I made the original Nintendo Switch my opportunity to experience a wider breadth of the titles in the Japanese company’s repertoire; moving past simply the latest Super Mario or Legend of Zelda story and into the entries I only knew about through Super Smash Bros. Among this list of experiments was Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

My complete lack of knowledge about the first game thankfully didn’t hold me back (outside of a not overly important detail in the ending) from mastering the Blades-based combat system and finishing Rex and Pyra’s quest.

Unfortunately, the melodramatic story, staccato cutscenes, and some general tediousness to side-quests and menu management meant I exited the Xenoblade franchise; content with what I had sampled but with no desire to order a second course.

Despite that initial assessment, the series and this game specifically have re-entered my life through the Nintendo Switch 2 edition — a standalone title for newcomers, or upgrade pack for returning players — as Nintendo works to bring the Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy to its latest console.

With Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s enhanced edition comes visual updates — specifically the promise of 4K resolution and 60 frames per second (fps) in docked mode, and full-HD 60fps in handheld — plus a few minor new content treats.

The trouble is the update misses a few much-needed improvements that would turn this undeniably definitive way to play XC2 into the perfect way to experience the adventure I had hoped it would be,

Back to basics

Just like previous Switch 2 refreshes, we’ve seen the story and gameplay remain almost entirely unchanged.

As with the Switch version, protagonist Rex yet again finds himself the Driver of a powerful and sought-after blade known as the Aegis — or Pyra as she prefers to call herself — following a salvaging gig-gone-wrong. And after saving his life, the pair venture out together with the goal of reaching Elysium — a place which could hold the answers to the troubles facing the world of Alrest, such as the steady decline of its Titans.

On this quest, Rex and his allies recruit Blades (living weapons) who fight alongside them. Most are obtained through gacha-style Cores that spit out either unique rare or generic common Blades — purchased using in-game currency. You can also find rare blades through special crystals obtained through completing specific objectives meaning progress isn’t entirely luck-based.

Among these guaranteed unlocks is the Switch 2 exclusive Blade Momo. She’s a healer-class given to the player about halfway through Chapter 2 and has the special ability to change her attribute between Light and Dark. I’ve had a blast using her and her bunny ball weapon, though it seems she’s a solid starting-out ally and not a Blade that’ll carry all the way into the post-game.

Every Blade has its own weapon, attribute, role, and moveset. Finding and building a synergistic collection of Blades for each character will help massively with challenging combats, though I never found it essential to complete the main story.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Blades combat is also much the same as it was before.

Characters and their Blade will automatically attack their target when in range while more powerful moves (known as Arts) charge up. Using Arts will then charge your Special attack, and these Special attacks can be chained in a specific order to pull off devastating combos.

There’s a few other mechanics at play on top of this, and admittedly XC2 can feel like that board game your friend swears isn’t as complex as the dozens of pages-long rule book implies — you’ll learn a lot be doing, but I feel the game’s explanations could be snappier and more effective (the tutorial can be a slog, and even on my replay I left it feeling not entirely confident until I checked out a guide online).

That said, the auto-battle nature and recharge time on Arts makes XC2’s combat feel very turn-based in gameplay while being real-time in nature. If you find fast-paced action games inaccessible but are tired of turn-based combat, I suspect the slower pace of XC2 could be a happy middle ground for you.

It’s not all old stuff gameplay-wise. The Switch 2 edition also includes the brand-new Merc Assault mode.

In the original, Merc Missions are a passive way to use your unequipped Blades to complete tasks and earn rewards. The passive option gameplay remains; however, Assault mode, once unlocked, allows you to actively control blades while they’re out on a subset of these missions.

You’ll get additional Core Crystal, EXP, Gold, and other rewards as a bonus for taking a more active part in the mission.

I’d say it’s a fun novelty and is a lot quicker than waiting the time for a passive Merc Mission to complete (assuming you’re successful), but It’s not an all-out upgrade on what came before.

Filling frustration

“Not an all-out upgrade” describes much of how I felt about the rest of the game. Because despite being the community’s most common gripe with the original, the Switch 2 update doesn’t do much to solve the general tedium present in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

There are so many different menus and tutorial screens tied to different buttons rather than being consolidated to one or two places, and far too frequently there’s no easy way — or, in the case of Tiger! Tiger!’s menu, any way — to quickly back out of the menu if you accidentally enter it. This forces you to click through multiple screens to finally exit (or, in the worst instances, exit and then re-enter if you fall into the spiralling trap of button mashing in your frustration only to over-mash and get caught in an unending menu cycle).

Speaking of that Tiger! Tiger! minigame, much like the original, there's also no way to swiftly reset it, making the quest to complete perfect runs (which are needed for some character upgrade requirements) that little bit more laborious than it needs to be.

You can’t even mass sell items from your inventory, or mass release Blades if your collection is bursting with common duds. I’d also love the option to open Core Crystals in bulk and just choose the Blades I want to keep, releasing the rest.

I’d also have hoped something could be done to improve the flow of cutscenes, as the odd gaps between characters speaking can make conversations feel noticeably disjointed, or maybe just add voice acting to a few scenes that lack it.

What’s perhaps worst of all is it’s not like the original’s tedium hasn’t been touched at all.

Field skills have been fixed so that you no longer need the Blade actively in your party, just in your collection, for it to aid with in-world interactions like breaking into chests or harvesting more goodies from collection points.

Interacting with collection points also looks to have been sped up, letting you more quickly collect resources.

Clearly some identified issues were addressed by the update, but too many more were missed.

Quality of life changes aren’t as flashy as new characters or game modes, but when they were such a frustrating part of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on the Switch, I can’t help but feel like these small improvements would be perfect for the Switch 2 enhancement.

Not just perfect for, but expected from such an upgrade.

For new Switch 2 players, this enhanced edition is of course the one to opt for now that it’s available. As for returning players, while the update is neat, I’m not convinced it’s worth picking up unless you’re a Xenoblade diehard who has been wanting an excuse to replay the game since launch.

That’s not me. While I've experienced some slight nostalgia on this jaunt, I’m ready to leave Xenoblade behind once more.

If you’d have told me that in the fine year of 2026, I’d be back to my hobgoblin ways of racing home to pour hours into a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, I’d probably have laughed you off.

However, here I am, watching the clock until 5:30 PM so I can race home and log into Seed, a new life simulator from Klang Games that I think could herald a new renaissance for MMOs.

Summer Game Fest 2026 gave my colleague Dashiell Wood the chance to go hands-on with Seed, and his strong first impression held true when I got my hands on an early access code a little under a month ago.

Co-founded by veterans from CCP Games, the creators of Eve Online, the team behind Seed certainly has the credentials If you love games like Eco, The Sims and Factorio, you’ll be just as hooked as I am.

The game has already attracted a healthy audience, with thousands of active daily players. It’s a promising start, though it has to be said that a lot of work will be necessary to retain that audience and continue to grow in the months to come.

Still, I spend every waking moment craving Seed. In the last month, I became mayor, witnessed the rapture, and built a metropolis with total strangers — and I can’t wait to see what the game throws at me next.

A world of our own

In short, your goal in Seed is simple: work with other real players in your randomly generated society and colonize the planet of Avesta, building a thriving community with a local economy and, later, global trade.

Because servers run 24/7, your playable Seedlings continue working and caring for themselves while you're offline—provided you set them up with balanced automations and basic necessities. There’s even a beta mobile app where you can check in and issue commands via chat; more on that later.

It’s surprisingly challenging, especially if you’re part of a foundling community. Your Seedlings aren’t always easy to keep alive when resources are scarce, meaning access to clean water and cooked food is an urgent undertaking. Seedlings can suffer from various health ailments and even die as they go about their lives; I lost count of how many times mine developed jaundice from compulsively drinking murky water.

It took me a solid week to nail down my Seedling's schedule — balancing needs against production lines, storage, trade, and resource shortages. At times, it’s a rollercoaster ride: the highs of logging on to see tens of thousands in revenue, and the low sof discovering that one misclick in an "if/then" automation halted all production.

All societies live on one sprawling world map, and as you progress, you’ll be vying with other player groups for territory and resources, and for attracting new players (with their wallets) to your town.

For now, at least, that feels like a distant problem; many societies are still developing. That’s part of what makes Seed so exciting as an MMO; it really does feel like the game is going to keep evolving with its player base, and already the choices from other societies have had a direct impact on how we run our own…

Life as an elected official

For the past month, my society inexplicably elected me mayor — an honor that gave me a front-row seat to Seed’s complexity. Societies evolve in stages based on shared goals, and with each step you gain new roles in government, features like legislation and slots for more Seedlings to join.

My own community has just become a Metropolis, with several of our more active players quickly training up their Seedlings into careers like carpentry, metalwork, tailoring and medicine. We've launched businesses from foundries and chemical plants to hotels and cafes to handle to service the 40+ Seedlings in our group and participate in global trade. It’s tough, but it’s honest work.

I’m also the proud magnate behind a furniture-making business, with my Seedlings specializing in carpentry and tailoring, and I’ve hired several players on the server into the fold to help me haul deliveries and craft furniture both to sell and furnish my two hotel businesses. You’re incentivised to pay your Seedlings well; your society's average salary and the balance of wealth is a key metric by which to attract new players, as are any society-level benefits you offer new players like bonuses, tax legislation, new business grants and even workers’ rights.

Finding the balance between this and also keeping the game fun for all involved is vital — and challenging. As I write this, a disagreement between two of the larger business owners in my society has led to a small fallout and calls for legislation around land ownership. Trust is essential, but hard-won among strangers.

Surviving the rapture

There have already been quite a few exciting dramas in our society.

We founded on the first day of early access, so many players came through our doors to test the waters in Seed, only to then log out and never return. There are no NPCs in Seed, meaning all members of your society are real people — their activities need to be automated within the Schedule menu, or else your Seedlings will just kind of bimble around aimlessly.

We quickly discovered that even with well-populated schedules, those AFK players wreaked havoc in what I've dubbed 'The Great Haulening'. With many of them set to harvest and haul goods, our society was quickly overloaded with piles of resources and overwhelmed storage that disrupted our ability to trade globally by filling up our mailbox with junk.

Then there are the bugs. Oh lord, the bugs. The marketplace where you trade with other societies has been broken pretty much since day dot, and while recent commitments to fix this from the developers are reassuring, it’s certainly created some disparity among the societies that figured out workarounds and those that couldn’t.

My favorite bug though has to be ‘The Rapture’: the servers went down for two hours, which stopped time fully in Avesta for, to my knowledge, the first time.

All automations were paused, however all Seedling needs continued to depreciate, meaning every player with the companion app got a simultaneous notification that their Seedlings were dying and had to log on in a panic (for me, that was at 2 AM) to revive them. Thankfully, a few of our society members were online to run around and resuscitate the 95% of us who had collapsed, but not everyone was so lucky...

The Achilles heel

While I’m loving the game in itself, another potentially not-so-rosy element to Seed is its divisive use of generative AI.

Now, I’m typically conservative with the technology; I don’t think it should be used unless genuinely additive, especially in gaming, and definitely not frivolously while concerns remain about the impact of AI on our environment.

In Seed, you can use gen AI to chat with your Seedlings, which I’ve used mostly as a way to give them instructions to consume things or do tasks, especially while I’m away from the game and when life-threatening issues arise. You’re also occasionally incentivized to casually chat with them as part of your daily tasks, which is quirky at first but tires quickly.

The second primary use for gen AI is P.A.M, the in-game assistant that can help you learn how to play the game.

With Seed being so complex and in-depth, this is a genuinely useful resource and, by and large, it’s been a helpful companion with all of my requests. It’s a neat way to avoid having a pages-and-pages-long companion guide, but ultimately it’s still prone to getting things wrong, often has broken links and sometimes just gives up and recommends that you ask the World Chat.

It’s not inextricably linked to the gameplay, but it’s also omnipresent, and if you are one to take a bold stance against the use of AI, it’ll potentially put you off this otherwise brilliant game.

That being said, you might also find the pricing structure a turn-off.

You’re given one Seedling slot to play with, which will live for up to 120 real-world days. When they die, you lose everything if you have no other living Seedlings, so you’ll probably want a second Seedling Slot and another Seedling Life — which you’ll have to pay for Pollen, an in-game currency you can earn by levelling up your user profile or with real money.

These come in four tiers, starting with a basic slot that offers 100 real-world days of a Seedling’s life all the way up to Platinum, a permanent slot — full pricing information for all in-game purchases can be found here. This on top of an already $30/€29.99 (roughly £25) game might feel a little too close to a subscription scheme... and it kind of is.

Personally, I enjoy the game enough and understand enough about the costs of server upkeep to justify having spent some of my hard-earned cash on a permanent slot, but for some, the threat of losing everything when their Seedling dies and starting from scratch is disincentivizing. For others, it means an endless opportunity to graft; it’s down to the player to decide what feels more fun to them.

I do share reservations on both the use of AI and the subscription-like costs; but I don’t think either have to define my overarching enjoyment of the game, which has been immense.

I’ve sunk hours and hours into refining my strategy, working with my community towards our shared goals setting up our local economy, and had a good laugh with many of the players I’ve met so far from all around the world.

It’s a real throwback to the heyday of online gaming, and if it sticks, I think Seed could inspire other developers to take a risk on what is, admittedly, a hard product to monetize and upkeep in the increasingly competitive gaming market.

I hope it does, because I’ve definitely got the itch.

Whether you haven’t played Pokémon Pokopia since the town-builder launched earlier this year or you’ve been waiting to dive in, you might want to mosey on down to your favorite cozy gaming corner and download the free update. Especially when paired with the newly released Expansion Pass, the game (which I already gave five stars, our highest score, and called one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games) reaches new heights. Or rather, depths.

Bubbly Basin is the first of a three-part DLC package (with parts two and three releasing in late 2026 and sometime in 2027, respectively), bringing a new underwater town based on Cerulean City and a tonne of aquatic Pokémon to discover.

Facilitating this expansion is a free update that gives Ditto a new ability — Dive — which select Pokémon like Smeargu and Tinkmaster can also learn to help you build and decorate underwater.

That’s not all that came with the free update; a raft of quality-of-life updates mean most criticisms I had of Pokopia after months of play are next to non-existent.

Under the sea

But first, let’s start with Bubbly Basin. I’ve spent most of the last week exploring its depths, and for several reasons, it’s my new favorite town in Pokopia.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Cerulean City, the inspiration behind Bubbly Basin; Misty is one of my favorite characters from the franchise, and I favor water-type Pokémon. Now almost entirely submerged, it’s the perfect playground to explore with the new Dive ability and get creative with underground building.

Water levels are notoriously a pain across all areas of gaming, but building-based games in particular can suffer (I’m looking at you, Minecraft). Thankfully, Game Freak and Koei Tecmo's Omega Force prove adept at thinking ahead; there are few instances where removing or placing blocks leads to any disruption to the water (glass panes and roof tiles can cause a very brief empty block), and the only time I’ve been able to cause any unseemly flowing water tiles is when messing with the surface layer; even that has been mitigated impressively, though that's another component of the 2.0.0 free update. Navigation, as we’ll touch on in the free updates section, is a doddle once you get to grips with the swimming controls, too.

Much like Rocky Ridges and Sparkling Skyland, there’s a lot of verticality to the town too, with flooded subterranean tunnels, a few ruins above sea level and new murky depths that need to be lit so you can better take in your surroundings. Amongst the ruins, you’ll find treasure maps that help you locate the six Pokéballs necessary to build Starmie’s habitat, which gives a bit more purpose to the dowsing tool and search abilities.

And we lived beneath the waves

There’s plenty to work through in terms of quests and activities, and it’s really well paced, with 50 new Pokémon and 36 habitats to restore. I’ve especially loved working to connect and re-imagine the various hotspots in Bubbly Basin more than in any other town so far; bridging the deep ravine, tunneling through hillsides and transforming all of its many nooks and crannies into unique dwellings for local Pokémon has never felt more fun.

It’s probably the best-looking town too; it’s vibrant and teeming with life, and though clearing out the sand is a bit of a pain, it’s at least far less of an eyesore than the compressed junk, ash, and black sludge that plague the base game towns. The new flora follows suit; I can’t wait to put some time into adding coral and the new Seafloor Algae blocks to Bleak Beach and Palette Town to spruce up the somewhat dismal coastlines there, too.

Two new building and furniture aesthetics are introduced in Bubble Basin, both of which I love: a seashell- and coral-inspired set, but also Japanese temple-themed furniture and building blocks.

The latter might not feel particularly native to the Cerulean town we know, but one Reddit user speculates it’s a reference to Ryūgū-jō, the mythical undersea palace belonging to the dragon god of the sea in Japanese folklore. It’s a nice touch and brings a great set of new blocks to design with.

The best things in life are free

A huge part of what makes Bubbly Basin so enjoyable is the free updates that came with the 2.0.0 patch, which added a range of quality-of-life features. Dive is fantastically implemented; swimming feels fluid and free, and it’s still super easy to build even without Magnet Rise. It’s really important to pay attention during the tutorial, though; I missed two huge time-saving moves (underwater surf and spinning to sink), which wasted a lot of time.

There’s much more to it than Dive, though. Now, you can build a safe but also a portal pod, a universal storage system which can be accessed in all locations. I’ve taken to keeping one on me at all times as a kind of backpack-extender, and it’s making moving items between worlds a whole lot easier.

There are new recipes, new emotes, hair colors, and more paintable items too, but perhaps my favorite additions are the simplest. You can now bulk move items between the storage box and bag, but also delete items placed inside trash cans.

Some tweaks have been made to annoying in-game quirks, too; if you destroy a Pokémon’s habitat and rebuild it nearby, it’ll move back in of its own accord, you can open your bag and inhale items while using Rollout, and Leafage can now return farm soil to a normal soil block. This, plus a raft of bug fixes, makes the game more frictionless than ever before.

Such a hearty version 2.0 update so soon after the game’s release is a huge win for Pokopia fans; hype for the game has just barely subsided, and with in-game events being a little middling at best thus far, I for one am hoping this is just the beginning of Game Freak and Omega Force’s plans to keep the game feeling fresh and fun for players old and new. And if Bubbly Basin is anything to go by, the next town (which arrives as the final part of the Expansion Pass next year) could be a magnum opus for Pokopia.

• Epic's launcher is being ported over to Linux
• This is happening just as Nvidia's GeForce Now streaming app came out of beta and officially launched on Linux
• This year is getting better and better for Linux gamers, as GOG is also porting its Galaxy client over too

Epic will be making a native version of its launcher for Linux, and on top of that, Nvidia's GeForce Now app for Linux is also official, having emerged from beta.

The delivery of the Epic Games Store for Linux will be a big win for Steam Deck owners, and other Linux gamers who want to access Epic's gaming platform with no fuss, and as Steam Deck HQ reports (via VideoCardz), that native incarnation is coming.

An Epic employee (@onepercentnachos) was questioned on this subject at an AMA ('ask me anything' session) on the Discord server for the Epic Games Store community. They replied that a native version of the store is coming "soon" albeit not in the next preview build. The staffer noted that "we need to do more than simply have a build of the launcher that can run natively on Linux".

Nvidia also just announced that the Linux app for its streaming service, GeForce Now, is no longer a beta. The officially released full version of the app "focuses on performance, stability and polish while continuing to support Ubuntu 24.04 and later", we're told.

And while it's not related to gaming, OpenAI's release of a ChatGPT app for Linux is another milestone for the platform. As TechCrunch reports, the Linux app for ChatGPT is still a preview, but it gives users a native app experience for a number of different distros. Those include Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 LTS, Debian 13, as well as Fedora 43 and 44.

OpenAI said: "Linux has been one of the most-requested platforms for the desktop app, and this launch extends ChatGPT and Codex across every major desktop operating system."

Analysis: a rosier future for Linux gamers — but Fortnite remains a bone of contention

The Epic Games Store arriving natively is great news for gamers running Linux — including SteamOS — as it means a much more convenient way of playing games from the store, as opposed to the current situation with fudging and workarounds (using a third-party app such as the Heroic Games Launcher).

It's worth noting that the distros which will be supported remain unconfirmed, but presumably the gaming-focused SteamOS will be one of them. Also, there will still be limitations even with this native implementation, notably games with anti-cheat. Indeed, Epic's own Fortnite doesn't work on Linux (and that's down to Epic actively blocking the game from running due to issues around cheating, which remains a source of controversy).

Given the apparent changing attitude here with its launcher being ported over, maybe Epic will reverse course on Fortnite eventually. Some gamers on Reddit are highly skeptical about that possibility though, and as one doubting Redditor put it: "I wouldn't hold my breath."

Another went just a touch further than that, observing: "I wouldn't be shocked if Tim Sweeney [Epic's CEO] would rather die than let Fortnite run on Linux, honestly."

At any rate, the Fortnite controversy aside, with GOG also working on a native Linux spin on its Galaxy client, there are some considerable strides being taken for gamers – and Nvidia's GeForce Now becoming official for Linux is another useful step forward to boot.

• Nintendo is warning customers about an upcoming Switch 2 price increase via in-store kiosks
• The Nintendo Switch 2 will retail at $499.99 starting on September 1, 2026
• Consumers are praising Nintendo for giving ample time to purchase before the price increase

Price hikes across PC and game consoles are running rampant due to the RAM crisis, and one case requires urgent action from interested customers.

As reported by Notebookcheck, Nintendo is now warning customers about the Switch 2's price hike at kiosks in stores. The retail price for the Nintendo Switch 2 will increase from $449.99 (£395 / AU$699.95) to $499.99 (around £430 / AU$769.95), starting on September 1, 2026.

This was highlighted on Reddit, where users are praising Nintendo's generosity in informing customers long before price changes come into effect — a move not every PC or game console manufacturer has replicated.

Unsurprisingly, this is a direct result of the RAM crisis, with DRAM shortages impacting almost all hardware manufacturers. Nintendo seemingly managed to avoid any price increases after the Switch 2's launch, but shortages have persisted.

Nintendo worthy of praise?

The price increase itself isn't exactly a major one, at least compared to PlayStation ($90 increase) and Xbox ($150 increase) console price hikes. It's also worth noting that the Nintendo Switch was subjected to a price hike in August 2025.

So it's fair to say that the writing has been on the wall for an eventual Switch 2 price increase, and Nintendo has given customers ample time to get their hands on the handheld gaming device.

Frankly, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony are not to blame for the price increases, as it's well reported that memory shortages are directly impacting manufacturing costs, and that's been the case for most of 2026.

The crisis is only expected to get worse, with Samsung, one of the big three RAM manufacturers, anticipating even more significant shortages in 2027, 2028, and beyond.

However, consumers will only hope that good measures such as Nintendo's (giving consumers time to avoid paying more) can become a new normal across the gaming and tech industry. Will that happen, though? Probably not.

• A limited-edition Gears of War: E-Day Xbox Wireless Controller has been revealed
• The controller releases on September 30 and can be pre-ordered now for $89.99 / £84.99
• A separate 8BitDo charging dock is also up for pre-order

Xbox has unveiled its limited-edition Gears of War: E-Day Xbox Wireless Controller ahead of the game's launch on October 6.

"To celebrate the launch of Gears of War: E-Day, we’re giving fans two new ways to immerse themselves in one of gaming’s most iconic universes," reads the Xbox Wire announcement post. "Together, these offerings pay tribute to Emergence Day with hardware inspired by the symbols, scars, and battles that defined humanity’s war against the Locust Horde."

Starting today, fans can pre-order the Gears of War: E-Day Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller at participating retailers worldwide and the Xbox online store. The controller, which was "inspired by the horror and brutality unleashed on Emergence Day," will be released on September 30 and cost $89.99 / £84.99.

Where to buy the Gears of War: E-Day Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller

Fans seem to love the design, with one on Reddit saying, "My wallet is not gonna be happy." Another on X said, "They look frigging awesome."

"Drawing from the E-holes that scar the world of Gears of War: E-Day, the controller features 3D molded, laser-etched details of cracked asphalt with red, glowing cracks created by the power of an erupting E-hole, exposing the iconic Crimson Omen beneath the surface," the description reads.

"Blacked-out ABXY buttons are punctuated by a transparent red X button, while matching red triggers and a transparent D-pad reflect the destruction left in the wake of Emergence Day. A dark silver metallic COG tag on the battery door signifies Never Fight Alone. Squad up. Textured grips round out a design built for fans ready to carry a piece of Sera into every battle."

Additionally, beginning September 30, fans can design their own E-Day controller with Xbox Design Lab, featuring exclusive artwork from heavy metal illustrator Luke Preece.

8BitDo is also releasing an Ultimate Charging Dock for Xbox Controllers – Gears of War: E-Day complimentary accessory, which is compatible with Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One Wireless controllers, and includes an 8BitDo rechargeable battery pack. The charging dock will cost $33.99 / £29.54.

The year was 2013. I can remember the sheer excitement I felt as I stepped into my local video game store and laid eyes on the title that I’d been desperate to play for months. I’d brought a bag filled with Nintendo DS games that I’d played to near death, traded them in at the counter, and finally got my hands on the 3DS release that changed my gaming life for good: Fire Emblem Awakening.

Awakening was the game that truly got me into RPGs. Its vibrant cast of characters, its stellar strategic gameplay, its engrossing narrative — twelve-year-old me was enraptured by its brilliance.

Now, 13 years on, those feelings of excitement and enthusiasm have been reawakened. And that’s because I got the chance to play Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, a title which — so far — has encapsulated everything that made me fall in love with the series all those years ago. Here’s how I’ve found my time with Fortune’s Weave, and why I think it could be the epic tactical RPG that defines the Nintendo Switch 2.

Enter the Flame Lords

Our adventure is centered around the land of Dagda, a kingdom enjoying a period of relative prosperity under the rule of Divine Sovereign Solel. A grand event is soon to take place in Dagda’s capital, Dagsion, which is drawing great warriors from around the kingdom and beyond: the Heroic Games. This tournament’s victor is to be granted one wish of their choosing, and the city is abuzz with anticipation. But little do the combatants know that a great calamity is soon to befall the world around them.

Five years after the Heroic Games have concluded, turmoil runs rife across Dagda. The demonic god, Balor, has returned, and the forces of the underworld have humanity hanging by a thread. One individual — you, the main protagonist — is tasked by the goddess Sothis to bring about salvation for humanity and drive away the darkness. And this is where we get into the real meat of Fortune’s Weave.

Four great warriors from the Heroic Games, known as the Flame Lords, have vanished. With the help of the goddess Fortuna, you are able to go back in time, alter the causality across each hero’s path, and recruit them to assist in the battle for Dagda’s deliverance.

As the player, you get to travel back to the time of the Heroic Games and delve into four individual campaigns that enable you to control each of the four Flame Lords: Cai, Dietrich, Theodora, and Leda. Meanwhile, you, the main protagonist, will appear as the Pale Raven, and be able to give advice on upcoming battles and watch over the Flame Lords along their journey.

It may sound like a lot to take in, and a lot of back and forths along the timeline, but the storytelling in the early section of the game — which I’ll be discussing here — is incredibly tight, clear, and gripping.

Walk the path of great heroes

After completing a brief prologue, you’re given the chance to pick from any of the four heroes, although you’re able to swap between each individual storyline whenever you feel like. I started by following Dietrich’s path, and wow. What a way to kick off my adventure.

First of all, I have to shout out the character design. Dietrich himself is a truly majestic specimen (something pointed out by many through your journey), and his chilling killer instincts and thirst for battle are reflected in his visceral combat style to perfection. He’s joined by a brilliantly charismatic cast, including the mysterious and eccentric priest, Fabio, the young and skilled Esmeralda, and the former mercenary Mikaela, to name a few.

Each character is surprisingly layered and full of charisma and intrigue, not to mention the absolutely phenomenal voice acting, which is already shaping up to be some of the best the series has ever produced. Naturally, you can build your support with each member of your party and view special conversations, just as you could in previous instalments.

Although Dietrich’s path has been my favorite so far, I’ve dipped into the story of each protagonist, and all offer a strong lineup of characters, distinct yet interwoven narratives, and unique mechanics to drill into.

For instance, Theodora can assign battalions, which can boost a unit’s attack power and inflict status effects on foes, and Dietrich can learn new combat arts from wandering warriors. It keeps each pathway feeling fresh and distinct, and incentivized me to try out each and every one of the Flame Lords’ campaigns.

Although you’ll spend a decent amount of time on main story battles, you’ll also be given free time here and there. With this time, you can access training facilities to strengthen a unit's skill with certain weapons or magic, you can serve at a temple to earn favor from the gods, or you can dine at an inn to build up support with allies and regain motivation (required for certain tasks).

This is just a taste of what’s on offer, but the bottom line is, I found that there was never a shortage of things to do during my free time, and the variety on offer breathes vibrancy and life into Dagsion, making it feel like the esteemed capital it’s presented as.

Gameplay and combat: timeless fundamentals with some neat twists

Let’s talk about the core gameplay on offer, though, which will be the most exciting aspect for a lot of returning fans.

A lot of the bones are the same. Other than some dungeon sections, which incorporate a mild amount of action combat and 3D exploration, you’re mainly playing a tactical JRPG with the usual grid-based combat. Each map is a blast to play through, and although things start out very easy, you’ll soon have to be considerate of which units you select, how you position them, and how you approach the enemy.

At its core, Fortune’s Weave is a continuation of what made the series great, and whether you play in Casual (where units return to your ranks after defeat), or Classic (where units are gone forever if they fall in battle), you’ll find that just about each decision you make on the battlefield matters — and building the perfect units and reclassing them to vanquish your opponent is still outrageously enjoyable.

Combat Arts are back, which degrade weapon durability in exchange for powerful actions, and Blessings from the gods give you boons in combat, such as a reduction in damage received or a higher chance of avoiding attacks. But there are also some new additions. Perhaps the most high-profile, and one I’ve been loving, is Blaze Arts.

Blaze Arts sacrifice a portion of your HP in return for powerful moves, but aren’t available to all units. Dietrich, for example, can warp forward multiple spaces and attack afterwards. Or Theodora can unleash an especially long-range attack on distant foes. The HP sacrifice prevents you from using them without consequence, and the abilities can help you clutch up in tense situations.

I’ve also been loving the battle animations, which add solid immersion to the action. The way that some units will parry attacks and swiftly retaliate, and the elaborate Blaze Arts animations, are both clear standouts and make battles feel like the spectacle they’re intended to be.

Outside of the excellent combat, it’s a lot of fun to just stroll through Dagsion, and movement feels both rapid and responsive. Fast travel is also an option if you want to get from A to B in an instant, but sometimes I just wanted to walk through the city and take in some of the amazing music. Whether it’s beautiful acoustic arrangements or ambient synth-led tracks, Fortune’s Weave is brimming with memorable music, and I can see myself coming back to the OST for years to come.

My only small nitpick about traversing Dagsion is that some of the NPCs provide incredibly repetitive dialogue. I heard “you’re looking well” and its many variations a lot more times than I’d care to mention in my first few hours with the game.

Graphics and performance: a clear step-up on Switch 2

Moving on to performance now, and I have to say, I’m satisfied with what I’ve experienced from Fortune’s Weave so far.

The Switch 2 has added some much-needed firepower, and the improvement from Three Houses is substantial. Character models, such as that of Fortuna, look excellent, with her beaming yellow and rich purple hair really popping on-screen. I’d argue that a few textures on environmental elements, such as trees, perhaps look a bit basic, but it doesn’t feel like the game’s first priority is to be a graphical marvel.

Drawn characters look impressive during dialogue sections too, and have some animations to add emotion and depth to them. Beyond this, cinematic sequences are epic, and a couple of them reminded me of the grandeur exhibited by the opening of Fire Emblem Awakening (one that felt unskippable all those years ago).

One interesting inclusion in Fortune’s Weave is mouse controls, which, as expected, are as smooth and effective as ever on Switch 2. I honestly didn’t use them much, as I prefer to stick with traditional controls, but it’s always good to see a new title make use of the Switch 2’s new technological capabilities.

The game also runs really smoothly, and the Switch 2’s enhanced resolution makes for a more detailed experience than ever. Most of the time, loading screens are very brief too, although I did occasionally experience some minor delays when opening doors in Dagsion, for instance — nothing particularly grating though.

My final thoughts (so far)

Of course, there are a lot of battles that lie ahead, and there’s a lot more story to sink my teeth into, but the early signs are incredibly positive for Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave.

So far, the captivating storytelling, brilliant cast of characters, refined turn-based tactical combat, and immersive world of Fortune’s Weave have got me hooked, and I can’t wait to spend more time with the game. These qualities really took me back in time to when I first fell in love with the series, and if my initial hours are anything to go by, I think long-time fans will appreciate the distinct yet interwoven stories, challenging battles, and high stakes.

I should note that I had a good time with Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but the opening of Fortune’s Weave feels like it’s building on everything that made that entry click in a meaningful, substantive way.

I’m sure there’ll be lots more to discuss when the full game launches in September, so keep your eyes peeled for our full review when the time comes, but until then, I’m going to enjoy my ride on the Fire Emblem hype train.

• A Redditor has turned their phone into a desktop PC, sort of
• This involves jamming the device between two hefty CPU coolers
• The results are seriously impressive, including running PC games at playable frame rates on a Linux desktop

Have you ever thought about using your phone as a PC? A creative hardware modder has taken this idea very literally, actually turning their smartphone into a makeshift PC by jamming the device inside a custom case, sandwiched between a pair of beefy desktop CPU coolers.

Wccftech spotted a Reddit post with a title that provides a succinct summary of the achievement here: "I turned my Nubia Z70 Ultra into a desktop PC with TWO CPU coolers – 99% stability, Linux desktop and 1080p Ultra Windows gaming."

To break this down, what the Redditor ('ntsow') has done is take the Nubia Z70 Ultra, an Android phone, and remove the screen. The display was transferred to the front of a custom-made acrylic case, and the phone itself was placed between two big old processor coolers, as mentioned, with direct contact on the Snapdragon chip's shielding (for the maximum cooling effect – which is why the screen must come off).

On the software side, the Redditor explains: "I'm running a full XFCE Linux desktop through Termux, with GPU acceleration, plus Windows apps/games. The goal is basically to use the phone as the whole PC."

Quite a few Redditors are asking how this system runs PC games, and the answer is via Wine and Box64, or in some cases, using GameNative, an Android emulator.

Given the cooling, this mobile Snapdragon chip can be pushed pretty hard, and more importantly, it can keep that up with sustained and taxing workloads.

The phone-turned-PC can run Windows games surprisingly well as a result – and the 24GB of RAM on-board doesn't hurt either (which is, of course, a pricey proposition on a PC these days).

What kind of frame rates does the Redditor get? We're told that The Witcher 3 runs at 20 to 30 frames per second (fps) at Full HD resolution and with 'ultra' details.

Analysis: devilishly daring

Remember, this is an Android phone playing Windows games, and to do so at a playable enough frame rate (it even goes over 30 fps at times) is impressive. What's also noteworthy is that the Snapdragon phone CPU used here isn't Qualcomm's top-tier mobile silicon. It's an older Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and as the Redditor points out, you'd get more pep from the newer Gen 5 processors (4.6GHz vs 4.3GHz).

Among the admirers, there are some alarms raised about the temperature recorded in The Witcher 3 screenshot. The Redditor explains that this is because it was grabbed with the phone running in 'Diablo Mode,' which pushes the components at full power with overclocking. If that isn't on, then the CPU doesn't get as toasty – although presumably you're not going to get over the 30 fps mark, either.

Still, this is a very nifty piece of work, and as one commenter on the thread remarks, it is: "One of the most insane things I've seen on Reddit in months."

I've got to agree, and while this is obviously a very extreme angle on modding, it may point the way to the future where phones are increasingly used as our computing devices.

• The unannounced Xbox Elite Series 3 controller may have leaked
• Photos were posted to Reddit and have since been deleted
• They showed a plausible-looking gamepad with a built-in screen

A Reddit user seems to have somehow managed to get their hands on a prototype Xbox Elite Series 3 controller, and the upcoming gamepad appears to have some surprising features.

In a now-deleted post to the r/Controller subreddit, the author asked, "Anyone know what controller this is?" and claimed they managed to buy the accessory on the online marketplace website OfferUp.

The post also included a handful of photos of the alleged controller, which hasn't even been officially announced, and they certainly seem genuine — or at least very difficult to fake.

It looks quite similar to the Xbox Elite Series 2 overall, but with some key differences. These include a redesigned, more plate-like D-pad, two weird scroll wheels at the bottom, and a little LED screen embedded at the top. Other major differences include the addition of a removable rechargeable battery pack, which lines up with information surfaced back in May.

The screen is definitely the most interesting detail here, and I wonder how it could function in the finished product. One photo shows it displaying an animation of a spaceship flying towards an Xbox Series X console, which makes me think that it could be used as a cute way to denote the controller's pairing status.

High-end third-party controllers like the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited and Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra already have their own screens. They can be used to edit controller settings, swap between profiles, and even receive text messages, hinting at some possible uses Microsoft might have in store.

Unfortunately, the poster says they haven't been able to pair the controller with any of their consoles — prompting others to speculate that it could be a special developer unit that requires a registered Xbox dev account.

With units appearing in the wild, it seems reasonable to assume that an official reveal isn't far away. We might even see the controller unveiled at Gamescom 2026 later this month.

It wouldn’t be a PlayStation exclusive without some matching hardware, right?

It’s an approach we’ve seen the gaming giant take before, and personally, I’ve always had a soft spot for the various Spider-Man-themed PS5 editions. Those consoles understood that a limited-edition PlayStation doesn’t necessarily need to reinvent the hardware itself. Rather, the right colors and a design that makes the console feel like part of the game.

Sony is taking a very similar approach with Marvel’s Wolverine, by unveiling a collection of matching hardware, including a limited-edition PS5 Digital Edition console — just be ready for the price, though.

More critically, though, we also have two DualSense controllers and console covers for both PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, you get your pick between Wolverine's iconic yellow and a more subtle but still on-theme choice of 'Adamantium'.

Here's the full lineup, which lands on September 15, 2026, but will go up for preorder on August 19, 2026.

• DualSense Wireless Controller in Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition: $84.99 / £74.99
• DualSense Wireless Controller in Marvel’s Wolverine Adamantium Limited Edition: $84.99 / £74.99
• PlayStation 5 Cover in Battle Yellow Limited Edition: $74.99 / £64.99
• PlayStation 5 Pro Cover in Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition: $74.99 / £64.99
• PlayStation 5 Pro Cover in Marvel’s Wolverine Adamantium Limited Edition: $74.99 / £64.99
• PlayStation 5 Digital in Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition Bundle with DualSense controller: $649.99 / £569.99

The center of the collection is Marvel’s Wolverine Battle Yellow Limited Edition PS5 Digital Edition bundle. This pairs the iconic yellow console with a matching DualSense controller and a copy of the game. The design is inspired by Insomniac’s “Battle Reborn” suit, with the familiar yellow finish broken up by claw marks across the hardware.

And it works quite well, as rather than slapping a Wolverine logo onto a yellow PS5, Sony has made the console look as though Wolverine himself has gotten his claws on and into it.

That design language carries over to the standalone Battle Yellow DualSense, as well as limited-edition console covers for existing PS5 and PS5 Pro owners. So you don't necessarily need to buy another PS5 to bring a little Wolverine into your setup, which is especially good news considering the price increases. And yes, the bundle does carry a hefty $649.99 / £569.99 price tag, but you can get the Wolverine yellow DualSense for $84.99 / £74.99 or snap up a PS5 cover for $74.99 / £64.99.

Sony's also giving you the option of trading the yellow finish for a metallic look inspired by the Adamantium material bonded to Logan. It’s a much more understated design, but arguably a better fit if you want something a little more subtle. This will be available as a cover for the PS5 Pro exclusively or as a DualSense Controller.

“I wanted to show Wolverine at his fiercest for Marvel’s Wolverine Limited Edition PS5 Console bundle and accessories,” explained Jock, a graphic artist who worked on Marvel’s Wolverine, who starts by drawing and was excited to ‘marry cutting-edge hardware with the energy and looseness of hand-drawn ink.’

“I’m stunned by how well the console and accessories captured the raw energy of the drawing, bringing Wolverine to life in a completely unique way,” concluded Jock. And it does look stunning and instantly recognizable as Wolverine.

You can see that philosophy pretty clearly in the final designs.

Preorders for Marvel’s Wolverine limited-edition hardware begin August 19 at 10 a.m. local time, with everything releasing and launching officially September 15 alongside the game.

So, yes, it wouldn't really be a major PlayStation exclusive without some matching hardware, and if Sony’s goal was to make a PS5 look like Wolverine had personally gotten his claws into it, mission accomplished.

There is something to be said about doubling down on physical products as Sony is pushing the charge with ending discs for titles. Good news is that along with the title art for Marvel’s Wolverine, Insomniac has confirmed a physical disc is in the box and will launch the game properly as well.

• A modder has taken the innards of a Steam Deck and put them into a Game Boy-style case
• The end result is the 'SteamBoy', although it's not quite finished (the screen doesn't yet work)
• There's a lot of excitement about this DIY project, and some gamers have even said they'd be keen to buy a retro handheld like this

Ever wished the Steam Deck looked a bit more retro — or indeed a lot more retro? Meet the 'SteamBoy', which takes the innards of Valve's handheld and transplants them into a case styled on the Game Boy.

Steam Deck HQ noticed this clever piece of modding in the form a project by 'PhyFawkes' as posted on Reddit (via VideoCardz).

The SteamBoy uses the motherboard, controller, buttons, speakers, and battery from the Steam Deck, fitting the components into a case which the maker says is the same dimensions as an original Game Boy, with a thickness of 32mm (yes, it's thick).

PhyFawkes explains: "The battery is the original battery, and it basically takes up the whole width of the device on the inside. It's sandwiched between the motherboard and the display. The motherboard and controller boards are completely intact as well."

The only element that isn't functional yet is the screen, so this device is still a work in progress. The Redditor has demonstrated it working on an external monitor, though.

Analysis: next stop Kickstarter?

The snag with getting the screen going is that the motherboard firmware reports the display properties directly to SteamOS, and so the firmware details must be updated with the info for the new screen. The Redditor says it hopefully it won't take too long to sort this out.

Another part of the recipe that's missing is the triggers, but PhyFawkes says that they might be able to add them eventually, but that space constraints with the case could make this too tricky a proposition.

Apparently the handheld runs cool enough with some slight under-volting. All in all, this a very smart-looking project, and I'm seriously impressed. The case itself is 3D-printed, with the Redditor noting that they're going to provide the details on how to make one for those who might want to try their hand at this enterprising piece of handheld DIY.

Of course, constructing something like this is well beyond the scope of your average gamer, and there are fans of this concept out there who'd be willing to pay money for a SteamBoy of their own. Plenty of them, in fact, as the reception for this project has been nothing short of glowing.

As someone on Reddit put it: "This is legitimately so cool. I would totally back something like this on Kickstarter."

Another Redditor said: "Looks amazing! I'd probably buy 2 of these bad boys."

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite has been shut down on Nintendo Switch
• The game was offered as a cloud version on the platform, which meant it relied on being streamed from a server over the internet
• Those that spent money on the game do not appear to have been refunded

The Nintendo Switch version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite has been shut down, rendering it unplayable for those who bought it.

The game launched on Nintendo Switch on April 26, 2023, and unlike the versions available on other platforms, was a cloud version. That means it relied on being streamed from a server over an internet connection. A short demo version was available to try for free, but access to the full game cost $29.99.

There was even a $59.99 Ultimate Edition on offer, which threw in a raft of DLC, and means that some players would have paid 60 bucks for something that they can now no longer access at all.

Developer Cold Iron Studios quietly announced the shutdown back in March this year, sending a message to players thanking them for their support and confirming that the game "will be accessible until August 5, 2026" at which point buyers would "no longer be able to access the game."

It continued: "We apologize to our loyal customers for any inconvenience this may cause, and we appreciate your understanding. We hope you will continue to enjoy our other game titles."

Noticeably, there was no mention of any kind of refund for those who spent money on the game, and it doesn't appear that any affected players got one.

The news has picked up some steam on the r/gaming subreddit, with commenters rallying against cloud gaming and referencing fears surrounding the recent confirmation that Sony would be discontinuing the production of physical game discs in 2028 — pushing gamers towards digital formats.

"Everyone who bought this game should be eligible for a full refund," reads the top-rated comment. "This is why you don't buy a 'Cloud' version of a game," added another commenter. "It is a ticking clock."

One user wrote: "This is going to happen more and more as an all-digital future becomes standard... You don't own anything, you're just paying for the license to play something until it gets taken away."

A sequel, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, is expected to launch this year for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on August 25. It's also expected to come to Nintendo Switch 2 at a later date. Importantly, it won't be a cloud version, which will likely come as a relief to potential buyers.

Gulikit KK3 Max: One-minute review

The GuliKit KK3 Max might look like a standard controller, but it has plenty of extras and features on board.

Adopting the familiar form of the Xbox’s gamepad, the KK3 Max doesn’t exactly push the boundaries in terms of design. But given how comfortable and convenient the shape and layout are, it’s hard to complain about its lack of originality.

There are also a few extra flourishes that add some interest. The matte white finish of my review unit was rather fetching, while the front panel is incredibly smooth, smoother than any other I’ve felt before. Its construction also feels quite solid, rivaling the builds of the best PC controllers.

This premium feel extends to the buttons, since there’s very little wobble to any of them. The same can be said of the various sets of levers for the four back buttons, although a fair amount of force is required to insert them.

Despite the lack of software, there are still plenty of input-related customizations and settings available via various button combinations. These range from basic adjustments, such as the vibration intensity and stick sensitivity, to more advanced features, such as motion control and macro recording.

The overall performance of the KK3 Max is pretty good. Most of the buttons are responsive and satisfying to press. The triggers offer a fair amount of control, although I found their travel distance a little too short for my preferences. The sticks also lack the precision of the best, although they move easily and quickly. Motion controls are also inconsistent: I found they performed well with Nintendo Switch games, but were less effective on PC and mobile titles.

I’m happy to report that I had no issues with connectivity on any system I tried the KK3 Max with. Whether it was to my PC via the USB dongle or to my Switch and Android tablet via Bluetooth, the KK3 Max connected quickly to them all and I didn’t experience any dropouts or lag. Hotswitching between devices is also easy thanks to the dedicated button for this purpose, although it can take several presses for the button to respond.

The current multiplatform controller market is certainly a competitive one, with an increasing number of entrants offering increasingly better value. At $79.99 / £65.99 / AU$113.95, the KK3 Max is dangerously close in price to some real standouts, such as the Steam Controller and the GameSir G7 Pro 8K, and more expensive than the 8BitDo Pro 3, another highly capable controller. It mightn’t quite match up to its cohort, but the KK3 Max is still a gamepad to consider if you prefer onboard adjustments and like to have plenty of back buttons.

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Price & availability

• $79.99 / £65.99 / AU$113.95
• Available now in various colorways
• Premium pricing puts it against big hitters

The GuliKit KK3 Max costs $79.99 / £65.99 / AU$113.95 and is available now from Amazon. Three colorways are available: black, white, and grey.

This pricing places the KK3 Max at the premium end of the market. It comes close to some big names in this space, such as the new Steam Controller. This has the advantage of touchpads for controlling the mouse cursor, and we found its gyroscope controls performed very well, unlike the KK3 Max’s. It isn’t compatible with the Switch or Switch 2, though.

The KK3 Max is also more expensive than the 8BitDo Pro 3, which has class-leading performance. We particularly loved its smooth analog sticks and triggers, as well as its phenomenal D-pad. It’s very customizable, too, thanks to its accompanying software — something the KK3 Max lacks.

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Specs

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Design and features

• Super smooth surface
• No extra D-pad hats or stick caps
• No software

The KK3 Max has a simple and conventional design, replicating the form and layout of the best Xbox controllers. This is no bad thing, though, since such gamepads are among the most ergonomic and comfortable out there. Along with many others, I’m also particularly fond of the asymmetric analog sticks, since this moves the D-pad to a position that makes it easier to use with either thumb.

What may prove more divisive, however, is the relatively small size of the entire unit. I don’t have particularly large hands, but both my thumbs and forefingers tended to overhang the sticks and triggers respectively. I was able to adjust my grip to compensate without sacrificing comfort or security, but others might find this more of a problem.

There are some extra touches to the KK3 Max’s design that set it apart from the crowd. The brilliant white matte finish of my review unit is quite eye-catching, as is the subtle yet effective RGB lighting around the sticks, which also has a practical function that I’ll come to later.

The front plate is incredibly smooth to the touch, smoother than any other controller I’ve experienced. However, this plate isn’t magnetically attached as it is on other gamepads, allowing for easy removal for the sake of customization and reordering or replacing buttons.

You can still remove the KK3 Max’s face buttons — you’ll just need to use the included puller to do so, which is thankfully easy to use. You can’t directly swap the X with the Y button or the A with the B, though, since they have different depths and curvatures. Rather, duplicates of each button are included in the box with the appropriate depth and curvature for swapping their position. This seems like a rather inefficient solution to me, and just means you have more bits of plastic in your life than you otherwise would.

I can’t complain about their quality, though. They’re pleasantly smooth and stable, with only a marginal amount of play, while their transparent design is quite fetching. The D-pad also feels stable, although it’s a shame you can't replace the hat, as different designs can make a real difference to feel and performance, and would cater to more preferences. Fortunately, I found it quite ergonomic; even though it adopts the traditional four-point shape, its rounded edges make it better for rolling between directions.

The triggers are also comfortable. They have rounded outside edges, which makes them soft on the finger, as well as a dotted texture to provide grip. The analog stick caps are reasonably small but have an ergonomic shape and a soft finish. Their edges are slightly textured, although this is less prominent than other examples, so those with sweaty thumbs might slip off them. They are removable, but GuliKit doesn’t provide any extra sets in the box, which is a shame. The sticks themselves are quite tall and suitably planted, with a negligible amount of play.

More solid are the back button levers. Despite how they look, they’re not made from metal, but they are reassuringly sturdy. They actually require a fair amount of force to insert in their slots, but once in place, I felt pretty confident that they weren’t going to come loose. They come in different shapes, with two sets of paddle-like levers and a set that looks more like bumpers.

There’s no software for customizing the inputs of the KK3 Max, which is a shame. However, there are still plenty of adjustments you can make and features to enable using various button combinations. You can alter the sensitivity of the analog sticks, with three levels to choose from, as well as toggle Dead Zone mode for them. You can also enable the Motion Aim Assist mode, letting you assign gyroscopic controls when either the left stick or the left trigger is held. Again, there are three levels of sensitivity to choose from here.

Other settings include a toggle for the D-pad between four- and eight-direction modes, A and B and X and Y swaps, and a Rapid Trigger function with two modes to choose from: one where the chosen input triggers repeatedly when held, and the other when it’s merely pressed. An autopilot mode and a macro recorder are available, too.

All these adjustments are quite easy to make, and there are some useful indicators that let you know what settings have been selected. For instance, the sticks light different colors depending on which of the three sensitivity levels is set, and the pad rumbles once, twice, or thrice depending on which of the three sensitivities of the Motion Aim Assist is set. However, I still would’ve preferred software for convenience's sake; it’s always nice to see your settings represented graphically, and having to remember all the button combinations is a hassle I could do without.

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Performance

• Solid button feel
• Slightly imprecise sticks
• Motion controls are mixed

In action, the KK3 Max acquits itself rather well. The face buttons are tactile and well-damped, and only require a light touch to press, which makes them feel snappy. However, they don’t provide the best feedback, and there are times when it can be difficult to feel them actually being pressed. Thankfully, however, this didn’t result in presses failing to register, in my experience.

The bumpers are more clicky, but still have enough dampening to make presses satisfying. However, I found their position a little too high, which can make reaching them a little difficult. I should say that I encounter this problem on quite a few gamepads, but here it’s particularly acute.

In fact, I found the back buttons more usable than the bumpers, which isn’t something I can say about a lot of other controllers with back buttons. Their travel might be shallow, no matter which lever you decide to attach, but there’s enough dampening and feedback to make them viable as replacements for other inputs. I didn’t accidentally trigger them when gripping the KK3 Max tightly, either. The shapes of the various levers are easy to use, although I did find that the lower paddles were best used with two fingers rather than one.

The triggers are resistant enough to provide adequate control when performing graduated presses, something I especially appreciate when playing racing games such as Assetto Corsa that require precise acceleration and braking inputs. Their relatively shallow travel does negate this aspect somewhat, but I still found them just about up to the task. They’re also light enough to perform rapid inputs when needed, and to prevent fatigue from setting in during prolonged holds.

The sticks move freely and quickly, with a fast rebound that makes them feel snappy. Aiming was quite accurate when I played 007 First Light, although they don’t offer the smoothest motion, with small but frequent jumps and unexpected accelerations affecting my accuracy. Thankfully, their aforementioned height didn’t pose a problem when moving them around, although it did cause some instability when pressing in the L3 and R3 buttons, with accidental directional movements often accompanying them.

The gyroscopic motion controls are mixed in terms of their performance. When I played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on my Switch, they were smooth when aiming the bow, and on a par with the best Nintendo Switch controllers. However, with games on other platforms, such as First Light on PC and Hitman Blood Money — Reprisal on Android, they were jerky and restrictive in terms of movement. No matter how many times I recalibrated them using the onboard function to do this, they didn’t improve on these systems.

I had no issues connecting the KK3 Max to my Windows 11 PC, Switch, or Android tablet via Bluetooth or the USB dongle. The handy button for hot-switching between devices is also useful, and hot-switching itself proved quick in my experience. However, the button doesn’t operate that well, taking a few too many presses to actually respond.

Should I buy the Gulikit KK3 Max?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Gulikit KK3 Max review: Also consider

How I tested the Gulikit KK3 Max

• Tested consistently for a few days
• Played a variety of games on multiple devices
• Plenty of controller experience

I tested the Gulikit KK3 Max for a few days, during which time I played a number of games on most of the platforms the controller is compatible with. I used it on my Windows 11 PC via the 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle, and on my Switch and Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 tablet via Bluetooth.

I made sure to play a variety of games across these platforms to test every facet of the controller’s performance. I played 007 First Light on PC, which is a good test for the accuracy and precision of analog sticks, as well as Hitman: Blood Money — Reprisal on my tablet for the same purpose. I also played Assetto Corsa, which is not only a good test for the sticks but also for the control offered by the triggers. I also played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Switch, primarily to test the motion controls, as the game and console handle such controls very well.

I’ve been gaming for decades, and have used numerous gamepads with numerous systems in that time. I’ve also reviewed a number of other controllers, from budget offerings to high-performing premium models.

• Read more about how we test
• First reviewed: July 2026

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: One-minute review

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline is the best-looking Xbox controller that I’ve ever tested. The face plate, complete with its illustration of a San Diego skyline dripping with inviting tropical vibes, is gorgeous and pairs wonderfully with the contrasting baby blue buttons and bright pink thumbstick caps.

The Pacific Skyline has a hidden trick up its sleeve as well — stunning RGB lighting that illuminates the city’s major buildings when the controller is turned on and can be customized with a variety of colours and presets without the need for any companion software. It’s genuinely a beautiful bit of hardware, and there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.

I’m sure the look was also closely inspired by Grand Theft Auto 6 as it’s very reminiscent of the game’s bright promotional art, and I already know that this will be my go-to gamepad when I venture into the neon-soaked streets of Vice City on Xbox Series X.

The aesthetics are great, but the controller also performs well overall — even if it’s not particularly feature-rich. The TMR thumbsticks are responsive and smooth, the rear buttons are easy to remap on the fly, and the built-in audio controls are genuinely useful and effective, giving you some compelling reasons to choose it over the stock Xbox Wireless Controller aside from just the look.

Yes, there are some controllers with even more features available for around the same price, just look at the GameSir G7 Pro, but you simply won’t find anything that’s this visually appealing elsewhere.

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Price and availability

• Available in the US and UK
• Costs $89.99 / £79.99 / around AU$150
• You’re paying a premium for the design

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is readily available in the US and UK exclusively via the Turtle Beach website, where it costs $89.99 / £79.99 (that’s roughly AU$150). This model does not seem to have made its way to Australia yet.

It’s a solid price given the feature set, but you’re definitely paying a bit of a premium for the design, and alternatives like the GameSir G7 Pro deliver more features for the same cost.

Still, it’s worth it if you're considering the likes of the standard Xbox Wireless Controller but are willing to splash out for a nicer and more unique design.

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Specs

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Design and features

• Stunning tropical aesthetic
• Standard Xbox controller form factor
• Rear inputs and on-board controls

Out of the box, the first thing you’re going to notice about the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is its beautiful design. Turtle Beach says that the pink and baby blue look was inspired by the ‘Xbox pastel project’ — which saw a selection of third-party gamepads with pastel aesthetics hit the market a few years ago.

I think there’s another clear inspiration, though: GTA 6. Covered in palm trees, with views of a beach and a city skyline (in this case, San Diego, the home of Turtle Beach), it’s a perfect match for the highly anticipated upcoming open-world game.

I imagine this pad is Turtle Beach’s way of getting in on the GTA 6 hype, but that’s certainly not a complaint as I think the result is stunning. The bright colors really pop, and the design is detailed enough to pore over without being too distracting.

There is also some brilliant RGB lighting when you turn on the pad, which lights up to reveal an otherwise hidden skyline. It looks truly brilliant and surprisingly tasteful, especially if you set it to a static illumination in a custom color.

In terms of layout, the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is very close to the standard Xbox gamepad.

The overall shapes are extremely similar, though side by side you will notice that the Pacific Skyline has slightly softer corners and fatter grips. The Turtle Beach pad does have three extra buttons: a microphone mute button (which can also be pressed to access on-board functions) and two customizable rear paddles.

If you look at the D-pad, you will notice a few small markings. Hold the microphone mute button and tap up or down to raise or lower the volume of your connected headphones, while left and right adjust game chat balance. The controls are intuitive and easy to remember, and genuinely quite useful as it means that you don’t have to fiddle around with system menus to adjust game volume if you’re playing with wired headphones connected via the controller's 3.5mm jack.

The controller doesn't feature any removable batteries, and is instead charged via a USB Type-C cable. A generous roughly 10ft / 300cm one is included in the box along with a USB dongle. Sadly, neither the cable nor the dongle are pink or blue to match the controller — a missed opportunity to make them stand out against those of other pads.

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Performance

• Delivers well-rounded performance
• Basic but functional software
• Very lightweight

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller delivers basically everything you could want from a basic Xbox Wireless Controller alternative. The thumbsticks are smooth and responsive, the buttons are satisfying to press and well-sized, and additional features like the volume mixing and rear inputs work just as you would expect.

It certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any respect, but the performance is exactly what you would want and expect at this price. There are more versatile options out there, though I think this is reasonable when, realistically, you’re mainly buying this particular controller for its looks.

The controller is compatible with two pieces of companion software: the Swarm II mobile app and the Turtle Beach - PDP Control Hub. Both offer similar options and are rather basic, mainly there for adjusting vibration strength, remapping buttons, and tweaking thumbstick dead zones.

My only real complaint using the controller is that the materials simply don’t feel as premium as the Xbox Wireless Controller. I think a lot of that comes down to the weight: the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is very light, making it comfortable in the hands but meaning it lacks that reassuring heftiness. The back of the grips is also completely smooth, and I found myself missing the more grippy texture of the original pad.

The Pacific Skyline controller gains back the upper hand with its built-in battery. It lasts for about 20 hours per charge — roughly on par with Microsoft’s pad, all without the need to fiddle with pricey AAs every time you need to top it up.

Should I buy the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider...

Not keen on the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller? Here are two alternatives to weigh up.

How I tested the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller

• Tested for multiple weeks
• Used as primary controller for Xbox and PC
• Compared to other gamepads

I tested the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller for more than two weeks, using it as my primary gamepad for both Xbox and PC play.

During that time, I experienced a wide range of games with it, including driving titles such as Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Forza Horizon 3, and Forza Horizon 6, plus shooters like Gears of War Reloaded.

Throughout my time with the controller, I compared it to my hands-on testing of other Xbox controllers, including the standard model and those by competitors like GameSir and PowerA.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2026

• The Legend of Zelda Movie has reportedly found its Ganondorf and Impa
• Uli Latukefu and Dichen Lachmann are set to play the aforementioned pair
• The film also expected to feature Yvonna Strahovski and the late Sam Neill

The Legend of Zelda Movie just got a big cast update — and now we know who'll play the franchise's primary villain in Ganondorf.

Per Deadline, relative newcomer and Australian actor Uli Latukefu (Young Rock, Marco Polo) will play the imposing Big Bad in Sony's live-action film adaptation of Nintendo's beloved videogame franchise.

Deadline's report also claims that Latukefu has inked a multi-picture deal — a crucial detail that implies that, should the Zelda film be a critical and commercial success, Latukefu will return as the power-hungry Gerudo warlock in at least one sequel.

Latukefu isn't the only actor who's all but confirmed to appear in The Legend of Zelda's big-screen reimagining.

In a separate article, Deadline reported that Severance star Dichen Lachmann will portray Zelda's bodyguard Impa in the live-action film. This apparent confirmation comes months after Lachmann was supposedly spotted on set with Bo Bragason's Zelda — the latter of whom was announced as the titular character in July 2025. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth was also revealed to be playing Link, aka The Legend of Zelda's male protagonist and hero, at the same time.

Furthermore, Deadline's sources have suggested that Yvonna Strahovski (The Handmaid's Tale) and the late, great actor Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) are also set to feature, though the identities of their characters is unknown.

Who are Sam Neill and Yvonne Strahovski playing in The Legend of Zelda Movie?

According to Deadline's sources, Strahovski will portray an unnamed queen. Immediately, fans' attentions will immediately turn to Princess Zelda's mother, who's never actually showed up in a Legend of Zelda game.

However, there are numerous other female monarchs who Strahovski could portray. That includes Queen Sonia, who — spoiler — is revealed to be Hyrule's co-founder in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This game, which is the latest entry in Nintendo's long-running and universally adored franchise, is the sequel to Breath of the Wild, which, based on The Legend of Zelda Movie's first-look images, many fans think the film is largely inspired by. If that's the case, it's possible that Strahovski could play Queen Sonia in a flashback sequence if the Zelda film incorporates aspect of Tears of the Kingdom's story into its plot.

As for Neill, who passed away from pneumonia in mid-July after a lengthy cancer battle, he might play King Rauru, aka Queen Sonia's husband. Other alternatives — in my mind, anyway — that Neill could embody in one of his final on-screen performances include King Rhoam, aka the last ruler of Hyrule, the 100-year-old Sheikh scientist Doctor Robbie, or a popular member of the Goron tribe, such as Daruk or Bludo.

Who do you think Strahovski and Neill are playing? Let me know in the comments. Once you have, find out everything we know so far about The Legend of Zelda Movie, which is now set to land in theaters worldwide on April 30, 2027.

• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier is free to keep on PC until August 13
• The game is a tactical third-person shooter set in 2024
• The giveaway comes as part of the series' 25th anniversary

Ubisoft just made a classic Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon game free to keep to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary — but you only have a few days to claim it.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier can be added to your Ubsioft Connect library on PC from August 6 until August 13 for no charge.

To get your hands on it, download the Ubisoft Connect application on your PC and create an account. If you've played recent Ubisoft releases like Assassin's Creed Blag Flag Resynced or other Ghost Recon games, then you likely already have one, and can log in using your existing details instead.

Head to the library page and then select the 'Free games' tab.

There you'll see a banner for the Ghost Recon Future Soldier giveaway. Click it to go through to the game's store page, and then hit 'Get it now' to add it to your account. You can then download and play the game.

Originally released in 2012, Ghost Recon Future Soldier is set in the then-futuristic year of 2024. It follows an elite squad of special-ops soldiers who use technology to gain an advantage in deadly battlefields around the world.

Tactical use of gadgets like drones and adaptive camouflage are keys to success, as is careful command of your AI teammates.

The game launched with a suite of multiplayer modes as well, though these were taken offline in 2022, which is unfortunate. Still, it's hard to grumble too much about a game you're getting completely for free.

The giveaway comes amid a flurry of other Ghost Recon announcements to mark the anniversary, including the release of a 4K 60fps mode for recent installment Ghost Recon Wildlands alongside the addition of a new story mission called Last Rites.

I still consider Lies of P to be the very best of the best soulslike games you can play today. Others have come close, like the tremendously underrated Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (I also have a soft spot for 2023's flawed-but-interesting Lords of the Fallen), but none have been able to match this macabre take on the tale of Pinocchio. And I'm happy to report the game really shines on Nintendo Switch 2 with the arrival of Lies of P: Complete Edition.

It's very much the same game that fans have loved since its 2023 release. However, Lies of P: Complete Edition also bundles in the phenomenal Overture expansion and all previously released cosmetic downloadable content (DLC).

As a result, this review will broadly focus on the game's performance on Nintendo Switch 2 and its overall value for money of Lies of P: Complete Edition. Be sure to read our original Lies of P review for a more complete rundown of the game itself, as well as our Lies of P: Overture review if you're curious about the unmissable massive expansion that released last year.

If you own a Nintendo Switch 2 and you've been waiting for a chance to play Lies of P, then you'll be well-served with Lies of P: Complete Edition. Not only does it bundle the base game and the expansion at a reasonable asking price, but it's also a winner in the performance department with robust graphics options and speedy load times. I really can't recommend it enough, especially after completing my third playthrough of the game via this Complete Edition.

It's not a perfect package; the more quality-centric graphics options are perhaps a tad too ambitious, leading to a very noticeable performance compromise. Plus, the inability to disable motion blur means you'll probably get sick of the smeary image created whenever you adjust the in-game camera.

But if you stick to the performance- or balance-oriented graphics modes in either docked or handheld play, you'll find that Lies of P mostly plays like a dream on Nintendo Switch 2.

Arms' length

As a quick catch-up (though once again I'll direct you to the review links above if you want to really learn more about the game before making a purchasing decision), Lies of P is a soulslike action game in the vein of FromSoftware-developed titles like Elden Ring and the Dark Souls trilogy.

That means you can expect a high level of difficulty, with tough boss encounters and tricky enemies. You can also expect intricate level design with plenty to explore off the beaten path, and robust build variety that lets you craft a playstyle that suits your preferences.

Where Lies of P sets itself apart is in its gameplay particulars. The player character, as a puppet, can equip a variety of Legion Arms, which offer effects like applying harmful status elements, pulling enemies toward you, or laying down proximity mines for crowd control.

You can also mix and match the blade and hilt of most of the game's weapons, with different combinations changing how you swing the weapon, as well as the special moves it has access to. Finally, exploring is greatly incentivized by Quartz - a rare item that lets you unlock strong passive abilities via your P-Organ setup at the homebase of Hotel Krat. Such passives include more healing item uses, more amulet slots for applying strong combat effects, and greater effectiveness of your dodge roll.

Lies of P can be an extremely tough game, but there are two easier difficulty options if you'd prefer a more casual experience. These can be changed at any time, so feel free to switch them around if you find you're having too hard (or too easy) of a time; the game does not punish you or lock away any content on those easier difficulties.

P for Performance

So let's break down how Lies of P: Complete Edition runs on Nintendo Switch 2, specifically. In docked mode, on TV, you have three settings. The performance-centered option lets you play at a full 60fps, and it's tremendously smooth with little in the way of hiccups. The downside here is you lose quite a bit of graphical detail, with greatly simplified environmental detail and particle effects.

The quality-centered option swings a bit too far in the opposite direction, and while it does offer some nice-looking ray-tracing, the Switch 2 isn't quite able to keep up the pace and performance really suffers as a result. This setting also makes the camera-based motion blur very apparent, creating a Vaseline-like smear whenever you shift the camera in-game. There's no option to turn off the motion blur, either, so I would recommend avoiding this setting in both docked and handheld modes.

I personally found that the 'Balanced' setting offered the best results. This had the best balance between frame rate (a stable 30fps) and graphical detail. If you're going to play on TV, this is the graphics option I would strongly recommend.

There are still some caveats that are apparent across all graphics modes, though. There's very noticeable object pop-in for distant objects, especially in the game's denser areas like the Lorenzini Arcade or Overture's Krat Zoo. It's not game-breaking by any means, but it shows that some compromises had to be made for more stable performance on Switch 2.

Another annoying thing about this Switch 2 version is that you can only change graphics options from the title screen menu. That means you'll have to back out from the game to the menu every single time you want to change things up. This is another reason why I recommend just setting the game to Balanced mode from the jump. It offers the best visual quality to performance balance, and I would only suggest swapping to the performance-centered mode if you're desperate for 60fps gameplay.

On that note, a 60fps graphics option is coming to handheld mode via a day-one patch, so I was unable to test that during the review period.

Should I play Lies of P: Complete Edition?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Lies of P: Complete Edition has a basic set of accessibility options. There are three colorblind modes (protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia), as well as the option to adjust subtitle display and size. Full button rebinding is also supported, and as mentioned in the review, there are two easier difficulty options if the going gets a bit too tough.

How I reviewed Lies of P: Complete Edition

I played Lies of P: Complete Edition for 20 hours for this review. That playtime included most of the base game and the first handful of areas within the Overture DLC. I tested all graphics modes available during the review period, including quality, performance, and balanced options.

I played Lies of P: Complete Edition primarily in docked mode on an LG CX OLED TV with a Switch 2 Pro Controller, swapping over to handheld mode every so often to get a feel for overall performance there, too. I also hooked up my RIG R5 Spear Pro HS gaming headset for more immersive audio while playing in handheld mode.

First reviewed July-August 2026

• Earlier this year, Microsoft confirmed that the price of Xbox consoles would rise in August, but did not reveal how much they would cost in the UK
• Now the prices are public, and the reaction has been overwhelmingly negative
• It follows a wider trend of increased prices driven by the sharp rise in the cost of RAM

Earlier this year, Microsoft confirmed that it would be raising the prices of its Xbox consoles worldwide in August, but it left the prices outside of the US a mystery. Now the price hike has actually arrived, we know how much everything now costs in the UK — and it's pretty bleak.

The price of the once entry-level 512GB Xbox Series S has shot up by £130 to an eye-watering £429.99. That's more than the newer Nintendo Switch 2 system, which retails for £395.99.

A 1TB Xbox Series X is now £669.99 (up from £499.99), meaning that there's only a £120 difference between it and the competing PlayStation 5 Pro, which costs £789.99 despite offering significantly more storage and more powerful specs.

You can see all the price changes below:

Here are the new prices in the US, which were announced back in June, for comparison:

The raised prices come as the consumer electronics market is being squeezed by a global RAM shortage, which has caused the cost of key components to skyrocket. Market analysts have also said that the US-Israel war with Iran could further compound issues.

The price of other devices like laptops, phones, and tablets has also risen, but video game consoles are often sold with slim, or sometimes no, margin, which makes manufacturers particularly susceptible to rising costs.

Back in April, Sony raised the prices of its PlayStation 5 consoles by $100 / £100, citing "continued pressures in the global economic landscape". Only Nintendo has not put up the cost of its hardware since it released, though a former employee has warned that it is "inevitable."

Although part of a wider trend, the reaction to the new Xbox prices has still been overwhelmingly negative. A user on gaming forum Resetera described it as the "final nail in the coffin" for Xbox, which has struggled with sharply declining sales year-over-year.

"Makes no difference, no one is buying them either way," wrote another commenter, with others remarking on how difficult it can be to even find any Xbox products on sale in stores in Europe.

Even users that have already bought systems at lower prices seem worried: "My main concern is if a console breaks I can't afford another," one added.

I've been an avid PC gamer since the early 1990s. My first computer, bought specifically to play Star Wars: X-Wing, was a plucky 486DX running at 33MHz (cutting-edge at the time — well, only behind the 486DX2, but that was too pricey). I have fond memories of playing Doom on the office LAN and getting addicted to Quake when online gaming began (thanks to QuakeWorld, which made dial-up modem play viable as opposed to an utter lag-fest).

I could ramble on with nostalgic gaming recollections, but the point is I played Quake obsessively — to a high competitive level in a clan — then I lived and breathed EverQuest for several years, and down the line, I was totally lost in World of Warcraft for another few years, and so on.

I've always been a PC gamer, through and through — I did swear off MMORPGs, mind, as I can't be trusted not to lose large chunks of my life to them. From time-to-time, I've owned a console too, but it's always been by backup, second-string gaming machine, used sparingly.

Not anymore, though. My PC is now used just for work, and I haven't played a game on it for a year or so.

I am now, officially, a PS5 gamer. A console is my main gaming machine for the first time in my life. So, how did that happen?

A vow revoked and a lesson learned

If you happen to have read my past articles, you may recall that at the end of 2024, I vowed I wasn't going to buy a PS5 Pro last year. My masterplan was to avoid purchasing a new console, and use my gaming PC on the main TV in the living room for couch co-op sessions with my wife instead, while still being able to game in the study with my computer if I wanted.

Then came Black Friday in November of 2025, and I did a complete 180. I pulled the trigger on a good deal on a PS5 Pro bundle.

What changed during the course of 2025? Firstly, I realized that running cables from a PC in the study through to the living room TV is more of a hassle than I'd anticipated. Getting everything set up at the end of each week, ahead of my weekend gaming sessions, quickly became tiresome.

Moreover, I found my long HDMI cable wasn't reliable enough. The picture on my Sony OLED TV kept flickering, which was maddening, frankly. And for no apparent reason, too — sometimes it'd happen, sometimes it wouldn't. I never found out why. I also had occasional issues with my game controllers (typical PC hardware gremlins that were perfectly resolvable, but still a pain).

On top of that, having held off on buying a GPU upgrade for my PC — my plan for the money I would've spent on a PS5 (and did eventually spend on the console) — I was put off by issues around the RTX 5070 when it arrived. This was the graphics card I really had my eye on, but it was a disappointing incarnation in terms of its performance upgrade (and that 12GB of VRAM). The initial above-MSRP price only rubbed salt into these wounds.

The prices of AMD's rival GPUs were off-putting, too, in the early days of RDNA 4 — although that did change, and I came close to buying an RX 9070 XT when pricing finally settled down.

However, at that point, it was too late. I was already frustrated with my whole piping-the-PC-from-the-study situation, and by the time that Black Friday PS5 Pro bundle bargain popped up (it really was a great deal), I just couldn't resist.

I absolutely don't regret that decision, nor am I upset about buying a console with the money that was earmarked for upgrading my ailing RTX 2060 Super. That's not to say I don't miss some things about PC gaming, or that I'm not super-annoyed about Sony's latest stunt regarding discs.

I'm going to cover both sides of this gaming coin here. First, I'll tell you why I'm loving my time with the PS5 Pro now, before discussing what I don't like on the Sony side of the fence, and the clear, undeniable strengths of PC gaming.

PlayStation bliss

I did own a PS4 Pro before — as my second-string gaming device, backing up my PC — and it's striking just how much slicker the PS5 Pro is. For one thing, I found my PS4 Pro to be the noisiest console I've ever had, by far. It was noisier than any PC I've owned, and some vacuum cleaners for that matter.

The PS5 Pro is nicely quiet, super-fast to boot up, and more importantly to wake and sleep. This means it's dead easy to fire up the console for a very quick gaming session if I only have 10 minutes to spare and just want to dip into something briefly, or to pause a session (put the console in rest mode) if I need to pop out. It all feels very seamless, and there's not a snaking USB extension cable or HDMI lead in sight.

Visually, everything looks top-notch on my 4K OLED TV, too. Baldur's Gate 3 — yes, I was very late to the RPG — looked nothing short of fantastic, and the PS5 allowed me to play the adventure co-op with my wife in what was the best co-operative gaming experience I've ever had. Being able to dip in and out so easily, as we cooked dinner, then ate, then fed the dog, going back and forth to the living room in-between, was a major boon.

The PS5 has reminded me just how good couch co-op can be, and I've been enjoying indie games like Dysmantle, which has same-screen co-op (like Baldur's Gate 3). We've been playing a bunch of these games — it's the Diablo 4 expansions next, if you're curious (we played the base game on PS4, so I'm keen to see how good the game looks on its successor console).

The PS5 controllers were an unexpected bonus, too. They're so much better than the PS4, and they even fit my wife's smaller hands (she finds many controllers too big and painfully cumbersome, but not the DualSense).

Of course, a clear benefit of the PS5 over the PC is that there's no messing about with GPU drivers. By which I mainly mean poring through Reddit 'megathreads' worrying about whether the latest Game Ready installment is actually going to be a step backwards for my PC, perhaps in terms of performance for a particular game or bugs (or broken features). Windows 11 bugs are another issue, too. (Yes, there can be software glitches on the PlayStation, but nothing like what some PC gamers must endure at times.)

Then there's the RAM crisis. Buying PC components is just getting more and more painful. Obviously RAM and SSD prices are through the roof already, but PC gamers waiting on a GPU upgrade (as I was) are facing unpleasant hikes due to the price of video memory (VRAM). Indeed, the latest rumor from YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed is potential price hikes to the tune of 40% in some cases with Nvidia GeForce GPUs. Add plenty of seasoning with that assertion, of course, but it's clear enough that GPUs are getting pricier due to VRAM increases, especially for graphics cards loaded up with more of this memory (naturally). CPUs are in line to get more expensive, too.

The crisis in general is predicted to intensify as this year rolls on, and 2027 could be worse still — perhaps the worst ever year for the memory industry, alarmingly. With no need to upgrade my desktop, I'm glad to be out of this gloomy environment of spiraling costs. The situation has turned planning PC upgrade paths, which used to be a rather fun, sometimes even exciting, exercise, into a thoroughly depressing experience.

You might now be shouting at your screen about Sony hiking PlayStation prices, too, and that's a fair point. But I won't have to worry about upgrading my console, and it will happily sit in my living room for the next few years, blissfully not needing any new components (while my work PC can carry on happily with its RTX 2060 Super).

Granted, that's just my personal situation, and if you are thinking about buying a Sony console, with the new price of the PS5 Pro, I don't know if I'd recommend pushing for it over the vanilla PS5 now. (I got mine on sale for about 60% of the current lowest retail price). The base PS5 is still a great console, though, and it'll likely make a lot more sense for the average gamer — especially come Black Friday, when with any luck, there'll be some good deals around once again.

PC strong suits

There are a good number of plus points for PC gaming versus consoles, so as promised, I'll examine the other side of the equation here, and pick out what I particularly miss.

There are some notable downsides with console gaming, including that you need to pay for a subscription to access online multiplayer (in the main, although obviously that doesn't include free games like Fortnite). This doesn't bother me personally because I don't really play online anymore — as I said early, it's mostly about local co-op for me these days. But I totally get why having to pay for a monthly plan irks gamers who want to play the latest shooter, strategy epic, or whatever else, online.

What does bother me, though, is the price of the actual games on the PlayStation. One of the major strengths of the PC is that games are cheaper than they are on console, from big-name releases (which still command a weighty premium... just not as hefty as on consoles) through to a raft of indie titles, which are often very competitively priced.

Not only this, but you get regular Steam sales where some games get huge discounts (and you can pick up older titles in particular for a song), or value-crammed GOG bundles, and also the likes of Epic giving away some compelling offerings for free. You don't get any of this on the PlayStation, and Sony's store does seem to like to charge a lot, even for older titles. For me, this is probably the biggest drawback with shifting over to being a PS5 gamer.

A recent development compounded the situation, too, when we learned that Sony is doing away with physical discs for the PlayStation. I was already aware of the situation with the price of PlayStation games, of course, which is why when I bought my PS5, I chose a bundle with a disc drive.

That meant I could pick up, for example, the physical disc copy of Split Fiction for 40% less than the digital copy on the PlayStation Store. I can also currently purchase second-hand, older games on disc at a considerable saving. But all these possibilities are heading rapidly out the window when 2028 rolls around, and Sony enacts its plan to push physical media completely aside with the PlayStation.

I won't go into this controversy in depth here – we've covered it extensively elsewhere — but suffice it to say that I'm not happy about the idea at all, and it feels like a cynical and generally anti-consumer practice. And no matter how many gamers sign petitions (here have been a lot) it doesn't seem like Sony is going to backtrack on this one (aside from maybe niche collector's editions or the like, and if we're lucky enough to get those, they will of course cost a fortune).

You could argue that the PC is digital-only already: desktops don't come with disc drives anymore, those days are long gone. But what Sony is doing is quite different, given that PC gaming is an open platform bristling with different stores and options for digital purchases, whereas Sony has the PlayStation ecosystem locked down to its store. With physical media banished, a key choice and avenue for money-saving (don't forget, you can also recoup money by selling on your disc copy of a game) is removed, and Sony has an unhealthy level of control over the whole shooting match.

Okay, so I don't feel like the PlayStation disc drive I bought is useless — it'll be good for a long while yet, and I'll still be able to play older games on it, including my PS4 back catalog, plus I can use it for Blu-rays. Regardless, this Sony decision is a painful kick in the shin.

Finally, another obvious plus point for PC gaming is the variety of mods floating around and customization possibilities in general, which you don't get with a console. The PC is quite simply a more open platform all-round — although in my case, modding isn't something that I'm all that into anyway.

Disc-less Elysium

Let me finish by pointing out the obvious: a lot of this is very subjective. You may have quite different opinions. You might live and breathe mods. You might want games to look out-of-this-world, with visual options cranked to the max (and be able to afford the necessary PC hardware to achieve that). You may never want to play a shooter without a mouse and keyboard (I get that one, but I'm okay with a controller now — and I don't play competitively anymore).

You may never, ever, abandon your gaming PC. They may have to extract it from your cold, hardened claws after rigor mortis has set in, having expired clutching the object you love most in the world, in the hopes somehow taking it with you into the afterlife.

The point is, there are all sorts of pros and cons to be tailored for your own personal take on the gaming PC versus console debate. But for me, I'm really happy with my PS5 and I am looking forward to enjoying my living room, and co-op, gaming experiences for years to come... discs or no discs.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has become a bit of a meme in my house. It’s basically the only game that my non-gaming partner and I were equally excited about on its release. Every time I’ve gotten my hands on a new gaming machine, the immediate question was ‘can it run Flight Simulator?’, to which the answer was always, regrettably, no.

Which is why when I recently picked up a second-hand Xbox Series X and subscribed to Game Pass Ultimate, there was a lot of excitement when I realized we could finally play Flight Simulator in all its graphical glory. I jumped at the chance to finally lose my chocks, slip the surly bonds of earth, and crash my plane into the face of god.

What a wonderful world

My eldest brother was a bit of a Flight Sim nerd back in the day. So my impression of flight simulators was pretty firmly defined by their late 1980s incarnations — essentially just some flat polygons and super-aliased lines in two-point perspective, accompanied by a bunch of truly incomprehensible dials. Having utterly ignored the development of flight simulators ever since, it’s safe to say that when I saw how far they’d come in the last almost four decades, it was a bit of a shock to the system.

A lot of the praise that was heaped on Flight Simulator 2024 when it was released centered on how gorgeous the graphics were. And even playing now, some two years down the line, that praise holds up. Lighting effects are exquisite, with sunsets over enormous bodies of water like Lake Titicaca looking almost absurdly true to life. Weather effects and realistic day/night cycles only emphasise this, making the world around you feel fluid and organic.

But the biggest graphical draw for me is knowing that there’s a whole world meticulously rebuilt from satellite data for me to soar over. Flying down the Grand Canyon, the scale is still absolutely breathtaking, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to gun my little prop plane down over all the rapids in the Colorado River. Likewise, when I flew over Machu Picchu, the landscape is truly stunning, and there’s a real joy in winding along the surrounding valleys, watched over by lofty mountains. The level of detail is genuinely mind-blowing.

While cities aren’t quite as perfectly rendered as the landscape — the game’s algorithm makes a lot of assumptions when filling in the gaps from the satellite data — visiting places you know well is genuinely a bit uncanny. I landed my little prop plane in my street, and it felt a little surreal to stare at my own front door when I was sat mere feet away inside. Flight Sim also does a wonderful job of recreating local landmarks: it was so fun checking out Bath’s Royal Crescent, even if the game’s algorithm insisted on popping little corner shops at the base of every Georgian townhouse.

Given it’s based on satellite data, some areas are a little less exciting than others. For example, I decided to check out the thick Congolese rainforest and was rewarded with a flat, unbroken canopy for 100 miles in every direction. I know, right? Bro shocked a rainforest contains trees. But not every journey is going to be a scenic smorgasbord, so some flights are going to be more droolworthy than others.

Still, playing Flight Simulator 2024 is one heck of a visual treat. And I would regularly fire up the game just so I could check out a favorite landmark or explore a new patch of sky.

Brace for landing

Okay, so we’ve established that Flight Simulator 2024 is a very pretty game. But there’s a reason there are as many flying enthusiasts working toward getting their pilot’s license as there are casual sightseers playing the game. Because, underneath all the gloss and sheen lies the cold steel endoskeleton of an unflinchingly brutal simulator.

Having invested 12 hours in Flight Simulator 2024 so far, I’ve gone from being truly, hauntingly terrible at it to simply being really bad. Honestly, I’ve heard the word ‘stall’ so many times at this point, I’ll likely still wake up with it echoing in my ears in my sweat-drenched retirement home bed some half a century from now. Even though I’ve now qualified for my commercial licence, I feel nothing but pity for the virtual passengers that board my plane, as I know they have at best a 40% chance of reaching their destination in one piece.

Part of the reason for this is that the simulation is just staggeringly realistic. There’s an enormous number of variables to manage, all of which you can manage via controller shortcuts or direct from the cockpit controls, if you really want to double down on the masochism. Get the balance of these slightly wrong — for example, getting your pitch a few degrees off or mismanaging your throttle — and you’ll find yourself losing height too fast or hearing the Cessna 172’s dreaded ‘stall’ warning.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve stopped making truly cringeworthy mistakes. I no longer get screamed at by air traffic control for failing to radio for clearance to hit the runway or drop out of the air ten seconds after takeoff because I’ve set my throttle too low. I’m pretty good at using trim to maintain my attitude while at cruising altitude, and I can comfortably use dead reckoning to navigate my way along my intended flight path.

But I still find landing a painful and protracted process of plate spinning that I understand in principle and yet rarely manage to nail in practice. I think I’ve hit the perfect glide path, only to find myself coming in far too low, forcing me to gun my throttle like Maverick just to avoid myself ending up a smear on the cliff face. Or I execute what I think is the perfect flare to raise my nose as I hit the tarmac, only to realize I’m going too fast and rapidly jackknife my plane face down into the runway. As Douglas Adams remarked, it’s not the fall that kills you: it’s hitting the ground at 85 knots.

All of this sounds like it should be deeply frustrating. And it is. But it’s also weirdly compelling: the more I flop off the end of the runway like a cat dripping off the edge of a table or bounce around on the tarmac like a drunken rabbit on a trampoline, the more I double down and want to nail it the next time. Because there’s something exciting about the unlimited horizons beckoning you onward.

The Nintendo Switch was nothing short of a phenomenon. It won the hearts of millions, possesses one of the greatest games libraries in console history, and became one of the highest selling systems of all time. It brought the best parts of its failing predecessor, the Wii U, forward, assuming an ultra-convenient hybrid form, and during the COVID 19 pandemic, it felt like everyone and their dog were building their perfect island on Animal Crossing: New Horizons, or racing to the finish line in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

All of that is to say, that whatever came next would have huge shoes to fill. And so, in came the Nintendo Switch 2 — a system that appeared to be less of a revolution, and more of an evolution. It took what made the Switch great and ran with it, offering higher resolution and refresh rates, a larger screen for handheld mode, and even a mouse mode.

And in some respects, the Switch 2 has hit the ground running. It’s the second-fastest selling games console in recorded US history, and at just over a year old it's already seen multiple exclusives (such as Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokémon Pokopia) release to critical acclaim. But at the same time, some have been disappointed over the lack of a 3D Mario or truly new Zelda title on the horizon, while issues around battery life and pricing have also proved to be a turn off for others.

So, this got me thinking. Would gamers consider the Switch 2 to be more of a hit, or a flop? Sure, its sales figures have been impressive, but are users satisfied with the hardware upgrades? What are their thoughts on its game catalogue?

I spoke with industry experts, fellow journalists — and most importantly, you, our wonderful readers, and it proved to be a fascinating experience. I heard a lot of varying viewpoints, and now I’m here to report back.

Hit or miss: the expert take

To begin with, I spoke with Mat Piscatella, Executive Director of Games at the Market Research firm Circana, who had some excellent insight into the commercial performance of the Nintendo Switch 2.

“Well, over its first 12 months in the market, Nintendo Switch 2 hit 5.9M units sold in the US,” Piscatella told me.

This, he noted, ensured it became the second fastest-selling video game hardware in the US since Circana’s records began in 1995 — finishing behind the Game Boy Advance only. “If that's not considered a hit, I'm not sure what would be,” he remarked.

“For the 2026 year-to-date period ending May, US hardware spending in total was up 37% compared to the same period a year ago,” Piscatella said. He stated that this was “entirely driven by Nintendo Switch 2 as double-digit percentage sales declines were experienced across the other in market platforms”.

He also highlighted high sales of software, such as Donkey Kong Bananza, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Pokémon: Pokopia, and Mario Kart World, a game which was largely obtained via a bundle with the system.

So far so good, then, for Piscatella, who also highlighted the benefit of the Switch 2’s backwards compatibility — giving users access to thousands of unique titles from the original system.

He did flag that June date may indicate “tough year-on-year comp for the system,” largely due to sales being compared to the launch month. “After that we should see Switch 2 continue to perform well into its announced September price increase. Then we'll have to see what happens."

What does the TechRadar team think?

The early signs have been promising, commercially speaking, but our Managing Editor of Social & Engagement (and Nintendo enthusiast), Josephine Watson, says that “the Switch 2 needed more than sales to break Nintendo’s generational curse of yo-yo-ing console success. It needed sticking power”. So, one year on, has it stuck the landing?

She argued that the Switch 2’s weaker holiday sales and subsequent production cuts suggest that “the console has yet to prove its mettle in the same way the first-generation [Switch] did, even with such high sales figures in its first year.” Despite this, she did acknowledge the mid-lifecycle boom that the OG Switch experienced, largely due to the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons during the pandemic.

In terms of games, Watson had a somewhat mixed take, arguing that the Switch 2 had “a concerningly hollow launch title line-up carried mostly by Mario Kart World,” though she did suggest that the system gained momentum moving into the new year, especially with titles like Pokémon Pokopia and strong third-party additions like Resident Evil Requiem.

Is the Switch 2 a success one year on for Watson? “No — but yes, kinda,” she said. She lamented the lackluster battery life and pointed to how Nintendo could’ve done more to eradicate stick drift from the Joy-Con 2 controllers, but did express satisfaction with the improved processing power and refined eShop. And even though her views on the game library haven’t been entirely positive, the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, scheduled for release in 2026, “is the game-changer,” she said.

TechRadar Senior Writer, Hamish Hector, admitted that he was “a little skeptical” of the Nintendo Switch 2 — both a little before and a little after its launch. But since grabbing one in the latter stages of 2025, those worries seem to have largely dissipated.

“It has cemented itself as my go-to gaming handheld,” Hector told me. “While it doesn’t have the raw power or library breadth of my Asus ROG Xbox Ally X — a handheld gaming PC with access to Steam’s vast suite of games — the Switch 2 does still boast a solid selection of AAA ports, incredible first-party hits and superb indie darlings”.

He noted how some AAA third-party ports have varied in quality, although hit the mark more often than they miss, and most issues manifest themselves as simple “graphical performance hitches” rather than “anything majorly frustrating”. He even hailed the Switch 2’s value for money, emphasizing that “At $449.99 / £395.99 it’s much more affordable than any worthwhile PC handheld, and even after its upcoming price hike to $499.99 it’ll still be a solid pickup”.

Here’s what our audience has to say

We’ve heard a range of views so far, albeit generally positive ones. It feels as if the general consensus is that the Nintendo Switch 2 has been an overall success, with a strong start in terms of sales and a commendable library to match. But I was most excited to hear from were you, our audience. So, I asked, and you answered: here’s whether you considered the Switch 2 to be a hit or a flop.

I asked our audience about their feelings on the Switch 2 across multiple platforms. With our poll here on the TechRadar website and over on WhatsApp, users were given four choices: 'It’s a hit'; 'it’s pretty good'; 'it’s a little disappointing'; and 'it’s a flop'. We got 892 votes, and the breakdown was as follows.

Over on YouTube, we wanted to try a more direct approach and gave our audience only two options: hit or flop. We received 446 votes (at the time of writing), with 61% selecting ‘hit’, and 39% going with ‘flop’.

But what do these results actually tell us? At a glance, the picture seems pretty divided. Across all of our polls on our website, WhatsApp, and YouTube, we received 1,338 responses. Of those, 693 (51.8%) were generally positive on the Switch 2 (respondents called it ‘a hit’ or ‘pretty good’), whereas 645 (48.2%) were generally more negative (respondents either selected ‘it’s a little disappointing’ or ‘it’s a flop’).

Over on our Facebook page, the reasons for such division became clear, with a wide range of differing opinions floating around.

Of course, the very meaning of ‘hit or flop’ in itself can be interpreted in a number of ways. One commenter, Andreas Carmblad, stated that “hit or flop is reflected in the sales figures,” suggesting that Nintendo’s new console has been a success so far.

Others were more focused on the quality of the system’s software lineup, with most talking up the first-party line-up — though one commenter described the current set of exclusives as “woeful,” adding “hopefully a few big releases can turn it around [like] OoT and a new 3D Mario game”.

Elsewhere, commenters expressed disappointment over the console’s battery life in handheld mode — understandable given that it can run flat in around 2 hours with more demanding games.

However, many considered the new hardware changes to be a hit, with Tim McDougall saying “It's an improvement in almost every way [over the original Switch] and it's now much closer in performance to the current gen home consoles. It's 99% backwards compatible with the first Switch, with many performance benefits. I'd say it's a success”.

I was slightly surprised to see so many members of our poll select ‘slightly’ disappointed in our poll, and I expect that this comes down to a sentiment that the console is still a few games short of being a true must-have for all gamers. However, with Zelda and Pokémon games releasing soon, a lot of opinions could be swayed — and I suspect a blockbuster Mario title would only seal the deal.

What I was pleased to see, however, is that very few members of our audience (10.4% in our main poll) consider the Switch 2 to be an outright flop. After all, the sales speak for themselves, and there have been a lot of very well received exclusives early in the system’s lifecycle.

Some personal thoughts

This brings me onto my personal thoughts. I pre-ordered the Nintendo Switch 2, and my expectations were high for the new system. Although I loved the original Switch’s library and appreciated its flexibility, the truth is, I actually didn’t love it all that much. For me, quality often felt overly compromised in handheld mode, with a lot of intensive titles struggling to reach up to 60fps. But the Switch 2 changed everything.

Now, I can enjoy titles in full HD at 60fps (and sometimes up to 120fps) in handheld mode, and I feel like the gap in quality when playing on the go — rather than in front of the TV — has shortened. What’s more, the Switch 2’s Handheld Mode Boost means that I can enjoy my original Switch games as if I was playing them with my system docked — a truly fantastic feature.

Then there’s the games. Controversially, I consider Mario Kart World to be the series’ best entry since the Wii generation, with a return to the true chaos and zaniness that made the games great in the first place — with knockout mode and the bizarre cast of characters being highlights for me. I’ve also had a blast with DK and Pokémon Pokopia, have spent countless hours racing in Kirby Air Riders, and exploring in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book.

The Switch 2 has also managed to do what the original model never could for me, in that I now often choose Nintendo for third party experiences. The brilliant combination of portability and higher fidelity visuals has made grinding in Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake or playing detective in Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army feel free of compromise.

Pair that with impressive sales performance, more convenient magnetic Joy-Cons, and even some pretty impressive virtual surround sound processing, and the Switch 2, in my eyes, is a sure-fire hit.

Yes, I share many users’ battery life gripes, and I personally believe that some of the first party games are far too pricey — I mean, $79.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95 for a physical copy of Mario Kart World? Really? But even with incoming price hikes, I’d consider Nintendo’s latest hardware to offer plenty of bang for your buck, and although I’d love to get Super Mario Odyssey 2 within the next year or so, I’m perfectly satisfied with the current, and upcoming crop of titles at this stage.

Loath as I am to say it, the future of gaming platforms isn’t looking so rosy right now. Windows is increasingly becoming more recalcitrant, constantly throwing hurdles in the faces of PC gamers in the form of performance-ruining updates and unsolicited AI implementations. And in the console world, Sony has irked everyone by ditching physical games from January 2028, while the recent bout of mass layoffs at Xbox belies its ‘back on track’ messaging.

Meanwhile, Valve appears to be going in the opposite direction. It already has a big advantage in the form of Steam, near enough the default storefront and launcher for PC gamers everywhere. Why, it’s generated an estimated $11.1bn in gross revenue in the first half of this year already. With pockets as deep as these, and without having to divert its earnings to shareholders (given it’s still, for now, a private company), that’s cash it can invest in expansion.

So is now the perfect time for Valve to break out, capitalize on its competitors’ floundering and shoot its shot at making SteamOS the next big platform?

SteamOS vs Windows

There’s no question that SteamOS has been quite the success already. This is almost entirely thanks to the success of the Steam Deck, Valve’s hugely popular device that launched in 2022 and kickstarted a mini revolution in handheld gaming. It runs SteamOS 3, which is based on the Arch Linux distribution and far superior to its initial Debian iterations. These were used on the original Steam Machines of 2015, and are no doubt part of the reason for the discontinuation of the units in 2018.

The big advantage of SteamOS 3 is its support for Proton, the compatibility layer that allows Windows games to run on Linux devices. Although it predates the Steam Deck, Proton found its calling on the handheld, proving a lot of doubters wrong by running a large library of modern games well on a small, portable device. Even AAA titles such as 007 First Light and Cyberpunk 2077 are perfectly playable, along with plenty of others.

But Valve is no longer confining its operating system to the Steam Deck and Steam Machine. It’s recently expanded support to ARM, AMD and Intel devices, which means it can run on more devices such as the Lenovo Legion Go S and the Asus ROG Ally. Chris Hewish, a former Executive Producer at Activision and current President of gaming MoR Xsolla, explains the advantages of running SteamOS on such devices over Windows 11.

“With the SteamOS 3.8 release in June, Valve officially took the OS beyond the Steam Deck to the ROG Ally line, and Lenovo's Legion Go family, and early Intel support is starting to pull devices like the MSI Claw into the fold," he tells me. "On the same hardware, reviewers keep finding it ahead of Windows 11 where handheld players actually feel it: battery life, sleep and resume, and an interface built for a controller instead of a desktop squeezed onto a seven-inch screen.”

So, does the continued success of SteamOS rely on expanding to more hardware? Greg Weller, Head of Gaming Partnerships at Generation Media, and someone with over 20 years of industry experience — which includes stints at Rockstar Games and Bethesda Softworks — thinks so.

“The opportunity is significantly bigger if SteamOS continues to be device agnostic," he says. "The Steam Deck proved Valve could build a fantastic hardware experience, but the bigger strategic opportunity is allowing consumers to carry their Steam ecosystem across multiple devices rather than tying it to one piece of hardware.”

He continues: “We're seeing the same evolution across other entertainment sectors, like music, film and television, which have largely moved beyond device-specific experiences. People increasingly expect their content to follow them rather than the other way around. So, Valve hardware can absolutely remain the benchmark experience, but if SteamOS becomes the connective layer between a player's library, identity and multiple devices, that's a much bigger opportunity.”

However, not everyone in the industry shares this view. “SteamOS’ success largely depends on Valve's hardware for now and how far they actually push the OS itself,” says André Pimenta Ribeiro, CEO and co-founder of Anybrain, whose behavioral AI tools are used in popular online games such as Arc Raiders and The Finals.

He adds: “SteamOS’ success largely depends on Valve's hardware for now and how far they actually push the OS itself. I think Valve’s best case here is to grow to a broader, more casual audience through its own hardware and by offering its massive library to the mainstream player base, rather than exporting SteamOS to more devices in general. Once Valve hardware or SteamOS reach more mainstream adoption, then opening up the ecosystem makes sense. For now it feels mostly like a development play.”

Sticking points

If SteamOS wants a larger slice of the gaming pie, though, there are certain obstacles it needs to overcome. Hewish points to one of the system’s major sticking points: its incompatibility with games requiring anti-cheat tools.

“Kernel-level anti-cheat either does not run on Linux or has not been enabled there," he says. "Until the biggest competitive games work reliably through Proton, SteamOS is not a no-compromise choice. It is an 'as long as you don't play those games' choice, and those games are some of the most played in the world.”

Another problem is what Hewish calls “hardware breadth,” explaining that: “Windows still has the deepest compatibility layer for the long tail: niche peripherals, capture cards, VR headsets, external GPUs. If the reports about official GeForce support come to pass, that closes a meaningful piece of the gap, since SteamOS has effectively been an AMD platform until now.”

Of course, the other advantage of Windows is that once you’re done gaming, you can switch to using it as an everyday computer. “SteamOS is deliberately narrow, a console-like shell, and that focus is a strength on a handheld,” says Hewish. “But if it wants to take on Windows more broadly, the path into desktop mode for a browser, schoolwork, or a spreadsheet has to get smoother.”

SteamOS vs consoles

But what about SteamOS as a console competitor? The revitalized Steam Machine launched in June this year was hotly anticipated, and looked like a serious contender to the PlayStation-Xbox-Nintendo triumvirate. Russell Kay, a former Grand Theft Auto developer and Head of popular 2D engine GameMaker, believes it was a success in bringing SteamOS to a wider audience.

“In the living room, SteamOS is now a proper alternative to a console,” he says. "The library is already there, and so is the audience. Millions of people have a huge digital collection sitting on Steam, and SteamOS finally gives them a way to put that under the TV instead of on a console. That's a real advantage no other platform has.”

However, he says: “The real problem is the price — Steam Machines cost more than a console. A gap that’s unlikely to close anytime soon thanks to the rising cost of RAM and hardware.”

And there are other issues for SteamOS in the console space. Hewish explains: “The Steam Machine needs reasons to exist beyond ‘runs your existing library’. Consoles win on curation and exclusives as much as hardware. That fight is about habit and content, not benchmarks. Close the anti-cheat gap and keep the hardware momentum, and ‘the default handheld OS’ is realistic within a couple of years. [But] the living room is a longer climb no matter what the software does.”

Ribeiro, meanwhile, thinks: "[Valve] can make a splash against this weaker console market, but right now it's still a niche system for a specific subset of people — growing beyond that depends on where they take it. Valve is known for doing its own thing, and that’s not always conducive to serving the broader global ecosystem of casual players. I think it makes sense from the perspective that they want to grow beyond a distribution platform, but the extent of impact and its longevity is still to be seen.”

He concludes: “I already see Steam devices akin to consoles, such as the Steam Deck and Steam Machine. I wouldn’t replace my Windows PC or mobile device with it, but vs the existing console ecosystem, that’s more a toss-up.”

The future of SteamOS

It seems fairly clear-cut, then, that SteamOS is clearly leading the way when it comes to handheld gaming. But a push beyond that realm to usurp Windows or seriously challenge consoles is less certain.

Ultimately, Hewish sees it this way: “Windows still wins in two places: games with kernel-level anti-cheat, and anything you want to do that is not gaming. And in the living room it is early days. The new Steam Machine only started shipping at the end of June. So I would put it this way: [SteamOS is] a genuine competitor on handhelds today, and a credible but very young challenger in the living room.”

Of course, the high price of the Steam Machine certainly dampened its appeal. The consensus seems to be that while it was a capable device, it was too expensive to present a viable challenge to the living room market. Of course, the seemingly interminable RAM crisis threw a spanner in the works, even crashing the Steam Deck’s party thanks to a price hike that put a serious dent in its sales. But the fact remains the PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S all undercut the Steam Machine considerably.

But perhaps there’s hope yet for the Gabecube and other SteamOS implementations besides handhelds. After all, Hewish makes the point that having one platform dominate isn’t especially useful for game developers.

He says: “If you make games for a living, you do not actually want any single platform to win outright, even one you like. Concentration is where leverage goes to die. When one storefront or operating system controls the path to players, it eventually controls the terms, the fees, and the relationship. The healthiest ending to this story is not SteamOS replacing Windows. It is real competition at the platform layer, because that is what forces every gatekeeper to treat developers and players better. SteamOS taking a real share does exactly that.”

He further adds: “My bet is SteamOS becomes the preferred choice for people buying a device specifically to game, and Windows holds wherever one device has to do it all.”

Weller sees another benefit to the gradual permeation of SteamOS.

He says: “SteamOS has already established itself as a credible competitor, but not in the way people traditionally define competition. Rather than trying to replace Windows or persuade console players to switch overnight, SteamOS is reducing friction between players and the game libraries they've already invested in, allowing people to take their Steam ecosystem into more places and devices.”

“This reflects a much bigger shift happening across entertainment. Historically, consumers bought hardware first and then built a content library around it. Now, they're increasingly buying into ecosystems. Players care less about the operating system they're using and more about whether their games, saves, achievements, friends and purchases move seamlessly between devices.”

Gaming ecosystems have become important for another reason. “Our research found 72% of players discover games through social media, 67% through YouTube and 53% through platform stores such as Steam, PlayStation Store and Xbox Store," Weller explains. "Platform ecosystems have become both the storefront and the discovery engine. So SteamOS isn't simply an operating system but another touchpoint within a much broader ecosystem.”

“Valve's long-term competitive advantage has never been selling games, but focusing on the surrounding ecosystem: community features, recommendations, cloud saves, and overall experience of staying connected to your library. Those are the areas where Valve can continue to differentiate, rather than relying on exclusivity.”

The point about community features is an important one. The community around Steam has played a major role in the platform cultivating its loyal fanbase and the general good will of gamers. Its openness to mods and add-ons via its Workshop is a large part of this. And, as Kay points out, although games purchased on its storefront do contain DRM, “[it has] been one of the better stories when it comes to DRM". So if SteamOS wants to expand its horizons beyond handhelds, it needs to retain the element that sets it apart from other, closed-off gaming platforms.

Do you think SteamOS is going to be the next big platform in gaming? Vote in the poll below, and if you want to say more, why not leave a comment as well?

Having been put on Konami’s backburner for over a decade, Silent Hill’s resurgence has been nothing short of extraordinary.

A tepid start with Ascension and The Short Message was counterbalanced by the excellent Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober Team and the homegrown Japanese horrors of Silent Hill f from NeoBards. The series seems like it’s now heading further in the right direction with the next game, Silent Hill: Townfall.

Early this month I played three hours of Silent Hill: Townfall and spoke with both Screen Burn director Jon McKellan and Konami series producer Motoi Okamoto about the game’s approach to retro tech, the Scottish setting, and cultural authenticity.

Going retro

Silent Hill: Townfall follows a man named Simon Ordell in the fictional town of St. Amelia, Scotland. As he wakes up, he finds the entire place shrouded in fog. Slowly walking around, I eventually pick up a pocked CRTV television, which is used for both gameplay and narrative reasons. It's Townfall’s primary mechanic and star of the show. Through it, you can see old static video recordings of Simon’s mysterious partner, Zoe Ellis, who is seemingly his connection to this island.

The radio’s screen also typically shows you the next place to go, which means it’s up to you to search around town until you find the correct spot. Additionally, you can hold up the radio to see through walls to check a monster’s position. It’s a wonderful twist on a common trope. In similar games, protagonists sometimes come with a ‘radar’ sense so that players can stay stealthy and avoid enemy detection. Implementing the radar into the radio itself is not only clever, but reinforces that Simon is, after all, just human, in an unrelenting world filled with monsters.

The time period that Townfall takes place in is paramount to its horror themes. A puzzle hints that the current year is 1996, which is where the mass adoption of technologies like the internet and home dial-up started happening. The transition to an increasingly connected world filled people with anxieties. Simon’s CRTV radio is just advanced enough, but is nowhere near the cutting edge technology we see today.

“The world was on a technological cusp around the mid 90s, where the internet was starting to become a thing. But you were too early to have Google Maps in your pocket and you didn't have this magic bullet for all the problems that might come up,” McKellan explained.

He continued, “So with analog tech, you feel like you can't quite rely on it. It’s a little bit uncertain, and I think that's a great place to be for horror.”

Another theme that was prominently was medicine and healthcare. As I strolled through St. Amecia, I saw protest signs littered around the town square with phrases about “taking this town back”.

I picked up collectibles and notes about St. Amecia’s local hospital, vaguely hinting at some sort of institution providing “protection.” As an American citizen in a country with mainly for-profit healthcare, my mind immediately began trying to connect the dots and figure out the story’s direction. Scotland has a public system, but perhaps some private healthcare provider came in and tried to take over? And what about the “protection” aspect? Did Simon, or someone else, snitch?

The medical symbolism doesn’t end there. Zoe herself is a nurse, and Simon also has an IV bag strapped to his arm. With ingredients found scattered throughout town, he can craft items Resident Evil-style. These include items like blood bags for his IV, which let him resurrect with a sliver of health after being killed by an enemy.

Thankfully, Townfall’s combat feels much smoother compared to Silent Hill f’s. In the latter, there always felt like a second of awkward hit stun when your melee weapons made contact with enemies. Here, smashing planks over their heads feels satisfying. The way their bodies all of sudden go limp simultaneously gives me a feeling of surprise relief every time.

Simon also eventually gets a powerful pistol that one-hit kills many monsters, rivalling even Grace Ashcroft’s Requiem from Resident Evil Requiem. The downside is that it makes a ton of noise when fired, so enemies nearby will zero in on your location. With limited ammo, it’s definitely your last resort weapon, and it’s gratifying every time it goes off.

McKellen ensured that social commentary would be at the heart of the story, similar to how Silent Hill f’s overarching message was around gender expectations. “There are a few different threads in this game that start to coalesce as the game progresses, and I think it takes people in kind of unexpected places,” he explained. McKellen is hoping that people (like me) have an idea of what’s happening, then excitedly twist our expectations.

So why does Simon have a cannula in his hand, and why does it bring him back when he dies? They’re not just gameplay gimmicks—they represent something. McKellen adds, “There's a lot behind it, and we pride ourselves as developers that everything in the game has some relevance. Nothing is there just because or to fill a void.”

Crafting different Silent Hills

Over the years, the setting for most of the Silent Hill games were, well, Silent Hill. But recently, Konami has expanded settings for the series to explore other areas. Silent Hill: The Short Message introduced “Silent Hill” as a phenomenon, where similar psychological and experiences occur outside of the titular town in Kettenstadt, Germany. Silent Hill f took the series back to its hometown in the fictional town of Ebisugaoka in 1960s Japan.

“Our current approach in branding is to introduce that concept and show similar types of psychological experiences and narratives that place outside of the boundaries of Silent Hill,” Okamoto said.

Screen Burn, headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, has a wide age range within its developers. Some grew up with the older games, while others recently discovered it through the newer releases. But the big lesson that the team learned about what’s essential to Silent Hill’s DNA is the understated nature of the stories. They’re not explicit, with plenty of room for interpretation but still feeling satisfied after finishing the game.

“You can walk away from a Silent Hill game feeling like you know something, but whether you know everything or need to discuss that with someone else was one of the big things that came out,” McKellan explained. “People were saying that after every game they would end up talking to someone else about it and having different theories.”

The studio’s last game was the sci-fi horror adventure Observation (which is also one of my favorites that you should check out), and the team grew from the game before that, Stories Untold. Both of them had technology as a major theme to convey gameplay, with Stories Untold having players interacting with computers and Observation switching between different cameras in a space station.

You can see the theme of technology rearing its head again in Townfall through the analog CRTV, as well as the phone booth players call to manually save their progress.

Townfall is also Screen Burn’s biggest game to date. The most notable departure is the freedom that players have in exploring the town. “Townfall feels like a Screen Burn game unleashed. We’re taking our narrative sensibilities, puzzle design, and attention to detail, and blowing that out to something much larger with the support of Konami and Annapurna,” said McKellan.

“So if you've played our previous games, you'll probably see a lot of common ground there.”

The future of Silent Hill

Looking ahead, Bloober Team’s remake of the first Silent Hill is set to come out after Townfall. Okamoto understood the worry players had about the series potentially becoming annualized, perhaps resulting in fatigue or lapse in quality. That's why Konami was open to new takes on the iconic horror franchise. The Short Message focused on social media, Silent Hill f was distinctly Japanese, and now Townfall is in Scotland.

With the rising cost of game development, it’s a wise idea to have other studios take on notable IP rather than just having your internal studios handle them. Not only does this result in more games being released, but outside talent can revitalize interest. I mean, Bloober Team and NeoBards are proof enough.

Okamoto, however, explained that this method was more about portraying cultural authenticity than anything else, and dependent on the kinds of projects Konami is working on.

“For example, the Metal Gear team has their own philosophy and approach for how they develop games,” Okamoto said. “At least from our perspective, with the goal being trying to create a wider, richer, and more culturally varied universe for Silent Hill, we feel that partnering with third-party developers works best.”

Silent Hill: Townfall launches on September 24 for PC and PlayStation 5.

Gaming is edging closer towards a divisive new normal, with Sony set to stop releasing physical game discs for PlayStation consoles in 2028, and Rockstar Games announcing that physical copies of Grand Theft Auto 6 will come with a download code in the box, rather than a disc.

Unsurprisingly, gamers attached to their physical media aren’t happy with either development, and the backlash online has been fierce, with PlayStation’s social media posts being met with furious demands for Sony to reverse course.

Sony’s plans, and the fact that Microsoft is seemingly set to follow suit, also mean GTA 6, one of the most anticipated games of all-time, likely won’t ever be available as a physical copy.

I spoke with Katarzyna Jakubiec, the chief business officer at G2A, an online marketplace that provides digital game keys. She told me that interest in PlayStation Store gift cards was already at record levels on the site before Sony’s and Rockstar's announcements, and GTA 6 pre-order openings have only further highlighted that trend.

G2A has become an increasingly popular way for players to save big on purchases as one of the few options for cheaper digital games. However, Jakubiec makes it clear that both physical and digital formats are pivotal in gaming.

"GTA 6 pre-orders have reinforced a trend we were already seeing rather than changing the market overnight," Jakubiec said. "During the pre-sale period, PlayStation gift card purchases on G2A reached record levels and continue to grow as anticipation for the launch builds, showing that many players are planning their purchases well ahead of release rather than waiting until launch day.

"While more players are embracing digital formats for the flexibility and convenience they offer, it's equally clear that physical copies continue to mean a great deal to many gamers, whether that's because of ownership, collection, or simply the experience of buying a physical game.

"We don't see this as an either-or conversation, and in an ideal world, people should have the choice to buy games in the format that suits them best. Physical and digital both have an important place within gaming, and different people will always have different preferences."

Unfortunately, that's not how Sony sees it; in fact, Sony's stance aligns with the idea that more consumers are purchasing more games digitally, as it makes the controversial decision to end game discs based on 'shifting trends in consumer preference', suggesting that physical game copies are becoming obsolete.

However, the reaction online and from key game industry figures like Dan Houser (Rockstar Games co-founder), who is no longer working at the game studio, indicate that gamers aren't, and frankly, never will be, done with physical game copies — and Jakubiec believes it's why figureheads within the industry need to adhere to players' different preferences.

"The reaction has been just as telling as the decision itself," she adds. "It highlights how passionate and diverse the gaming community is, and why major industry decisions need to consider the different ways people choose to buy, own, and experience their games.

She says that whether Sony decides to reconsider its plans is "ultimately for them to determine" — which seems unlikely, given that Sony has so far refused to reverse its decision, and shows no sign of changing its mind.

Jakubiec adds, "Whatever direction the industry takes, moments like this reinforce the need to listen to players and communicate those decisions clearly."

My day usually starts with a scan around major retailers, specialist sites, and deals aggregators to get a snapshot of the best tech offers that are available - and then I share the very best with you. Results can be mixed, depending on the time of year and whether there’s a major sale on, but there’s been one consistent theme lately: the deals on most PC components are atrocious.

If you’re a regular in this space, then you’re probably already well aware of the situation with RAM and storage prices over the past few months. It’s got to the point where I’ve all but given up on finding any good deals in this space, especially when there are no signs that it's improving.

Where did all the deals go?

There’s no clearer evidence of just how dire the situation is with this Samsung SSD ‘deal’ that’s currently live on Amazon. This Samsung 870 EVO is advertised as a whopping 62% off. But that’s from the current list price of, um, $1,039.99. With that price cut, it’s now down to $399.99. Almost $400 for a 2TB SATA SSD? One that has been as low as $79.99 in the past? And this counts as a deal?

That’s just a snapshot of how bleak it is shopping for PC gaming components in 2026. Worst of all, there doesn’t seem to be any positive news on the horizon. You have SSD controller manufacturers saying that “the retail SSD market has almost disappeared”, RAM prices have increased by at least 400% in some regions, and now one chip maker says its production costs are set to increase by 10% next year - so CPUs are potentially next up for price hikes.

It puts into perspective just how lucky I was when I chose to upgrade my PC towards the end of 2025. There were rumblings of price increases and stock shortages in those few months towards the end of the year, but it hadn’t reached the disastrous depths we find ourselves in now for wannabe PC builders.

I did have to wait a few months for my RAM to arrive, after the manufacturer I was about to buy RAM from completely shut down, but the cost didn’t make up nearly 50% of my entire budget like it would in today’s prices.

And my PC is very much a mid-range device with a Ryzen 9600x, a 9060XT, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB NVMe SSD, which is about all I wanted given I mostly use it for work. I do like to play the occasional game on PC that I can’t get on the PS5, or if there’s one I would prefer to play on that platform, or when prices make the PC version a more sensible choice. Those specs cover my needs nicely at a reasonable budget.

Calculating what the spend would be these days for the same spec is a terrifying exercise. It’s over £1,600 now, when I was comfortably under £1,000 at the end of last year.

What does the future hold?

With everything pointing to similar or increasing prices for a long time ahead, anyone looking for a PC upgrade has no choice but to put up with these prices for the foreseeable future. Yes, there will be a chance for some savings during Black Friday in November, but we are still looking at a significant markup compared to the savings of old.

In fact, and I usually wouldn't recommend this, but with the way component prices are lately, I'd actually lean more towards buying a pre-built PC if you're shopping around now. Sure, these companies are still suffering from the same price increases, but you can actually find some good value rigs.

Most recently, for example, the Presidents' Day and 4th of July sales at iBuyPower had some strong discounts on high-end gaming PC, with extra savings of up to $350 available on PCs with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, an RX 9070 XT, and 32GB of RAM.

That would be my advice based on the poor quality of deals that are available on many PC components. Yes, there are still a few genuinely good offers out there that I've seen on the likes of CPUs and GPUs, but storage and RAM are certainly beyond saving right now — and I'd move quickly if there's anything good on the former, as those deals may be disappearing before long as well.

There’s nothing I like more than playing a game that lets me switch off entirely. Mundane tasks that require minimal brain power are my greatest escape (apart from a good book) and it’s even better when I’m able to gain a deep sense of achievement from completing them.

I’ve played countless hours of The Sims 4 and Stardew Valley over the years, or more recently Starsand Island. These titles earn their impressive ratings and big sales for providing exactly what cozy gamers like me want – a place to unwind, relax and tick boxes. But, I’m always on the hunt more. Little did I know that an evening scroll on TikTok was about to kick up my next cozy obsession that almost went Under the Radar.

As if by magic, videos were appearing on my feed of a library littered with thousands of books, all out of place. The players gaze over the chaotic collection with a visual aesthetic akin to Harry Potter saying things like: “You’re seriously telling me I have to put all these back away where they’re supposed to go” and “Oh my god, there’s a second floor.” And that’s when I got really intrigued.

Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! is exactly as the name suggests, a game where you become the librarian and must tidy everything up.

Serenely sorting shelves

It’s a big, big mess. Huge. There are books strewn everywhere, piled on tables, disordered in corners like some massive puzzle you need to solve. The task is simple, really, even if it does require you to sort out over 3,000 books. But, with a cozy vibe and a lot of time on my hands, I was so utterly ready to get stuck in.

What Tidy Up the Arcane Library! wants you to do is place all the books on the correct shelves, in the correct order, before you’re allowed to leave. There’s a couple of maps on the walls explaining which category of book belongs on which shelf and to start, you just need to, well, get going.

Don’t get me wrong, I was a little worried that the sheer mess would unsettle any promise of coziness. It’s not quite the same as tending to your crops or gathering resources, but it was the kind of task I get a kick out of – and I’m hopeful comfort gamers will agree.

It reminds me of silly little tasks I’ve always loved to do like sorting out coins or writing addresses on a tower of envelopes, but no-one ever threw all those coins or envelopes haphazardly across a room and asked me to tidy them up. Fortunately, my worries were quickly cast aside when the game began, offering me the chance to play a specifically-made cozy mode with no time restraints, just chilled out sorting.

Every time you put a book on the shelf in the right place, it glitters gold and I almost felt like I was shimmering with satisfaction. The dopamine rush in games like these are hard to beat, especially when it’s so simply gained.

But, if you put a book in the wrong place, there’s no glimmering reward, only a desperation to figure out where it goes instead. But, no bother, I told myself, there are always more books to sort.

List-slaying

Now, it’s worth mentioning here that book-sorting isn’t something you have to take on alone. No, you can also harness a little bit of magic. As you begin to fill up shelves correctly, you level up, unlocking points that can be spent on different magical abilities.

From illuminating the correct shelf for the top book you’re holding to placing the book onto said shelf without you having to lift a finger, it’s entirely up to you if you want to tackle Tidy Up the Arcane Library! without using any magic. But, if you want to protect your peace, I strongly recommend you do.

It’s also entirely up to you whether you spent your points on all the abilities. I didn’t. While Sort automatically arranges the books in your possession in numerical order, I actually quite liked just taking my time over it, rifling through my books like a proper librarian. But, I did lean heavily on the other abilities to make sure I didn’t go crazy.

I even ended up using those TikTok videos that led me here in the first place to teach me about the hidden keys that transformed me into a much more efficient librarian – carrying more books, moving faster and even jumping.

I’ve worked in a library, I’ve also worked in a bookshop, but I can safely say that the calmness and magic of Tidy Up the Arcane Library! makes it a far cozier experience than real life, especially with absolutely no customers.

I’m still clocking up hours in the game taking my sweet, sweet time because I know once it’s over, I’ll miss it. If you're interested in playing too, you can pick it up on Steam.

• Square Enix just released Final Fantasy 10 and Final Fantasy 10-2 for Nintendo Switch 2
• The bundle now runs at a higher resolution with improved textures and some quality of life additions
• There is no upgrade path for existing owners of the original Switch version, however

Square Enix just released new versions of its iconic role-playing games Final Fantasy 10 and Final Fantasy 10-2 for Nintendo Switch 2, but there's some bad news if you own the existing Switch editions.

The two games come as a combined HD Remaster bundle, which is currently available on the Switch 2 eShop for $49.99 / 44.99 / AU$79.95. There's no upgrade path if you bought the same remasters when they released for the original Nintendo Switch back in 2019. This means if, like me, you have a copies for Nintendo Switch, your only option to get your hands on these new ports is to buy them again at full price.

It's a huge shame, especially considering the fact that the Nintendo Switch 2 ports do look better in my experience.

The publisher provided a copy of the Switch 2 game earlier this morning and, weirdly, it turns out that it does not offer a save transfer feature — so I've only been able to compare very early sections in Final Fantasy 10.

Still, as you can see from the images above (captured in handheld mode), the Switch 2 port has a noticeably higher resolution picture (even with the Switch 2's handheld mode boost option enabled) and much better looking textures — especially if you pay attention to the background terrain while characters are speaking.

Unfortunately, it seems like the game is still locked to 30fps, though that shouldn't come as much of a surprise as every version so far has had the same restriction.

The Switch 2 edition also comes with some quality of life features that were previously added to the PC port of the games but absent on the original Switch. This includes the ability to speed up the game, turn off annoying random encounters, give yourself loads of items, and so on.

It's the kind of extra content that you would want from a $10 upgrade, but certainly does not justify paying full price. If you haven't played Final Fantasy 10 and Final Fantasy 10-2 this new port is likely to be a more tempting option, as these small changes still mean that it is the best version on Nintendo platforms right now.

First released in 2001 for PlayStation 2, Final Fantasy 10 sees protagonist Tidus as he navigates a fictional world inspired by the tropical islands of Southeast Asia in a quest to defeat a powerful evil creature.

Despite its age, it's considered one of the best RPGs with fans praising its distinctive art direction and emotional narrative. Its sequel, Final Fantasy 10-2, dropped in 2003 and continues the story in the same setting.

• Steam gifting and wishlists have received big improvements in recent updates from Valve
• Users can now gift games to friends and family directly via email
• Wishlists now have categories and a new 'Demo Available' highlight

Valve's updates to Steam have consistently enhanced the user experience for PC gamers, and fortunately, two of its most recent additions continue that trend.

On Steam News Hub, Valve announced two major improvements to the Steam gifting system and wishlists: users can now gift games to friends and family via guest checkout, without being limited to digital gift cards and hardware purchases, and gift games via email.

As for wishlists: categories are now available, with options to filter the wishlist via category name, a new 'Demo Available' highlight once a demo becomes available, and share a link to a specific category or filtered view of a wishlist, ultimately allowing users to sort further and organize wishlisted titles.

Both updates have made wishlisting and gifting much easier, especially since the latter now has cross-region gifting. Essentially, in a scenario where a friend is in a higher-priced region, Steam will 'calculate the cost in your friend's region' at checkout – but it's important to note that this must be a friend for this type of gift to work.

Most importantly, the improvements made to Steam wishlists should come in handy for future purposes beyond 2026, but also arrive at the ideal time considering the very busy game release schedule this year.

Not only do gamers have plenty of triple-A titles to look forward to on Steam (notably in September), with the likes of The Blood of Dawnwalker, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Control Resonant all in the same month, but numerous indie games are arriving too, like Blackwood.

The demo highlight is a necessary update as well, since there are a significant number of games that either launch in early access or have been in development for years with long-running demo requests (i.e., Spine).

Updates as such are great for SteamOS PCs, especially the Steam Machine, and the more improvements made for each feature on the Steam client, the better.

8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: One-minute review

The 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition takes the brand’s existing wireless mobile controller grip and makes a couple of surface-level changes.

The overall shape, style, and functions remain, but official Xbox licensing sees the Turbo button swapped for a dedicated Xbox button. It retains the $49.99 / £43.99 / AU$89 price tag of the original, meaning it's significantly cheaper than alternatives like the Backbone One or GameSir G8.

The Hall effect joysticks and triggers from the original are still here too, with clicky bumpers and what 8BitDo describes as a refined D-pad, though it felt pretty standard to me. For Xbox Cloud Gaming specifically, which is what I imagine most gamers would turn to this option for, it’s excellent on the whole. Cruising the streets of Japan in Forza Horizon 6 across iOS, Android, and Mac was smooth and responsive, with no perceptible latency over its wireless Bluetooth connection. The telescopic grip is the most secure I've seen in this category, confidently holding an iPhone 17 Pro with a case without any flex or creaking, and it’s comfortable enough for longer sessions.

The problems start when you step outside cloud gaming and into native mobile titles. Call of Duty Mobile refused to recognize the controller on both iOS and Android, and games that do work natively, like Fortnite, display PlayStation button prompts on screen despite the controller's physical ABXY layout and Xbox branding. The two back paddle buttons, a feature prominently listed on the spec sheet, also weren't recognized in any game or cloud gaming scenario I tested.

The core experience, however, is a pleasant one. If Xbox Cloud Gaming is your primary use case, the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition is close to a bargain. For native mobile gaming, the experience is a harder sell, and you’d be better off exploring other options on our list of the best mobile controllers.

8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: Price and availability

• List price: $49.99 / ~£43.99 / AU$89
• Retains the same price as the original and undercuts similar competitors
• Available in white or black from 8BitDo and retailers

The 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition launched in July 2025, half a year after the non-branded version, keeping the same $49.99 / £43.99 / AU$89 price. You’ll find it at a range of retailers, though 8BitDo is keen to push you towards Amazon, as well as from its own online store.

It’s worth checking out different options because at the time of writing, 8BitDo's store has it on sale for $38.99 in the US, making an already competitive price even more attractive.

For context, the Backbone One 2nd Gen runs $99.99, and the GameSir G8 Wireless sits at $79.99, so even at full price, the 8BitDo undercuts its closest competitors by a comfortable margin.

If you’re not too fussed about that Xbox tie-in, it’s worth noting that the original version of this controller now shares the same iOS and Android compatibility and has been spotted as low as $25 on sale. The day-to-day differences are extremely minor, so if budget is a concern, it’s worth keeping an eye on both.

8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: Specs

8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: Design and features

• The most secure phone grip I've tested in a mobile controller
• Hall effect sticks and triggers are impressive at this price
• Quite a small overall profile

The 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition carries that familiar 8BitDo styling with rounded edges everywhere that almost look like they’re gently melting. It’s not, thankfully, and build quality is good across the board.

The textured rubber surface on the back of the phone deck is a highlight with a fun input-themed pattern, and the small amount of texture on the back of the main grips feels nice under your fingers. It’s available in your choice of black or white. I’ve been testing the former, and it’s a magnet for greasy marks, and I can see it getting shiny over time. Keep a microfibre cloth handy.

I don’t have massive hands, but the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition feels slightly small to hold, and it’s the length of the main grips that is the culprit. The left stick falls in a natural position, but the right one ends up nearly at the base of my thumb, and I essentially had to claw-grip the right side to reach it. It's not a dealbreaker, though coming from the stock Xbox Wireless Controller or even another mobile grip like the GameSir G8, it’s certainly a downgrade in comfort.

Where this controller definitely impresses is the phone deck. The telescopic action extends smoothly, and in testing, it held both my phones in a reassuringly sturdy way. This is the first mobile controller grip I've tested that confidently holds both a super slim POCO X5 Pro 5G and a chunky iPhone 17 Pro with a case still on without any sense that the phone might pop loose. There are no replaceable pads or removable elements to fiddle with; it’s just a good base design that’s wonderfully fit for purpose.

Feedback from the bumpers is sharp and clicky, with a responsiveness that feels better than you'd expect at this price point. The face buttons are a more standard fare, neither exceptional nor disappointing, though they are a little rattly. The D-pad has a noticeable wobble before the input registers, though the actual click is short and responsive once it fires.

There are Hall effect sticks and triggers on offer here, which is impressive for the price, and the sticks feel great with just the right amount of resistance. The triggers have a good level of detail but have a quirk: both left and right complete their full input range before the trigger is physically all the way down, leaving roughly 5% of dead travel at the bottom of the press. They don’t have the longest travel to begin with, so it’s a shame not to be using all of it.

8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition: Performance

• Xbox Cloud Gaming works excellently across iOS, Android, and Mac
• Native mobile game compatibility is highly inconsistent
• Back buttons weren't recognized in any scenario I tested

Given its name, it should be no surprise that the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition is at its best when playing games via Xbox Cloud Gaming. I’d even go so far as to say that if you’re not a Game Pass subscriber, you can probably stop reading now and look to another mobile grip instead.

Initial pairing to devices is straightforward, and thankfully, there are no multiple connectivity modes to fumble with like on the GameSir G8 Bluetooth. The whole experience works smoothly out of the box, and I didn’t even need to consult the user guide for pairing mode instructions. I took a punt on holding a button until a light flashed, and I was right.

Switching the controller between devices wasn’t quite so simple, though admittedly my testing environment is a real stress test for this kind of thing. I attempted to jump around between my iPhone, MacBook Air, and Android phone, and things got rather temperamental.

The controller seemed to want to cling on to a previously paired device, even if Bluetooth was now switched off on it, so moving between a phone and a laptop usually required repairing from scratch rather than reconnecting to a previously paired device. If you’re not hopping back and forth as I have been, this won’t be an issue, though after a few days of testing I’ve ended up with four separate "Ultimate MGX" entries in my Android Bluetooth list.

No matter which of those devices I was connected to, the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience was excellent. I drove around Japan in Forza Horizon 6 without a hitch; the controls were responsive, and there was no noticeable Bluetooth latency.

The triggers offer plenty of granular control for working the throttle, though that dead zone at the end I mentioned earlier took some getting used to when it came to small throttle lifts around high-speed corners. There's no rumble or vibration support, but I’ll happily admit I didn't miss it. Cloud gaming and mobile titles rarely lean heavily on haptic feedback anyway.

Steam had a love-hate relationship with the controller, depending on the platform. Connecting to my MacBook Air over Bluetooth had Steam recognizing it as a different, previously paired controller, which then failed to work in-game. Plugging it in via USB-C looked promising at first with macOS referencing it by name, but it was never seen by Steam or Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Windows fared much better across both Steam and cloud; over USB-C, it was instantly set up as a general XInput device, fully mapped and compatible with both.

8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition gains a dedicated Xbox home button on the front, replacing the turbo button from the standard version. When in the cloud gaming app, this button opens the guide just like it would on console; outside cloud gaming, it’ll open either the Apple Gaming app or act as a home button on Android. It’s a nice-to-have sort of feature rather than a game-changing one, but I’ll admit I did use it a few times in testing and wouldn’t have looked twice at a turbo button.

The moment you step into native mobile games, however, things start to get messier, and you’re at the mercy of individual developers. Fortnite recognized the controller immediately on both iOS and Android, and the gameplay experience was responsive and reliable. But the on-screen button labels display PlayStation symbols (Circle, Cross, Square, Triangle) despite the controller's physical ABXY layout and Xbox branding.

That’s a little awkward. This usually happens because the controller identifies itself as a generic gamepad rather than as an actual Xbox controller, which means the Xbox licensing doesn't extend to how games see it. Call of Duty Mobile, one of the biggest mobile shooters on the planet, simply doesn't recognize the controller at all. Not on iOS, not on Android, and there’s no hardware mapping workaround either.

Depending on your play style, the back paddle buttons are perhaps the most frustrating limitation. They're physically well-designed, nicely positioned, and require just the right amount of force to trigger, but they weren't recognized in any scenario I tested. Not in Fortnite, not in cloud gaming, not anywhere. Even after binding them to specific inputs through the 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2 app, games simply didn't see them.

Speaking of the app, it’s incredibly basic and falls far behind competitors in this space. Firstly, there are confusingly two versions on the App Store; V1 doesn't recognize the controller at all, and V2 requires you to manually select and pair your controller model during setup despite the device already being Bluetooth-paired to your phone.

Once you're in, the customization options are barebones: button remapping, dead zone adjustments, and trigger tuning. It worked on both iOS and Android, though anything you configure is device-specific and doesn’t save on the controller itself.

Shoudl you buy the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

Here are two strong alternatives to weigh up.

How I tested the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller - Xbox Edition

• Spent several days testing across multiple devices and platforms
• I tested native mobile games, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Steam on Mac and Windows
• Tried the companion app on both iOS and Android

I tested the 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller Xbox Edition with an iPhone 17 Pro and a POCO X5 Pro 5G for mobile gaming, as well as a Mac and Windows PC for cloud gaming and Steam. I tested native mobile games, including Fortnite (on both iOS and Android), and attempted Call of Duty Mobile on both platforms. Cloud gaming testing focused on Forza Horizon 6 via Xbox Cloud Gaming on all devices.

I evaluated the companion app experience on both iOS and Android, including firmware checking, profile setup, and button remapping. I tested the back paddle buttons across multiple scenarios, including native games, cloud gaming, and through the 8BitDo Ultimate Software V2 app. I also tested the controller's behavior on Steam, including calibration and in-game recognition.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2026

• Four original Xbox titles just arrived on PC
• The games are all available to buy or via any Xbox Game Pass plan
• They're part of a new Xbox backward compatibility on PC program

Microsoft just launched a new Xbox backward compatibility on PC program that makes it possible to officially play a selection of original Xbox games on Windows for the very first time.

As detailed in a new Xbox Wire post, the program is geared towards both traditional laptops and desktops in addition to handheld PCs such as the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X and currently includes four games: Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy. These can be purchased individually or accessed with any Xbox Game Pass plan (yes, even the budget-oriented Essential tier).

All of these titles have never been officially released on PC before. They were, however, already available on Xbox consoles via backward compatibility and if you have previously purchased a license on Xbox One or Xbox Series X and Series S it will now carry over to PC.

They're not just basic ports either. There are new graphics features like up to 4x resolution upscaling, vsync, anisotropic filtering, and enhanced anti-aliasing. A new achievement system is also in the works and will be added to these four titles some time in the coming months.

The release of these games is presumably just the beginning, and I'm hoping that we will see more and more original Xbox exclusives come over to PC. It not only gives consumers a convenient way to experience classic games on a new platform, but also forms an important part of digital preservation by keeping these releases readily accessible on modern hardware.

It's also a big win for PC gamers, who previously would have had to shell out for dedicated Xbox console hardware in order to play these releases.

If you're interested in checking any of them out, you can see the minimum and recommended system requirements below to make sure your machine is up to scratch.

Minimum system requirements:

• GPU: Nvidia GTX 950 or AMD Radeon RX 550 or Intel UHD 770 or Intel Arc A310
• CPU: Min 4 Cores Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor
• RAM: 8GB
• OS: Windows 11

Recommended system requirements:

• GPU: Radeon RX 68005 or Nvidia GTX 1070 Ti or Intel Arc A770 
• CPU: 6 cores and 12 threads Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme 
• DirectX Version: DirectX12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11 
• GPU VRAM: 8GB 
• OS: Windows 11

Also make sure that your operating system and drivers are up to date.

• Nvidia again showed off DLSS 5 at its Siggraph 2026 keynote
• Team Green made it clear that developers will have a level of control, with a choice of three different AI models
• There will be two sliders to play with, and masks to keep DLSS 5 from interfering with game assets where it's not wanted – but many gamers think devs should have much more control than this

Nvidia has given us another showing of DLSS 5, the incoming tech for its GeForce GPUs which received a very stormy reception when first revealed at GTC 2026 – and unsurprisingly, changes have been made in the past few months.

Tom's Hardware reports that Nvidia revealed more about how DLSS 5 will be implemented at Siggraph 2026 over in Los Angeles, where the tech was the foremost topic in Team Green's keynote.

Nvidia was keen to point out how it has changed the neural rendering model in some key ways since DLSS 5 was first announced. Of course, it's obvious that a lot of this is about combating the idea that the tech is 'AI slop' which makes games look worse rather than better, and characters (particularly faces) look bad and have that undesirable 'uncanny valley' effect. And indeed the criticism that DLSS 5 is messing with the art direction and overall feel of a game's graphics.

On the latter point, back at the original reveal, Nvidia stressed that it would give game developers control over the end result with DLSS 5, and now we're seeing how this will work. Team Green has brought in three different AI models which offer varying levels of detail (and impact on performance), so devs can choose between three different filters, essentially.

This isn't a game-wide choice, though, as the developer can apply any of those models to any different scene, mixing and matching as needed. There are also two sliders to adjust the 'structure' and 'tone' intensity of the effects.

On top of that, the developer can mask off any game asset where they don't want DLSS 5 to be applied. That's good news as it means that, for example, character's heads (and faces) could be marked as out-of-bounds, and therefore not subject to Nvidia's tech. The developer could just get DLSS 5 to enhance background objects and details, and maybe only in a relatively minor way (by toning down those intensity sliders).

To clarify, DLSS 5 is essentially an AI filter that sits atop the existing DLSS suite of technology. Underneath that, you still have upscaling (and frame generation), and Nvidia applies what's essentially a photorealism filter on top of that in the form of this new neural rendering model.

If you want to grab some popcorn, Nvidia's full Siggraph presentation is available to watch on YouTube, check it out below. All the DLSS 5 stuff is at the start (well, past the usual preamble).

Analysis: a step forward, but the doubters remain

Has Nvidia managed to placate the DLSS 5 haters, then? No, in a word. Did you really think it would?

As one Redditor put it: "I had so much hope for DLSS in the early days, what a dumpster fire it's turned into."

Another observed: "So just confirming what anyone with a basic understanding of AI already knew. Glorified Instagram filter."

To be fair, in general the reaction has been somewhat more positive compared to the original reveal, and clearly it's a good thing that game developers can at least keep 'yassified' faces out of the mix with characters. Clearly, there is a level of control here, but despite Nvidia treading more carefully in this respect, there's still a feeling that it isn't doing enough.

A choice of three AI models and a pair of intensity sliders is relatively limited, really, and a far cry from anything like a full level of control over how DLSS 5 imposes itself on a game. Although admittedly there's still some way to go before DLSS 5 comes out – it'll supposedly arrive later this year, in the fall (so theoretically any time from September through to November) – and Nvidia could put in additional controls before the launch.

Aside from disappointment around the level of control Nvidia is giving devs, the other beef being raised is how much of a performance hit this AI filter might be burdened with. When Nvidia first demoed DLSS 5, it was running on a pair of RTX 5090 graphics cards, and in this more recent outing, there's no mention of the hardware involved.

It's fairly easy to guess that the GPU demands haven't been meaningfully reduced yet, otherwise Nvidia would likely be shouting about that – and this is being read as a worry by some. I get where they're coming from, although Nvidia has clarified that the tech will run on a single graphics card (it'll have to, of course), adding at Siggraph that DLSS 5 is "VRAM efficient" (a nicely vague assertion).

I'd expect it probably won't run on anything less than an RTX 5080 to begin with, or indeed an RTX 5090. And the other fear is that the initial incarnation could be quite rough in terms of artifacts and the like, and that's a danger with the first take on any tech. Just look at the original DLSS (version 1), which suffered from blurriness and glitches, before they were polished out and it became a seriously impressive upscaler. Perhaps the same will be true of DLSS 5, but there's a long road ahead yet, and notably, a lot more doubts and question marks here.

• Valve's Steam Deck has reportedly seen 82% fewer units sold, due to price increases
• The estimates are based on the handheld's position in Steam's global weekly top seller rankings
• The purported demand plummet suggests the hype for handheld gaming PCs may be spoiled, as a result of the RAM crisis

It's fair to say that Valve was largely responsible for the resurgence in popularity of handheld gaming with the Steam Deck (of course, Nintendo also played its part with its Switch console), but the RAM crisis has apparently undone a lot of the work.

According to an analysis from Boiling Steam, the Steam Deck's sales have reportedly fallen by 82% on average, due to the price increase for both LCD and OLED models. The analysis is based on the Steam Deck's position in the weekly top seller rankings on Steam, including calculations and estimates made regarding revenue from the devices.

Boiling Steam claims that a 72% revenue contraction and a 54% price increase have "completely shut down the demand" for the Steam Deck, which has ultimately resulted in the suggested 82% fewer units sold on average.

These certainly aren't far-fetched suggestions, especially because some of the official data from Valve indicates that. In the global weekly top seller rankings, the Steam Deck is currently in 14th place, a drastic fall from a position in the top five.

It's also worth noting that the LCD model is discontinued (still pending discontinuation in Australia), meaning the minimum consumers would have to spend for a Steam Deck would be $789 / £649 / AU$1,199 for the 512GB OLED model. Stock for the latter and its 1TB counterpart is also intermittent due to RAM and memory shortages.

Worse value

Most importantly, both OLED models are priced much closer to the Steam Machine ($1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609) than before, which is a more powerful fully-fledged desktop gaming PC — and perhaps that explains why the mini gaming PC is currently third in weekly top seller rankings on Steam (even if it's only been there for a week).

The Steam Deck is also an aging device, with more powerful mobile hardware for handheld gaming having been released since the launch of Valve's handheld. The Steam Deck used to get a pass as it was a lot cheaper than newer, more powerful, competitors, but due to the price increase that's no longer the case.

It's not all Valve's fault, as the RAM crisis has effectively hit every PC manufacturer in 2026. After all, it's the reason why the Steam Machine costs as much as it does, as the market conditions forced Valve's hand to avoid selling at a loss.

However, the supposed significant drop in Steam Deck demand from consumers, combined with the $1,000+ prices for other handheld gaming PCs, serves as a strong indication that handheld PC gaming is becoming a very niche option for gamers once again — and it wasn't exactly mainstream to begin with.

• Xbox users face account recovery issues ahead of the all-digital console future
• Xbox support offered help to more users after one had their account deleted after being hacked
• Some gamers are now hesitant to buy any of Microsoft's digital games or software

Sony's disc-less future for PlayStation consoles commences in 2028, and unsurprisingly it's left gamers unsettled, with Microsoft reportedly following in a similar direction. Unfortunately, it comes at a time when a digital future looks unsafe and insecure.

As reported by GamesRadar, Xbox has recently offered support to gamers who have lost access to their accounts due to hackers, in order to recover access to game libraries. This is directly involved with the case where one user had their 25-year-old Microsoft account hacked, and subsequently deleted, losing access to tons of personal OneDrive data and games.

In a response to the user, Joshua Khane, and the initial account deletion post, the Xbox support account issued an apology, stating it is actively working to 'restore access' to Khane's purchases, despite the account deletion email stating that it was 'irreversible'. Notably, it also highlighted that its 'DMs are open' for other users facing account recovery issues.

However, that's not done enough to satisfy users, as most suggest that Xbox support's DMs are simply full of bots, while others suggest that buying games on any of Microsoft's gaming ecosystems might be a risky move.

One user stated: "I was not affected by this, but watching the developments makes me feel very unsafe as an Xbox customer. Not sure if I should keep buying games and software from Microsoft if this is the way I'll be treated if my account ever gets hacked."

Most importantly, the drama arrives ahead of a disc-less console future, not just for Sony PlayStation users. Microsoft's Project Helix is reportedly set to feature a disc-to-digital function, known as 'Positron', allowing gamers to turn discs into permanent digital copies.

Xbox issues with account deletion after being hacked, and over 500 movies instantly removed from user libraries on PlayStation, aren't doing much to instil faith in users on both ecosystems to trust in an all-digital future.

It's now evidently clear that once physical game copies are out of the picture, users' access to games will be at the disposal of Microsoft and Sony, and that explains why gamers are continuously voicing their frustrations — but it's hard to say if those complaints will change anything.

If you’ve always loved the world of the Splatoon series but have been — understandably — put off by the prospect of its sweaty competitive multiplayer modes, then this latest Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive third-person shooter is for you.

Splatoon Raiders offers an incredibly compelling, single-player take on the series’ trademark ink-spewing action. It’s all underpinned by the same excellent shooting mechanics that make online matches of Splatoon 3 such a blast, now smartly recontextualized in a wholly player versus environment (PvE) format and enhanced with a plethora of satisfying progression systems that allow you to experiment with countless impactful character builds.

The sheer volume of content here is formidable: there are a vast number of highly replayable missions that can be tackled in multiple difficulty levels, more than a hundred weapons to wield, and even lend others a hand in online co-op for more unlockable rewards. This is comfortably one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games and I know I’ll be coming back to it, even now I’ve seen the credits roll.

Fishy business

While the main Splatoon games are known for their clean urban aesthetics, Splatoon Raiders sets itself apart with a much grimier, more salvaged look. Set on the distant Spirhalite Islands, it follows an unnamed mechanic working for the Deep Cut trio — the iconic TV show hosts from Splatoon 3 who apparently moonlight as treasure hunters. With the group stranded on a raft after their latest treasure hunting expedition goes awry, they’re forced to improvise gear and track down the resources necessary to escape.

Fashioned from wooden crates and metal grates, the raft functions as your hub world in between missions and can be outfitted with a range of useful features like a customizable firing range and a range of upgrade stations, in addition to more whimsical options like an arcade cabinet that offers some cute pixel-art minigames. You always feel like there’s a meaningful upgrade that you’re working towards, and watching your craft develop from a ramshackle structure into a fully-fledged mobile base as you progress through the story is immensely satisfying.

That’s not to say that you need much encouragement to complete missions, however, as they’re a load of fun. There are three main types: quickfire dens that have you beating a few waves of foes in a short time limit, longer raids where you drop into large semi-open environments to secure nearby treasure chests, and dungeons that challenge you to get to a goal with a set loadout.

It seems pretty basic at first, but there are an incredible number of unique twists that keep each new mission feeling fresh. A den, for example, might throw hundreds of the same area-denial enemies at you — coating the small arena with noxious slime that chips away at your health and forces you to stay on your feet — while a raid could surprise you with tricky platforming sections and a strict time limit.

The dungeons, meanwhile, are more focused around puzzles and cleverly serve to tutorialize many of the weapons and abilities that you can unlock.

In the tank

Your character can carry one of three ink tanks (which basically determine your chosen ‘class’), designed for raw power, speed, or more careful ranged tactics. They all play completely differently, with their own roster of powerful gadgets to unlock and an overall power level that gradually ticks up with use.

I mainly relied on the Power Tank, which, true to its name, is all about big, bombastic attacks that deal massive damage. My favorite gadgets include the inky hatchet with its huge slashing strike that is invaluable for taking out tankier foes and a charging rocket launcher that wonderfully shreds through groups of smaller ones.

It might be tempting to rely on one favorite, but there are plenty of good reasons to try the others. Fully upgrading one tank requires you to spend time with the others, and some dungeons even have specific rewards depending on which you use to complete them. I initially thought that this might prove a frustrating barrier to progression, but soon came to appreciate being made to step out of my comfort zone because all three tanks are equally enjoyable to use with a huge variety of gadgets to discover.

Every gadget is highly customizable as well, with a plethora of collectible parts that do everything from minor stat upgrades to fundamentally change how they work. You can only add a certain number of parts at a time, so you’ll need to think carefully in order to craft a new build to successfully overcome a particularly tricky challenge.

There’s just as much depth to the wide selection of weapons. The 11 types on offer will all be familiar if you’ve played Splatoon 3, with a good mix of long-range shooters, nimble pistols, sloshing buckets, and so on, all with their own mechanics to master. Tackling more difficult missions rewards more powerful weapons at a strong pace, which, alongside the steady introduction of new rarities with their own unique qualities, further stops everything from becoming stale.

The same is true of the many enemy types. It’s the same malevolent Salmonids from the Salmon Run side modes of Splatoon 2 and 3, but with a healthy number of new varieties to surprise even the most seasoned fish hunters.

It all comes together for an experience that, even when some of the more difficult challenges force you to grind up your power level, remains fresh and exciting like a delicious piece of sashimi throughout.

Should I play Splatoon Raiders?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Like most modern Nintendo releases, Splatoon Raiders is lacking when it comes to accessibility features. It offers the ability to invert both thumbsticks, or use motion controls to aim.

The color of ink is usually random, but you can lock it to either blue or purple in order to be easier to see. In addition to offering harder versions of most missions, the game features three overall difficulty modes which decreases or increases the power of enemies.

How I reviewed Splatoon Raiders

I played nearly 20 hours of Splatoon Raiders on Nintendo Switch 2 using the Joy-Con 2 controllers in handheld mode. For audio, I used the system’s built-in speaker setup.

I experienced the whole of the game’s story, hitting the credits having tackled all of the major missions on the standard difficulty mode, in addition to some online co-op play.

First reviewed June 2026

• Someone has made a custom version of the Companion Cube case for the Steam Machine
• This DIY effort is on Printables, and can be 3D-printed for those with the hardware and necessary skills
• There are a growing number of custom projects around the Steam Machine, from faceplates through to full-on alternative takes on the gaming PC

Remember the ill-fated Companion Cube case for the Steam Machine? It had the plug pulled on it by Valve a few weeks ago, after maker Dbrand failed to get official permission to make its hard-shell case for the gaming PC, but now the concept has returned, in DIY form.

Tom's Hardware reports that a user on Printables, Jaron, has provided files that allow you to 3D-print your own version of the Dbrand Companion Cube (as flagged on X). You can print the pieces, and a full set of assembly instructions (including smart video illustrations) and extra necessary parts (screws and so forth) are supplied.

As made clear on X, this is a fan-made creation implemented "from scratch" and it's based on images of Dbrand's Companion Cube. Whether it'll attract the attention of Dbrand's own lawyers, well, we'll just have to see, but you'd imagine that some leeway might be granted here given the situation and what happened with Valve.

The creator makes it clear that the case isn't an official product, is nothing to do with Valve, and that it doesn't use "any official assets from any game".

An additional caveat is that Jaron notes: "I have not done any extensive thermal tests but no airflow or venting is blocked, and the additional vent provided by the front face plate aperture logo can help provide a little extra airflow. So I don't believe there will be any cooling issues caused by this case."

My main concerns about the original Dbrand Companion Cube were bound up in cooling issues — especially on warm days, in confined spaces like a TV cabinet — and that remains true with this creation.

Still, if you were disappointed that Dbrand's case was cancelled, and you have a 3D printer and want to have a crack at making your own — and you're pretty decent with a soldering iron — you can now do just that.

Other Steam Machine companions

Since the Steam Machine came out, there's inevitably been a lot of interest around the device, despite the high price. So, as well as this clone of the abandoned Companion Cube case, what else is out there in terms of Steam Machine customization?

New faceplates (front panels) are popular, and a much easier project than the above case, such as this example on Reddit (see the image above). I really like the slat effort here, and I can see why it's gone down very well with other Redditors (although I'm not so keen on the blue one).

What's also quite common is the number of custom small form-factor (SFF) PCs which are DIY takes on the Steam Machine, generally featuring beefier components (and at the same time, inevitably being larger than Valve's PC). 'The Orange Box' as shared on Reddit is a particularly smart example of one such effort with a strong Valve theme, built in a SilverStone SG05BB-Lite case. It has a Ryzen 7 5800X processor inside and an RX 9060 XT graphics card to give this considerably more pep than Valve's gaming PC.

There are other custom SFF PCs on Printables and this one from 3DCatt, which looks like a sized-up Steam Machine, has very similar aesthetics to fit your living room nicely, and a finished version someone has completed went very well indeed by all accounts.

Of course, there are issues around these alternatives to the Steam Machine as I explored in detail recently, and downsides to these custom SFF builds – albeit definite positives too, better performance being the main one. A PC that looks as good as The Orange Box doesn't hurt, either, and I'm sure we'll see more of these kind of SFF spins on the Steam Machine going forward.

• GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen says Sony's decision to end physical game production is 'totally irrelevant' to the company
• The statement is supported by both physical and digital games, which only contribute 18% to overall revenue
• Cohen's comments likely won't help gamers in their push to retain physical game discs

The backlash against Sony continues after its controversial choice to stop new physical disc production of PlayStation games from January 2028 and it looks like the US' biggest dedicated video game retailer isn't taking a stand.

In an interview with Bloomberg, GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen dismissed the idea that the company will be impacted by Sony's decision to end physical game copies, stating "it doesn't matter at all," despite ongoing uproar from consumers.

"It mattered in the past; software makes up less than 12% of the business," Cohen said. "Collectibles makes up over half of the business, so it's totally irrelevant."

Frankly, it's a harsh and cold stance, but it isn't exactly incorrect, as Bloomberg highlights that both physical and digital copies of games are only 18% of GameStop's total revenue. The store has mostly transitioned to a focus on collectibles like Pokémon cards, and that's evident the moment you visit its website.

It's no secret that Sony's decision to end disc production in 2028 hasn't gone down well with most consumers, as many feel as though it's a direct threat to game ownership. A digital-only console means games (or other media) can be taken away from gamers at any time, and Sony has done that recently with over 500 purchased movies removed from user libraries.

Essentially, GameStop's reasoning for the end of game discs being irrelevant is similar to Sony's, as Sony highlighted the fact that most gamers are purchasing copies digitally in its announcement.

Despite that, the consensus among consumers is that the elimination of discs is quite unnecessary, only cutting off another option of purchase. It's also worth noting that prices for games on the PlayStation Store won't be as low as they would usually be via second-hand or video game retailers.

Sony has yet to address the matter since the announcement, even with the sheer amount of backlash it's receiving online, and gamers will likely be hoping that statements from CEOs like Cohen won't harm the fight to retain physical game copies.

• A Steam user has found a way to store games on SSDs with an auto-navigation and auto-start script
• These are effectively physical 'game cartridges' complete with key art
• However, costly SSDs means this is a pricey endeavor (the Steam gamer was lucky enough to pick up used drives on the cheap)

Physical copies of PlayStation games are coming to an end from January 2028, and as the backlash around that continues, a restoration of physical media on PC has been discovered — and it's novel to say the least.

A Steam user on Reddit has managed to store games on 'cheap 2.5-inch' SATA SSDs, effectively acting as old-school 'game cartridges' with key art, and a script that auto-navigates Steam to each game's page. The user also notes that automatically starting games from each drive is possible.

This comes amid a significant uproar from gamers following the revelation of Sony's plan to eradicate physical game discs, supposedly by the time its next PlayStation console arrives. It's a very controversial move that has united gamers across all platforms to fight to retain discs and to ensure game ownership remains intact.

With that said, physical media for PC has been dead for a long while, since a modern desktop PC doesn't come with a disc drive, and there are hardly any publishers selling physical copies for the platform.

With most games only accessible digitally on PC, in theory those titles can be taken away from buyers at any time. The trouble is that consumer-friendly figures like Gabe Newell, who leads Valve, the owner of Steam, won't be in charge forever.

So in the future, under new leadership, it's possible more anti-consumer measures might be introduced, or other aspects of PC gaming that consumers dislike, such as DRM (like Denuvo).

Imagine if this 'game cartridge' system was adopted by PC game publishers? It's a smart idea, and a nice thought, but clearly not a realistic one. For starters, it'd be a prohibitively expensive method of reintroducing physical PC game copies.

Of course, platforms like Epic Games and Steam require users to be logged in and have their app installed to play games, so it's still a long way off true game copy ownership, anyway.

However, this concept would be paired perfectly with GOG, a platform that is DRM-free and doesn't require the launcher to play purchased games — in other words, you fully own purchased games on GOG.

Admittedly, publishers releasing PC game cartridges in the form of SSDs is a pipe dream, especially with the current state of the hardware market, and the RAM crisis, complete with skyrocketing SSD prices.

The idea comes at the wrong time, then, but if the RAM crisis ever settles down, then maybe this is something we'll see more PC hobbyists doing — and perhaps even the odd publisher.

Denshattack! is undoubtedly one of 2026's best indie games, providing endless amounts of fun. It takes clear inspiration from several fast-paced platformer classics, from its splashy and colorful art style, bombastic and intense OST, to its high-speed and intense levels.

Instead of the conventional control of a character, developer Undercoders has you taking control of a train. You focus on style mixing skills and speed across multiple theme park-like levels, and aim for the highest scores possible throughout to beat rival gangs, and fight to wreck a 'shady megacorp', known as Miraidō, in a 'Japanese dystopia'.

Frankly, the story wasn't my focus going in, but rather how the developers could keep the experience feeling exciting as you progress — and fortunately, it managed to do just that with each stage feeling like it was ripped straight out of an action-packed comic book.

This is a game that I can certainly see others coming back to over and over again for challenges to obtain higher scores, and most importantly, enjoy the intense atmosphere each level provides.

Denshattack! borrows from three huge platformer classics

From the off, the inspiration behind Denshattack! was clear as day. The incredibly fast-paced and intense train adventure sequences reminded me very much of my experiences with Sonic games, notably Sonic Unleashed and its first Windmill Isle level.

In Denshattack!, you'll be overwhelmed with how many combinations you may have to remember at such high speeds, and you'll need fast hand-eye coordination to pull off tricks and dodge obstacles. You'll have several objectives to hit in each level, some being main objectives, but others standing as optional, with the latter contributing to the final score.

One example is what I call the brake-to-boost mechanic; Denshattack! allows players to break at any given moment during a level, but will give you a heads-up when turning a corner on a track for a drift. If you hold down the left trigger and let go at the right time (when the meter is centered in the middle and fully green), you'll get a big boost to speed, which is often one of the optional objectives in levels.

The intensity of Denshattack!'s gameplay is incredibly high; avoiding crashes into walls, jumping to change railway tracks, and even timing perfect landings to increase your score add to the game's difficulty. It even encourages you to avoid obstacles at the very last second, with one aspect of each level's final score labelled 'dares', effectively testing your daredevil skills.

Many of these mechanics play a significant role in boss battles, which require faster reaction speeds. That might sound straightforward, as most boss battles in games are more difficult and require better timing, but with how rapid Denshattack!'s gameplay flow is, leaving you very little time to settle, it's absolutely worth noting.

Sometimes, it can even feel like the game is moving just a tad bit too fast when you're attempting to keep track of objectives — arguably an issue with modern-day Sonic games too — but getting the hang of controls and timing doesn't take very long, and once you do, there's plenty of fun to be had.

Jet Set Radio is another Sega classic, and a simialrly big inspiration. The art style in Denshattack! is very similar, with its cartoonish and colorful nature, even down to the very font across the game's UI in-game and within menus.

The soundtrack is phenomenal, and also much like Jet Set Radio's, which shouldn't come as a huge surprise, since some of Jet Set Radio's composers, like Richard Jacques, have collaborated on Denshattack!'s funky, disco-like, bass-centric, and synthwave-infused OST.

Those inspirations are combined to make an intense adventure come to life, but what gives Denshattack! its own identity is the vast amount of unique maneuvers, tricks, and even attacks (during boss battles), giving players a push for higher scores.

Many of the tricks reminded me of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, like grinding across rails at high speeds and air spins, but not on a skateboard. Instead, you're quite literally using a train to provide a great spectacle, in what I originally thought was an odd move, but perfectly highlights the chaotic nature of riding in Denshattack!.

There's also a fair amount of customization available for the train car itself, and plenty of levels and collectable items to look out for throughout the game's runtime — and seeing a significant portion of what you can do in Denshattack!, I have no doubts this will be a 2026 sleeper hit.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been out for just over a year now, and it’s had a fascinating start to life.

It’s undoubtedly been a commercial success, becoming the second-fastest selling console in recorded US history, and it’s already seen its fair share of hits, whether that be the phenomenon that is Pokémon Pokopia or the 2025 Game of the Year nominee, Donkey Kong Bananza. But some are still unconvinced.

It’s not a stretch to say that, in spite of its high sales, the console has been highly contentious among gamers. While many speak with positivity about the Switch 2, there have been criticisms around the consoles battery life and performance, for instance.

Some gamers have also noted concerns around the lack of big first party hitters, such as a brand new 3D Mario, a new entry in the Legend of Zelda series (rather than a remake), and the system’s slightly patchy release schedule for 2026. Bundle that with some high-priced software and incoming console price rises, and I can see why some fans are yet to be won over.

My thoughts: a brief summary

In my personal opinion, though, the Switch 2 has had a pretty strong start. Growing up, I saw the messy launch of consoles such as the PlayStation 3, and the simply woeful launch titles for its successor, the PlayStation 4 and its counterpart, the Xbox One. Meanwhile, the Switch 2 has some great multiplayer fun in titles like Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders, some exceptional single player experiences like the aforementioned Donkey Kong and Pokémon games, and a healthy dosage of third-party support to boot.

What’s more, I’d argue that performance is pretty strong, and with a 1080p 120fps display for handheld mode, it no longer feels like I’m sacrificing too much quality just to play without my TV. Throw in 4K visuals in docked mode, far comfier Joy Con 2 controllers, and surprisingly good virtual surround sound, and I for one am happy with the hardware upgrade brought to the table by Nintendo’s new hybrid console.

I do wish that some games were a little more affordable — $79.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95 for a physical copy of Mario Kart World definitely feels excessive, even with modern pricing standards. And I really wish the console’s battery life was a bit better too, even if I have found a workaround of sorts.

All in all, though, I’ve had a great first year with the Switch 2, and its prolific sales are there for all to see. But I’m not just here to share my view — there’s something else I’m far more interested in.

Tell us what you think about the Switch 2

That’s right: TechRadar Gaming wants to hear from you.

I’ve briefly spoken about some contentious points, but I want to gauge the thoughts and feelings of all of you out there. Do you think the Nintendo Switch 2 has been a hit or a flop?

Below, you’ll find a poll, where you can tell us what you think.

However, I’m also really keen to draw some specifics from our readers. If you’d like, you can comment below and make your voice heard — has the Switch 2 been a disappointment for you? Is it already among the console elite? We want to hear it all — and your comments may even feature in an upcoming article!

• There's a new red light issue with the Steam Machine
• This time a solid red light is being displayed which indicates the device is running hot
• That isn't necessarily the case, and in fact the Steam Machine's temperatures can be normal, and a bug in the BIOS can cause the light to come on

If you're an early adopter who's been worrying about a red light being displayed by your Steam Machine while gaming, then there's not necessarily anything to panic about, as apparently this temperature warning light is being mistakenly triggered.

VideoCardz noticed a thread on Reddit where the original poster shares correspondence from Valve's support team about what's happening in terms of the red light coming on when the temperature is nowhere near the intended warning threshold.

As per Valve's FAQ on the Steam Machine's light bar, the red light comes on solidly (across the whole bar) when the device is deemed to be overheating, meaning the CPU temperature is over 95C or the GPU is over 90C (or indeed both).

The Redditor noticed that the red light was on when their Steam Machine was at temperatures of 75C and 81C for the GPU and CPU respectively, neither of which should have caused the warning light to appear.

As the message from Valve explains, there is a "known issue with the current BIOS" that means the red light comes on "much earlier" than it should.

The problem is entirely related to the temperature threshold for the light, and the Steam Machine is not overheating in any way in these cases, it should be noted.

The message from Valve informs us that a BIOS update will be coming to fix the problem soon. In fact, that update will increase the threshold to 100C for both the CPU and GPU, which is the point at which the Steam Machine will throttle the components to ensure they don't get any hotter.

In case you were wondering, if either the CPU or GPU does get any hotter than 100C, the device will then shut down to protect itself from any potential damage.

Analysis: false alarm

What this means is that if you're seeing the red warning light a fair bit, it's likely a symptom of this overkeen BIOS which is turning on the light way earlier than it should be. Odds are that your CPU and GPU are running cool enough, and you can check this using the Steam performance monitor or a third-party tool as the Redditor did.

In any case, even if you do see the red light and it's correctly indicating temperatures at Valve's threshold levels, this isn't going to damage the Steam Machine – it just means the components will be throttled back to run slower to prevent any such damage. If that doesn't work, and the component temps aren't brought back under control, as noted the PC will turn itself off to avoid any potential GPU or CPU-frying scenarios.

It's not a pleasant thought that your Steam Machine is throttling and not running as fast as it should, though, if this happens – but based on this (and other) reports of this incident, that isn't the case, and the only error is the light showing when it shouldn't. There's no actual overheating, throttling, or anything else going on under the hood.

If you're worried that Valve's new temperatures for throttling and the warning light seem high at 100C, this is in line with what's to be expected from AMD laptop parts (which are what's used for the Steam Machine's CPU and GPU).

For now, all those who have bought one of Valve's gaming PCs can do is wait until the next BIOS update which should hopefully fix this problem. It's also worth noting that the 'Red Line of Death' is a completely separate issue, and we've had some troubleshooting advice on that knottier problem since it was first highlighted.

• One of the original Xbox founders, Laura Fryer, suggests Sony is stripping away game ownership via an all-digital future
• It comes after PlayStation announced physical game discs won't be produced starting from January 2028
• Fryer claims Sony let Rockstar 'take the heat' by announcing a digital-only GTA 6 first

Sony is still under fire after its latest announcement of a future all-digital future for PlayStation games, as physical game copies are due to be axed — and not only are consumers livid, some gaming industry veterans are too.

As reported by Notebookcheck, Laura Fryer, one of the original founding members of Xbox, has recently condemned Sony's announcement ending physical game discs for future PlayStation games, and highlights the threat the move poses to game ownership.

The announcement from Sony has since resulted in major backlash regarding game ownership from thousands online, including a slight pushback (or support for physical media) from indie game developers like Astrolabe Games.

In this case, Fryer hasn't been shy about noting just how dangerous the end of physical game discs will be once 2028 arrives, especially since rumors suggest Microsoft may follow in a similar direction with its next Xbox console.

"Digital is convenient until someone else decides you've had enough, and there are some games and movies where I will never have enough of them," Fryer stated, which is arguably a valid statement since Sony recently removed over 500 purchased movies from users' libraries.

It's worth noting that Rockstar Games recently opened GTA 6 pre-orders, with the announcement that there won't be a physical copy of the game, which Fryer highlights as an important step to Sony's latest plans, stating: "Sony waited for Rockstar to make the first move, take the heat, and now they're going all in to make this the new normal."

Fryer even references Don Mattrick's infamous statement regarding an 'always online' Xbox One console experience, as she suggests that this is what Sony, Microsoft, and, frankly, Hollywood are doing today.

"When was the last time you put a disc in and the game just worked without a big download? All the major players, Sony, Microsoft, even Hollywood, they're all aligned here. Digital kills the used market, and it stops your old library from competing with new games on the next console."

That 'always online' future is closer than it ever has been, and with Sony also shutting down PS3 and PS Vita stores in 2027. That means whenever the PS6 (or future PlayStation consoles) eventually becomes a retro console like the PS3, there will be no way to play games on the system unless it's via digital means — and that directly eliminates game ownership completely.

Sony's social media team are having a rough week: anything they post is getting piled on by angry gamers who are outraged by Sony's plans to stop the production of game discs.

Many PlayStation owners are vowing to boycott the PlayStation Store, cancel their PlayStation Plus membership and never buy PlayStation products again.

It's a PR nightmare for sure, with pretty much any online PlayStation content becoming a place for gamers to protest, derailing any attempt to talk about anything else.

It reminds me of the response to Sonos' introduction of a new and hugely flawed app, which Sonos now admits was badly done.

Sonos' PR nightmare lasted for around 18 months, there is now optimism and rebuilt trust around the new changes it's bringing to improve the app. Could Sony learn from Sonos' experience and its attempts to rebuild customer trust?

I think the answer is: yes it could, but no it won't.

What Sonos got right and Sony probably won't

Speaking to TechRadar earlier this year, Sonos CEO Tom Conrad set out his views on how to try and make angry customers happy again. "You just have to show up in people's life with some humility and do the hard work of earning their trust back through great execution, great product, great software, great experiences, and never forget what you put people through."

So far, Sony isn't doing that: rather than respond to gamers' concerns, it's battening down the hatches and staying silent about its move to digital-only. And that's a shame, because there are genuine reasons for gamers to worry about Sony's decision.

There are three key concerns about digital-only. The first, and I think the most important, is cost. The PlayStation Store is ludicrously expensive: for example Spider-Man 2, a three-year-old game, is £69.99 digital today in the UK, where I'm based. Competition between retailers means it's around £37 on disc.

The second is second-hand gaming. I buy many games second-hand, and many gamers like to sell their games after they've completed them or got annoyed by them, so that they can spend what they recoup on more new games (a win for the industry overall). So I can buy Returnal for about £20 on eBay. I can't buy the digital edition second-hand, so if I want the digital version it's… you guessed it, £69.99.

To be fair, you can get both games, and others, on PlayStation Plus Extra. But not everyone wants or can sustain yet another subscription, and we know that all subscription services go up in price — often dramatically so, as we saw with Xbox Game Pass last year.

And the third is ownership. Sony's disc announcement came just days after it deleted customers' purchased copies of over 500 movies, making it clear that purchasing doesn't mean owning forever. And those movies cost a lot less than £69.99.

Sony may have to eat humble pie for a while in order to mimic Sonos here, seeking out customer views to talk about those concerns, and maybe thinking about how to address them — so for example it could tell us that digital codes would still be sold through multiple retailers, like Nintendo does with its key cards, or that we'd be able to resell our digital-only games (even if it hasn't developed the mechanism for this yet).

However, the reality is that for a firm the size of Sony, even a significant customer backlash such as 246,586 signatures on a petition represents a microscopic proportion of its 125 million PlayStation Plus subscribers, let alone the many more PlayStation owners — and it can afford to ignore them.

That's something of a gamble. Just ask Microsoft, whose Game Pass price hike scared off far more customers than expected — according to reports, it lost 4 million out of 34 million Game Pass subscribers when it was expecting huge growth instead, forcing a partial reversal.

But Sony's gaming business is far bigger, and that means it can still upset a lot of customers without feeling much pain.

I suspect Sony is going to take a different lesson from the Sonos situation: even at the height of customer anger, Sonos still sold lots of speakers, soundbars and subs.

Then again, maybe Sony is more rattled than it's currently letting on. Two days after the digital-only announcement, with customers raging online, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki sold more than half of his Sony stock and Sony's chief strategy officer unloaded a bunch of Sony shares too.

• Warframe's upcoming Tau update was showcased today at TennoCon in London, Ontario
• The update will take the game in a bold new direction, introducing a noir detective story
• A smaller Fall update is scheduled before Tau lands later this year

So, it's finally happening: Warframe is going to the Tau system later this year, in a hotly anticipated major update that has been repeatedly teased for years.

Having just watched the reveal live at TennoCon 2026, I have to say... any predictions I had about this update could not have been more wrong.

Last year's The Old Peace update gave us a glimpse of Tau's distant past, showing glittering orbital academies and futuristic humans living in harmony with the robotic Sentient race. As it turns out, the 'present-day' Tau is absolutely nothing like that.

Instead, today's event introduced us to a grimy neo-noir dystopia, a Sentient city named Fornax inside a gigantic ring-shaped superstructure orbiting one of Tau's dead worlds. The live demo at TennoCon is seen through the eyes of a new upcoming warframe, Brysko, who is so obviously a frameified version of Blade Runner protagonist Rick Deckard that it almost borders on parody, right down to his long jacket and beefy signature pistol. Oh, and did I mention that he's voiced by Matt Mercer?

Dark city

The narrative of the new update leaps between plotlines at a breakneck pace (as has become common for Warframe's frankly wild storytelling), first showing us flashbacks featuring the Lotus and the player characters finally figuring out how to get to Tau. Meanwhile, sometimes-hero-sometimes-villain Albrecht Entrati is already in Tau, sending Brysko on an investigation into Fornax's seedy underworld in a story that clearly draws heavy inspiration from 40s noir detective films.

Fornax is not a great place to live. It evokes Blade Runner's rain-soaked Los Angeles or Cyberpunk 2077's Night City, blended with the crumbling architecture and utter hopelessness of Warhammer 40,000's multi-layered hive cities. "Addiction is the theme of this update," said Warframe Creative Director Rebecca Ford at the press preview event I attended on Thursday night, and that's immediately evident in the city's inhabitants.

Brysko himself chain-smokes cigars, the undercity slums are filled with drug-addled Sentients begging for scraps and pissing in the streets (yes, these robots can urinate... no, developer Digital Extremes did not explain how or why), and a large part of the live demo focuses on a casino seemingly run by presumed-dead Sentient character Adis, all grown up and now a cold, calculating mob boss named 'the Hunra'.

The neo-noir stylings extend here, too. Unlike most of the playable warframes in game (or the mutated human protoframes), Brysko is what Ford calls a "chimeraframe" - in other words, a frame who retains his own personality and individuality. He narrates his investigation in classic jaded detective fashion, and seemingly has an ongoing romance with a Sentient blues singer who performs in the Hunra's club.

A twisting tale

In true Warframe fashion, it's a staggeringly unusual twist for the overarching story. This is a game where you don't reach the character creation screen until after at least a dozen hours of gameplay; the plot dances between genres, a space opera one minute and a 1990s time-travel adventure the next. It's dipped its toes into cosmic horror, military shooters, and tales of anticapitalist rebellion.

Swordfights, gunfights, ghost pirates, hoverboards, cats, mechs, and worlds to explore inside children's fantasy storybooks. Perhaps it was inevitable that Digital Extremes might eventually settle on a dark detective thriller in its writing team's roving adventure through the annals of genre fiction. But I certainly didn't see it coming, and I'd be amazed if anyone else did too.

A small slice of the TennoCon live demo showed the arrival of one of the Vessels: titanic bio-mechanical humanoids built for the coming war against Warframe's big bad, but until now left inert in the old labs beneath the surface of Deimos. We briefly saw a customization screen that let you choose a body type and tweak the colors of the Vessel, implying that we'll probably be playing as one directly in the near future, but the context for this has largely been left unanswered thus far.

New stars, new worlds

Setting aside the bizarre new narrative direction for a moment, let's break down what we can actually expect from the Tau update when it drops in late 2026.

As many fans have hoped, it looks like the Tau system will contain its own new star chart to navigate (essentially the 'world map' of Warframe), separate from the Origin System chart that currently forms the basis for the game's setting. Ford confirmed that players will be able to move between the two systems at will once Tau is unlocked, adding: "This is just growth - we're not replacing anything." I have to wonder if this particular statement was prompted by a certain other sci-fi live-service game and its controversial habit of routinely hacking out older content...

At launch, Tau will feature two explorable planets, with the megacity of Fornax being one of them. Fornax itself will be broken into three 'hubs', the first of which is the casino setting shown in the live demo. From there, Digital Extremes has plans to further flesh out the system in future updates; one part of the demo shows at least three other planets in orbit around Tau's binary suns, one of which appears to have been shattered by some ancient conflict.

Different challenges

Gameplay-wise, it's largely the same fast-paced parkour-combat Warframe fans have come to love, just expanded. The demo showcases multiple new Sentient enemy types, new guns, a grappling hook mechanic, and a boss fight against a fantastically designed pair of Sentient twins who can amalgamate their bodies into a single large monster.

There are some spins on the usual formula coming too, though, specifically to reflect the wildly different setting of Tau. Gone is the Steel Path, Warframe's 'hard mode' overseen by mentor character Teshin - instead, a new endgame difficulty will be implemented for missions in Tau, with the Steel Path's Acolyte minibosses also replaced by something Digital Extremes was not yet ready to reveal.

Ford also teased at least one new mode with "a twist on the core Warframe mission structure, to make it feel more fresh." Oh, and you can gamble via a selection of minigames in the Hunra's club, with Ford immediately comparing it to Final Fantasy VII's beloved Gold Saucer amusement park.

And that's about everything we know so far. The Tau update is slated for late 2026 (most likely December, from the cadence of major updates), with a smaller content drop - named 'Iceblade of Narin' - coming in the Fall. I'll wrap it up here, but needless to say, I'm very excited now.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 were just ported to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
• Aside from an upgraded picture quality, they seem otherwise identical to the original versions
• Some fans are convinced that they just don't feel right, however

Yesterday, Activision treated us to the surprise release of not one, but two Call of Duty ports. You can now buy the original Black Ops and its acclaimed follow-up, Black Ops 2, on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 for the very first time.

They upgrade the resolution of both games on these newer consoles (a substantial step up from the 608p native picture quality of the backwards compatible versions available on Xbox) but otherwise seem almost identical to their original incarnations.

Even some big features that many fans thought would be cut, like Black Ops 2's infamous emblem creator, are present and accounted for.

I picked up copies of the two games immediately with my own cash (there's currently an irresistible 50% discount on them if you have PS Plus) and spent the best part of yesterday evening playing on my PS5. Aside from the crisper picture quality, they're just as I remember.

I replayed the original versions of both games pretty recently too, via second-hand physical copies that I bought for my Xbox Series X to refresh my knowledge of both games ahead of the Black Ops 7 launch — this latest entry is a Black Ops 2 sequel, after all.

Some fans aren't as impressed, though, and argue that the games just don't feel right.

"Black Ops 1 PS5 has a serious controller input lag issue that needs to be adressed [sic] and fixed" argued one poster on r/callofduty. "It surely wasn’t this bad on PS3".

"Sounds like the original launch" another fan replied, with someone else chiming in: "The golden days" and a tongue-in-cheek sobbing emoji.

"BO1 always felt hard to aim in even in the old days compared to BO2. Pretty sure this is normal" added someone else.

Another post similarly reckons that "The responsiveness is terrible. I distinctly remember the original Black Ops 1 feeling way crisper than this". The top comment agrees, complaining that "I’m losing every gun fight because my gun doesn’t fire in time".

Although everything feels fine to me, there's definitely a chance that those playing specific resolutions, on specific TVs, or with features like VRR enabled might be having a much worse experience. I expect some patches will be released in the coming weeks if these claims hold water.

• Zero Parades: For Dead Spies now has a free to play TTRPG
• It adapts the game's setting and mechanics for pen and paper
• It also comes with a free premade one shot to help you learn the game

Let’s face it, 2026 — with its component price hikes, sweeping layoffs, cancellations, expensive AAA titles, and Sony’s promise to stop making physical games — has been something of a year of Ls. But one of the few lights in this darkness, and game of the year contender, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies just announced brand new content is dropping: it’s a tabletop version of its gameplay, and it’s totally free.

If you head over to one-shot site you’ll find everything you need to get started including a simple core rulebook and a One Shot story set in the Zero Parades world 30 years before the events of the game.

The One Shot comes with everything you need to play your first session including location maps, premade characters, GM materials (to help whoever is running things) and adapted rules that bring the game’s mechanics to life in TTRPG form.

Scratching the itch

Anyone who has played Zero Parades: For Dead Spies or its spiritual predecessor Disco Elysium will have already felt the TTRPG inspired elements — all challenges in the games are already presented as dice rolls.

Just like in Zero Parades the pen and paper game has the same stats and Faculties — Action, Relation, Intellect — which determine how capable your character should be at certain actions, as well as details on how you can exert yourself to increase your odds of success — at the cost of raising your Fatigue, Anxiety, or Delirium respectively.

You also find items of clothing you can equip to make your stats better (and sometimes also worse), or tools which unlock actions like a camera allowing you to snap photos to use later — or to remember a sick spy moment you just pulled off, the decision is all yours.

As a major fan of both TTRPGs like Dungeons and Dragons and of Zero Parades I had been thinking of adapting the digital gameplay into something pen and paper for my regular playgroup. With this free release I don’t need to do any work at all — though I love there are the resources to create your own adventure and stories if you want to move away form the premade One Shot.

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is everything you’d want from a follow-up to Disco Elysium. It keeps the post-Soviet vibes and aesthetics with a whole new story and setting. The gameplay is very similar too, with a few updates that fine-tune mechanics in a way that feels better and yet utterly familiar.

There’s also that general and gradually growing weirdness that made Disco Elysium so much of a joy to play through.

So many people I know who loved Disco Elysium had no clue Zero Parades is a thing they can play, and the perfect game to scratch the itch Disco Elysium leaves you with.

Plus if you’re reading this article the day it comes out the full Zero Parades: For Dead Spies game is 10%-off for everyone, and 20% off for owners of Disco Elysium in the Steam Summer Sale. What are you waiting for? Go and play it!

• Valve has posted a fix for the 'red line of death' problem
• A small number of bug reports have surfaced online
• Leaving the PC unplugged overnight seems to help

There's good news if your newly purchased Steam Machine has been hit by the 'red line of death' — where the PC displays a solid red indicator light and refuses to boot up (reminiscent of the old Xbox 'red ring of death').

A couple of reports about this problem have appeared in recent days, although it's not clear exactly how widespread this issue is. If you have been hit by the frustrating bug though, Valve now has some official advice for you.

In detailed troubleshooting instructions posted to Reddit, the official Steam hardware feedback account advises affected users to work through a series of steps that include unplugging the Steam Machine and forcing a full reboot.

It's worth saying that the Redditor who originally reported the issue was able to get their Steam Machine up and running again by leaving it unplugged overnight — so an effective fix might not require all of the official instructions.

Here's what to do

If you do find the 'red line of death' appearing on your Steam Machine, these are the troubleshooting steps to follow, as per Valve:

• Unplug the Machine, then press the power button a few times. This ensures any stored energy in the PSU gets discharged. You may see the power indicator LED blip a moment.
• Plug the Machine back in. Note if your power LED glows (breathing pattern) white or not. If yes, please submit a Steam Support ticket and tag me, or send me a chat request with the ID.
• Hold the power button down for ~6s. You should see the power indicator LED (dot) flash momentarily. Release the power button when you do.
• The power indicator LED will start to cycle some color codes. These are designed to allow you to select various options for recovery/troubleshooting purposes. When the LED turns green, short-press the power button. This should perform a full 'CMOS reset'.
• On the next boot, you should see the RGB bar as blue - it may take a bit longer to boot due to a memory re-training.

So there you have it — if your Steam Machine works again, the Steam support account requests that you tag it on Reddit. If not, the next step is to create a support ticket so the issue can be investigated further.

It might be that a number of users have already experienced this problem and resolved it without turning to Reddit or social media, but it's not something you want to see after paying a top price for the gaming PC.

Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 review

The Snakebyte Ergo Grip 2 is a basic grip for the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons, although it has a few tricks up its sleeve.

Its design is very much a case of function over form. There’s no RGB lighting, and the all-black colorway leaves no room for levity. At least it's simple and unfussy, consisting merely of a central bar and two grip handles on either side. These handles are reasonably long but quite thin compared to more traditional controllers.

The build quality isn’t particularly great, it has to be said. There’s quite a bit of flex to the whole unit, although it's solid enough and the plastic feels smooth in the hand. But it’s certainly not going to challenge the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers on this front.

There’s a small switch underneath the Ergo Grip 2 to release the central bar from the bottom of the pad, allowing it to pivot upwards and out of the way of the grip handles so you can insert the Joy-Cons. This seems a little gimmicky, and what’s more, it’s not strictly necessary: by inserting my Joy-Cons at an angle, I managed to get around the handles while the center was locked down.

I think it would’ve been simpler to engineer a solution where the handles didn’t get in the way at all, rather than have a rotating mechanism. I’m also mildly concerned about the button that locks it down. I noticed a small amount of play while it’s locked down, which could spell failure further down the line.

Happily, the fit for the Joy-Cons is more secure. They slot into the Ergo Grip 2 just as well as they do into the Switch 2 itself. The hold feels strong, and the handles effectively partially cover their outsides, which prevents them from being prised out easily.

In action, it’s quite comfortable. The Joy-Cons sit fairly close together, but not so close as to cause issues. However, the grip handles took me a little while to get used to. At first, I had to slide my hands upwards to reach the Joy-Cons' bumpers when playing games such as Super Mario Bros. Wonder. However, I discovered that I could slot my last two fingers into the handles’ small indents for better purchase, which helped alleviate this problem somewhat.

But there are a few more ergonomic issues with the Ergo Grip 2. The bottom parts of the grips aren’t particularly long, and what’s more, they’re completely vertical, rather than angling outwards. This meant that they didn’t sit in the palms of my hands as well as more traditional gamepads, leading to a less secure feeling of grip.

This verticality extends to the orientation of the Joy-Cons. They don’t angle outwards at the bottom, which is part of the reason why reaching the bumpers can be a struggle. Other grips, such as the Genki Dual Wield, create such an angle, which feels like a more natural way to use the Joy-Cons.

The Ergo Grip 2 features a USB-C port for charging while you play. There are LEDs on top to indicate charging status, although these are basic, merely lighting up red while charging and green once complete.

At 200cm, the included USB-C cable is quite long, but it's made from rubber. This contrasts with the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, including other controllers and grips, that come with braided cables for better flexibility. Thankfully, the cable is quite light, so I didn’t feel much resistance while playing, and I wasn’t worried about the cable disconnecting. However, it’s quite hard to unbunch, meaning it fails to maximize its entire length.

At less than £20, though, such shortcomings are easier to swallow. If all you’re after is a cheap way to securely hold your Joy-Con 2 controllers and want to play and charge at the same time, you could do worse than the Ergo Grip 2.

Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 review: Price and availability

The Ergo Grip 2 can be ordered from Snakebyte’s website for €19.99, which is about £17. However, we have seen it for less than this at other retailers. This is a fair price for a Joy-Con 2 grip, especially one that features charge-and-play.

However, there are Switch 2 accessories that are arguably better value for money, including others from Snakebyte. Its Starter Kit S2, for instance, includes Joy-Con 2 grips, a case, wired earbuds, joystick caps, and a screen protector — all for about the same price as the Ergo Grip 2.

Should I buy the Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2 review: Also consider

How I tested the Snakebyte Ergo Grip S2

I tested the Ergo Grip 2 for several days. I played various games with it attached to my Joy-Cons, including Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario 3D All-Stars. I attached and detached my Joy-Cons several times to test the fit and pivot mechanism of the grip.

I’ve been gaming for decades and have used many systems and controllers in that time. I’ve also reviewed other Switch 2 grips, as well as numerous controllers for the Switch, PC, Xbox, and mobile.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: June 2026

We've had a couple of early reports of Steam Machine failures, describing a red light indicator of a problem that means the PC won't turn on, which is something that'll be very familiar to those who've had an Xbox in the past.

A Redditor posted (see below) that their "Steam Machine was pretty cool for the 20 minutes that it worked", detailing how things went wrong, and how the PC ended up displaying a 'Red Line of Death' and not booting – reminiscent of the 'Red Ring of Death' visited upon some unfortunate Xbox 360 owners (myself included).

The Redditor tells us that they played five minutes of No Man's Sky before noticing an update for the Steam Machine, which they installed — and then the device fell over.

Post-update it failed to boot, and the owner was left looking at a red light on the right-hand side of the Steam Machine's light bar. After a bit of digging, it was discovered that this indicates a 'GPU failure', as per Valve's troubleshooting info on the Steam Machine's LED.

The owner has contacted Valve for help, but at the time of writing, support hasn't yet got back to them (or at least they haven't updated the Reddit thread with the details of what's happening).

This isn't quite a sole complaint, as there's another report of a GPU failure with the Steam Machine on the Steam Forums. But clearly, we shouldn't go running for the hills in panic that this is going to be Valve's very own 'red ring' controversy that casts a hellish blight across this hardware launch just yet.

Analysis: faulty KITT

While talk of the Redditor's Steam Machine being 'bricked', meaning permanently dead, is premature, it's not clear where things might go from here. Given that in the Redditor's case it happened after an update, perhaps it's reversible (the other post on Valve's forums, where the PC immediately failed on first boot, sounds more definitively terminal).

In both cases, though, a GPU failure doesn't sound good, and while it may be possible to resolve that via poking around and attempting a recovery with the PC, the buyer on Reddit is wisely awaiting instructions from Valve's support team.

I'm betting this will be a return in the end (with both PCs), and I think that's for the best, as I'd be worried if a device I bought had an initial problem like this, as I'd fear that it's something that might resurface later on.

Of course, some point out that the problem is that furnishing the purchaser with a new unit may not be a speedy process, given the limited stock of the Steam Machine so far. But Valve will obviously have some contingency plans in place for potential returns, as they will inevitably happen.

That's another thing to make clear here: just because we've seen a Red Line of Death (well, two) doesn't mean everyone should be panicking about the quality of Valve's hardware. There will be a percentage of faulty devices, that's just reality, and currently, we have just a pair of reports.

If these problems keep on coming, though, that's obviously a different matter, and we could be looking at a more difficult situation for Valve. Time will tell, but for now, let's stay well clear of the mentioned hills.

At any rate, at least the red line looks a lot cooler than the red ring. It reminds me of KITT in Knight Rider, or the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica, though the light really should be pulsing from side to side, of course.

Gaming has officially reached its worst state in decades after PlayStation announced it will ditch game discs for PlayStation consoles starting in 2028.

It comes very shortly after Rockstar Games and its most anticipated game, arguably of all time, GTA 6, opened pre-orders.

Why is that relevant, you may ask? Well, in case you've missed it, there will be no discs available for 'physical' copies of GTA 6. Essentially, buying the highly anticipated game digitally or the physical edition at retailers means you won't have a hard copy of the game, as the latter comes with a code in a box.

Frankly, it's a reach to even suggest that GTA 6 has a physical edition at all, as a code in a game case definitely isn't a physical copy — and that's what makes things even more ridiculous.

Rumors recently suggested that there would never be any disc of GTA 6, and after PlayStation's disastrous announcement, it's safe to say that those rumors are accurate. We're not focusing exclusively on GTA 6 here, but if you're wondering what the future of gaming will look like from 2028 and beyond, GTA 6 is the example.

The PlayStation 'monopoly-like' behaviour begins

To put it simply, that example of GTA 6 means that all of the games purchased from the year 2028 and beyond on PlayStation consoles will no longer be owned by consumers, because digital purchases are actually licenses.

That's a huge issue for several reasons. If PlayStation wanted to revoke a user's access to a game, it could do so at any time, which we've recently seen with the removal of over 500 movies from user libraries without refunds. If a user loses their account from an unwarranted ban (or even by being hacked), then their digital purchases are effectively gone for good.

With this in mind, Sony's behaviour feels very monopolistic. Of course, gamers can still choose to buy third-party games on other platforms, but since Sony has reportedly tried to make certain games like Crimson Desert a timed exclusive (reported by Forbes), and it's now cutting off another avenue of purchasing games, it comes across as unfriendly to gamers, even if its moves aren't exactly illegal.

Physical copies have always allowed consumers to buy, resell, or borrow games and get their hands on cheaper copies at retailers, whether brand new or second-hand.

The latter is what gives stores like CeX, Game (in the UK), and GameStop purpose, letting consumers find games that they didn't want to pay full price for at launch, or buy games for retro systems like the PS1 or PS2, since the libraries from those game consoles are severely limited on PS5 (and some are only available via streaming).

Since the PlayStation Store will soon be the only place to buy games on PlayStation consoles, consumers will effectively be forced to pay high prices for most titles — including both PlayStation exclusives and third-party games that have been available for years already.

The examples are clear to see above; GTA 5 is a 2013 game that has received multiple re-releases from PS3 to P55, and somehow still costs $39.99 / £59.99 / AU$89.95. The same applies to Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, a 2022 game, which costs $49.99 / £44.99 / AU$74.95, and the list goes on.

At CeX, GameStop, and multiple other video game retailers, games of their caliber will cost significantly less, without needing a sale or discount to make them affordable for consumers.

That affordability is seemingly what Sony is also trying to eliminate alongside game ownership. Streamlining all PlayStation game purchases to its PlayStation Store ensures you can't find a cheaper deal for a game anywhere else. If that doesn't sound monopolistic, then I don't know what does.

Sure, there will likely still be cheaper options via video game retailers for 'physical' games with a code in a case. However, the fact that discs will no longer exist for games will instantly discourage gamers from opting for those so-called 'physical' editions, since ownership will be out of the equation.

It's always been more expensive to pay for games digitally than it has been to buy them second-hand — especially with constant price increases and few steep discounts — and once second-hand games are gone in 2028, there will be no going back.

To make matters even worse, Sony is also shutting down the PS3 and PS Vita stores in 2027, leaving PS3 and PS Vita owners with no possible way to purchase any of the games on those two platforms.

Announcing such a drastic move at the same time as informing gamers that discs will cease to exist on PlayStation does the exact opposite of instilling faith in consumers that buying digitally is the right move.

When the PS5 or any other future PlayStation console eventually becomes a retro console, Sony may very well do the same thing and close the platform's store. Without discs or hard copies of games, you can essentially kiss them goodbye for good.

The warning signs have been there all along; physical media, specifically within the gaming industry, has seen a steady decline over the years, with publishers and game studios of particular games opting for digital releases, and on some occasions, later releasing physical editions.

As Hideo Kojima, a veteran gaming designer, once said, "eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative". That reality is now here — and unless gamers stand up to Sony's anti-consumer practices now, it'll be too late once 2028 arrives.