their entire steam library

which one is better which one makes the most sense to get right now in 2026

so i perused ebay and the facebook marketplace for a couple days contacted a bunch of people

and put in these offers to get these devices at their used prices.

The switch came first and upon opening it, I had no idea if I had just been really lucky

or I got a limited edition style switch or if it was shell swapped.

It has these little characters on the back and on the dock, but there's nothing on the internet that can tell me what switch I got.

Oh well, it looks cool and it turned on.

Now there are a couple scratches everywhere on the screen.

Joy -cons are a little wobbly, but I think that's normal.

It's clearly been used for a long time with love.

The back kickstand can barely hold up its own weight, but looky here, I believe I got really lucky with this.

In my beginner -iness to gaming, I didn't realize the Nintendo Switch only has 32 gigabytes of internal storage that holds like one quarter of a cyberpunk.

Now, I would have to go out and buy myself a microSD card.

Thankfully, my used Switch comes with a 512 gigabyte microSD, which goes for like $100 on Amazon.

What a deal it also comes with a dock so that's nice

but it's not worth all that much in the grand scheme of things maybe 30 bucks

if i bought one

and on the other hand my steam deck lcd 256 gigabytes

cost 400 it looks like brand new there are no scratches

i mean it really looks like it wasn't used all

that often to begin with like it's sat on a shelf it comes with the case

but it's really bulky this one has 256 gigabytes of storage

but i really think you can find a 512 one for 400 if you look hard enough.

Even so, 256 is leagues more than 32.

Now before we start buying games though, let's establish the criteria.

Since this is a value -based experiment, we have to look at the total cost of potential subscriptions, games, and time investment.

Or if you want a little extra finesse, then we need a controller.

Though, we're gaming on the cheap here.

We don't want to spend another 60 to 100 dollars on a nice controller.

That kind of defeats the point.

Fortunately, you don't have to.

With today's sponsor, Mobipad, you can get the C2 Lite, a pro -style controller for the Switch 1 and 2 that costs under $30.

I expected something that felt like $30 controller, but the joysticks actually felt great.

They're hall effects, so they're resistant to stick drift, and Mobipad's glide design keeps the stick from grinding against the outer ring.

The grip feels good, and the battery lasts up to 20 hours, which means I can sit back and game the whole day away.

I can also game the night away too with their quiet membrane buttons.

You won't risk waking up your roommates, family or in my case, a two -year -old toddler.

It works for PC, iOS, and Android too.

Plus, it's customizable with Mobipad's own app.

So if you want to elevate your gaming experience without blowing the budget, check out the Mobipad C2 Lite in the description below.

Listen to these buttons.

So far, we've looked at basic console costs, which here, $150, $250 if you throw in storage, compared to $400 makes it pretty obvious as to which one's more affordable.

As for games to even out the playing field, I'll be buying 10 games on each platform.

Five more modern -y AAA and five indie games.

There's added cost to, which we'll get to, but for now, let's check out some games.

On the Nintendo side, I'm going to categorize AAA as Nintendo exclusive.

I mean, it's only fair.

We'll go with some classics like Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart 8, and Tears of the Kingdom.

I mean, that's like over 500 hours of gameplay.

Easy.

The indie side's a bit harder.

I chose Slay the Spire since Jake loves it piku niku

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since abby one of our writers recommended it ace attorney since i love it

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and spyro because my daughter loves it

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and octopath traveler recommended to me for my sister

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that library's looking pretty good right

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but how much does it all cost as i was lamenting on spending money on expensive games i realized

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that like steam nintendo has deals too i found this site called deku deals

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that you can make an account and wish list a bunch of stuff

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and then it'll alert you

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if goes on sale it's pretty cool for my indie games i paid a total of 70 for the five

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and using a combination of used cartridges borrowing games from a co -worker

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and buying digitally i paid a total of 128 for the five nintendo exclusives

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so cartridges are one of the biggest money savers here you

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make some friends you buy them used you resell them

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when you're done and you can pretty much infinitely play new games

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so that's 198 total about 20 a game on average

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if you add 100 for the micro sd card 150 for

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the console we're at 448 now you can do something crazy like get a used tv for 50 pray

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that it works and use your switch docked for some more firepower

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or you can pay 20 a year for a nintendo switch online

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which unlocks online play plus access to their very limited emulation library

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if you do 50 though you get even more emulation it's not terrible

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but i tested it and it's really limited

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so the 10 games we got will last a heck of a long time to play them all

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and many of them have replay value there is one small caveat

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and that's nintendo's return policy there is not basically any digital

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purchases you make are non -refundable on the other hand steam lets you return games within 14 days

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if you have less than two hours of gameplay we're getting

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ahead of ourselves let's take a look at the steam game store instead steam is known for deals

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and sales all the time deku deals as well as is

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there any deal .com lets you wish list of the things

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alert you until you're on sale there are super useful

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if you want to check price history

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and just wait until the time is right steam has a top secret weapon here

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that can make it an instant win

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if you have a friend a family member

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or maybe even a co -worker who trusts you enough they

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can add you to their steam family now you can essentially

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share the games with them making them all free for you

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as long as you're both not trying to play the same

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games at the same time i did this with my husband a

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while back since he has a bigger backlog than i did

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now he never ever plays through now you can get yourself a tv

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and a dock and a control

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and you can use it with your console with all your extra money multiplayer is also completely free

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so there's no subscription cost it's also a newer device

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which means it'll last longer as time goes by this just feels like an instant win right

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but before we jump to conclusions let's go game shopping here

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luckily i made this video during the steam summer sale

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so there were deals galore fret not though

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because i think steam has sales every quarter look here's a

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great deal for avatar frontiers of pandora for 18 down from 30

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but as you scroll down apparently it's not supported on steam deck that's sort of a bummer

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so instead let's go to the great on deck section

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and at first glance there are a lot of great deals

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cyberpunk 2077 for 18 bucks doom the dark ages for 23

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but look there's games that cost less than five dollars each a binding of isaac rebirth barony

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and even the witcher 3 for 3 .99 that's crazy even

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with only a hundred dollars left for games we could seriously stretch that Sure, we're not playing the latest and greatest Forza Horizon 6 or Elden Ring, but eventually those games got a go on sale.

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So I opted for a couple indie games like Slay the Spire 2.

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This one was a bit of a splurge.

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Jake really wanted to play it, and since it's a new game that is exclusive to Steam, there were zero sales.

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It was 24 bucks.

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I got Hades for 6, LEGO Star Wars for 8, Spyro for 15, and Stardew Valley for 9.

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These indie games totaled $64.

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Well, I guess I'm begging to get on Tyson's Family Plan, who loves new AAA games, or else I'm stuck with less than $40 for my newish game selection.

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I know, looking at all these sales, it's easy to just want to hoard the games, but I do actually need to go and play them.

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Slay the Spire 2 alone fills up a lot of my gaming time.

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I've accumulated maybe 35 hours on it, but that's a lot for me.

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So despite whatever preconceived notions there might be, both the Switch 1 and the Steam Deck actually have really good selection with good sales on their games.

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One here doesn't obviously beat out the other, unless you fall into the exclusive category.

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Nintendo has their exclusives that you literally cannot get anywhere else unless you're crafty

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but steam has advantages too like play the spire 2

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which is only on steam currently a free multiplayer is a

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huge bonus there are zero subscriptions it also has one more huge advantage up its sleeve

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and that's emulation

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because the steam deck is literally a pc you can download

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emulators it has everything a regular computer does now you have

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expanded your game selection to pretty much every previous console generation

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you have no subscription no extra costs other than setting it up

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and acquiring your roms thankfully the setting up has been done

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for you through something called emu deck it's literally a one -click script

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that you press once

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and that's it you got psp ps2 gamecube n64 the world is your oyster with some google

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and some troubleshooting you have old games running in no time

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at all there's a full community source steam deck emulation compatibility

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list you just check the game you want to play

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and then you play it it's great i'll link it below add

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that to having friends that's willing to help you acquire games

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now you have endless gaming potential not to mention the cool

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customizable things you can do with something like decky loader you

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can change the home screen look add in cool plugins use

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custom artwork at this point i really was leaning all the

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way towards my steam deck it's a more powerful device bigger games library free multiplayer

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and it's open you're not locked to nintendo even though it's

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more expensive it did make a lot of sense since i'm not in love with nintendo

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but you know what matters a bit more than the cost

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of games is actually playing them in terms of usability this

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is where things took a bit of a turn the switch

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one is really lightweight at only 14 ounces that's less than

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a pound compared to the steam deck at one pound seven ounces

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which is half a pound more and it's chonky

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so throughout the day it was just easier to pick up

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and play the switch randomly where the steam deck feels more like an investment i may be the exception

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because i'm one of those filthy casual gamers only game like

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an hour a day after my kid goes to sleep maybe

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you want a more dedicated gaming device with a better processor better display

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and better everything then the steam deck wins out except

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if you have small hands the extra width of the Steam Deck that's needed to fit the D -pad, the joystick, and the trackpad makes it a lot bulkier on the sides.

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They do have the paddles on the back for those ultra intense gamer Dark Souls moments if you're into that.

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Even carrying around the Switch is easier.

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It's a good three inches shorter, it's thinner, and it's more compact.

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It doesn't fit in my pockets, but it's an easy add to my backpack without weighing it down too much.

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And the fact that the screen is already scratched up makes it so easy for me to be like, I'm putting it anywhere.

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And the best part is you can make it two -player by disconnecting the Joy -Cons and using the kickstand.

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It's a tiny screen, but the possibility is there.

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It's also extremely easy to put in a game, download a game, and just open it up and start playing.

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The experience is very streamlined.

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Even with all that said, after a couple weeks of playing on both devices though, which one is ultimately the better choice?

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Well, it's not an easy choice.

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Nintendo is Nintendo.

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They have exclusives, family games, and they're really easy to pick up and play.

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And Steam is Steam.

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You do get a lot more in terms of tinkering because you have a PC in your hands.

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In a way, they serve different types of gamers.

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If I had to make a decision, I'd have to go with the Steam Deck.

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I know, it's a shocker.

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But despite having a super fun time with Super Mario Odyssey and wandering around the world of Breath of the Wild, I think I'm just more of a social gamer

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and there's not much that beats playing Slay the Spire 2 with my husband.

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Honestly, both devices are great choices to have.

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They don't overlap all that much, surprisingly.

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So if you do have a little bit more money, you technically could have both but that's not money saving, that's money spending.

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If you don't want any of those and just want to go the retro handheld route, check out our video on the AYN Thor here.

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It's got two screens, it's ultra portable and it can run a ton of games for under 400 bucks.

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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Esta lección de conversación se basa en el vídeo “Gaming Doesn't Have To Be Expensive”. Las palabras que más se repiten: steam, switch, deck, cost, nintendo. Este vídeo tiene 232 frases y 2940 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 13:39. El hablante habla rápido, unas 215 palabras por minuto, así que espera sonidos enlazados y reducidos. Solo el 81 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés, por lo que el vocabulario es exigente.

Vocabulario clave de este vídeo

15 palabras del vídeo que vale la pena aprender, con su pronunciación y significado:

Palabra	Pronunciación	Significado
deck sustantivo	/ˈdɛk/	piso, plataforma
buck sustantivo	/ˈbʌk/	buco, gamo
affordable adjetivo	/əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/	asequible
controller sustantivo	/kənˈtɹoʊlɚ/	controlador, contralor
subscription sustantivo	/səbˈskɹɪpʃən/	abono, suscripción
dock sustantivo	/dɑk/	puerto, muelle
scratch verbo	/skɹæt͡ʃ/	rascar
multiplayer adjetivo	/ˌmʌl.tiˈpleɪ.əɹ/	multijugador
worker sustantivo	/ˈwɝ.kɚ/	trabajador, obrero
instant sustantivo	/ˈɪnstənt/	instante
alert adjetivo	/əˈlɝt/	alerta, vigilante
dare verbo	/dɛ(ə)ɹ/	osar, atreverse
con verbo	/kɑn/	engañar, estafar
acquire verbo	/əˈkwaɪɚ/	obtener
gameplay sustantivo	/ˈɡeɪmˌpleɪ/	jugabilidad, gameplay

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

Palabra	Pronunciación	Significado
check out verbo		investigar, chequear
pick up verbo		coger, asir
end up verbo		terminar, ir a parar
fill up verbo		llenar, repletar
go out verbo		salir
hold up verbo		aguaitar, esperar
sit back verbo		relajarse
wake up verbo	/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/	despertarse, recordar

Frases que vale la pena repetir

Frases cortas y completas del vídeo que puedes reutilizar en la conversación diaria:

Dare I say, that's too disheartening and sad.
What if you're a kid or a teenager?
Though, we're gaming on the cheap here.
Fortunately, you don't have to.
I mean, it's only fair.

Gramática en este vídeo

Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:

Estructura	En el vídeo
Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahora	that's been · we've looked · I've accumulated
Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hace	is known · has been done · is already scratched
Oraciones de relativo who / which + oración — información extra sobre una persona o cosa	someone who doesn · hours, which means

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

El hablante usa 47 contracciones y formas reducidas, como you're, I'm, don't. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.

Los sonidos de “th”: thin /ˈθɪn/, width /ˈwɪtθ/, filthy /ˈfɪlθi/, rebirth /ɹiːˈbɜːθ/
Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: subscription /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, conclusion /kənˈkluːʒən/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/
Palabras largas — cuida el acento: affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/, multiplayer /ˌmʌl.tiˈpleɪ.əɹ/, respectively /ɹɪˈspɛktɪvli/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/

Sonidos difíciles para hispanohablantes:

s + consonante al inicio — sin añadir una “e” delante: scratch /skɹæt͡ʃ/, script /skɹɪpt/, stretch /stɹɛt͡ʃ/, spare /spɛɚ/, sponsor /ˈspɒn.səː/
/v/ — no es /b/: los dientes tocan el labio inferior: respectively /ɹɪˈspɛktɪvli/, versus /ˈvɝsəs/, wherever /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/, sleeve /sliv/, microwave /ˈmaɪkɹoʊˌweɪv/
/z/ — sonora, no /s/: surprisingly /səˈpɹaɪzɪŋli/, resistant /ɹəˈzɪstənt/, categorize /ˈkætɪɡəˌɹaɪz/, peruse /pəˈɹuːz/, usability /ˌjuːzəˈbɪlɪti/

Cómo practicar con este vídeo

Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
Empieza a velocidad 0,75×, haz shadowing frase por frase y vuelve a la velocidad normal cuando te resulte fácil.
Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como deck, buck, affordable.

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.

Técnica de shadowing: lee la guía completa paso a paso →

Shadowing Practice: Gaming Doesn't Have To Be Expensive. - Learn English Speaking with Video

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