Path of Exile 2 developer Grinding Gear Games has issued more emergency changes to the action role-playing game amid a backlash to the nerf-heavy Dawn of the Hunt update that has caused recent Steam user reviews to plummet to ‘mostly negative.’

Dawn of the Hunt launched earlier this month and quickly sparked a backlash among the Path of Exile community. The expansion added the new Huntress class, a Spear and Buckler user specialising in hybrid melee and ranged combat. Elsewhere, there are five new ascension classes: the Ritualist, Amazon, Smith of Kitava, Tactician, and Lich. And along with all that are mechanical overhauls, over one hundred new unique items as well as significantly expanded crafting options.

What should have been a hugely positive moment for Path of Exile 2, its developers and its players became something else entirely, however, as the community complained that GGG had slowed the pace of the game down to the point where it became a “total slog.”

The ‘most helpful’ review of the last 30 days on Steam is a negative one that outlines the current problems with the game:

Every boss fight is incredibly longer than it needs to be. Most of the skills do little to no damage. I understand they said they wanted to slow gameplay down, but I don't think I will even make it more than one week in this league at this point. It just feels incredibly awful right now, IF you can even get the game to run and be stable. That is a HUGE if.

“If you're a masochist who enjoys being punished for little to no reward, this game is for you,” reads another negative review. “If you're not, it's likely that you won't enjoy the game.

“The release version (0.1) already had a lot of issues in relation to the size of the areas (too large), the slow movement (which makes those large areas feel even worse) and forced combo gameplay (which was optional thanks to some "unintended" build options found by players).

“However, in this new version (0.2 - Dawn of the Hunt), just as many other reviewers have mentioned, the game was slowed down considerably.

“The loot, which wasn't too common in 0.1, but acceptable, was nerfed by quite a lot, to the point where you kill a rare monster or boss and get no rare items or crafting currencies.

“The forced combo gameplay is back in full force, with the developers wanting to pigeonhole us into this type of gameplay, which is in direct contrast to what an ARPG of this kind is supposed to be. You're supposed to have freedom to make your build how you like to play it and not be forced to play only the way the developers have intended.

“Players keep complaining about the map size and slow movement and the developers largely ignored these comments until the community backlash was too much to keep ignoring.

“I have 5k hours in PoE 1 and it's my favorite game of all time. I love GGG but honestly, I cannot recommend this game to almost anyone as it is now.

“Hopefully they will be able to fix these issues in the future and make the game more enjoyable.”

In response, GGG had already outlined a list of changes, but it has now revealed more coming as part of the 0.2.0e due out tomorrow, April 11.

The question for Path of Exile 2 players now is, are these changes meaningful enough to stem the tide of complaints and get the game back into a positive setting? It’s worth noting that Path of Exile 2 has been a hugely successful release for GGG, to the point where it struggled to cope with the sheer number of players at launch. But this success has brought with it additional problems that have even impacted the development of Path of Exile 1, which retains a sizeable and loyal audience.

Path of Exile 2 update 0.2.0e patch notes:

Monster Speed Changes

Many players have been reported being overwhelmed by monsters. The cause of this is a variety of factors and we are addressing them on a case by case basis. We have listed monster changes act by act below, but we also made the following changes more generally.

Many human monsters including the Cultists in Freythorn, the Faridun and the Tribal Humans in Act Three have behaviour where they can interrupt their melee attacks if the player moves too far out of range during the attack, especially for attacks that have multiple hits like a swipe left into swipe right. These interrupt events have been primarily removed especially on things that were attacking very fast as it caused the monsters to be relentlessly able to pursue and attack you giving you no time to engage or use skills between their attacks.

The Haste Aura monster modifier no longer appears on monsters that are already fast.

Act 1

Werewolf Prowlers and Tendril Prowlers now will enter a walking stance (as opposed to running) after performing a melee action, they will only begin running again if you get a certain distance away from them. This behaviour has been applied to many faster monsters.

Hungering Stalkers now have 12% less Life and Damage, they were already relatively weak but we have lowered it a bit further to account for their high movement speed and attack speed. They are intended to engage and attack quickly, but be weak and die fast.

Reduced the number of Bloom Serpents in The Red Vale.

Halved the number of Venomous Crabs in the Hunting Grounds.

The Cultists in Freythorn no longer have interrupt events on their attacks as described above.

The Cultists in Freythorn wielding Axes and Maces in Freythorn now walk after performing a Melee Action, only running again once you exit a certain distance.

Blood Cretins on death Blood Pools have had their duration decreased from 6 seconds to 4 seconds, and fixed the area of effect to match the visual more closely.

Reduced the overall density of more challenging monsters in Ogham Manor.

Act 2

The Boulder Ants in Titan Valley have been replaced by Risen Maraketh, as the area had too many monsters that had irritating movement.

The Faridun have all been modified to remove the interrupt events on their attacks as described above..

Act 3

Diretusk Boar and Antlion Charger's are now more likely to push you to the side instead of pushing you along with them when they charge you.

The Lost City monster pack composition has been adjusted to result in less ranged monsters

Massively adjusted the Azak Bog, firstly by the aforementioned changes to interrupt events, but also changed the monster composition of the area to have less Ranged and Elite monsters.

Fixed an issue where the Slitherspitter's poison spray in Venom Crypts was dealing Chaos Damage instead of Physical Damage unintentionally.

We have also identified another issue that affects some areas in which potential monster spawn locations have inconsistent density in different rooms. This leads to situations where some rooms are much denser with monsters than others in an unintended way. We have a fix for this problem but it did not make it into this patch, and will be deployed in a later patch.

These are not the only changes that we will be making to monsters. Further changes will come in later updates. Some changes we didn't get time to make today, and others require new animations that will take a little longer.

Boss Changes

Viper Napuatzi is one of the more challenging bosses for players, so we made the following change.

Lowered the amount and size of Chaos Rains (the purple ones) in the Viper Napuatzi fight, and cleaned up the visual left afterwards faster to make the following drop locations more obvious.

Uxmal had various quirks that made him somewhat annoying to fight. We have made a few changes.

Reduced the number of times Uxmal changes locations through the fight

Uxmal can no longer recharge Energy Shield while in the air.

Uxmal uses his Flame Breath less often

Xyclucian had some issues with visibility of his effects

The arena of Xyclucian has had its ground foliage removed in order to make his effects more visible

Player Minion Changes

We have changed the way that minion revive timers work. When your first minion dies, it sets the revive timer to 7.5 seconds as before, but each successive minion that dies increases it by less and less (still capped to a max of 7.5 seconds). This should heavily mitigate the situation where most of your minions are dead, but the revive timer keeps resetting to 7.5 seconds over and over.

Disenchanting a Bind Spectre or Tame Beast gem will unbind them, allowing you to use them again.

Tamed beasts can now fit through gaps of the same size that the player can.

Other Player Balance

We don't have a lot of other player balance changes on top of the ones described yesterday, but we did manage to sneak in the following additional changes:

Rally support is no longer restricted to Strikes or Slams, and can now support any Melee Attack you use yourself.

Glory (Used by Hammer of the Gods and Spear of Solaris) is now no longer consumed if you are interrupted while using the skill.

Fixed a bug where Blood Boils from the Ritualist ascendancy didn't propagate if the monster exploded on death, such as when using Herald of Blood.

Crafting Changes

We have now finished adding all of the mods to runes for caster weapons. Desert, Glacial, Storm, Iron, Body, Mind, Rebirth, Inspiration, Stone and Vision runes all now work on Wands and Staves, with their own set of modifiers.

Renly's abandoned shop in the Burning Village now also has a Blank rune which Renly can forge into any elemental rune of your choosing in case you didn't find any up to that point. As mentioned yesterday, 12 Artificers Orb's now drop at fixed locations through the campaign in addition to the random drops and salvageable ones.

Performance Improvements

The ground foliage in many areas has had an optimisation pass to improve performance.

0.2.0E Deployment Timeline

And that's all that made it for 0.2.0E. The patch will be deployed at around 10AM NZT. We have also made some more changes internally, but they didn't make it in time for the patch.

The following lists the changes that will be deployed after the weekend. These are not the only changes that will be in that patch. These are just the changes that we already have.

Charm Changes

Charms are a system that we never adequately expanded on, and have had several problems that we will finally be addressing. Overall we want charms to be more useful, and for you to be more easily able to use more of them.

First, the changes to charm slots

Charm slots on belts are now granted by implicit mods that are added to belts depending on the level of the area that dropped them. The number of slots is random up to a cap depending on how high level the belt is. You can use a Divine Orb to reroll the number of slots.

Belts have 1 charm slot until level 32, up to 2 until level 64 and up to 3 from level 65 and onwards.

Unique Belts can always have up to 3 charm slots.

For now, Unique Belts with mods that increase the number of charms will still be capped to 3, later on we will remove the cap.

Then changes to the charms themselves.

Several charms were not protecting you from the hit that activated them, these cases have been fixed to work properly.

We have also done a pass on Charm mods to make them more powerful and rewarding.

Stash Tab Affinities

We are adding Stash Tab Affinities for the following categories of items

Socketables

Fragments [Which includes Tablets and Trial Keys]

Breach

Expedition

Ritual

We will also be allowing Charms to go in the Flask stash tab or any tab with the Flask affinity.

Atlas Bookmarks

We have added the ability to bookmark locations on your atlas to find them easily later.

Right clicking a node will allow you create a bookmark by picking an icon and optionally adding a label you can type in.

You can have up to 16 bookmarks at a time.

They will appear as icons around the outside of the screen with a direction allowing you to scroll to them easily, or you can click on them to instantly take you there

You can also view a list of bookmarks under the legend and click them to go there.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Nintendo has confirmed that Switch 2 Edition games contain both the game and the upgrade on the cartridge itself.

Confusion arose after conflicting reports based on comments from customer service staff suggested Switch 2 Edition games may not include the game itself.

However, in a statement to Vooks, Nintendo clarified this is not the case, although pointed out that some publishers may release Switch 2 Edition games as download codes in physical packaging with no game card.

Here’s the Nintendo statement:

“Physical versions of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games will include the original Nintendo Switch game and its upgrade pack all on the same game card (i.e. they are exclusively Nintendo Switch 2 game cards, with no download code). Alternatively, some publishers may release Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games as download codes in physical packaging, with no game card.”

$79.99 Switch 2 Edition games include Kirby and The Forgotten Land - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed World, Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

These Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games improve upon their original Switch versions in various ways. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, for example, gain additional support for the Zelda Notes service in the Nintendo Switch App that provides game help. They also have achievements on Switch 2.

Nintendo also recently confirmed that several new Switch 2 game cards won’t always carry an actual game, but instead contain a key for a game download.

Switch 2 game-key cards are physical cards that only contain a key to download your chosen game. That means there’s no actual game data on the card you insert into your Switch 2, so you’ll need to download it once the card is inserted. Every game-key card case will be appropriately labeled on the lower portion of the front of the box, so if you’re concerned about what exactly you’re purchasing, you should have a heads-up right away.

Games like Street Fighter 6 and the Bravely Default remaster do indeed feature this game-key card disclaimer. Others, such as Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, do not. The beefy Cyberpunk 2077, which weighs in at 64 GB on Nintendo Switch 2, comes on cart.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Schedule I developer Tyler has released the 0.3.4 update for all players after a brief testing period, confirming via Steam patch notes what’s new in the viral smash drug dealer simulator.

V0.3.4 is the first major content update for Schedule I, which launched to explosive success on Steam in early access form on March 24. It includes a functional pawn shop, boutique store, wall decorations, and more detailed below.

In a post on Steam, Tyler apologized for the delay in releasing the update, saying: “I'm still ironing out the update/testing process.”

He continued: “Things will be running a lot smoother (and on time) when I do larger monthly updates (starting next month).”

As for what’s coming next, Tyler said is focused on sorting out remaining bugs, listing them as top priorities:

• Making sure employees are working consistently and without issue.
• Preventing save games getting corrupted/disappearing. I've met with some folks at Valve and got some great insight into how I can improve the save file format so that it plays a bit nicer with Steam Cloud saves, as well as being less prone to corruption.
• Minimizing disconnections and loading issues in multiplayer.

Tyler added that he’s looking to improve optimization and get Schedule I Steam Deck verified as soon as possible, “so that'll act as my performance benchmark.”

See IGN's Schedule 1 guide where you can learn all about the basics of mixing recipes and creating new blends to maximise profit, as well as how to access console commands, and the quickest way to jump into multiplayer co-op to take over Hyland Point with friends.

Schedule I version 0.3.4 patch notes:

Additions

• Added Bleuballs Boutique interior and functionality.
• Added Pawn Shop interior and functionality. You can now sell pretty much anything (excluding product) to Mick at the pawn shop.
• Added wooden sign.
• Added metal sign.
• Added wall-mounted shelf.
• Added safe.
• Added antique wall lamp.
• Added modern wall lamp.
• Added grandfather clock.
• Added Ol' Man Jimmy's Whiskey. Liquor is decorative for the time being but will become functional in a future update.
• Added Château La Peepee.
• Added Brut du Gloop.
• Added silver watch.
• Added gold watch.
• Added silver chain.
• Added gold chain.
• Added gold bar.
• Added 6 different paintings for you to collect.
• Added toilet (pre-owned).
• Added golden toilet.

Tweaks/Improvements

• Improved the counteroffer product selection interface.
• Improved phrasing for customer recommendation dialogue.
• Increased jar stack size to 20.
• Added some extra null checks and validity checks.
• Supplier meeting icons in the map app now include the supplier's name.
• Removed the cooldown timer for requesting a meeting with a supplier.
• Time skips (e.g. sleeping) now affect the supplier meeting countdown.

Bug fixes

• Fixed delivery destination dropdown overflowing outside of phone screen.
• Fixed player lists sometimes not clearing properly when exiting to menu.
• Fixed non-host clients sometimes not receiving 'on day pass' and 'on week pass' events.
• Fixed a bug where item slot filters could be bypassed by swapping items.

Schedule I was the top-selling game on Steam upon launch, with more players than big hitters such as Monster Hunter Wilds, GTA 5, and Marvel Rivals after going viral across social media, Twitch, and YouTube. In the game you go from being a small-time dope pusher to kingpin, manufacturing and distributing a range of drugs throughout the grungy city of Hyland Point. You can expand your empire with properties, businesses, employees, and more.

It’s developed and published by TVGS, aka Australian indie developer Tyler, who has called Schedule I’s explosive launch “amazing but pretty overwhelming.”

“I never expected this kind of response!" Tyler said in a post on reddit. "At the moment I’m just trying to stay focussed and get patches out ASAP. Also looking forward to getting started on content updates as soon as all major bugs are patched.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Just because The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 via the GameCube library doesn't mean the fan-favorite adventure won't be ported.

That's according to Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of product development, Nate Bihldorff, who told Kinda Funny's Tim Gettys that just because a game is available to play via Nintendo Switch Online's library doesn't mean the developer won't consider remastering or remaking it.

Despite being hugely popular games in the Zelda franchise, 2003's The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are yet to be ported to Nintendo Switch, be that the OG or the Switch 2.

Consequently, some fans have been a little worried that they'd never see a full remaster given The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker — which was ported to the Wii U in 2013 — will shortly be available as part of Nintendo's premium subscription service when Nintendo Switch 2 releases on June 5.

"[We] got to ask a whole bunch of questions and, in typical Nintendo fashion, we didn't get too many answers to things, but I did ask if having the Wind Waker on [Nintendo Switch Online] precludes [Nintendo Switch 2] from getting the actual Wii U port at some point, and he was very quick to say no. All options are on the table.

"Obviously, nothing's confirmed one way or another, but there are many examples of games that are on NSO and [you can] still get them in a different way, whether it's a remake or just the same port version. So, interesting that they didn't say it's not happening, but essentially it was never say never."

We found out at last week's Nintendo Direct presentation that GameCube titles were on the way to Nintendo Switch Online as part of its premium library.

It's a major update to the Nintendo Switch Online library that will grant subscribers access to a load of classic 2000s-era titles, including F-Zero GX and Soulcalibur 2, which will all be available at launch this summer, along with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, of course. This library will be expanded upon in the years to come, with some teased titles including Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Strikers, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and more.

Last week, the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date was delayed in the United States after import tariffs enacted by President Trump sent financial markets spiraling. Just a few days later, the issue spread across the border, with Nintendo Canada also confirming pre-orders would now be delayed there.

For more, check out everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

I’m not saying today’s deals are going to ruin your budget, but I wouldn’t open your banking app until tomorrow. Stellar Crown is back in stock (finally), and Amazon also has the Terapagos ex Ultra-Premium Collection if you're feeling like a true Tera master. Meanwhile, Lenovo quietly dropped Xbox Wireless Controllers to $39.99, and I’m just over here trying to convince myself I don’t need one in every color.

Stellar Crown Boxes and $25 off Xbox Series X/S Controllers

On top of that, there’s a new Humble Bundle that looks like someone dumped every neon-drenched game into one lineup, and somehow Fallout fans are getting a $200 Pip-Boy replica that actually works as a clock. It's a chaotic mix of gaming greatness, and I'm into it.

Pokémon TCG: Terapagos ex Ultra-Premium Collection

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Stellar Crown Elite Trainer Box

Neon Lights Game Bundle

Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller - Various Colors

Fallout - Pip-Boy Die-Cast - Replica

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Booster Display Box

Monster Energy Zero Ultra, Sugar Free Energy Drink, 16 Ounce (Pack of 15)

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Surging Sparks Booster Bundle

INIU 140W Power Bank

Fallout - Lucys Vault 33 - Backpack

INIU Power Bank, 20000mAh 65W

Humble Heroines Game Bundle

INIU Power Bank 100W

INIU Portable Charger, Slim 45W

ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless Gaming Headphones

ASUS ROG Harpe Gaming Wireless Mouse

Vampire Hunter D Book Bundle

ASUS ROG Spatha X Wireless Gaming Mouse

Street Fighter Trading Cards

ASUS ROG Falchion NX 65% Wireless RGB Gaming Mechanical Keyboard

ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX TKL Wireless Deluxe

MainGear North RTX 5070

Pokemon TCG: Azure Legends Tin - 5 Packs

Humble Bundle: Earth Defense Force Collection

SanDisk 256GB microSD Express microSD Card

Pokémon TCG: Shining Fates Collection Pikachu V Box

The Elder Scrolls Skyrim - Dragonborn Helmet - Replica

Pokémon TCG: Scarlet and Violet Shrouded Fable Elite Trainer Box

Last summer, Palworld developer Pocketpair signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment to produce merchandise, music, and other products around Palworld. Though the deal was simply a business agreement to expand the Palworld universe outside of games, a number of fans mistook it for a sign that an acquisition was on the horizon. Especially after rumors earlier in the year that Pocketpair was in talks with Microsoft for that very reason.

All that acquisition talk wasn’t true at the time, Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe later confirmed, but it sure did get conversation started. Since then, a number of fans have speculated on a potential Pocketpair acquisition, especially in the wake of Microsoft seemingly acquiring half the AA industry in just a few years and allegedly courting Japanese developers, and Sony making several acquisitions of its own in response.

So will Pocketpair ever get acquired? Ultimately, it’s up to Mizobe, but when I asked communications director and publishing manager John ‘Bucky’ Buckley about it at the Game Developers Conference last month, he found the whole prospect of Pocketpair’s acquisition to be very, very unlikely.

“Our CEO would never allow it,” he said. “He'd never allow it. He'd never allow it. He would never, never allow it. He likes doing his own thing and he likes being his own boss. He doesn't like people telling him what to do.”

That’s pretty emphatic. Buckley continued:

“So I would be shocked. Maybe when he's old, and he might just sell it off for money. And that would be sad, but in my lifetime, I probably won't see it. No, it'll be interesting to see where the two paths go. We, Pocketpair, are obviously only involved in where the game path is going. Palworld as an IP, we are involved, but it’s very much in the hands of Aniplex and Sony Music who are steering that ship right now. We are just offering our advice and thoughts as they take that.”

Buckley and I also spoke about the possibility of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio’s reaction to the game being called “Pokemon with guns”, and much more in our interview. You can read the full discussion right here.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

What do you think of when you think of Palworld? Unfortunately for the folks who made it, the answer is pretty likely to immediately be, “Pokemon with guns.”

That’s because when the game first exploded into popularity, that’s the shorthand everyone on the internet used for it, likely contributing to its rise thanks to the odd combination of two unlike ideas. Heck, we at IGN are guilty of using the phrase too, just like everyone else. It was convenient and easy for those who had never heard of the game to immediately understand.

But according to Pocketpair communications director and publishing manager John ‘Bucky’ Buckley, “Pokemon with guns” was never intended to be the takeaway. In fact, he says that Pocketpair largely doesn’t love the moniker. He said this in a talk at the Game Developers Conference last month, when he discussed the initial rise to fame of Palworld in 2021.

“We revealed the game to the world in June of 2021, so quite a few years ago. We posted a trailer at what's called Indie Live Expo, which is an indie gaming event in Japan. We showed this off to the Japanese audience initially, we had a really, really good reception. But very quickly, Western media got eyes on this little game, and we were very quickly branded, as early as 2021, as a ‘certain franchise’ plus guns. This would be something that has stuck with us to this very day, despite our best efforts to shake that off.”

After his talk, I spoke with Buckley in an interview and asked him to elaborate on this. Buckley responded that Pokemon was never really part of the pitch to begin with. Sure, the development team is largely composed of fans of the game, and they clocked the monster-collecting similarities. But the goal was always to be more like ARK: Survival Evolved instead.

“A lot of us are huge ARK people, and our previous game, Craftopia, kind of has some stuff in it that we really loved from ARK and some ideas from ARK,” he said. “So we wanted to just take that and make it bigger. And one of the things about ARK, is that everything’s about the dinosaurs. Some are cute, some are cool. But we wanted to give them more personality, more abilities, more uniqueness. So that was the pitch. The pitch was, let's make something like ARK, but a lot heavier on the automation and each creature's like its own very special thing. And then we show that first trailer, and then this title kind of came out. And no, we weren't super happy about it, but it is what it is.”

I asked Buckley if he thinks the “Pokemon with guns” label helped Palworld become as successful as it was, and he acknowledges it did.

“Yeah, I mean, that was big,” he said. “That was definitely a big thing. Dave [Oshry] from New Blood [Interactive, publisher of Dusk, Fallen Aces, and others] messaged us because he trademarked the website, ‘Pokemonwithguns.com’ and stuff. All this kind of stuff happened, and I'm sure that fueled that fire, which is fair enough.

"But still today, 2025, if people want to say [“Pokemon with guns”], that's fine. But the thing that upsets us, I guess, a little bit, is the people who firmly believe that's what the game actually is. But it's not even remotely like that to play the game. So if you want to say that after playing, that's fine, but we'd rather everyone give it a bit of a chance first.”

But Buckley also doesn’t feel that Pokemon is even a meaningful source of market competition with Palworld. “I don’t think the audiences cross over that much,” he said, again pointing to ARK as a neater parallel. Even then, though, he doesn’t feel Palworld is fighting with anyone else in particular for an audience of players. Not even Helldivers 2, which he said a “very significant” portion of Palworld players also bought on release.

“I've gotten in trouble for ranting about the ‘console wars’ before, but I think the competition in games is kind of manufactured for the sake of it,” he said. “Almost like a meta-marketing kind of strategy. I don't really think there is competition in games. I mean, there's so many games right now. How can you be in competition with one or two? It doesn't really make sense anymore. We're just always in competition with the timing [of releases] more than anything, I think.”

So if “Pokemon with guns” is out, what tagline would Buckley have had go viral, if he could have had his way?

“I probably would've called it, ‘Palworld: It's Kind of Like ARK if ARK Met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends’ or something like that. That’s how I might’ve said it.”

I told him it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue the same, to which he agrees.

Buckley and I also spoke about the possibility of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, whether Pocketpair would ever be acquired, and much more in our interview. You can read the full discussion right here.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) last month, we sat down for an extended conversation with John “Bucky” Buckley, communications director and publishing manager for Palworld developer Pocketpair.

We spoke following his talk at the conference, 'Community Management Summit: A Palworld Roller Coaster: Surviving the Drop.' During that talk, Buckley went into candid detail about a number of Palworld’s struggles, especially the accusations of it using generative AI (which Pocketpair has since debunked pretty soundly) and stealing Pokemon’s models for its own Pals (a claim that the person who originally made it has since retracted). He even commented a bit on Nintendo’s patent infringement lawsuit against the studio, saying it “came as a shock” to the studio and was “something that no one even considered.”

We’ve already run a number of shorter stories on some of the highlights of our conversation with Buckley, but given the depth of insight he provided on Pocketpair’s community struggles and triumphs, we decided to publish the full extended interview here as well. If you’re looking for something a bit shorter and easier to follow, you can read at these links on Buckley’s comments about the possibility of Palworld coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, the studio’s reaction to the game being called “Pokemon with guns”, and whether Pocketpair would ever be acquired.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity: IGN: I'm going to get the really annoying one that I know you can't really answer out of the way first. You talked so, so lightly about the lawsuit in your GDC talk. Has that lawsuit made it harder for Pocketpair to move forward and update the game, having that still pending?

John Buckley: No, it hasn't made it harder to update the game or to move forward. It's just kind of something that weighs over you all the time. It's something that everyone's always thinking about, but it hasn't made the game harder to update. It hasn't affected development in that regard. It's just kind of affected the company's morale more than anything else. And obviously, lawyers have to be hired and stuff like that, of course, of course, but I'm not involved in any of that, and really no one else at the company is other than the top, right? It's just morale more than anything else.

Okay, real conversation time. I was fascinated at the start of your talk when you talked about, sort of cheekily, the ‘Pokemon with guns’ moniker. I was surprised that you didn't seem to like that. Can I ask why?

Buckley: A lot of people don't believe us when we say this, but I think a lot of people think that was written on a whiteboard before the game development started, like, “This is the goal," but it never was. We always wanted to make something that was kind of like ARK: Survival Evolved, but with a lot more automation and with a bit more personality to each of the creatures, because a lot of us are huge ARK people, and our previous game, Craftopia, kind of has some stuff in it that we really loved from ARK and some ideas from ARK. So we wanted to just take that and make it bigger. And one of the things that ARK, everything's done with the dinosaurs, and the dinosaurs, some of them are cute, but we wanted to give them more personality, more abilities, more uniqueness. So that was the pitch. The pitch was, let's make something like ARK, but a lot heavier on the automation and each creature's like its own very special thing.

And then we show that first trailer, and then this title kind of came out. And no, we weren't super happy about it, but it is what it is.

You said in the talk that you didn't understand why Palworld took off the way it did, you couldn't explain it. And I'm not a market analyst, so I certainly couldn't tell you, but I do feel like I specifically remember when "Pokemon with guns" came into the conversation.

Buckley: Yeah. No, I mean, that was big. That was definitely a big thing. I mean, Dave [Oshry] Dave from New Blood messaged us because he trademarked the website, Pokemonwithguns.com and stuff. All this kind of stuff happened, and I'm sure that fueled that fire, which is fair enough. But still today, 2025, if people want to say that, that's fine. But the thing that upsets us, I guess, a little bit is the people who firmly believe that's what the game actually is. But it's not even remotely like that to play the game. So if you want to say that after playing, that's fine, but we'd rather everyone give it a bit of a chance first.

Well, how would you have phrased it? What would've been your "moniker" for this?

Buckley: I probably would've called it, “Palworld: It's kind of like ARK if ARK met Factorio and Happy Tree Friends, or something like that. That's how I might've said it.

It doesn't quite roll off the tongue the same way.

Buckley: No, no, it doesn't, does it? Maybe that's why.

Another thing that you brought up in the talk were the criticisms people made saying the game was AI slop. How did that impact folks internally at Pocketpair?

Buckley: Massively, massively, massively, massively. That is by far I would say the biggest kind of thing that was ever against us, still to this day. Go to any Palworld posts or any news article about Palworld, or Reddit post, you'll see someone say, "I hate this company. They use AI," and it's complete nonsense. It's upsetting. It's something that upsets everyone, but at different levels. It's the artists especially who really, really take it the worst, especially our Pal concept artists. We have a few Pal concept artists, and two of them in particular who've been there since day one. They're not big fans of this kind of stuff, but it's very hard to counter this, which we did learn. I talked about that. The easy idea is to put everyone in front of a camera and have them talk about it, but none of our people want to be on camera.

Yeah, when you gave your talk you mentioned people not wanting to be super visible online because the internet is bad.

Buckley: Yeah, they don't want to be visible. And I'm not using it as an excuse, but the vast majority of our artists are female, and in Japan, it's not the way to go about things right now. So they don't want to be on camera, they don't want to be public, they don't want to have their names out there. And yeah, it's upsetting for them, still today it's very upsetting to hear these things. But like I said in my talk, we haven't really cracked how to properly refute this yet. We released an art book, and it definitely, definitely made a big impact, but not as much as we would've hoped, perhaps.

We are having this industry-wide conversation about generative AI and generative AI art, and people think that they're really good at spotting it, and you can't always. If something has seven weird fingers, it's probably pretty obvious, but less so in other cases, right?

Buckley: A lot of the arguments for ours, I think, again, I'm obviously biased towards this, I think they're pretty hollow. I mean, it all comes from comments that our CEO made in 2020, 2021-ish. There was a very famous Kotaku post. Before GenAI really became a thing, Kotaku made an article about it, and our CEO commented, "Sugoi," the Japanese word for amazing. People see the word amazing, and they think his reaction's like, "Whoa, this is incredible. I love this." And I think his intention was more just like a, "Look at this thing." I don't think he was too gung-ho on it.

And then, I think the thing that really kind of tipped it for people is in 2022, 2023, two people... So Pocketpair is what we call an open development company. So you join Pocketpair, and then you work on the game you want to work on rather than we're hiring you to specifically work on this. We check that you can do the work. You join the company. And then, you want to work on Craftopia? Cool. You want to work on Palword? Cool. You want to just do your own thing? Okay, we'll let you do that for a period of time, and if that might become something, maybe we can help you make that.

So, Never Grave, another game we're doing, actually came from that model of people having this idea, they pursued it, and we let them do it. Two or three members of Pocketpair made a game a few years ago called AI: Art Imposter, which is a party game. [Author's note: AI Imposter does involve players generating AI images in a social deduction game format where the "imposter" isn't told the theme of the generation.] Well, that didn't go down the way we thought it would go down. I think we all thought it would be a funny, ironic kind of a thing. Here's a party game where you're trying to catch out the person, but it didn't matter. People take that as our declaration of "We love GenAI." It'll be quite the opposite, but again, it is what it is. Art Imposter was popular in Japan, so like a lot of our games, we're happy that somewhere enjoyed it.

What's your overall take on the state of, not your community specifically, but online gaming communities in general? You're talking about getting all that harassment and stuff, is social media broadly useful for you all anymore?

Buckley: Well, social media's big for us. Funny enough, I went to a publisher roundtable yesterday, and it was very split in the middle, actually. The same question came up. Some of us think, yes, that's the way to go. Some people think it's not the way to go anymore. It's big for us. It's big for us because we are primarily an Asian market game. All of our games have been big in Japan and China and stuff, and these are places where social media is like people live and breathe it. You can't ignore it. Whereas over here, I know there's a bit more pushback. Online gaming communities, yeah, they can be very intense sometimes. I think people get very emotional sometimes and they get very swept away in those emotions, and I understand that. I mean, I used to play a lot of MMOs, a lot of PvP MMOs. That used to be my big thing before I got a real job. The communities, but I understand that people get swept away in things and you kind of lash out, and I get that. And there's a lot of people that lash out at us that I just kind of take on the chin. I'm like, "That's fine."

But it's all this death-threat stuff. It's when it reaches that point where you're like, "How could you be this upset?" It's never that serious. And it's usually very illogical death threats. Maybe we release a patch that breaks something, and, "I'm going to kill you and put a knife in your neck." And I always just want to say, "Do you think we're not going to fix it? I mean, we'll obviously fix this, right? We didn't do this on purpose. We're not breaking your game on purpose."

And I think the big thing that a lot of people don't sympathize with is you might play a game, you might play our game for three hours in a row, and then you experience a critical bug, and it crashes. That's a super frustrating experience. I 100% agree, I sympathize, I get it. But then you disconnect from it, and you go and do something else. We sit in that office for 12 hours just living and breathing this game. It hurts us a lot more that these things happen. So, I wish people would be a bit more sympathetic to these things, that we don't like it as much as they like it, and we're trying to fix these things. So, a bit of heat is fine. Spur of the moment insults is fine. I get it. We're all people, but it's the death threats that really get to us the most because it's so dumb.

Do you feel like social media is trending worse lately?

Buckley: I think, especially these days, there's a lot more people on social media who just say the opposite thing because they know they'll get the reaction now. And it's trending a bit and there's a few big accounts that have become quite notorious for always seeming to be on the opposite side. A new game comes out and everyone's like, "This is great." There's always that crowd now that go, "Nope, this is not. It's bad," for all these reasons that have nothing to do with the game, basically, always. And I think that, I don't know, maybe social media is encouraging that recently. It gets the clicks, it gets the trends. Yeah, luckily, we don't get much of that. Palworld, weirdly enough, kind of has avoided a lot of these, I don't know, I don't know what you say, political and social stuff. We just get a lot of "The game's broken" kind of requests. That's what we get.

I thought it was really interesting in your talk that you said that the majority of the heat came from the Western audience. I guess I just assumed it would be equal across the board. Do you have any insight as to why that was?

Buckley: No, no, no, no. We've tried to figure this out too. We are quite a divisive company in Japan. It's a 50/50 in Japan of whether people love us or whether people really hate us. I don't know. I think not a lot of game companies in Japan make games for the overseas market. They make a game for home, and then it blows up overseas, whereas we always try to strike overseas first with the kind of Japanese flair to it. And we call ourselves indie a lot, which a lot of Japanese gamers don't like, unfortunately. Even though we firmly believe we're indie, but yeah, that's always contested back home. I don't know why we get a lot of heat overseas. Maybe it was just easy pickings at that time. It's simmered down a lot. It's very manageable now. But a lot of that, especially the death threats and stuff, were very much in English. We didn't get a lot of that in Japan or China.

So Palworld was extremely successful, and I get the sense, perhaps in a way that was maybe unexpected for you all based on your talk. Has that changed anything about how the studio runs or what your future plans are or anything else?

Buckley: It's changed our future plans, yes. It has not changed the studio. For better or worse, we remain basically unchanged.

You said the community team did not get bigger in response. Did the studio get bigger in other ways?

Buckley: Yeah. I mean, our server team has grown. We're hiring more developers all the time. We're hiring more artists all the time. One of our sore points as a company is just making things quicker for the fans. So we're always trying to onboard as many developers as we can to kind of speed up development time. But the company culture hasn't changed that much. It's obviously bigger now, but we haven't reached that kind of tipping point yet. And our CEO really wants to avoid that because he's a very homebody kind of guy, so he wants to keep it small. I say small, it's 70 people now. That's a lot of people. He doesn't want to get into the hundreds, he says, anyway. But no, I mean, this level of success was unexpected.

You knew it was a good game, but you didn't know that it was going to be this big.

Buckley: I mean, a million sales for anyone, I think you've made it. Well, sorry. I said anyone. I mean a million sales for an indie game. You've made it. Congratulations. You're a platinum standard. Two million? Unbelievable. You should be screaming that from the roof. When you get into the 10 millions is when it just gets very surreal, and you don't really know what's happening anymore. And Steam is sending you, "Here's your monthly sales reports, and here's your monthly impression reports," and it's just numbers that don't make sense. And then you get a bit, not reckless, but you get a bit free with how you spend it and nothing happens. Yeah, it all gets very weird and surreal, and it's still hard for us to kind of get a grasp on it, basically.

Do you anticipate that Palworld is something that Pocketpair is going to support for a really, really long time to come?

Buckley: Palworld's definitely going nowhere. What form Palworld's going to take, I've no idea, but it's definitely going to be something that we're always sticking on. But we do want to kind of go back to making other stuff, too. We're still working on Craftopia. Even though everyone says we're not, we are still working on Craftopia. And there's people at the company who want to do their own thing as well, so we're trying to find ways to support all of that while also maintaining this machine that is Palworld. Because Palworld's kind of split into two things now, Palworld the game and Palworld the IP, and they're both kind of going on different trajectories right now.

Yeah. You talked about that partnership that everybody misunderstood.

Buckley: Yeah. No one understands. Someone, literally yesterday, said to me, "Why aren't you wearing a Sony jacket?" And I said, "Because we're not owned by Sony at all." No, that'll be forever misunderstood, I think.

Do you think you guys ever would get acquired?

Buckley: No. Our CEO would never allow it. He'd never allow it. He'd never allow it. He would never, never allow it. He likes doing his own thing and he likes being his own boss. He doesn't like people telling him what to do. So I would be shocked. Maybe when he's old, and he might just sell it off for money. And that would be sad, but in my lifetime, I probably won't see it.

No, it'll be interesting to see where the two paths go. We, Pocketpair, are obviously only involved in where the game path is going. Palworld as an IP, we've given, not given, but we are involved, but very much in the hands of Aniplex and Sony Music who are steering that ship right now. We are just kind of offering our advice and thoughts as they take that.

I know we talked earlier about the Palworld comparisons to a Pokemon, and that you actually feel it's more like ARK. ARK is not actively releasing brand new games every one to two years and has an anime and merch like the way Pokemon does, but Pokemon is gearing up. They've got a release this year. They're constantly doing stuff. Do you see that being competitive in any way or meaningfully impacting you all?

Buckley: I don't think the audiences cross over that much.

Really?

Buckley: And the systems are totally different. I mean, the systems are completely different.

Sure, but you all released after Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which people including me were very critical of, and I remember seeing a lot of fans going, “Why can’t they just do what Pocketpair did?”

Buckley: I don't know. I think a lot of that's just people trying to stir the pot online. I see some of those comments all the time and I always think, "Come on, guys. Don't be silly now." I think they're just stirring the pot. I mean, we don't consider that as any kind of competition, or we don't want to be involved in that kind of dispute, basically. Ironically, we released alongside two other survival games, and we were more focused on them than we were anyone else, Nightingale and Enshrouded. And we very playfully back and forthed it together, because we are very similar games more than anything else. ARK. I mean, we don't see ARK as a competitor. We love the ARK guys. [Studio] Wildcard are sweethearts.

I don't know. Competition in games is, I've gotten in trouble for ranting about the "console wars" before, but I think the competition in games is kind of manufactured for the sake of it. Almost like a meta marketing kind of strategy. I don't really think there is competition in games. I mean, there's so many games right now. How can you be in competition with one or two? It doesn't really make sense anymore. We're just always in competition with kind of the timing more than anything, I think. I mean, we pull a lot of telemetry and we work with a lot of data companies for these things. I don't know. The one that surprised me the most was a very significant portion of Palworld players bought Helldivers 2 on release. And that was a crossover that I was very surprised about…I think it's the co-op element, the kind of goofy element, having fun with your friends. I think Steam is really good at driving those big game releases as well. So, it's a perfect storm, really.

Would you ever release on the Switch?

Buckley: If we could make the game work on the Switch, we would, but Palworld's a beefy game.

The Switch 2?

Buckley: Well, we haven't seen those specs yet, so we're like everyone else, we're waiting. I mean, I'm walking around GDC hoping someone will tell me them, but everyone I've spoken to says they haven't even seen them. If it's beefy enough, it's 100% worth considering. We did a lot of optimization for Steam Deck, which we were really happy with. Still work to do, but we were very happy with how it turned out. So we would like to get it on more handhelds if possible.

My big takeaway from your talk is that outside of the existing Palworld community of people who have played and enjoyed the game, you feel that Palworld is extremely misunderstood.

Buckley: Yeah, 100%.

What is your singular takeaway message for people who have not played it and you think misunderstand it?

Buckley: I think a lot of people who only know of Palworld from the news and the drama and stuff, in just my opinion, probably completely misunderstand what the game even is. So I would say play it. I mean, I think we should do a demo at some point. Something that I campaign for a lot internally. At some point we should release a demo or some kind of free hour or something if we could figure it out to do it properly. But I think a lot of people who have never played it and only know it from the drama would be surprised if they played it for one hour.

I don't think it's anything like what they imagine it is. We are nowhere near as seedy and scummy as people seem to think we are. I think it's the double-edged sword. We hid from the public to protect our developers, and at the same time, I think that made us look a bit inaccessible, which makes you look bad inherently. If we'd have been more public, maybe we wouldn't have got that reputation. It's two edges to that, but we have to protect our team.

That’s also just the way the internet works. Whatever other things there are to do in Palworld, what’s funny is a meme video of what is effectively distilled down to Pokemon with guns. So that's what everyone's sharing.

Buckley: I mean, I think we're a very nice little company. We've done very well for ourselves with every game we've ever made, and we'll continue, hopefully, to always do well. I think last year was just such a crazy year for games. I think people don't appreciate how crazy last year was. I think people will write about 2024 five years from now. There were just so many unbelievably successful games last year. [Black Myth:] Wukong, Helldivers [2], Palworld, games that just hit numbers that are not normal. So I think emotions were high last year and people got swept away in the fun, maybe.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

The former boss of Sony Interactive Entertainment America has commented on the backlash to Nintendo’s Switch 2 pricing, saying the desire for exclusive Nintendo games “mitigates the sticker shock.”

Last week, Nintendo confirmed the Switch 2 price at $449.99, which is around $50 more than some analysts had predicted, and, more controversially, the $10 jump to $79.99 for some Switch 2 games, including Mario Kart World.

It’s worth pointing out that Nintendo is bundling Mario Kart World with a Nintendo Switch 2 for $499.99, cutting the cost of the game by a huge $30 in the process. However, Nintendo has indicated this bundle is a limited-time offer, and it remains to be seen if the bundle holds at $500, given the uncertainty surrounding the tariff situation and Nintendo’s pre-order delay in the U.S.

But Mario Kart World isn’t the only Nintendo Switch 2 game to cost $80 — some of the Switch 2 Edition games announced during the Nintendo Direct also cost $79.99, such as Kirby and The Forgotten Land - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed World, Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

IGN has plenty of reaction to Nintendo’s jump to $80 for the Switch 2 generation, including from analysts who have helped us understand why this has happened. Now, Shawn Layden, who used to run PlayStation in the U.S., has offered his thoughts, pointing to the fear of missing out on Nintendo exclusives as justifying price hikes.

Speaking on the PlayerDriven YouTube channel and podcast, Layden highlighted the contrasting strategies of Sony and Microsoft, and Nintendo, where Sony and Microsoft are downplaying exclusive games as they move to PC and rival consoles, but Nintendo is keeping its games on its own consoles.

"But right here you see, ‘wow, that’s kind of a hefty price hike from Switch 1 to Switch 2 and, wow, 80 bucks for a game?’ " Layden said.

"But if it’s the only place where you can play Mario, then you get your wallet out and you buy into it... and Donkey Kong and Zelda. That first-party exclusivity kind of mitigates the sticker shock, if you will, of these price hikes, because you want that content so bad."

Nintendo Switch 2 pricing in the U.S.:

• Nintendo Switch 2 by itself: $449.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Kart World bundled in: $499.99
• Mario Kart World by itself: $79.99
• Donkey Kong Bananza: $69.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller: $79.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 Camera: $49.99
• Joy-Con 2 Controller pair: $89.99
• Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip: $34.99
• Joy-Con 2 Strap: $12.99
• Joy-Con 2 Wheel pair: $19.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set: $109.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 Carrying Case and Screen Protector: $34.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 All-In-One Carrying Case: $79.99
• Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter: $29.99

Layden also talked about the price of video games generally, which, he insisted, have actually gone down over the years when you take into account inflation. Layden said console manufacturers should have hiked the price of games by $5 with each new console generation so that they would cost around $90 now.

"In 2025 dollars, $59.99 in 1999 is equivalent to $100. Your purchasing power compared to your cost of living, it's much smaller now than it was before, but still companies have been reluctant to push that price up.

"I was in it at the time — probably every generation they should have baked in a $5 software price hike, and make that the typical, 'well every generation it's another five bucks.' And you would have been up to $90 already by now."

This week, IGN published its interview with Nintendo of America's Vice President of Product and Player Experience, Bill Trinen, conducted at a recent Switch 2 preview event in New York, but before Nintendo announced the delay to pre-orders due to Trump’s tariffs.

In the interview, Trinen insisted Mario Kart World justifies its $80 price tag, and pointed to the upcoming dedicated Mario Kart World Nintendo Direct where fans will learn more about the game and what it has to offer.

“I would say it's less about the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it's more just whenever we look at a given game, we just look at what is the experience, and what's the content, and what's the value?” Trinen said.

“Mario Kart World, I think especially as you see from the Nintendo Direct, not to give you any hints or anything, but I did read your article this morning and I think you had mentioned that you didn’t find a lot to discover when roaming around. So I would say tune into our Mario Kart Direct to see what, maybe you'll be able to find out about that.

“But honestly, this is a game that is so big and so vast and you will find so many little things in it to discover. And there's still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they're going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they've ever had.”

We also asked Trinen about the $80 cost of some of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games. While there is a $10 upgrade path for existing owners of these games on the Switch, and both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition ($69.99) and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition ($79.99) are available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, Nintendo is not offering any sort of discount to newcomers on Switch 2.

Trinen’s answer here echoed his Mario Kart World response, pointing to the value Nintendo sees in its games.

“Well, again, what I would say is that we just look at each individual game and we look at the content and the value of that game, and then we say, 'what is the right price for the value of this entertainment?' " he said.

“What I would probably counter to some of that is that really what you're looking at is for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, that's the physical price for somebody that has not bought the base game. For somebody who has bought Tears of the Kingdom or Breath of the Wild, the upgrade packs for those are $9.99. And if you happen to be a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member, both of the Zelda upgrade packs are inclusive within that membership. So there's no additional charge for those.

“But I think overall, our general approach is really just focus on what's the content, what's the value, and what's an appropriate price based on that.”

As for the current $450 price tag of the Switch 2 itself, Trinen again pointed to value, but also highlighted the increasing costs associated with releasing a video game console.

“Obviously the cost of everything goes up over time, and I personally would love if the cost of things didn't go up over time,” he told IGN.

“But I think any time you're building a new system that's got new features and new tech, there's costs associated with that. So again, we look at what is the experience on Nintendo Switch? What's the experience on Nintendo Switch 2? What are the new features that it offers? And certainly there's the cost of goods and things that factor into that, but we try to find the right appropriate price for a product based on that.”

As IGN has reported, some Nintendo fans have expressed concern that they may be priced out of the next-generation if the company goes even higher than the already controversial prices for the Switch 2 and its games such as Mario Kart World due to the tariff situation.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

After years of diminishing returns, Black Mirror returns to form in season 7 with one of its best outings yet. The anthology series demonstrates its range and flexibility by getting back to its most dystopian roots, delivering an extremely fun sequel to a fan favorite episode, and tapping Paul Giamatti for a beautifully melancholy story about dealing with painful memories. Some of the episodes are a bit predictable or too focused on recapturing Black Mirror’s past glories, but for once, there isn’t a single dud in the mix.

Series creator and writer Charlie Brooker said people can get enough dystopia just looking out their windows these days, so the season 7 leans towards lighter and more optimistic stories. But the premiere, “Common People,” is as dark and bleak as anything he’s penned since season 1. Rashida Jones and Chris O’Dowd are immediately charming as Amanda and Mike, a working-class couple trying to start a family, but there are few things scarier than seemingly normal, happy people in an episode of Black Mirror. When a health crisis lands Amanda in the hospital, an experimental treatment seems like a miracle – but puts her very mind at the mercy of a greedy corporation.

The episode is a perfect crystallization of Black Mirror’s original mission to explore the dark intersection of technology and human nature. It’s a thorough rebuke of the United States’ cruel healthcare system, where people with chronic illness and lower incomes are made to suffer pointlessly while the wealthy enjoy the best treatment for both necessary and elective care. Beyond condemning corporate greed, “Common People” is also a scathing rebuke of people who find desperation entertaining, imagining an all too realistic livestream that’s a fusion of GoFundMe and MrBeast where people debase themselves for small donations. It’s a deeply tragic episode that evokes a feeling of powerlessness as potent as season 1’s “Fifteen Million Merits.”

Equally tearjerking is “Eulogy,” the rare Black Mirror episode where the novel technology is purely used for good. Here the disc used to play video games in “USS Callister” and “Striking Vipers” allows Phillip (Giamatti) to share his memories of his late ex, so they can be used in her funeral service. The journey through old pictures is gorgeously directed by Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor, with images coming into focus or even blossoming into color as Phillip reconnects to moments he thought he would rather forget and reconciles with his own role in the breakup. This is a classic Giamatti role – an isolated crank who might just have a good heart – and he unsurprisingly nails every aspect of the emotional journey.

“Bete Noire” is a quirkier tale, following confectionary developer Maria (Siena Kelly) as her world starts to unravel when Verity (Rosy McEwen), a former classmate, appears at the taste test for Maria’s latest creation. The discordant tone is set early by the ominous music that marks each passing day in Maria’s life: It feels totally at odds with the beginning of the story, where the biggest problem at the confectionary seems to be a staffer who’s annoyed that someone else is drinking her almond milk. McEwen does a great job alternating between the meek, helpful Verity all of Maria’s colleagues see to a gleeful, gaslighting villain. The plot is a bit too obvious, given frequently the high-tech way Verity is messing with Maria has been used in other, recent science fiction, but the episode still delivers a solid mix of psychodrama and comedy.

The nostalgic, queer love story of “Hotel Reverie” aims for the magic of season 3’s “San Junipero” – but in premise and execution, it’s an example of how remakes rarely live up to the original. This time, the sparks fly between Brandy Friday (Issa Rae) – an A-lister who steps into the lead role in a new version of a beloved film – and the AI recreation of the original’s star, Dorothy (Emma Corin). Corin and Rae have great chemistry, and Awkwafina adds plenty of comedy by leading the film crew trying to keep the slapdash production going as things quickly go off the rails. But “Hotel Reverie” ultimately feels more like a Star Trek holodeck episode than the second coming of Black Mirror’s romantic masterpiece.

Black Mirror often uses Easter eggs to connect its episodes into a shared universe, but season 7 draws the most direct connections. “Plaything” is effectively a dual-timeline spinoff of the interactive film “Bandersnatch,” following video game journalist Cameron Walker (played by Lewis Gribben in 1994 and Peter Capaldi in the present of 2034), whose life was transformed by the latest project from star developer Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), who served as the enigmatic mentor for the protagonist of Bandersnatch. Director David Slade seems to be emulating The Usual Suspects and Se7en in terms of structure and tone, with the story told in flashbacks presented by Cameron in an interrogation room. Unfortunately, the twist is predictable and the overblown good cop/bad cop dynamic doesn’t give Capaldi enough to work with.

Fortunately, Black Mirror shines in its first true sequel, “USS Callister: Into Infinity." The crew of digitally cloned Infinity coworkers may have escaped from being tortured on Robert Daly’s (Jesse Plemons) private server, but now they’re struggling to survive and gather resources as CEO James Walton (Jimmi Simpson) aggressively monetizes the MMO they fled to. Like the original, this is a love letter to Star Trek, combining aspects of The Search for Spock and The Final Frontier with the goofy bumbling of Lower Decks. It evokes the franchise in its music, visuals, and structure – and captures the signature Trek charm of unlikely comrades taking big risks together.

“Into Infinity” also delves into some of the same philosophical questions as Severance, with technology creating multiple versions of the same person. Cristin Milioti does excellent work transitioning between the Nanette Cole who is still an insecure programmer and the one who’s become a hardened starship captain. But the real star is Simpson, who is hilarious both as Walton’s callous real world self and his pathetic in-game clone.

Former Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aimé has pointed to the story of Wii pack-in game Wii Sports in thinly-veiled tweets addressing the controversy surrounding Nintendo’s decision to charge for Switch 2 tutorial game Welcome Tour.

Amid the furore around the $449.99 price of the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World's $79.99 price tag, there was also shock at Nintendo’s decision to charge for interactive instruction manual, Welcome Tour.

Nintendo revealed Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour during its Nintendo Direct last week. It’s a game set to launch alongside the Switch 2 in June that offers a guided tour of the console itself in video game form.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is described as a "virtual exhibition" of the new hardware. Per Nintendo: "through tech demos, minigames and other interactions, players will get to know the new system inside and out in ways they may never have known about otherwise."

The Nintendo Direct showed footage of a small player avatar exploring a super-sized Switch 2, reading about the different features and facts about the console. It also includes mini-games such as Speed Golf, Dodge the Spiked Balls, and a Maracas Physics Demo.

IGN has confirmed that Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour costs $9.99 and is a digital-only product. That’s significantly cheaper than other Switch 2 games, but IGN has already reported to the complaints from some Nintendo fans that Welcome Tour costs money at all, with many saying it should be a Switch 2 pack-in, as DualSense tech demo game Astro's Playroom was for PlayStation 5.

Now, Fils-Aimé has tweeted three clips from IGN’s two-year-old interview with the former Nintendo executive in which he discussed the internal battle he had with legendary developer Shigeru Miyamoto to get Wii Sports as a free pack-in for the hugely successful Wii console.

In the first clip, Fils-Aimé says "it is an understatement to say that Mr. Miyamoto pushed back” on the call to make Wii Sports a Wii console pack-in. As we know, this is a battle Fils-Aimé won to a degree, with Wii Sports bundled with the Wii everywhere except Japan.

The story of Wii Sports pack in ...https://t.co/LhflSFWaL3

— Reggie Fils-Aimé (@Reggie) April 9, 2025

The second interview clip Fils-Aimé tweeted pointed to a similar battle to bundle Wii Play with the Wii Remote. In the clip from our interview, Fils-Aimé revealed he “pissed off” Miyamoto once again with the suggestion. “He was not happy about that either.”

And finally, tweeting “and the results,” Fils-Aimé clipped out the section from our interview in which he reveals that all this was, ultimately, the right call.

“In the Americas and in Europe Wii Sports was packed in with the Wii proposition. It was not in Japan, which created a bit of a test market. It was obvious that in the markets where Wii Sports was packed in that we became much more of a phenomenon. Wii Sports itself became much more of a phenomenon.

“We did pack the Remote with Wii Play. And it became the fifth best-selling piece of software in the history of the Wii.”

And the results.https://t.co/xrFTDeJMQf

— Reggie Fils-Aimé (@Reggie) April 9, 2025

It’s clear to see what Fils-Aimé is doing here. Although he’s not directly commenting on Nintendo’s Switch 2 strategy, he is making the point that free pack-ins have worked in the past for Nintendo consoles,so it stands to reason that it would do so again for Switch 2.

Fans know what’s up, too. “Hahaha, guys I think Reggie is watching our comments about the Switch 2,” said one X / Twitter user. “We know you would have packed in Welcome Tour,” said another.

This week, IGN published its interview with Nintendo of America's Vice President of Product and Player Experience, Bill Trinen, conducted at a recent Switch 2 preview event in New York, but before Nintendo announced the delay to pre-orders due to Trump’s tariffs.

Trinen said there’s more to Welcome Tour than it appears based on the showing during the Nintendo Direct and even during recent hands-on opportunities the media had access to. Based on what’s actually in the game, Nintendo decided $9.99 “is not an exorbitant price,” he continued.

There are a bevy of great wireless gaming headsets on the market, many of which pack several key features that we’ve come to expect. High-end wired headphones, however – the kind from companies like Sennheiser or Audio Technica that audiophiles gravitate towards – tend to focus on the things that matter most in the audio experience: comfort and sound quality. Beyerdynamic is in the conversation as well, and with its new MMX 300 Pro, you get a wired headset with that audiophile-level of sound quality, paired with impressive clarity from its built-in microphone.

At a regular price of around $300 USD, it’s a tough pitch considering that even the best wireless gaming headsets can be found for lower. But at the high-end where studio-grade audio quality is achievable, the MMX 300 Pro shows why good audio is worth investing in.

Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro – Design and Comfort

The MMX 300 Pro is built on a metal frame with leather-like padding wrapped around the headband for comfort – the padding buckles onto the headset so you can remove it, although there wouldn’t be any reason to do so unless you want to customize or replace it. Each earcup extends out to accommodate bigger heads and voluminous hair as most headphones or headsets would. The frame itself is flexible and can twist or contort without feeling like it’s going to snap or get damaged, so you get the impression of durability right off the bat.

What makes the MMX 300 Pro comfortable to wear for long sessions is the densely padded earcups with their velvety velour upholstery. Velour is my favorite material for earcups on headphones and headsets, and these strike a wonderful balance between comfort, breathability, and sound isolation. Although the headset has a slightly tight clamp to it, I never felt like there was too much pressure even after two or three hours of wearing them. And over the course of a week of using them daily, they started to break in and feel even easier to wear.

This isn’t a flashy headset; Beyerdynamic puts out the type of headsets that are no-nonsense, so you’ll see only a bit of branding along the side of what’s an otherwise fairly discreet-looking product. One thing to note here is that the microphone on the left earcup is not detachable – it can rotate nearly 360-degrees around to get it out of your face, and the gooseneck-style mic arm flexes into place so you can lock it into any position you need, but if you want the MMX 300 Pro to look like just a pair of headphones, well, sorry.

Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro – Features

The MMX 300 Pro is a slim package; you get the headset, a 3.5mm dongle to unify the audio and microphone jacks (handy for consoles), and a pop filter for the mic – that’s it. Along the detachable 8.2-foot cable is the microphone mute toggle and volume control wheel (which acts independently of the device it's connected to).

Since this is a wired analog headset, there are no onboard features like active noise canceling, built-in microphone feedback, or swappable EQ presets via software. This headset is tuned a specific way, so if you want to pair it with an amplifier or DAC, you can definitely get a more custom audio profile, but those are factors outside of the headset itself.

However, there’s a comfort in knowing that what you hear is what you get – especially when the MMX 300 Pro delivers some of the best audio I’ve experienced from a closed-back gaming headset. That’s because of Beyerdynamic’s “Stellar.45” audio drivers, which are also found on the professional-grade DT 700 Pro X and DT 900 Pro X headphones.

Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro – Sound Quality and Microphone

The MMX 300 Pro has the best sound quality I’ve experienced when compared to your typical gaming headset. By using the same tech found in its high-end headphones, Beyerdynamic stakes its claim on uncompromising audio, and that’s the hope considering the price tag.

As with other audio gear, I played ranked matches of Counter-Strike 2 and cleared several raid instances in Final Fantasy XIV, in addition to using the MMX 300 Pro as my daily headphones for music – the results were fantastic. Everything sounds full and bold due to its strong bass that doesn’t get distorted at loud volumes. Yet it remains balanced so as to not drown out other frequencies, so the clarity of mids and vocals are still highlighted. And with highs that tend to be ear-piercing at loud volumes on lower-end headsets, the MMX 300 Pro handled them wonderfully, letting me enjoy the details in the sound design of the games I played.

In Counter-Strike 2, gunshots and explosions didn’t sound distorted and had a punchy edge to them. But what’s most important in a game like this is positional audio. This being a closed-back headset, you tend to lose some of the spatial audio advantages of open-back headphones or a gaming headset with audio profiles specifically designed to tease out certain types of sounds or simulate distance. For gameplay in particular though, I still wouldn’t say I was at a disadvantage or advantage compared to other high-end headsets I’ve used. Even without special gaming features, the clarity and detail was enough for me to anticipate enemies around corners and figure out their actions to inform my decisions in a match. So to be clear, the MMX 300 Pro is no slouch here, which is expected from a headset of this caliber.

For Final Fantasy XIV, the new Dawntrail raid series introduced several incredible new songs, so I was happy to play with the sound at full blast. As I’ve said in the past, with all the sound effects of spells and attacks going off simultaneously in a party of eight players, FFXIV can be very busy sonically. However, it was nice to hear everything in full detail without any particular frequency sounding crunchy and still have the soundtrack playing in all its glory.

Some budget headsets are able to get away from their limitations with software-side solutions, but this can sometimes sound artificial. Audio gear in this range, on the other hand, doesn’t suffer from that problem, which is why I tend to gravitate towards headphones from companies like Beyerdynamic. I use the Sennheiser HD 599 as my everyday headphones, but the bolder bass of the MMX 300 Pro actually has me a bit bummed to go back to old faithful (I still love my Sennheisers, though). So, as someone who cares a lot about sound in the gaming experience, the MMX 300 Pro represents the kind of audio experience I believe is worth paying for.

To my surprise, it’s the microphone that justifies the price. I’m using an Elgato Wave 3 as my external microphone at the moment and will continue to do so. But if I had to rely on the MMX 300 Pro’s built-in mic, I wouldn’t be mad – in fact, I’d be pretty happy. I recorded my voice through Audacity and compared the two side-by-side, and the mic on the MMX 300 Pro rivals mid-range standalone mics. It has clarity worthy of streaming, podcasting, or just recording your voice for content creation. Even just hopping into Discord with friends, they were surprised to hear I was using a headset mic. Compared to the Elgato Wave 3, the headset mic is a bit muffled and still has some popping when pronouncing P’s (even with the pop filter), but the overall quality is very impressive. Simply put, the MMX 300 Pro has the best built-in headset microphone I’ve used thus far.

One caveat to consider, however, is that since this is a closed-back headset, it’s tough to hear yourself talk if you don’t have a way to monitor the microphone feed. With open-back headphones, this isn’t much of an issue, and good headsets like the recent Turtle Beach Stealth 600 and Atlas Air I reviewed recently offer sidetone. (Take note of the aside at the top of this review if you are interested in the open-back version of Beyerdynamic's headset.)

Crack open the piggy bank and stretch those thumbs because today’s bargains are banger-tastic. From high-speed karting to gritty sci-fi sagas, there’s something for every aficionado, and some of the prices are frankly outrageous (in a good way).

This Day in Gaming 🎂

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 17th birthday of Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I still have vivid memories of this head-scratching puzzler making me feel dumber than usual. The premise itself was elegantly simple, mind you: Professor Layton and his young assistant Luke are summoned to solve the mystery of a hidden inheritance. But the narrative beyond was interwoven with over 130 logic teasers and sliding block conundrums dispensed by the town’s quirky residents. Worth a replay (but have Google on hand).

Aussie bdays for notable games

- Professor Layton Curious Village (DS) 2008. eBay

- Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii) 2008. eBay

Contents

• Nintendo
• Xbox
• PlayStation
• PC
• PC Gear
• LEGO
• Headphones
• TVs

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

Over on the Nintendo Switch, Mario & Luigi: Brothership drops anchor with a tidy 20% off. It’s the first time in nearly a decade that the mustachioed duo has teamed up in a new game, and it marks the spiritual return of AlphaDream-style RPG zaniness. Alongside that, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled skids into the spotlight with 22% off. It was a loving remake with so many retro references, even the cheat codes got a comeback.

• Mario & Luigi: Brothership (-20%) - A$64
• Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (-22%) - A$55
• Sonic Forces (-25%) - A$45
• Life Is Strange: Double Exposure (-31%) - A$60
• Dragon Ball FighterZ (-45%) - A$50

Expiring Recent Deals

• Monster Hunter Rise (-75%) - A$15
• Ni No Kuni II: P.E. (-84%) - A$13
• The Escapists: Complete (-90%) - A$2
• Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory (-44%) - A$50
• Expeditions: A MudRunner (-42%) - A$49
• Star Wars Heritage Pack (-32%) - A$77

Or gift a Nintendo eShop Card.

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

Over on Xbox Series X, GTA V hits its lowest price ever at just A$25. Nearly a dozen years in, Rockstar still drops fresh content into Los Santos like it's a live soap opera. Pair it with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, where Cal Kestis' lightsaber customisation game is strong. I spent way too much time tinkering there and so can you.

• Space Marine 2 (-27%) - A$80
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (-24%) - A$84
• Grand Theft Auto V (-60%) - A$25
• Suicide Squad: KTJL (-83%) - A$20
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (-23%) - A$90

Xbox One

• Call of Duty: MW2 (-35%) - A$44
• F1 24 (-48%) - A$36
• FC 25 (-65%) - A$39

Expiring Recent Deals

• Shin Megami Tensei V (-62%) - A$34
• Resident Evil 4 (-28%) - A$43
• Gotham Knights (-86%) - A$15
• Tekken 8 (-42%) - A$49
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (-62%) - A$16
• Hot Wheels Unleashed (-28%) - A$40
• Borderlands: Handsome Col. (-53%) - A$34

Or just invest in an Xbox Card.

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

And on PS5, Tales of Arise is slashed to A$34, its emotionally charged story inspired by Studio Ghibli’s art direction. Meanwhile, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition gets a tidy 35% off, with its much-improved expansion, Phantom Liberty, bringing Idris Elba to Night City as the coolest spy in recent memory.

• Split Fiction (-16%) - A$59
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (-23%) - A$90
• DualSense Chroma Pearl (-135%) - A$109
• Tales of Arise (-67%) - A$34
• Grand Theft Auto V (-60%) - A$25
• Cyberpunk 2077: Ult. Ed. (-35%) - A$70
• Quidditch Champions Del. (-68%) - A$20
• Gran Turismo 7 (-21%) - A$99

PS4

• The Last of Us Part II (-21%) - A$48
• Blasphemous (-80%) - A$8
• My Friend Pedro (-80%) - A$5

Expiring Recent Deals

• Sonic X Shadow Gen. (-35%) - A$49
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (-33%) - A$77
• Elden Ring (-41%) - A$59
• Granblue Fantasy: Relink (-58%) - A$36
• TopSpin 2K25 (-81%) - A$19
• Dave the Diver (-35%) - A$20
• Trine: Ult. Col. (-80%) - A$16
• Bayonetta (-75%) - A$10
• Diablo III: Eternal Col. (-67%) - A$33
• Sonic Mania (-60%) - A$12

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

• RoboCop: Rogue City | PS5
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | PS4/5
• Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth HM | PS4

Or purchase a PS Store Card.

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Purchase Cheap for PC

PC players get spoiled too: Inside is going for a jaw-dropping A$3. A haunting platformer by the folks behind Limbo, it’s said the developers scrapped over 70 prototype ideas before locking in its eerie minimalist aesthetic. And for those who prefer stylish demon-smashing, the Devil May Cry Franchise Pack is slashing prices by 71%. Fun fact: Dante was originally meant to be a sci-fi cyborg named “Tony Redgrave”. Bullet dodged.

• Monster Hunter Wilds (-20%) - A$84
• Devil May Cry Franchise Pack (-71%) - A$30
• Inside (-90%) - A$3
• Marvel's Midnight Suns (-85%) - A$14
• Superhot (-70%) - A$11
• Planet Zoo (-75%) - A$17

Expiring Recent Deals

• Metaphor: ReFantazio (-30%) - A$81
• Control: Ult. Ed. (-85%) - A$9
• SteamWorld Heist (-90%) - A$3
• Sons of the Forest (-60%) - A$18
• Red Dead 2 (-75%) - A$23

Or just get a Steam Wallet Card

Laptop Deals

• Apple 2024 MacBook Air 15-inch (-12%) – A$2,197
• Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5 (-36%) - A$879
• Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen7 (-27%) - A$1,018

Desktop Deals

• HP OMEN 35L Gaming (-10%) – A$2,799
• Lenovo ThinkCentre neo Ultra (-25%) - A$2,249
• Lenovo ThinkCentre neo 50q (-35%) – A$629

Monitor Deals

• LG 24MR400-B, 24" (-30%) - A$97
• Z-Edge 27" 240Hz (-15%) - A$279
• Samsung 57" Odyssey Neo Curved (-22%) – A$2,499

Component Deals

• MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi Motherboard (-41%) – A$229
• AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (-7%) – A$876
• Corsair Vengeance 32GB (-35%) – A$82
• Kingston FURY Beast 16GB (-30%) – A$48

Storage Deals

• Seagate One Touch Portable HDD (-24%) – A$228
• Kingston 1TB USB 3.2 SSD (-17%) – A$115
• SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO (-63%) – A$29
• SanDisk 32GB Ultra SDHC (-53%) – A$9.90

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Legit LEGO Deals

• Boba Fett’s Throne Room (-55%) - A$72
• Friends Advent Calendar (-62%) - A$24
• Marvel: Red Hulk Battle (-34%) - A$59
• City: Doughnut Truck Toy (-33%) - A$20

Expiring Recent Deals

• Technic Ducati Panigale (-40%) - A$179
• Fire Rescue Motorcycle (-36%) - A$10
• 3in1 Medieval Dragon (-34%) - A$59
• Harry Potter: Hippogriff (-34%) - A$59

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Hot Headphones Deals

Audiophilia for less

• Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro (-49%) – A$179
• Sony WH-CH520 Wireless (-27%) - A$73
• SoundPEATS Space (-25%) - A$56.99
• Technics Premium (-36%) - A$349

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Terrific TV Deals

Do right by your console, upgrade your telly

• Samsung S95D 77" OLED 4K (-19%) - A$6,499
• LG 43" UT80 4K (-23%) - A$693
• Kogan 65" QLED (-50%) – A$699

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Apple TV+ is quickly becoming a must-own streaming service, with hits like Mythic Quest and Severance continuing to lead discussion across social media. With access available across the entire Apple ecosystem and most TVs or gaming consoles, Apple TV+ is accessible from wherever you prefer to watch your content. For a limited time, you can grab three entire months of Apple TV+ for only $2.99 per month. If you've been waiting for Severance Season 2 to wrap up before jumping in to binge it, now is the time to dive into a first-time subscription at a historically low price.

Save 70% Off Three Months of Apple TV+

Universal Epic Universe’s immersive design around the park is impressive, but the queue line for the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride might just take the cake. It took me about 1,300 steps to get from ride entrance, to ride boarding area–which is about half a mile–and the entirety of the on-foot journey surrounds you with intricate designs, thoughtful details, and massive set pieces.

The entrance to Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is located inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic in Universal Epic Universe. Basically, it's meant to look like 1920's wizarding Paris. After heading through the Métro-Floo (a massive transport network for wizards) and a tunnel that lights up as you step through, emulating a magical portal, you emerge into a replica of the British Ministry of Magic. I wouldn’t say I’ve ever dreamt of fictional government buildings, but the massive scale of just this room and the incredible detail in everything is wild. The to-scale offices that line the walls even have working ceiling fans.

Walking through this huge room with impossibly tall ceilings and statues leads you to more… and more, and more. Beautiful corridors, moving wanted posters, talking paintings, and even an impressive animatronic of the house-elf, Higgledy, are all worthwhile enough just to peek at, even if there were no ride at the end of the “tunnel.” Throughout, the queue introduces the “plot” of this ride: the trial of universally disliked Dolores Umbridge. Another theme choice I would have never imagined would be used for a family-fun attraction: a trial.

It took my group, on a private media tour, about twenty minutes to very leisurely trek through it all, but even then we weren’t all entirely satisfied–there were a lot of details to take in, and likely plenty of nods I completely missed. You can see way more pictures of the line below, some provided by Universal and others taken by me.

To specify further, though we did wind back and forth occasionally, we skipped a lot of the zig-zagging likely needed if the queue was full. Regardless, I just couldn’t believe just how long it went on—I suppose Universal anticipates this ride having full, long lines, and at least they’ve provided the expected crowd with spectacularly decorated, mercifully air-conditioned waiting rooms that even have water fountains installed on occasion.

As far as production value goes, the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride and line are up there in Epic Universe compared to other rides, but Dark Universe’s Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment makes for tough competition as far as presentation goes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see most of the line areas for Monster’s Unchained, but you'll get to see everything you'd like yourself once Universal Epic Universe opens fully on May 22 in Orlando, Florida. For more on Epic Universe, check back soon for a full list of the coolest things we saw at the park.

Casey DeFreitas is a deputy editor of guides at IGN and is the team's resident Floridian. Catch her on different socials @ShinyCaseyD

It’s common to see “Pro” iterations of gaming hardware, and they always denote some sort of definitive version of a base model. Whether that’s something as big as a PS5 Pro or a minor distinction like the Razer Viper V3 Pro, there usually comes a price hike, but not without tangible benefits. In the case of the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro mouse, it’s harder to distinguish between itself and its original counterpart outside of the higher polling rate, a feature in which mileage will vary. That’s not to say it's bad, because the original Pulsefire Haste 2 is one of my top recommendations for mid-range gaming mice – it’s just that I don’t think the Pro does enough to fully justify the higher price tag.

HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro – Design and Features

More so than other gaming mice I’ve used recently, the Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro sports more of a pronounced look with clearly defined lines and cuts between the mouse buttons and sides of the body. You can see HyperX branding on the palm and side, but just a little RGB as a treat on the scroll wheel. It’s nearly identical to the original mouse, but I’m not a big fan of the muted gray color scheme, and unfortunately it’s the only one available right now.

The thumb buttons on the side have a somewhat thin profile but they bulge out in a way that makes them easy to feel out and hit, and they have a firm actuation that’s quite nice. Both mouse buttons are built with HyperX's own optical switches that are crunchy and responsive, making rapid clicks since they also have a good bounce to them.

Compared to my go-to mice from Razer and Logitech, the Pulsefire Haste 2 doesn’t have as prominent of a hunch on the palm area, making it a bit tough for palm grips but its somewhat longer profile at least makes claw grips feel natural. At just 61g, it’s fairly lightweight which makes it easier to whip around and its density helps make sure it doesn’t feel cheap. The PTFE mouse feet on the underside don't cover nearly as much surface area as Razer's flagship mice, and I notice that the Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro doesn't glide quite as well across my desk mat, although it's still smooth enough to be accurate while gaming.

It earns its "Pro" moniker with the 4,000Hz polling rate, which means it registers movements to your system much more frequently, giving mouse movement a smoother and more accurate feel. You have to use the high-speed receiver in the package that connects via a USB-C cable along with the 2.4GHz wireless dongle. Otherwise, you can use the standard 2.4GHz dongle along for a max polling rate of 1,000Hz. The mouse can also connect via Bluetooth, which adds a little versatility for more casual scenarios and work environments.

HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro – Software and Battery Life

The Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro is a pretty straightforward mouse focused on performance, so there isn’t too much to customize or tinker with outside of setting your polling rate. So long as you're connected using the high polling rate receiver, you can access 4,000Hz and 2,000Hz polling rates in the top-right of the HyperX Ngenuity software (the mouse is set to 1,000Hz by default). You can also set the lift-off distance to a higher 2mm, but the standard 1mm feels right for how I swipe my mouse in gaming scenarios. Otherwise, this is where you customize the RGB lighting color and pattern along the scroll wheel and set up to five DPI sensitivities you can cycle through using the DPI button atop the mouse.

Battery life is great on the Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro, lasting up to 90 hours on the standard 1,000Hz polling rate. It's also efficient with a swift default rest mode to save battery when not in use – after three days straight of usage, roughly accounting for 30 hours (including a few hours with the 4,000Hz polling rate active for gaming), the mouse was still at 60% charge. It's rated to last around 30 hours total using the resource-hungry 4,000Hz, which is comparable to other mice of this caliber.

HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro – Performance

Competitive gaming with the Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro felt right based on the rounds of ranked matches I played in Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant. The fast and accurate HyperX 26K sensor holds its own regardless of whether you're using the higher polling rate. I didn't miss a beat controlling my spray patterns, whipping around a sniper rifle for quick-scope shots, or carefully maintaining my aim around corners as I moved. The tactile and bouncy mouse buttons were solid for semi-automatic weapons as well, where you can only fire as fast as your clicking will let you.

I often maintain that higher polling rates aren't going to make you a better player and will likely not affect your performance. But I think I've grown to enjoy how much smoother a 4,000Hz polling rate since it's able to pick up on and read the most incremental movements regardless of the speed in which I'm swiping the mouse. If you run higher fps in competitive games and have a high-refresh rate monitor, the benefit can definitely be felt. But you still have to play smart in these games, so don't expect it to make you jump up on the scoreboards.

In a less competitive, but still intense, environment like Final Fantasy XIV, the firm scroll wheel and side buttons shined a bit more. I'm constantly adjusting my camera distance and pulling off important actions mapped to extra buttons, so having both of these features working well made sure I wasn't caught lacking in my weekly raid clears and daily dungeon runs. My time with FFXIV did highlight that I prefer more shapely mice with more prominent hunches and grooves for long-term comfort, and in this regard, the Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro (and non-Pro) is a bit lacking.

The PlayStation Portal is a top-notch remote game player, and with a game-changing update from late last year, you’re no longer required to have a PlayStation 5 to game with the device. That’s right: The PlayStation Portal supports cloud gaming if you’ve got a PlayStation Plus subscription (and a strong Wi-Fi connection). The current library of games is limited, but this added functionality brings even more value to the remote player. What would make a PlayStation Portal even better? Adding a few new accessories to the mix.

TL;DR - The Best PlayStation Portal Accessories:

Sure, the display on the PlayStation Portals is brilliant, and the DualSense-style controls are easy to use and comfortable to hold, but extras can take the experience further. Some great wireless earbuds or a headset will place you right in the center of the action in the best PS5 games. Given the device doesn’t support Bluetooth, options are limited, though. A charging dock or case will keep the PlayStation Portal safely stowed away when not in use and a screen protector can prevent scratches to the precious display at all times.

To help in the hunt for the PlayStation Portal accessories, our experts have carefully reviewed and selected five great items to elevate your experience with Sony’s remote player. Take a look at our picks below.

Additional contributions by Ural Garrett and Georgie Peru

1. PlayStation Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds

Best PlayStation Portal Headset

2. Orzly Carrying Case

Best PlayStation Portal case

3. Turtle Beach Battle Buds

Best Wired Earbuds for PlayStation Portal

4. Ivoler Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Best PlayStation Portal Screen Protector

5. FYoung Charging Dock Station

Best PlayStation Portal Charging Dock

How to Pick the Best PlayStation Portal Accessories

When it comes to choosing the perfect accessories for your PlayStation Portal, it's all about finding the right balance between functionality, portability, and style.

While the PlayStation Portal is somewhat less portable than its name might suggest, you can still use it on the go using a wireless hotspot. If you’re frequently on the move, you might want to consider protecting your console with a screen protector or case. This reduces the risk of scratches or damage, and makes it easier to transport.

Next, think about your gaming environment. Will you be playing primarily indoors or outdoors? If you're planning on gaming al fresco or in brightly lit areas, investing in a screen protector with anti-glare properties can help ensure optimal visibility, even in sunny conditions.

The trouble with handheld consoles is the dreaded low battery warning interrupting your gaming session. To avoid this, you’ll want to equip yourself with a reliable portable charger, power bank, or convenient charging station. This means you can jump back into the game quickly.

PlayStation Portal Accessories FAQ

What is the point of PlayStation Portal?

The PlayStation Portal provides the best possible way to enjoy the PS5 Remote Play app, which lets you stream PS5 games from your console. PlayStation also introduced cloud gaming support with a subscription to PlayStation Plus for the PSP. However, the selection of games is limited.

Do you need a PS5 for PlayStation Portal?

No, the PlayStation Portal no longer requires a PS5 to operate thanks to recent update that allows the support for cloud gaming with a PlayStation Plus subscription. However, its catalog of streamable games is limited.

If you want to play your entire library of PS5 games, you'll need a PS5. The PS5 runs the games, so it must be on or in Rest Mode for the Portal to work. The console will then use a Wi-Fi connection along with a PlayStation Network account to stream the action to the Portal. No matter where you’re playing, the Portal and your PS5 must have a strong internet connection; 5Mbps is the minimum speed requirement, but Sony recommends 15Mbps for a more enjoyable playing experience.

Can you use PlayStation Portal anywhere?

As long as there is a Wi-Fi network, you can theoretically use the PlayStation Portal anywhere. But because there’s no web browser, networks that require a webpage login, like you’ll find at hotels, won’t work. Just understand that connection speeds and latency may vary.

What games can I play on PlayStation Portal?

You can play any game that runs locally on your PS5 or the games available for streaming with your PlayStation Plus subscription. The only exception is VR games, as the PlayStation Portal is incompatible with the PSVR2.

Does the PlayStation Portal support Bluetooth?

No, the PlayStation Portal doesn’t offer native Bluetooth support, so the selection of wireless headphones compatible with the remote player is limited. You can either grab something that supports PlayStation Link, PlayStation's proprietary wireless technology, like the PlayStation Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds or the PlayStation Pulse Elite Wireless Headset, or grab a wired option with a 3.5mm jack.

When do gaming accessories go on sale?

PlayStation Portal accessories like cases and screen protectors regularly go on sale. The general rule of thumb is that the best times to buy games are also the best times to buy the accessories. Some of the more popular events where you're guaranteed to find discounts on gaming accessories are Amazon Prime Day in July and Black Friday in November.

Barnes & Noble is one of the best places to buy books, but it's also become a surprisingly great place to find LEGO sets and Blu-rays as well. As the desire for physical media experiences has started to become popular again, the bookstore has risen to the occasion. And while actual Barnes & Noble store locations are a great place to shop in person, the online store has started offering some great discounts lately.

Right now, Barnes & Noble is having a ton of spring sales on a lot of great stuff. Popular LEGO sets are marked down 25%, books are on sale, and even Blu-rays and DVDs are getting discounts. To see the full sale, you can browse the Barnes & Noble promotions page, or take a look at some of the breakout deals we've found below.

LEGO Sets Are 25% Off

AMD has announced its next-generation Ryzen 8000 processors for gaming laptops, led by the Ryzen 9 8945HX. However, unlike the Ryzen AI 300 series laptop chips released earlier this year, these processors are built on the last-generation Zen 4 architecture.

Team Red is releasing four new processors for high-performance gaming laptops, with the Ryzen 9 8945HX featuring 16 cores, 32 threads and boost clock up to 5.4GHz. On the other end of the spectrum, AMD is also launching the Ryzen 7 8745HX, with 8 cores, 16 threads and a 5.1GHz boost clock. These processors all have remarkably similar specs to their last-generation counterparts, with the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX also being a 16-core part with a boost clock of 5.4GHz and 80MB of cache.

Still, these are the processors that will be paired with the fastest graphics chips in high-end gaming laptops. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile that I reviewed earlier this year did struggle with a lower-power AMD Ryzen AI HX 370 processor, even though it was built on the newer Zen 5 architecture. The Ryzen 9 8945HX processor, on the other hand, can be configured to run with anywhere from 55W to 75W, which should significantly boost performance, even if that performance boost would have been greater with a Zen 5 chip with the same power budget.

If you were waiting for AMD's latest processors to get a gaming laptop, they should be making their way into high-end gaming laptops over the next few months. I went ahead and broke down the specs of the new chips below.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

The Apple Watch is undoubtedly the best smartwatch and one of the best accessories to pair with your iPhone. These watches link up simply with our favorite iPhone models and come with a wealth of features, from fitness tracking and health sensors to messaging and app support. Our favorite Apple smartwatch is the Apple Watch Series 10 with its thinner build and bigger screen than previous models.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Apple Watches:

Whether you’re upgrading an old Apple Watch or it’s your first time investing in one, Apple has a wealth of Watch models to choose from. There’s a robust option for adventurers and something on the cheaper side for budget shoppers. We’ve even included a non-Apple model for those who opt to use the best Android phones.

Additional contributions by Rudie Obias and Georgie Peru

1. Apple Watch Series 10

Best Overall Apple Watch

2. Apple Watch SE

Best Budget Apple Watch

3. Apple Watch Ultra 2

Best Apple Watch for Adventurers, Athletes, and Runners

4. Apple Watch Hermès

Best Luxury Apple Watch

5. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

Best Apple Watch Alternative

Apple Watch FAQ

Which generation Apple Watch is the best?

The Apple Watch with the latest tech, advanced health tracking, and an always-on display is hands-down the Apple Watch Series 10. It has everything you need in a smartwatch and features Apple’s most powerful chip in an Apple Watch.

Can you use an Apple Watch with an Android phone?

Unfortunately, if you don't have an iPhone then you will be unable to activate an Apple Watch. The two platforms are incompatible together (by design), so you will need an iPhones to be able to use any of these Apple Watch models.

Are refurbished Apple Watches worth it?

Yes. If you’ll enjoy big savings over a new watch, consider a refurbished Apple Watch. These watches will look and work almost as good as new ones and often come with all the accessories. Occasionally, slight cosmetic defects may be visible, like a scratch or discoloration, but nothing that will hinder the smartwatch’s functionality. However, be sure you get it from a reputable dealer with a great warranty. Apple and Best Buy are two of the best options when it comes to buying a refurbished Apple Watch.

What's the difference between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker?

Smartwatches and fitness trackers have a similar feature set, especially when it comes to health tracking. While there is some overlap, smartwatches tend to offer more functionality with the ability to download a range of apps, respond to messages and notifications, download music, and more. Some can even function as tiny smartphones when connected to a cellular network. Where fitness trackers pull ahead is in battery life and size, as the screens and functionality are usually more subdued.

Do all smartwatches support cellular service?

No, cellular service isn’t available on every smartwatch. However, all of Apple’s current watch models – the Series 10, SE, and Ultra 2 – have the option to offer cellular support. Models that come with mobile data will cost more to purchase, and there’s often a monthly fee associated incurred from your provider's plan. But if you opt for cellular, the Apple Watch will essentially act like a tiny smartphone.

It’s that time again, that glorious time of year when Amazon runs a mega-sale on board games. This particular sale is a “Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off” sale that applies to a massive selection of games. Sweetening the pot, many of the games that qualify are already on sale on their own. If you buy two already-discounted board games and save an extra 50% off one, that’s called “deal stacking,” and it’s a pro move. You can view the whole sale here, or scroll on to see our picks, divided into board games for kids and board games for adults.

B1G1 Half Off - Board Games for Adults

Some of the most popular modern tabletop games are available in the sale, ranging from games everyone should have on their shelf (like Azul and Catan) to some slightly more niche picks (like Camel Up and Horrified). Then there's the beloved Ouija Board, which, what's the worst that could happen when you commune with the dead?

B1G1 Half Off - Board Games for Kids

Please know that, if you’re an adult, that doesn’t mean you can’t play the games for kids. Some of these games are really fun, whether you played them in your childhood (looking at you, Mouse Trap) or not because they're newer (Exploding Kittens, Hedbanz). These classic and newer games for kids are simple and quick to learn, which can be nice when you’ve been maxing out your brain power figuring out the rules of some of the strategy board games aimed at smarty-pants adults.

Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.

If you're looking for an Anker power bank that can handle the demands of a power guzzling gaming handheld like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally X, Amazon is offering an outstanding deal right now. You can pick up an Anker PowerCore 737 24,000mAh 140W Power Bank for just $49.99. Woot, the marketplace vendor, is owned by Amazon. This beats out the lowest price we last posted by about $20 and I don't think it can go any lower. I have owned this exact power bank for a few years now and highly recommend it; it has been on multiple flights and road trips and is still good as new.

Anker 737 24,000mAh 140W Power Bank for $49.99

Relive Marty McFly's time traveling adventures in glorious ultra high definition. For a limited time, Amazon is offering the Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy in remastered 4K Ultra HD for only $29.99 after a 46% off instant discount. You'll have to get your order total to $35 to get free shipping, or log into your Amazon Prime account for automatic free shipping. This matches the best deal during Black Friday and is a great opportunity to add this amazing classic to your collection.

Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy for $29.99

Starting today, Walmart has slashed the price of the 75" Sony X85K 4K Google TV down to only $648, a savings of $650 or 50% off. This is the lowest price we've ever seen, and $150 less than the best deal during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Although the X85K is an older 2022 model, it has the features you'd want in a current-gen gaming TV.

50% Off 75" Sony X85K 4K Smart TV, Now $648

A new report from research firm Newzoo indicates the storm may be tightening on the battle royale genre, but Fortnite is still holding strong.

Newzoo's PC & Console Gaming Report 2025 has detailed a number of shifts and trends across the industry, and one of those moving trends is the battle royale genre. Newzoo's tracking indicates the battle royale genre has shrunk in playtime, going from 19% of playtime in 2021 to 12% in 2024.

Citing its Game Performance Monitor which looks at 37 markets (excluding China and India) across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, Newzoo indicated that as a pair, shooter games and battle royale games routinely account for 40% of playtime. So as battle royale playtime has gradually shifted down, shooter playtime has been going up.

Despite the 7% shift, the difference within the genre might be the more surprising number. Per Newzoo, Fortnite went from a 43% share of the battle royale genre in 2021 to a 77% share in 2024. Essentially, even as battle royale games trended down, Fortnite ate up more and more of the space within the genre.

Role-playing games have also seen some noticeable growth, up to 13% in 2024 over their 9% share in 2021. Newzoo reported that 18% of RPG time in 2024 was spent in major releases from 2023, spotlighting Baldur's Gate 3, Diablo IV, Honkai: Star Rail, Hogwarts Legacy, and Starfield.

As Newzoo stated in its report, the fight for attention in playtime and hours is fierce. While games like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends carry on, other games fall by the wayside. Meanwhile, shooters and role-playing games seem to be encroaching on more territory and mindshare. Looking at the success of standouts in those genres, be they Marvel Rivals or Baldur's Gate 3, it's hard to argue.

With its constant slate of changes, updates, and growing library of gaming experiences and genres contained within it, it might not be surprising that Fortnite has weathered the storm. Still, time passes, and we'll doubtlessly see trends continue to shift as broad audience interests change as the years roll on.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

You don't have to wait for the new 2025 LG TVs to drop to score a great deal on an older generation model. Right now, you can pick up a 2023 65" LG Evo C3 4K OLED TV for just $1,196.99 with free shipping on Amazon. This is a better deal than what I saw during Black Friday. The LG Evo C-series of TVs have consistently been our favorite high-end 4K TVs, especially for 4K HDR movies and gaming.

65" LG Evo C3 4K OLED Smart TV for $1197

Sony is rolling out a new update for PlayStation Portal users who are using its Cloud Streaming Beta. Some user experience and general functionality updates are getting added to the remote play system's cloud capabilities later today.

Sorting is a notable addition, as the update will allow players to sort games in the Cloud Streaming Beta catalog. Categories include Name, Release Date, and which titles were most recently added to PlayStation Plus.

Capturing gameplay will also be possible during a Cloud Streaming session. The usual create menu options apply, whether you're pulling up the menu, snapping a screenshot, or recording a video clip. In the PlayStation blog for the update, Sony said video clips up to 1920x1080 resolution and up to three minutes in duration are supported.

Additionally, gameplay will now pause when you open the PS Portal quick menu, go into the rest mode using the power button, or if a system error message is displayed. The rest mode pause will only last for 15 seconds, though; if the Portal remains in rest mode for over 15 seconds, the cloud streaming session will disconnect. Pause also won't be supported in online multiplayer.

Other updates include a queue for when the streaming server fills up, a notification of inactivity, and some user feedback tools. PlayStation said it will continue to add new features based on feedback.

The Cloud Streaming Beta is currently available to PlayStation Plus Premium members, and allows them to play select PS5 games from the PS Plus Catalog through cloud streaming on the PS Portal. While the Portal usually pulls from a PlayStation 5, an update last year made the Portal more of a standalone cloud streaming device, and it looks like Sony plans to continue tinkering with the feature over time.

As cloud streaming continues to gain a foothold in the modern gaming ecosystem, it'll be interesting seeing how Sony's offering evolves alongside its PlayStation Portal device. At the very least, it's nice to be able to snap several dozen screenshots while streaming to your Portal.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

Here's a rare standalone GPU offer you don't want to miss out on if you're currently building yourself a high-end gaming PC. Woot!, which is owned by Amazon, is offering the Sapphire Nitro+ AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X Gaming Graphics Card for $999.99. Amazon Prime members get free shipping, the rest of us pay just $6. This is currently the best price you'll find for the best RX 7900 XTX on the market. The Nitro+ boasts an outrageously overbuilt cooling system, impeccable build quality, and as a result, high overclocking headroom. This GPU comes with a 90-day Woot! warranty.

Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPU for $999.99

Alongside new exciting details, Disney has revealed that tickets for Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds of Disney will go on sale on April 14, 2025.

Destination D23: A Journey Around the Worlds is headed to Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort from August 29 - 31 and will be filled with "exclusive presentations from the Walt Disney Archives and Walt Disney Studios, as well as spectacular entertainment and peeks into all the worlds of Disney, along with a variety of unique interactive activations and shopping experiences."

To secure tickets to the event, you will have to be a D23 Gold Member when they officially go on sale on April 14 at 10am PT/1pm ET. The lowest D23 Gold Member tier costs $49.99/year and gets you a ton of other perks like access to other events, exclusive items, and more. There are higher tiers with more perks and you can check all of those out right here.

General admission tickets will cost $299 and a limited number of Preferred ($549) and Premiere ($799) will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will include "dedicated queues for reserved seating areas" and D23 Gold Members will be able to reserve a ticket for themselves and one other.

As for the event itself, there will be over 25 "specially curated presentations from across The Walt Disney Company" and an exclusive D23 Shopping Spree experience. While we are still waiting on details on the presentations, fans looking for the best merch will be delighted to know that The Walt Disney Company Store, Mickey's of Glendale, Disney Studio Store Hollywood, and Ink & Paint Marketplace will be the places to get the most sought-after goods.

On August 30, all attendees are invited to celebrate 25 years of The Emperor's New Groove at the D23 Kuzcotopia Night at Typhoon Lagoon. On the 31st, Disney '80s-'90s Celebration in Concert will take place and feature Broadway and Disney Animation stars taking the stage for one unforgettable night.

Fans will also be able to look forward to The Walt Disney Archives: Charting the Course, Disney Global Stories & Inspirations, which is a celebration of all the different cultures around the world that have inspired our favorite Disney experiences. These include Dwayne Johnson's Jungle Cruise costume, animation maquettes from The Lion King and Mulan, and even original puppets from EPCOT's Tapestry of Nations.

Lastly, those who are in Orlando a few days early can enjoy D23 Nights at Disney Springs and even A Goofy Movie Throwback Premiere on August 28.

There is much more to look forward to about Destination D23 and we'll be covering it here on IGN.

Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.

If you've not been keen to kick off the Nintendo Switch 2 generation with other retailers like Amazon and Argos, Nintendo Switch 2 games, controllers, accessories, and even microSD Express cards are finally available to pre-order at My Nintendo Store UK, with some exclusives only available directly from Nintendo.

What is available? Preorders of the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller for £74.99, the Joy-Con Charging Grip for £29.99, the official Switch 2 carrying case for £20.99, and the Joy-Con Wheel Set for £16.99. Along with the regular and Piranha Plant microphone cameras, there's even the Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case for £66.99 (exclusive to Nintendo), so you can take you full set-up with you, dock and all.

As for the one accessory some players will want more than anything, the Nintendo Switch 2 GameCube Controller, but preorders aren't sadly open for just anyone. This special GameCube Controller is only available for those who have been invited to preorder a Switch 2 by Nintendo, so check your emails.

If you click on the "available to pre-order" button underneath the GameCube controller's item description, you can only proceed by enterting the email address of which the company has invited to purchase. Unlike other retailers, Nintendo has maintained a strict set of guidelines as to who can pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 from them, in order to prevent scalping. These include having a continuous Nintendo Online Membership of two years, spending time playing paid Nintendo Switch games, agreeing to share usage information, and opting to recieve promotional emails.

There's also physical versions of Switch 2's new exclusive games, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, selling for £74.99 & £66.99 respectively. There's also the Nintendo Switch 2 editions of past original Switch games as well, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom — selling for £66.99 each, £2 more than retailers like Argos who have the games list for £64.99.

For those who already own upgradable games like these on the regular Nintendo Switch, Nintendo have stated on their dedicated page that upgrade packs can be bought on the Nintendo eShop, at the My Nintendo Store, or via major retailers, although we've yet to see any of those available yet.

Although other stores like Amazon and Argos have been more lax, it seems like the console-maker itself isn't going to let up. As far as we've seen, the GameCube Classics Controller for the Nintendo Switch 2 is an exclusive to My Ninteno Store & its strict pre-order requirements. Nevertheless, we'll be updating this article as soon as we see any different.

If you're after one of the the 256GB microSD Express card to expand your Nintendo Switch 2's storage, My Nintendo Store has locked the behind the invite wall as well, but you can still preorder the Samsung version at ShopTo for £49.85, or at Argos for £49.99.

Ben Williams – IGN freelance contributor with over 10 years of experience covering gaming, tech, film, TV, and anime. Follow him on Twitter/X @BenLevelTen.

Major news, even if we all saw it coming: HBO's The Last of Us has officially been renewed for Season 3, less than a week before the premiere of Season 2 on Max.

“It can’t be for nothing,” Max revealed via its social media channels on April 9. “Season 3 is coming.” A deep red flare is featured burning bright in the bottom corner of a video accompanying the ominous caption.

It can’t be for nothing. Season 3 is coming. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/q5HxyvK9O6

— Max (@StreamOnMax) April 9, 2025

The Last of Us premiered in January 2023 to major acclaim, even being touted by some as the best video game adaptation thus far. Season 1 collected a whopping eight Emmy awards out of the 24 nominations it received. The highly-anticipated Season 2 will see leads Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal return as Ellie and Joel, alongside newcomer Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, a soldier who is dead set on revenge in the wake of losing someone close to her. Beef star Young Mazino, Alien: Romulus star Isabelle Merced, Captain America: Brave New World star Danny Ramirez, and legends Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey Wright also be joining the cast for season 2.

Recently, series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann opened up to IGN about their feelings toward the whole “Was Joel right?” debate that has been at the heart of the franchise since the game’s release back in 2013.

“I believe Joel was right,” the Naughty Dog studio head told us. “If I were in Joel's position, I hope I would be able to do what he did to save my daughter.” However, Mazin felt differently. “That's so interesting, because I think that if I were in Joel's position, I probably would have done what he did,” the Chernobyl showrunner noted. “But I'd like to think that I wouldn't. That's the interesting push and pull of the morality of it. And that's why the ending of the first game is so provocative and so wonderful. It just doesn't let you off the hook as a player.”

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres on Max on April 13, 2025 — but as for a release date on Season 3, that one’s still up in the air at this point. Check out IGN's spoiler free review of The Last of Us Season 2 for more.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

There's a smartwatch to fit every wrist and need imaginable. Our top pick is the Apple Watch Series 10, but we’ve included many other quality options to suit many different needs, including some of the best Android smartwatches around right now and fitness trackers that runners and other athletes will find useful.

TL;DR – These Are the Best Smartwatches:

It’s 2025, and if your watch isn’t at the very least tracking your steps, then it belongs in a museum. Any good smartwatch will do far more than that, but even if you’re looking for it to do the bare minimum, you may be better suited for a budget-friendly fitness tracker. Smartwatches, however, will have GPS, notifications, music control, sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and heaps more. Some connect to a cellular network, making them an ultra compact way to stay connected 24/7.

1. Apple Watch Series 10

Best Smartwatch Overall

2. Ticwatch E3

Best Budget Smartwatch

3. Amazfit Bip 3 Pro

Best Ultra Cheap Smartwatch

4. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

Best Smartwatch for Android

5. Garmin Enduro 3

Best Smartwatch for Runners

6. Garmin Epix (Gen 2)

Best Fitness Smartwatch

7. Skagen Falster Gen 6

Best-Looking Smartwatch

8. Amazfit T-Rex 3

Best Rugged Smartwatch

9. Polar Ignite 3

Best Smart Sports Watch

What to Look for in a Smartwatch

Smartphone compatibility

This is the big one. Your choice of smartphone will determine your list of possible smartwatch options. The good news is that your choices have grown, but there are still some notable absentees, the biggest of which is the Apple Watch still being an iPhone exclusive.

Google has made big headway in equalizing the Wear OS for Android and iPhone users, but it’s not a totally level playing field yet. Among all the smartwatches that work with both platforms, there tend to be a few differences, often in the messaging experience.

Battery life

We’re all accustomed to plugging in our smartphones at night, but watches? Are you serious? Sadly in most cases, it’s something you need to think about. Unfortunately, battery life is almost always a trade-off with smartwatches.

The Apple Watch and many of the Wear OS smartwatches have rich screens and deep features but require daily (or nightly) charging in return. The best Fitbits will run for several days and unlock sleep tracking, but the watches have a less premium design.

Be sure to think not just about the features you want, but how much you’ll be using them and how diligently you'll be about charging them. Weekend warriors will need to be much more conscientious about running the GPS in an Apple Watch than a Garmin Enduro, for example.

To LTE or not to LTE

For a long time, all smartwatches required a Bluetooth connection with your phone in order to receive texts, make calls, and play music. Now, more watches are cutting the tether and offer a standalone data connection. This can be handy if you want to work out without a phone in your pocket. On the other hand, it will hammer the battery life a little more, particularly under intense use. A data connection will also come with a cost, usually around $10 a month tied to your phone contract, assuming you want to use the same number.

If you're super active and like to work out, you may want to also look at the best headphones for running to ensure you're finding the right fit.

Smartwatch FAQ

What's the difference between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker?

Both a smartwatch and a fitness tracker monitor and share metrics about your health and fitness, like heart rate, steps, calories, and sleep. However, smartwatches take things a bit further by offering more features that often includes GPS support, notifications, calls, apps, and music playback, acting as a tiny smartphone. Some even connect to a cellular network for added functionality.

Fitness trackers focus solely on your health data and usually have smaller displays with some overlapping smartwatch features. Notifications, app selection, and non-fitness-related functionality is limited, but battery life tends to be quite good compared to a more feature-rich smartwatch.

Do all smartwatches support cellular service?

No, not all smartwatches offer cellular support. Certain models of smartwatches, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Apple Watch Series 10, have the option to add cell service for an additional charge, essentially turning the wearable into a tiny phone. At the bare minimum, though, a smartwatch should have Bluetooth to connect with a smartphone or Wi-Fi. Otherwise, your smartwatch won’t be very useful.

Do I need a smartphone to use a smartwatch?

No, you don’t always need a smartphone to use a smartwatch, but in most cases, you’ll want one to enjoy the full capabilities of the watch and its features. Some smartwatches can connect to cellular networks or Wi-Fi for standalone functionality. But setup usually requires a smartphone, and a smartwatch’s apps often work in conjunction with a phone to use all the features on offer.

Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.

Sony has published the list of PlayStation Plus Game Catalog additions for April 2025, revealing a lineup of games that includes highlights like Hogwarts Legacy, Blue Prince, Battlefield 1, and more.

All of the newcomers were detailed in a PlayStation.Blog entry posted on the site today. It confirms a list of eight titles set to arrive for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers starting April 10, with more PS4, PS5, and Classic games trickling in as the month rolls on.

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog members starting at the Extra tier receive access to six titles, two of which launch with the service on day one. Those are Dogubomb’s critically acclaimed puzzle adventure Blue Prince, which launches April 10, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2, which launches April 15.

PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers can also look forward to two old-school titles: Alone in the Dark 2 and War of the Monsters. You can see the full list of games coming to the PlayStation service, along with the dates they’ll be made available, below.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Game Catalog Additions – April 2025

• Hogwarts Legacy | PS4, PS5
• Blue Prince | PS5
• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 | PS5
• EA Sports PGA Tour | PS5
• Battlefield 1 | PS4
• PlateUp! | PS4, PS5

PlayStation Plus Premium Game Catalog Additions – April 2025

• Alone in the Dark 2 | PS4, PS5
• War of the Monsters | PS4, PS5

For more on Sony’s online gaming service, you can check out all of the titles added to the lineup in March 2025 here. You can also check out which games Essential tier subscribers gained access to for this month.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Lenovo just kicked off the best deals we've seen this year on official Xbox Series X wireless controllers. Starting today, the Pulse Red and Shock Blue colors cost only $34.99 after you apply coupon code "SPRINGGAMES". The Carbon Black, Velocity Green, Astral Purple, Electric Volt, and Deep Pink colors are $39.99 after you apply coupon code "SPRINGBACK". Not only are these the best controllers for the Xbox at this price, they're also one of the best PC gaming controllers.

Update: Some colors are going out of stock.

Xbox Controllers From $34.99

Aesthetics aside, these Xbox wireless controllers are identical to the one that's bundled with the Xbox Series X and S console. Standard features include textured grips, hybrid D-pad, button mapping with the Xbox app, a 3.5mm audio jack that works with any wired headset, and a Share button to upload screenshots and video.

The controller supports both Xbox wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. That means you can use it for your PC or mobile device. In fact, we think this is the the best PC controller you can get. If your PC doesn't have Bluetooth, you can still use it in wired mode with a USB Type-C cable or go out and buy a Bluetooth or Xbox wireless adapter.

Check out more of the best Xbox deals and the best IGN deals of today.

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.

After a press tour that featured Jack Quaid looking progressively more beat up at a Clippers game, Novocaine arrived in theaters. The R-rated action comedy stars Quaid as a man who feels no pain, so it's starting to seem like 'The Boys' veteran goes out of his way to get covered in fake blood.

In her review for IGN, critic Lena Wilson states that “Novocaine offers more depth than its gimmicky 'man who feels no pain' premise may lead you to believe," with "clever storytelling and character writing that reminds us of a time when seeing movies in theaters was just plain fun.”

Whether you're still planning to catch Novocaine in theaters or would rather stream the action movie at home, check out the details below.

How to Watch Novocaine - Showtimes and Streaming Status

Novocaine is still showing in theaters. You can check for showtimes near you at the main theater links below:

• Fandango
• AMC Theaters
• Cinemark Theaters
• Regal Theaters

Where to Stream Novocaine Online

I just recently had my first kid and he is now at the age where he absolutely has favorite books. I'll hold up two options and he smacks his little hand against one of them and proclaims joyously that he has made a decision. More often than not, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is his favorite pick, but as we've added to our kids' book library over the past few months, he's starting to expand his interests.

As a parent, I've found that kids' books are one of the easiest things to buy more of. They're fairly cheap and overly abundant at pretty much every bookstore and toy shop. There's always room to save, though. Amazon is offering up a buy one, get one 50% off sale right now and some of the all-time greatest children's books are included. I've curated a list of some of my son's favorites below, but there are plenty more where that came from. There are even board games in this sale if you're looking for more than books.

Amazon Buy One Get One 50% Sale on Kids Books Today

If you take the time to scroll through Amazon's sale items, there's a ton of great kids books in there for all ages. If you're specifically looking for great picture books for babies and toddlers, the picks I've gathered are some of my absolute favorites. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle gets read multiple times every night and Dr. Seuss' One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is consistently thrown into the mix.

If you're looking for something for kids who can actually start reading themselves, there are also some great options in this sale I didn't list above, including a ton of books from the Dog Man series, which recently received its first movie adaptation. There's also coming-of-age classics like Holes and Harry Potter.

Board Book vs. Hardcover

One quick note about this sale is that a lot of these kids books have different versions available, but not all of the versions are part of the sale, Most of the baby/toddler books I could find are board books, but there are a few hardcovers in here as well. The main difference between the two is that board books have pages made of stiff cardboard whereas hardcovers only have covers made of cardboard. Board books are the best option for little kids thanks to the books' seemingly indestructible nature.

When Does the Amazon Sale End?

Amazon has these types of sales fairly often and they tend to last somewhere between four and seven days. The last sale we saw came as part of Amazon's Big Spring Sale at the end of March and lasted about five days before it ended.

In this case, it's possible that Amazon is having this sale to match a similar spring sale happening at Barnes and Noble right now. The book retailer is offering a similar buy one, get one half-off sale on collectible children's books. This offer lasts through April 20, which could give us somewhat of an indication about how long we can expect Amazon to keep the sale live.

Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of The Shining has arguably one of the most memorable final shots in all of genre cinema: the utterly unsettling photograph from the Overlook Hotel’s 1921 Fourth of July ball featuring a Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) who simply had not been born yet front and center in the image. Nicholson had been added to a real image that was altered for the movie — but the original faded into obscurity after its use in the film. That is, until now. That’s right, Shining-heads, the original 1921 Fourth of July ball photograph has been found a whopping 45 years after the film’s release.

Retired University of Winchester academic Alasdair Spark opened up about the process of sourcing the image on Getty's Instagram. “Following the earlier identification by facial recognition software of the unknown man in the photograph at the end of The Shining as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer, I can reveal that the photo was one of three taken by the Topical Press Agency at a St. Valentines Day Ball, 14 February 1921, at the Empress Rooms, the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington," he explained. The post also included a new scan from the image’s original glass-plate negative, as well as other handwritten documents supporting the photo.

Spark revealed that he and New York Times staffer Arick Toller, as well as many passionate Redditors, went on a wild goose chase trying to source the image. “It was starting to seem impossible, every cross-reference to Casani failed to match. Other likely places that were suggested didn’t match,” he wrote via Getty. “There were some places we could not find images for and we started to fear that meant the photo might be lost to history, and never be found.” ⁠

The historian went on to explain that he had previously been told by on-set photographer Murray Close, who took the image of Nicholson that was superimposed over Casani for the film, that the picture had been sourced from the BBC Hulton Library. Spark was aware that Hulton purchased Topical Press in 1958, and that Getty later took over in 1991, which gave the former professor the idea to scour through the agency’s millions of images. From that search, they discovered the image was licensed to Hawk Films, Kubrick’s production company, on October 10, 1978, clearly for production of The Shining.

“Joan Smith had said the photo dated from 1923. Stanley Kubrick had said 1921 and he was correct,” Spark concluded. “The photo doesn’t show any of the celebrities I had speculated on — the Trix Sisters for instance — nor the bankers, financiers or presidents others like Rob Ager have imagined there. No devil worshippers either. Nobody was composited into it except Jack Nicholson. It shows a group of ordinary London people on a Monday evening. ‘All the best people,’ as the manager of the Overlook Hotel said."

Now if this doesn’t warm your movie-loving heart a bit right now, I don’t know what will. Stephen King’s novel The Shining was released in 1977 and has been adapted twice: Kubrick’s iconic film and horror maestro Mick Garris’ book-accurate 1997 miniseries.

Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.

James Bond films are a must for any physical media collection. If you've been hoping to pick up some of the classics, the 007: James Bond Sean Connery Six-Film Collection on 4K is now available to preorder as both a standard 4K collection and as a sleek limited edition steelbook. The former will set you back $104.98 while the latter is available for $139.99. Both will release on June 10 this year.

Preorder 007: James Bond Sean Connery 6-Film Collection Limited Edition Steelbook

The collection comes with the following James Bond films:

• Dr. No
• From Russia With Love
• Goldfinger
• Thunderball
• You Only Live Twice
• Diamonds Are Forever.

If you've been hoping to score these films in 4K quality, now's your chance. Head to the links below to get your preorders in.

The limited edition steelbook for the Sean Connery 6-Film Collection comes with each film on 4K Ultra HD and in its own unique steelbook case. Each of those are then stored in a sleek steelbook library case that looks super high quality on the shelf. It even comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Preorder 007: James Bond Sean Connery 6-Film Collection on 4K

If you're on the hunt for some great PS5 deals, we're here to help. Here we've gathered up some of the best PlayStation deals available at the moment, including the fantastic new PlayStation 5 Slim Astro Bot bundle. With this you're getting Astro Bot for free alongside a new PS5 Slim console, what could be better than that? Another great deal is on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which has dropped to its lowest price ever at Woot. You can see these deals and so many more below. Here are IGN's top picks for the best PlayStation deals today.

PS5 Slim + Astro Bot Bundle

Best PS5 Video Game Deals

If you've been looking to pick up some new PS5 games, now's a great time to do it with some excellent discounts available. From Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (now down to its lowest price ever) to Sonic X Shadow Generations to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, there are plenty of great deals worth checking out. Woot's deals only last for a limited time, though. So if something catches your eye, act fast to pick it up at that price.

Best PlayStation VR 2 Deals

Best PS5 SSD Deals

Where to Buy: PS5 Pro

Where to Buy: PlayStation Portal

How to Trade in Your Old PlayStation Consoles

If you're looking to trade in your old PlayStation consoles, you can do so at select retailers in-store and online. Often, the most widely available retailers are GameStop and Best Buy. However, you can also trade your used devices online at retailers such as Amazon and Microsoft.

Some retailers will offer you cash for your used goods, while others may provide you with a gift card that can be used in-store and online. This is a great way to offload your old gaming gear and get some money that you can put towards a newer console and games.

While trading devices in at retailers will often net you the lowest amount for your used consoles, there are also online marketplaces such as eBay, Craigslist, and OfferUp that may fetch higher prices, but you'll often be responsible for packing and shipping costs, or be required to meet someone in person for the transaction. The latter of which poses its own risks.

Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

Maybe you’ve got one of the best gaming PCs or laptops and you want something that can easily back up or transfer all the precious data stored on it. It might be equipped with a top SSD, or you’ve got decently large external hard drives hanging around holding all your essential files, photos, and other content, but nothing compares to a great NAS (network-attached storage) drive, like our favorite, the Synology DiskStation DS224+.

TL;DR – These are the Best NAS Devices:

The best NAS drives come with significant storage capacity and hook into your home network to quickly transfer data to and from your devices. Smartphones, tablets, desktops, and laptops can be connected to the same network simultaneously, and it's easy to sync them up, making NAS ideal for digital media libraries. However, NAS doesn’t come cheap, so choose carefully. We’ve narrowed your search to eight excellent options for various use cases.

1. Synology DiskStation DS224+

Best NAS

2. UGreen NASync DXP2800

Best Budget NAS

3. Synology DiskStation DS223j

Most Affordable NAS

4. Asustor Lockerstor 2 AS6602T

Best NAS for Power Users and Professionals

5. Synology DiskStation DS1821+

Best Multi-Bay NAS

6. QNAP TS-264-8G

Best NAS for Media Streaming

7. Synology DiskStation DS923+

Best Network Attached Storage for RAID Configurations

8. ioSafe Duo Pro

Best Rugged NAS

What to Look for in NAS

Not everyone needs NAS, but it can be used to cure certain networking headaches. Do you and your family/housemates all share the same network? A NAS device allows you to share files with all of those computers from one central unit. Don’t want to back up all of your family’s computers individually? A NAS device gives you a way to do it all on one drive.

What are you using it for?

If either of the above scenarios resonates with you, a NAS device may be worth considering. If you find yourself in a situation where multiple devices in your home need to access the same tools or files, a NAS device can do that. It’s not just about storing things, but accessing them too.

The other reason for a NAS device is that you have a huge media library that you’d like to be able to access from multiple computers/TVs/tablets/etc. You could turn your NAS into a Plex server, so everyone in the home has swift access to the same movies, TV shows, and music.

Go diskless? How many bays?

You’ll find that most NAS devices come without disk drives, which means you’ll need to purchase them separately.

In many cases NAS makers don’t make hard drives, so they’ll sell their device without any disks included. You may already own some disk drives, in which case a diskless system poses less of a problem, but check the manufacturer’s recommendations as some brands of disks may work better than others.

Bays are what the disk drives go into, so the higher the number of bays the NAS has, the more potential capacity there is. Generally, two or more bays are best; multimedia systems will often have more.

Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.