A Look Back at Geek News Predictions for 2022

Sitting here on December 31st, it’s time to take a look back at my predictions for 2022. I was fairly negative, but 2022 turned out to be a mixed-year. It could have been better, and it certainly could have been worse. In terms of my predictions, I’m actually kind of glad I was off with many of these.

 

Democracy continues to backslide

I predicted that because of a mixture of conservatives maintaining the lie about the election being stolen, new voter suppression laws, and people wanting more authoritarianism, Republicans would retake power during the midterm elections. Honestly, all of these conditions happened and everyone was predicting a red wave. However, people saw through the lies and determined their freedoms were not worth giving up in exchange for a sense of security and comfort. The eye-opening moment happened when Roe v. Wade was overturned with the promise of Griswold v. Connecticut and Obergefell v. Hodges being next on the Supreme Court chopping block. In response to these threats and Democrats actually listening to some of their constituents (for a change), people showed up to vote. The red wave became a trickle as Democrats managed to keep the Senate, and flip some state houses and governorships. Still, the creep of authoritarianism is eternal and people must constantly be vigilant. The picture isn’t as dark, but we’re not in the clear either.

 

The Steam Deck gets delayed by three months up to a year

I predicted the Steam Deck would be delayed by several months and would receive a summer 2022 release. Not only that, but pre-orders for later groups would also be pushed back. I couldn’t have been more wrong in this prediction. Not only did the Steam Deck successfully launch on February 25 of this year, but within months of its release it became readily available to everyone. Pre-orders were no longer required. Anyone who wants one of Valve’s handheld PCs can just buy one now.

 

Next gen console shortages continue through 2022

Continuing with my cynicism, I predicted console shortages would remain a problem through 2022. Once again, I was so very wrong. The beginning of the year was a bit rough in terms of finding a new generation console, but supply issues eased up dramatically by the fall. In fact, it was possible to find a PS5 or an Xbox Series X on store shelves in some places, especially around the holidays. In this household we actually have an Xbox Series X. (Don’t ask me to review it, as it’s not my console.) Needless to say, finding them in 2023 shouldn’t be a huge problem.

 

Final Fantasy XVI delayed until 2023 or 2024

I predicted Final Fantasy XVI would be delayed into late 2023 or early 2024. I was inspired by the news that the game’s development had been delayed by six months. As our own Joseph Daniels rightly pointed out, Naoki Yoshida aka Yoshi-P is producing this game. Unlike other producers at Square Enix, his projects tend to launch on time. His work on Final Fantasy XIV being a big example. When the spring came around and the announcement was made, it was revealed that FFXVI would launch in the summer of 2023. As of this writing, the game is still on target to meet its launch goal. So my prediction is half wrong. I boldly proclaimed it wouldn’t launch in 2022, but my 2023 timing is off by several months.

 

The NFT craze won’t go away

I predicted that Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) would persist throughout 2022. I’m so happy to be wrong in my prediction. Shortly after my prediction went up, interest in NFTs began to plunge. By the middle of the year, barely anyone cared about them except to laugh when another investor got ripped off. Not only that, but cryptocurrencies took a hard hit between the merge and shenanigans with FTX. Sure, some companies are dabbling in NFTs (see Square Enix), but most companies have run hard from the practice. I doubt we’ll see much in the way of this blockchain technology outside of enthusiasts’ circles any time soon.

 

I was mostly wrong this year in my predictions, but I’m glad my pessimism didn’t pan out. Come back tomorrow for my 2023 predictions.