I’ve been writing about Apple’s newfound gaming ambitions for years now, but I’m still waiting for the company to come to grips with what today’s gamer actually wants. My halting enthusiasm is often tempered by what the company regularly shows off at both its private and public events. As if to put a pin on that…
It’s become an unfortunate par for the course in modern collecting that if you want something, you’re no longer just racing against fellow fans who want it: you’re facing off against a bot army driven by scalpers who want to make a pretty profit on the aftermarket. From trading cards to action figures, from sneakers…
In the years since Lucasfilm overhauled Star Wars continuity—reclassifying years of Expanded Universe material as “Legends” before wiping a clean slate of continuity it has developed over the last decade-plus—much of what has been rebuilt has been done so off of the back of re-canonizing elements of that old material. In some ways re-imagined, in…
I love going to Summer Game Fest. It’s a rare opportunity to connect with my colleagues and friends in person, as well as listen to developers talk about why they make their games. In some ways, this year’s SGF gave me everything I love about the event. But while I was comfortably ensconced in a…
In the quiet city of Espoo, a short drive west from Helsinki in Finland, is an unassuming building that’s home to one of the most confounding studios in games. Remedy Entertainment is known for getting weird. It started with the meta horror of Alan Wake, and has since expanded with Control, a game that turns…
The first Switch was such a hit that Nintendo decided not to mess with a good thing. Instead of releasing a successor that feels like a generational leap or a pivot in a new direction, it’s following up the hugely successful original with the Switch 2 — a welcome upgrade that largely sticks to the…
Microsoft and Asus have just announced two ROG Xbox Ally devices that include a new full-screen Xbox experience for handhelds. After promising to combine “the best of Xbox and Windows together” for handhelds earlier this year, Microsoft is now revealing exactly how it is overhauling the Xbox app, Game Bar, and Windows itself to better…
I feel like a broken record, but I’ve been writing for more than a year that the next Xbox console will be more PC-like. Now, I think Microsoft just teased its next-gen Xbox plans while announcing its partnership with Asus to bring two Xbox Ally handhelds to the market later this year.The Xbox Ally handhelds…
Microsoft and Asus have been working together over the past year to create not one, but two new ROG Xbox Ally handhelds. Both of these Xbox Ally devices, part of the Project Kennan effort I reported on earlier this year, include a new full-screen Xbox experience on Windows that’s designed to be more handheld-friendly and…
I wouldn’t have preordered a Nintendo Switch 2 just for myself. The price is high, there’s no new Smash Bros. or Metroid Prime (yet), and I’ve got a perfectly good original Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck that keep me plenty busy. At first, I could only justify the $450 because I write about gaming tech…
Apple packed a bunch of major updates into its annual Worldwide Developer Conference keynote. During the event, the company showed off the sleek design refresh coming to its operating systems, as well as a mix of new features for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, and more.Here’s a roundup of some of the most exciting changes…
The Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering set is here, and there’s never been a more perfect assemblage of Magic cards. The set features cards taken from every mainline Final Fantasy title, including the two MMOs, so there’s something for every generation of Final Fantasy lovers. And while Magic has featured other video game crossovers in…
The first several months after Nintendo released the Switch in 2017 have been described as a “gold rush” for independent game developers. The Switch’s eShop wasn’t exactly barren, but early on there was a lot of room for new releases. To put it into perspective, Nintendo announced in 2018 that around 1,000 games were added…
I’m feeling a strange sense of pressure as I set up my first bus route in City Bus Manager. I want to get things right for the public transportation users of this city, probably because it’s the city I actually live in. City Bus Manager uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) data to populate its maps, so I…
Now in its third year, the Access-Ability Summer Showcase is back to redress the lack of meaningful accessibility information across the ongoing video game showcase season. As we see progress broadly slow down, it’s also a timely reminder of the good work that’s still happening in pursuit of greater accessibility in gaming.“At a time where…
Practical Magic 2 is beginning to cast its next generation. The Backrooms movie adaptation may have found some serious stars. Fear Street: Prom Queen‘s director talks killer inspirations. Plus, what’s coming on Lazarus. Spoilers now! Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Oscar winner Kieran Culkin is the latest star to join the Hunger Games prequel’s expansive cast. The Hollywood…
In usual Nintendo fashion, the Switch 2 isn’t making online play easier to access; it’s making it stranger by far. GameChat, the online video chat functionality for Switch 2, lets you stream your friends’ gameplay and friends’ faces to your own game system while you play. Nintendo is devoting a hefty amount of system power…
After a long wait filled with leaks, reveals, preorder stress, and hands-on events, the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch day has finally arrived around the world, including launch events at retailers like Walmart, GameStop, Best Buy, and Target.Nintendo’s next console looks like a worthy successor to the original Switch, and it has a lot of games…
A busy week of gaming news continues. One day after Epic’s State of Unreal showcase, and just ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2 launch (and Summer Game Fest Live and the Xbox Games Showcase) Sony got in on the action with its latest State of Play stream, which was surprise-announced just a day ahead of…
Nintendo is entering a new era. While most everyone associates the company with video games, for the last few years the brand behind Mario has been steadily expanding itself into something much larger.“I think people view Nintendo as a gaming company, but we have always thought of ourselves as an entertainment company,” Nintendo’s senior managing…
I don’t want gaming to become another streaming subscription service that keeps going up in price. I don’t want to put even more power in Nvidia’s hands, particularly not right now.But I can’t deny that the company’s $20-a-month* GeForce Now is a near-perfect fit for the Steam Deck. I’ve been covering cloud gaming for 15…
Days ago, gamers and Star Wars fans started voicing their desire for another Star Wars Battlefront game. DICE’s Battlefront II from 2017 has received an extra surge of attention as of late; its player count is growing on PC, and the community aims to capitalize on the renewed popularity with a day-long global event to increase its…
Jamey Stegmaier. Courtesy of Jamey Stegmaier This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? . Jamey Stegmaier’s business, Stonemaier Games, is facing rising tariffs on its China-made board games. The tariffs are affecting his costs and potential profitability, which could put him out of…
Elon Musk sounded extremely depressed on Tesla’s earnings call Tuesday after the EV company reported a 71% drop in profits last quarter. But one of the big headlines you’re seeing everywhere is this claim that Musk is leaving his role in President Donald Trump’s government as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency…
It was really great seeing all the excitement from fans when Oblivion shadow dropped earlier this week. For a lot of people, the fourth installment in the Elder Scrolls series is the game, the experience that either was the impetus for their career in video games, instilled in them an everlasting love for the format,…