Hoyoverse has revealed that Honkai: Star Rail's 2.0 update will launch on February 6. The update will allow players to visit the new world, Penacony, and add three new playable characters to the game's roster.

Penacony will be the fourth world in Honkai: Star Rail, and its Trailblaze Missions will span between the game's 2.0 to 2.2 updates, with an epilogue coming in version 2.3.

Black Swan is the first new playable character. She is a five-star character and when using basic attacks or skills in combat, she will sometimes inflict a stackable status called Arcana. Enemies under the Arcana state can be hit with additional effects based on how many stacks there are.

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Dune: Awakening, Funcom's upcoming survival MMO, will let players experience the universe of Frank Herbert's legendary sci-fi novel series firsthand, and that includes trying to build a home out in the vast deserts of Arrakis.

Funcom has released a firstlook at how base-building will work in Dune: Awakening. Early on, Funcom says, players will be able to claim a spot of land out in the game's open world and craft their first base. More advanced upgrades will unlock as players progress, and there will be plenty of options for decorating the interior of homes, with "distinct visual styles" later becoming available.

Take a first look at how to build your base in Arrakis!
Upgrade and adapt it to protect against all threats coming your way in the most dangerous planet in the universe.
Let us know in the comments what you want to know next about Dune: Awakening! #duneawakening #dune pic.twitter.com/RJgnseqnxz

— Dune: Awakening (@DuneAwakening) January 24, 2024

But if living out in the deep desert was easy, everyone would do it. Deadly sandstorms, and, of course, giant sandworms, are a constant threat, so players will need defenses, including shields, to survive.

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JLab Nightfall Wired Gaming Headset

$40

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Headphone manufacturer JLab just launched its stylish new Nightfall wired gaming headset. The headset sports a sleek design, comes with features like a quick-mute mic and 3D spatial audio support, and works with a wide range of devices. Best of all, it costs just $40. You can grab the Jlab Nightfall wired gaming headset at the links below.

JLab Nightfall Wired Gaming Headset $40

The JLab Nightfall features a suspended headband design similar to one of our favorite headset lines, the SteelSeries' Arctis Nova series. The Nighfall's headband is adjustable and reversible, with a multi-colored rainbow gradient on one side, and plain black on the other. Both go well with the rest of the headset's matte black look.

As for the internal hardware, there is a 50mm driver in each of the over-ear cushioned earcups, and it sports a rotating near-field directional mic that can be quick-muted by simply flipping it up (aligns flush against the earcup). While there's no active noise canceling, that's not a surprising omission for a $40 headset, and the over-ear design will offer at least some passive noise isolation. On the plus side, it uses a single 3.5mm input, so you can use the headset on PS4/5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, smartphone, PC, or anything else with an aux audio port.

The JLab Nightfall wired gaming headset is available now for $40 at JLab's online store.

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The Nightfall looks to be a solid entry-level headset choice, but for those looking to splurge on a higher-end model, SteelSeries is also launching a new Arctis Nova 7 model in honor of the Lunar New Year. You can also check our roundup of the best gaming headsets for even more recommendations.

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Fortnite has long been that rare game where the microtransactions are actually part of the appeal, and so fans have been pretty baffled lately by the messy state of the game's Item Shop. The selection of skins, emotes and other cosmetics has been pretty poor recently, and also the shop seems quite buggy. Combined with the awful new locker UI introduced in Chapter 5, Fortnite's cosmetic game is really struggling in some surprising ways.

The Shop has particularly been a bit of a nightmare this week. On Monday, the Skull Trooper skin was added to the shop in two separate tabs, and a potentially related issue forced Epic to take down the entire store aside from the packs you buy with real currency through the platform you're playing on. On Tuesday morning after this week's patch, a bunch of the content creator Icon skins were supposed to be available to buy, but that section of the shop was hidden because their announced Lego styles weren't visible. Tuesday night then brought us the latest example of a Festival track hitting the shop a day or more before it was supposed to--something that has happened repeatedly since Fortnite Festival launched in December. Epic dealt with this by rearranging that section of the shop and removing a bunch of jam tracks--and then also by accidentally (and admittedly humorously) plugging in the Valentines-themed Heartbreaker skin where the song Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar was supposed to go.

Epic also didn't release any new Winterfest-themed cosmetics in the item shop until after Winterfest ended, and this week's patch added a Winterfest Wish emote and a 2023-specific New Year's emote to the game files for unknown reasons--even if they'd somehow been forgotten during the previous updates, why add them back in now?

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If you've been patiently waiting for the right opportunity to grab Persona 5 Tactica, now's the time. The turn-based strategy spin-off is on sale for just $30 (was $60) at Amazon. This 50% discount applies to the Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series X versions. While Persona 5 Tactica is approachable to newcomers, those who want to experience the full Persona 5 story can pick up Persona 5 Royal for Nintendo Switch at Amazon for just $41.50 (was $60). The Persona 5 Royal: 1 More Edition for PS5 is also discounted to $80 (was $120) at Amazon-owned retailer Woot. This collector's edition sold out when it first launched on the Atlus store, but a fresh reprint was released at Amazon last year.

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Persona 5 Tactica continues the story of the Persona 5's protagonist Joker and his squad of inter-deimensional heroes, the Phantom Thieves. This time around, the team finds themselves in an alternate world where they join a group of resistance fighters battling against the realm's oppressive rulers. Tactica trades in the dungeon crawling of the original Persona 5 for strategic turn-based missions where players control a squad of new and returning characters on grid-based battlefields. The game also adapts Persona gameplay staples--like the "1 More Turn" combat system and recruiting and fusing the titular Personas--to Tactica's new tactical RPG structure. Read our Persona 5 Tactica review to learn more about the game.

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Now might be a great time to gear up and pop down to the Dreaming City when a new event themed around Riven's Wishes goes live, and Xur is here to help. The roving arms dealer is back with his usual assortment of Exotic and Legendary-class goods, so don't miss out on some high-powered deals over the next couple of days. Here's where Xur is this weekend and what he has for sale.

This week you can find Xur on Nessus, in The Watcher's Grave. For his weapon, Xur is offering Fighting Lion. Hunters can pick up the Foetracer helmet; Titans can grab the Severance Enclosure chest armor; and Warlocks can buy the Lunafaction boots.

Xur LocationXur's location on Nessus

Head to Nessus and use the Watcher's Grave transmat zone to find Xur this week. When you arrive, hop on your sparrow and head north toward the exit of the area. Look for a big tree with pink moss on the right side of the area. Climb up onto its big, flat branch, where you can reach Xur.

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Many of Brandon Sanderson's novels and stories take place in a universe known as the Cosmere, and if you're looking to learn more about this intricate world, consider taking a look at the upcoming White Sand Omnibus. The hardcover volume is a 496-page graphic novel, and right now you can preorder the massive book for $63 ahead of its release next week.

White Sand Omnibus (Brandon Sanderson) $63 (was $70)

The release of the hardcover omnibus aligns with the fifth anniversary of White Sand's publication. It pulls together all three books in the series into a single, gorgeous compilation, giving you an all-encompassing look at this small slice of the Cosmere. The graphic novel omnibus is scheduled to release on January 30. If you preorder now, you'll get the lowest price offered until the book ships.

A paperback edition of the omnibus is set to launch on June 11, and preorders are available for $50. Meanwhile, the Kindle version is up for grabs for $40. The ebook will automatically be delivered to your Kindle library when it releases on March 27. Alternatively, Kindle users can read White Sand for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Preorder at Amazon

White Sand, which Sanderson co-wrote with several collaborators, follows a wild conspiracy that sees every Sand Master on the planet Taldain slaughtered. Protagonist Kenton manages to survive the attack, and he'll team up with a secretive Darksider to track down the truth about why their people were targeted. Whether you're a newcomer to the series or looking to relive the adventure, the upcoming omnibus contains the complete story in one hardcover book.

Plenty of other Brandon Sanderson books are on sale right now, so if you're interested in reading his traditional novels, now's a good time to buy them. Another Cosmere novel, The Sunlit Man, is also up for preorder for $24 (down from $30), as is the highly anticipated next entry in the Stormlight Archive series, Wind and Truth, for $36 (down from $40).

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Oscar-nominee Dev Patel makes his directorial debut with the action-packed revenge tale Monkey Man. The film, out on April 5, is produced by Jordan Peele through his Monkeypaw Productions via Universal Studios, who dropped the first trailer Friday morning.

Patel stars in the movie as Kid, described as "an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. The legend of Hanuman, a deity in Hinduism, inspires the film. Check out the trailer below.

“After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite," the official synopsis reads. "As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him."

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Who says history has to be boring? If you're looking to explore Nordic culture, you can get information and entertainment out of Vinland Saga, a riveting tale of revenge that's loaded with authentic details. While you might be familiar with the anime series adaptation on Crunchyroll or Netflix, the manga source material makes for some excellent reading, especially when you gaze at the upcoming deluxe editions. The debut deluxe edition releases on February 6, so you won't have to wait long to start reading. From there, a new deluxe edition will launch every few months.

Preorder Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition

Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition preorders at Amazon

• Vinland Saga: Deluxe Edition 01 (Releases February 6) - $49.49 ($55)
• Vinland Saga: Deluxe Edition 02 (Releases April 23) $49.49 ($55)
• Vinland Saga: Deluxe Edition 03 (Releases June 18) -- $55
• Vinland Saga: Deluxe Edition 04 (Releases September 3) -- $55

Written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura, each deluxe hardcover contains three volumes of the manga and come with several extras. At around $50 each, these deluxe editions are in line with similar manga releases, including Berserk, which has 14 beautiful deluxe editions. The big draw here is the presentation, as you're getting the chaos of the Viking war for dominance over England compiled in elegant hardbound books that eclipse 600 pages each. Unsurprisingly, the deluxe editions are much larger than the regular paperback collections, so you can really admire the fine detail of Yukimura's elegant art, while the faux leather covers feature Viking runes in their design.

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Last year, Sega and Atlus dropped the Etrian Odyssey Origins collection, which includes enhanced ports of the first three cult-classic dungeon RPGs for Nintendo Switch and PC. While the collection is a great way to revisit the series or try it out for the first time, its $80 price tag was even more intimidating than the deadly labyrinths you explore in these games. Thankfully, the Nintendo Switch version is a whopping 50% off for a limited time at select retailers, while PC players can snag the collection in a special online deal that comes with a free extra game.

Nintendo Switch owners can grab digital versions of the Etrian Odyssey HD Origins Collection for just $39 at Walmart (normally $80). The game is just one of many digital Switch titles currently on sale at Walmart.

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The Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection is also available for $40 at Amazon and the Nintendo eShop (in the Jump-start January sale), but you save a dollar if you buy at Walmart. The standalone HD versions of Etrian Odyssey 1, 2, and 3 are also available for $20 apiece (normally $40 each) at the eShop, but buying the full collection is the better deal if you plan to play all three. Either way, these are the lowest prices we've seen for these dungeon crawlers, so grab them while you can.

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Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 Ultra-Premium Collection

$80 (was $120)

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Pokemon TCG Scarlet & Violet Elite Trainer Box

$44 (was $55)

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The Pokemon Trading Card game is ever-expanding, and one of the coolest releases over the past couple of years is the Scarlet & Violet 151 series. This special expansion brought the original 151 Pokemon from Gen 1 back as a complete set. The Pokemon Company released a variety of 151 box sets when the expansion launched last fall, and the set's headliner is now on sale for its best price yet. The Pokemon TCG 151 Ultra-Premium Collection is on sale for only $80 at Walmart. Plus, it's not the only 151 product available for a new all-time low price. You can also grab the Elite Trainer Box for only $44 at Amazon and Macy's. For more Pokemon card offers, check out our roundup of every upcoming Pokemon TCG box set you can preorder at Best Buy.

Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 Ultra-Premium Collection $80 (was $120)

The Scarlet & Violet 151 Ultra-Premium Collection gets you more than just 16 booster packs, as inside the bundle you'll find a variety of useful items like a playmat, deck box, and dice. You'll also get Mew ex as both a playable card and a collectible metal card. This is the lowest price ever for the bundle, and we're not sure how long it'll stick around. If it sells out at Walmart, you'll find it for $96 at Amazon.

Here's a look at everything inside the 151 Ultra-Premium Collection. You're getting a lot of Pokemon TCG products for a fantastic price.

• 1 etched foil promo card featuring Mew ex
• 6 damage-counter dice
• 2 plastic condition markers
• 1 deck box
• 1 metallic coin (featuring Mew)
• 1 etched metal card (featuring Mew)
• 1 playmat
• 16 booster packs (Pokemon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151)
• 1 full-art foil promo card (featuring Mewtwo)
• Pokemon TCG Live code card

See at Walmart See at Amazon Pokemon TCG Scarlet & Violet Elite Trainer Box $44 (was $55)

If you want to add some cards from the 151 collection but don’t need all the extras found in the Ultra Premium Collection, you should take a look at the Elite Trainer Box deal. It's also listed for its lowest-ever price, and it comes with the following goodies:

• 9 Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet 151 booster packs
• 1 coin-flip die
• 2 plastic condition markers
• Player’s guide to the Scarlet & Violet 151
• 6 damage-counter dice
• 65 card sleeves
• 45 Pokémon TCG Energy cards
• Collector’s box with 4 dividers
• 1 full-art foil promo card (featuring Snorlax)
• Pokémon TCG Live code card

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While the above two bundles are seeing the best discounts, you'll find the Pokemon TCG Scarlet & Violet 151 Alakazam Ex Collection on sale for $22 (down from $25) and the Scarlet & Violet 151 Poster Collection for $15 (down from $16).

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ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith decided to step away from commentary on the NBA season and other professional sports to talk about Pokemon. Why? Well, because a fan asked him on X (formerly known as Twitter) about his choice between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.

The YouTube video from The Stephen A. Smith Show--seen below--gives the impression that Smith has never discussed Pokemon before. He has quite a unique enunciation for Bulbasaur and Charmander, for one, and he doesn't even know where the pocket monsters are from initially. However, that doesn't stop Smith from ultimately going with Charmander.

Smith chooses Charmander because "it reminds me of me because of the forehead." This transitions into a funny side-by-side comparison of Smith and the creature. "That's who I'm going to go with, okay," the host adds.

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You can never have enough docking stations, and if you want to outfit your desk with a premium option, then this deal on the 100W Targus USB-C docking station is not to be missed. This particular high-end dock has an original list price of $330, and Amazon still sells it for around $200. But right now you can pick up this USB-C dock for only $20 Walmart and HP. That's not a typo, this dock really is going for the price of a nice graphic T-shirt. But you can't connect multiple devices to your Nirvana shirt, so check and mate (h/t Wario64).

See at Walmart See at HP Targus docking station

Beyond your PC, you should be able to use it with your Steam Deck, ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, Nintendo Switch, iPad, etc. Walmart is even offering free shipping. This docking station supports single and dual 4K UHD video at a refresh rate of 60Hz, and for the ports, here's what you'll get with this unit:

• 2 x DisplayPort 1.2a ports
• 2 x HDMI ports
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps) port
• 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports (1 fast-charging)
• 1 x Gigabit Ethernet port
• 1 x 3.5mm combo Audio In/Out port

Overall, this is a versatile high-end dock for running multiple displays on your workstation, as between the HDMI and DisplayPort options, you can have up to four monitors running through this. More USB ports is always a good thing, and having one universal hub for your most important connections also helps you keep your desktop tidy.

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Mass Effect 2 is celebrating its 14-year anniversary today, January 26, 2024. Below, we look back at one of its strangest aspects, and how it set up a broader subplot that went almost entirely unexplored.

The Suicide Mission of Mass Effect 2 is one of the all-time great climaxes of a video game. After tens of hours building relationships with a crew of characters you've recruited from all over the galaxy, you take them into a final battle where you have to make use of their specific skills and any missteps can result in the deaths of any one of them (or potentially even all of them, and you). But less remarked upon is the climax of the climax--a boss battle with a giant robot called a Reaper.

Mass Effect introduced a Reaper at the end of the first game, cementing what a massive threat these things were. What the characters first thought was a colossal, incredibly powerful spaceship turned out to be a colossal, artificially intelligent creature, bent on the destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy--and it was only one of a whole species. It was so big that it took an entire fleet of spacecraft to defeat it. And now we were facing one head-on, just Commander Shepard and the two crewmembers you brought with you and whatever guns you had on hand.

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Asus threw its hat into the handheld gaming PC space last year with the release of the ROG Ally, and in a new interview, the company has confirmed that a second-generation version of the device is already in development and could be out later this year.

"We most likely will launch a second-generation [handheld gaming console] this year. We will still keep the Windows features, but we will focus more on gaming,” Asus India's VP of consumer and gaming PCs, Arnold Su, said to Techlusive.

The Asus ROG Ally is an impressive device, as it combines a sleek design with powerful hardware and a sharp IPS screen. Because it runs on Windows 11, it also gives users a greater selection of digital marketplaces to access in comparison to Valve's Steam Deck. Steam, GOG, and Uplay all perform well on it, and you can even turn it in to a Game Pass machine by logging into the Xbox app. It is a pricy, and it doesn't have the best battery life, but the ROG Ally is still a solid competitor in a crowded market.

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While Nintendo still hasn't unveiled a Switch successor, a new report says the company's next system will sport an 8-inch LCD screen and will arrive later this year. That would be the biggest display ever for Nintendo.

Omdia analyst Hiroshi Hayase is the source behind this latest info for Switch 2, according to Bloomberg. An LCD screen could also be seen as a step backward for Nintendo, since Switch OLED launched in 2021. The upgraded hybrid console features a 7-inch screen, while the original model has a 6.2-inch screen.

Nintendo Switch 2: 11 Features We Want, From Backwards Compatibility To 3DS SupportSee More

This latest info lines up with a report from last year that Sharp was making LCD screens for a new game console. The company was cagey at the time about the collaboration, even apparently taking down presentation slides after the fact. Meanwhile, the most popular PC handheld system just upgraded from LCD screens when Valve unveiled Steam Deck OLED in November.

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Most of the story of Destiny 2's Season of the Wish is over for now, but Bungie will give you new reasons to return to the Dreaming City next week with the addition of Riven's Wishes. The new weekly pursuits are set to give players access to high-end rewards, including guns from the Last Wish raid, Exotic armor pieces, and cosmetic weapon ornaments.

Bungie revealed new details about what to expect as Season of the Wish continues in its latest This Week in Destiny blog post. Riven's Wishes are a set of new weekly pursuits that'll cover the next six weeks.

"Starting on January 30, players can visit Mara Sov to accept a weekly quest with a high-risk objective in the Dreaming City, such as completing Legend Lost Sectors or dungeons," Bungie wrote in the blog. "Upon completion of these weekly objectives, players can return to Mara to receive a Wish Token. Each week, you can use this token to choose a prize from one of three different categories."

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There are 25 total Tuning Stones you can acquire in Diablo 4, but that doesn't include the two most powerful of the bunch, the Evernight and Genesis. These are called Uber Tuning Stones and they are far rarer than any of the other Tuning Stones you can get your hands on in Season 3.

The Evernight and Genesis stones are only found by completing specific tasks in Diablo 4. However, the reward is worth the effort, as both stones can be incredibly powerful if you equip the right Governing Stones along with them. To see the methods of acquiring both Uber Tuning Stones, look at the guide below.

Getting the Evernight Uber Tuning Stone

First up, we have the Evernight Uber Tuning Stone, which has the following effect: "The supported Skill grants you +4 to all Skills when used for 2.0 seconds." You are also to upgrade the Evernight stone by acquiring more of them and slotting them in on your Seneschal companion.

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Nexon's Warhaven is shutting down this spring, after what will be seven months of early access on Steam and before its planned console launch.

In an announcement on Steam, the development team at Nexon said it was with a "heavy heart" that it would soon be shutting down the sword-based multiplayer title's live service operations.

"To create a game that could be cherished and enjoyed over an extended period, we invested much consideration and effort," Nexon's statement reads. "However, regrettably, we must bid our sincere farewell as of April 5, 2024. We apologize that we could not come to you with better news."

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Progression in Enshrouded can be quite challenging. That's because fixtures like fast travel points are somewhat limited, and you need to be well-prepared if you venture deeper into lands that are covered in insidious mists. Still, if you gain permanent boosts as a Flameborn, you'll be on the road to success. You just need one very special material. Here's our guide on how to get Sparks in Enshrouded.

How to get Sparks in Enshrouded

You can get Sparks in Enshrouded by discovering and interacting with Flame Shrines and Flame Sanctums. Here's a quick summary:

• Sparks are absolutely necessary if you want to "strengthen the Flame" further. You can learn more about these permanent boons in our Flame Altar upgrades guide.
• You'll initially hear about Spark locations upon clearing the Ancient Spire - Springlands tower, which is due north of your base.
• From there, you'll gain more information about these landmarks by (a) talking to rescued NPCs, (b) tagging another Ancient Spire, or (c) discovering certain Flame Shrines/Flame Sanctums. Note that rescued NPCs refer to the Blacksmith, Hunter, Alchemist, Farmer, and Carpenter.

Below, you can see a map with the locations of a few Flame Shrines and Flame Sanctums that are near your initial base. The landmarks are denoted by a fire symbol inside a white diamond icon. Take note that the game doesn't automatically distinguish between shrines and sanctums that have already been visited and those that still have Sparks.

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