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How Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Was Transformed Into a Festival Feature Film

30 juillet 2025 à 13:30

If you’ve put down your controller this year to go touch a very particular patch of grass, you might have noticed that something strange is going on at the world’s major film festivals. It started in May, when a film adaptation of virally-successful Japanese indie game Exit 8 premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival – the first videogame movie to do so. The film’s director, Genki Kawamura, gives his source material a compelling structural spin, appealing equally to the arthouse crowd and to game fans. But live-action adaptations of video games are, of course, nothing new.

That’s why Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Cinematic Cut is so interesting. It is not a live-action adaptation of developer Warhorse Studios’ critically-acclaimed RPG. Instead, it is an abridged and reformatted version of Act One of the game itself, presenting a newly-edited blend of the open-world game’s cutscenes and gameplay in a two-hour linear form. It was perhaps the strangest Special Presentation at this month’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic – a unique cross-format experiment. One that wasn’t Warhorse’s idea.

“It all happened at the official launch of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2,” explains KVIFF artistic director, Karel Och. “The first contact was made through a mutual friend, and Warhorse and KVIFF made each other understand that they wanted to collaborate at some point. During the following months, it was exciting to have a glimpse of what Warhorse represents – and I dare to say the same goes for our friends from the top of the gaming business.”

Warhorse’s communications director, Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, concurs. “They wanted to make the festival more modern and interesting – to offer something new”. The largest film festival in Eastern Europe, KVIFF attracts a younger, more adventurous audience than its contemporaries. The studio saw the film festival’s strange idea as a chance to give video games greater cultural relevancy in the broader mainstream. Besides – much of the game’s cinematics team were already speaking the festival’s language.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s cinematic director, Petr Pekař, studied film editing and directing with the intention of becoming a traditional filmmaker, but he found his calling in video games. “There are a lot of filmmakers in the Czech Republic, but the market is not that big, so it's a bit overcrowded.” says Pekař. “Thankfully, there are multiple studios creating cutscenes, which are basically animated movies”. Pekar learned on the job creating cutscenes for Mafia 3, then joined Warhorse – first as a cinematic designer on the original Kingdom Come, then as director on its sequel.

Bringing Deliverance 2’s cutscenes to the big screen invites comparison with conventional cinema, an arena far from the cinematics’ original purpose. “If you're a player, you’re mainly looking forward to playing the game,” says Pekař. “The cutscenes are more like dessert for the game – not necessary – but when it's good and it clicks, it really helps the game, the story, and the overall feel”.

The Cinematic Cut opens, naturally, on the game’s first cutscene. As it happens, you can’t help but feel like you’re settling in for a YouTube video titled ‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – All Cutscenes’ (“I don’t think anybody actually watches those in full” Pekař quips). The team’s cinematic direction is confident, but familiar – steeped in high fantasy tropes. A fiery siege on the castle is highly reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy – a major influence on Warhorse’s stylistic approach. Transported to the cinema screen, the scene serves as a striking reminder of how video games have traded in pastiche since their inception, responding to our desire to live out the fantasy ourselves whenever we see something cool on screen. But, of course, Cinematic Cut doesn’t deliver on this pivotal fantasy like its source material does – it’s non-playable.

I think this is an experiment that somebody can pick up and do better than we did.

When the cutscene footage ends, something curious happens. Father Godwin readies his crossbow and the scene transitions into first-person. But this is no Let’s Play. Smart, quick cuts establish a new, more cinematic editing language for first-person gameplay. Godwin heads towards the stairs – cut – now he’s halfway up them – cut – now he’s atop the ramparts, plunging his sword into an enemy. It’s remarkably thrilling. “[The gameplay] was mostly recorded by Vítek Mičke, our marketing specialist,” explains Pekař. “He also made the trailers, and he's got a good sense of timing and aesthetics. He knows how to control the camera with the controller to properly set the scene and set the mood – so it looks cool.”

A couple of awkward transitions disrupt this otherwise ‘cinematic’ tempo. A sudden cut to a ladder lowering, for example, has the distinct feel of a gameplay segment ending and a cutscene beginning, and reminds you of the objective-based game that birthed the footage. But these moments are few and far between, and they accentuate how much Warhorse has otherwise succeeded in their first attempt.

“I think this is an experiment that somebody can pick up and do better than we did – or maybe we can do it again in the future with our future projects, and learn from our mistakes.” reflects Pekař. “It’s a really interesting experience to see it on the big screen – and I was surprised that it held up. It’s odd, but it somewhat works. It’s not some kind of new cinematic media that will sit next to the movies, but for festivals and conventions, for fans – I think it’s a format that others will be doing as well”.

The team at KVIFF are equally pleased with the results. “Storytelling has many faces,” says Och. “We’re proud that a new chapter in the festival’s modern history was written in collaboration with people that we respect a great deal who follow the same goal.”

“I think this format builds a bridge,” concludes Pekař. “Gamers can come to appreciate aesthetics and cinematography, the color palettes and moods in games more, and – in the same way – movie fans can understand how movies have different functions when they’re working with interactivity. When these two mediums collaborate, sometimes it creates really strange and cool ideas. When people go out of their bubble to see something different, it helps us to understand each other’s mediums.”

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Cinematic Cut is available to watch on the KVIFF.TV website for a small fee (approx. $6) until July 31, 2027.

Blake Simons is a journalist with a taste for the self-reflexive, sentimental and surreal.

Games Workshop Says Its Contract With Amazon Prevents It From Revealing Any Details on the Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe — but Shares Promising-Sounding Update on Scope and Scale

30 juillet 2025 à 12:54

Work on the Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe continues, Games Workshop has said in its latest financial report, but don’t expect any significant news any time soon — it’ll be “several years” before anything comes of it.

That’s the brief message the UK company issued to investors as part of its annual report this week, which also included a promising-sounding update on what to expect.

Former Superman actor and Warhammer 40,000 superfan Henry Cavill is set to star in and executive produce the Warhammer 40,000 franchise across all Amazon Studios productions after Games Workshop and Amazon finalized their deal late last year.

Cavill's Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe is shrouded in mystery, and Games Workshop itself has cautioned fans not to expect to see anything of it for some time. Still, fans are excited about the prospect of finally seeing Warhammer 40,000 brought to life in live-action form across films and TV shows — and with Cavill steering the ship, they’re confident it will be done right.

However, condensing the vast scope of the IP into films and TV shows while sticking to a reasonable budget may prove a challenge. Warhammer 40,000 is a highly detailed setting with multiple factions, thousands of years of war played out on a galactic scale, and, at the heart of it all, enormous Space Marines who often fight against even bigger monsters. We’re talking space battles that can last hundreds of years, gargantuan land battles that can consume entire planets, and the Warp, a place so unknowable that it can be pretty much anything you can imagine.

That’s why fans have wondered about the story Amazon plans to tell with its 40K project. Perhaps something a bit more grounded that doesn’t necessarily revolve around Space Marines is a more realistic option, such as author Dan Abnett’s much-loved Eisenhorn series, which follows the inquisitors Gregor Eisenhorn and Gideon Ravenor as they hunt heretics and demons.

But if Amazon wants to go full-blown galactic Space Marine, it could tell the story of the sprawling and foundational The Horus Heresy saga, or perhaps pick one of the more famous battles in the current setting, such as The Fall of Cadia.

Either way, realizing 40K in live-action is a huge undertaking, which is why Games Workshop’s statement in its financial report has fans purring:

“On 10 December 2024 we announced the conclusions of our negotiations with Amazon for the adaptation of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe into films and television series, together with associated merchandising rights. The project continues in line with our contractual agreement with Amazon. This same contract prohibits us from sharing any specific details or commercial terms.

"We have great partners who continue to display their commitment to present Warhammer authentically and at the scope and scale befitting our fantastical setting. This is a long-term partnership with Amazon and there won’t be any significant news in the short term — these things take several years to bring to market.”

It’s that line about having “great” partners (Amazon and Henry Cavill) who are apparently committed to presenting Warhammer “at the scope and scale befitting our fantastical setting” that is of interest here. For fans, that hopefully means Amazon will go big on 40K in terms of production value at least, with its hugely expensive The Lord of the Rings show The Rings of Power fresh in the memory.

As Games Workshop insisted, this is not something we will see anything of any time soon. So we’re left with scraps to mull over, such as recent comments from Dan Abnett about NDAs and upcoming books.

In the meantime, Games Workshop pointed to the well-received Warhammer 40,000 episode on Amazon Prime’s animation show Secret Level, which it described as “a taster of Warhammer IP in digital form on the small screen.”

In June, Cavill himself touched on the “complexity” and “trickiness” of adapting the Warhammer 40,000 IP. But, he insisted, he’s loving the challenge, which for fans will be great to hear. Bringing Warhammer to life "is a dream come true," Cavill said, "but it's different from what I've done before, in the sense I haven't had my hand on the tiller of things before. It's wonderful doing that. It is a tricky IP, and a very complex IP, and that's what I love about it. The challenges that come with putting this on the page in a way that is doing justice to that complexity, that trickiness, and that nuance, is a challenge I'm enjoying enormously."

When the Games Workshop / Amazon deal was announced, Cavill issued a statement on Instagram saying he’d been “working away in concept rooms, breaking down approaches to the enormity and magnificence of the Warhammer world."

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Patch 1.4.0 Released, Adds Official Support for FSR and DLSS Frame Generation

30 juillet 2025 à 11:12

One of the coolest mods for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the one that added support for DLSS 4 Frame Generation. Sadly, that mod was behind a Patreon wall. And, the good news is that you will no longer need it. Today, Sadfall Interactive released Patch 1.4.0, which adds official support for both AMD FSR … Continue reading Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Patch 1.4.0 Released, Adds Official Support for FSR and DLSS Frame Generation

The post Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Patch 1.4.0 Released, Adds Official Support for FSR and DLSS Frame Generation appeared first on DSOGaming.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Suddenly Pulls Card Design Embroiled in Plagiarism Controversy, as Company Admits 'Production Issue' and Launches Wider Investigation

30 juillet 2025 à 11:32

The Pokémon Company has dramatically pulled the design of a new Pokémon TCG Pocket trading card, amid a firestorm of controversy over its apparent origins.

Fans had said the card, Ho-Oh EX from the game's Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion, was based on plagiarised fan art — and in a statement issued today, The Pokémon Company essentially admitted as much.

Now, the card's artwork — alongside that of its sister Lugia EX card, which also features the Ho-Oh design — have been pulled from the game, mere hours before Wisdom of Sea and Sky's global launch. Addressing the situation, The Pokémon Company said it "deeply apologize[d] for any inconvenience" and was now conducting a review of all other cards, to ensure no other designs were at fault.

"To our community, thank you for your continued support and passion for Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket," The Pokémon Company wrote. "We want to share an important update regarding the upcoming expansion, Wisdom of Sea and Sky. It has come to our attention that there was a production issue regarding the illustration of Ho-Oh featured in the immersive card artwork for Ho-Oh EX (3-Star) and Lugia EX (3-Star).

"After internal review, we discovered that the card production team provided incorrect materials as official documents to the illustrator commissioned to create these cards. As a result, both cards have been replaced with a temporary placeholder that the team is actively working to replace with new artwork as soon as it's ready.

"We are also conducting a broader investigation to ensure no similar issues exist elsewhere in the game."

Currently, obtaining the card shows an empty card design with awkward-looking "New Art Coming Soon" text — and then a black screen in place of the card's immersive artwork. It doesn't look great.

Holy cow guys I can’t believe I opened this in Pokemon TCG pocket 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3st3ILATSW

— Poli (@ProfPoliwag) July 30, 2025

Yesterday's controversy, which came after the Wisdom of Sea and Sky's card designs were datamined and examined online, sparked a wider discussion over the Pokémon's legal terms for fanart — which appear to suggest the company could, if it wanted, do whatever it liked with fan-made designs.

Today's action strongly suggests that while The Pokémon Company may legally be able to argue it can use fan designs, it in practice does not want to typically do so, or leave fans thinking it now sees fanart as fair game for its commercial use.

"To all our players who have been looking forward to this expansion, and to the talented illustrators who bring the Pokémon world to life, we deeply apologize for any inconvenience this has caused," The Pokémon Company continued. "We take this matter very seriously and are committed to strengthening our quality control processes to prevent this from happening again.

"Thank you for your understanding, patience, and continued support of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket. We remain dedicated to delivering an experience that you can enjoy."

Speaking to IGN yesterday, video game industry legal expert Richard Hoeg, host of the Virtual Legality podcast, said The Pokémon Company's legal terms on fan art act as an acknowledgement that fans will create their own Pokémon art — but that ultimately, from a legal standpoint, any publicly-shared designs fall under the ownership of The Pokémon Company.

"It effectively says 'Look, we (TPC/Nintendo) are legally still the only ones allowed to make derivative works (fan art included), but we all know you're going to do it," Hoeg said of the terms, "so if you do, on the off-chance it's special, we can use it without otherwise paying you (since it was ours to begin with)'."

Today's statement, however, suggests Pokémon TCG Pocket will not be featuring any more fan art anytime soon.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Nintendo U-Turns on Mario Kart World Change That Forced More Open-World Driving, as It Increases Chance of Lap-Type Races

30 juillet 2025 à 10:45

Nintendo has updated Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World with a fresh patch that pulls a notable U-turn on a recent, controversial change.

Last month, Nintendo upset Mario Kart fans by nerfing the game's Random course selection option when playing in VS mode — something many players were deliberately using to try and opt out of open-world driving whenever possible.

Unlike the game's suggested next race options, Random allowed players to land on a track further afield — which then would be played as a distinct three-lap race, in traditional Mario Kart style — rather than play a so-called 'intermission track,' where a bulk of the next race is taken up by simply driving to the course through the game's open world. Now, Nintendo has hit the brakes, reversed course and pulled a Uey on this change, in a surprising climbdown.

In the latest patch notes for Mario Kart World update 1.2.0, which is available to download now, Nintendo said it has "increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in 'VS Race' and wireless races."

This should please the large number of fans who complained loudly about Nintendo's previous change, and who said it was a sign Nintendo was forcing players to drive through lengthy stretches of the game's less interesting open world, rather than via its tighter, more curated actual courses.

Today's update is a chunky one, with a slew of tweaks and bug fixes for Nintendo's open-world racer. A handful of new features include the ability to view replays after downloading Time Trial ghost data, and to choose who to spectate in Knockout Tour and Balloon Battle.

Meanwhile, a handful of balance adjustments by Nintendo have made computer-controlled players "weaker in everything other than Battle," and also nerfed the homing accuracy of the Boomerang item. There's a new wheel spinning animation if you try and accelerate too early at the start of races, too.

Full patch notes for Mario Kart World version 1.2.0 lie below.

Mario Kart World Update 1.2.0 patch notes:

General

  • In the “VS Race” of “Single Player”, added “No COM” to the COM rules.
  • In the “VS Race” of “Single Player” and “Multiplayer”, added “Mushrooms only” to the item rules.
  • You can now choose “View Replay” after downloading ghost data in “Time Trials”.
  • You can now choose whom to watch when spectating in “Knockout Tour” and “Balloon Battle” in “Online Play”, “Wireless Play”, and “LAN Play”.
  • You can now see the waiting time until the next race or battle starts in “Online Play”, “Wireless Play”, and “LAN Play”.
  • When using CameraPlay in “Multiplayer” and “Online Play”, the game will now remember the camera cursor position and size until the player closes the game.
    • If you change the number of people playing, the cursor position and size will return to their original settings.
  • On the “Free Roam” map, when you gather all of the P Switches, ? Panels, and Peach Medallions, the colors of the various numbers will now change.
  • Made COM weaker in everything other than “Battle”.
  • Made homing of Boomerang weaker.
  • Decreased the probability of getting a Triple Dash Mushroom in the low position, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than “Frantic”.
  • Changed it so order of getting ? Block is higher than in the past, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than “Frantic”.
  • Made it so there is a wheel spinning animation if the player presses the A button (acceleration) too early when starting a race while driving.
    • Player will not lose speed even when spinning wheels.
  • Increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in “VS Race” and wireless races.

Fixed Issues

  • Fixed an issue where the rate fluctuations were sometimes displayed incorrectly in wireless races.
  • Fixed an issue where the vehicle would stay floating in air when jumping off a half pipe.
  • Fixed an issue where, when a player crashes while gliding and uses Bullet Bill, they go out of the course.
  • Fixed an issue where, if a player quits a Rewind in the location where they were wall riding, the driver’s posture would not return to what it was before.
  • Fixed an issue where the item that was displayed in the item slot would turn into something else when using it.
  • Fixed an issue where in “Online Play”, the player would not dash even when getting on a Dash Panel.
  • Fixed an issue where the points in a team race in “Wireless Play” would display incorrectly.
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable on the menu screen after the player was retired in “Balloon Battle” in “Wireless Play”.
  • Fixed an issue where a Peach Medallion would sometimes disappear when doing Rewind in “Free Roam”.
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when the player pointed the cursor at their own character or course and pressed A on the “Free Roam” map.
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when the player quit a mission in “Free Roam” right before entering a pipe.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would slip through some drift ice around “Sky-High Sundae”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the outside of a handrail on the left and right sides right after the start of “Airship Fortress”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the fence and not be able to move forward in “Bowser's Castle”.
  • Fixed an issue where, when the player used a Bullet Bill in “Bowser's Castle”, they would not be able to glide and fell into the abyss.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would go out of the course when using a Mega Mushroom on the last turn of “Whistlestop Summit”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player could not get out of the location where they fell from a railroad when “Smart Steering” is on in “Whistlestop Summit”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ground at a ramp near the goal at “Choco Mountain”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on a block when using a Bullet Bill on the road that enters “Choco Mountain”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on a plank of wood laid on the road when throwing a green shell on the road between “DK Spaceport” and “Whistlestop Summit”.
  • Fixed an issue where the last place would be sometimes incorrect in the wireless races of “Dino Dino Jungle”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the back of a leaf when using a Bullet Bill in “Acorn Heights”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would not be able to slip through a vase that is placed on the road in “Shy Guy Bazaar”, when using a Boo.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ceiling in “Dry Bones Burnout”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would sometimes hit a fence when throwing a red shell on the first turn in “Moo Moo Meadows”.
  • Fixed an issue where one part of the effects that take place for the bridge transforming when heading toward “Rainbow Road” did not display.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ground on the road between ”Starview Peak” and “Sky-High Sundae”.
  • Fixed an issue where some of the item boxes would not have appeared in “Wario Shipyard”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the bottom of a rock near the goal of ”Wario Shipyard”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player would go out of the course when using a Mega Mushroom on a turn inside “Wario Stadium”.
  • Fixed an issue where the player gets caught on a tree in the middle of a shortcut if they have “Smart Steering” on when heading from “Starview Peak” to “Dandelion Depths” in “Ice Rally” of “Knockout Tour”.
  • Several other issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

FromSoftware Delays Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.02 Due to Tsunami Warning in Japan as Massive Earthquake Off Russia Triggers Evacuations Across Pacific

30 juillet 2025 à 10:26

FromSoftware has delayed Elden Ring Nightreign patch 1.02 due to the ongoing tsunami warning in Japan after a massive earthquake off Russia triggered evacuations across the Pacific.

The first waves triggered by the massive 8.8 earthquake off Russia's coast have reached Hawaii, with a 1.2 meter (4 feet) wave recorded off Oahu. In Japan, 1.9 million people have been told to evacuate and a tsunami wave of 1.3 meters (4.2 feet) has reached the northern Iwate prefecture, the BBC reported.

Amid the developing situation, FromSoftware, whose head office is situated in Tokyo, issued a statement announcing the delay to the latest Elden Ring patch, which was due out today, July 30 and set to add duos mode, as well as the second cycle of Everdark Sovereign.

“Due to the tsunami warning following the earthquake near the Kamchatka Peninsula, we have decided to postpone the distribution of the Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.02, which was scheduled for today to tomorrow, July 31 (Thursday) after 10am CEST | 1am PDT.

“Additionally, the second cycle of Everdark Sovereign, which was scheduled to start at 3am CEST | 6pm PDT (7/30) tomorrow, will also be delayed until after the update file has been distributed.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

It seems likely that other Japan-based developers will also delay their video game releases in response to the tsunami warning. IGN will remain on top of the story as it develops.

As it stands, Japan's Meteorological Agency has said tsunami waves have reached parts of the country’s coast. The affected areas include the Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate prefectures, with waves potentially reaching as high as 3 meters (9 feet). Thousands of people have been told to evacuate for their safety, while the public broadcaster NHK has said there are no reports of major damage so far.

Photo by RICHARD BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Fresh Game Deals With Deep Cuts Just Dropped, and These Are the First Ones in My Cart

30 juillet 2025 à 04:07

There's a moment every week where I think, "Right, that's enough games," and then the deals roll in and I immediately fold quicker than a 3DS with a broken hinge. Today’s haul had me hovering over “Buy Now” far too often. We’ve got deep discounts across every major platform, including a few titles that haven’t been this cheap since launch week. Whether you’re in the mood to sob through a bleak detective RPG, carve through horrors with a chainsword, or just punt a co-op partner off a ledge for fun, this list’s stacked.

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm remembering the 16th birthday of Fat Princess, a PS3 multi-fest I spent many a hard day's knight dying in. Built for 32-player mayhem, the core gameplay revolves around kidnapping the titular monarchs in a never-ending war between the red and blue kingdoms. How was that battle waged? Hat's where it got interesting, because the capabilities of every player changed with headwear powerups (priest, warrior, mage, worker, or ranger). According to my memories, a rock solid CTF with the right crew and gory as you please.

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- FF Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon (Wii) 2008. eBay

- Fat Princess (PS3) 2009.

- The Last of Us Remastered (PS4) 2014. Get

Contents

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

On Switch, Disco Elysium Final Cut is a must-own for story nerds. I once spent twenty minutes debating a ceiling fan in that game and it was incredible. Meanwhile, Lunar Remastered Collection brings back a beloved classic that had one of the most overachieving localisations of the PS1 era, complete with goofy humour and heartfelt moments.

  • Donkey Kong Bananza (-19%) - A$89
  • Super Mario RPG (-29%) - A$57
  • Mario Paint (New SNES NSO add) - A$29.90
  • Lunar Rem. Col. (-15%) - A$68
  • Disco Elysium Final Cut (-70%) - A$18

Expiring Recent Deals

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

Lords of the Fallen Deluxe is punching well above its price tag. It’s got slick visuals, creative world layering, and it’s been patched up beautifully since launch. On the other end of the spectrum, Warhammer 40K: Darktide nails the grimdark co-op shooter formula, and it's basically the reason I now yell "FOR THE EMPEROR" at the slightest provocation.

  • Seagate Expansion 1TB (-22%) - A$239.50
  • Mafia: The Old Country (-12%) - A$79
  • Lords of the Fallen Del. (-69%) - A$37.50
  • 40K Darktide (-28%) - A$43.30
  • FC 26 (-19%) - A$89

Xbox One
Retro revivals and demon-slaying dominate the One offerings. Doom Eternal still holds up as one of the most kinetic shooters ever made. And Doom Anthology gives you basically everything from the franchise’s demon-splattered timeline in one go, minus Doom Guy’s protein intake schedule.

  • Assassin’s Creed Ezio Col. (-57%) - A$30
  • Doom Eternal (-75%) - A$13.70
  • Doom Anthology (-65%) - A$48.90

Expiring Recent Deals

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

Hitman: World of Assassination might be the greatest trilogy bundle in modern stealth. Every level is an intricately woven Rube Goldberg machine of chaos and neck snaps. And Tales of Arise still delivers some of the best anime-style action RPG combat going, with visuals that hold up even in the flashiest fights.

  • PS5 Slim + CoD Black Ops 6 (-24%) - A$569
  • Hitman WoA (-39%) - A$64.90
  • Tekken 8 (-33%) - A$57
  • Dragon Age: The Veilguard (-59%) - A$45.50
  • Tales of Arise (-68%) - A$32.30
  • Sword Art Online Last Recol. (-42%) - A$49

PS4
For PS4 stalwarts, Yakuza Remastered Collection is a crash course in street-level melodrama, karaoke battles, and delightfully petty brawling. Also, Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition remains the closest thing to a Hong Kong cinema GTA and is criminally underplayed.

  • Sonic Superstars (-29%) - A$67.80
  • Sleeping Dogs Def. Ed. (-27%) - A$29.30
  • Yakuza Rem. Col. (-30%) - A$38.30

Expiring Recent Deals

PS+ Monthly Freebies
Yours to keep from Jul 1 with this subscription

  • Diablo 4 (PS5/PS4)
  • The King of Fighers XV (PS5/PS4)
  • Jusant (PS5)

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

Dead by Daylight keeps pulling me back in. The steady stream of killer expansions, plus the recent Alan Wake chapter, means the meta never stands still. Meanwhile, It Takes Two is still the gold standard for couch co-op. If you’ve got a mate handy, it’s an emotional rollercoaster worth every minute.

Expiring Recent Deals

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Legit LEGO Deals

LEGO’s gone a bit wild this week. You’ve got Mario platforming in brick form, Hedwig flapping into Potter lore, and an Enderman Tower that looks like a creeper’s dream home. These are dangerously giftable.

  • City F1 Driver w/ McLaren (-50%) - A$10
  • Harry Potter Hedwig (-43%) - A$17
  • Super Mario Adventures (-41%) - A$47
  • Minecraft Enderman Tower (-21%) - A$119

Expiring Recent Deals

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Adam Mathew is a lifelong gaming critic, a passionate connoisseur, and an Aussie deals wrangler who genuinely wants to hook you up with stuff worth playing (but is also cheap). He plays practically everything, sometimes on YouTube.

Razer Blackshark V3 Pro Gaming Headset Review – Reaching New Heights

30 juillet 2025 à 03:32

In the world of gaming peripherals, seeing new iterations of products we've seen time and again isn't the most exciting thing. But it is a chance to see good ideas become fully formed ones. When it hit a few years ago, our BlackShark V2 Pro review said it was, "a great headset for those who care about their audio experience," and it definitely proved to be a contender among the better gaming headsets out there. With finer tuning on upgraded audio drivers for robust sound quality and a number of meaningful new features, the new BlackShark V3 Pro makes enough of a step forward to stand out in a crowded space, making it one of best high-end gaming headsets I've used in recent years.

Specifically with Razer, it also has the luxury-style line with the Kraken and a more straightforward series in the Barracuda. Having reviewed the latest in the Kraken V4 Pro, I felt its feature set to be extraneous and didn't exactly justify its ballooning price tag. Meanwhile, the Barracuda continues to be a solid choice among our recommended budget-level gaming headsets. But if you were to ask me for my full recommendation if pricing wasn't as much of a concern, Razer or otherwise, the Blackshark V3 Pro is certainly in that conversation.

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro – Design and Features

If you've seen the BlackShark before, the V3 Pro doesn't stray too far from the V2's design principles. It sports thin wire-like aluminum yokes that branch outward to also act as telescoping arms for adjusting the fit. The headband itself is a flexible aluminum wrapped in a leatherette upper stitched with a padded sports mesh cushion underneath to rest comfortably atop your head. Don't mistake its unassuming look for a lack of quality, the BlackShark V3 is among the well-built gaming headsets out there. And at 376g, it's not heavy yet still feels lighter than its listed weight because of its approach to comfort.

Along with the oval-shaped earcups, it looks a bit like a pilot's headset but with a slim-enough profile and sleek rounded edges so it's not heavy or bulky. The earpads are a major highlight, too – they're made with a dense memory foam and wrapped in a velvety sports mesh for breathability. Since the headset doesn't have a strong clamp force, the BlackShark V3 Pro's earpads provide comfort throughout five or six hour gaming sessions without fatigue. And unlike leatherette upholsteries on equally comfortable headsets, the sports mesh here kept sweat around my ears to a minimum. A small, but effective touch is that the innards where the audio drivers are have a thin padding in case your ears come in contact, which can help those with bigger ears since the earpads themselves have a somewhat lower profile.

Along the right earcup are buttons for cycling through different EQ presets, the chat volume mix wheel, and the active noise cancellation (ANC) / ambient toggle. It's a minor detail, but I appreciate how snappy the headset swaps through these settings, so you don't have to hold a button or wait for the change to kick it. On the left side is the mic mute toggle, the power button, the USB-C charging port, and the microphone jack. Master volume is controlled by a knob that protrudes out of the left earcup for easy access, which adjusts volume digitally on the platform you're using it on.

Pitched as the "esports" lineup of Razer's headsets, the BlackShark is made with competitive gaming in mind, but it's nice to see that it doesn't skimp out premium features that weren't on previous versions of the BlackShark. For one, it has a 45-degree inward swivel for the earcups, letting them sit a little more naturally around your neck when it's not in use – while it's not the full 90-degrees of most other headsets that swivel, it's nice that the V3 Pro swivels at all.

The Razer BlackShark V3 Pro is an easy recommendation for those looking for their next premium-grade headset.

Other features new to this lineup is ANC, simultaneous audio, and wired analog input. While the natural closed-back sound isolation is solid, the V3 Pro ANC is very strong at its highest setting and gives it more versatility for noisy environments (although I wouldn't use it unless I had to since it can affect overall sound tuning). While you'll primarily use the BlackShark V3 Pro with the 2.4GHz HyperSpeed wireless dongle for a super-low 10ms latency, simultaneous Bluetooth lets you take an additional audio feed, which would typically be convenient for those who use this headset with a mobile device, too. And a USB-C to 3.5mm analog converter comes packed with the headset in case you want to plug it into a controller or directly into Switch audio port, for example.

While you'll see extravagant features like Chroma RGB lighting and Sensa haptics on the Kraken V4 Pro, the BlackShark always meant business – so there's no RGB, which is perfectly fine for a headset since I'm not seeing it anyway. And given its performance-focus, the BlackShark's customization lies in fine-tuning audio performance.

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro – Software and Battery Life

The story of Razer Synapse remains the same; a finicky software suite with too many moving parts, but works well enough to bring out the best in your peripheral. It's pretty important to have so you can make small adjustments to get the most out of the headset, and once it's working, Synapse is easy to figure out. Customization mostly lies in EQ settings, which are crucial to getting the most out of the BlackShark V3 Pro. Synapse has built-in profiles for the most popular competitive games – Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Call of Duty Warzone. It's not nearly as robust as SteelSeries, which has hundreds of built-in profiles for games, but it's simple enough to make your own adjustments along the 10-band frequencies. This is also where you enable THX Spatial Audio on PC, and it runs on its own set of EQ settings that you can change here. (You can also use Tempest 3D audio on PS5 and Windows Sonic with Xbox as well as Dolby Atmos, if you have a license).

Other settings include ANC / ambient noise control strength, simultaneous audio mix, audio enhancements (like bass boost and vocal clarity outside of EQ), and a slew of microphone tweaks. Features like sidetone to hear your own voice and noise gate levels are here in addition to adjusting the microphones 10-band EQ. All settings are saved onto the headset itself so you'll have your preferences even if you don't have Synapse running or use it on a different platform.

Battery life remains solid with the BlackShark V3 Pro, rated for 70 hours like the previous iterations. Many factors feed into the actual battery life you get, like how much you use ANC, HyperSpeed ultra-low latency, or simultaneous audio. From my experience, I got about 50 hours of total usage from a full charge over the course of a full week before it dipped below 20% (according to Synapse). Considering I used HyperSpeed anytime I was playing games and used ANC sparingly during the workday, this is more than sufficient in my book and not too far off Razer's own claims.

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro – Sound Quality and Performance

A gaming headset is nothing without proper sound performance, and from using the BlackShark V3 Pro across different applications, I'm happy to report that sound quality is one of the clear highlights of the headset. Such is expected for a premium-level headset in the $250 range, but even then I was impressed with its punchy, yet balanced sound and its spatial audio performance.

The BlackShark V3 Pro isn't exactly bass-heavy like the Kraken V4 Pro or Audeze Maxwell, but it's a well-balanced headset on the default EQ settings that still has good bass response. It gives a bit more wiggle room for the audiophile types to tweak it to their liking, offering flexibility for specific games. Personally, I took the bass up a little bit and treble down since I wasn't too hot on the slight harshness and found a good universal profile for music and games.

I played several rounds of Call of Duty: Warzone on PlayStation 5 and swapped between the profile specifically made for Call of Duty and my own EQ tuning – regardless, I felt like I had a wider soundstage, helping certain audio cues stand out more prominently. Sure, this might provide a competitive edge, but for me, the more enjoyable audio experience was more important for a game that can get audibly cluttered and busy.

In Counter-Strike 2 on PC, I bounced between the custom-made profile and my own and felt very competitive in both modes. My own EQ gave a more natural sound while still letting me pinpoint footsteps, gunshots, and enemy actions like reloading to give me the edge when making crucial tactical decisions in ranked matches. In a complete 180-turn, playing something like Deltarune on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a much different kind of experience where the layered soundtrack came through beautifully even with the high-pitch of its chiptune-esque soundfonts.

It still rocks a no-nonsense look, yet comes packed with meaningful new features that previous BlackSharks didn't have.

That positional audio and overall sound quality speaks to the adjustments Razer made to the design of its 50mm audio drivers, which sanded off distortion and brought out the finer details in both games and music – and I'm not sure if I was able to fully say that about previous Razer headsets.

Having reviewed so many headsets at this point, the microphone sometimes feels like an afterthought. Given that being able to communicate clearly through in-game chat, you don't necessarily need standalone mic quality, but it's nice that the BlackShark V3 Pro's is better than most even at the premium level. In Audacity recordings, my voice came through fairly clean and warm without much of that "digitization" you hear on lesser mics, rivaling the Audeze Maxwell and SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, two of which we often recommend. Oddly, though, the BlackShark V2 Pro's mic was noticeably closer to the quality of a standalone mic, so while I'd call the V3 Pro's a slight downgrade, it's still no slouch – a minor disappointment, if anything.

The Best Dell & Alienware Deals and Coupons: Gaming Laptops, PCs, Monitors, and More

30 juillet 2025 à 01:30

Not everyone is the DIY type. If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of the best brands we'd recommend. Alienware desktops and laptops feature solid build quality, top-of-the-line gaming performance, excellent cooling (further improved on the newer models), aggressive styling, and pricing that is very competitive with other pre-built options. Best of all, there are plenty of sales that happen throughout the year, so it's not difficult to grab one of these computers at considerably less than their retail price. Right now there's a Dell Back to School Sale going on that takes up to $1,200 off select Alienware gaming configs. This page includes all of the best deals that are currently available.

Dell and Alienware Coupons

Alienware Gaming PC Deals

Alienware Gaming Laptop Deals

You can quickly browse through all of the listed products on sale above. See below for our favorite picks.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 Gaming PC

Right now Dell is offering the Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5080 gaming PC starting at just $2,099.99 with free delivery. The Alienware Aurora R16 is a well-engineered and compact gaming rig with 240mm AIO water cooling, sensible airflow design, and a generous 1,000W 80Plus Platinum rated power supply. In the current market, buying a prebuilt gaming PC is the only way to score an RTX 5080 GPU without paying an exorbitant markup. If you were to try to find a 5080 GPU for your do-it-yourself PC build, you'll probably spend at least $1,300 for the graphics card alone.

Alienware Aurora R16 RTX 5070 Ti Gaming PC

Dell is offering a competitive price on an Alienware Aurora R16 gaming PC equipped with the excellent GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card. Right now you can get a base configuration paired with the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 processor for $1,899.99. This CPU/GPU duo can comfortably handle even the latest and most demanding games in 4K resolution like Black Myth Wukong, Clair Obscur, or Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and it's $370 cheaper than jumping to the 5080.

Alienware Area-51 RTX 5090 Gaming PC

If you're seeking the absolute best of the best in PC gaming performance, look no further. Dell has just dropped the price of its flagship Alienware Area-51 prebuilt gaming PC, equipped with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card starting at $4,650 with free shipping. The RTX 5090 is undisputedly the most powerful graphics card on the market. It's the best consumer card for both high-resolution gaming and AI work thanks to its whopping 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM.

New Alienware Aurora 16X Laptop

Alienware's new mainstream gaming laptop for 2025 is dubbed the "Alienware Aurora" and comes in two 16" models: the 16 and 16X. The 16X is the superior of the two variants and it is on sale right now. Dell is currently offering the Alienware Aurora 16X gaming laptop equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and RTX 5060 GPU for $1,449.99.

Area-51 Gaming Laptops: New Style, More Power, Better Cooling

New for 2025, the Alienware Area-51 gaming laptop features a magnesium alloy chassis with upgraded cooling to tackle the latest and greatest heat generating components. This includes more fans and bigger cutouts enabling greater airflow, more generous use of copper, and a new thermal interface material to better transfer heat away from the core components. Dell claims that the laptop can handle a higher power ceiling of up to 240W TDP without raising acoustics.

Design-wise, the Area 51 accentuates its smooth contours, with rounded edges and soft corners replacing the squared off design you'd see in most other laptops. The hinges are also mostly internally positioned so that they're near invisible. As befits an Alienware laptop, there are ample customization options for RGB LED lighting.

Why pick a Dell or Alienware gaming PC?

If you're in the market for a prebuilt gaming PC, Dell is one of best gaming brands we'd recommend. The Alienware gaming desktops offer a staggering array of options, all built into a custom chassis that's both easy on the eyes and easy on the wallet. Alienware gaming laptops in recent years have been redesigned to be thinner and lighter while still offering the same immense power under the hood. Consistent build quality, available inventory, frequent sales, and solid customer service are the main reasons why Dell is at the top of our buying list for gaming laptops and PCs.

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Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

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