Following the announcement of the Switch 2 last month, many players remarked on how similar it looks to the original Switch. Especially compared to the jump between the Wii U and the Switch--or even the Wii and Wii U--the Switch to Switch 2 transition is more iterative than revolutionary, at least in terms of the form factor. From recent comments in an investor call, Nintendo itself is aware of this, and it stresses that the Switch 2's hardware has been built "from the ground up."

Responding to a question about the Switch 2's apparent lack of generational change, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that "it may appear that there is not a major change between Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch." However, Furukawa told investors that the Switch 2 was designed as a full new console, not beholden to the hardware of the original Switch. "We have created new hardware and accessories from the ground up," Furukawa said, "and these are products very characteristic of Nintendo, packed full of our development team's dedication to quality through various creative efforts and integrated hardware-software development."

Furukawa also explained that the Switch 2 is meant to allow Nintendo to continue innovating in gameplay and software. He noted that the original Switch's processing power has become an obstacle for game developers working with the platform. "Over the course of these eight years and counting," he stated, "it has become necessary to increase hardware processing performance in order for software developers to realize one of Nintendo's most valued tenets: offering new gameplay experiences. Thus, this time we decided to design the hardware with enhanced processing capability."

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Ubisoft has announced that it has entered into a three-year partnership with credit card giant Visa in Europe. For the companies' first act as corporate partners, Ubisoft is launching exclusive in-game DLC that is only accessible to Visa cardholders in the UK and Europe.

In a press release, the companies revealed that Visa cardholders will get access to a dance in Just Dance 2025. This dance is inspired by Kika Nazareth, a Visa-sponsored soccer player for Barcelona F and the Portuguese National Team.

This effort is just the first of what the companies describe as a series of "co-branded marketing promotions" throughout Ubisoft's catalogue of games. They also stated that "select" Visa cardholders in Europe and the UK can expect Ubisoft+ promotions, game codes, and other exclusives.

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In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud has the ability to take one of his companions on a "date" to the Gold Saucer Skywheel, and Square Enix has yet to confirm which of the companions is the canon choice. Its reappearance in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is said to be non-canonical, but a card from the upcoming Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy expansion might have inadvertently provided an answer to the canon question, thanks to a few versions with alternate art.

The card in question is Secret Rendezvous, which appears in the Final Fantasy VII-themed preconstructed Commander deck Limit Break. Secret Rendezvous depicts Cloud on the Skywheel date, and there are four versions of the card, each showing Cloud sitting across from either Tifa, Yuffie, Aerith, or Barret.

The four versions of Secret Rendezvous

However, on the official Magic: The Gathering website, it's confirmed that the default version of Secret Rendezvous--the version of the card included in the deck itself--is Tifa's version. The other three versions can only be found in Collector Booster packs. Considering the Sephiroth card shown at PAX East may be hiding a secret for the upcoming third game in the FF7 Remake trilogy, perhaps this is one way to officially set the record straight--or it's the MTG team choosing their favorite partner.

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Battlefield 6, or whatever the new game is called, is getting its full reveal later this summer, but for now, some of the developers working on the game's campaign have teased what to expect in terms of the story.

Creative director Roman Campos-Oriola of EA Motive told Inverse that the game's campaign was inspired in part by the Taylor Sheridan TV show Lioness. The show stars Marvel's Zoe Saldana as a CIA officer who heads up the "Lioness" program of female operators.

Senior producer Philippe Ducharme, meanwhile, said he was a big fan of Oscar-nominated director Alex Garland's 2023 war movie, Civil War, which followed a team of journalists covering a new American civil war. "Some of the things that we're pushing [in this game], the film is actually a good reference," Ducharme said.

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In the latest offer to end a strike by actors' union SAG-AFTRA, a consortium of video game companies has made key concessions to strikers. Specifically, the consortium has removed some provisions from the proposed agreement that would have given game companies more ability to create and profit off of "digital replicas"--AI-generated likenesses--of unionized actors.

As originally reported in Variety, this proposal is referred to as the "Last, Best, and Final" offer on AI issues, following a "Last and Best" offer sent in late April that quickly sparked a SAG-AFTRA counteroffer. The latest proposal delivered to SAG-AFTRA focuses on the generative AI sticking points that have been central to the union's demands since the beginning of the strike.

Among the changes included in this offer, it eliminates a one-time payment for unlimited digital replica buyout clause, which would have given companies the ability to pay a one-time fee to an actor to own the rights for unlimited use of digital likenesses for a certain period of time. SAG-AFTRA asserts that this type of provision would give game companies undue leverage over the vast majority of actors and that buyouts would serve essentially as "a purposeful discount for employers," according to the previous counteroffer. In the new offer, companies will have to pay more in line with actual usage of digital replicas, bringing the pay structure into closer alignment with how actors are normally paid.

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The Switch 2 is launching in early June amid ongoing drama and uncertainty about tariffs, and now Nintendo has put a dollar amount to how much of a negative impact it's forecasting as a result.

Speaking to analysts and investors as part of the company's latest earnings briefing, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said Nintendo has factored in a negative impact of "several tens of billions of yen at the profit level." Ten billion yen equals about $67 million, so it's not a small amount.

Furukawa said Nintendo is basing this off the US tariff rates effective April 10. It's now mid-May, and things have developed since then. Just recently, the US and China reached an agreement that sees the US drop its previous 145% tariff rate on China down to 30%, with China lowering its rate on the US from 125% to 10%. This deal is set to last for 90 days, which would take it beyond the Switch 2 release date.

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For as much as change can be scary, it can be all the lonelier to remain stagnant while the world and the people in it continue moving on without you. That's the crux of Old Skies, a point-and-click adventure game in which you play as Fia Quinn, a professional time traveler immune to the effects of the shifting timeline. On the surface, Old Skies first appears to be your typical time-travel story about the pitfalls of affecting time, but the story surprises in how it instead delves into the negatives of not influencing the flow of time, of being someone that no one remembers, regardless of what you accomplish. It makes for an incredibly affecting tale, one that has stuck with me since the credits rolled.

As Fia Quinn, you're tasked with traversing the timeline through a handful of moments in New York's history, ranging from the Gilded Age to the morning of September 11, 2001 to an impactful afternoon in 2042. Fia works for ChronoZen, an agency that takes wealthy clients back in time to relive moments of the past, solve their long-forgotten mysteries, or change minor details about their life that they regret. The work rarely goes as planned, forcing Fia to adapt on the fly and deduce the best way to get the client what they want without affecting aspects of history that the algorithm-following higher-ups have decreed must remain unchanged.

Old Skies' opening mission does not pull any punches and sets the tone right away.

For better and worse, Old Skies is extremely linear, with only one solution to each of the problems that Fia comes up against. In terms of narrative theming, I like this a lot--it reinforces that Fia's fate in this story is unyieldingly static and that the timeline in general must follow a set series of events. But this structure hurts the gameplay, too. There were times when I thought of a way to solve the problem at hand, and it didn't work--forcing me to guess a bunch of random solutions instead--and if the right answer was nonsensical, I'd grow irritated, especially if the solution I'd presented utilized a throughline of logic the game had already established in an earlier puzzle. If I have to use cash for Fia to bribe someone in the very first mission, using money to bribe people should be a valid way of collecting information later when speaking to people who are clearly looking for cash. And yet, I don't think I could bribe a single other person for the rest of the story, despite money appearing in Fia's pocket with every time jump--a constant reminder of an item I could not use and was foolish for thinking otherwise.

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There are a few people more synonymous with Final Fantasy than Yoshitaka Amano. Amano's art has been part of the franchise since its inception, and now the iconic artist is bringing his designs and talent to Magic The Gathering's Final Fantasy collaboration. Amano will supply brand-new art on some of the franchise's most legendary characters in his trademark style.

Amano explained some of the new art he's creating on Wizards of the Coast's and Magic's social media accounts. We also get to witness his surprise when seeing the art in card form for the first time.

"I've been drawing Final Fantasy art for a long time," he began before jumping into explaining his compositions for the new art for Kefka, both in his original and final boss forms. "In this picture, I tried to make it as crazy as possible. So I drew it without following any rules. For this one, the situation is what is crazy. He puts himself in the fire. The best word to describe Kefka is 'chaotic.' I imagined the colors would be swirled and all mixed together, turning a vague idea into something tangible. I like this process of exploring the details."

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Marvel Rivals developer NetEase has announced some good--and bad--news for cosmetic completionists, as the studio is considering bringing back older battle passes to the game, albeit at a higher price. The Season 0 battle pass that will be available to purchase once again starting May 15 when the Galacta's Gift event begins, but instead of paying 490 Lattice for it, the price has now increased to 590 Lattice.

The battle pass will also be available until May 29, but once purchased, the rewards contained in it can be unlocked at your leisure. In terms of price, this works out to roughly $7 for the battle pass if you don't have any of the premium in-game currency saved up. NetEase added that it is considering bringing older battle passes back in the future, but these will cost at least 20% more. There'll be no free rewards in these limited-time battle passes either, as NetEase noted that access to all rewards will require the purchase of the Luxury Battle Pass.

"Future Battle Pass returns might occur, but any such plans will span at least two seasons and be priced at a minimum of 20% higher than the original seasonal rate," the studio said in a blog post.

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Bruce Lee, the legendary martial artist who passed away in 1973, is now in Minecraft. His family's Bruce Lee Enterprises has announced a partnership with LogDotZip to bring Lee to the game as part of the Bruce Lee: Dragon Fury DLC in the Minecraft Marketplace.

Lee's daughter Shannon Lee said, "This was a true collaboration and we're excited for gamers to dive in and play."

Lee is not a playable character, but instead players can toss a spawn egg that summons Lee to battle. He'll join players as their companion and will follow players and defend them. Every time Lee defeats an enemy, he gets experience points that increase his overall level that in term unlocks more skills.

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A major update is live in Helldivers 2, which brings new Illuminate enemy types, loadout and customization changes, as well as an improvement to the game's Superstore.

The Helldivers 2 update unleashes a new invasion of the Illuminate alien faction with larger, more powerful enemy types. The Illuminate have emerged from the Meridian singularity, and they're bringing the fight to Super Earth. As detailed by Arrowhead in the latest Sony blog, this update includes the Stingray, which are enemy fighter jets that provide aerial support for the Illuminate. Stingrays can target players and line up devastating strafing runs. Another new threat is an enemy called Fleshmob, which the developer describes as being a failed Illuminate experiment and a "Frankenstein's monster of Voteless parts."

These are just some of the new enemy types players can encounter. The developer also alludes to other threats by saying, "There have been sightings of other, even larger ships, though details remain unclear on their abilities," so players will likely have a few surprises to discover.

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Tetris Forever earned positive reviews when it released last year, and now it’s gearing up for a physical release on August 28 for PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Previously only available digitally, this upcoming Limited Run product includes the base game and a bunch of documentary featurettes. A Collector’s Edition was also briefly available but quickly sold out. If you’re worried the same will happen with the standard edition, consider reserving a copy soon.

Tetris Forever Standard Edition $35 | Releases August 28

This physical release is part of Digital Eclipse’s Gold Master Series. That means you’ll get over an hour of all-new documentary featurettes alongside the base game. These cover the development of Tetris and take a look at the partnership between Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov and the founder of The Tetris Company, Henk Rogers. There’s also a new game mode called Tetris Time Warp, which sees up to four players jumping between Tetris eras as they battle for a high score while dealing with shifting game mechanics and art styles.

Of course, you’ll also get the base game, which includes over 15 playable Tetris games from across the series’ history.

Preorder at Amazon Tetris Forever Collector’s Edition $140 | Sold Out

Though it quickly sold out, a Collector’s Edition was also up for grabs. Along with the base game, this included:

• Original soundtrack CD
• Woven patches
• Handheld unit with stand
• Modular Tetrimino box
• Poster
• Tetrimino magnets

Preorder at Limited Run

We’ve seen a number of games from Limited Run, Digital Eclipse, and iam8bit arrive on Amazon recently, including several for PS5 and Switch. If you’re looking for a cool companion for Tetris Forever, here are a few of our favorites to consider.

More Preorder Deals

• Tales of the Shire -- $40 | July 29
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• The Making of Karateka -- $35 | July 31
• Omega 6: The Triangle Stars -- $35 | July 31
• The Phantom -- $35 | July 31
• Raiden Nova -- $35 | August 15
• Llamasoft The Jeff Minter Collection -- $35 | August 15
• Shin Chan: Shiro and the CoalTown -- $40 | August 15
• Metal Slug Tactics -- $35 | August 28
• Tetris Forever Standard Edition -- $35 | August 15

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It has come to light that the Switch 2 may include a helpful new feature for people who encounter error messages when using the console.

Someone at a recent Nintendo Switch 2 Experience event discovered that when an error message prompt pops up, the page also includes a QR code. This QR code then takes players to a support page where they can learn more about the specific issue and how to fix it.

The person who shared this on Reddit (via Nintendosoup) said while they were waiting in line to play Drag x Drive they saw one of the demo Switch 2 consoles encounter a connection error that triggered an error screen. The screen displayed the error code, an explanation of the issue, a link to Nintendo's website, and a QR code.

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The Witcher fans can now introduce their kids to the fantasy franchise with the help of a new collection of comics for aspiring monster slayers of all ages. Published by Random House Worlds on May 13, The Little Witcher follows young Ciri as she learns how to be a witcher from Geralt, Yennefer, Vesemir, and others. The 80-page hardcover book features full-color illustrations and is available for $14.88 (was $16) at Amazon.

The Little Witcher (Hardcover) $14.88 (was $16)

With Father's Day coming up (June 15), The Little Witcher could make for a great gift for fans who read bedtime stories to their kids each night. That's exactly the idea behind the book, as it contains bite-sized stories that trade the franchise's mature dark fantasy themes for a lighthearted tone. The Little Witcher is about relationship between an adoptive father and his daughter. As Ciri is learning what it means to follow the Witcher Code, Geralt is learning how to be a dad.

You can check out a few sample pages from The Little Witcher below. Though there are monsters in The Little Witcher, the art style makes them look cute instead of scary, and tales of battle include humorous details like "monsters who fart when surprised."

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The Little Witcher (Random House Worlds)Gallery

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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre developer Gun Interactive has announced that the game will not receive any future content or support after the release of a new patch later this month. The studio added that there will be more patches released in the future that will help transition The Texas Chain Saw Massacre toward peer-to-peer matchmaking, and the game will not be delisted from storefronts.

This echoes the studio's pledge to keep The Texas Chain Saw Massacre from suffering the same fate as Friday the 13th: The Game, which was delisted and shut down in 2023 due to its license expiring.

Gun Interactive says that it feels The Texas Chain Saw Massacre "has reached its full potential" and that it has been able to realize its future for the asymmetrical multiplayer game, allowing it to see its vision for this project toward its "natural" creative end.

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World of Warcraft just turned 20 last year, and now one of its most viral moments, Leeroy Jenkins, has too.

The video, originally uploaded to the WoW forums but gaining more traction on May 11, 2005 when it was uploaded to Warcraftmovies.com, shows a guild of WoW players in voice chat looking to conquer the Rookery room in the game's Upper Black Rock Spire raid. After going over an elaborate battle plan with a "32.33, repeating of course, percentage of survival," one AFK player, a paladin named Leeroy Jenkins, bolts up and shouts "Time's up, let's do this! Leeeeroyyyy Jenkinsssss!" He runs into the adjacent room and aggroes every dragonkin in sight. Chaos ensues and internet history is made.

Leeroy Jenkins instantly became an internet icon and helped cement WoW in the public consciousness, his name becoming a call to arms for anyone who was about to do something with gusto without thinking about the consequences. The video has been watched tens of millions of times in the last two decades and became a viral sensation at a time when the modern internet as we know it was still in its infancy (YouTube, for example, was just a few months old at the time of the original video). An HD reupload of the video posted to YouTube in 2014 has racked up 26 million views alone.

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Games Workshop has announced that the annual Warhammer Skulls livestream will return on May 22 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET, and it'll once again be hosted by Rahul Kohli. Similar to previous events, you can expect to see world premieres for upcoming games set in the Warhammer universe, as well as updates on several recently released and in-development games.

Kohli--who is a big fan of the tabletop games and voiced the protagonist Malum Caedo in 2023's Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun--will be hosting Warhammer Skulls for the third consecutive year, and Games Workshop has teased updates for titles like Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, Total War: Warhammer 3, Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus, Warhammer 40,000: Vermintide II, Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge, and Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector.

As usual, you'll be able to watch the livestream through the official Warhammer Twitch and YouTube channels.

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There will soon be a new compatibility rating on Steam store pages for games. Valve has announced that SteamOS hardware other than Steam Deck will get its own checkmark, meaning the title will work with the Lenovo Legion Go S to start.

Valve went over what this new rating will mean on Steam, adding that roughly 18,000 games should be compatible with SteamOS from the jump. "SteamOS compatibility ratings are based on a subset of the Steam Deck compatibility testing results and are meant to show at a glance whether a game and all of its middleware is supported on SteamOS," the announcement post reads. "This includes features like game functionality, launcher functionality, and anti-cheat support."

From the developer side of things, Valve is saying that it doesn't need to do any extra work to ensure SteamOS compatibility for its games. The verification can happen automatically apparently based on the Steam Deck verification process. Additionally, Valve is promising that "SteamOS compatibility results will all be the same or higher than Steam Deck verified results."

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Microsoft has confirmed another round of massive layoffs. The company told CNBC that it's laying off 7,000 people, or about 3% of its workforce. The company employed 228,000 people as of June 2024.

The layoffs impact workers "across all levels, teams, and geographies," CNBC reported. A spokesperson for Microsoft said the layoffs were necessary "to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace."

Microsoft is making this move just after announcing that it made $70 billion in revenue and $25.8 billion in profit for the past three months alone.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 arrives on June 5, and it’ll be accompanied by a long list of accessories. This includes not only first-party gadgets from Nintendo, but also affordable alternatives from GameStop and other third-party manufacturers. Some of the most compelling options come from Hori, which officially licensed carrying cases, the Piranha Plan Camera, and even the first third-party Pro controller for the new system, the Horipad Turbo. Preorders are now open for all of these devices, and unlike first-party Nintendo gear, these are listed at Amazon. Here’s a closer look at everything in the Hori Switch 2 accessory lineup.

See all Hori Switch 2 accessories Hori Switch 2 Accessories

• Hori Dual USB PlayStand -- $70 | Releases June 30
• Hori Horipad Turbo -- $50 | Releases June 16
• Hori Adventure Pack (Black) -- $50 | Releases June 30
• Hori Puff Pouch (Black) -- $45 | Releases June 16
• Hori Compact Carry All Travel Bag (Black) -- $55 | Releases June 16
• Hori USB Camera -- $60 | Releases June 30
• Hori Screen Protector -- $10 | Releases June 16
• Hori Ultimate Anti-Glare Screen Protector -- $30 | Releases June 16
• Hori Piranha Plant Camera -- $60 | Sold Out

Hori Dual USB PlayStand $70 | Releases June 30

The Hori Dual USB PlayStand is a kickstand device with two USB ports so you can charge your Switch 2 and additional Switch 2 accessories while using the console in tabletop mode.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Hori Horipad Turbo $50 | Releases June 16

The Horipad Turbo is the first official Switch 2 Pro Controller alternative available. It features all the expected buttons (including the Switch 2's new C-button) along with two programmable back buttons and turbo functions. You can even remap buttons directly with the controller without the need for a secondary app. At $50, it's also a much more affordable option compared to Nintendo's $85 first-party Switch 2 Pro controller.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Hori Adventure Pack (Black) $50 | Releases June 30

The Hori Adventure Pack looks like a well-rounded cross-body travel bag with enough space to hold your console and a handful of accessories. It sports a minimalist black design and an additional handle so you can carry it like a purse or suitcase.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Hori Puff Pouch (Black) $45 | Releases June 16

This Puff Pouch is a handheld carrying case with a unique “puff” design similar to a winter jacket. It’s big enough to hold your console and a few accessories, and features dividers and pouches inside the bag help keep all your gear organized.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Hori Compact Carry All Travel Bag (Black) $55 | Releases June 16

This Compact Carry All Travel Bag is built to hold the console, dock, AC adapter, cables, and a handful of other accessories. It’s essentially an all-in-one solution for traveling with your console--and its five different compartments should help you stay organized while on the road.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Hori USB Camera $60 | Releases June 30

Nintendo Switch 2 is (finally) offering an improved multiplayer service, and part of that is new support for webchat. This Hori USB Camera works with the Switch 2 regardless of whether you’re playing in TV, handheld, or tabletop mode, and its flexible neck should help you find the best angle regardless of where you’re playing. There’s also a sliding lens cover for added privacy when you’re not gaming.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Hori Screen Protector $10 | Releases June 16

A screen protector is always a wise investment, especially if you plan on traveling with your Switch 2 or frequently tossing it in your backpack. This one features a three-step installation process that helps eliminate bubbles and other headaches with application, and it should do a good job of preventing minor scratches and scrapes.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Hori Ultimate Anti-Glare Screen Protector $30 | Releases June 16

Along with protecting your Switch 2 display, this screen protector also features anti-glare properties. That makes it compelling to folks who expect to be playing their Switch 2 outdoors or in bright environments--give it a look if you know you’ll be playing in handheld mode the majority of the time.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy Hori Piranha Plant Camera $60 | Sold Out

Though it’s currently sold out, there’s a chance inventory will return ahead of launch. This quirky Switch 2 camera is inspired by the iconic Piranha Plant--it’s mouth even closes to block the camera lens, offering additional privacy. Check back frequently if you’re hoping to find the unit in stock.

Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Best Buy

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