I test a whole heap of gaming headsets, and have done so for nearly a decade now. I've also worked with a whole load of excellent freelancers who offer brilliantly clear, thoughtful, analytical, and fair takes on the products we test as a collective.

And I've agreed with every single review we've published in my time here at TechRadar Gaming — up until now. While very accurate and full of great advice, especially when the headset launched, I think my writer Phil's (who is one of the best in the business) review of the Audeze Maxwell 2 scored the gaming headset too low with a four-star rating.

I think it's a five-star headset.

Simply put, it is the best-sounding gaming headset I have ever used. After using it for a few months as a daily driver, nothing has come close before or since — even some of my absolute favorites can't hold a candle to it on sheer audio quality, detail, richness, and balance.

As a result, I have been recommending the headset at every opportunity possible. For anyone looking to upgrade their audio and take a step up, no matter your platform, this is absolutely worth the price tag — even at full price.

The whole audio spectrum is served so well by the Maxwell 2's 95mm planar magnetic drivers and design that I have been immersed further into my games, picked up details I didn't realise were there, and been blasted by a full-bodied richness that's just so dang enjoyable.

Further backing this up was my recent visit to Audeze in California, where I got to see the magic, science, and philosophy up close and personal. Hearing the approach that Audeze takes to audio, as well as learning about the planar magnetic tech under the hood, including the patented SLAM technology too, only cemented my newfound opinion on this quality set.

No headset is perfect, of course, and folks will point out that its mic is just OK, or that it's weightier than other headsets — though I think we all have a tendency to be too afraid of heavier headsets, or think that heavy = bad — but the default audio quality, out of the box, is so good that it definitely, absolutely, categorically outweighs all of the potential negatives.

At launch, Phil pointed out the fact that the original Maxwell was still available and this posed a bit of a problem for the Maxwell 2, as it offered also-excellent audio but was much cheaper. However, there are genuine improvements over the Maxwell 1 that the 2 offers (like SLAM), and now, a few months after release, the OG model is harder to find, making the case for going to the Maxwell 2 even stronger.

If you want premium gaming audio, then there is none better on the market right now.

• The UK is experiencing another heatwave, with temperatures expected to exceed 35°C
• Nintendo Switch users should be reminded of the risks of overheating their console
• Nintendo has previously said that the consoles can "malfunction" in temperatures above 35°C

As we enter another UK heatwave, Nintendo Switch users should be reminded of the risks of overheating their console.

Recent weather reports have forecast that temperatures in certain parts of the UK will exceed 35°C this week, reaching as high as 40°C.

An amber warning has been issued, in addition to a rare red extreme heat warning, for some regions and those spending time outside should be prepared for the sweltering heat. Even those indoors should take similar precautions to stay cool, especially if they have any running hardware that can contribute to the heat.

Whether it be a PC, PS5 console, or Xbox Series X, these devices do run the risk of overheating, particularly during a heatwave. The same goes for Switch and Switch 2 consoles, which Nintendo has previously cautioned can "malfunction" if temperatures are above 35°C.

"Using a Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 in places with high temperatures may cause the console's temperature to rise," the company said in a post shared last year.

"This could potentially lead to malfunctions, so please use it in locations between 5–35°C. Lately, there have been consecutive days exceeding 35°C. Please take care when using it outdoors."

For this reason, we'd highly recommend avoiding using your Switch or Switch 2 when temperatures are at their highest.

In other news, Nintendo has officially announced The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, and it launches this year on Switch 2.

If you're hoping to pick the console up before the game drops, the Switch 2 just got an absurd Amazon Prime discount thanks to Amazon Prime Day.

Upgrading any area of one's gaming setup is something I can always get behind, and regardless of budget, need, desire, or platform, I'm often able to find recommendations across all kinds of gear.

Shop more early Prime Day deals at Amazon US

However, audiophile or high-end gaming headsets is one of my favourite areas in which to delve and recommend. We've seen a surge of new products in recent years either targeting the audiophile market directly or at least the audiophile-adjacent, premium and high-end part of the spectrum. As such, there's now a good few products to choose from nowadays.

But there's only a few I recommend over the others. Each offers something slightly different, but all are excellent and are my personal picks for the best audiophile gaming headsets going right now. They're so good, they justify their price tag even when at full price, I believe, too. So if you're looking to enhance your gaming audio ahead of GTA 6 pre-orders starting this Thursday, then check out my recommendations below.

Planar-magnetic drivers FTW

For me, the Audeze Maxwell 2 is the greatest-sounding gaming headset money can buy right now. It is now my default go-to set of cups for all gaming, no matter the genre or type of game I'm playing, and I absolutely love it.

At the core of the headset are its 90mm planar magnetic drivers, which are frankly absurd. I am a big fan of a lot of brands' default audio quality, but I have never had better audio out of the box than the Maxwell 2's. It's the best going right now, and literally can't speak highly enough about it.

The science and philosophy of Audeze really make it exquisite for those looking to get better audio for single-player games, stemming from the company's history in making premium headphones for music and media. The reality is that it is still brilliant for multiplayer games, and you also get some flexibility via the Audeze app for tweaking your own EQ settings if you need to.

There are very few chinks in the armor, but some things to be aware of might be its good but unspectacular mic, and its overall bulkiness — though I think we are all a bit too scared of headsets that are big and that weigh more than others; it's genuinely OK if a headset weighs a few more ounces or grams, don't worry! I really like the chunky feel and slightly heavier feel of the set myself, and find the set incredibly comfortable.

Otherwise, I simply cannot reiterate this again: if you really want to get the best gaming audio, and something that'll make GTA 6 sing beautifully no matter the scenario, then this is the audiophile gaming headset to buy right now.

An Elite experience

While the Maxwell 2 rules on the driver and audio quality front, if you're looking for an audiophile-level, premium headset that offers a complete solution and all the bells and whistles — along with some excellent audio, of course — that you need from a headset on any platform, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is worth considering.

It's pricey, I know, but as I said in my review, it really is the best gaming headset I've ever tested. It simply offers it all in one truly excellent package, from audio quality and versatility — you can use it across every platform, simultaneously — to feature set, build quality, comfort, and microphone performance — literally everything.

If you really want one high-grade headset to rule them all while offering audiophile-level gaming audio, then this is the upgrade to make this year, ahead of GTA 6.

It's an old one, but a great one

The PC38X is a wonderful wired audiophile-level headset which I have loved using on both PC and PS5. It sounds fantastic, and is a pretty no-nonsense gaming headset with genuine pedigree behind it.

You might see it styled as Drop + Epos PC38X or just a Drop PC38X, but whichever title you see it under, I really recommend this as a wired set for anyone who wants to keep things simple and get a brilliant-sounding open-backed set of audio givers.

It is a bit old now, but you know what they say: class and quality endures (or something like that. Now, there is one caveat with this headset, and one that is directly related to it being a slightly older model: its availability is a bit spotty. Our automatic price-finding tool below should surface the headset, however, and I have seen it with my own eyes at Amazon US and Amazon UK this week.

However, if you are looking for some wired audiophile gaming headset alternatives to the PC38X if it's not available in your region, then I have some picks for you too.

The Audeze LCD-GX is an open-back premium set of headphones that have been built for gaming. Channeling all that planar magnetic goodness that the brand is known for, these are a seriously high-end set of cups. The massive 106mm drivers pack an almighty punch and offer immense detail, while it comes with a mic, so it's a genuine wired headset option.

The Sennheiser HD 550s are one of my favorite sets of headphones from recent years, and while they may appear as another headphone offering from Sennheiser, these are definitely targeted at gamers who want higher quality audio. You'll need to buy a mic attachment separately to elevate it to a full gaming headset offering.

The Asus ROG Kithara is another option, and is a recent release into the audiophile market. Developed with HiFiMan, this headset has huge 100mm planar-magnetic drivers (not too dissimilar to the Maxwell 2), an open-backed design, and sounds wonderful.

And while not an audiophile gaming headset in the truest sense, per se, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wired gaming headset is an excellent option for those looking for a complete wired gaming headset experience, with brilliant audio and all the features to boot.

I couldn’t get enough of Pokémon Champions at launch. The Nintendo Switch 2 pokémon battler was a game I’d been waiting for since its announcement and it was close to everything I hoped for— but after a couple of weeks I fell off.

Between a mixture of other games releasing, not always having my Switch 2 on me, and several real life commitments taking up my time, my quest to climb up through Mater rank petered out.

Now Champions has hit smartphones — launching on iOS and Android earlier this week — and the game feels more at home here than it ever did on Nintendo’s hardware. The quest to be the very best is back on.

There’s something somewhat surreal playing an official full-on Pokémon battling game on mobile, especially a mobile game that’s so microtransactions light compared to other Android and iOS releases from the franchise — it’s possible to spend real money on more storage space, teams and a Battle Pass for premium rewards, but nothing beyond cosmetics is exclusive to folks who pay up and the free-to-play experience is fantastic especially if you have transferred in critters from Pokémon Go or a mainline entry via Pokémon Home.

Despite this strangeness, Pokémon Champions works so well because any time your phone is connected to the internet (via wi-fi or a cell network) you can boot into a battle. I’ve battled on London’ tube while commuting to work, when kicking back in bed, while sat at a restaurant waiting for friends to arrive, and I might have snuck a game or two from my work desk….

Because this is all on a device you can slip into your pocket it’s super easier to pick up an impromptu game or two when the moment arises — there’s no prior thought or prep required compared to playing on a Switch. Wile the graphics are a little tuned down compared to what you’ll get on Switch 2, my experience so far has been very smooth on mobile.

I started out using my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 with the tablet-like inner display giving me a great view of battles even with menus sharing the screen, however I didn’t feel the experience was especially cramped when I switched to its smaller front display, or the screen of my Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

In fact, there was a strange nostalgia to using the Ultra, with the S Pen stylus making me feel like I was back in 2005 playing Pokémon Diamond on Nintendo DS.

No matter what Android or iOS device you have, the Pokémon Champions experience should feel like a delight and much more fulfilling than other free mobile games out there, but if my words so far aren’t enough to convince you to hop onto the ladder The Pokémon Company is sweetening the deal…

Let’s Go Raichu!

To celebrate the Android and iOS launch all players (who log in by September 1) will receive a free gift: Raichu and both of its Pokémon Legends Z-A DLC Mega Stones to mega evolve it into either Mega Raichu X or Mega Raichu Y.

Having fallen down the ladder in my hiatus I decided to climb back up to Master Rank using Raichu, and as some expected ahead of its debut Raichu Y and its No Guard ability is an absolute beast. A speedy special attacker with 100% accurate Zap Cannon and Focus Blast is a force to be reckoned with, and this pocket monster pairs very well into many of Champion’s biggest threats.

Life Orb Garchomp, or Raichu itself (with its un-mega evolved Lightning Rod ability), are two solid counters if you’re struggling against it on other teams, but I’ve found it’s a lot more fun to ride the Mega Raichu Y wave than try to fight it.

Mega Raichu X is nothing to sniff at, though in Champions’ current doubles meta — which is low on sleep control or future paradox pokémon — its ability to set up electric terrain isn’t super impactful. If/when the future paradoxes and threats like Amoonguss rear their head I see Raichu X finally emerging from hibernation.

That’s the joy of Champions’ approach so far. Slowly rolling out new ‘mons and items to mix things up often enough to keep the game fresh, but not yet so often to feel overwhelming for more casual fans.

If you’re still here I’m not sure what excuse you have. Go download Pokémon Champions, there’s nothing better you could be doing with your phone.

I recently downloaded the Star Fox demo from the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop and thought it had the smoothest, most perfectly-framed camera in gaming history. And you’d write hyperbolic sentences like that, too, if you’d also spent the last week wrestling with the nightmare that is its predecessor.

The Wii U’s Star Fox Zero should have been brilliant. Itself a reimagining of the beloved Star Fox 64 (similar to the upcoming remake), it was developed by Platinum Games, hot off the one-two punch of Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101 — both essential Wii U titles.

Miyamoto was personally involved, saying that Star Fox had skipped the Wii because they felt that it lacked a strong enough idea. Now, to its credit, Star Fox Zero has loads of ideas. Unfortunately, none of them are very good…

For fox sake

The brilliance of Star Fox 64 was its easy-to-learn, hard-to-master controls. It was simple and intuitive to fly your Arwing and blast enemies with lasers. Fun, too, which made the process of gradually getting good enough to avoid all incoming fire with somersaults and barrel rolls joyous.

The Wii U incarnation attempts to innovate by pretending that Star Fox was always missing a second screen. On your TV, you get a third-person view of the action while the Wii U gamepad screen shows the POV of the cockpit. In theory this is meant to simultaneously give you the advantages of a wider view and a more zoomed-in sharpshooting one.

But Star Fox isn’t exactly a game about sniping. It’s a big, loud star war where you’re painting the skies with laser fire. Mostly you’re charging up attacks and locking on to enemies anyway with a generously-sized targeting reticule, so the view on your TV is 99.99% more useful than the gamepad one.

The game’s horrible solution to that is to have the TV camera operated by a hyperactive five-year-old who’s just downed six barrels of Lucozade. Zero is in love with shots that would be described as ‘absolute cinema’ by young people, and ‘game-breakingly misguided’ by my ancient, bitter tongue.

Some enemy ships can’t just explode in peace. The camera has to zoom out and spin around to capture the most epic angle. You’re left lost and wondering where the hell you even are on-screen. Oh, it turns out you were well within the blast range of that explosion, based on how loudly Fox is screaming and how much fire is on the gamepad screen.

Camewahhhh

This particular torment kept happening in a mission where I had to destroy several massive missiles before they reached a teleport. I was about to down the missile with mere seconds left on the clock, only for the camera to go “whoa, what’s this hot new threat?” and immediately abandon the action to get a better look. I glanced down at the gamepad just in time to get a lovely zoomed-in view of me crashing into my target.

It even whiffs clear opportunities for the dual screens to be useful. At one point you have to lock onto a giant mechanical gorilla (the perfectly-named Gigarilla) to get it to follow you. Gigarilla will kindly crush any enemy you lead it to, you see. Well, you don’t see much, actually. Because when you’re locked on to Gigarilla, you’re stuck looking directly at it and have to reverse blindly.

Aha! But with the power of the Wii U, I can look down on the gamepad and see a reversed-view or a wing mirror, surely? Nope. You just see the exact same view as what’s on the TV. Or your disappointed face when the gamepad battery dies again (out of shame, I can only assume.)

Direct why

If you think a stealth level in a spaceship-flying game sounds stupid, then it’s a real pity you weren’t on the Star Fox Zero development team. Operating a slow hovercraft around security beams is boring, with the game barely even bothering to punish you for getting caught. But the real “fun” begins when you have to hack computers to proceed by lowering a little robot called Direct-I. Congratulations to Slippy Toad, who in this exact moment becomes only the second-most hated Star Fox character.

Direct-I is a helium-voiced horrorshow who you lower from a tether out of your ship’s belly. A tiny tether that’s just short enough to make anything as complex as ‘going around a corner’ too much for the poor little robot to comprehend. “Leave it to me!” it squeals merrily, before crashing into a wall and forcing me to try again.

At one point Fox has to save a woman who keeps constantly spouting the exact same request to be saved over and over and over. Imagine her constantly repeating quips, occasionally broken up with Direct-I’s requests to “leave it to me!” as it merrily botches another attempt, and you might be starting to realise why this game didn’t turn things around for the Wii U and drive Microsoft and Sony out of business.

Is Star Fox Zero an abomination then? Well, yes, for the most part. But it’s not quite a total disaster. Platinum may have made more missteps here than someone hosting a tap-dancing contest on a minefield, but the creators of Bayonetta didn’t suddenly lose their eye for over-the-top action. There are still plenty of good boss fights, and can you truly hate a game that features Gigarilla?

It can have so much more on-screen chaos than the Nintendo 64 game could ever dream of as well. When the screen is full of killer robots, colourful laser fire, and the right kind of escalating chaos — and actually letting you see what you’re doing — it occasionally becomes the great next step for Star Fox that Nintendo frustratingly no longer seems interested in taking.

Exciting as the prospect of Ocarina of Time being remade with megagraphics is, wouldn’t it be more satisfying if they’d taken another crack at Wind Waker? The one with all the cut corners and missing dungeons, finally added back in? Likewise, I don’t want to serve in the Lylat Wars yet again, when another go at Zero has so much more potential.

Give it a coherent camera and a snip of the tether that sends Direct-I squealing into a black hole, and I’d be there day one. Let’s hope Star Fox’s Phantom Menace moment hasn’t put Nintendo off ever taking a risk with this series again.

• 007 First Light game director Hakan Abrak says the game was always planned as an origin story
• He says the team pitched to MGM and had ideas for a young Bond story that was a "non-negotiable"
• He adds that there were weekly feedback meetings, but IO was always in charge of the story

IO Interactive has confirmed that 007 First Light was always intended to be a young James Bond story, and it collaborated frequently with the franchise owner, Amazon MGM Studios.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at an event adjacent to Summer Game Fest 2026, game director Hakan Abrak discussed the conceptual phase of the game and confirmed that First Light was "always supposed to be a young Bond story," and the pitching process to MGM and Bond IP co-owners Barbara Broccolo and Michael G. Wilson was "massively intimidating."

Abrak recalled the pitching process being in a room decked in old books from James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, a grand piano, and "the atmosphere of history was so thick you could just cut through it."

When he and other IO team members went in to pitch, he remembered the MGM heads came into the room and were "completely silent" before telling the developers to go ahead and pitch.

"We pitch the story, we pitch our approach, and why this would be different from other Bond games," Abrak said. "[They were] very silent, and then Barbara just says, after a while, stonefaced just says, 'I quite like it,' and then the room just erupted right after; [they said] 'These guys are so cool, like they didn't really get it, I was like keeping my cool and whatnot, but deep inside I was like 'phew' that was something."

The game director did note that he thought IO's initial pitch was "a bit ballsy" and the team had lots of ideas of introducing aspects from Ian Fleming novels, like James Bond's scar, and create a young coming-of-age story "where it's not like he has figured everything out."

Abrak said the team didn't want to recreate a "perfect digital version of Daniel Craig, I love Daniel Craig, but it just wanted to make something that feels original."

"More importantly, what we also told them was that we want to go for the gamers, we want to create a Bond for the gamers," he said, explaining that some young gamers might not have a familiar attachment to Bond like the older generation.

"We [wanted] to take that risk and introduce a fresh Bond for the gamers," he said, "We want to make a Bond for the gamers, not the gamification of a movie. It's difficult [to go there] with non-negotiables, but this was a non-negotiable for us. If we did this, we needed to get this freedom for this approach. So, this was very, very clear from the get-go."

While IO had creative control over the story, Abrak said there was input from MGM, as well as several sessions of casting before Patrick Gibson was cast as Bond. The team also had weekly meetings with Eon Productions, the British film production company that primarily produced the Bond film series.

"Although the story was written by IO and delivered by us, we got a lot of feedback," he said. "I think we had some affinity, and we had something to start with, like with the Danish dark humor, dry humor, but getting the British humor right, there [was] still some way to go.

"It's been massively helpful, and we're really into it, and I think for the younger generation of Eon creators that we had meetings with, and the artwork from the movies, which [was] attached to it as well, it was very, very exciting for them to get to do, because they were actually making a new one [Bond] from the ground up.

"It was a collaboration; they were very much involved, but it was always IO, doing the story, doing the characters and things, and then getting feedback and working closely."

007 First Light is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is slated to launch sometime this year.

• IO Interactive says 007 First Light's upcoming story expansion is "awesome"
• The principal level designer Mattias Engström says fans are "starting to expect" post-launch content from IO Interactive games
• Lead environment artist Hilde Sunde says the positive reception has "been amazing"

IO Interactive has teased 007 First Light's upcoming post-launch content following the game's "unreal" reception.

Speaking with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026 following the announcement of a brand-new story expansion, principal level designer Mattias Engström and lead environment artist Hilde Sunde discussed working on IO games long after their release, such as Hitman 3 and, in this case, First Light.

According to Engström, getting to create new content for players is "very cool because it's very rewarding for our players," and is something IO is now well known for, unlike other studios that ship their game with no further content updates.

"It doesn't just stop," he said, "it's not the one and done, right? So, adding more content for our fans is very cool. I think it's also something you're starting to expect from IOI, right?"

"It's kind of in our DNA to do that type of stuff and also keeping the players happy," Sunde added. "In Bond, we also have a lot of replayability. So, if you play through it one time, you could do it very differently the next time and try different ways and play it again."

"Also, IO is a pretty big company," continued Engström. "We can have people moving around and going to other projects, and some people who may not have worked on Bond before can get going and bring in fresh new ideas and whatnot."

Engström went on to tease the post-launch content, saying it will be "awesome" and "we want the players to come back, and we want to create more content."

007 First Light was a success with critics and players alike, selling 1.5 million within its first 24 hours before hitting 2.7 million copies worldwide in its first week across all platforms.

Sunde recalled the emotional response she and the team had when the reviews came in, touching on what it was like to hear the reception after working on First Light for six years out of the game's seven-year development cycle.

"A lot of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this," the developer said. "We really wanted to nail the Bond fantasy and get everything right, and right up until release, when you have worked on a game for that long ride, and you're gonna ship something that is very dear to I think [Bond] fans, you really want to get it right.

"And then when we got the reviews in, there people were crying, we were hugging each other, we were like it was unreal. I was in shock. I'm still in shock. I mean, I knew the game was good, but you're not prepared for it. It just feels so good for everybody who has worked so hard on this at IOI and all the other people we have collaborated with on this.

"It's just been amazing. I still don't believe it. I'm pitching my arm."

007 First Light is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is slated to launch sometime this year.

• Actor Alastair Mackenzie says the scene in which his character, Q, teaches Bond to tie a bow tie was a "key moment"
• He says it was a "very little special relationship moment"
• Mackenzie adds that the stories like that of 007 First Light are all about "humanity"

The actors behind 007 First Light's supporting cast have revealed the most memorable moments between their characters and James Bond.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at an event adjacent to Summer Game Fest 2026, the cast of IO Interactive's Bond game, including Alastair Mackenzie, Priyanga Burford, Lennie James, and Noémie Nakai, sat down to discuss the filming process and how they brought their characters to life.

First Light is a cinematic action-adventure game and a prequel origin story for Bond, so there are plenty of moments where he interacts and grows his relationships with the cast.

Mackenzie, who plays Q, recalls the scene in Vietnam where Bond is struggling to tie his own bow tie before heading off on his mission, and Q helps him in an almost paternal way. It's a lovely moment, and one the actor himself found the most memorable.

"I had to teach him how to tie a bow tie, which I mean, I don't know if you ever tried, but it's impossible," Mackenzie said. "It's a really nice moment between Bond and Q, where he presents him with his tie, and he doesn't know what the f*** to do, so he teaches him how to tie [it]. So that was a little key for me; that's very, very little special relationship moment."

Burford, who plays M, also touched on a "beautiful" moment with reluctant allies Bond and John Greenway early on in the story that demonstrated Bond's character development.

"For me, there was one [scene] where Bond is really angry with Greenway, and he wants to kick the whole thing down and finish it," she said. "And there's a beautiful bit where it's sort of teaching someone how to handle their emotions and how to regulate and step out of an emotional state as a young person might do; someone impulsive who gives in to their anger and looks at the situation from a bit of a wider perspective.

"Instead of getting angry, what can this guy teach you? What do you want them to pick and try and think about it that way. And that, for me, was a good clue about what this dynamic was, and [what] M's approach was."

Mackenzie added that these stories are all about "humanity" and something he believes isn't shown very often in gaming.

"These are all human interactions that make this game," he said. "There's a sort of visceral nature to it, where you're connecting on a human level, which I think doesn't happen in every game, does it? I mean, it's not something that is normal in gaming stories."

007 First Light is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is expected to launch later this year.

• The 007 First Light cast have shared their Bond movie recommendations
• Lennie James picked On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and thinks George Lazenby "nailed Bond"
• Priyanga Burford thinks players should watch Skyfall after finishing the game because "You get the beginning and the beginning of the end"

The cast of 007 First Light has shared their personal picks for which Bond movies players should watch as a companion to the game.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at an event adjacent to Summer Game Fest 2026, where actors Alastair Mackenzie, Priyanga Burford, Lennie James, and Noémie Nakai, along with game director Martin Emborg, discussed IO Interactive's newest release, they were asked to recommend what Bond movies they'd recommend to players to watch before, after, or alongside First Light.

"That's kind of like saying, what's your favorite Bond movie, isn't it?" joked Q actor Mackenzie, before James, who plays John Greenway, decided on the 1969 flick starring George Lazenby, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

"It's old school, but weirdly, even though he only did it once, I think Lazenby nailed Bond in that, until Daniel [Craig], actually, it was a unique telling of a Bond adventure."

Burford, the actress behind M, went with Skyfall, one of the most popular films in Craig's 007 series.

"I'm going to go really obvious and say play the game, and then watch Skyfall. You get the beginning and the beginning of the end," she said.

Emborg agreed with Burford's recommendation, but said, "There's something really interesting in watching No Time to Die, and then playing this game."

"I really like the contrast of [what] he says in Skyfall: 'Well, everyone needs a hobby. Well, what's yours? Resurrection.' And so there's something meeting Bond at the very end, and then seeing him step out of the ocean, a young man. I think there's something quite moving."

Mackenzie added that he "loved every Bond movie" growing up, "even the ones that we look back on now, say they aren't great." However, he loves The Man with the Golden Gun for its locations.

"All of that kind of affected my entire life, really," he said. "I'm thinking, I sort of identify that as being paradise."

Emborg continued, saying it's a difficult question because there are 25 movies and compared it to deciding one's favorite type of music or deciding how you feel depending on the occasion.

"It is really like, what do you feel like today? It's like, what's your favorite type of music? It's like that depends. Did I just break up with someone? That's going to change it."

007 First Light is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version will launch later this year.

This article contains descriptions of sexual themes and graphic violence. Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival received ESRB Mature and PEGI 18 ratings, and is intended for adult audiences.

I spent roughly twenty minutes with upcoming survival horror game Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival and in that brief time managed to witness a graphic sex scene (that the demo cold-opens on, no less), the protagonist piercing some nipples, and the deaths of legions of leather-clad enemies that seemed to enjoy being fatally bludgeoned a little too much.

In other words, it’s an unapologetically freaky game that relishes in extreme violence, something you’ll already know if you’ve glimpsed the brutal new release date trailer.

Set 20 years after the start of the equally bloody cult classic Hellraiser horror film series, Revival is an all-new story that was written in collaboration with original franchise creator Clive Barker that seems to capture its essence perfectly.

Welcome to the club

It follows protagonist Aiden Lynch, a gang member who stumbles upon the Genesis Configuration. This is a mysterious puzzle box that’s, unbeknownst to him, somehow connected to the sinister dimension of the Cenobites — towering demonic creatures that relish inflicting otherworldly pain (or pleasure) on unsuspecting humans.

Naturally, his girlfriend Sunny’s first instinct seems to have been to take it to the bedroom, where she accidentally summons the Cenobites into the real world while the pair were getting down and dirty. Following a cutscene that lays out some of the premise, my preview begins with Aiden carefully exploring the interior of a labyrinthine BDSM club, its winding corridors filled with red velvet curtains and sofas that you simply couldn’t pay me to touch.

It’s not long before I start running into traditional genre staples: elaborate doors that require specific keys to unlock, safes that have me scouring for codes hidden nearby, and puzzles that have me fishing around my backpack to pick out the right objects in order to progress.

Although my time at the club was brief, there was a surprising amount of combat in what I played — at least more than I initially expected from a survival horror game. I took on rooms full of rabid cultists all decked out in spiky fetish wear, predominantly switching between a pistol and blunt melee weapons.

The gunplay is decent, as you would expect from a seasoned shooter developer like Saber Interactive, and every swing of my bat had a good feeling of weight to it, something that’s rather uncomfortably emphasized by the moans that occasionally escape from foes’ lips just as a dull thud connects.

The Genesis Configuration also has some powerful tricks up its sleeve, including letting you grab flames from open torches so you can toss them for a lethal scorching blast. I soon find a shotgun and submachine gun as well, and realise that Aiden can pull off an impressively nimble slide with a tap of the crouch button that helps you dart around incoming gunfire.

Just as I was really starting to rack up the kills, I was thrust into a brisk walk through a nightmarish vision of Aiden’s home, interspersed with cutscenes showing him doing the deed with Sunny and dosing up on drugs before everything hit the fan.

After a few laps, I’m walking in on what looks like the girlfriend’s twisted corpse, gagged and impaled on spikes as blood runs from her closed eyes like tears and her organs spill onto the floor. Delightful.

Throw in my brief diversion to a more puzzle-focused section set in the Cenobyte’s twisted world, which had me further manipulating the magic cube in one hand in order to rotate rooms full of platforms, and I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of how the whole game will unfold.

It all feels very Hellraiser, and this little taste of depravity certainly left me eager to see just how far Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival will go when it comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC on October 8, 2026.

• Lara Croft's new actress, Alix Wilton Regan, says her version of the character isn't "overtly sexualized"
• Wilton Regan says Lara is "objectively gorgeous" without it being "dependent on a man's gaze"
• She says modernized Lara Croft "unapologetic" and "completely self-possessed"

Alix Wilton Regan, the actress behind the new Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, has explained how her "modernized" version of the beloved character differs from iterations that have come before.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, Wilton Regan talked at length about her portrayal of the beloved character in Crystal Dynamics' upcoming title, calling her version of Lara someone who is not "overtly sexualized" for the sake of the male gaze, but beautiful because that's who she is.

"Our version of Lara, what I love about this version of Lara, is she is sassy, charismatic, stunning, objectively gorgeous, and completely self-possessed as a woman without being overtly sexualized, and that's something that myself and a lot of the animation team have talked about at length," she began.

"She is attractive simply because that is who she is as a woman, without apology, without it being dependent on a man's gaze, and I actually think that's a really attractive thing to play as a male player and a female player, and everyone else in between.

"That's the feedback that we have gotten from people on the animation team, and so on and so forth. And, you know, her proportions are still remarkable. They just look more realistic now."

Wilton Regan touched on what her version of a "modernized" Lara Croft looks like in Legacy Atlantis, likening her to an evolved version of the character that has existed previously.

"Modernized Lara Croft is cool, charismatic, confident, unapologetic, completely self-possessed, rises to a challenge without her emotions rising at the same time, which is quite an interesting differentiation, I would say," she said.

"Supremely physically capable, of course, that has to be stated," the actress added. "She is supremely physically capable and highly intelligent."

In the same interview, Wilton Regan revealed that her favorite "favorite" movie in the franchise is the original 2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie, and that Crystal Dynamics used a lot of Jolie's scenes for her auditions.

"They used a lot of those scenes for my callbacks when I was auditioning, because Angelina Jolie encapsulates Lara's charisma, confidence, sassiness, and that was something that the creators at Crystal Dynamics really wanted to capture as we move forward into a new era of Tomb Raider," Wilton Regan said.

You'll be able to play Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis when it launches on February 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Lara Croft's new actress, Alix Wilton Regan, says the first Tomb Raider movie starring Angelina Jolie is her "favorite"
• She reveals that "a lot of those scenes" from the movie were used for her Legacy of Atlantis auditions
• The actress says Crystal Dynamics wanted to capture Angelina Jolie's "charisma, confidence, and sassiness"

The actress behind Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis's new Lara Croft, Alix Wilton Regan, has revealed that her auditions were based on scenes from the first Tomb Raider movie.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, Wilton Regan, who discussed the process of bringing the character to life for the new "reimagining" of the 1996 game, shared that her "favorite" movie in the franchise is the original 2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie.

Besides loving Jolie's portrayal of the iconic video game character, the actress also said developer Crystal Dynamics "used a lot of those scenes" for her auditions.

"They used a lot of those scenes for my callbacks when I was auditioning, because Angelina Jolie encapsulates Lara's charisma, confidence, sassiness, and that was something that the creators at Crystal Dynamics really wanted to capture as we move forward into a new era of Tomb Raider," Wilton Regan said.

When asked if players will be able to recognize some of Jolie's vibe from her performance, the actress joked, "I mean, I would never compare myself to Angelina Jolie, but I would love for someone else to compare me to Angeline Jolie."

She went on to outline the audition process, which began in a hot, mountain villa in Italy (very Lara Croft) where she shot three scenes, with two takes each. Afterward, she took a moped down the mountain to a tiny cafe and begged for the Wi-Fi password, then sat for "literally, not figuratively, five hours" getting steadily drunk on Aperol spritz. "Which I love, by the way," she added.

"So it was no chore as I watched these six auditions upload and get sent back to LA to my agents there, and all those were auditions from the game, but they were dummy scenes," Wilton Regan continued.

"Dummy scenes are when they're fake scenes with fake character names, the essence of what the creative team are looking for, and then the next few rounds were a combination of some of the scenes from the Angelina Jolie movies, and also a combination of actual scenes from the video game, where I could see that it said Lara Croft. However, all of the other characters in the scene still had dummy names, so I couldn't work out who Lara was actually talking to."

When she eventually received the news that she got the role, Wilton Regan said she "screamed and burst into tears."

"It was remarkably undignified, but it was very true to what I was feeling emotionally in the moment," she said.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis will launch on February 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked has just launched on Nintendo Switch 2
• The port arrives alongside an update that adds a new playable character
• The game is a Dungeons & Dragons themed version of the digital board game Demeo

The smash hit Baldur’s Gate 3 might not be coming to Nintendo Switch 2, but that doesn't mean that you should sleep on some of the other brilliant Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying games (RPGs) out on the platform. In fact, one just launched today in Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked.

As the name would suggest, it's a distinctly D&D take on the existing digital board game Demeo, which has players exploring dungeons and fighting monsters with tactical card-based combat. If you have fond memories of the physical board game HeroQuest, then you’ll feel right at home in Demeo, as it’s almost like a modernised version with a unique deck-builder twist.

Battlemarked adds a whole heap of D&D goodness into the mix, and it’s a match made in heaven. There are eight playable heroes to choose from, including one that’s just been added in time for the Nintendo Switch 2 port, all based on classic D&D classes. There’s a paladin, of course, alongside the expected sorcerer, ranger, fighter, bard, and rogue, all with their own weapons and unique abilities. I’m usually drawn towards playing a versatile bard character, but I’m very keen to unlock the newest addition to the roster: an orc druid who can literally turn into a giant bear.

D&D features like skill checks are present and accounted for throughout the two available story campaigns (more are set to be added in future), but this is by no means a proper adaptation of the ruleset. This is a more casual experience that can be enjoyed with up to three friends regardless of their individual levels of experience with the wider D&D universe.

You don't need to worry if nobody in your friend group has played Demeo before either. There's no prior knowledge of that game needed, as a detailed tutorial explains everything you need to know right when you first start.

The art direction is strong as well, with a presentation that makes it really feel like a board game come to life. The different classes are represented by little miniatures with a set design, though I do appreciate the fact that you can mix up their color schemes or change their in-game names if you’re eager for a little more role-play.

I rarely use the touchscreen on Nintendo Switch 2 in handheld mode, but the support for it in Battlemarked is superb. Dragging your pieces around the board feels totally natural and flicking the die every time you need to roll it is so satisfying that it's become my favorite way to play.

Joy-Con 2 mouse controls are similarly well implemented, with an on-screen cursor appearing automatically and letting you have a similarly enjoyable experience even if you're playing in docked mode on a TV.

This is definitely good thing, as I had one major complaint from my time so far: the regular thumbstick and button controls can be a little fiddly.

You can pick up Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons via the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop for $29.99 / £24.99 / AU$41.99.

It’s also out on PlayStation 5, PC, and Meta Quest with full support for cross-platform multiplayer. If you already own it, there’s no need to worry about missing out on the new content added to the Switch 2 release — it’s coming to other platforms as a free update today.

• Crystal Dynamics confirms Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is connected to its Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy
• Game director Raul Siqueira says the Survivor trilogy is Lara Croft's past
• He adds that Lara is in "her prime" in Legacy of Atlantis

Crystal Dynamics has said that Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is connected to its Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy in terms of both gameplay and narrative.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026, game director Raul Siqueira and experience director Jeff Adams discussed what the studio is calling a "reimagining" of the original 1996 game.

While Legacy of Atlantis may look different, featuring a new actress for Lara Croft in Alix Wilton Regan, and even though the story was released 30 years ago, Siqueira confirmed that the Survivor trilogy is linked to the upcoming game.

"Absolutely," Siqueira replied when asked if they're connected, "but I think [because] we've worked on the modern trilogy, it helps that a lot of people working on this game actually did the previous one.

"Jeff [Adams] has a really nice way of saying it, that it kind of connects the two of them together, that Survivor was Lara's past, right?"

Siqueira said the studio planned Legacy of Atlantis "as Lara's future," where she is in "her prime" and has learned lessons from the events of the Survivor trilogy.

"Everything that you saw in the Survivor trilogy helped shape who she is," he explained. "When she was just starting, she was beginning her career; she didn't have the confidence to pull acrobatics or anything like that. Lara, in the future, does — so when you go from a narrative perspective, there's a lot that we pull from [the Survivor trilogy], but even on the gameplay side of things: you probably saw that the T-Rex has a lot of flavor from [those] high-intensity cinematic moments [in the Survivor trilogy].

"I think that there is quite a bit that we go from jumping from the Survivor trilogy in terms of gameplay, but also from the narrative side of it."

Adams added that they've been asked a similar question before, and if Survivor "counts" within the canon story Crystal Dynamics is telling. He reiterated that "Survivor is absolutely Lara's past, but she is not beholden to that now."

"The Lara that you find in Legacy of Atlantis is one who's unfettered by the past, I guess."

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis launches on February 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis experience director Jeff Adams has explained why the game is a "reimagining" instead of a remake
• Adams says it allows Crystal Dynamics to capture "iconic moments" and still make new creative decisions
• Some features will be familiar, while others will be brand new, like the new Focus Mode

Crystal Dynamics has explained why it is treating Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis as more of a "reimagining" than a remake or remaster of the classic 1996 game.

That's according to experience director Jeff Adams, who told TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026 that the approach it's taking allows the studio to stick to what fans are familiar with, whether that be story beats and recognizable puzzles, while also building on that groundwork.

"It allows us to still be able to capture these really iconic moments in the original experience and make sure that that feels recognizable and echoic," Adams said, "but it gives us also the creative leeway to say, 'Hey, can we potentially make a slightly different creative decision here and push the game further?'"

Some of those new creative decisions include a reimagined Lara Croft, played by Dragon Age: Inquisition's Alix Wilton Regan, but who will be just as acrobatic as she was 30 years ago, a gorgeous photorealistic world, and a Focus Mode that fills a combat gauge that can grant a slow-motion bullet time ability.

Crystal Dynamics has also applied ideas from its Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy, like more intuitive traversal and deeper puzzles, while still keeping memorable moments like the T-Rex boss fight.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis was originally slated to launch this year, but will now launch on February 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Wilton Regan also spoke to TechRadar Gaming at SGF as well about playing the iconic character in Legacy of Atlantis, saying she feels "incredibly lucky to be bringing Tomb Raider into this new era," and isn't "worried about having to differentiate, because I feel very confident in the choice that we are going back to core Lara."

"Within the context of classic Lara, my job as the actress portraying her is to leave no Laras behind," Wilton Regan said.

"I'm very keen to understand, acknowledge, and respect everything that's been before across the Tomb Raider franchise, take the most important bits, assimilate them, digest them, and then bring them up to speed for modern audiences."

• Patrick Gibson's 007 First Light co-stars reveal what they think about the actor playing Bond in a movie
• Having seen him play and develop the role up front, they all think he's perfect for the role on the silver screen
• The game's narrative director lauded Gibson for "shouldering this thing"

With millions of players now enjoying and finishing 007 First Light, the dust has settled around one of the best James Bond videogames ever made. One of the greatest successes of the game is the performances by its actors, including none other than Patrick Gibson as James Bond himself.

At the IOI Access event in Los Angeles this month, I had the opportunity to grill his co-stars on all things 007 First Light. We spoke about Gibson's performance specifically, and now that he's done it in a video game, whether he could translate that to the silver screen.

Almost before I had finished posing the question, Lennie James (John Greenway) gave me a categorical "Absolutely."

This quickly rippled around the room too, with Noémie Nakai (Charlotte Roth / Isola Vale) adding, "How is that even question?", and Alastair Mackenzie (Q) remarking that, "He's done it."

It's emphatic support, and delivered without hesitation, from those who have seen Gibson's portrayal of Bond up close, and witnessed the development of this version of the iconic action film character.

Laying on some more praise and also analysis of Gibson's performance in the face of any pressure of taking on such an iconic role, cinematic and narrative director, Martin Emborg said that "he was shouldering this thing [being James Bond] and did an amazing job doing that."

Lennie James also spoke about how Patrick Gibson's portrayal of Bond was fuelled by the actor's preparation for a new, younger look at the character: "He researched the hell out of it. He watched everything, he read everything, he knew where his origin was going to take him, and he was trying to map something that lived with who the future Bond was going to be, [and] that you would believe this was a young Bond."

007 First Light is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version coming at some point later this year.

• Alien: Isolation 2 creative director Al Hope had ideas for a sequel while making the first game
• Hope says its "core" survival systems have been "evolved"
• He adds that the original divert, disrupt, and distract gameplay will remain the same

Alien: Isolation 2 creative director Al Hope has revealed that he and the team at Creative Assembly had ideas about making a sequel before finishing the first game.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest (SGF) 2026, Hope discussed creating a sequel following the massive success of 2014's Alien: Isolation, a game that many look back on as the best Alien game and one of the best horror games ever made.

The creative director said he was "super proud of the first game and the reaction to it", even though it felt like the team was "taking a bit of a risk" because "there was nothing really quite like it," but he also said he had ideas for a sequel even during its development.

"I'd been thinking about creating a sequel before we even finished the first game, about what that could be," Hope said. "I suppose it was about once we saw the reception of that first game, and what really people really engaged in the nature of this experience, where it's not scripted, it's not choreographed."

Hope compared other survivor horror titles, such as Resident Evil, where "the dog would always jump out the window at the same point," and explained how having an experience where it was "systemic" and the systems that react and respond to the player was the "core" of the Isolation games.

"It felt that's our core," he added, explaining that the idea behind the sequel was "let's just evolve, take what we love, or what people love, and evolve with it", but in ways that feel "intuitive."

"So the first game is all about being in the tin can in space, in the space station, being claustrophobic and trapped, and that's super cool," Hope continued. "We love that. We felt like, what if we were on a planet's surface now, we're being hunted in the exterior, and we had that interior experience as well.

"We've had this kind of best of both worlds. And then it was thinking around, okay, well, let's tell a new story. We've got this new world. Let's tell a new story with a new protagonist, and so I suppose all these things kind of seem to fall into place naturally. I guess that was the, that was the starting point for us."

As Hope put it, in Isolation 2, players will be in a new, exterior environment, and the story will be a "continuation" that follows a new protagonist, Blake, but the core experience will still be "improvise to survive the systemic nature of the entities that you encounter" and using familiar tools to accomplish that.

"That real attention to detail in the fidelity of the world and immersion, the atmosphere that's our core," he said, "A lot of the same rules apply. It's about line of sight, about not being seen, about what tools you have at hand that can divert, disrupt, distract, so a lot of the gameplay remains the same. In the future, we'll be sharing more interesting ways to survive and evade the creature.

"I guess we saw it as an evolution."

Alien: Isolation 2 doesn't have a release date yet, but it will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

I had no idea what to expect when I accepted the invite to demo an unannounced Sonic crossover game at this year's Summer Game Fest (SGF), but the reveal that it would be Sonic Pico Park still took me by surprise.

I don't think anyone really saw this crossover coming: one of the biggest and most historic platforming franchises joining forces with a burgeoning indie puzzle series.

Slow down, Sonic

If you're not familiar with the original games, Pico Park was released for PC back in 2016 and challenged up to eight players with about two hours' worth of neat little co-op puzzles. It proved a surprise hit, racking up thousands of positive reviews on Steam and prompting the development of an expanded 2024 sequel in Pico Park 2.

Now we're getting Sonic Pico Park, which brings the blue blur, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy into the playable character roster (alongside some of the original Pico Park cats) and incorporates a load of key mechanics from the platformer series.

But how well does the fast-paced action of Sonic gel with the more considered puzzling of Pico Park?

After playing through a selection of eight levels while sprawled on a comfy sofa with a few other members of the press at Summer Game Fest 2026 Play Days, I can confirm that the two disparate properties have been blended together wonderfully.

Your objective in each level is simple: get to the end (represented, of course, as the trademark Sonic end signpost). Standing in your way are various challenges that require full cooperation, and the odd bit of strategy, to complete.

Sonic mechanics are smartly integrated into many of them. One stage, for example, needed everybody to hold on to a single gold ring so we could pass through a deadly laser without triggering a game over. Another featured spring pads to bounce off in order to navigate some big chasms and even a few loop-de-loops to sprint through.

Every character in the game can perform a spin dash, but Tails and Knuckles both get their own extra abilities to play around with. Tails can fly, obviously, and pick up fellow team members, while Knuckles get a little bit of a glide to extend his leaps.

Sonic fans will obviously love these references, but the mechanics are all simple enough to grasp to ensure that Sonic Pico Park can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of their level of experience with the franchise.

The minimalist art direction further enhances the approachability, with easily understandable visuals that are predominantly blue but with occasional splashes of red to highlight key objects. I also can't help but love the super cute renditions of the Sonic cast—especially Tails, just look at that face!

Although I was playing with a group of strangers, we soon found ourselves all chatting and laughing together like we'd been friends for years. It was a highlight of my SGF and, honestly, can you really want much more from a co-op puzzle game like this?

Sonic Pico Park is expected to release later this year, though there's no firm date quite yet. You can currently add it to your wishlist on Steam.

• Alien: Isolation 2 will be built using Unreal Engine 5
• Creative Assembly is developing its own custom lighting and audio technology
• Creative director Al Hope says modern game development allows for "real-time feedback"

Creative Assembly has confirmed that Alien: Isolation 2 will be built with Unreal Engine 5, but the team is also developing custom technology for lighting and audio.

That's according to Creative Director Al Hope, who, alongside Animation Director Simon Ridge, discussed the technological advancement of the upcoming sequel in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest (SGF) 2026.

Ridge remarked on how "incredibly proud" he is of how the first Alien: Isolation looked, but "Technology's advanced, and so it allows more opportunities."

"A big part of what we did last time was making sure we were providing an experience to really back up that whole immersion, I guess, on the stress, so the player never really comes out of those moments, and from our discipline, animation, that was around making sure that you were never really seeing points where you could tell it was a game," Ridge said.

"That was a huge goal, you were watching something that was almost like a sentient creature, it was Al [Hope] mentioned many a time, a systemic system.

"So I think now that time's moved on a little bit, it allows us to probably add more variety than what we could before, just due to technical advancement, and just up the quality of the assets themselves."

Hope added that one of the biggest advantages of contemporary game development is the "real-time feedback," with Ridge saying that working on something for a sequel and being able to see it in-engine, in context, straight away, allows the team to get "the quickest kind of representation of how it's going to feel."

The creative director continued, explaining that it "allows us to iterate much faster," unlike during the Alien: Isolation development period. This time, the team is using Unreal Engine 5, but it will also be creating its own custom technology, which Hope calls an "evolution" of what fans are familiar with.

"I think one of the interesting things for us is obviously lighting and audio parts of the experience, and so we're using Unreal [Engine], but for lighting and audio we're developing our own custom technology to really enable us to really fine-tune the experience and create exactly the best Alien experience we possibly can," Hope said.

"It's really interesting with our audio team; it's the same, more or less the same audio team that worked in the original, so it's really an extension of an evolution of both the tech and the kind of creative side that worked on the original.

"I'll blow their trumpet for them. I think they won more or less every audio award going that year for Alien: Isolation. I think that's absolutely fantastic, people recognize that it felt like it was such a big part of the experience, and it's just really exciting to have them working together again on this."

Alien: Isolation 2 is in active development and will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Home entertainment brand TCL was out in force at Summer Game Fest 2026, with a big booth dedicated to its new line of gaming monitors right in the middle of the Play Days show floor.

Its flagship model, the TCL C2A Pro, was the big attraction and is intended to deliver "the ultimate AAA gameplay experience" no matter what you like to play.

Those that love immersing themselves in cinematic experiences like The Last of Us Part 1 or Red Dead Redemption 2 will appreciate its vibrant QD-Mini LED colors and high 2,000 nits peak brightness. It's DisplayHDR 1400 certified, denoting a high level of brightness paired with excellent contrast, too.

The crisp 4K resolution of its 27-inch panel offers a strong level of detail while the 160Hz refresh rate keeps the action butter-smooth (provided you have the hardware chops to support it, of course).

Smooth and stylish

I took the monitor for a spin and found it particularly impressive, noting its fluid motion and excellent picture clarity. That said, as a huge Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 player (with more than 370 hours clocked in-game since launch), the TCL C2A Pro has one secret weapon that makes it especially appealing — its 'Game Accelerator' dual mode.

This bumps the resolution down to 1080p and cranks the refresh rate up to 320Hz, which is perfect if you want to maximize responsiveness and your frame rate to give you the edge in such a fast-paced game. It's almost no surprise that the brand is the official partner of Call of Duty.

TCL has also nailed the monitor's aesthetics. The almost sci-fi, white panelled look is tastefully elevated by colorful RGB lighting for an overall design that's distinctly geared towards gamers without seeming overly garish. It means the monitor would also look right at home in a PS5 setup. Out of the box, it comes with a multi-function stand that's geared towards a variety of adjustments and seating positions.

With the TCL C2A Pro retailing at $799, it faces some stiff competition from cheaper alternatives with similar dual-mode features such as the Asus ROG Strix XG27UCG. Still, no competitors have TCL's proprietary QD-Mini LED tech, which the monitor shares with the brand's high-end TVs, and few can come close to offering the premium build here.

It arrives alongside the slightly cheaper TCL C2A gaming monitor. Retailing at $699, that $100 saving loses you some peak brightness (with the monitor capable of 1,200 nits rather than 2,000) and fewer local dimming zones.

There's also the budget-friendly $499 TCL P3A. It's 27 inches still, but at a more modest 1440p resolution and a 260Hz refresh rate.

8. We picked our favorite World Cup tech

Yes, the World Cup has officially kicked off, but it isn’t too late to fine-tune your setup. Far from it — with over a month of soccer to go, we’ve rounded up everything you need for a successful tournament at home.

From our dream watch party setup to soundbar upgrades and the best World Cup tech deals, you won’t be short of ways to upgrade your viewing experience. And once that’s all sorted, you can dive into our ultimate World Cup watching guide for the lowdown on how to catch every match, from anywhere in the world.

• Read the full story: The TechRadar guide to World Cup 2026

7. Ocarina of Time was reborn

Closing out gaming’s week-long celebration that is Summer Game Fest and the showcases surrounding it, Nintendo’s Direct showcased an exciting mix of trailers, which included a tease for a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Little has been revealed so far beyond child Link’s design, and hints at full voice acting as the Great Deku Tree is heard narrating the intro like he does at the beginning of the N64 game.

Perhaps best of all, the trailer ended with a release year: 2026. So we won’t be waiting too long to get this Zelda game in our hands and find out if this is the series’ Resident Evil 2 Remake moment, as many hope it will be.

• Read the full story: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is coming to the Nintendo Switch 2

6. Trump Phone not ‘made in America’

To probably no one’s surprise — after serious delays, changing promises, and accidentally doxxing its buyers — the Trump Mobile T1 phone has been taken apart by iFixit, and it turns out the “American-proud design” is just a gold-skinned HTC U24 Pro, aka a Taiwanese phone launched in 2024.

In fairness, it does boast a couple of tweaks. The design has been adapted with a new camera bump shape, and the battery is a little larger at 5,000mAh battery — up from 4,600mAh — though it only offers 30W charging rather than the HTC original’s 60W.

iFixit notes that markings on the phone say it’s “assembled in the USA”, which is notably different from being “made in America,” which comes with some very specific FCC requirements that the Trump Mobile phone ironically doesn’t seem to meet.

The teardown company puts it best: “against all expectations, the T1 is actually well priced when compared to the equivalently specced U24 Pro, and the only things you give up are the 60W fast charging and your dignity."

Read the full story: Trump Phone unmasked as a 'gold-painted HTC U24 Pro'

5. Valve abandoned physical gift cards

It’s bad news for PC gamers on Steam this week, as Valve announced it will no longer be restocking physical Steam gift cards. Why? Because scammers are taking advantage of consumers.

This isn’t exactly a new occurrence; Steam scams have been around for years. However, Valve clarifies it’s effectively been forced to end restocks of physical gift cards, as “scammers have adapted”, even after it has actively worked with retailers and law enforcement to foil scams.

Physical gift cards are an excellent gift option for the less gamer-savvy to give their PC gamer loved ones, and can be useful for parents to top up their child’s Steam account with funds without pairing a credit card to it. However, with them gone, digital Steam gift cards will be the only option, as soon as stock runs out across multiple retailers — and one can only hope that scammers don’t end up forcing Valve to restructure digital gift cards as well.

Read the full story: Valve is officially done with Steam physical gift cards

4. Philips launched a virtual skylight

Philips unveiled a new ceiling light dubbed the ‘Philips Skylight’, designed to mimic the effect of natural daylight for indoor use, blending advanced LED and Philips’ NatureConnect technologies. Starting at 499.99 euros (about $580 / £430), the ceiling light comes in four different models and will be available later this month in most regions. It’s coming to the US in September.

Each variant of the Philips Skylight comes with a slim ceiling profile for mounting, a remote control, five preset lighting scenes, and Philips’ Day Rhythm tool, which automatically adjusts color temperature and brightness throughout the day. But despite its slew of features, it’s not Philips Hue.

This means that, unfortunately, it doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi or work with Matter over Thread, so you can't integrate it into your existing smart home setup, and you’ll have to use the included remote to control it manually.

• Read the full story: Philips just launched a new ceiling light that looks like a skylight

3. Apple revealed some major software surprises

Siri AI (see no.1 below) was the undoubted star of Apple’s WWDC event this week, but the software showcase revealed hundreds of other upgrades for iPhones, Macs, Apple Watches and more. And not all of them went down well.

You can read our pick of the best features coming to iPhones in iOS 27, or the macOS 27 highlights below (in entry no.2). But there were some notable surprises too, including the next version of watchOS dropping support for some recent models and Apple controverisally embracing generative AI in Photos.

Apple also went very hard on boosting parental controls at the event — leaving us with a sense that it had one eye on child safety, and another on increasingly demanding government regulators.

• Read the full story: 17 things we learned at WWDC 2026 — Siri's getting a big AI makeover, Golden Gate is the next macOS, Liquid Glass is changing, and more

2. macOS 27 named Golden Gate

Tim Cook's final WWDC as Apple CEO gave us a glimpse of the future of its software, including the upcoming macOS 27 build — called Golden Gate. Unlike previous years, however, it’s not the most exciting.

There are Liquid Glass and other design tweaks that’ll make your Mac feel more usable, plus there’s a new and improved search to help you locate just about anything on your machine. There are also some performance enhancements, with apps said to feel more responsive, and of course, there’s the debut of Siri AI, more on that below.

While not the flashiest update, it’s a solid upgrade from the looks of things, though if you aren’t a fan of AI, it might feel like a downgrade.

• Read the full story: macOS 27 Golden Gate announced at WWDC 2026

1. Siri’s AI upgrade landed

It was a long time coming with at least one false start, but the new Siri that’s already in some people's hands, thanks to the iOS27 Dev Beta, which arrived with the WWDC Keynote, is the Siri Apple promised us in 2024 and more.

Sure, Apple is basically playing catch-up with OpenAI and Google, but in what may be looked back on later as one of the canniest moves in this AI race, Apple has adopted Google Gemini’s best models and crafted something new. Siri AI and the Apple Intelligence updates feel at once familiar and yet like a totally Apple experience. Yes, it even makes photo-realistic fake images.

• Read the full story: I tried Siri AI on the iPhone, Mac, and iPad

Test yourself on last week's biggest tech news

All caught up with this week’s tech news? Why not test yourself on last week’s seven biggest tech stories to see how good your memory is? Take the quiz below.

• Creative Assembly wants Alien: Isolation 2 to be as memorable as the first game
• Creative Director Al Hope says the new exterior setting "feels like a natural evolution of the experience"
• The alien will "adapt and behave" differently to hunt the player

Creative Assembly has said it was "absolutely the intention" for Alien: Isolation to feel "too scary" for players, and the goal is to make the sequel just as memorable.

Alien: Isolation is one of the best horror games of all time, and in the newly announced sequel, players will once again be stranded in space while a sentient creature hunts them down. How lovely!

Unlike the first game, where players are confined to a space station, Alien: Isolation 2 will have a new setting and feature both exterior and interior environments, which Creative Director Al Hope said "feels like a natural evolution of the experience."

"It's the best of both worlds," Hope said in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest (SGF) 2026, "it has those claustrophobic-type interior spaces and those now exposed and very vulnerable feeling exterior spaces. I think for us, that's the most exciting starting point."

In Isolation 2, these new open spaces also mean players will need to be on their guard more than before, because the creature will also be able to "adapt and behave in a different way in order to be able to hunt in the exterior."

"The alien is well known for, in Alien: Isolation, learning and adapting based on his encounters with the player," Hope said. "It will be doing that in the exterior as well. So, as you come up with strategies and tactics, it will start to learn about those and then be able to circumvent them. So, you have to think again, get really creative, get imaginative, you know, imaginative in order to be able to survive, progress, and survive."

He continued: "The experience is evolving to include the exterior, thus one of the big changes for the creature is being able to hunt the player effectively in the exterior. For us, right now, it feels like a really fantastic opportunity, and I think people can already imagine what that's going to be like."

Animation Director Simon Ridge knows that the first game was loved by fans, and that it also terrified them, adding that the team's goal with Isolation 2 is to "deliver something to the audience that hopefully makes them as happy, terrified as before."

"That's a really fantastic opportunity," Ridge said.

Hope continued, "I like to think that anyone who played Alien: Isolation probably remembers playing Alien Isolation. Even if they think, 'Oh man, that was too scary,' and that's absolutely the intention for the sequel to make something that's truly unforgettable, and I think that combination of interior and exterior will create these moments that really live long after the player puts down the controller (or mouse and keyboard).

"That's the intention: to create something that really stays."

Alien: Isolation 2 doesn't have a release date yet, but it's set to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Toys for Bob says Activision Blizzard didn't push back on the studio's decision to go independent again
• Studio head Paul Yan says, "Leadership on both sides was very open to the idea"
• Yan says the process was "complex" to navigate while also planning Spyro: A Realm Beyond

Spyro: A Realm Beyond developer Toys for Bob has said there was no "pushback" from Activision Blizzard when it chose to become independent, but the process was "complex."

In 2024, one year after Microsoft officially acquired Activision Blizzard and almost 20 years after being purchased by the latter, Toys for Bob announced that it would split from its parent company and return to its "roots" as an independent studio.

Now, during a press Q&A at Summer Game Fest 2026 while promoting Spyro: A Realm Beyond, Studio Head Paul Yan shared that the team didn't meet any resistance from Activision Blizzard or Microsoft and that "leadership on both sides was very open to the idea."

"It was just complex," Yan said, "because we were talking about navigating many things in a very compressed amount of time, so just the logistics and legality of how do you separate from a company in that way has never been done before."

"I've never done it before, so I'm asking for something that's going to need a ton of coordination across many teams, across two new organizations that don't even know each other," he added, referring to the company's acquisition by Microsoft, "or they've just got married for the most part.

"Meanwhile, we're also trying to navigate a pitch for this game [Spyro: A Realm Beyond], so we're trying to get all that happening at the same time."

Yan said this was "the biggest challenge" overall, reiterating that no one was against Toys for Bob becoming independent again, although the process was something "we've never seen done before."

Associate creative director Lou Studdard added that it was difficult to navigate the process while also "preserving the continuity of the team experience of the team," and making sure it wasn't "such a big culture shock for the studio."

"It's been a tremendous effort to make sure that around two years ago, and this happened when we really started, it was kind of like another day in the office in a good way, and that we are a continued development team that knows how to work with each other and focus on our projects," Studdard said.

Spyro: A Realm Beyond is Toys for Bob's first game since becoming an independent studio again, and it launches in Spring 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Toys for Bob says Spyro: A Realm Beyond is designed to be "accessible" and "approachable"
• The game won't be as "hardcore" as Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
• The studio says Spyro has always been more about "discovery and exploration"

Toys for Bob wants Spyro: A Realm Beyond to be an "approachable" new entry in the series, for both long-time fans and new players.

In a press Q&A at Summer Game Fest (SGF) that TechRadar Gaming attended, associate creative director Lou Studdard was asked about Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, designing a difficulty level that stayed true to the long-time series, and if the studio was also conscious of doing the same for A Realm Beyond.

In response, Studdard said that Toys for Bob was focused on designing the upcoming Spyro game as a more approachable entry for the broader audience, with less of the "hardcore" mechanics players would typically find in Crash Bandicoot.

"For Spyro: A Realm Beyond, we are very much focused on making it an accessible adventure, and so that means really focusing in on those difficulty levels, as well as just the general notion of how you play the game," Studdard said. "Spyro definitely is less of a hardcore, or precision-based game; Crash is definitely much more in that line of thing.

"For us, for Spyro, we have had a very focused effort on making sure that it is an accessible, approachable entry, and that goes, hand in hand with the audience that we want to serve, we want this to be something where this could be someone's first Spyro game, and fall in love with our favorite little purple dragon, and be along for the ride from there."

Toys for Bob Chief Creative Officer and Studio Head, Paul Yan, echoed the same sentiment, saying Spyro has always been a very approachable experience.

Both Yan and Studdard agreed that Crash Bandicoot is more about "hard checks" and executing perfectly timed jumps, with Studdard explaining that "precision execution based platforming" was what the team used to build, but not for the new Spyro game.

For the Spyro games, Yan added, it's more about "discovery and exploration" and is more "relaxing" to play, so the team wanted to "preserve its tonal core" for A Realm Beyond.

"I will say that taking flight and moving in a three-dimensional space, as opposed to on the ground, is just inherently more complex than running on the ground, right?" Yan said. "So we spend a lot of effort to make that as approachable as possible. It will be a little bit more complex, just navigating through the air, where we're doing everything that we can to make sure that it is an approachable experience, and that it is engaging and you're making interesting decisions while you're up in the sky."

Spyro: A Realm Beyond launches in Spring 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Alien: Isolation 2 will take place months after the events of the first game
• Creative Director Al Hope says the sequel is still inspired by the first Alien movie
• Hope adds, "Our goal is to stay really true in spirit to that first movie"

Creative Assembly has confirmed that Alien: Isolation 2 will take place months after the first game and is once again inspired by the first Alien movie.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026 (SGF), Creative Director Al Hope and Animation Director Simon Ridge shared how the studio is expanding the world of Alien in the upcoming sequel, confirming the movies are still the "groundwork."

"We really love the Aliens universe, obviously," Hope said. "I think for us, the first game really was close to the first movie in look and feel, in [the protagonist] Amanda [to Ripley], but in Isolation 2, which takes place months after the events of the first game, we're still in that wonderful space that we absolutely adore.

"We feel the first movie is still a really rich vein for us to tap into and explore and expand. It felt like a really good opportunity to just keep pushing, going deep in that part of the IP."

Ridge added that the first Alien movie was "such an important way of guiding us" when the team made the first game, and was the "ground" for everything it built.

"Keeping that in mind again with the sequel to make sure that we're making something that offers a similar experience, because that's your groundwork, but then also with the new parts are added to it," Ridge said, which he and Hope mentioned included the new exterior environments, which the first movie doesn't feature.

"We're really very serious about creating something that feels very authentic," Hope continued, explaining how the team is still creating "new elements" to "expand" the world.

"Our goal is to stay really true in spirit to that first movie," he said. "Authenticity is the lens we do everything through."

Alien: Isolation 2 is now in development and will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

• Toys for Bob wanted to recapture the feeling from playing previous games when developing Spyro: A Realm Beyond
• It wanted to focus on "the feeling that we fell in love with" rather than worrying about a list of features
• Chief creative officer and Studio Head, Paul Yan, says, "If you stick too much to nostalgia, it feels like you're rehashing"

Toys for Bob focused on recapturing how the team felt from playing previous games when making Spyro: A Realm Beyond, rather than worrying about a list of features to include.

That's according to Studio Head, Paul Yan, who told TechRadar Gaming in an interview at Summer Game Fest (SGF) that the groundwork of the game was built on what the team loves about the series.

When asked if there are any core features from previous games that the team avoided or tried to modernize, Yan said "everything's going to get touched," but when it worked on a new title "one of the things that we try and do is really hunker down and try and isolate how that franchise makes us feel, not specific feature lists, not comparison of parts, but the feeling that we fell in love with."

"We also look into the fan community," he added, "we look to just outside communication, our own communication, and we start isolating and figuring what that means, like what are the fantasies we want, so when we say, you know, a zen-like kind of exploration with a fluidity of movement that is more important to us to identify that as essential to feeling like Spyro than saying, 'Oh, his charge moves x number of units over x number of time', or things that happen."

"So we build that kind of knowledge and ingrain and canonify those feelings, and that's where we build from, and then throughout development we will have those conversations of are we changing them or touching that, is that new, are we keeping, are we not.

"But at the same time, the tip of the spear is the feelings that we want to preserve, and we want to amplify more than any specific feature institute."

Yan also said that there is a challenge to balancing nostalgia when making a new game, "versus how much do you branch out," explaining that both can be bad in some cases.

"If you stick too much to nostalgia, it feels like you're rehashing," Yan said. "'Why did we even bother doing this?' [...] Then you go on the other extreme, and you change everything, and now it's like 'I don't even recognize this character'. So we're very proud of the fact that through the process of this, we've been very thoughtful about it, and trying to talk about the tone and the core, and making sure that we're referencing all the fan feedback, and all the feelings, and the insights that have come from the Reignited Trilogy, so we feel confident that that base has given us a lot of information informed our own gun instincts about what Spyro is, and then our vision for Spyro is that this is just one of many games for the future.

"We would love to see more in this franchise. Hopefully, you know, around Beyond sets him up on a really strong footing."

Spyro: A Realm Beyond launches in Spring 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is here, but that doesn’t mean the gaming giant has stopped putting out certified bangers for the original Switch.

Hot off the heels of the release of the unbelievably viral Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, we’re getting another entry in a long-running franchise that’s been dormant for a decade in Rhythm Heaven Groove (or Rhythm Paradise Groove if you're in the UK).

This new Rhythm Heaven doesn't seem keen to reinvent the wheel, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. After playing it at a recent Nintendo event, I can already see myself nipping back into its incredibly moreish beat-based minigames whenever I have a spare few minutes once it’s out.

Feel the groove

At its core, Rhythm Heaven is all about hitting a small number of buttons in time with a musical beat. It’s a simple formula that’s easy to pick up, but one that’s deployed in loads of novel and interesting ways.

The handful of minigames that I sampled in Groove ranged all the way from prompting a little round guy to jump through hoops at the right time to chomping flowers as they fly through the air as a marching dinosaur.

My personal favorite, ‘Slice N Dice Kitchen’, had me tapping on cue to catch flying bell peppers and tomatoes to keep them out of the paws of a mischievous, greedy cat. Every game’s mechanics are demonstrated clearly via introductions that teach you exactly which beat you need to make your input on, and little twists, like the sudden changing of colors on screen or complete removal of visual prompts, keep you on your toes as you transition into the real thing.

The minigames are all accompanied by catchy music, with basic beats that gradually ramp up as the actions become more complex and even some full-on songs with Japanese lyrics here and there. Completing a sequence of minigames unlocks a special remix that combines all the games at once to really put your skills to the test, and chasing the highest ranks is likely to be a significant musical challenge.

The presentation is simply adorable too, with a charming cartoon look that just screams Nintendo and amusing text-to-speech dialogue.

Despite being comfortingly familiar for returning fans, Rhythm Heaven Groove does have some surprises up its sleeve. The local multiplayer games are a blast (this one cake-grabbing mini-game that has four eager snackers competing to get their hands on a tasty treat the exact second a clock hits 3pm was especially fun) and there’s even a more story-focused, role-playing game (RPG) style mode that has you making different button combos to cast a variety of spells and defeat enemies in a raft of dungeons.

I walked out of my hands-on session with a huge smile on my face and, honestly, can one really ask for anything more? I can’t wait to try the full thing and, judging by my experience so far, it might just become my favorite Nintendo Switch release of 2026.

Although I did preview the game on Nintendo Switch 2 via backwards compatibility, it is worth reiterating that, yes, this will be a native Nintendo Switch title when it drops on July 2, 2026, which is great news if you’re still holding on to that older hardware.

• After four years, we finally get a second Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer
• Disney characters were few and far between, but two worlds were teased
• We also didn't get a release date

It’s tough being a Kingdom Hearts fan. The series is an all-time great, but if its platform-hopping origins weren’t frustrating enough — with entries exclusive to different consoles and even different regions for a while — we must now face the fact that Square Enix loves taking its time between entries, and between a new game’s announcement and release.

Kingdom Hearts 3 was first showcased around five and a half years before its release, and it seemed Kingdom Hearts 4 might take just as long between merely its first and second trailers. That is, until we got a brand new look at the game at Nintendo Direct, saving this year’s Summer Game Fest event for me just as I had conceded the Disney meets Final Fantasy crossover would be absent yet again.

The minute and a half of footage blended combat gameplay with cutscenes of black robe-clad figures, protagonist Sora facing off against a Heartless behemoth on the streets of Tokyo, and a few new and familiar faces — including several from Kingdom Hearts’ now-defunct mobile and browser games.

Despite these more obscure inclusions, Square has said KH4 is meant as a jumping-on point for the series, with the game’s director, Tetsuya Nomura, describing the KH3 ending in a interview as a “reset” — one which “should make it even easier for newcomers to join the story starting from KH4.”

Disney who?

I’m not convinced the latest trailer supports Nomura’s claims, though, as a long-time fan who has loved the series’ weird spin-offs, I’m not complaining.

The one other interesting detail of the trailer for me is how short it is on Disney characters. We only get the briefest glimpse of Donald and Goofy surrounded by blue flames.

Though we did get hints at two possible Disney worlds we’ll get to visit in some capacity. The first comes from those blue flames, which strongly hint at the return of Hades, the god of the underworld, from Hercules. Hercules’s world has appeared in almost every entry in the series so far, so its inclusion in 4 makes plenty of sense.

Further, while Sora’s fate at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 is a little strange, it seems he has died in a way, so a god of death would likely be involved in his friend’s quest to find him. Plus, Hades’ voice actor has since teased his involvement online, saying “I might have a little bit of inside knowledge on this” and sharing the latest trailer.

The other hint comes from Sora’s keyblade — a swirl of fire and water combined into one weapon. While we don’t get the best look at it while it’s swung around in combat, this feels like a clear reference to 2023’s Elemental, especially as the keyblade creates a flower effect when it hits enemies, which looks a little bit like the film’s vivisteria flowers.

Interestingly, Sora has this keyblade while battling in the realistic version of Tokyo, suggesting he’ll be world-hopping while still trapped in this alternate reality — one which didn’t experience the visceral conflict of light and darkness before his arrival, we learn in this new clip.

One missing detail

The only thing missing is a release date or even a release year. After four years since it was first teased, you’d hope Square Enix would be able to give us some kind of timeline for this game’s release.

My guess is sometime in late 2027 at the earliest, maybe early 2028. That’s based on a new Kingdom Hearts collection that is landing this October, and that we have the final part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy dropping in Spring next year (that’ll be sometime in March through May).

This is certainly frustrating. I can’t tell you how desperate I am to jump back into the Kingdom Hearts world, but hopefully the wait will be worth it.

Admittedly, this trailer makes me a little concerned. Perhaps it’s the wide open space of Tokyo’s streets, but the combat felt a little sparse, and something seemed a little off about Sora’s fight against the giant Heartless. Footage, so perhaps things will change come Kingdom Hearts 4’s eventual full release.

At least we found out it’ll be yet another multi-platform launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PC, and the Nintendo Switch 2.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m pretty darn excited for a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. But boy, I would have been so much more excited for a sequel instead.

If you’ve somehow missed it, at the most recent Nintendo Direct, we saw a brief teaser for a Switch 2 version of Ocarina of Time. Admittedly, the brief trailer is light on details — merely showcasing a cinematic intro for the iconic adventure with some voice acting and vastly improved graphics over the Nintendo 64 original — but the promise to return to Hyrule later this year has left many (myself included) ecstatic with the hope this is Zelda’s Resident Evil 2 Remake equivalent.

Anyone who has touched Ocarina of Time knows why it’s regarded as one of the best games ever made. It perfectly translated the previously 2D-only series’ sense of adventure into a 3D world, and even close to three decades later, Ocarina’s Hyrule is a delight to explore — with its dungeons to solve, monsters to slay, and songs to learn.

A return to this world with a graphical and gameplay overhaul — taking learnings from titles like Breath of the Wild — would be the perfect way to revisit the classic, and introduce it to a new generation.

More to the story

Though it doesn’t quite hold a candle to its direct sequel, Majora’s Mask.

The darker tone and the repeating three-day cycle create a claustrophobic aspect that pairs perfectly with the game’s expansive world and its various branching stories. You don’t have time to solve every problem at once, so you have to slowly piece together each puzzle through what you learn in previous cycles, and the items and abilities you unlock.

Majora’s Mask could easily have been a mess, but instead it pioneered the Groundhog Day-like genre, setting the bar for what time loop games should deliver.

Everything is perfect… but ultimately unfinished too.

Majora’s Mask picks up where Ocarina of Time ends, with Link on a quest to find his fairy companion Navi after she leaves him at the end of the first game.

While he does save yet another realm, his inciting quest doesn’t have a conclusion, as Majora’s Mask ends with Link venturing on once more to find his fairy friend.

While the Zelda series has had plenty more entries since these two games, it has long felt like there should be a third story in the Ocarina of Time duology — one that ties up this loose end adventure in some way.

So while I’m excited for a new Ocarina of Time, I am left desperately wishing we were getting a fresh follow-up instead, one that finally concludes this long-time Zelda series mystery rather than simply being the fourth Ocarina of Time re-release.

Why not both?

My mixed feelings aside, this remake doesn’t rule out the possibility of a sequel. In fact, it could make one more likely as players are refamiliarized with the game’s story and finale.

Adding to my hope (read: cope) is that we’re coming up fast on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s 30th anniversary — which lands at the tail end of 2028. Concluding this mystery would be quite the birthday treat for longtime fans of this game.

Now that would be quite a swift turnaround time, but the Zelda series does comfortably hit one entry every couple of years — since 2023, the franchise has actually had a release every year if you count the Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

We’ll have to wait and see what Nintendo has up its sleeve, but as I play through Ocarina of Time on my Switch 2 later this year, I’ll be desperately hoping a brand-new sequel to it is just around the corner.

This hands-on preview is based on a pre-production M64 unit. Hardware and software are not final.

Let’s start with a confession: I grew up in the 90s playing games on a PS1. Pretty much all of my experiences with the Nintendo 64 were at a friend’s house, watching them bound across the vast and awe-inspiring fields of Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, learning my first painful lesson about the dangers of the blue shell in Mario Kart 64, or starting my love of competitive FPSs with GoldenEye.

I think that’s what makes the ModRetro M64 such an exciting possibility for me. It’s a chance to venture into a whole generation of games that I’ve barely played without worrying about aging hardware and with the benefit of some handy modern touches that make the whole endeavour much easier in 2026. After a month with the console, I can’t see myself playing N64 games any other way.

What do they say about imitation?

The M64 takes a similar approach to the one the manufacturer took with its first release, the ModRetro Chromatic. That device was its updated spin on the Nintendo Game Boy using modern hardware, which offered full compatibility with original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges.

With the M64, you get a console that sticks to a similar appearance to the original Nintendo 64, albeit with a light and stylish see-through shell that comes in four possible colors. A slot on the top accepts all original N64 carts, as well as ModRetro’s own games that will launch alongside the console and into the future. It also has a (surprisingly aggressive) cartridge eject button on the top of the console.

It’s powered by USB-C and connects to your display with an HDMI cable, making connections to TVs and monitors super-simple in the modern day. Meanwhile, there are four controller ports across the front of the console, giving you the option to use original N64 controllers, or choose between wired and wireless over Bluetooth with several compatible game pads.

ModRetro is launching its own M64 Pro controller to go alongside the console in matching colors, and even though I don’t have years of baked-in experience as a youngster, it does feel good in the hand.

The N64 controller has always been a love-it-or-hate-it situation, but this new version boasts a weighty build and tactile button presses — especially the satisfying pull of the Z-trigger on the back. Adding in a battery pack and the option for either a wired or Bluetooth connection is the exact modern touch that you love to have, too.

You don’t have to invest in ModRetro’s dedicated controller if you don’t want to either, as the M64 supports the original N64 gamepad, as well as several other third-party wired and wireless options. So, if you have a couple sitting in a cupboard somewhere, you can simply plug them in and be good to go.

A link to the past

Now that I’ve covered how everything looks and feels, just what is it like to actually play games on the ModRetro M64, then?

I’ve taken a whirlwind tour through some of the N64’s most iconic games over the last few weeks and enjoyed reliving some old memories and trying some classics for the first time. It’s not been completely smooth and faultless, thanks to a few minor niggles and issues with some titles, but the overall experience has been incredibly good.

Games like GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, which already struggled with significant fps drops on the original console, suffer some of those same issues here. ModRetro is already well aware of the problems with these games and a few dozen others, so it will be constantly testing and upgrading the M64 firmware over time to offer potential improvements — another benefit of the modern console.

In brighter news, it currently lists almost 250 games with no issues in its compatibility list, including some all-time favorites such as Mario Kart 64, Pokémon Snap, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

I’ve been playing through the latter the most to put the M64 through its paces, and it’s been fantastic to experience that game again with some of the benefits of the modern console.

It runs pretty much flawlessly, but what is impressive are the upscaling options. These work wonderfully, letting you play in 720p, 1080p, or even in 4K, on compatible displays. They definitely smooth out some of the rougher edges without ruining or distorting the image.

You can stick to the retro look if you want, though, or use all sorts of different visual options to tinker with to get games looking exactly how you want them to. I tested out most of them and came out with a couple of favorites.

Of course, I’ll always have a soft spot for playing games in their original form to get the most authentic experience. You can even add scanlines or a CRT filter onto your modern display to really do your best to recreate that 90s vibe, although these seem more like a fun gimmick rather than the best way to play.

Nintendo Sixty-Phwoar

Overall, the ModRetro M64 is a cool little console that delivers an authentic Nintendo 64 experience but with some hugely beneficial modern touches. I’ve been extremely impressed after my time with it and I think with some updates to iron out a few remaining performance issues, lots of long-time N64 fans, or complete newbies to this generation of gaming, will find it to be a smart and easy way to play the console’s games using today’s hardware.

The ModRetro M64 will cost $229.99, with shipping set to begin on July 28. You can sign up for notifications on availability right here. The ModRetro M64 Pro controller launches separately for $89.99. Four ModRetro published games — Xeno Crisis, Xibalba 64, Extreme-G Turbo Fusion, and Buck Bumble — will also be available from July 28 at various prices.

Secretlab is practically synonymous with the words ‘gaming chair’, with its flagship Titan Evo line the preferred choice of many esports athletes, professional streamers, and practically anyone looking for one of the best gaming chairs on the market. But the company doesn't want to stop at gaming — and its new Atlas chair is its first step in a different direction.

The Atlas is the company’s first dedicated task chair, a product that looks like spearheading a more aggressive expansion into the home office market where it will butt heads with the likes of Boulies and Herman Miller.

So, how will it make this transition? And how was the Atlas developed? Back in April I flew out to Secretab’s Singapore HQ for a very early hands-on, and to learn more about the development of some of its biggest features.

Built for just the right level of support

One thing that's always defined the Titan Evo is how nice it is to sit in. Our original reviewer called it "the most comfortable chair” they’ve ever used, lavishing praise on the high level of ergonomic support that it offers, and having tested countless gaming chairs over the years, it's the model that I most consistently recommend.

Whether you pick the fabric or leatherette finish, I know first hand that the quality of the materials on offer is excellent, too — and that the brand provides one of the most consistently smooth and approachable assembly processes on the market.

Throw in included extras like a comfortable magnetic neck pillow, plus the availability of optional accessories that range all the way from upgraded armrests to a full-on recliner, and it’s not hard to see why they’re so popular.

All of that helped the Titan Evo become a top home office pick, too. So how did the company approach the development of the Atlas?

According to head of product development and industrial design Vincent Sin the Atlas’ backrest was crafted using data from ergonomic studies and features a combination of the brand’s proprietary cold-cure foam and integrated springs that help it subtly adapt to your natural curve as you sit.

When I first sat in the Atlas I discovered that, much like the Titan Evo 2022, it feels quite firm at first — especially compared to super soft seats like the Corsair TC100 Relaxed — and noticed that it doesn’t press up against your lower back quite as aggressively as other chairs.

“People don’t know that having too much lumbar support is also a bad thing,” Sin explained, revealing that it can lead to hypertension and cause strain over time. Crafting the shape of the Atlas involved plenty of iteration, with pressure mapping used to identify where extra support was needed. The Secretlab Atlas doesn’t offer any dedicated lumbar adjustment controls, with all the fine-tuning occurring by itself as you sit.

“What we found is that often than not, with task chairs that have a lot of adjustments, it’s very confusing and people often will get it wrong,” Sin said. “And I would say that’s worse than having something that automatically adjusts for you.”

That’s not to say that the Atlas doesn’t offer plenty of other ways to tailor the seating experience. The chair’s height can be raised or lowered of course, the armrests can be pulled up or rotated, and even seat depth can be adjusted to cater to a range of leg lengths.

Business-ready colors

Secretlab has always opted for a more understated aesthetic than other gaming chair makers and that approach carries through to the Atlas. It definitely echoes the shape of the Titan Evo, giving it a distinct look compared to most office furniture, but it’s not overly flashy or garish.

The standard version of the Atlas starts at $499 / £399 and comes in either Hybrid Leatherette or SoftWeave Plus Fabric finishes in a selection of suitably business-appropriate colors. Those buying the leatherette can choose Classic Black or Moon (which is white with black accents). On the fabric side there’s a standard Black, grey Cookies & Cream, and the sandy Dune.

There’s also the option to upgrade to the premium Secretlab Atlas with Nanofoam Composite starting at $699 / £599. This adds a layer of microfoam for an even more supportive and, having sat on both side by side, noticeably softer experience and swaps the black armrests, hydraulic mechanic, and wheel based to color matched variants.

There are two NanoGen Edition models (which use Secretlab's latest super plush finish) on offer here, Pure White+ and Black+, in addition to the less flashy fabric Dune+ and Pure Black+.

The Secretlab Atlas is available now via the Secretlab website.

• FromSoftware has shared a new trailer for The Duskbloods
• The studio confirmed a closed network test will be available this summer
• The game is a Switch 2 exclusive, but doesn't have a launch window

A brand new trailer for FromSoftware's upcoming multiplayer game, The Duskbloods, has been revealed, alongside the dates for an upcoming closed network test.

Today's 50-minute Nintendo Direct was chock-full of game reveals and trailers, and among them was a fresh teaser for The Duskbloods. Unfortunately, the renowned Elden Ring and Bloodborne developer didn't share a release date to go alongside it, but it did confirm that a closed network test will be available in "summer 2026" for Switch 2.

It's been one year since the Switch 2-exclusive was announced, and it is disappointing that there's still no launch window or gameplay trailer. However, with the closed network test coming soon, a release date announcement could arrive before the year is up.

A closed network test for Elden Ring Nightreign, the cooperative multiplayer experience that launched in May last year, was announced in December 2024, and registration opened a month later. The following month, the game received an official release date, so here's hoping The Duskbloods will get a similar treatment.

"Step into this new PvPvE multiplayer action game from FromSoftware, where you take on the role of a Bloodsworn. Fight through a world overrun with enemies using unique weapons and abilities, while occasionally forming transient alliances on your path to victory," the latest game description reads.

In an interview following the game's reveal last year, director Hidetaka Miyazaki said that The Duskbloods was originally being developed as a Switch game.

The developer said the multiplayer game was being made by a small team for the Switch before it eventually shifted to being developed for the Switch 2, allowing the studio to take advantage of the console's new hardware.

"A while back, we had the opportunity to meet with Nintendo to discuss ideas, and during this discussion, we presented a rough outline for The Duskbloods," Miyazaki said.

"It was still very bare-bones at the time—more a loose string of ideas than a proper presentation. The concept itself was different from anything we had done before, and Nintendo seemed very interested in helping make it a reality. So that’s when the project kicked off."

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake has been announced
• Nintendo shared the first teaser trailer during today's Direct showcase
• The game launches this year on Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo has officially announced The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, slated to launch this year exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2.

The news comes from the latest Nintendo Direct, which aired today, where Senior Executive Officer at Nintendo, Yoshiaki Koizumi, ended the 50-minute showcase with our first look at the remake of the beloved 1998 game.

"The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be reborn on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026," the trailer description reads.

The teaser trailer begins with a narrator telling the tale of Kokiri Forest, the Kokiri who live there with their fairy companions, and a boy without a fairy, aka Link. Meanwhile, the camera pans over a gorgeous tapestry depicting the Great Deku Tree and Hyrule Castle, as the ocarina plays in the background, before it fades into our first official look at a sleeping Link in-game, which is how the original game begins.

The art style is very modern, but it isn't the same as Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom's; it leans more toward Skyward Sword HD or Hyrule Warriors, only with improved graphics for the Switch 2 hardware with more realistic skin textures and fibres.

We then see a close-up of the Triforce pulsing on the back of Link's hand, before the trailer fades to black and shows the official logo.

Unfortunately, there's no set release date, but the game is launching in 2026, which means I'll need to finally invest in a Nintendo Switch 2.

With only six months left in the year, we can expect more trailers sooner rather than later, and hopefully a dedicated Nintendo Direct showcase as well.

Rumors about a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake had been circulating online for quite some time, but it was only recently that YouTuber and reliable industry insider NatetheHate claimed that it would be revealed during today's Direct.

Ocarina of Time originally launched on the N64 in 1998, before a remastered version on the Nintendo 3DS was released in 2011. The original game can also be played right now on Switch and Switch 2 with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.

• Crazy Taxi: World Tour has been announced and it launches in 2027
• The game will feature multiplayer modes for the first time
• Series creator Kenji Kanno says some staff have experience with multiplayer games, and "with their knowledge, we were able to create a multiplayer mode"

Sega has officially announced Crazy Taxi: World Tour, an all-new installment in the classic driving action series, launching for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC in 2027.

Revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 adjacent to this year's Summer Game Fest (SGF), the game will be led by the original Crazy Taxi creator, Kenji Kanno, and take players on a story-driven campaign around the globe as longtime series protagonist Axel, who is chasing down mysterious masked villains who stole his beloved taxi.

The trailer, set to the iconic track 'All I Want' by The Offspring, showcased new game features such as brand-new maps and missions, vehicles and customization, and an Arcade mode that captures the thrills of the original games.

"This new title, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, is not just a recreation of the original Crazy Taxi gameplay," Kanno said in a Q&A after the reveal, "But there's a story mode that expands on the world and background of the characters within Crazy Taxi. Players can expect a lot of content."

The series creator added that while there are fans of the series who will be excited to get their hands on World Tour, the game will also appeal to the younger generation and those who aren't familiar with the series at all, revealing that many of the staff who developed the game are young, too.

"Our staff with the development of World Tour, there's actually a lot of very young staff in their twenties, and it's not just old people like me," Kanno said. "We basically all just sit on the same table and really work together to make a game that would appeal to all generations".

Unlike earlier entries in the Crazy Taxi series, World Tour will also be the first game to feature multiplayer modes, which Kanno knows has been highly requested from long-time fans.

"There will be multiplayer, and even when I created the original [Crazy] Taxi back in 1999, a lot of our players were like, 'Hey, I want to play this game with my friends', but you know, back then we were limited by the technology," he said.

"But now in 2026, even in our development team, there are a lot of our staff who have experience with multiplayer games. So with their knowledge, we were able to create a multiplayer mode for Taxi as well.

"We have the focus on the single player story mode part of the game, but we have a multiplayer mode for those who want to be more hardcore [...] But of course, both are very fun modes."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 looks like the ultimate first-person shooter package.

It combines a cinematic single-player campaign with innovative multiplayer and, as detailed in the latest Xbox Games Showcase, a practically standalone extraction shooter called DMZ.

Long time fans will recognize this upcoming mode as an evolution of the DMZ Beta that launched with 2022's Modern Warfare 2. It once again has players dropping into a hostile map and duking it out in a battle for scarce resources against both rival squads and roaming non-player character (NPC) enemies, but has been significantly expanded this time around.

At a recent visit to developer Infinity Ward's Los Angeles office, I was told be the team told me that it was built using all of the learnings from the original beta and a careful eye on the evolution of the wider extraction shooter genre.

It takes place in a whole new map: the sprawling Hajin exclusion zone — a huge swathe of land that encompasses parts of South Korea, North Korea, and Russia. It's been evacuated following a deadly nuclear meltdown depicted in the campaign, with players dropping in as part of an off the books CIA operation to recover abandoned military tech.

Danger close

DMZ will offer three distinct ways to play. You can pursue story missions, tackle highly replayable dynamic operations, or drop in with freedom to roam and explore the map.

Each deployment is designed to feel as distinct as possible, with a variety of factors affecting how events will unfold. Enemies move dynamically throughout the map, moving cargo in deadly convoys that can pose a serious threat to players. You can expect encounters with tanks, helicopters, armored juggernauts, and even drone swarms.

Luckily, an all-out fight is always a choice. DMZ has been built with a stealth system that sounds surprisingly in-depth for a Call of Duty title. An on-screen detection meter alerts you when you're about to be seen and killing enemies quietly will help you evade detection.

Players that do go in guns blazing will have to deal with an almost Grand Theft Auto-style wanted system with a star level raises every time you get into a big fight, prompting waves of more advanced enemies to deploy and hunt you down potentially forcing you to extract early.

An advanced weather system is an important part of the experience too. Conditions can vary from sunny days with the odd spell of drizzly rain to lashing thunderstorms and even snow. The devs are even working on a system that should cause the weather conditions to worsen as a match progresses, reflecting the increased danger the long you stay deployed and helping create a real sense of urgency.

DMZ comes with its own progression systems to master, with each of your operators having their own trait tree to work through. You can choose different operators to specialize in, all with distinct roles — for example, creating a dedicated character for stealthy looting and another more geared towards open combat.

If you die in the field you lose your loot, but you are given at least the opportunity to recover your operator by spending money that you've managed to scavenge on sending in an evac team.

It's not just your operators that you're building out either. The entire DMZ experience is centred around a Forward Operating Base (FOB) that you can upgrade with looted swag. It sounds a lot like the upgradeable hideout in Escape from Tarkov, and is complete with a 3D printer that lets you craft gear and a stash for storing your most valuable swag.

Everything that I've seen of DMZ so far suggests that it's a mammoth enough to be considered almost a game in its own right, a sentiment very much shared by the development team.

"I think with the combination of the changes to Core MP [...] and then combining that with DMZ being a game within a game with its own dedicated progression and persistent inventory and upgrading and all of that, I think [Modern Warfare 4] is the biggest, and I think for us even the most impressive Call of Duty that we've ever had a chance to work on," studio multiplayer creative director Joe Cecot told me in an interview during my studio visit.

The mode will be available from day one when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

• Final Fantasy 7 Revelation has been announced at long last
• The third and final installment of the remake trilogy launches in Spring 2027
• Vincent Valentine and Cid will both be playable

Square Enix has officially announced Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, the third and final installment of its Final Fantasy 7 remake series.

Unveiled during the Summer Game Fest 2026 live show as a big final surprise, we were treated to not one, but three separate trailers for Revelations before game director Naoki Hamaguchi and voice behind Vincent Valentine, Matthew Mercer, confirmed a Spring 2027 release date for all platforms. This means that it's coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on the same day.

"I’m beyond excited to announce Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, launching simultaneously across all platforms in Spring 2027," Hamaguchi said in a press release.

"I’m truly grateful to our fans who believed in this story and supported us for so many years. In this title, centered around 'resolve,' Cloud and his companions will confront their respective convictions and continue their journey towards the final battle that will determine the planet’s fate. All the stories and emotions accumulated over the years will culminate in the most satisfying way with this experience, brought to you as the series’ final chapter. Please look forward to it."

Alongside the reveal trailer, fans were also offered an extended look at gameplay, showcasing Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, and the rest of the gang as they explore new regions and defeat the enormous Weapons awakened to protect the Planet.

The world can be freely explored via the Highwind airship this time around, and players can freedive and drop in via parachute anywhere to make a quick landing almost like the start of a Fortnite match.

"With Meteor descending and enormous Weapons unleashing terror, the planet’s conflicts are many, and the party will need to divide and conquer," Square Enix said.

"Choose where to go, who to help and in what order as the planet itself fights for survival. Make one last stand alongside a beloved cast of legendary heroes, making decisions along the journey that can impact aspects of their stories."

In Revelations, Vincent and Cid will finally be playable and also have their own synergy abilities. Vincent is a deft gunslinger with fast gunplay and a bestial transformation ability, while Cid can close distances for powerful single-target lance strikes or sweeping area-of-effect damage.

A new Functional Integrated Tactile suit wear, aka FIT system, has also been added and offers more customizable play style options, as well as gives each character a new look.

“As creators, we have carefully built and nurtured the Final Fantasy 7 series over many years, expanding it through numerous spin-off titles along the way," said creative director Tetsuya Nomura.

"Over time, we believe each fan has developed their own unique interpretation of the story, and our goal has been to bring all of these Final Fantasy 7 stories together so that they ultimately converge in the final chapter of the Remake Series. While there may be a mix of excitement and uncertainty, we are confident that this journey will remain an unforgettable experience for years to come. Thank you sincerely for joining us and being part of this journey over so many years."

• The PC Gaming Show returns this Sunday, June 7
• The show will feature more than 50 games, including a look at Total War: Warhammer 40,000 and a new project from the creator of the Citizen Sleeper series
• You can tune in on the likes of YouTube, Twitch, and more when the show starts at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BST

The summer gaming showcase season is giving us plenty of terrific and exciting streams to watch this month, and the PC Gaming Show this weekend is another such showcase that you'll not want to miss.

Featuring more than 50 PC games from a host of publishers and developers including Wizards of the Coast, Remedy Entertainment, and Devolver Digital, viewers will also get the chance to see behind the scenes of some games, win big in a competition, and more.

Highlights will include the chance to win a custom gaming rig in a retro-inspired Silverstone case, an interview and behind-the-scenes look at Total War: Warhammer 40,000 — which I am incredibly keen to see — two world premieres from Critical Reflex, and the reveal of a new project from the creator of the Citizen Sleeper games.

Here's the YouTube link to bookmark now ahead of time.

In terms of key details and how to watch the show, you'll need to tune in at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm BST this Sunday, June 7 to be in prime position for the start of the show. However, for keen watchers, there will also be a bonus 30 minutes before this for a talk-show-inspired pre-show hosted by Elz and Frankie Ward.

When the main show kicks in, Frankie Ward, Mica Burton and Sean 'Day[9]' Plott will take you through all the announcements, news and features.

You can watch the show on the likes of Twitch, YouTube, X, Facebook, PC Gamer, GamesRadar+, Steam, Bigo Live, Bilibili, eCLUTCH, Ginx.tv, GameSpot, and IGN International and many more.

• The Future Game Show Summer Showcase airs on June 6
• The show will feature new trailers from more than 40 upcoming games
• An extended look at Exodus gameplay will follow the main show

The annual Future Game Show Summer Showcase is almost here, and alongside new trailers and game announcements, this year, a special extended look at Exodus will be featured.

To get ready for the event, here's everything you need to know about Future Game Show Summer Showcase, including when and how to tune in, and what games to expect.

Start time

The Future Games Show Summer Showcase returns on Saturday, June 6 at 12PM PT / 3PM ET / 8PM BST / 9PM CEST.

The show will be hosted by actors Alix Wilton Regan, best known for her role in Dragon Age: Inquisition, Cyberpunk 2077, and the upcoming Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and The Last of Us, Death Stranding, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle star Troy Baker.

Where to watch

You'll be able to tune in to the showcase on the Future Game Show's official Twitch, YouTube, X / Twitter, and TikTok, as well as Steam, Epic Games Store, Facebook, and more.

Like most gaming showcases, we expect the broadcast to begin a countdown up to 30 minutes beforehand, so we'd recommend tuning in a little earlier before it officially begins.

What to Expect

This year's showcase will feature 10 world premieres, exclusive game demos, developer interviews, and new trailers from more than 40 upcoming games, including some of the most anticipated titles coming later this year.

Some games already confirmed include IllFonic's single-player horror game, Halloween: The Game, which launches on September 8, as well as a new trailer for the tactical first-person shooter from Team 17, WARDOGS.

A new gameplay trailer for Annimo, a new creature-catching open-world role-playing game (RPG), a release date announcement for the first-person psychological horror Don't Fret, a new gameplay trailer for the horror RPG, The Pines, and more will also be featured

FGS Live from Los Angeles will immediately follow the Summer Showcase and feature even more world premieres and exclusive trailers, as well as additional news and interviews, including from Perfect Garbage, the developer of the highly anticipated farming, murder-mystery sim game, Grave Seasons.

Viewers can expect a new gameplay trailer for the horror roguelite Shark Dentist, new gameplay from the team-based shooter Terminal War, and a gameplay reveal for the action-adventure RPG Alkahest.

What's more, fans can also expect a dedicated, extended gameplay reveal for Exodus, Archetype Entertainment's upcoming sci-fi action adventure RPG, scheduled to launch in 2027.

• A new Nintendo Switch 2 model with a replaceable battery will be released soon
• The new model will be sold to meet the new EU Batteries Legislation
• The new regulations come into effect in February 2027

Nintendo has announced that it will soon release a revised Switch 2 model with a removable battery in Europe to meet new regulations.

In a recent post on its website (via The Verge), Nintendo said it will comply with a new regulation called the EU Batteries Legislation, which was passed in 2023 and requires companies to make products with built-in batteries replaceable by February 18, 2027.

"Nintendo of Europe ('Nintendo') and its products are in compliance with all applicable European Union directives and regulations," the company said. "Many of those are aimed at environmental protection as well as consumer health and safety with respect to the manufacture, supply and use of Nintendo products."

While the company didn't specify the Switch 2 itself, it did confirm "current products with model numbers starting with ‘BEE'" will see revisions, which would include the Switch 2, which has a model number of BEE-001.

Other Switch 2 accessories, like the Joy-Con 2 controller and Switch 2 Pro Controller, also have model numbers beginning with BEE (BEE-012 and BEE-014, and BEE-008) and have built-in batteries, suggesting they could also get revised models.

"The Batteries Regulation aims to reduce the environmental impact of the manufacture, distribution, use, disposal and recycling of batteries and rechargeable batteries,” Nintendo said. "In doing so, it forbids the supply of batteries and rechargeable batteries with certain hazardous metal content and sets out requirements for batteries' labelling, safe removal from appliances, collection and recycling.

"Nintendo products are fully compliant with these requirements, and Nintendo cooperates fully with authorised regional institutions to facilitate the proper collection and environmentally sound recovery or disposal of its batteries.

"In addition, the Regulation requires that from February 18th, 2027, batteries integrated into certain appliances and sold in the EU must be easily replaceable by end-users at any time during the lifetime of the product. Nintendo is implementing measures to comply with these requirements by preparing versions of products to meet the Regulation."

For now, there's no word on what the new Switch 2 model will look like or if it will see a price increase.

Last month, Nintendo announced that the console will see a considerable price hike, rising in the US from $449.99 to $499.99 effective September 1, 2026, as a "response to various market conditions."

I wouldn’t exactly call the Nintendo Switch 2’s first year revolutionary. The numbers were impressive, yes; Nintendo reported over 3.5 million hardware units sold in its first four days — its fastest-selling hardware launch ever. By December 31, 2025, the company reported 17.37 million units sold in its 30-week lifespan; by comparison, the first-generation Switch sold around 14.86 million units by December 31, 2017, in its first 36 weeks.

But the Switch 2 needed more than sales to break Nintendo’s generational curse of yo-yo-ing console success. It needed sticking power.

Watch the video version of this article below…

Personally, I’ve not been quite as glued to the second-generation handheld console as I was the first, but I’m also no longer an undergraduate student with more free time than sense. That being said, whenever I do have an evening to myself, it’s most often spent playing on my Switch 2 rather than my gaming PC or other rival consoles.

While its first year undoubtedly set it off on a solid trajectory despite rising concerns over its pricing, hardware supply chain issues, tariffs and the absence of system-selling software, did the Switch 2 gain enough momentum to secure its future? Let’s review.

A lukewarm reception

From the moment Nintendo revealed the Switch 2 in April 2025, it was positioned as an iterative upgrade. This, naturally, reignited age-old debates between those who have long bemoaned Nintendo’s inferior performance and dated hardware and those prizing the focus on affordability and portability.

Hardware changes included a bigger 7.9-inch 1080p screen, 120Hz support, 4K docked output on compatible displays, better performance and 256GB of storage; all welcome, but still lagging behind the competition. But then, the Switch 2 is no handheld gaming PC — comparisons between it and the likes of the Steam Deck OLED or the Asus ROG Ally have always been slightly fraught, in my opinion.

Still, these complaints muddied the waters, and new social features GameChat and GameShare failed to generate hype, despite marking a significant move from Nintendo to keep pace with its competitors. That being said, I don’t know anyone regularly using either feature today…

Similarly, the novel Joy-Con 2 mouse mode controls weren’t met with the emphatic excitement I’m sure Nintendo hoped for. It was a well-measured reaction, in fairness; while the feature has come in handy in a few grand strategy titles like Civilization VII that port PC interfaces, I’ve yet to find a use case that makes the wrist strain induced by mouse mode worthwhile.

The Elephant Mario in the room

Without hardware to dazzle prospective customers, the real issue facing the Switch 2 at launch was that it wasn’t exciting enough, and without momentum, a console launch can easily fail. Despite the robust Japanese gaming audience in their camp, Nintendo struggled a little to win favor globally, and that was only doubled by a concerningly hollow launch title line-up carried mostly by Mario Kart World.

*Software units include the quantity bundled with hardware or other products and downloadable versions.

Add to the mix a sour taste over Nintendo’s paid-for tutorial software, Welcome Tour, and the general confusion and discourse around the nature of Virtual Game Cards, and by the time June rolled around, many onlookers expected the Switch 2 to face a disappointing first few weeks. Still, the fans turned out in droves, and Nintendo even managed to one-up Sony by side-stepping supply and demand issues faced by the PlayStation 5.

The best feathers in Nintendo’s cap were the offer of backward compatibility with OG Switch software, upgraded Switch 2 editions for more demanding first-gen titles, and better-designed Joy-Con controllers; it’s largely for these reasons that the Switch 2 faced a warm reception in the face of so much doubt.

I’m notoriously weak in the knees for The Legend of Zelda, and the upgraded Switch 2 Editions were enough to abate my side-eye at the otherwise vacant launch library. Still, I struggled in those early months — along with many others — to justify owning a Switch 2. If I hadn’t received one through work for review purposes, I probably would have held fire on purchasing one, too.

It’s on like Donkey Kong

For many, everything changed when Donkey Kong Bananza was released a month later; with a Metacritic score of 91 (and our own 4.5-star review in the mix), it was the early win the console needed to see a successful summer. Pokémon Legends: Z-A later in the year didn’t quite stick the landing so well, but the two titles, along with a library back-filled with ports like Cyberpunk 2077 and Yakuza helped to soften the blow.

For me, though, it wasn’t until late 2025 that the Switch 2 really found its rhythm. Further ports and release-day third-party launches like Hades 2 and Resident Evil Requiem have breathed life into the console, giving those of us who prize a quick 20-minute game sesh while commuting and don’t mind a lower-performance rendering the chance to keep pace with the rest of the gaming community.

The good times kept coming for Nintendo even in its comparatively smaller releases; in my household, my Switch 2 usage has increased significantly thanks to the release of Pokopia and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream this year — we cozy gamers are consistently well-serviced by Nintendo.

The same can’t be said for many fans of meatier, AAA titles, though, and one question has haunted the Switch 2 since the moment it was announced: a rumbling, unanswered anxiety over what’s next.

That uncertainty comes at a cost. News that weak holiday sales are leading to Switch 2 production cuts shows that the console has yet to prove its mettle in the way the first-generation did, even with such high sales figures in its first year. Plus, the Switch benefited from explosive success for mid-lifecycle releases like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, notably in part thanks to the pandemic. Without insight into the future of AAA gaming on the Switch 2, I can only see sales plateauing further.

The Japanese gaming giant holds the keys to several as-yet untouched kingdoms — including The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario — but even news of newer franchises like Splatoon 4 could help abate naysayers. Plus, we’ve likely got at least another year to wait for Pokémon: Winds and Waves, and given the franchise's recent track record for mainline flops, it’s hard to bet on the upcoming release as a system seller.

Yeah, but no, but yeah…

That only leaves the biggest question of all: Is the Switch 2 a successful follow-up to the first-generation console? A year on, the answer is a resounding “no — but yes, kinda” from me.

For one thing, I’ve already maxed out on storage, though I’d always argue an SD card should be a day-one purchase if you like handheld gaming. And yes, the battery life is worse, but at least with my lifestyle, I’m far more prone to play docked in 4K now than I am in handheld, meaning I can enjoy the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Tears of the Kingdom in all its glory — and it is truly glorious.

It’s a good thing I’m happier in docked mode, too, because while the Joy-Con 2 controllers have been “redesigned from the ground up” according to Nintendo, as seen in iFixit’s Switch 2 teardown, not enough has fundamentally changed to eradicate stick drift. It’s nowhere near the scale of the first-generation console, but I have personally experienced some early signs of drift and tend to stick with my Switch 2 Pro Controller to be safe — and to prevent Link from launching himself off a cliff without warning.

However, even if most upgrades are for quality of life, they really do make up the difference. Faster loading times are always welcome (though it remains to be seen how these will scale as software pulls further ahead of hardware capabilities), and improvements to system software like the eShop mean Nintendo might actually see some digital downloads, especially now that Nintendo has announced digital titles will cost less than physical copies.

There’s plenty of work to be done still on the Switch 2, and we don’t yet know if we’ll see more variants like a Lite or OLED model; who knows, maybe the long-rumored Switch Pro will make an appearance in this second-generation cycle. What we do know is to expect a price hike on the horizon — in the US it’s confirmed to be effective of 1 September 2026 when we’ll see the list price increase by $50. Still, the future is far from bleak, but only time will tell if Nintendo can eke another eight years out of its latest hardware before, if you’ll pardon the pun, switching things up again.

• Belkin is launching two new accessories for the Nintendo Switch 2
• The Charging Grip aims to improve comfort and extend battery life
• It could help solve one of the Switch 2's biggest handheld gaming challenges: shorter play sessions

Ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2's first anniversary on June 5, Belkin is expanding its accessories lineup for the popular gaming handheld console hybrid with two new additions.

While you might think of Belkin as a maker of wall chargers, power banks, and screen protectors for your iPhone, the accessory brand has offered some pretty awesome products for the Switch 2. I’ve already written about the Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2, which has been out for several months, and we’ve even rated Belkin’s screen protector for the console four and a half out of five stars.

That serves as a reminder that I might need to invest in one, as I almost exclusively use the Switch 2 as a handheld. And that leads me to Belkin’s Charging Grip for the Switch 2, which is available now for $99 / £69.99 / AU$149.

The general idea here is that it snaps around the Switch 2 for a more comfortable gaming experience, though it does add a bit more heft to the unit. It also features magnets on the back, allowing a power bank — which is included — to snap on easily.

And for me, that’s the big win here. We’ve seen other power solutions, even from Belkin, but normally you’re left trying to hold the battery pack or let it dangle. Here, it snaps onto the back, and its included cable can easily plug into the Switch 2 to solve one of my biggest gripes: battery life in handheld mode.

For longer gaming sessions — which the battery naturally helps enable — and to improve overall ergonomics, the grip wraps around the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons as well. Perhaps most importantly, the grips are non-slip and still allow you to remove the Joy-Cons while the Charging Grip remains attached to the Switch 2. It’s simply smart design, and there’s even a built-in kickstand. If you also like to use the Switch 2 docked on a bigger screen, such as a TV, the grip doesn’t affect compatibility.

So, for the price, you’re getting both the grip for the Switch 2 and a 10,000mAh power bank with a cable for easy plug-and-play charging. Belkin says the power bank can recharge the Switch 2 up to 1.5 times, and you can monitor the battery level via a circular LED display on the unit.

Less electronic, but no less useful, is the Travel Bag for Nintendo Switch 2, which isn’t just a fashion-forward way to carry the console but also offers dedicated storage for key accessories. It can hold the Switch 2, a Pro Controller, and other accessories. Like Belkin’s other cases, it also includes slots for up to 10 game cards. It’s worth noting that it’s designed to work with the Charging Grip, meaning these two products go hand in hand.

You’ll also have room inside for other accessories, and whether you swear by an AirTag, a Tile tracker, or a MotoTag, there’s a dedicated slot for one. Belkin’s Travel Bag for Nintendo Switch 2 is available now for $49.99 / £29.99 / AU$54.95 from the brand's online store and Amazon.

Both the Travel Bag and the Charging Grip come in three colors: black, lilac, and olive. While the latter two add a bit of color, I’m still hoping Belkin will increase the vibrancy and introduce a few more fun shades if these accessories prove popular.

Nacon Storage Case for Nintendo Switch 2: review

If you want the most all-encompassing, compromise-free storage for your shiny new Nintendo system, then the Nacon Storage Case for Nintendo Switch 2 might be ideal for you.

This large carry case is rammed with a whole lot of space for your console, dock, Joy-Con 2 controllers, traditional controllers, and accessories. It comes equipped with individual compartments for each part of your Switch 2 set up, so if you’re planning on setting up a gaming party, tournament, or travelling for a while, then it seems like the perfect companion?

But just how good is the Nacon Storage Case for Nintendo Switch 2 really? Well, I’ve spent a few days testing it and I have plenty of thoughts. Can it compete with some of the very best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories? Here’s what I think.

Let’s talk about the storage situation first, because this is probably the most spacious Switch 2 case I’ve ever seen — let alone tested.

You get a whopping 21 game card slots, which can also be used for microSD Express cards if you’d like, and that’s probably more than you’ll ever need. There’s also a net on the top side of the case where you can store HDMI cables, power leads and the like.

The main event, though, is the giant storage compartment with bespoke slots for specific Switch 2 gear. While this compartment isn’t anything flashy, and it doesn’t look the most attractive, it is admittedly pretty practical. I had room to place two Turtle Beach Rematch Wireless Controllers, four extra Joy-Cons, my Switch 2, dock, and power cable, enabling me to take my full setup anywhere.

Even when swinging the case around and dropping it from a controlled distance, everything stayed in place without a hitch.

My only real criticism here, would be that some of the slots are on the tight side of things. The joysticks on my controllers and on my Switch 2 were being pushed out of place in order for them to fit in the case, and while I don’t expect this would create lasting damage, it isn’t ideal.

Otherwise, the case is a pretty solid all-rounder. The exterior is sturdy and rigid, and it was resistant to scratches when I tried roughing it up. It did pick up dust and fibres pretty easily, though, which some may find frustrating.

Still, the zips are well-made and firm, the handle is wide making it easy to grip, and the interior compartment is fully removable.

The main downside of this case, if you ask me, is that it just doesn’t look amazing. Frankly, it’s gigantic, and rivals like Nintendo’s official All-In-One case provide individual compartments and strong protection with about half of the overall footprint. It also has a fairly one note design, and as I say, picks up debris pretty readily.

Ultimately, this case doesn’t have to look beautiful or anything — after all it comes in at a relatively modest price-point of $44.99 / £29.90 (about AU$63). But whether it’s right for you or not will come down to one major factor: are you willing to lug such a giant case around? Do you really need quite this much space? The answer for me on both counts, would probably be no.

If you can get past the size then you have a durable and (mostly) well made case that will store just about everything you need. If not, then I’d suggest checking out my alternative picks in the ‘Also consider’ section.

Nacon Storage Case for Nintendo Switch 2 review: price & specs

Should I buy the Nacon Storage Case for Nintendo Switch 2?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Nacon Storage Case for Nintendo Switch 2 review: also consider

How I tested the Nacon Storage Case for Nintendo Switch 2

• Used the case over the course of multiple days
• Directly compared against other models
• Tested by a Switch 2 owner and experienced gaming accessories reviewer

I spent a few days putting the Nacon Storage Case to the test, bringing it with me when out and about and cramming it with just about every Switch 2 accessory I have.

During my time testing the case, I performed durability tests, which included scratching the model, as well as dropping it from a controlled height. I also compared it against rivals like Nintendo’s official all-in-one model.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing tech and gaming gear here at TechRadar, including a whole lot of Switch 2 cases. I’ve also been a Nintendo Switch 2 owner from day one, and know exactly what it takes for a case to stand out from the competition.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: June 2026

• IO Interactive won't self-publish any potential 007 First Light sequels
• Amazon Game Studios will handle publishing now that Amazon owns the Bond IP
• Amazon Gaming general manager Jeff Gattis says potential sequels will be "done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios."

Amazon Gaming has confirmed that Amazon Game Studios will handle the publishing of any potential 007 First Light sequels.

007 First Light has been a roaring success for IO Interactive, selling 1.5 million copies in its first 24 hours, a milestone reached faster than any of the studio's Hitman games.

Potential sequels are a possibility at this point, but according to Amazon Gaming general manager Jeff Gattis, IO Interactive won't self-publish them.

"We did not [make First Light]," Gattis told Polygon. "We do have a stake in it because we now own the IP, but that IP acquisition happened after the First Light IO deal was already done."

The GM explained that while Amazon "didn't have the full rights to this First Light James Bond game," possible sequels will be "done by MGM and, theoretically, by Amazon Game Studios."

IOI began developing 007 First Light when the Bond franchise was under the control of MGM and EON Productions; however, Amazon acquired MGM in 2021, one year after First Light was announced.

Amazon and MGM still collaborated with IOI after the acquisition, but now the company will have a more central role in potential sequels.

Fans reacting to the news are worried for the future of IOI's Bond games, with one fan on Reddit saying that it sounds like Amazon "might be implying that the sequel will be made without IO Interactive, if so, Amazon is making a big mistake."

There's a big distinction between publishing and developing a game, so it's important to note that it sounds like IO Interactive will still be the ones making Bond games, while Amazon Game Studios will be financing them, which could mean the latter will have more input into the projects.

Gattis went on to say that Amazon is eager to expand into games so it can synergize alongside its TV shows and films, something it could do with IO Interactive games and the company's next James Bond movie, currently in the works.

"We think that's a real opportunity for us to create IP that extends — or kind of expands upon — TV shows and movies," Gattis said. "So there'll be a Tomb Raider TV show on Prime Video that'll go alongside the games. There's a lot of things we have in the works on new games that'll relate to Prime Video IP."

Amelia Schwanke, TechRadar's Senior Editor UK, Home Entertainment, rated 007 First Light four stars in her review, calling it an " original blockbuster Bond story" that is "the closest a game has ever come to making me feel like I’m starring in a Bond film."

"IO Interactive takes the stealth sandbox of Hitman, the intense thrills of Uncharted, and experimental spycraft of Batman: Arkham, and reshapes them into a globe-trotting cinematic spy thriller filled with covert missions, explosive action, and cool gadgets," Schwanke said. "While the immersiveness of the campaign occasionally lags, this stylish origin story still feels like a triumphant return for the most iconic secret agent."

• A Nintendo Direct will reportedly air the week of June 8
• Reliable insider Nate the Hate claims it will air the week after Summer Games Fest
• A release date for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and The Duskbloods has yet to be announced

The next major Nintendo Direct showcase will reportedly air next week, according to reliable industry leaker Nate the Hate.

In a new YouTube video, Nate the Hate addressed fan expectations for a new Direct soon and claimed that it will be broadcast the week after Summer Games Fest (via VGC).

"We are in the month of June and expectations are there will be a Direct in the near future," the industry insider said. "Do these claims have merit? When will Nintendo begin to discuss their 2026 plans with us after Star Fox and Rhythm Heaven and Splatoon Raiders? What does the rest of 2026 look like from Nintendo?

"We’ll be getting that answer very soon, as from what I have heard, the Nintendo Direct will take place next week, the second week of June."

When asked by his co-host, Modern Vintage Gamer: "Just to be clear, that is the week of the 8th?" Nate the Hate replied, "Yes. So very near, we will have that Nintendo Direct."

If true, the Direct would be the first major presentation in nine months, excluding dedicated broadcasts like Indie Worlds and Partner Showcases.

As the YouTuber put it, Nintendo has yet to announce the release date for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and FromSoftware has been pretty quiet about its Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods, since it was announced last year.

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was also announced for Switch 2, but was delayed in October last year to 2026, so we still have that to look forward to. A summer Direct would be the perfect time to share new details.

Nate also noted that "We have to find out about that Ocarina of Time remake. Get a first look at it, see the ambition and scope of the project," if the rumors prove true, as well as see what other third-party studios are up to for the rest of the year.

In terms of first-party titles, Nintendo is releasing Star Fox on June 25 and Splatoon Raiders on July 23, so a Direct sharing new trailers for both could be in the cards.

• A new Entertainment Software Association study found that most Americans think video games provide the most entertainment value for their money compared to other forms of entertainment
• 75% of parents are actively play video games each week, while 81% enjoy playing with their children
• The majority of players across all age groups are also spending money on in-game content

A new Entertainment Software Association (ESA) study has found that the majority of gamers in the United States prefer to spend their money on video games because they think they provide more entertainment value than other forms of media.

As detailed in its annual Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry report conducted in partnership with YouGov, video games are more popular than ever among most age groups.

According to the ESA, 67% of Americans between the ages of five and 90 are now playing video games one or more hours per week, which equates to 212.3 million. This is up by 3% (7.2million) compared to 2025, and split fairly equally between men and women, with 53% of men and 46% of women actively playing.

The latest stats show that parents actually like their children playing video games and enjoy gaming with them, with 75% actively playing video games each week, and 81% saying they also game with their children (52% at least weekly).

Nearly half (49%) of parents also believe that their children playing games teaches important skills, such as problem solving and creative thinking, while the majority of American adults recognize the positive benefits of play.

85% find games to be fun, 78% say they offer stress relief, and 79% say they provide mental stimulation. Younger gamers in the Gen Z category (88%) also believe gaming brings people together and builds relationships (87%).

Gaming is a billion-dollar industry, and the cost of consoles and software has been increasing over the past few years, with most AAA first-party games now costing upwards of $80 to $90.

However, according to the study, most Americans (63%) believe games offer the most value for their money compared to other forms of media like video streaming services for music, TV, movies, books, and magazines.

The majority of players across all age groups are also spending additional money on in-game content, with 69% of Gen Alpha, 78% of Gen Z, and 67% of Millennials typically spending $20 per month.

54% of parents are even purchasing in-game content for their children, although we don't know which games. 93% of them also said they require approval for in-game purchases made by their kids.

• ModRetro announces the M64 — a modern take on the Nintendo 64 console
• It's compatible with most N64 games and supports several types of controller
• It ships from July 28 for $229.99

I have a cupboard full of most of my old games consoles. There's a PlayStation 1, a PlayStation 2, a Nintendo Entertainment System, a Game Boy Advance, and even a Sega Game Gear in there. But one I've always lacked is a Nintendo 64. Now, there's a new way to play classic N64 games on modern hardware thanks to the recently announced ModRetro M64.

Similar to what ModRetro did to the Game Boy with its popular Chromatic handheld, the M64 is capable of playing original Nintendo 64 carts, as well as several other M64 games that the manufacturer is releasing alongside the console. These can be played in their original form, or upscaled to 720p, 1080p, or 4K, depending on your display.

Unlike playing on an old console, the M64 has a few more modern touches to make the experience smoother and easier. These include HDMI and USB-C connectivity, support for Wi-Fi updates, super-fast boot times, silent operation, and a handy cartridge eject button.

The M64 is also compatible with a variety of controllers, giving you different alternatives depending on how you prefer to play or what you have available. As well as the original N64 controller, ModRetro is launching its own first-party pad that can be used wirelessly and comes in colors that match the console.

Hyperkin, Retrofighters, and 8Bit-Do are some of the other available options.

Game compatibility at this stage looks good, too. Some currently experience fps drops and performance issues, while a few face more severe difficulties. However, pretty much all of the biggest and most popular Nintendo 64 games are supported in some playable form — including Goldeneye, Ocarina of Time, and Super Mario 64.

With the ability to offer updates over time, these issues and even more upgrades could be offered in the future. Some of the planned features include further video processing options, effects, and filters, wider controller support and input compatibility, and changes to the UI with notifications and in-menu sound effects.

I've had my hands on an early version of the M64 for the past few weeks and will be able to share some first impressions very soon, so watch this space if you're a retro gaming fan and are keen on a convenient way to play all of your favorite classic N64 games.

You can sign up for notifications on launch availability now, although shipping is currently planned from July 28. The ModRetro M64 is priced at $229.99, while the official M64 Pro Controller is $89.99.

Outside of its art style, the thing people often remember the most from Rayman Legends is the game's iconic music levels.

You're thrust into a castle wall and as you run you start hearing the dulcet tones of Ram Jam's 1977 hit Black Betty – albeit with the lyrics replaced with gibberish spewn by the villains from the platforming levels you just played through. And throughout the rest of the game you hear variations of other popular songs adapted to Rayman's zany humor, (the Mariachi remix of Eye of the Tiger being the highlight).

But aside from Orchestral Chaos' original tune and Grannies World Tour's adaptation of Rayman Origins' Land of the Livid Dead, these musical levels have a thread between them: all of them are one-hit wonders (yes, Survivor fans, I like Burning Heart too, but let's be real).

And the two new musical levels I've seen from the upcoming Rayman Legends Retold remake are also very much in that category, so I was curious if this was almost a meta joke in its own right.

Catch the beat

"It's not a complete coincidence" Charlie Atanasyan, associate audio director at Ubisoft Montpellier, told me. The songs are intended to be instantly recognisable, which allows the audio team to come up with unique compositions.

"What we want to bring with musical maps is to try to explore and play with all the music styles that you can" he says, adding "if we can play with something that a lot of people know – a very famous song – it works even better because it instantly gives you a smile, because you know the track, and the work that has been done by Christophe [Heral] and also respond to the cover and the creativity that they put into it."

Since then, other platformers have been seemingly inspired by these, like Sackboy: A Big Adventure which ditched one-hit wonders for massive artists like Britney Spears and David Bowie. While Super Mario Bros. Wonder took its own spin on the level with its rhythm-based Ninji levels – sans the licensed tunes.

But these impersonators weren't what inspired Ubisoft to return to make more music levels, Atanasyan explains,: "first, it's really great for us developers developing these kinds of levels, it's very, very interesting and fun to do.

"We know that we have a huge fan base that asks 'can we have some new musical levels,' so that's just why we have developed some new musical events."

New to this version of Rayman Legends is the inclusion of characters speaking as opposed to gibberish, with Rayman's original voice actor David Gasman returning to the role alongside Billy West as Murfy.

While this is most prevalent in the new cutscenes, characters will have lines during gameplay too. I noticed this a lot, but it just avoided crossing the line of becoming an annoyance, asking how this balance was struck when the original wasn't able to be used as a point of reference, Atanasyan told me, "you're never sure that you find the sweet spot."

"What I do to try to find the best balance. First I play a lot the game, but also I check also a lot of different players, developers, and also some play testers playing the game with [their] own rhythm" he explains, adding that its about trying to find a "sweet spot" between players who rush through the maps at full speed, versus those who are going to take their time.

And on top of that "we have a bit of tech behind [it] also that uses values on cool down that avoid [too much repetition] of a specific line"

Music aside, I was curious as to how the new realism-inspired art style informed the team's approach to sound design. One of things that stuck out to me is before entering the second half of the first level, the score disappears. This was to avoid "getting tired" of a given tune, he adds, "Introducing short breaks works even better when it restarts, you enjoy it even more."

This was also meant as a shoutout to the art team's efforts, as Atanasyan explains, "the second reason is because the environments are so nicely detailed on the deep that we wanted also to give the opportunity to the player to just take time just enjoying all the details of the animation."

Remakes are funny. I'm firmly in the camp that most games do not need remakes, and you're missing out on some all-time experiences because of an aversion to older titles – but I can still appreciate them. However, there are some games that really don't need a remake, and Rayman Legends would definitely be near the top of that list. The game is on basically everything and looks phenomenal to this day thanks to its gorgeous art direction.

And yet, of all the Rayman games, Ubisoft has opted to bring it back as Rayman Legends Retold for the series' big comeback. The 2013 platforming classic is being given a 2.5D makeover in the Snowdrop engine and, crucially, has new content thrown in for good measure. And while I'm sure the reaction to the first trailer will very much be one of bewilderment, Rayman Legends Retold is still a banger; it just looks a little weird.

Gogglobox

While the visual style is certainly going to be what sticks out to people at first, I can assure you it's still the same old Rayman Legends underneath… Quite literally, as part of my tour of Ubisoft Montpellier's studio revealed that underneath the snowdrop makeover is a version of the 2D original showing that despite the change in looks and framing, the level designs and physics are copied over. While this is just a nifty part of the game engine tools or a hint that it'll have a Halo Anniversary-like visual toggle was unconfirmed, however.

And while the new character designs aren't exactly my favourite – I hate Rayman's teeth – the environment work on show in this new version is gorgeous. Backgrounds are filled with small details and feel lively thanks to little details like wildlife and comedic gags happening behind the stage. Alongside these changes are camera angles which can pull out to reveal a curve in the world, come close to making a jump look more daunting than it ever actually was, or reveal what's to come in vertical segments.

Although this sadly also had the inverse effect of some jumps being a bit harder to read thanks to the change in lighting, and I found myself dying way more often than I'd expect considering I've played so much of Origins and Legends.

But as I said, Rayman Legends is timeless, and frankly, the comparisons between the two aren't the most generous in Retold's favor. I don't think the game looks bad in the slightest, and it's not like a Sonic The Hedgehog 2019 movie trailer vibe, but it's a less interesting art style than once was. At the very least, the animations have translated to 3D well, with Mario + Rabbids dev Ubisoft Milan's expertise coming in clutch as the co-developer.

Dragon's Dogma

However, Retold isn't exactly just Rayman Legends; it's been expanded in ways. Right out of the gate, the world is made to feel more realized with the basic painting hub worlds of the original game being replaced with expanded versions that feature secrets to find and a lot more to run around in. And in service of that new interconnectivity are Dragon Rides.

At the end of each world, the squad jumps on a dragon and flies through a Star Fox-esque level that shows you leaving the area and landing in the next world. Think of the mosquito rides from Rayman Origins, except now it's done from a 3D behind-the-back perspective, almost like one of those roller coaster simulators you used to get at the arcade.

And the expansion of the world includes a new final world for the game. A world set in the Land of the Livid Dead, an area featured in previous entries. Ubisoft promised a new ending to the game from this, and it brings a new mechanic which allows Rayman and friends to shoot magic to interact with obstacles in the environment, such as allowing spiny vines to grow out to become a new platform. It feels like a new version of the Murfy mechanic but with more direct player input instead of just pressing triangle.

There's also a massive world map we were shown with details of what to expect, and there seems to be a ton of other areas to explore around the map outside the main hubs, with some of the Rayman Origins areas returning (presumably just the “Return to Origins” levels from the original Legends) and an area called Rabbids Landing Site, presumably confirming the cretinous lapins are showing up in a mainline game.

Sadly, we only got to try one level of this new world, so I can't tell you how substantial or good of an addition to the game it is, but the one I did get to try felt promising. And thankfully, there are new music levels, and Ubisoft's penchant for creating zany versions of one-hit wonders returns with two of the cheesiest hits to date (which I won't be spoiling here).

Rayman Legends Retold has finally been announced, and chances are the thing you've been most focused on – outside of why remake this game of all the Rayman titles – is the new art. Rayman Legends is timeless; it looked incredible in 2013, and 13 years later it still holds up as one of the most gorgeous platformers ever created.

While at Ubisoft Montpellier, I spoke to Desislava Tanova, associate lead, art, and Alice Pisoni, associate art director, and dug into the changes made in this new version. "Of course we felt the pressure of taking such a well-known brand and such a loved art style and make it something different" Pisoni tells me, "it wasn't an easy path, but we were all super happy to be able to put our hands on something that beautiful and have the possibility to actually make something of our own, but while always being faithful to the original."

However, as we all know, translating a 2D cartoon into a realistic art style is tricky – just ask the Sonic movie producers – so I had to ask how the team approached this and straddled the line of what is too realistic to work in this series.

"We have a great concept team", Tanova says, "So the language was defined, and we translated this language in 3D."

She explains that it was about finding the balance between the interesting shapes of the Rayman cast and the materials used for them. You can spot the fabric detail in Rayman's hoodie and gloves, or the amphibian-like skin of Globox.

Pisoni notes that in Legends, Rayman's face was a "flat, normal pink," while this new 3D model allows them to deal with the likes of freckles and pores. While I didn't get a chance to play the level, El Luchador's model was shown to us, and the detailing in his singlet, down to the somewhat greasy chest hair, was undoubtedly impressive.

As for the environments, Pisoni told me, "One of our main goals is to make the player stop, and just take a break, and just look at what it's actually around in the environment." And this is one area where Legends Retold does give the original game a run for its money. The backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous, and allow for small little details – that, granted, you'll probably miss if you run through the levels.

These include somewhat comedic set pieces like seeing world two's frog boss bathing himself in the background of the hub or bits of worldbuilding like skeletons strung up in the dungeons or little rabbits going to their huts in the swamp. Tanova explains, "From the very beginning, the idea was to enhance it, to tell deeper visual storytelling, and it naturally comes to adding details and animated background elements."

Tanova adds that the team had to "keep the balance between the background and the playground, because it has to be very readable." Pisoni adds, "When you have parts with completely complicated gameplay, we try to keep the background as simple as possible."

In its recent earnings report, Ubisoft stated that it is "Leveraging AI to enhance player experience and boost teams’ creativity and efficiency," and with an announcement like that, it's only natural that people are going to look at every project through that lens.

I asked the artists about this and was given a straight answer that we want to hear: "We don't use AI in the project; everything is handcrafted," Tanova explains, adding that "our goal" is to approach it "through the eye of an artist, so everybody can get involved in the process."

While the more realistic art style is certainly a different take on the franchise – and one I'm sure people will be totally normal about – after my hands-on with the game, it's a version I see the merits of. Parts of it look a bit off for sure (again, I really don't like Rayman's teeth), but the lighting changes, use of camera angles, background details, and endemic life scattered around the areas do give this take on the game something over the original.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, the continuation of the retelling started by Final Fantasy VII: Remake, has finally made it to non-PlayStation consoles, and over the weekend, I’ve been blasting through the game on my Nintendo Switch 2 to answer one question: can the handheld handle it?

The simple answer is yes; the longer answer is yes, but I’m not convinced this is how I’d want to experience this adventure, as Rebirth’s grander scale compared to its first part makes the Nintendo console’s technical deficiencies glaringly obvious.

Though being able to take this adventure on the go with you has some serious upsides — especially as it’s a game you can (and I have, on the PS5 version) sink well over 150 hours into sucking out every last morsel of blood from this stone (my PS5 tells me I spent 187 hours in this game).

Much like Remake, your platform choice for Rebirth should be decided by what you most value from your gaming: beauty or accessibility.

Rebirth reflection

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is not a sequel in the usual sense, it’s more of a disc two in the three-part retelling of the iconic JRPG. The gameplay is mostly identical to the first part, the story picks up exactly where things left off, and it’s essential you play Remake if you want to hit the ground running plot-wise in the way Rebirth expects — otherwise, more so than jumping into the second entry in a gaming series, it’ll be a challenge to get up to speed.

At the same time, Rebirth is an expansion on Remake’s formula thanks to the addition of new playable characters, folios that pave the way for more character build customization, and the open world aspects that make this feel like a grand adventure rather than a linear tale.

The story focus, while a continuation of the remade FF7 plot, is also distinct for this entry. Rebirth’s portion of the FF7 tale is one of confronting the past — for characters on an individual level such as when we return to their former homes in Nibelheim (Cloud and Tifa) and Corel (Barret), for the world as a whole as we learn more of the Cetra Ancients, their stewardship of the lifestream and how this feeds into the various conflicts between modern day factions, and for the series on a meta level as we learn the consequences and outcomes of the first-part’s finale to defy fate.

This reflective narrative (while a touch messy in that last aspect) provides an excellent throughline for this portion of the tale. It’s easy for middle parts to struggle with an identity and feeling satisfied, as they can too easily feel like a mere vehicle to take us from part one to part 3. Rebirth leaves a few loose ends dangling by its conclusions, but this entry makes space for character development and sub-plot conclusions that leave you hungry for more rather than narratively starving.

Unfortunately, where you are left demanding more, at least for the Switch 2 port, is in the performance department. Much like Remake, I didn’t find the game’s quality utterly experience-ruining, but the expanded scope of this title makes it clear that technical excellence is not the Switch 2's strong suit.

The overall technical performance is not drastically different from the Remake experience. Generally, the game runs smoothly at a constant framerate. There was maybe a touch of stutter for the flashy boss-ending finishing combos in a couple of fights, but I was never distracted from enjoying the spectacle of fights in Rebirth.

Quality leaves something to be desired, however, though I will admit my screenshots (especially my combat snaps) paint a slightly unfair picture. With the motion blur, the pace of animations, and the dazzle of colorful explosions, it’s easy not to notice the messy and unfinished nature that individual frames present.

Where the quality is tougher to ignore are the wider environments. Leaving the, at times, claustrophobic streets of Midgar's slums behind, Rebirth offers a true sense of adventure with pseudo-open-world spaces to explore across numerous regions.

On PS5, these spaces can feel dazzling; on the Switch 2, a combination of lower-quality textures, more sporadic (and lower poly) set dressing (i.e., flowers and other foliage, which decorate the Grassland's floors), and a noticeable amount of pop-in detract from the spectacle.

These issues were present in handheld mode, but also in docked mode. In fact, the low-quality textures were more frustrating when blown up on my 55-inch TV screen.

I found the lack of foliage especially amusing in the Chocobo capture section in the second chapter. Cloud had maybe five blades of grass between him and the keen eye of the iconic yellow bird, but this is apparently enough cover to remain hidden — perhaps this is thanks to special training SOLDIERs and Shinra infantry are given.

Alas, the lack of spectacle made exploring the open-world environments much less appealing. Where I had previously made sure to accomplish as many side objectives as possible before moving on, I frequently gave up after just a couple because I didn’t feel quite as immersed in this adventure.

Though if you haven’t experienced the non-Switch 2 version, this graphical contrast might not feel as stark, and with the game offering hundreds of hours of content, the ability to play it anywhere is a major accessibility win.

With free hours to play here and there — while commuting, or travelling, while in bed, or on the couch next to someone using the TV to play/watch something else — the versatility of a handheld is why we play with them, not for graphical superiority.

That said, I’m firmly in the play it on PS5 camp — or on an Xbox or a decent PC — when it comes to Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. The Switch 2 version is fine, but it’s frankly not the best way to experience the adventure