Let's remove the mystery from the headline. Three Mass Effect games are going for next to nothing right now on PC, and you need to jettison your modern perspective misgivings and take a chance on them. Forget the hot mess that was Mass Effect Andromeda. Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2—and, to a lesser extent, Mass Effect 3—were genre-defining RPGs. The remaster process has made 'em much easier on the optical implants. The writing, world-building, and companion NPC bonds you'll forge, meanwhile, all remain timeless.

In retro news, today's a day of sombre remembrance for two consoles. 27 years ago, we witnessed the discontinuance of Sega's Game Gear, a battery-guzzling beast that sold 10.62M units that I fondly remember for its Sonic games and extravagant TV Tuner attachment. It's also been 22 years since we bade farewell to the Nintendo 64, which delivered phenomenal four-player action, groundbreaking 3D AAAs, and a highscore of 32.93M units sold. I am not shedding a sentimental tear over it. That's just...Control Stick dust in my eye.

This Day in Gaming

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Dr. Mario (GB) 1991. Get

- Sega Game Gear discontinued 1997. Ebay

- Nintendo 64 discontinued 2002. Ebay

- Child of Light (PC,PS3,X360) 2014. Get

Table of Contents

• Nintendo Switch
• PC
• Xbox
• PlayStation

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

Expiring Recent Deals

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Purchase Cheaply for PC

Expiring Recent Deals

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

Expiring Recent Deals

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

Expiring Recent Deals

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In its quarterly earnings presentation, Remedy Entertainment shared an update on its remake of Max Payne 1 and 2, as well as the news that Tencent has nearly tripled its investment in the studio.

In a report for shareholders, Remedy announced that Max Payne 1 & 2 remake is expected to move into "full production" during Q2 of 2024 (April through June of 2024). Additionally, Codename Kestrel — Remedy's upcoming multiplayer action game formerly known as Vanguard — is still in the concept stage.

Elsewhere, the Control 2 team is finalizing its proof of concept and is expected to advance to the "production readiness stage" during Q2. Codename Condor, a multiplayer game set in the Control universe, is in "the final development stage before a game is launched," or full production.

With all these games in the cooker, Remedy has received a new infusion of cash from existing stakeholder Tencent. Previously, Tencent acquired a minority (3.8%) stake in Remedy that it later upped to 5%. Today, Remedy announced that Tencent increased its stake again to 14.8%, nearly triple what it was prior.

A busy year for Remedy

It was a busy period for Remedy. The company fully acquired rights to the Control franchise from 505 Games, and is currently discussing future partnerships and business and publishing models, including self-publishing. Alan Wake 2 sold 1.3 million units as of the start of February, and Remedy says today that the game has recouped "a significant part" of its expenses.

The company additionally announced today that its COO Christopher Schmitz is resigning, and that long-time Remedy veteran and Control game director Mikael Kasurinen is being appointed as a company-wide creative director. Remedy's revenue for the quarter was up 56.2% year-over-year to €10.8 million ($11.6 million).

Two planned expansions for Alan Wake 2 are currently in the works, one entitled Night Springs, and a second entitled The Lakehouse. Neither has a release date just yet.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Google Play recently decided to pay tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog on social media. Reasonable, given that the famous mascot is currently having a bit of a cultural moment. The only problem? Most of it was completely wrong.

Over the weekend, Google Play’s X/Twitter account took it upon itself to make an impromptu Sonic The Hedgehog appreciation thread where the chili dog-eating hero gets older the more you scroll through it. But the Google Play’s scrapbook-esque thread's dabbling in historical revisionism of the blue hedgehog would spark a wave of corrections, even prompting Sega's own social media account to ask what was on every Sonic fan’s mind: What are you doing?

Google Play’s Sonic-themed thread, which sporadically covers the blue blur’s evolution from 1991 to 2022, is now riddled with community notes criticizing the social media account for its litany of factual errors.

1991 Sonic. The cover? Rotund. Husky. Still fast as lightning. The actual game? 8-bit GLORY 🙌 pic.twitter.com/a2k2j9mvXH

— Google Play (@GooglePlay) April 27, 2024

For instance, Google’s first threaded post of Sonic and Tails in 1991 is actually of Sonic’s 2013 mobile game. The key signifier of this error on Google Plays part is the fact that Tails isn’t Sonic’s companion in the original game. The post also refers to the original Sonic the Hedgehog as "8-bit glory" despite first releasing on the 16-bit Sega Genesis. And that's just the beginning.

what are you doing

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) April 28, 2024

Other blatant errors in Google Play’s thread include a screenshot of Sonic from 2014’s Sonic Boom cartoon saying this was the “short king” in 1993; a 2022 screenshot of Paramount Picture’s live-action Sonic that was actually from the 2020 movie, and a 2006 Sonic image from the 2017 mobile game Sonic Forces Mobile —which is available on the Google Play store.

Fans went so far as to wonder if AI was used to create the strange thread, not the least because one of the images is poorly altered to remove background characters.

2022 Sonic. Just like us, he’s healed from 2020 but isn’t quite the same 😆 pic.twitter.com/f9XYSeLtxm

— Google Play (@GooglePlay) April 27, 2024

While the endgame of Google Play’s Sonic thread remains a mystery, what isn’t is the fact that Sonic fans are treating it like material for Twitter's version of a comedy club's open mic night with a sea of hilarious memes at Google Play’s expense. Here's one of our favorites.

We all know who's behind this https://t.co/CMgSvvd31X pic.twitter.com/1qpmQu6RRc

— Artvader || Commission Season (@Artvader_AF) April 29, 2024

All in all, it was a strange moment for Sega's biggest franchise, which is otherwise celebrating the release of the Knuckles TV series on Paramount+. We called it a "fun, chaotic bonus level that nails everything that made the Sonic movies great, earning a well-deserved fist bump," and is one more step along the path toward a potential Sonic Cinematic Universe.

In the meantime, the third Sonic the Hedgehog film, starring Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog, hits theaters on December 20, 2024.

Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer at IGN.

Nintendo’s Switch successor console, referred to by many as the “Switch 2,” will feature magnetic Joy-Con controllers, backward compatibility, and a host of other new features, according to the latest batch of rumors.

These alleged details about the yet-to-be-revealed device first showed up from Spanish outlet Vandal and were later cooperated by third-party Switch accessory manufacturer Mobapad. They say that the console will swap away from the railed lock method used by the current Switch and its Joy-Cons in favor of larger, electromagnetic suction controllers. If the rumors are accurate, players can also expect metal SL and SR buttons as well as one additional new button on the side of each controller. Mobapad adds that the new controllers will still feature HD rumble.

Nintendo hasn’t officially pulled back the curtain on the Switch 2, much less confirmed what kind of controllers it will support. If the rumors are to be believed, it sounds like players will at least be able to continue using their old Joy-Cons and Pro-Controllers as well as their original physical and digital Switch games. It would no doubt be nice to head into another Nintendo generation with some degree of backward compatibility, though its unclear how or if the old Joy-Cons would be able to pair with the magnetic new console.

Mobapad claims that the Switch 2 will continue to support USB-C, with its dock said to feature minor changes to its appearance while delivering 4K resolution. The site also references the new dock’s adjustable “damping bracket on the back,” though it is possible they are talking about the Switch 2’s kickstand. The device’s screen is said to be an eight-inch display that supports 1080p resolution.

Nintendo’s Switch successor hasn’t been revealed, but numerous reports have stated that the console is just on the horizon. VGC reported last year that Nintendo was targeting a 2024 launch for its new gaming tech. However, a Nikkei report from February said that Nintendo was planning to launch in March 2025 instead in order to combat potential scalpers.

Again, it’s unclear if today’s rumors are accurate, so it’s best to take everything with a grain of salt until Nintendo gives us something official to chew on. For more on the Switch 2, be sure to check out everything else we know about Nintendo’s hardware before we (hopefully) learn more about it soon. You can also check out what we’re hoping to see from the device when it’s eventually revealed.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.

Microsoft just held its latest ID@Xbox, a digital showcase showing many fantastic indie games headed to Xbox and PC. From existing games getting updates, such as Palworld and Vampire Survivors, to new details on existing indie games, like 33 Immortals and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, today's showcase likely had a game for just about every type of player.

If you missed today's ID@Xbox showcase, don't worry. IGN has recapped everything announced, which you can read below.

Astor: Blade of the Monolith is out on May 30

Originally announced as Monolith: Requiem of the Ancients before the rebranding, Astor: Blade of the Monolith is a hack-and-slash ARPG. Players control the titular character, Astor, as he ventures off to unravel the mystery regarding the disappearance of the ancients.

33 Immortals' closed beta is set for late May

If you are looking for a co-op roguelike game with 32 of your friends, 33 Immortals' is the game for you. The top-down action game has beautiful hand-drawn visuals reminiscent of Spiritfarer combined with constant on-screen action from something like Vampire Survivors, 33 Immortals' closed beta is set for May 24.

Palworld is getting a massive update with new Pals this Summer

Palworld, the indie darling that has become a breakout hit for Xbox early into 2024, is getting a big update this summer that includes the introduction of four new Pals. More interestingly, the trailer showed a flamethrower weapon being wielded by a player; previously, players who wanted to use a flamethrower in Palworld needed a Foxsparks to replicate a flamethrower.

WWII-era game Commandos: Origins is getting a closed beta this Summer

Claymore Game Studios has provided a new look at the next entry in the Commandos franchise, subtitled Origins. Set in World War II, players control Jack O'Hara or one of his five companions in a series of missions that set in " historically authentic WWII environments."

A closed beta is set to be held sometime this Summer.

Centum is an 8-bit point-and-click adventure game coming this Summer

If you like 8-bit visuals and point-and-click adventure games, Centum might be worth adding to your watchlist. The gameplay from the reveal trailer reveals that the game will shift between medieval and modern settings. Centum is out this Summer.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage gets a new trailer, but no release date

Announced at the 2023 Game Awards, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is the next project from Don't Nod, the creator of Life is Strange. Unlike Don't Nod's previous story-driven choose-your-own-adventure games, which were set in a more modern period, Lost Records is set in 1995. The latest trailer oozes 90s nostalgia, with kids skateboarding and footage of the trailer being "recorded" from a 90s-era camcorder.

Keylocker is out this Summer on PC and Xbox

A turn-based cyberpunk action game, Keylocker, will be released on PC and Xbox sometime this Summer. Set in a world where music is outlawed, players control a singer. Developer Moonana explained on the game's Steam page that the Mario & Luigi RPG series and Chrono Trigger inspired Keylocker.

Stampede: Racing Royale is a battle royale racing game with 60 players on the course

While Mario Kart is still the franchise that dominates the kart racing subgenre, it is still limited to Nintendo hardware. Sumo Digital's Stampede: Racing Royale might give Xbox players something to fill the Mario Kart void.

A racing game that fuses kart racing and battle royale, Stampede: Racing Royale has 60 players burning rubber on the course. The gameplay and power-ups are similar to those in a Mario Kart game, combined with the goofiness found in MediaTonic's platform battle royale game Fall Guys.

Jackbox Games is finally making an adult-themed Party Pack coming this year

Adult Jackbox players wishing for an adult-themed Party Pack can stop praying as Jackbox Games announced today that it is finally making one.

Jackbox Naughty Pack is coming sometime this year. While there is no information on what games will be included in the party pack, the announcement reminds me of how Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity exist, with the Naughty Pack taking a darker and more provocative twist.

Times & Galaxy gets June release window

Copychaser Games' upcoming point-and-click game Times & Galaxy will be available on PC and Xbox sometime in June. Payers control a robot, the first robot reporter for the prestigious Times & Galaxy newspaper. The reporter is asked to find stories across the Galaxy as an intern, hoping to get a scoop.

Sulfur is a contemporary shooter with old-school vibes coming to Xbox

A contemporary first-person shooter with roguelike elements and an old-school design. One of the user-defined tags on the game's Steam page describes it as a "boomer shooter." Looking at the previous trailer and the one that appeared at ID@Xbox, gameplay might remind people of the older Doom and Wolfenstein games.

Fera: The Sundered Tribes is out later this year

Massive Damage Studios has shared a new trailer for Fera: The Sundered Tribes, an action RPG that fuses monster hunting with tribe management and building mechanics. The gameplay and screenshots resemble Monster Hunter: World.

Fera, The Sundered Tribes is launching later this year.

All You Need Is Help is a quirky puzzle game from the creators of PixelJunk Monsters

If you are looking for a silyl but cozy puzzle game, PixelJunk Monsters creator Q-Games' next project, All You Need Is Help, is hitting the sweet spot. The trailer indicates that this puzzle game is a multiplayer game in which players have time and need to place their puzzle pieces in the correct position.

All You Need Is Help is out sometime this Fall.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter gets new trailer, still no release date

Odd Bug Studio's upcoming soulslike action RPG Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter got a new trailer at ID@Xbox, flaunting more of its comic book 2D art style. Players will control Arlo, who is on a quest to defeat giant beasts and bandits that are scattered throughout the world.

Hangry briefly appears at ID@Xbox

Hangry, the "snack n' slash" RPG in which players hunt down and eat monsters, briefly appeared at ID@Xbox, where players got a brief new look at gameplay.

Promise Mascot Agency is the next game from the creators of Paradise Killer

Kaizen Game Works, the developers behind Paradise Killer, are back with a sophomore title called Promise Mascot Agency. As the name implies, players run a mascot agency, and gameplay includes card-based battles.

I promise Mascot Agency will be out sometime next year.

Five games published by Gamera Games are headed to Xbox Game Pass

Indie game publisher Gamera Games appeared at ID@Xbox today, revealing that five games—Depersonalization, Firework, Volcano Princess, Kelperth, and The Rewinder—are headed to Game Pass. All these games were released initially on PC before today's announcement.

Over 15 games from the Triple-I Initiative showcase will be playable on Xbox

Earlier this month, the Triple-I Initiative showcase highlighted many indie delights that are headed shortly. Games such as Palworld Arena and Cat Quest 3 appeared. Towards the end of the showcase, it was revealed that 17 games from that sizzle during ID@Xbox will be playable on Xbox.

Dungeons of Hinterberg gets a colorful new trailer focusing on gameplay

A fusion of social sim and action RPG genres with cel-shaded graphics, Dungeons of Hinterberg is set in the Austrian Alps where players control Luisa, a law trainee suffering burnout who opts to drop the corporate life and trade it in for the rugged life of living in the wild and conquer dungeons.

Vampire Survirors: Operation Guns DLC gets one more trailer before its May 9 release date

Vampire Survivors: Operation Guns, known affectionately as the Contra DLC, is headed to all platforms early next month. We got another look at the new DLC before it gets into players' hands. But the most interesting thing about the new trailer is that at the end, viewers get a "one more thing..." revealing that Brad Fang, a character who first appeared in Contra: Hard Corps, will be featured in the DLC.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Jackbox players who are older and have been wishing for an adult-themed Party Pack: your prayers have finally been answered, as Jackbox Games announced at ID@Xbox today that its next party pack is aimed at the older demographic.

As the name implies, Jackbox Naughty Pack is the next entry in the party game franchise and is designed specifically for adults. Though there are no details, such as what mini-games would appear in the pack, we do know it is out this year.

Jackbox Games has released a new party pack nearly annually since the first installment was released in 2014. Each Party Pack entry consists of five mini-games designed to be played ideally with three or more friends while everyone uses a device with an internet browser, most commonly a phone, to play.

The Jackbox Party Pack series grew in popularity thanks to content creators hosting streams where they play one of the ten currently available Party Packs. The series spiked exponentially in 2020 during the pandemic as family members or friends hosted virtual game nights on video conferencing apps like Zoom while social distancing. Beyond content creation and social distancing, Jackbox is a great option for those looking to host a game night or have a fun activity to engage in during a dinner party.

Though Jackbox is designed for all ages, releasing a Party Pack is unsurprising, particularly as many adults will typically host a game night that requires participants to be 18 or older. Or the fact that some players typically use snark or vulgar language when playing mini-games such as Quiplash.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

One dedicated fan of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has added two haptic feedback suits that simulate real pain to their already $15,000 mass immersion setup.

As reported by GamesRadar, GingasVR on X/Twitter shared how they've made their Skyrim virtual reality experience even more immersive by adding touch and feeling to the world.

GingasVR, who already boasted an extensive VR setup that includes an HTC Vive headset, three Vive trackers, microphones, and face trackers, as well as tons of mods, has added an OWO haptic feedback suit, a haptic feedback vest, and smart plugs hooked up to fans.

The first suit contains electrodes that shock the player when they receive actual damage in the game, while the second is purely for vibrations to simulate feelings of water and other less intense feelings. The fans are hooked up to simulate temperature, so they'll turn on when visiting colder regions of Skyrim and off when it's warmer.

Wearing 2 haptic feedback suits in Skyrim while talking to an OpenAi NPC and simulating temperature with smart plugs 🫡 #vr #skyrim #tech #gaming pic.twitter.com/3vDB17FM4c

— GingasVR (@gingasvr) April 25, 2024

These are shown off in the video, with the pain simulators tested against the Whiterun populus, mages, and even a dragon. GingasVR also used an OpenAI mod to give characters unique and adaptive dialogue which, partnered with their microphone and a mod that projects speech in-game, allows for lifelike interactions with the residents of Skyrim.

With The Elder Scrolls 6 still five years away at least, fans have had to find their own ways, like this, to keep the ageing Skyrim entertaining. Another player recently accrued a 267,000 gold bounty murdering 5,000 NPCs in a quest to kill "everything that was killable", for example, while one fan recreated the game in Age of Empires 2.

Waves of sentimental fans recently booted up their old Xbox 360s and PlayStation 3s to "retire" their original characters too, showing how much Skyrim has remained in player consciousness over its 12 years of being available.

In our 9/10 review of the beloved role playing game, IGN said: "Skyrim is a rare kind of intensely personal, deeply rewarding experience, and one of the best role-playing games yet produced."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Today, Amazon is offering the powerful and high capacity Anker Prime 20,000mAh USB Power Bank for only $89.98, a hefty 31% price drop from its original $130 MSRP. This is the successor to the Anker 737 that we deemed the best Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally charger. It boasts an absolutely massive 200W of USB power delivery to charge all of your mobile devices simultaneously.

Anker Prime 20,000mAh Power Bank for $90

with 200W of USB Type-C Power Delivery

The Anker Prime can be used like any other power bank; it does a fine job of charging any of your standard mobile electronics. However, its main purpose is to charge more power hungry devices like laptops, portable gaming systems, and high end phones. It has two USB Type-C ports and one USB Type-A port. Each USB Type C port supports up to 100W of Power Delivery. In fact, both ports can charge 100W at the same time. If you want to charge using all three ports simultaneously, then the power distribution will be 100W (Type C), 60W (Type-C) and 40W (Type-A). The 20,000mAh is under the TSA's 27,000mAh limit so it can be brought onto airplanes; it can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED about 4 times, iPhone 15 Pro Max about 4 times, Steam Deck about 3 times, and an ASUS ROG Ally about 7 times.

What makes the Prime unique compared to most other power banks is the LCD digital readout which displays a lot of useful real-time information like remaining battery capacity, power input, and power output from each port. The power bank measures 5"x2"x2" and weighs in at 1.2 pounds.

The Anker Prime is an excellent Steam Deck / ASUS ROG Ally charger

The Anker Prime is an outstanding charger for the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally portable gaming handhelds. The Steam Deck accepts up to 38W of USB Power Delivery and the ASUS ROG Ally accepts up to 65W. That means the Prime can charge three Steam Decks or two ASUS ROG Allys simultaneously at their maximum charging rate. Both the ROG Ally and Steam Deck suffer from a short battery life when gaming on the go. For instance, when playing most games at 60 FPS, you're likely looking at four hours of battery life for the Steam Deck and far less with the ASUS ROG Ally, which is equipped with a measly 2600mAh battery. During our Steam Deck review, we even found games like God of War or Spider-Man would tap out in under 2-hours as well. At the end of the day, you'll never get the full potential out of your Steam Deck or ROG Ally if you're not equipped with a decent portable charger.

Sonic Superstars is down to just £12.32 on PS5 right now at Amazon in the UK. It's also down to £12.35 on Xbox, a pretty hefty discount for a £54.99 game that only came out in October of last year. Still, Sonic fans, if you haven't yet got around to playing it, this is likely the cheapest it's going to get so check out the deal ASAP while it's still in stock. We'll leave a handy link just below!

In our review of Sonic Superstars, we said: "I started hedgehog over heels for Sonic Superstars, but the more time I put into it, the easier it was for me to see its Eggman-sized flaws. The decision to focus more on exploration was a great idea on paper and creates a unique dynamic to each level, but I wish it hadn’t sacrificed speed in exchange. The boss designs are creative and clever, but often wear out their welcome with long periods of being untargetable and occasionally frustrating one-hit KO mechanics."

"The soundtrack may not have anything as iconic as Hydro City or Spring Yard Zone, but it features some excellent additions to an already long list of Sonic bangers – if only the sound design was up to the same quality standard. And while the campaign is still enjoyable, Superstars’ multiplayer components are far worse options than anything in past Sonic games. Like digging Emeralds out of the rough, Sonic Superstars’ new ideas end up feeling like a mix of both interesting and ill-advised, making it an amusing Sonic game but not exactly a Super one."

Other big gaming deals right now include Stellar Blade for just £57.48 with code PAYAY20 (see here), with over £12 off the RRP for a limited time only. We'll leave a handy link to the Stellar Blade preorder discount just below, but as we mentioned, this deal will expire soon at 11:59 PM on April 30 -- so don't hang around on this one.

This is part of a new payday sale at eBay using code PAYAY20, which includes some pretty impressive discounts, and 20% off some of the best games going right now -- including Stellar Blade which will likely be on a lot of PlayStation gamers' radar for the end of this month.

Plus, there are also games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PS5 is down to just £47.16, alongside Steam Deck 512GB for £374.95. These payday discounts are well worth taking advantage of if you're making any purchases in the spring sales and beyond, so keep them in mind. For more amazing UK discounts, ensure you're following @IGNUKDeals on Twitter/X.

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

The best Switch or Steam Deck SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, as it's quite likely we'll be getting a Switch successor / the next Nintendo console within the next year or so (if rumors are to be believed). Therefore, you're going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That's a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we've left our top suggestions and deals just below for your convenience. To see even more SD card deals, make sure to check out our roundup of the best SD card deals.

Our Favorite Micro SD Cards for Switch Are On Sale

A micro SD card with a U3 A2 speed rating is definitely worth considering. Despite the Nintendo Switch throttling any Micro SDXC card down to U1 speeds, having a faster card can be advantageous for future use with other devices like smartphones, GoPros, cameras, or any gadget that supports higher speeds. Additionally, it may future-proof your purchase in case the next Nintendo console supports A2 micro SD cards. These latest offers are a part of the Amazon Gaming Week sale, which will end on May 5, so there's a limited time left in order to secure the deal.

More Switch SD Card Deals

The Switch isn't the only gaming system that accepts these cards. If you're a Steam Deck or ROG Ally owner, you can also use this card, especially if you picked up the 64GB Deck storage option. For even more Switch deals, check out our complete Nintendo deals round-up featuring discounts on games, accessories, Switch online memberships, and more. In case you weren't aware, it sounds like the Switch 2 has supposedly been delayed to 2025.

With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we're trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We've got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as PS5 and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand-new offers. If you're trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.

If you're looking for the best options, you can also check out our guide to the best Switch SD cards and even more Nintendo Switch accessories.

Amazon Gaming Week sale is now live until May 5, making this an incredible opportunity to save, and will likely be the last chance to grab a big discount on Game Pass, SSDs, SD Cards, and power banks until the Prime Day sales later in the summer. Plenty of sales occur outside of events like Prime Day or Black Friday, so be sure to take advantage while the massive collection of discounts is available this week.

Buying new video games, hardware, and accessories for your preferred console doesn’t need to make a massive dent in your wallet. Deals happen all the time for items like these, so you can save money while investing in your favorite hobby. We also cover hot items coming back in stock, like the PlayStation Portal which is now available again at Best Buy for $199.99. For now, whether you play on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, you’ll find the very best deals listed below. And if you've taken advantage of lots of these deals, see our roundup on game storage ideas.

TL;DR - Our Favorite Video Game Deals

3-Months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for Just $36.99 (Stackable Codes)

There's a hot chance this sells out fast, so get those codes in ASAP. Woot is offering an excellent deal on three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. You can save $13 on a digital 3-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, bringing its price down from $49.99 to $36.99. It's also still stackable for up to 36 months for new or existing members - huzzah! Microsoft has also recently announced the second wave of games coming to Game Pass in April 2024. Highlights include Orcs Must Die! 3, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and the hotly anticipated Manor Lords.

Our Favorite Micro SD Cards for Switch and Steam Deck Are On Sale

The best Switch or Steam Deck SD card should be fast, reliable, and as future-proof as possible. That last one is important, as it's quite likely we'll be getting a Switch successor / the next Nintendo console within the next year or so (if rumors are to be believed). Therefore, you're going to want to opt for the latest in SD card tech, which is a micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 V30 memory card. That's a lot of random letters, so to save you a bit of time we've left our top suggestions and deals just below for your convenience. To see even more SD card deals, make sure to check out our roundup of the best SD card deals.

More SD Card Deals

Our Favorite Power Bank for Steam Deck is Discounted Right Now

Some excellent power banks are discounted at the moment for Amazon Gaming Week that are perfectly portable and packing plenty of power to keep you going. In particular, the fantastic Anker Prime Power Bank is down to just $89.98 right now. This is a huge discount for the 200W enabled 20,000mAh Portable Charger, and likely the best we are going to see until Prime Day later in the summer.

PlayStation Portal Is Finally Back In Stock at Best Buy

See our PlayStation Portal review here.

There are some amazing PS5 deals to check out right now, including a selection of PlayStation games that have dropped to just $20 at Walmart. Not only that, but the PlayStation Portal, a surprise hit, and Sony’s newest handheld gaming accessory, is back in stock at Best Buy for $199.99 (there's also an open-box version for just $159.99 while stock lasts).

Meta Quest 2 Active Bundle (128GB) is Down to $196.11

Amazon is offering a very nice discount at the moment on the 128GB Meta Quest 2 Active Bundle. This is one of the best Meta Quest deals available right now, and well worth considering for anyone interested in VR. Normally, this VR headset retails for $249.99, but you can grab it for $196.11 right now, which is a great price for such a high-quality headset and the active bundle alongside. We gave it a 9/10 in our review back when it was released, stating that it "improves an already amazing VR headset with better resolution, refresh rate, and a lower price tag."

Perfect PS5 4TB SSD with Heatsink for $239.49 at Amazon

Looking to completely maximize your PS5 storage capabilities? Then this is the deal for you. For a limited time only, this PS5 4TB SSD is available at Amazon for just $239.49 (see here). It has an MSRP of $699.99 which is rather dramatic, but in reality, this and many other 4TB SSDs have been sitting around $280-$300 recently. The 1TB version is also down to just $71.49 as well, the best price you can find on a PS5 SSD at the time of writing. Again, we're unlikely to see better deals than this until Prime Day in the summer. You can also check out the more PS5 SSD deals here.

WD Black C50 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox for $124.99

Amazon is offering the lowest price we've ever seen on the officially licensed WD Black C50 1TB Expansion Card for Xbox Series consoles. Right now it's only $124.99, a 16% off price drop from its original $150 MSRP. It's currently $25 cheaper than the Seagate 1TB Expansion Card. The C50 is one of the best SSDs for the Xbox, which isn't surprising since your options are pretty limited.

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HyperX Gaming Headsets Are Discounted for Amazon Gaming Week

Looking for a brand new headset? Consider these HyperX sets that are currently discount in the Amazon Gaming Week sale. Whether you're on PS5, Xbox, or PC, the HyperX Cloud III could be the pick of the bunch, down to just $79.99 from a list price of $99.99.

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Steam Deck Internal SSD: Big Discounts for Amazon Gaming Week

If a micro SD card deal isn't floating your boat for Steam Deck, how about a new internal SSD instead? The WD_BLACK 2TB SN770M M.2 2230 NVMe SSD is down to just $175.99 right now, a considerable drop from its $239.99 list price, and well worth considering. If you don't need all that extra storage, there's a more affordable option for the 500GB version as well, down to $67.99.

Up to 40% Off PC Gaming Accessories From Corsair

Corsair also has a massive sale for Amazon Gaming Week, with several big discounts on PC gaming accessories like mice, headsets, keyboards and more. We've selected a few of our favorites in the sale, but there's so much on offer we can hardly cover it all -- so ensure you're checking out everything that's recieved a discount here as well.

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Amazon Gaming Week: CYBERPOWERPC Deals

CyberPowerPC gaming PCs are built from off-the-shelf parts, so they are easy to maintain and upgrade yourself. The individual components are comprised of whatever brands are currently available at the moment, so the PC you get may not have the exact same components as the PC someone else gets (if you want consistency, you would buy from a brand that supplies its own components like Alienware). In addition to the individual parts warranties, you get a 1 year CyberPowerPC warranty.

Amazon Gaming Week: GIGABYTE Motherboards

Amazon Gaming Week: Dell Gaming Laptops/Gear/Monitors

Amazon Gaming Week: ASUS Motherboards, Graphics Cards, and More

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Best PC Game Deals

If you're looking for the latest and greatest deals on PC games, don't worry, we've got you covered there as well. Here, you can find some excellent deals on new releases, like Dragon's Dogma 2, and highly-anticipated upcoming releases like Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. You can check out more of our favorite PC game deals below.

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Score 2 Free Months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (New Members Only)

Walmart is now offering two months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free for any current or new Walmart+ members. If you're not currently a member of Walmart+, the retailer offers a 30-day free trial (which will make you eligible for the Game Pass offer), alongside plans for $12.95 paid monthly, or $98 paid annually.

For those interested in the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offer, it is worth qualifying that this code will only apply to those who currently don't have an active Game Pass Ultimate membership, and Walmart stresses that this is for new members only. If you're on Game Pass Core, it should be fine to apply to your account. Otherwise, if you're a current Game Pass Ultimate member, the code won't be applicable. If you do qualify, it's a pretty simple process if you're looking to bag the two-month free trial, here's how:

Steps:

1. Visit the Walmart+ Offer Page and select 'Get Offer' next to the 2 free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate listing
2. On the 'Offer Page' you will see a unique promo code, copy this code and keep a record of it
3. Hit the 'Redeem Offer' button on the page to go to the Xbox Site
4. Sign in to Your Account
5. Your promo code will autofill -- if it does not then paste/type
6. Redeem your offer and receive your 2 Free Months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
7. Disable auto-renewal afterward to avoid being charged at the end of the trial -- this can be located in 'Services & Subscriptions' in your Microsoft account. You should also do this for Walmart+ if you used a free trial to access the Game Pass offer

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Score a Spider-Man 2 PS5 Slim Bundle for $449 (20% Off MSRP)

This deal has been one of our favorites for quite a while (since last year's Black Friday, actually!) and it's been selling out at a variety of retailers. Thankfully, Best Buy still has some in stock, so if you've been hoping to grab one of these PS5 Slim bundles, now's your chance to do so. Who knows how long it'll stick around for, so act fast! Normally, it retails for $559.99, but it's been marked down to $449 for a while now which is an excellent deal.

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Get $20 Off a Super Mario Party + Red & Blue Joy-Con Bundle at Walmart

Who doesn't love a bundle? Right now, Walmart's offering a nice deal on a Super Mario Party and Red & Blue Joy-Con bundle. It's currently available for $79 (the price is shown after adding it to your cart), which is $20 off its MSRP of $99.99. Be ready for your next game night with a fantastic game and additional Joy-Con all ready to go.

Xbox Console & Bundle Deals

The Diablo IV Xbox Series X bundle is still holding on at Walmart, down $92 from its MSRP of $559.99 to $467.99. This has stood the test of time since last Black Friday as one of our favorite console bundles, and is well worth investing in before it's all gone for good.

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Alienware Aurora R15 RTX 4070 Gaming PC for $1399.99

Do you prefer to play on a dedicated tower? Navigating the options online can be a lengthy ordeal. Desk space (or lack of desk space), portability, and price point are often factors in the decision. Utility, function, and fun little extras like RGB capacities or sound-enhancing add-on devices to pair with your PC often make up the list of desired needs. However, there are some great PC deals that pop up every now and again that are worth jumping on before they disappear. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on this Alienware Aurora R15 RTX 4070 Gaming PC, which is down 39% to $1399.99. To see even more PC deals, check out our roundup of the best gaming PC deals.

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

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered publisher Aspyr has said the removal of Lara Croft pinup posters in Tomb Raider 3 Remastered was an accident to be rectified in the next patch.

A post on Aspyr's support page thanked fans for bringing the issue to the attention of the development team after it was spotted following the release of Patch 2 earlier in April 2024.

"In the recently released Patch 2 we made several texture and graphical updates to the HD version," Aspyr wrote in the post. "As part of these updates, the posters in Sleeping With The Fishes (The Lost Artifact) were inadvertently removed in the HD version of the game. This has been resolved and these textures will be restored in Patch 3."

The removal caused confusion as the original graphics mode still displayed the posters, meaning they were only missing in the HD port. There was also no mention of their removal in the patch notes. But now Aspyr insists it was a mistake, and not the deliberate act of censorship some fans had raised concerns over.

It's unclear when the posters will make it back into Tomb Raider 3 Remastered as Patch 3 doesn't have a release date. Patch 1 arrived March 12, around one month after its February 13 launch, while Patch 2 arrived April 11. A continuation of this pattern would see Patch 3 arrive around the second week of May.

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered arrived as an upgraded version of the original trilogy: Tomb Raider and The Unfinished Business expansion, Tomb Rader 2 and The Gold Mask expansion, and Tomb Raider 3 and The Lost Artifact Expansion.

Tomb Raider custodian Crystal Dynamics included a sensitivity warning in the collection for what it called "deeply harmful" racial and ethnic prejudices, but explained it kept them in "in the hopes that we may acknowledge its harmful impact and learn from it."

Its release was followed by the official reveal of protagonist Lara Croft's redesign, which will presumably debut in Tomb Raider Next. This incoming mainline game is currently being developed in Unreal Engine 5, with Amazon Games supporting Crystal Dynamics.

It will be the first new entry since 2018's Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which wrapped up a trilogy of games during the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One generation. That series reset Lara Croft's origins in a grittier setting, but it's unclear how Tomb Raider Next will fit into the equation.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

There isn’t another game series more loaded with pop culture references than Goat Simulator. Pilgor, the crazy, ragdoll-tossed, licking protagonist of the series has been getting up to endlessly stupid hijinks for 10 years, and what started as a daft premise built from a game jam idea has now spawned a decade of insanity, spoofing almost every major video game along the way such as Skyrim, Dead Island and even P.T.

But not every crazy Goat Simulator idea makes the cut, and concepts based on the Hitman series and L.A. Noire never made it past early development. We spoke to developers Coffee Stain North about how these ideas came about and why they never made it to the finish line.

“We started with very broad themes for all of the [game] jams.” explains lead producer, Sebastian Zethraeus. “[The themes were] Under the Sea, Mythology, and Dev's Choice, which is what turned into the Hitman one.”

Since Goat Simulators' inception in 2014, Coffee Stain Studios has regularly run game jams with their teams and these small, freeform creation events give developers the freedom to create any idea, despite how ludicrous, from scratch.

“We have one rule.” shares art director, William Birgersson. “It [needs] a goat. Everything else is open.”

To come up with DLC for Goat Simulator 3, Coffee Stain North let its staff run wild, which resulted in ideas not only inspired by other popular games like Hitman and L.A. Noire, but allowed the associated genres to dictate the gameplay.

“What can we do that breaks the mould?” says Birgersson. “What if we place Pilgor in a single-player, noir detective story? How do we implement the Goat Simulator jankiness and weirdness? How do we make it not too silly, but also very silly? It's a super weird balancing [act] you have to do. How can we make this special? That's where we found the key is changing the gameplay essentially.”

Most references from Goat Simulator 3 are visual jokes and tend not to stray too far from the run, jump, lick and headbutt gameplay. But for the DLC, Coffee Stain North was looking for an idea that not only referenced a popular series but also significantly altered the gameplay, and the game jams allowed them to go crazy with those concepts.

“It's super low effort [when you only make] something for a week.” says Zethraeus. “You can go all the way with a very, very implausible theme and if it's thrown away, that's not an issue. Before we showed [IGN] we didn't think [the ideas] would amount to anything, and that's okay because that's part of the creative process. Finding what sticks.”

One of those discard ideas was ‘Goat55’, which was based on IO’s much-loved assassin series Hitman. During its development Coffee Stain ran with the concept of implementing Hitman’s social stealth mechanics in the world of Pilgor, allowing players to kill, hide bodies, change outfits and infiltrate to reach their target. It was Hitman for all intents and purposes, but with a goat instead of a bald assassin. And in classic, whacky Goat Simulator fashion, there was also a reference to another great of the stealth genre, with a familiar-looking cardboard box triggering a giant Metal Gear Rex to rise from the sea.

“I had forgotten all about that!” exclaims Birgersson. “The social stealth part of Hitman was [what] enticed us, but Metal Gear Solid’s stealth would be awesome as well. An actual stealth experience with goats… That would be pretty great.”

Coffee Stain North tried out a handful of different gameplay ideas during the game jam and another popular stand-out was Detective Pilgor, a murder-mystery detective story that bared more than a striking resemblance to Rockstar Game’s 2011 hit, L.A. Noire.

“Writing a who-done-it mystery story was super, super fun. We [even] did an entire interrogation sequence where you could actually doubt.” shares Birgersson, referencing L.A. Noire’s lauded interrogation scenes, which infamously often resulted in the characters pulling insane-looking facial expressions. ”I don't think it made it in but the idea was to go for [those] facial expressions. Like their eyes sticking out, mouths opening up. Yeah, we could have had a lot of fun with that thing.”

“I want to make Detective Pilgor so bad,” Birgersson continues. “A story mode is something that we've always talked about [for Goat Simulator] and we would like to try it out. Having one be the main part of the game is super interesting I think.”

Surprisingly, Goat55 and Detective Pilgor look surprisingly complete, despite them being very much unfinished following the small amount of time they were in production. Additionally, there was also a rhythm game that made it a reasonable distance during the game jam, as well as a familiar-looking mythology idea.

After learning about all these amazing ideas it was time to address the elephant (or goat?) in the room: Why did they never get completed?

“We found something better.” admits Zethraeus. “We found something that was even more enticing I think. I loved the hitman idea. I want it to become a full game so much, but when you try to finalize a product and make it into a complete package somewhere along the line, we tend to go a bit big.”

“It's always that balancing between what's fun for the player and how much content the player wants (or needs) for this to be fun.” continues Birgersson. “It's going to be super interesting to see the audience's reaction to this and what they’re interested in.”

Coffee Stain North was quick to state that nothing is definitive though, and should there be enough player demand, perhaps one day it would revisit these ideas. One thing is for certain though, the Goat Simulator series has been built on the foundation of game jams and the opportunity for improvisation they provide.

“Essentially all the best ideas are stupid ideas that someone comes up with on the spot.” laughs Birgersson. “It's such a perfect game for ideas to come alive. I wouldn't dream about making a rhythm-based dance game with goats, but trying that was super fun.”

Since 2014 Coffee Stain has been putting Pilgor in increasingly crazy scenarios and that’s not slowing down anytime soon. And in such a po-faced industry, a decade of successful, silly goat games isn’t anything anyone expected, including the developers.

“Dedicating my life to goats wasn't something I was prepared for.” admits Birgersson. “My mother asks me weekly if it’s still relevant? And I'm like, ‘yeah’.”

“There's so much variety in it, so much creativity, and it's just a framework.” says Zethraeus. “You have the same base – everyone's love for goats and what the goats will do when released on society and you can go crazy with it. That's what's so beautiful about it. It's so creative we can do whatever we want.”

Dale Driver is IGN's Executive Producer of Video Programming and kindly requested Coffee Stain North seriously consider a Metal Gear Solid Goat Simulator parody. You're welcome. Follow him on Twitter.

It's time to press start on another week of mad savings. I'm mighty keen on a few double packs (like Quake 1 + 2, Deathloop + Ghostwire, etc). Not to mention "whole shebang" collections going for a fraction of the price of a single game (see: Yakuza Remastered Collection, Trine Ultimate Collection, etc).

In retro news, I'm celebrating the 33rd birthday of Super Mario Bros. 3, the pinnacle of the NES' library. My most vivid memory of this is sitting in a HOYTS movie theatre and getting my mind blown during its unveiling in the climactic tournament of The Wizard (think: a 100 min Nintendo infomercial). Two years of tortuous waiting later, I scored a copy and was forever lost to its secret pipes, warp whistles, and peerless platforming action.

This Day in Gaming

Aussie birthdays for notable games.

- Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) 1991. Get

- Wave Race 64 (N64) 1997. Get

- Resident Evil 2 (PS) 1998. Remake

- Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3,X360) 2008. Get

- Monster Hunter Tri (Wii) 2010. Ebay

Table of Contents

• Nintendo Switch
• PC
• Xbox
• PlayStation

Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch

Expiring Recent Deals

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Purchase Cheaply for PC

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Exciting Bargains for Xbox

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Pure Scores for PlayStation

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As great as it is to see the 3D Fallout games enjoying another moment in the sun following the popularity of Prime Video’s excellent TV adaptation, the games I most want to direct new fans toward are the classic original Fallout and Fallout 2. Aside from being where it all began, those are the stories that hold many of the answers people coming off of the show are looking for: the origins of Shady Sands, the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, what happens when a vault’s water chip fails, and much more. Their stories, scenarios, and memorable moments have stuck with those of us who played them for decades, and bringing those same experiences to an entirely new audience that’s ravenous for Fallout content seems like a slam dunk.

However, in 2024 that recommendation comes with more caveats than it ought to: While both are readily available on Steam (and included in PC Game Pass) and run on modern PCs, when you fire it up you’re presented with an array of tiny buttons, no tutorial, and 2D sprite graphics designed for 800x600 CRT monitors that, despite being loaded with post-nuclear character, make you squint to see what’s going on. It’s enough of a barrier to re-entry to make even a (very) old fan like myself balk a bit at diving in for another playthrough – and a reminder that if there’s one series that has been criminally overlooked in the era of remasters, it’s old-school Fallout.

Bringing a game like Fallout up to date in a way that would please both diehard fans and newcomers would certainly take years of work, and I don’t mean to suggest it would be easy by any stretch of the imagination. The original is just 562MB installed off of Steam; Fallout 2 is just 2MB larger. (I remember having to keep the disc in the drive to play because my brother’s PC only had a 1GB hard drive in 1998.) You can technically crank the resolution up to full 4K, but who’re we kidding? Character sprites are just 60 pixels tall, so you’re getting a bare minimum of detail – packed with retro-futuristic flavor as it may be – any way you slice it. The grainy cinematics are barely better, and only the most important conversations are voice acted. Also, there’s no controller support, so there are legions of modern-day Fallout fans who play on consoles who have no access to these fantastic games at all.

A full remaster wouldn’t even be as simple as porting over models and textures from Fallout 4, since any art director worth their salt will tell you things need to be designed differently when they’re intended to be viewed from an isometric perspective. (It’d be interesting to see those old games brought in line with the art style of Bethesda’s Fallout games, though personally I’d love an update that honors the more cartoonishly broad-shouldered, bulkily armored character design.) Beyond graphics, there are a number of features that would be expected in a modern game, such as character customization beyond picking between dark-haired white male and dark-haired white female for your Vault Dweller, that would need to be added. The UI could certainly use some updating as well, and the first Fallout is from a time when in-game tutorials weren’t a thing, so popping up with some instructions on how to use its systems would be a positive step. I’m sure some people would love an option to prevent companions from being permanently killed when a stray SMG burst shreds them into a fine mist, but for me that’s part of the charm.

I’m sure a modern remaster would have to do away with a few things that haven’t aged super well – I would not expect the Childkiller trait to carry over, for instance. Back when Fallout 3 was announced I asked Todd Howard how that game would handle kids; visibly wincing, he replied that you can’t do child murder at that level of fidelity. Much as I enjoyed how the original gave you such broad freedom that you could make a decision – or mistake – so monstrous the entire wasteland would hate you forever, I’m inclined to agree.

That said, the underlying gameplay holds up very well, and the popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3 and XCOM-style turn-based tactical games makes me confident that modern gamers wouldn’t have a problem getting the hang of how Fallout’s combat works – it’s far, far less complex than managing a wizard’s spells. Sure, you have to go into your inventory to load a pistol with your choice of ammo types and open a menu to target an enemy’s groin, for instance, and if your luck stat is low you’ll be prone to weapon misfires and hitting the wrong target. But it’s plenty rewarding even so, and there’s no shame in save scumming (quicksave/quickload would be another great addition).

So there’s a long to-do list, but it can be done. We’ve seen proof with 2021’s Diablo 2: Resurrected, where Vicarious Visions (now known as Blizzard Albany and, coincidentally, under the same corporate ownership as Bethesda) painstakingly remastered a beloved game from 2000 with vastly improved 3D graphics and a handful of important quality of life enhancements. In theory, Fallout could get the same treatment: According to Tim Cain, producer on the original Fallout, the original source code still exists for both games and should be in the possession of Bethesda, so they could be updated rather than remade.

And they really should be, because the reality is that it’s going to be a long, long time before Bethesda’s already announced development schedule allows it to revisit the post-apocalypse for another full-scale RPG. Heck, even in the best-case scenario where another Xbox studio like Obsidian or InXile were to kick off a new Fallout tomorrow while Bethesda goes back to Tamriel for The Elder Scrolls VI, we’d still be very, very lucky to see it before the 30th anniversary of the original Fallout, which came out in 1997. To put that in perspective: there will likely be a longer gap between 2018’s Fallout 76 and a hypothetical Fallout 5 than there was between Fallout 2 (1998) and Fallout 3 (2008) – a 10-year stretch during which the series was largely considered dead. Remastering the originals would fill that gap nicely in as little as a couple of years, if Diablo 2 Resurrected’s three-year development is any indication, and give Fallout fans a Stimpack injection of the good stuff to tide us over.

Dan Stapleton is IGN's Director of Reviews and one of our many old-school Fallout fans. Follow him on Bluesky.

Amazon is offering an excellent deal on this Arzopa 15" 1080p USB Type-C portable monitor. It's normally $129.99, but Amazon Prime members can get it right now for $60.79 shipped after a 20% off clippable coupon. That's the best price we've ever seen for this particular model, and the lowest price compared to other legit 15" USB Type-C monitors on Amazon. This is a great portable display for your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld.

Note: You will need to be logged into your Amazon Prime account to see these prices.

Arzopa S1 15" 1080p USB-C Portable Monitor for $60.79

Amazon Prime member exclusive

This 15" 1080p monitor works as a secondary display for your laptop, tablet, phone, gaming console, or pretty much any device that has either a USB or HDMI output. If your device has a USB Type-C output with Power Delivery, than you may only need a single USB Type-C cable (included) for both power and data. If your USB Type-C output doesn't support Power Delivery, then a USB Type-A to Type-C cable is also included for additional power. If your don't have a USB Type-C port at all, an HDMI cable is included, however you will need to supply your own USB wall charger to provide power to the display.

The monitor is designed to be portable. It weighs only 1.3 pounds and measures 0.3" thin. It sports a sturdy metal frame and even includes a smart cover that doubles as a stand. The 15" display boasts a 1920x1080 resolution with 60Hz refresh rate, an IPS panel that offers respectable viewing angles and color gamut, and an anti-glare matte surface. It even has built in speakers.

Because this monitor can connect via USB or HDMI, it supports a lot more devices than your typical monitor. You won't need to install any app or drivers, either. It's definitely worth the price if you want an inexpensive second screen to boost your productivity without weighing you down.

Upgrade to the Arzopa Z1FC 16" 144Hz Monitor for $99.99

Amazon Prime member exclusive

The higher end Arzopa Z1FC is also on sale at Amazon. A clippable coupon drops it down to $99.99. The Z1FC's upgrades include a larger display (16.1" vs 15.6"), a higher refresh rate (144Hz vs 60Hz), and a 100% sRGB color gamut. The larger display and better color reproduction makes it a nice upgrade for Switch and Steam Deck gamers, however because the Z1 uses a bit more power than the S1, you'll need to keep the Z1 plugged into a wall charger since neither gaming system can power the monitor by itself. This monitor is a perfect complement for PC and laptop gamers who will be able to take advantage of the 144Hz refresh rate. I have this monitor and can confirm that the image quality is great. It's also extremely thin and lightweight, with a nice solid metal chassis.

An Excellent Portable Monitor for Your Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck Gaming Console

This monitor works quite well with both the Steam Deck or Switch consoles. I'd recommend using the wall charger to power the monitor, otherwise you'll be draining the gaming system pretty quickly (you can use the one provided with your Steam Deck or Switch console). The 1080p and 60Hz specs on the monitor is more than good enough, since neither the Switch nor the Steam Deck supports refresh rates higher than 60Hz. If you're looking for other USB monitor options, check out our picks for the best portable monitors of 2024.

Looking for more deals of Switch and Steam Deck accessories?

• Best Nintendo Switch deals of 2024
• Best Steam Deck deals of 2024

Amazon is offering the Jackery Explorer 100 31,000mAh Power Bank for $99.99 after you clip the $30 off coupon on the product page. This is the largest capacity power bank we've seen that's TSA carry-on eligible. It also uses superior LiFePO4 battery cells, can charge up to 3 devices simultaneously, and boasts up to 100W charging output via USB Type-C.

Jackery Explorer 100 31,000mAh Power Bank for $99.99

At first glance the Jackery Explorer 100 looks like one of those large power stations you might use as a backup battery for your home. But actually, this thing is pretty small, small enough to fit on the palm of your hand. It measures only 5"x3.4"x3.4" and weighs about 2 pounds. This is a 99Whr power bank, which means it just barely squeezes its way under TSA's sub-100Whr requirement. With a 31,000mAh total capacity, this is definitely the largest TSA carry-on eligible power bank we've posted on IGN.

Unlike most smaller power banks which use lithium-ion cells, the Jackery Explorer 100 uses LiFePO4 cells. They're usually more expensive and also a bit heavier, but in exchange you get inherently safer battery chemistry and a much longer lifespan, both in terms of number of cycles and calendar aging.

The Jackery Explorer 100 has three outputs: two USB Type-C with PPS and Power Delivery up to 100W total, and a USB Type-A with 28W of charging for a total of 128W. The Steam Deck supports up to 45W max charging, the ASUS ROG Ally up to 65W, and the Nintendo Switch up to 18W. That means ou can charge a Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, or Nintendo Switch at its maximum charging speed. In fact, you could almost charge all three at their maximum charging rate simultaneously.

Jackery is a well known brand that's based out of Fremont, California. They're very reliable and are often a great alternative to the juggernaut Chinese companies like Ecoflow and Bluetti. This power bank is UL 94V-0 certified and includes a 2 year warranty.

For more options, check out our favorite power banks for 2024.

25 years ago, Nintendo changed forever when Mario and Pikachu beat the snot out of each other for the first time. And it wasn’t some imaginative playground game or notebook scribbles, it was a real, official, Nintendo-sanctioned clobbering! Today marks the 25th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. hitting North America on Nintendo 64, launching the franchise that would eventually culminate in the best-selling fighting game of all time. So on Smash’s birthday, let’s celebrate gaming’s biggest crossover, and speculate about where the franchise could possibly go next after the literally “ultimate” last entry.

It still blows my mind that Nintendo approved a game where its most recognizable, family-friendly faces get punched by other company icons, especially considering that Smash 64’s prototype was called Dragon King: The Fighting Game, featuring no Nintendo characters at all. But when series creator Masahiro Sakurai thought the game would be more successful with Nintendo characters, the company surprisingly agreed. The uber-protective Nintendo has a cute explanation for how its all-stars can fight, as Smash 64’s opening cutscene shows plush toys of Mario, DK, and Samus coming to life in a child’s playroom. Super Smash Bros. Melee replaced the plush toys with trophies, which eventually led to Smash for Wii U and 3DS’ amiibo, which led to hundreds of dollars leaving my bank account. But however Nintendo needs to justify it, it’s just awesome the idea got the green light.

I anxiously awaited a green light of my own to get my start with Smash Bros. One of my earliest vivid memories comes from when I was five years old, sitting in a Target parking lot with my mom and sister. I had my heart set on getting Super Smash Bros. Melee for GameCube, but there was a catch: Melee was rated T for Teen, and my kindergarten-age self was a long way away from my teenage years. My mom called my dad to see if he thought it was okay for me to play a T-rated game, and he luckily approved. So thanks, Mom and Dad, because that decision introduced me to one of my favorite series, one that I’m still in love with over 20 years later.

Looking back now, Smash 64’s humble roster of 12 fighters seems miniscule in comparison to modern entries, but as a kid I still remember how incredible it was to play a game with Pikachu, Mario, and Link all in the same place. It felt impossible, and with each new entry, Sakurai and Co. continued to make miracles happen. Melee expanded the lineup significantly, over doubling the number of characters and adding princesses like Peach and Zelda and villains like Bowser and Ganondorf. There were also some great off-the-wall choices in Melee, like Mr. Game & Watch, the Ice Climbers, and a couple of mysterious sword fighters from an unknown Japan-exclusive series called Fire Emblem.

As much as I dislike the floaty physics of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I still really appreciate the Wii entry for all the big swings it took. From its wildly ambitious Subspace Emissary story mode, to its attempt to introduce online play to the franchise, to crazy third-party inclusions like Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog, Brawl followed in Melee’s footsteps establishing that each new Smash entry was going to be bigger and more bombastic than the last. Smash Bros. never rests on its laurels, and it has deservedly become an event whenever a new Smash Bros. hype cycle kicks off.

Thanks to the rise of the Nintendo Direct and social media, the leadup to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS is remembered for extremely hype reveal trailers. Nintendo ramped up the third-party additions with classic gaming icons like Mega Man, Ryu, and Pac-Man, along with the truly unfathomable introduction of Final Fantasy VII’s Cloud Strife. I distinctly remember conversations along the lines of “Where does Smash go from here” starting after Smash 4’s DLC run came to an end, as the roster seemed too big to replicate in a future entry. But of course, we all now know that wasn’t the case.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of Nintendo’s crowning achievements. Not only did Ultimate bring every character from franchise history back, but it continued the trend of absolutely wild third-party crossovers. Steve, Banjo & Kazooie, and Sora feel like nothing more than pie-in-the-sky chat forum dreams, but Sakurai and his team at Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco made them all happen. So now, on Smash’s 25th anniversary, I’m asking the same question we all asked before the Smash team set the bar even higher with Ultimate: What happens next?

Will Sakurai Be Involved?

Every Smash Bros. is Masahiro Sakurai’s last Smash Bros… until the next one. That’s been the pattern for nearly the entire franchise at this point, as it always seems like Sakurai is on his way out the door until Nintendo reels him back in for one more go. But this time, it really seems like it’s worth questioning if Sakurai will continue to lead Smash in the future. And yes, there is a future for Smash. “Ultimate” may be the title of the last entry, but there’s no way Nintendo is going to leave one of its mega franchises on the table with 20 million-plus sales potential. Personally, I don’t think Sakurai is going to be able to help himself the next time Nintendo gives him a call. Last year, the creator said he can’t imagine the series continuing without him.

"The question now is what happens next time?” Sakurai said in a video on his YouTube channel. “I mean whatever comes after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. One option would be to separate the series from its original creator, but for now, at least, I can't imagine a Smash Bros. title without me. You might think that's a natural stance for someone in my role, but I say so speaking objectively.”

Sakurai added that there’s no one right now who he can see taking the reins and leading the next Smash game, and that he’d like to continue working with Nintendo in the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if that phone call has already happened, as Sakurai announced he is ending his short-lived YouTube career later this year, and he squashed rumors of retirement by saying he’s still focused on making games.

Since Sakurai feels there is currently no one prepared to take over the series, I think he will come back for one more entry where he shifts into more of a producer role, so he can take the time to train his replacement during development of the next game. It would be a similar situation to what we’ve seen happen with Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, where longtime directors like Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma slowly transitioned into producer roles. That way, when Sakurai is ready to step away from Smash, he can rest easier knowing his series is in good hands.

Can ‘Everyone Is Here’ Happen Again?

Even Sakurai himself doesn’t think something the size of Ultimate can happen again.

"As for what comes next for the Smash Bros. series, even I'm not sure," Sakurai said. "I feel we truly succeeded in making people happy with this game, but now that Smash Bros. has grown to be monstrous in size, I'd say it's difficult to imagine an increase of this magnitude happening again.

"Every time, we managed to make a game that I had previously thought impossible, so I can't say for certain there won't be another, but I do think it would be difficult to push it any further than we have."

Bringing everyone back for another entry would be even tougher than it was for Ultimate. Besides the sheer number of characters to work on and balance during development, Nintendo would have to get every third-party partner — we’re talking Capcom, Sega, Konami, Square Enix, Microsoft, and even Disney — to sign off on their characters making another Smash appearance. While I don’t doubt that Sakurai and his team could pull it off again, I’m not convinced that’s the route they’d go with a brand-new Smash game.

The one route where I could see “Everyone Is Here” happening again is through a Deluxe port of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Maybe Nintendo would port a game as massive as Smash Ultimate to its next home console, and Sakurai’s team at Bandai Namco could reconvene to make some DLC additions to the roster. It would be a significantly smaller lift for the developers, and Sakurai could take the opportunity to train a new director under much less demanding circumstances than an entirely new Smash Bros. game.

The other route I could see Smash going is to a full reboot of the series. Movesets for Ultimate’s DLC characters were absolutely bonkers, from Hero’s spell menu, to Joker’s Persona, to Terry and Kazuya’s powered-up states, and it started to make characters who have been around since the early days of the series feel simple by comparison. Characters like Mario, Fox, Link, and Samus have barely changed since Smash 64, and it might be time to go back to the drawing board and revamp the movesets for some of Nintendo’s most classic characters. Overhauled movesets for iconic fighters in exchange for a much smaller roster seems like a fair tradeoff to me, and Nintendo would surely grow the roster over time through DLC.

Either way, Nintendo is facing a big challenge for the next Smash Bros. game. This series has always outdone itself, but Ultimate is a very tough game to try and outdo. But if there’s one team I trust to figure out how to make the next entry special, it’s Sakurai and Nintendo, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for this series that always manages to be such a special event.

What do you want to see from the next Smash Bros. game? Let us know in the comments.

Logan Plant is IGN's Database Manager, Playlist Editor, and frequent Super Ninfriendo on Nintendo Voice Chat. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

It’s been over six years since the Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, and after a long and successful reign, you may be wondering what new piece of hardware will be next. We’ve seen updates to the current switch with the OLED and Lite models, though we’re still in the dark on what Nintendo’s next-gen offering could be.

After becoming the 3rd best-selling console in history this year, it’s fair to say that Nintendo might want to keep things close to its chest. Yet, even with all the secrecy surrounding the possibility of a new Nintendo Switch, we’ve collected all the details we could find about the mystery follow-up ahead of its eventual official announcement and release.

Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date - Latest News

While Nintendo hasn’t yet announced any official follow-up to their incredibly successful Nintendo Switch console, there are enough rumors swirling about to make us believe that the next Nintendo console will arrive sometime in 2025 rather than 2024.

In February 2024, the Japanese publication Nikkei suggested that the proposed Nintendo Switch 2 would launch in March 2025 at the earliest, contradicting previous reports. While the article covered information we’ve heard before, like the proposed iterative design scheme, Nikkei did add that the 2025 date was likely due to the company stockpiling consoles to avoid scalping at launch. As any long-term Nintendo fan knows, procuring one of the company’s new consoles can be tricky business. Those who tried will remember how difficult it was to secure a Nintendo Switch at launch in 2017, with the console suffering from inflated pricing on the aftermarket due to crafty resellers.

Adding to the intrigue about a potential date change, it looks like Nintendo won’t be exhibiting at this year’s Gamescom, an annual trade fair held in Cologne, Germany. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, a representative of Nintendo of Europe issued a statement to the German outlet Games Wirtschaft, confirming the news. The statement reads, "Gamescom is a central event in Nintendo's event calendar. This year, however, after careful consideration, we decided against taking part in Cologne. Instead, players can try out the games for Nintendo Switch as part of other Germany-wide events." This decision, while not unprecedented for major players - PlayStation also missed the event in 2022 and 2023 - does raise the question of what we can expect from Nintendo in the latter half of 2024. Could this be a sign of a major announcement coming or a strategic shift in their marketing approach? Only time will tell.

Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, confirmed in an interview with Nikkei, and translated by VGC, that Nintendo will support the current-gen Switch until at least March 2025. This sentiment is also backed up by previous comments Furukawa made regarding the future of the Nintendo Switch in a financial briefing Q&A in 2022. In this interview, he committed to focusing on “building long-term relationships with our consumers (through Nintendo Accounts)," he went on to reiterate ", While continuing to release new Nintendo Switch software for consumers to enjoy, we aim to maintain relationships across hardware generations through services that utilize Nintendo Accounts and by providing opportunities for them to experience our IP through other non-gaming channels."

Even with all the juicy gossip, it’s best not to hold your breath on what’s coming from the Japanese tech titan’s next console until there is an official announcement; fingers crossed we’ll get that confirmation soon.

Nintendo Switch 2 Price

There are plenty of Nintendo Switch models to consider while shopping right now, with pricing shifting dramatically depending on the version you’re looking to invest in. Looking forward to a potential Switch 2, inflation and internal specs, amongst other variables, will likely play a part in what we’ll pay for a new console at launch.

It’s hard to know what the pricing of this mystery device will be, but we’ve listed the RRP of the current range of Nintendo Switch models as a reference:

• Nintendo Switch Lite: $199.99
• Nintendo Switch: $299.99
• Nintendo Switch OLED: $349.99

Nintendo Switch 2 Models

With the range of Nintendo Switch consoles currently on the market, you may be left wondering if you’ll have the same number of choices to pick between when the next iteration rolls around.

The latest Nintendo Switch OLED model features a remarkable screen, and it feels like the future of the console, it being the most recent edition to Nintendo’s lineup. However, according to a VGC report, the next-gen Nintendo Switch may potentially feature an LCD screen instead.

The current array of Nintendo Switch models are numerous and were released over the console’s multi-year lifespan, so it’s reasonable to believe there may be several versions of a potential Nintendo Switch follow-up, too.

Nintendo Switch Design - What Will the Nintendo Switch 2 Look Like?

There isn’t a lot of information on how Nintendo’s next-gen console will look, though there are plenty of features in the current-gen Nintendo Switch we’d love to see return for a follow-up console.

VGC reported that development kits for the potential new console are already with partner studios, with sources citing some returning features. According to VGC’s report, the new Nintendo Switch could keep the portability of its predecessor and feature a cartridge slot for physical games.

In May 2023, a patent was filed with the United States Patent Office and published in September, which suggests a potential revamped Joy-Con controller that would hopefully help with the notorious Joy-Con drift issue associated with the Nintendo Switch.

The patent details a magnetic field for controls rather than the plastic circuit boards seen in the current generation console. However, it’s worth mentioning that patents don’t necessarily translate directly to future products, so there’s no guarantee on whether the Nintendo Switch 2 will feature updated Joy-Cons, and we’ll have to wait for official word from Nintendo on that front.

Will the Nintendo Switch 2 be Backwards Compatible?

As rumors swirl about the possibility of a Nintendo Switch 2, the question of backwards compatibility is naturally on everyone's lips. In the absence of any official reveals, there isn’t much to go on at this time. However, in a recent interview with Inverse, the aptly named Nintendo of America president, Doug Bowser, alluded to the future of the brand’s approach to software.

While Bowser opted to deny commenting on anything related to the rumored console, he did talk about the Nintendo Account system that players’ digital libraries are currently tied to on the Nintendo Switch. “In the past, every device we transitioned to had a whole new account system. Creating the Nintendo Account will allow us to communicate with our players if and when we make a transition to a new platform, to help ease that process or transition.” This dedication to the Nintendo Account model could suggest that all of our favorite Nintendo Switch games may work on the company’s next console whenever it lands. Regardless, given the precious little that we know right now, we’ll have to take this information with a pinch of salt and not get ahead of ourselves.

As it stands now, it is unclear whether or not Nintendo Switch accessories will be compatible with the new model either. It's possible that all of your Nintendo Switch controllers will work with the

Sarah Thwaites is a freelance tech writer at IGN, with bylines at GameInformer, TrustedReviews, NME and more.

Ubisoft and Microsoft appear to be tag-teaming a legal crackdown on people who try to pass off fake versions of Minecraft and Assassin's Creed official merchandise as the real thing.

In a complaint filed on April 19, 2023 in the Illinois Northern District Court, Ubisoft alleges that a number of individuals, corporations, and other companies have been selling unlicensed and counterfeit Assassin's Creed merchandise via a number of different storefronts including iOffer, Wish, Amazon, and the sellers' own storefronts. Per the complaint, Ubisoft says these items are "inferior limitations" that nonetheless use design elements and Assassin's Creed trademarks to deceive consumers into thinking the merchandise is genuine.

Ubisoft alleges the sellers are gaming search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure their listings are at the top of relevant search results, misdirecting consumers away from legitimate products. Additionally, Ubisoft claims the counterfeiters have evaded past attempts to take actions against them by registering new seller accounts under new aliases, maintaining numerous off-shore bank accounts, moving website hosting to servers outside the United States, and shipping products in small quantities to avoid detection by U.S. Customs. While Ubisoft provided a list of sellers it is pursuing to the court, the list is under seal and unavailable at the time of the filing.

Ubisoft is charging the unknown sellers with trademark infringement and counterfeiting, false designation of origin, and violation of Illinois' Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act (which may explain why the suit is being filed in Illinois specifically). The publisher is seeking that the sellers be permanently restrained from doing the same thing in the future, the websites taken down, and their accounts shuttered across a number of online marketplaces. Ubisoft is also seeking to collect all profits from the counterfeit goods or statutory damages up to $2 million for "each and every use of their Trademarks."

Just a few days later, Microsoft filed a similar suit in the same court, in this case referring to Minecraft merchandise counterfeits on storefronts such as Amazon, Walmart, and eCRATER. It's not confirmed whether or not the complaint is against the same sellers, as Microsoft too has a sealed Schedule A listing the defendants, but given the nature of the complaint, the court, the timing, and the very existance of a sealed list, it seems likely. Even the relief Microsoft is asking for in this case is similar.

But even Microsoft admits it doesn't fully know who all the counterfeiters are, which may be why it and Ubisoft have struggled to stamp out the counterfeit operations prior to now. Ubisoft speculates in its complaint that the sellers are primarily based in China or in other foreign countries, and that the groups and individuals seem to coordinate with one another in chatrooms to share tactics, evade detection, and avoid legal action. But that seems to be the extent of its knowledge. "Tactics used by Defendants to conceal their identities and the full scope of their operation make it virtually impossible for Microsoft to learn Defendants’ true identities and the exact interworking of their counterfeit network," Microsoft's complaint reads. "If Defendants provide additional credible information regarding their identities, Microsoft will take appropriate steps to amend the Complaint."

So why, then, are Ubisoft and Microsoft hiding the list of people they're suing from the public eye? In Microsoft's motion to seal, it points out that it wants to keep the defendants from learning they're being sued until a temporary restraining order can be issued. Otherwise, Microsoft claims, the sellers will be able to wiggle out of legal consequences once again. "If Defendants were to learn of these proceedings prematurely, the likely result would be the destruction of relevant documentary evidence and the hiding or transferring of assets to foreign jurisdictions, thus frustrating the purpose of the underlying litigation and this Court’s power to grant relief," Microsoft says. "Once the temporary restraining order has been served on the relevant parties and the requested actions are taken, Plaintiff will move to unseal these documents."

The dual lawsuits represent an interesting tag-team effort to curb counterfeit video game merchandise being sold as the real thing across major online storefronts. It's an understandable one, too - having browsed both Amazon and Wish for similar items before, it's often very difficult to tell from listings what items are official and which ones are not. Generally, it's better to get them from official storefronts (Ubisoft or Microsoft's own, for instance, or storefronts that don't allow individual resellers), but if you're deal-hunting, that's not always the best option.

For now, collectors will just have to wait and see as to whether Ubisoft and Xbox's gambit here will actually make a dent in the flood of fake statuettes and branded gaming items on the market, or whether a long history of seller evasion will continue to prevail.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.