Retro gaming fans who own Nintendo Switch consoles now have several classic Windows titles they can now enjoy. A video shared on Twitter/X shows the well-loved Need for Speed Underground 2 running pretty smoothly on Nintendo’s hybrid device. Meanwhile, a forum about Wine-NX says that Quake III and OpenTTD are also playable, with WarCraft III nearly ready, too. It's early days for this 'experimental' software, but things look very promising.

In the embedded video you can see NFSU2 runs rather well on Nintendo’s hardware. Older PC games are perhaps a good fit for what many consider to be the rather anemic specs of the Switch. A status panel shows CPU and GPU usage. According to the forum post “Races run at roughly 20–45 fps at default detail with the CPU overclocked.”

Other games that Wine-NX can handle well at this time include OpenTTD (Transport Tycoon Deluxe), which runs at up to 60 fps. Quake III Arena is also capable of running at around 37 fps at 1,280 x 720 pixels, according to the source. The last PC game mentioned as being compatible, almost, is WarCraft III, and specifically this work in progress has working “menus, campaigns, and now cutscenes.”

The Wine-NX forum page linked to helpfully explains what exactly this is, and how it works. In brief, Wine-NX is a port of Wine 11 to the Switch’s native Horizon OS. It comes as a homebrew package in the NRO format Horizon expects games to be in, but that allows it to run Windows programs and games with Box64's ARM64 dynarec translating the x86 code. Graphics are handled through Mesa 20.1's nouveau driver. It supports audio and touchscreen, and the Switch controllers can also handle mouse / keyboard duties – as well as doubling as an Xbox 360 controller.

You can’t use any Nintendo Switch to load Wine-NX and Windows PC games. You’ll need to have a console that can boost custom firmware, and run homebrew NROs. That means an older unpatched Switch or one with a hardware mod.

Grand Theft Auto V came out in late 2013 for PS3 and Xbox 360 before it was ported to eighth-gen consoles. Despite running on seventh-gen hardware, Rockstar never released it on the Nintendo Switch. Fast forward 13 years later and modders have done Rockstar's job for them. An unofficial Homebrew port of GTA V is now available for the Switch, and it runs natively on the hardware at roughly 30 FPS. You do need a jailbroken device, and it needs to be overclocked in order for the game to be playable.

The port is developed by Paralympics Productions and is based on the leaked source code from 2023. That source code allowed modders to reverse-engineer the game logic and recompile it for Arm, allowing it to run natively on the Switch's Tegra X1 SoC. That means GTA V can technically also run on Android, and sure enough, Paralympics' Discord server teases that an Android port is coming soon.

The Discord server is also where you'll find all the necessary resources required to make this work. There are four key components: a package builder, an asset converter tool, modified config files, and a specific folder layout. They work together to patch the original GTA V files, construct an executable (.NSP), and make the game data compatible with Switch's Horizon OS.

Obviously, we can't detail the entire process here, but it's relatively straightforward, and you'll find detailed guides, including a video tutorial, on the Discord. There are a few bugs to look out for, but personally we did not face any during installation. You can skip all the work and just download the already-prepped archive from Switch piracy sites, too, which is around 50GB.

Once everything is set up, you transfer the NSP to a jailbroken Switch running custom firmware, along with the modified game files, and open GTA V like you would any other game. It's kind of surreal at first, but it boots up and runs directly on the console without any emulation overhead. The load times are alright; it doesn't heat up the handheld like crazy, and battery drain was similar to any other demanding title.

Despite that, the performance is quite wonky because the Tegra X1 inside is dated and thermally constrained. You'll get between 10-25 FPS depending on exactly what Switch model you have and the silicon lottery. To get a more stable experience that mostly locks the framerate at 30 FPS, you'll need to overclock your Switch. It's easy enough to do so through sys-clk, and you can create different profiles for handheld, docked, and charging modes.

We tried moderate overclocks across the CPU, GPU and memory on a Switch OLED, and were able to run the game at a "smooth" 30 FPS as long as there wasn't too much action going around. The moment a bunch of NPCs pop up in a mission, or there's an explosion, for instance, the framerate dips quite aggressively. The controls also felt weighty since Joy-Cons aren't suited for precise movement, so the portable experience might be a bit compromised.

Plenty of folks online have gone past the starting mission and explored the open world, too. There are no issues with save states, and the game runs surprisingly well considering the Switch's stature. Keep in mind that the source code making this possible comes from GTA V Legacy in particular, which is the PS4, Xbox One, and PC version. The PS3/Xbox 360 version of the game did not leak, or else scaling down the logic to fit within the Switch's 4GB memory buffer would've been far easier.

Those consoles only shipped with 512MB of unified RAM. Instead, the modders had to deal with high-resolution PC assets that needed to be heavily compressed first. The modified config files mentioned earlier throttle settings like draw distances and particle counts, so the PC engine code doesn't instantly melt the Switch. At the end, the Homebrew port performs similarly to the PS3/Xbox 360 versions of the game.

Paralympics Productions has already put out a few patches that improve performance, with more to come down the line, especially once the Android port rolls around. You can already emulate GTA V on Android phones through apps like GameHub and Winlator that translate x86 instructions into Arm. That will run much better if you have a flagship (Snapdragon) phone from the past few years. You can even emulate this Homebrew port through a Switch emulator if you want to enjoy twice the overhead.

It feels like the emulation and modding community across the entire handheld space is going through a renaissance. Ever since the Steam Deck lit the spark, these developers have made the impossible seem possible. People used to wonder why GTA V never came out on the original Switch (the answer is GTA: Online) up until literally weeks ago, and now we have the game running natively on an almost decade-old device that was underpowered even at the time it came out.

This does not suddenly mean that the Switch 2 can run GTA VI. For the PS5/Xbox Series version of the game, you'll need a potential Switch 3 if we follow a similar trajectory. More importantly, though, Rockstar's stance towards Nintendo in general has changed, and that plays a much bigger role in getting GTA VI on Nintendo hardware one day as opposed to just the capabilities of the silicon.

Nintendo has just issued DMCA takedowns against seven GitHub repositories hosting Switch emulation code, leading to 401 affected repos being removed from the platform. Most of these belonged to a single parent repo of the Suyu emulator, which itself is a fork of the previously shut down Yuzu emulator. Nintendo leveraged GitHub policies to their fullest extent to execute its notice, arguing that emulators inherently rely on circumventing anti-piracy protections built into Switch games.

TorrentFreak reports that this was a coordinated campaign by Nintendo as it filed seven different strikes on the same day. GitHub has a rule that says if a parent repo contains more than 100 forks, then the platform will not look at each one individually but rather remove the entire network. Suyu had 311 of these repos under its parent, so all of them were wiped off the map. Suyu was born in 2024, picking up after Yuzu following a lawsuit against its creators, Tropic Haze, that ended in a settlement.

Besides Suyu, the Android-based Skyline emulator was also affected in this campaign, but it has already been defunct for the past three years. It's not based on Yuzu, so it stands out in this lineup. Skyline devs actually stopped development in 2023, fearing legal repercussions, so the source code has remained dormant, but it did have 29 independent forks under the parent repo. Since it's an open-source project, anyone can iterate on it and publish their own versions.

Similarly, Yuzu Android, another fork of Yuzu was also struck with a DMCA notice that took down 8 forks under it. NicholasArvani's Yuzu fork had a network of 14 repos that were removed. A repo focusing on an early access build of Yuzu with 21 forks was taken down as well. Finally, MonoNX and its 17 forks, along with the parent repo of the main Yuzu emulator, were hit by Nintendo, too. These repos now link to the seven DMCA notices Nintendo sent to them, as visible in the sidebar, while their forks may return a 404 error.

The reasoning for the takedown is tied to piracy, with the company saying these emulators "illegally circumvent Nintendo's TPM in order to run illegal copies of Nintendo Switch games." Switch games require cryptographic keys upon every boot to verify the authenticity of the title, and emulators rely on a ripped-off prod.keys file to bypass this failsafe at runtime. Nintendo argues that, therefore, these keys are used to play pirated games instead of legally acquired ones.

The company lists two previous court cases as justification. The first one is its settlement with Tropic Haze — the devs behind Yuzu — and the second one is a default judgment against streamer EveryGameGuru who streamed pirated copies of Switch games ahead of their release using emulators. According to Nintendo, both convictions prove that merely providing the tools that lead to piracy also constitutes illegal trafficking since they rely on circumventing the company's TPM.

Keep in mind that neither case actually set a legal precedent because they weren't contested rulings where a judge interpreted the law; there was no verdict. Tropic Haze decided to settle, and EveryGameGuru failed to appear in front of a court entirely, granting Nintendo a victory by forfeiture. Still, the outcome of either case sets a strong legal blueprint on which the Japanese game company stands today as it tries to warp the legal precedent surrounding emulation as a whole.

Spending on physical game disks has fallen to the lowest recorded level since tracking began in 1995, according to a new report documenting a drastic slump in the console market. U.S. console hardware sales fell 39% by unit volume in July against a year earlier, while the average price paid for a new system rose 16% to $542, according to Circana data posted by analyst Mat Piscatella on August 20.

Dollar sales came in at $282 million, down 29% and the lowest July total since 2020, with Piscatella tying the drop to console price increases caused by the RAM and component crisis, a link Circana hadn't made in its monthly reporting before. PlayStation 5 units fell 6%, Xbox Series units fell 18%, and Switch 2 units fell 51%, with Nintendo's own $50 price increase still to come on September 1.

PS5 dollar sales rose 29% in July even as unit sales fell 6%, a gap driven by Sony's $100 increase across the PS5 range in April, which took the standard console to $599 and the PS5 Pro to $899. Sony still led the month in dollar sales, while the Switch 2 led in unit volume.

Switch 2 dollar sales fell 52% alongside the 51% unit decline, and the original Switch dropped 62% in units and 61% in dollars. Nintendo's Switch 2 is the only one of the three current platforms that hasn't raised its U.S. price yet, but that’ll change when the console goes to $499 on September 1. The company's RAM costs for the console rose 41% late last year, and Nintendo reportedly cut planned Switch 2 output by 2 million units in March. Piscatella noted the comparison is skewed by the record-setting June 2025 launch, and that the Switch 2 is still 11% ahead of the original Switch's time-aligned pace.

Xbox Series dollar sales fell 18%, matching its unit decline, after Microsoft raised prices on every Xbox model for the third time in two years and dropped the 2TB Series X. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has said the company will pay five times more for memory and storage in 2027 than it did two years earlier. Taken together, the July numbers work out to roughly 520,000 consoles sold across all platforms, against around 850,000 a year earlier, based on Circana's dollar totals and average selling prices.

As for physical game discs, spending fell to $85 million in July, the lowest July figure Circana has recorded since tracking began in 1995, according to the firm's full report as cited by Kotaku. Nintendo platforms account for 63% of U.S. physical game spending so far in 2026 and PlayStation for 32%, leaving Xbox a little over 4% once PC collector's editions are stripped out. Sony has already committed to ending disc production for new PlayStation games in January 2028.

Microsoft stopped sharing digital sales data with Circana as of the July report, Piscatella confirmed, and EA also left the firm's digital panel around the time it went private. That means Circana now estimates rather than measures digital sales for Xbox, Activision, and Bethesda titles, including Call of Duty: Black Ops II, which topped July's chart on its new PS4 and PS5 port. Total U.S. video game spending across content, hardware, and accessories fell 10% to $4.5 billion in July.

One man’s trash is another’s treasure, and that certainly seems to be the case for ‘Josh,’ a GameStop customer. The well-known gaming and trade-in business says that Josh came into its Clackamas, Oregon store and “traded hundreds of broken consoles for $10,690.06 in store credit.” In its Twitter/X post, GameStop shows Josh looking pleased with a fistful of trade credit cards, another image showing reams of receipts, and a far too small photo of the broken console haul.

That’s a lot of in-store credit to spend, but as most GameStop-ites will know, your trade-ins go further this way. In other words, if you asked for cash instead of credit, you would get less. Accepting the compromise of in-store credit can actually net you up to 50% more cash to spend – albeit with your choices locked to what GameStop has in stock. This might not be a big drawback if you like video games. But $10,690.06 is a lot of credit, even for the most avid gamer.

Checking the GameStop website today shows it doesn’t embrace gaming PCs or laptops, or PC components. Your local store might have a selection available, though. What I did see today were a few meager electronics items like MacBooks and iPhones listed. The major trade at this retailer is in PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch consoles and games. This is where most customers would probably expect to use their credit.

I found it interesting to try and identify the few broken consoles we can see in the plastic crates. Without too much scrutiny and pixel peeping, there are clearly a few Nintendo Switch Lites in there, a Sega GameGear, a pair of Sony PSPs, and numerous Nintendo Game Boys representing a few eras (GBC, DS, DSL). Under that crate are what look like a black and a white Xbox 360. There must have been many more crates to tally up to “hundreds.” Squinting at the receipts shows there were indeed multiple PS4, Xbox One, Series X, and 360 consoles in the traded collection.

In terms of pricing, the receipts reveal Josh traded in multiple Xbox One consoles for $7.92 each, Xbox Series X consoles for $10-11, PS4 consoles priced at $16 each, and working Xbox One consoles at around $40. Pricing for the more exciting stuff is unfortunately illegible in the photos.

Some social media keyboard warriors throw scorn at Josh for selling this bountiful collection of broken consoles to GameStop. The key accusation is basically that he’s been swindled by GameStop, who would pay a pittance compared to what could have been raised selling on auction sites like eBay. Perhaps he could have made a lot more cash selling his broken consoles independently, but depending on how many auctions he generated from the 100s of items, that would be a lot more effort: dealing with accurate description writing, photography, shipping, and the inevitable returns.

It would similarly be interesting to find out how much profit GameStop ends up making from this pile of consoles, but it isn't likely to share this kind of business data. Some of the consoles will likely be irreparable, only useful for spares and donor components; others, perhaps if there are rarer special editions in the collection, could bring in a lot of cash if fixed and refurbished.

Do you or someone you know have a Nintendo Switch 2? What about accessories for your new console? Whether you want to play with others, increase your storage, or add functionality, you may want some extras to deliver the best gameplay experience possible, and now is the best time to score a big deal on them during Prime Day 2026.

• Check out all the Switch 2 accessories deals in Amazon's Prime Day Sale

There are many official, licensed accessories alongside third-party extras available at a wide range of prices. It's Prime Day 2026, so now is an excellent time to hunt for deals and the best prices on Switch 2 peripherals and accessories.

One of the most important extras you'll most likely want to pick up is a microSD Express memory expansion card. The least expensive out now is Nintendo's own (SanDisk) 256GB card, but there are other, faster models available for a pittance more (see below). If you know that's what you want, check out our handy list of the best Prime Day microSD Express card deals for the Switch 2. Just be aware that pricing has absolutely skyrocketed, along with RAM, Storage, and video cards, in the last several months, so don't be shocked. Still, we found the best deals that we could.

Other accessories to consider are screen protectors, carrying cases, and peripherals such as controllers, headsets, and cameras, as listed below.

If you're thinking about, or already using a camera for your Switch 2, most of the styles out there are pretty boring. Most are just a camera on a stick, or may even clip to the device. I found something unique, the officially licensed Piranha Plant Camera! Relive your days of Mario and the feared plant that comes out of the pipes, but on your desk - and for less than the price of the official Nintendo Switch 2 camera-on-a-stick.

We also added another Switch 2 Pro-class controller on top of the official Nintendo Pro controller. 8bitDo's Ultimate 2 bluetooth controller is one of my kids' favorites. For less than the cost of the Nintendo controller, the Ultimate 2 offers TMY joysticks, switchable hall effect/tactile triggers, vibration and motion control. It is a lower resolution (640x480), however. The best part? It's it's on sale right now.

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Also, you can join the Tom's Hardware deals Discord for up-to-the-minute hardware deals.

A keen nozzle-head has dramatically sped up their 3D printer using the portable power of a Nintendo Switch. Cocoanix 3D Printing shared a video earlier this week demonstrating the Switch-powered acceleration of their venerable Prusa MK3S. Instead of taking 90 minutes to output the famous standard 3DBenchy tugboat model, the Nvidia-accelerated MK3S took a brisk sub-nine minutes. Should you repurpose your Switch to accelerate your 3D printer? That, of course, depends…

In the video above, Cocoanix boasts about not just the increased performance but quality improvements. Using Klipper instead of Prusa’s custom firmware (originally based on Marlin years ago) delivers modern features like more extensive planning, advanced vibration compensation, and other techniques. As well as getting your output in a fraction of the time, “less ringing and ghosting” will be present in the output, according to Cocoanix.

Klipper is also a champ when it comes to configuration, with a simple and easily editable text file ready for tweaks. More traditional firmware recompilation techniques for the granular control here are thus simply not necessary. Moreover, while the printer’s motion‑control firmware is replaced by Klipper, the user interface is handled through the slick Mainsail/Fluidd web dashboard.

Thanks to the power of the Switch and Klipper, with the Prusa MK3S, the bottleneck stops being processing power or advanced features, and is instead the 3D printer’s hotend and extruder. Running the new Input Shaper, the TechTuber manages to push the MK3S “to its absolute speed limit: 400mm/s at 17,000mm/s² of acceleration.”

Modern 3D printers aren’t so short on horsepower

The touch screen Switch is a great add-on for the Prusa MK3S. However, the MK3S is of a certain vintage now, and while contemporary designs addressing the same market may suffer from similar processing bottlenecks, adding an SBC or Switch to a modern 3D printer may not be so desirable.

Here, instead of motion planning running on the 8-bit microcontroller on the system motherboard, the machine is enhanced by Klipper, farming out all the heavy compute work to the attached handheld console with a quad-core Nvidia SoC.

Users of devices like the MK3S usually employ something like a Raspberry Pi or connect to their laptop to accelerate and advance their 3D printing. The use of the Nintendo here is mostly stylish tech flair – but the integrated touchscreen might be welcomed by some.

Practicalities

A large segment of the Cocoanix video is devoted to showing folks how to install and setup Klipper on a Switch with Ubuntu Linux installed. We are then guided through how to configure and flash the MK3S to complete this project.

To witness the 3DBenchy results, you can skip forward to around 7 minutes 50 seconds in the video, where you see the little tugboat successfully printed in under nine minutes (8 minutes 41 seconds while adhering to SpeedBenchy rules, says Cocoanix).

The result looks a bit rough, but this is primarily due to how the aforementioned hotend and extruder have become the bottleneck. We’d also suggest that cooling and the bed‑slinger Y‑axis are also near their physical limits, as the design stands.

Nintendo is facing pressure from the AI shortage, as increasing NAND prices are doing more than just hiking the company’s costs to build the popular Switch 2 gaming handheld. According to Bloomberg, some users are reportedly balking at purchasing new titles, especially as the console’s specs limit its onboard storage to just 256GB. The fact that it uses more powerful hardware than the original Switch means that its game titles are now significantly larger. For example, the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, one of the major franchises on the Nintendo platform, is about 102.5GB, meaning it will take up around 40% of the console’s onboard storage.

One gamer told the outlet that they used to buy games "on a whim," but are now more cautious "because the space is filling up so quickly, at a pace that I didn’t imagine.” According to figures collated by Bloomberg, Switch 2 software sales momentum "lags behind the original Switch's." As of the end of 2025, it calculates that the average number of games purchased per console is just 2.18. When the Switch reached the same sales milestone of around 17 million units, that figure was 3.88, a marked decrease in Switch 2 game sales.

If you’re a collector and like to have a ton of games installed on your console, vastly larger titles like Final Fantasy mean you'd have to purchase external storage to increase your Switch 2’s capacity. Although you can easily get one of the best microSD Express Cards from Amazon, they’re more expensive than ordinary microSD cards, and the storage chip shortage is not doing gamers (or Nintendo) any favors. For example, the 512GB TeamGroup Apex microSD Express Card cost around $100 in late 2025 but now sits at $114.99 on Amazon. The 1TB Lexar Play Pro is far more expensive, too — it’s currently priced at $219.99 on Amazon, although it used to cost less than $190 before the shortage.

These price increases on the Switch 2’s storage solutions are giving gamers pause when shopping for new games — and that’s a problem for Nintendo. Although the company does not sell its hardware at a loss (unlike Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation), it does so at exceedingly thin margins. That means it still relies on the sales of its games to make up for the majority of its profit. But with increasing game sizes, many users are now having second thoughts about buying games willy-nilly, especially as storage costs spiral out of control.

The company is attempting to help gamers by launching Nintendo-branded microSD Express cards made by Samsung. The report even claims that Nintendo has "secured concessions from retailers" to give up some of the profits on sales of these devices. They're currently available on Amazon for just $59.00, but at just 256GB, you’ll have to purchase several of these if you’re an avid game collector. Furthermore, this adds to the already relatively high price of $449 for the console, which was driven by the uncertainty of tariffs and global geopolitical events. And with titles already costing around $50 to $80, the need to spend extra for storage will definitely weigh more on gamers’ pockets and eat into Nintendo’s revenues.

The memory and storage chip shortage that has been causing RAM, SSD, and GPU prices to skyrocket is now starting to affect other products. Valve has recently announced that Steam Deck availability is now intermittent due to the current situation, and Bloomberg now reports that Sony and Nintendo are considering taking drastic actions, too.

“Sony Group Corp. is now considering pushing back the debut of its next PlayStation console to 2028 or even 2029, according to people familiar with the company’s thinking. That would be a major upset to a carefully orchestrated strategy to sustain user engagement between hardware generations,” the publication said. “Close rival Nintendo Co., which contributed to the surplus demand in 2025 after its new Switch 2 console drove storage card purchases, is also contemplating raising the price of that device in 2026, people familiar with its plans said.”

While both companies do not disclose how they manage component orders, they likely have long-term agreements in place with various memory chip suppliers to help keep their costs predictable. But because of the continued massive demand from data centers and AI hyperscalers, chip manufacturers like Micron, Samsung, and SK hynix have reduced their output for consumer memory, resulting in higher prices in the spot market and when customers sign new contracts.

If the reports are accurate, Sony and Nintendo are applying differing strategies to deal with the situation. Nintendo is willing to increase the price of the Switch 2 to offset the increased memory and storage costs, especially as it is selling the new console at slim profit margins. The company has done this before with the original Nintendo Switch, which had its price increased by $30 to $50 in response to economic pressures.

On the other hand, Sony’s rumored tactic would be to delay the next-generation PlayStation for more favorable pricing. We’re unsure how long the memory chip shortage will last, with some estimates pointing out that it could go on for as long as a decade. Nevertheless, some believe that the memory chip fabs would’ve caught up with the demand by 2028 or 2029, meaning prices would’ve stabilized by then, even if they do not return to pre-shortage levels.

The news of chip shortages has been circulating among PC enthusiasts since the last quarter of 2025, but it seems that that is just the beginning. Gaming consoles and handhelds are now feeling the pinch, with mobile phones expected to follow suit. Even cars will be hit by the shortage, especially as nearly every modern feature found in automobiles requires DRAM and NAND.

Nintendo is infamous for its stringent stance against any kind of copyright infringement, to the point where even fan-edits have gotten people in trouble. So, when the company tells you to stop illegally distributing games, you should probably listen. But that doesn't seem to be the case for "Archbox," who served as the primary moderator of the r/SwitchPirates subreddit for some time, before he was charged last year for selling pirated games.

Originally reported by Nintendo Everything, the company is now seeking a $4.5 million default judgment because the defendant never showed up for the court proceedings. Archbox, whose real name is James Williams, is popular in the Switch modding community. He reportedly ran several pirating sites, along with "shops" — such as JITS — where games are available to download on jailbroken Switch consoles. James not only tested Nintendo's patience pertaining to its intellectual property, but committed the cardinal sin of piracy while doing so: charging money for it.

"Since 2019, Williams has been either directly or indirectly the owner, manager, operator, creator, administrator, supplier, and/or overseer of several online Pirate Shops, and has worked to actively promote these Pirate Shops to communities consisting of many thousands of individuals," reads the official filing.

According to online discussion, James asked for donations to give access to "pro" subscriptions, where people would be able to download games a lot faster, likely with uncapped speeds. Those who often sail the seas know never to hide pirated content behind a paywall, because that then constitutes grounds for a lawsuit. Nice-guy Nintendo even first warned James by sending a cease-and-desist through a law firm last year, but he reportedly never responded.

The lawfirm, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, investigated a number of online piracy storefronts and identified James as one of the leading kingpins, who was then located through email addresses tied to repair orders in Surprise, Arizona (yes, that's a real city). This happened before the Switch 2 was announced, which meant that Nintendo was more rigorously protecting the now-outdated console. But the company likely has more than enough lawyers and resources to keep an eye on any platform where it sees its products being pirated.

Nintendo announced the Virtual Boy adapter — an accessory that accepts both the Switch and Switch 2 — during the Nintendo Direct 2025 presentation. According to the company’s press release, this will work hand in hand with the upcoming release of Virtual Boy titles in the Nintendo Classics library, allowing Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers to relive the ‘90s.

This add-on is available in two flavors: one is made from plastic and resembles the original 3D console from 1995, priced at $99.99, while the other version is made from cardboard. Although the latter doesn’t look as close to the original as the former, it’s a far more affordable option at just $24.99. But whichever material you choose, it will work with both Switch models, meaning you don’t have to buy Nintendo’s latest handheld to enjoy its classic 3D titles. They’re also quite easy to use — all you have to do is slot your gaming console into the accessory, and you’re good to go.

Nintendo just confirmed that its Switch 2 console can potentially overheat when used in hot environments. According to its X (formerly Twitter) post [machine translated], both the original Switch and the newer Switch 2 must be used in ambient temperatures between 5 and 35 degrees Celsius (41 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). It also warned against using its consoles outdoors, especially as temperatures in Japan have been soaring above 35 degrees Celsius recently.

“Using Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 in a hot environment may cause the console to become hot. Please use it in a place between 5 and 35°C, as it may cause a malfunction,” Nintendo Japan’s customer service posted on X. “Recently, the temperature has been exceeding 35°C for several days. Please be careful when using outdoors.”

Many users have already reported the overheating issue on the Switch 2 in early July, with the console’s fans spinning at max speed trying to cool the unit. There were also several instances of the handheld crashing — both in handheld and docked modes — with one even saying that it became too hot to hold. More concerningly, these incidents weren’t limited to AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077. There were reports of this happening even while playing less demanding games like Splatoon or Pokémon.

Beyond that, this warning is also concerning for players based in hotter climates. Some regions, especially in the Middle East, the Sahara, and South Asia, often experience temperatures far exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. So, players based in this area would have trouble playing with the Switch 2 unless they’re in an air-conditioned area. And as global temperatures continue to soar, we can only expect more areas to experience higher ambient temperatures, causing more consoles to experience overheating.

The Nintendo Switch 2 received a major hardware upgrade from the original Switch. But despite that, it’s still a woefully underpowered console compared to modern handhelds like the GPD Win 5 and the Ayaneo Next 2. Although most of its fans buy it for its Nintendo exclusives, the company’s decision to have more AAA games available on its platform means that its hardware will be pushed to its performance and thermal limits by more demanding, less optimized titles.

Nintendo just announced a price hike for the U.S. that will hit all original Switch / Switch 1 handheld consoles, select Switch 2 accessories, and the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo. According to its announcement, the company made these adjustments “based on market conditions,” and they will take effect starting August 3, 2025. Thankfully, the cost for the Nintendo Switch 2, game titles for both Switch 1 & 2, and Nintendo Switch Online memberships remain the same. However, the gaming giant also said that “price adjustments may be necessary in the future.”

This is unusual, as most companies typically drop the prices of their old models after launching next-gen products. And Nintendo has just released the Switch 2, which has been quite successful and is projected to beat the original Switch. However, it seems that these price hikes are driven by economics, especially given the uncertainty of the tariffs that President Trump applied the U.S.’s trading partners. We can't directly blame tariffs for the increasing costs of these consoles, though, as Canada was also affected by these price increases.

The price increases vary between $30 and $50 for the Switch 1 consoles, bringing the cheapest Nintendo handheld to $230 and the most expensive Switch 1 option to nearly $400. At this price, you’re better off spending $50 more and getting the Nintendo Switch 2, which starts at $449.99. This will give you much better performance and a larger screen, although you’ll be missing out on the OLED display. You can also install more games on the new handheld because it uses microSD Express cards. Although these cars are more expensive and harder to find (if you don’t know where to look), they offer better performance and allow you to load games directly from the expansion slot.

More importantly, the Switch 2 is now readily available. This isn’t like the PlayStation 5 launch fiasco, where scalpers made a ton of money buying up Sony’s consoles because it had little to no supply. So, as long as you know where to buy it, you can easily pick up a Nintendo Switch 2 console at any time.

Memory and storage manufacturer Silicon Power just released the Hypera microSDXC Express Card designed for the Switch 2, arriving in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities. The company says that this memory card can hit read speeds of up to 800 MB/s and write speeds of up to 700 MB/s — this reduces download, install, and load times on the new handheld, allowing you to seamlessly play AAA titles without worrying about buffering. It was also tested for reliability, ensuring that it will withstand the rigors of daily use so that you don’t lose data due to the card’s failure.

• Where to buy Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express cards during Amazon Prime Day 2025

The Nintendo Switch 2 supports older microSDXC standards, so you can view screenshots and watch videos. However, if you want to expand its paltry 256GB built-in storage and install multiple AAA titles, you need a microSDXC Express Card. This standard is far more expensive than the older UHS-I and UHS-II standards, but you’d need the SSD-like performance it delivers to avoid frustration with your new console. Most manufacturers only offer microSDXC Express Cards up to 512GB, which might be pretty limiting if you play several titles. So, Silicon Power’s 1TB capacity is an excellent choice if you plan on collecting games and keeping them ready on your device.

Although the Hypera is made for the Nintendo Switch 2, it’s also compatible with the UHS-I standard. This lets you use it on other devices that don’t support the microSD Express standard just yet, like older consoles, cameras, and smartphones. This makes it quite a flexible storage device, allowing you to use it for content creation, transferring large files, and even recording 4K video on your current equipment, but it is also ready for use with future gear.

We expect more manufacturers to start including this standard in their products, especially as the popularity of the Switch 2 drove demand for this memory card to the limit. Thankfully, companies that made these memory cards quickly scaled up their production to meet demand, allowing you to easily buy Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express cards if you know where to look — we even spotted one on sale in Walmart, but you'd better act quickly before stocks run out.

The sheriff of Arapahoe County in Colorado said that 2,810 Nintendo Switch 2 consoles were reported stolen by a truck driver when he discovered during a pre-trip inspection at Lowe’s Truck Stop in the Town of Bennett that his trailer had been broken into. The value of the heist is roughly $1.4 million. According to the sheriff’s X (formerly Twitter) post, the driver was driving from the Nintendo of America headquarters at Redmond, Washington, to a GameStop retail store in Grapevine, Texas, when the heist happened.

The truck driver said that he was unaware of the contents of the trailer — only that it contained games or toys. With each console valued at $499, the total value of the stolen goods is estimated to be over $1.4 million. Unfortunately, it’s unclear if the burglary happened at the truck stop itself or at another place, so investigators are looking to the public for more information about the felony theft. You can see images of the pilfered truck if you expand the tweet below.

Some enterprising hackers have already discovered an exploit on the just-launched Nintendo Switch 2. Bluesky user David Buchanan was the first to show off the exploit, where he apparently discovered a weakness in the console’s shared library.

This vulnerability, called a userland Return-Oriented Programming exploit, allows Buchanan to manipulate a program by overwriting its return address to another piece of code. When chained together, this can force the system to work in an unintended manner — in this case, display custom checkerboard graphics.

When Nintendo announced the Switch 2, it said users would require cards based on the microSD Express standard to expand device memory. Soon after this announcement, both online and physical retail sellers were cleared out, with some store staff telling Hermitage Akihabara in Japan [machine translated] that they sold more than 337 cards per hour. This surprised everyone, especially as microSD Express cards are far more expensive than regular microSD cards.

You'll pay more than double for microSD Express

The vanilla Lexar 1TB Play microSD card has a regular price of $129.99 on Amazon, but is discounted to $69.99 at the time of writing. This card has a read speed of up to 160 MB/s and a write speed of up to 100 MB/s, which is quite respectable but still not as fast as internal device storage. On the other hand, the microSD Express version of this card has a far faster 900 MB/s read speed and 600 MB/s write speed, making it more than five times quicker than the old standard. It comes at a price, though — the Lexar 1TB Play Pro microSD Express card has an original price of $199.99 on Amazon, and even though it’s on sale at $172.63 at the time of writing, it’s still more than double the price of the non-Express version.

No scalping detected

The Chinese leaker who posted CAD images of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 claims to have a functioning unit for sale. The mysterious seller (via Reddit) allegedly offers the unreleased next-generation console to an accessory manufacturer for about $39,800.

The design from the leaked CAD files seems to have been used by Dbrand and other pre-reveal Switch 2 accessory manufacturers. The leaker would seem to be the most legitimate source, as the console's final design in its reveal video perfectly matched the Dbrand-corroborated leak. Nonetheless, we still recommend treating the information with some salt.

The leaker, who uses the Xiaohongshu forums, told the interested buyer that he or she could experiment with the Switch 2 dock, joystick, and tablet. He also claimed that Pro controllers would become available next week, potentially Nintendo's follow-up to its official Switch Pro peripheral.

So, will he cough up the dough to access a complete pre-release Switch 2? It may depend on how much money he can make from the endeavor. Full early access to Nintendo Switch 2 hardware could help several cases and peripheral manufacturers— legitimate or otherwise— get an early crack at the hardware and make appropriate accessories for their purposes.

Of course, dealing with stacks of cash like this on the black market, it would seem likely that our CAD design leaker would also demand quite a healthy sum from any prospective Switch 2 flash cart (or other unofficial accessory) manufacturer for each session with such a high-value piece of hardware.

After all, there's no other reason for someone to want a pre-release Nintendo Switch 2. Games enhanced on Switch 2 will likely need Pro-console-esque patches to enable the functionality. Of course, no Switch 2 games will become available, even in physical form, until much closer to the release date. However, the console, especially if it will be shipping with the same out-of-box operating system, seems quite open to the potential of pre-release exploitation and development, considering the details of this story.

Hopefully, Nintendo will confirm a proper release date soon. However, it would be funny if that release date were so far in the future that this early buyer's purchase would be irrelevant.

Retro gaming on the Raspberry Pi is cool enough on its own but it's even more exciting to see the neat housing makers come up with for their retro gaming rigs. Today we've got an awesome build put together by a maker known as BBoHK. Using the latest Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5), he's created a handheld retro console that resembles a Nintendo Switch.

The cool thing about this Switch build is that you've got the full emulation power of the CM5 backing it up. In example pictures, we see it running titles from consoles as recent as the Nintendo GameCube (or Wii U, the game is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) — so this is definitely made for more than just 8-bit titles and early 3D games. The Raspberry Pi 5 has the power to emulate the later "retro" consoles with ease. Gamecube, Wii, Dreamcast are all now easily emulated thanks to the powerful Raspberry Pi 5. The case has been customized so that you have access to everything you might need with plenty of ports made available around its perimeter.

We're doubly excited about the Switch design as news has been circulating over the last few months of its upcoming sequel console, the Switch 2. Just last month, we covered a potential design leak that was unveiled by a case maker that showed a similar build but with a much larger screen and the usual Joycons.

We get a really good look at the inside which is absolutely gorgeous. It's built around a custom PCB that houses the CM5 along with all of the accessories that make the build possible including a screen, 2500 mAh battery, internal M.2 SSD and more. The hardware is kept in place using 3D printed mounting components.

As far as software goes, the sky is the limit. It's running on a CM5 module so you can run Raspberry Pi OS and open individual emulation apps or choose something dedicated like RetroPie or Lakka. In the end, you've got a lot of flexibility and that's part of the appeal in creating a handheld retro gaming rig like this.

We're absolute suckers for this design and definitely recommend checking it out. If you want to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project, check out the original thread shared to X (formerly Twitter) by BBoHK.

Several legitimate-looking leaks of the Nintendo Switch 2's final design have surfaced this past week. Still, these culminated yesterday with Dbrand's unexpected release of a full 3D render of a Nintendo Switch 2, albeit with a version of the Dbrand Killswitch carrying case for handheld PCs redesigned for Switch 2. Speaking to The Verge on the topic, Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz claimed the company used its access to the actual dimensions of Switch 2 based on a 3D scan of actual hardware, which measures roughly 270mm wide with Joy-Cons attached (200mm without), 116mm tall, and 14mm thick.

The apparent Nintendo Switch 2 also has a much larger 8-inch screen versus Switch OLED's 7.2-inch and Switch's 6.2-inch displays, adds an extra "C" (capture?) button on the right Joy-Con, sports magnetically-detachable Joy-Con controllers with a more pronounced curve, top and bottom USB-C ports, and has a wide U-shaped kickstand, akin to the improved stand on Switch OLED.

Everything we know about the device now, presumably just months before a Q1 2025 launch date, points toward a Switch 2 design that has truly evolved from Switch OLED. However, it seems unlikely to use an OLED screen—instead, most specs leaks report that this 8-inch screen is a 1080p IPS LCD (hopefully of much higher quality than Switch LCD).

As far as Dbrand's Killswitch Switch 2 case design goes, the usually upgraded kickstand or full-body-enclosure casings of Killswitch cases (previously made for Steam Deck, etc.) aren't present here since Switch 2's detachable Joy-Cons must be kept in mind...instead, the body separates into parts appropriately and now a teal bungee cord is used to hold the affair together. It looks striking, and Dbrand has a good reputation as a phone and handheld protective case provider, so we're sure the final design will be successful.

That said, we understand those of you yearning for a more...unaltered look at the Nintendo Switch 2. We don't quite have that yet, but the leaked specifications given by Dbrand happen to match a 3D-printed mock-up received by YouTube channel SwitchUp earlier this week, which should give some idea of how the vanilla unit will look and feel.

Ultimately, this massive leak from Dbrand (who presumably aren't bound by an NDA) points toward an imminent announcement and release date reveal for Nintendo Switch 2. Past comments placed the Switch 2's release before the end of 2024, and Nintendo itself has set a deadline of March 2025 as the date by which Switch 2 details will be revealed. Seeing as that's just three months away, that window is closing fast, and carrying case manufacturers like Dbrand are already ramping up production (and hype) for Nintendo's next great handheld hybrid console.

Chinese customs officials at the Liantang Port got more than they bargained for when an unusually busty woman was spotted among the incoming passengers. Noting her nervous behavior, they intercepted and inspected her, leading to the discovery that she was attempting to smuggle 350 Nintendo Switch game cartridges into mainland China in her bra.

The customs officials noticed the woman was behaving abnormally and that her “look and attitude were not innocent.” One eagle-eyed customs official also believed her breasts looked unusual, so they pulled her from the line of incoming passengers for further inspection.

That inspection revealed the woman was not as well-endowed as she hoped officials would believe. They found 350 Nintendo Switch game cartridges stuffed into her bra. The initial estimated value of the smuggled goods was 70,000 yuan ($9,660).

Chinese customs officials pointed out Article 7 of the Regulations on the Implementation on the Implementation of Customs Administrative Punishments of the People's Republic of China. That regulation prohibits people entering China from evading “customs supervision by hiding, disguising, concealing declarations, false declarations or other means, transporting, carrying, or mailing goods that are prohibited or restricted from entry or exit by the state.”

Bringing in or taking goods out of China without paying appropriate taxes is, like in most nations, considered smuggling and illegal. Assuming the Nintendo Switch game cards aren’t determined to be prohibited or restricted, the suspect could be subject to a fine of “not more than three times the amount of duties payable but evaded.”

Liantang Port is the mainland China counterpart to Heung Yuen Tai Control Point in Hong Kong. Located in Shenzhen, the land border control point was established to reduce the traffic through other border crossings in the country. It opened to passenger traffic on Feb. 6, 2023.

As Nintendo Switch unlocks and homebrew software develops, people are inclined to explore the possibilities and whether or not they actually provide a good experience. Our new prime example seems to be a full install of Windows 11 Arm on the Switch. As noted by @PatRyk on Twitter, who actually set this up, the experience is pretty grueling! The initial installation took three hours, and even basic system tasks were unresponsive.

Things really start looking bleak when we try to game on a Switch with Windows 11 installed. The optimization, performance overhead, or both are simply so extreme that even extremely basic games (graphically speaking) like Peggle struggle to run under this environment. Compare this to the regular Switch, which can run Doom Eternal at 30 FPS most of the time with resolution scaling, and the performance loss is staggering.

So why would anyone do this, and is there any way that replacing the default Switch OS can improve the Switch gaming experience? In this case, the "why" seemed to be for the sake of fun or testing, though perhaps PatRyk should have considered using Tiny11 Core for Arm instead of base Windows 11 for the best results. Of course, the best results you'll get on Switch's Arm architecture these days is a Linux OS, and that's where we can start talking about slightly more applicable uses of Switch OS replacement.

In ARM Linux game testing from Taki Udon on YouTube (embedded above), the Switch shows off some gaming chops at resolutions up to 4K. However, only old and emulated games were used to refrain from taxing the hardware. Still, Crispy Doom ran quite well in the 240 Hz mode, and GameCube games were running at 4X native without issue on the Switch hardware under Linux. Not bad!

The best modern experiences with a Switch console will, of course, only be experienced within the constraints of the main Switch OS and its games. However, a hacked Switch is good enough to moonlight as an emulation/streaming PC, and if you aren't scared to wander outside The Garden Nintendo, the Steam Deck and its alternatives may also serve you well.

Nintendo confirmed on X that the Switch 2, the successor to the highly popular Nintendo Switch, will be announced this fiscal year. The original Switch went on sale seven years ago, in March 2017, making it one of the oldest consoles currently on the market. Although Nintendo updated the Switch with the Switch OLED in 2021, it was technically the same console, but with a larger 7-inch OLED screen and bigger storage.

Despite its aging hardware, Nintendo has released some great exclusives on Switch in recent years, allowing it to remain competitive despite nearing the end of its life cycle. These include Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020), Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2022), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023).

In contrast, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S launched in 2020, with a newer, slimmer version of the former coming out in 2023. We also reported on a leak of the PlayStation 5 Pro specs in March, as many expect it to come out this year. Furthermore, the recent launch of portable Windows gaming consoles like the ROG Ally and MSI Claw could add pressure on the company, especially as Asus plans to launch the ROG Ally 2 later this year.

Because of the new rival consoles on the market, Nintendo may feel hard pressed to release the next-generation Switch. However, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said on X, “We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during the presentation.”

If Nintendo launches new exclusives for the current generation Switch in June, it won’t make sense for the company to pre-empt any last-minute sales of the old console by announcing the Switch 2 soon after. The original Switch was first announced in March 2015, with the handheld arriving two years later in 2017. So, if Nintendo sticks to this schedule, it will probably announce the Switch 2 in March 2025.

However, we don’t have any news on when it will hit store shelves. It took Nintendo two years to bring the original Switch to market, but we hope that it won't take Nintendo to give us the Switch 2, as we want to get it by late 2025. By then, the first-generation Nintendo Switch would have had a full eight-year lifespan.

The company hasn’t released any official specifications for the next-generation console yet. However, Nintendo Switch 2 rumors indicate that the new handheld will use a more powerful Ampere-based Nvidia chip, with eight times as many CUDA cores as the current Switch. It will also likely take advantage of DLSS, allowing gamers to enjoy higher-quality visuals without suffering from reduced battery life or poor game performance.

Corsair’s HS80 Wireless gaming headset arrived in 2021 to strong but mixed reviews, and was followed by the wired HS80 RGB. Our review of the HS80 RGB, which gave the headset four out of five stars, praised its build quality, design, and overall audio performance, but took issue with its inflexible connectivity, which only supported PC and Mac — not quite one of the best wireless gaming headsets around. 

Now, Corsair has the solution: the HS80MAX Wireless. It’s broadly similar to the HS80 Wireless and HS80 but improves connectivity. The PlayStation 5 is now compatible with the headset’s 2.4GHz wireless dongle, and Bluetooth joins the party with support for iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. This bumps the price up to $179.99, up from the HS80 Wireless’ $149.99, which seems a fair price for the improvement in versatility. 

Design and Comfort 

Corsair’s HS80MAX Wireless struck a soft, inviting, modern profile that looked fantastic in a variety of home office and gaming setups. The white model, which I received, appears friendly and inviting: a matte black model is available for those with more reserved tastes. No matter the color you choose, the HS80MAX’s design is defined by rounded edges and tapered shapes. 

Build quality is good but not exceptional. The hinges which connect the earcups to the head strap are metal, but plastic dominates the rest of the design. That’s not a surprise given the headset’s price point: I can’t immediately think of similarly priced competitors with significantly more durable materials. Alternatives like the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X are in another league, though way more expensive. 

The Corsair HS80MAX has RGB lighting but, like the rest of the headset, it’s subtle. Lighting is only available in a few locations such as the Corsair logos on the exterior of each earcup and the microphone. I liked this approach, but I’m also not a fan of RGB lighting. Those who prefer more LED flair might be disappointed.

The power and volume buttons lurk around the rear of the left earcup, while the Bluetooth pairing button is on the right. The buttons activate with a firm, tactile click, and they have a textured surface that’s distinct from the material around them. The headset also has a USB-C port on the left earcup and ships with a six-foot USB-C cable in the box. 

Comfort was a highlight, as the Corsair HS80MAX has thick, substantial padding covered in supple, pleasant fabric. The headset’s size is adjusted with a simple velcro strap on the headband. I have a big head that can challenge some headsets, but the HS80MAX managed to accommodate my dome on its largest setting. 

The ear cups also fit nicely over my ears. I eventually felt a touch of pressure after wearing the headset for several hours, but this occurs with nearly all headsets I use (big head, remember?) — the Corsair HS80MAX was more comfortable than most. The Logitech G733, for instance, was too small for my head, and quickly became uncomfortable. 

While the Corsair HS80MAX is enjoyable in most situations, the fabric wasn’t especially breathable, and the headset felt warm on my ears after a couple hours of use in an air-conditioned room. I expect they wouldn’t be a great choice for gaming in a hot or humid environment. 

The Corsair HS80MAX’s overall design and comfort left me impressed. They fit well on my head, stayed in place, and caused little strain after several hours of use. I’d be more than happy to use them as my “daily driver.”

Specs

Audio Performance

The Corsair HS80MAX Wireless packs 50mm neodymium drivers. It also has support for Dolby Atmos and Atmos Spatial Sound, which holds hope for surround sound performance. With that said, it doesn’t offer 5.1 or 7.1 virtual surround.

First up, music. The HS80MAX proved a solid and well-rounded performer and made a good first impression, but it didn’t knock my socks off.

Boards of Canada’s New Seeds immediately revealed the headset’s limitations. This is a complex track that frequently hits high, bass, and mid-range simultaneously, and includes numerous details that can be difficult for any sound system to pick up. The HS80MAX had a warm and pleasant sound with good bass that didn’t overwhelm the mids, but the audio felt close compared to better headphones (such as the Denon AH-D2000s I typically use). The subtle shifting of the track’s gritty, static-like mid-range percussion was hard to pick out.

Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero, on the other hand, was a win. This a warm track to begin with, and it arguably benefited from the HS80MAX’s close, intimate sound stage. Swift’s excellent vocal delivery was mere millimeters from ear, and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

Yves Tumor’s Echolaila was a mixed win. Sean Lee Bowie’s vocals are, perhaps unsurprisingly, not on par with Swift, and the HS80MAX highlighted the less pleasant elements of his breathy, raspy delivery. The low end was present and accounted for, however, without overwhelming either the vocals or the mid-range, and the narrow soundstage continued to provide an immersive listening experience.

The HS80MAX’s overall performance in music was solid but didn’t entirely clear my (admittedly rather high) standards. My key issue was the close, narrow soundstage. Every track seemed to place me on the stage with the band which, though dramatic, isn’t always desirable. It was listenable, but certainly not on par with mid-range audiophile headphones.

Throw the HS80MAX into games, however, and the headset comes into its element. The HS80MAX supports Dolby Atmos surround and offers a rather good experience in games that provide surround sound support. 

The headset’s close, narrow sound, while a problem in music, was less of a problem in games and movies that offer surround sound. Explosions, blaster shots, and the rumble jet engines were presented with cinematic flair and provided plenty of audio drama alongside on-screen action. 

Sound staging, while not the best I’ve ever heard, was good for the price point. Lefts, rights, and center channels are extremely distinct. More dynamic audio effects, like a TIE Fighter screeching above me in Star Wars: Battlefront 2, weren’t entirely convincing, but the difference in audio staging was noticeable. I didn’t feel the urge to duck for cover, but my brain understood what the audio was trying to convey.

The warm, pleasant, and balanced bass is also a benefit for both audio quality games and the headset’s surround sound performance. Many of the most dramatic sounds in games move across the low and mid-range. Remember the TIE Fighter’s shriek: that piercing howl, when heard on a high-quality sound system, obscures a more visceral rumble. Effects like this were a joy on the HS80MAX.

Microphone

A retractable mic is attached to the Corsair HS80MAX Wireless’ left earcup. It automatically turned off when retracted, and back on when deployed. A soft feminine voice offered an audible reminder when moving between each mode.

The microphone’s audio quality was excellent. My voice picked up strong and clear without the boomy or hollow quality found in less capable headset microphones. In fact, it’s the best headset microphone I can recall hearing this year (although, admittedly, I haven’t had the privilege to try cream-of-the-crop models like the Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless).

A high-quality microphone is great for games, but also useful in less enjoyable tasks. The HS80MAX is an ideal headset for Zoom or Teams video conferences. Odds are you’ll sound better than anyone else on the call. I even think an amateur YouTube or Podcast creator could rely on this microphone until it makes sense to invest in a standalone mic.

Corsair opts for an omni-directional microphone and seems to rely on noise cancellation to filter out background noises. Owners of Nvidia video cards can use Nvidia Broadcast for AI noise filtration. Unfortunately, I was using an AMD video card and couldn't use this feature.

The microphone had a tendency to pick up background noises, such as a loud mechanical keyboard. However, this trait wasn’t so strong that capable video and audio communication software, like Discord or Zoom, couldn’t filter it out. Friends listening to my voice on Discord were satisfied with its quality and didn’t notice the click-clack of my keyboard unless I was speaking while typing.

Features and Software

Corsair’s iCue software, which is available for both Windows and MacOS, controls all headset features. This includes key assignments, lighting effects, and equalizing settings. ICue is an attractive, intuitive app, and it performed well on my desktop. The app also controls other Corsair devices, which is handy if you own other Corsair hardware. Corsair partners with Philips and Nanoleaf to allow control of Philips Hue and Nanoleaf light panels, though some setup is required.

Corsair includes a sound customization feature, SoundID, which I accessed through the iCue software. It presents an audio text that takes roughly five minutes to finish, once complete, customizes the sound of the headphones to meet your preferences. I highly recommend using the feature. It reduced my issues with the headset’s close and narrow sound, slightly widening the stage to help details stand out in complex tracks. An equalizer and sound presets were available, but can’t be used when SoundID is turned on.

The Corsair HS80MAX supports both Bluetooth and Wireless (via the included USB dongle), and offers broad compatibility which includes PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Switch, iOS, and Android (though Xbox is left out). This is a broad range of connectivity of a gaming headset, and it makes the HS80MAX useful as both a gaming headset and general purpose headphones.

Wireless range is excellent, too. A USB dongle is provided to enable a low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection. It delivered a strong signal throughout my entire house. To my surprise, Bluetooth proved even stronger: I made it 30 feet out my front door before I lost connection to my iPhone 12 Mini, which was placed in the rear-most room of my house. That’s outstanding.

Battery Life (if applicable)

Corsair claims the HS80MAX RGB Wireless can achieve up to 130 hours of battery life over Bluetooth, and 65 over wireless. That’s not the best available — the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless leads the pack with up to 300 hours of battery life — but it’s pretty good.

Still, the HS80MAX should only require a charge once every few days even if used all-day for both work and gaming. More casual users could weeks between charges. I didn’t need to charge it even once during the week I reviewed the headset.

Bottom Line

The Corsair HS80MAX Wireless delivered dramatic, impactful sound in games and movies, an excellent microphone, and versatile connectivity in an attractive, comfortable headset with great battery life. Music was at times narrow and claustrophobic, but I suspect less picky listeners will have zero complaints.

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) has a better mic and includes (slightly underwhelming) virtual surround by way of THX Spatial Audio, but costs a little more at $199.99. And if you don’t mind the wires, HyperX’s recently-released Cloud III headset is an excellent option for just under $100. But all in all, the HS80MAX is a headset I’d be happy to use for all my tasks all day, every day, and it’s well worth its $179.99 MSRP.

Have you ever wanted to catch a shiny Pokémon that wasn’t just the red Gyarados from the Lake of Rage? We feel you. Catching an off-color Pokémon is hard to do and shiny hunting can be a time-consuming process. That’s why this maker and developer, known online as Dinones, has automated the process using our favorite SBC, the Raspberry Pi. The idea behind his project was to totally automate the process so his Nintendo Switch (an actual Switch not just an emulator) would run all night hunting "shinies" while he sleeps.

The end result is a custom program that can run on a Raspberry Pi that uses the power of artificial intelligence to identify shiny Pokémon. If it detects a shiny, it then proceeds to catch it with a Master Ball. If you’re not familiar, this is a special type of Pokéball that automatically catches any Pokémon without fail. You typically get just one per game, but Dinones explains he has a few thanks to cloning items. If you don’t use a Master Ball, there’s a good chance your shiny Pokémon will escape capture.

The Raspberry Pi is able to send input to the Switch thanks to a Python-based application called NXBT. This application acts as a fake controller that communicates with the Switch using Bluetooth. With this, you can program any custom response to whatever Pokémon pops up on screen (shiny or not).

The Raspberry Pi is able to see what’s on the Switch thanks to the use of a capture card. This sends images to the Pi which allows it to process the input and make a decision about how to respond. If a shiny is present, it catches it. If not, the game soft resets and the process starts over.

In this case, Dinones is using OpenCV for image processing. There are a few ways you can go about training it to recognize "shinies". He delves deeper into this process in the demo video of the project over at YouTube. You can also find the source code for the project at GitHub.

We highly recommend checking out this Raspberry Pi project in action in the demo video. It’s too cool to ignore—especially if you’re a Pokémon fan with sore thumbs from shiny hunting. If you want a team of legit "shinies" to blow your friends away, this is definitely one project you should check out.

Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to prevent emulators from being used by mainstream gamers on its Xbox series consoles. A few months ago, the Xbox team announced that emulators running in "retail mode" would no longer be legal, and banned all emulators from the Microsoft Store. However, the situation quickly escalated when a group of developers found a loophole in the system. As a result, Microsoft is now handing out 15-day suspensions to anyone desperate enough to run emulators outside of developer mode (due to the loophole).

Emulation is the defacto way to keep really old classic games, say from the PS1 era from going the way of the Dodo. With emulation, gamers can continue playing these really old games on modern computer hardware. However, due to the additional cost of running emulation, many gamers prefer to use hardware like the Xbox series consoles to play emulated games since these consoles have really powerful CPUs compared to other consoles (like the Nintendo Switch).

In fact, Microsoft's Xbox series consoles are so powerful that they can run emulated games at higher resolutions and extra graphical options than originally intended.

Apparently Microsoft never officially disclosed why emulators were banned, but Azure developer Alyanna McKenna on Twitter shared some insider knowledge from the Xbox QA team about the ban. According to her tweet, Microsoft banned emulators due to copyright protection issues with Nintendo. Emulators published on the Microsoft Store can come pre-bundled with Nintendo games that are not legally allowed to be played by the application.

Additionally, the tweet goes on to say that these emulators can require permissions beyond the typical use case for a game or app on an Xbox console, and banning emulators altogether can close this security loophole as well. Now, it's worth noting that this is not an official Microsoft press release, but it gives us good insight into its decision-making on the matter.

However, this did not stop developers and hackers from making a workaround to get past the ban altogether. Apparently, a few months after Microsoft put the ban in place, a group of emulation developers were able to exploit a fault in Microsoft's software that allowed their emulator to run in an Xbox console's normal mode or "retail mode" (more on that later). As a result, Microsoft has now added an additional 15-day suspension for anyone gutsy enough to try this workaround.

Thankfully this problem is not that serious, for some reason Microsoft still allows Xbox gamers to run emulation apps as long as the console is running in "development mode" instead of "retail mode". A development license only costs $20 so it's a very easy way to re-enable emulation support on an Xbox console legally. But, given how stringent Microsoft has been with its current policy, don't be surprised if this "loophole" also gets banned in the future.

An abducted teenager is now safe at home, thanks in part to the collaborative work between Nintendo and the FBI, as well as volunteers from Hear Their Voices. ABC15 reports that the unnamed child disappeared from her Virginia home on August 3, 2022. She was missing for 11 days before the FBI and Tolleson police pinpointed her location and surrounded her abductor’s apartment in Arizona.

The story starts, naturally, in Virginia. Shortly after the then-14-year-old went missing, volunteers from non-profit organization Hear Their Voices came to help. They posted flyers the next day and canvassed nearby neighborhoods in wider circles day-by-day. However, they didn’t know that the girl had already been taken on a bus more than 2,000 miles away.

Her abductor was reportedly a 28-year-old man, Ethan Roberts. He made friends with the victim on the internet, before going to Virginia to abduct her, according to court documents.

When the 14-year-old was taken from Virginia, she was allowed to bring her Nintendo Switch games console. ABC15 reports that during her captivity, the victim watched YouTube and downloaded a game, thereby dropping “digital breadcrumbs.” Thanks to a connected Switch gaming friend in her Virginia locality, authorities were alerted.

“The fact that somebody else down the road — another child — was bright enough to go, ‘Hey, look, my friend is online, and she's been missing, and I need to tell somebody’” was pivotal, retired Arizona DPS Director Frank Milstead, explained to ABC15. Remember, the poster campaign by Hear Their Voices will have helped raise this local awareness.

After the digital breadcrumbs were picked up, on day 10, the FBI and Nintendo worked to locate the girl’s Switch console via its IP address. She was freed from Roberts’ apartment the next day, and is now at home in Virginia recovering from her ordeal.

Ethan Roberts was “indicted in federal court for charges including child pornography and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity,” says ABC15. Roberts subsequently made a plea deal, and this April began a sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

Apparently, there have been over 21 million Xbox Series X and Series S consoles sold by Microsoft, since launch. A slide reported to have been shared by Microsoft, at the ID@Xbox Developer Accelerator Program in Brazil, has provided this number. That is a lot of consoles, but the number isn't quite as impressive when compared to the sales numbers from console rivals Sony and Nintendo.  

Microsoft has been tight-lipped regarding sales figures for Xbox consoles for nearly a decade. It has been speculated that management decided to hide console unit sales by getting its accountants to publicly weigh Microsoft’s Xbox business in terms of Xbox Live and Game Pass subscriptions. This provides optics than showing the Xbox console unit numbers obviously lagging rivals.

Another revelation concerns the numbers of Xbox One family consoles sold in their lifetime. Remember, it has been so long since we saw Xbox hardware unit sales from Microsoft that it extends to the previous generation. Doing some trivial math, we see that there were 58 million Xbox One consoles sold during its era. Clearly, the Xbox Series X / S still have a long way to go to reach such numbers. To get a good handle on this data, we think a chart is called for.

Note that with the figures above we have tried to source the latest official totals. You can see the Xbox figures that have come from the headlining Microsoft slide at the top. The latest PlayStation 5 and Switch console hardware sales figures come from numbers shared this March, so will be a little out of date by now.

One other interesting morsel from the Microsoft slide concerns the cheaper Xbox Series S. At launch, we contrasted Microsoft’s strategy of launching the Series S with Sony’s. The slide’s assertion that 48% of Series S players are new to Xbox paints it as quite a success. That is a good conversion figure, and that console’s pricing takes it much further into the impulse buying zone than its bigger brother (or Sony’s consoles).

In the current battle royale between the Xbox Series and Sony PS5 consoles, it looks likely that Sony could pull ahead a bit more. Sony was particularly badly affected during the peak pandemic years, with the chip crunch and big stay-at-home demand. However, that period appears to be behind us now and Sony is predicting another 19 million PS5 consoles will be sold by its financial year end (March 31, 2024).

Healthy PC Gaming Market

Last but not least, another slide from the ID@Xbox Developer Accelerator Program showed some figures for PC gaming. Yes, PCs continue to be a hugely important gaming market with “248.6m active Windows gaming PCs,” according to Microsoft.

There are tons of cool Raspberry Pi gaming handhelds that have been created over the years. One that we really appreciate is the Retro Lite CM4 created by a maker known as StonedEdge. This handheld resembles a Nintendo Switch but instead has a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 inside and runs RetroPie. Today we’re sharing a new accessory he’s made that also uses a Raspberry Pi component—an RP2040-powered docking station.

The docking station is designed so that the Retro Lite CM4 can charge while it’s placed in the station. According to StonedEdge, it also works with any other Linux-based RetroPie system. It features a little screen, as well, so you can see stats about your playing history as well as get a look at game data based on whatever you’re playing at the time.

There are three main modes that the screen alternates through including a default splash screen, your gaming history stats as well as a game mode that updates to reflect whatever is currently launched in RetroPie. The charging takes place using a USB-C port while an HDMI port provides video output.

The unit is 3D printed and designed to not just look nice but to also provide access to the hardware and ports for ease of use. The LCD screen is 1.5-inches across and has a resolution of 128 x 128px. There are three USB 2.0 ports available to connect peripherals to, as well. Everything is connected to a custom PCB that sports an RP2040 processor.

StonedEdge provides an in depth look at the software-side of the project over at GitHub. When the system first boots, it displays the default splash screen. Once EmulationStation is running, it starts to show basic system stats like the CPU temperature and IP address. It will also rotate through things like which games you play the most and how often you play them. Lastly, game mode activates when you launch a title.

A lot of work went into this accessory and we really appreciate the time and effort StonedEdge took to bring it to fruition. This is more than a simple dock, it’s a fully functional gadget with custom housing and a unique PCB. Check out the original thread shared to Reddit to get a closer look at this Raspberry Pi project in action.

Last week Sony took the wraps off its Project Q handheld. A lot of questions about the device were answered during the showcase event, however, a vital handheld specification wasn't provided — battery life. Now Tom Henderson, a games industry tipster with a long track record, has gone public to assert that the Sony Project Q will only last for three to four hours between charges.

Sony's latest handheld could be described as a 'dumb' device, in that it doesn't have onboard processors for tackling PlayStation gaming content. All the onboard processing power needs to do is handle games streaming and user inputs without detrimental lag. It is possible to enjoy PS Remote Play streaming on gadgets like mobiles, tablets, and so on as the PlayStation game processing is done in the cloud, but Sony thought a dedicated device like the Project Q is the best way to do justice to its games catalog.

With its light processing burden in mind, one might expect it would be relatively easy for the Sony Project Q to offer extended battery life, as the Logitech G Cloud can. However, if Henderson is right, users will get a desperately short unplugged experience here. Sony must have decided this was enough, and/or the decision was steered by the overall weight, size, or cost of the handheld.

To put the claimed Sony Project Q handheld battery life into some perspective, let us compare it with a mix of contemporary handheld gaming and smart devices:

• Logitech G Cloud: 'all day' 12+ hours claimed
• Apple iPad 10th Gen (2022): about 10 hours
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus (2023): about 9 hours
• Nintendo Switch OLED: between 4.5 and 9 hours
• Valve Steam Deck: usually 2 to 6 hours observed in our review
• Asus ROG Ally: PC gaming 1.43 hours, web activity 5.51 hours in our review testing

In the above examples, you can see devices like the ROG Ally really eat through their batteries when games are using the local CPU and GPU power (actually the AMD Ryzen A1 Extreme APU). However, it looks like it would be able to stream games for nearly six hours. This kind of local processing vs streaming battery life usage differential is a big reason why the touted Sony Project Q handheld battery life is so disappointing. The source takes a swipe at Sony, by adding that "at least Project Q is on brand with the DualSense having a short battery life." Hopefully, Henderson's information comes from a pre-release testing unit with a smaller battery, or there is another pre-release hardware issue at play stunting the battery life.

Another factor that will be important to the success or failure of the Sony Project Q will be pricing, which was also held back from the unveiling event. Henderson expects the product release to be sometime in November, and we should get pricing nearer that time.

With PS Remote Play, Sony allows gamers to stream games from their PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles to Android, iOS, iPadOS, macOS and Windows devices. You can even stream to another PS5 or PS4 if you wish. But now, Sony is putting a new twist on Remote Play by introducing the Project Q handheld.

To the untrained eye, Project Q looks like little more than a DualShock 5 controller split in half and then joined by an 8-inch display. The controllers have adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, while the 8-inch display features a 1080p resolution and is capped at 60 fps. 

You'll connect to Remote Play exclusively over Wi-Fi, according to Sony. There are apparently no provisions for integrated cellular connectivity. However, it shouldn't be hard to connect to the internet on the go using your smartphone as a mobile hotspot.

Before you get any ideas that Project Q could be a true Valve Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally or even Nintendo Switch competitor, know that it is only a streaming device. No games are installed directly on the handheld, nor is it packing hardware powerful enough to enable native playback. So, if you want a genuine, self-contained handheld gaming machine, you'll want to stick to the above devices.

Unfortunately, Sony was light on additional details for Project Q. We don't know how much it weighs or how long the internal battery lasts. In addition, no pricing information has been revealed, although we know Sony plans to launch it later this year.

What remains to be seen is if this will be a popular device with customers. As mentioned in the introduction, Sony offers a wide range of options for customers to stream games from their PS5 or PS4. For example, the recently announced Backbone One PlayStation Edition allows you to have a similar Remote Play experience with your Android smartphone. However, you miss out on the larger 8-inch display, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

The big sticking point with customers will likely come down to pricing. The PlayStation 5 starts at $399, so Project Q will have to undercut that price by a fair margin to make a splash with the console gaming community.

We’ve been excited for the Asus ROG Ally handheld for a while and, now that it’s here, we’re eager to see what all it can do. In our review of the Asus Ally, we noted that it offers good performance and a bright screen, but mediocre battery life. And when you compare the Asus Ally vs the Steam Deck, it's a tie because each has its strengths when playing PC games.

But what about emulation? How well does Asus's new handheld play games made for consoles. YouTuber ETA Prime was determined to find out and shows us in the video below. The results are very promising as the Ally is able to handle games from PS3 (usually an emulation challenge), the Nintendo Switch and Xbox 360.

On the lighter end of the emulation spectrum, ETA Prime demonstrated it’s ability to play PSP games with ease using PPSSPP. It can also handle 3DS emulation using Citra, a Nintendo 3DS emulation platform. These systems are less demanding hardware-wise than consoles so it goes without surprise that the Asus ROG Ally handled them so well.

As far as consoles are concerned, ETA Prime also demonstrated its ability to run GameCube ROMs using Dolphin. PlayStation 2 games were also on the table thanks to PCSX2, a Windows-compatible PS2 emulation platform. From the same era, we also got a look at Xbox emulation with CXBX. It handled the WiiU fairly well using CEMU and brought us to the modern era of consoles by emulating the Nintendo Switch. In addition, it could handle Xbox 360 and PS3 emulation with reliable playability.

The Asus ROG Ally runs Windows so Steam access is a given. However, if you’re looking for an emulation platform there’s definitely great potential to be had. If you want to get a closer look at the Asus ROG Ally in action, check out the demonstration video shared to YouTube by ETA Prime.

The $4 Raspberry Pi Pico is fast becoming the glue for retro projects and this project from David Pagels brings retro Nintendo controllers to Nintendo's popular Switch console via USB and in a recent update, Bluetooth.

David Pagels Retro-Pico-Switch project is deliciously simple: Use your old Nintendo 64 and Gamecube controllers with a Nintendo Switch. No configuration is necessary; Just download a UF2 file from the releases page, set your Pico W ready for flashing, drag and drop the UF2 on to the Pico and then it reboots as a Bluetooth device. The only slightly difficult part of the project is connecting the controller to the Pico. Thankfully there are pinout references that can be used to map the controller pins to the Pico. The N64 controller interface has just three pins. Pin 1 connects to a 3.6V power source, pin 2 is for data, and pin 3 is GND. The software is looking for a connection between pin 2 (data) and GPIO 18 of the Pico. A 1 Kilo Ohm resistor is used between pin 2 and 1 to pull the data pin high, ensuring consistent data transmission. The Gamecube pinout is a little more involved, with seven pins, but pin 2 (red wire) is data, pin 6 (blue wire) is 3.3V and pin 7 (black wire) is Ground. The remaining pins are for the rumble feedback.

To give the project a clean aesthetic, there is a 3D printable enclosure for the Nintendo 64 controller interface. The 3D printable parts are small and easy to print, with the best 3D printers. Playing the recent Metroid Prime remaster with an original Gamecube controller would be an epic blast of nostalgia.

Pagels' attention to detail sees the Switch's home button mapped to a combination of the L, R and Start buttons, and dynamic scaling is used for each axis of the joystick to account for the reduced range that older analog controllers had. The project benefits from a recent update to the Pico SDK which brought Bluetooth support to the board's Infineon CYW43439 wireless chip. Bluetooth support was introduced to the Raspberry Pi Pico W via SDK 1.5.0 in February 2023. Bluetooth support has yet to be made officially available for MicroPython and CircuitPython and this is why Pagels' project uses the C SDK. 

As a neat bonus, the project can also be used on other machines. This makes it an ideal input for a spot of retro emulation with real controllers. Four player Goldeneye and Diddy Kong Racing would really benefit from the N64 controller.

You can download the code, and learn more about this great project via Pagels' GitHub repository. Sure, Nintendo sells versions of the N64 controller that are compatible with the Switch by default, but what fun is that?

Nvidia has just published its latest set of financials for its fourth quarter and fiscal 2023. Despite revenues continuing to follow a downtrend, the results were better than expected. Moreover, Nvidia is seen as a big wheel in AI accelerator hardware, so its shares surged by over 10% in after-hours trading. Another interesting result within the myriad numbers is that Nvidia’s gaming segment revenue is now only 10% more than its rival AMD.

Nvidia and AMD Gaming Segment Tussle

Nvidia’s gaming segment revenue takes account of income from PC GPUs, as well as its Nintendo Switch hardware and GeForce Now games streaming service. Together these operations generated $1,831M during its most recent quarter. Sadly for Nvidia, this revenue figure is down 46% YoY.

AMD’s gaming segment results are derived from the sum of its income from PC GPUs, as well as its significant semi-custom business for both Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation consoles. The latest AMD figures were published at the end of January and showed that its gaming segment revenue totaled $1,644M during its most recent quarter. Thus, we observe the gaming revenue difference between the green and red teams from their latest financial statements is a measly 10 or 11%, and could turn either way in the coming months.

Considering the above comparison in terms of PC GPUs, we don’t see AMD making any waves in the discrete GPU market to account for its close gaming revenue rivalry. The latest Steam Hardware Survey shows market shares are seemingly entrenched at approx 75% Nvidia, 15% AMD, and 10% for others – for the last 18 months. Rather, as mentioned above, AMD’s console chip sales are doing well.

Nvidia’s Latest Results

Turning our focus back to today’s results from the green team, we see that the chip designer brought in $6,061M in revenue during its most recent quarter. This figure, and the net income, was higher than Wall Street expected, and that is almost always great for a share price, post-results publishing. This is despite the most recent quarterly figures being poorer than this time last year.

Yes, the gaming revenue was down, but there was a bright spot for Nvidia investors in the data center. Data center revenue was up 11% over the year, which is a good achievement in a downturn. Moreover, the data center segment includes AI accelerators, and all things AI are very hotly trending at this time.

In 2023 we have seen a lot more PC GPU action from Nvidia, so it has a good chance to grab even more share of the PC market, especially when the mainstream cards start to become available (hopefully at mainstream prices). As for total gaming segment revenue, AMD will still likely enjoy the support from the very strong demand for Sony and Microsoft consoles, but we don’t have much in the way of indications for its mainstream RDNA 3 graphics card product launches.

The Nintendo Switch may be nearly six years old, but it has proven to have serious staying power, redefining what a console generation looks like with its longevity. In fact, Nintendo plans to increase the number of the consoles it's making, according to a report from Bloomberg, having shipped around 21 million Switch systems in its fiscal year that ends in March.

Nintendo reportedly informed suppliers that it expects to build more units in its next fiscal year, beginning in April. It previously lowered its expectations to 19 million units but now sees a path where the system stays more popular.

The Switch was particularly hard to find early in the pandemic, as people stayed inside and looked for entertainment while Nintendo battled the same chip shortages as other electronics manufacturers.

But Nintendo's console is showing its age in one respect: the Nvidia Tegra X1 system-on-a-chip, which released two years prior to the Switch even launching. While many of Nintendo's first-party games are still running OK on the hardware (though there were some performance concerns about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet), games that have been ported from other systems aren't up to snuff graphically.

There have been rumors swirling of a next-gen Switch for years now. In 2021, at the peak of the speculation, Nintendo released a Switch with an OLED screen, including a larger panel but the same SOC. However, some potential buyers may continue to hold fast, waiting to see if a more powerful next-gen system comes.

The Switch lineup starts at $199.99 for the Switch Lite, goes to $249.99 for the regular Switch and $349 for the Switch OLED. That low price might be attractive as fears of a potential economic recession swirl.

In 2023, Nintendo's flagship title will be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which is set to launch on May 12. It's the sequel to the smash hit The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which released at the Switch's launch), so that may help push unit sales. In addition, it wouldn't be surprising to see the company make a Zelda-themed Switch for the occasion, enticing hardcore fans and collectors.

Some rumors have suggested a new console could accompany that game, or that it could be cross-platform with the current Switch, but there's nothing concrete there at the moment.

Other games that could help push Switch sales this year include Fire Emblem Engage (which comes out today), Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon and a number of games coming to other systems as well, like Hogwarts Legacy, Disgaea 7, Tales of Symphonia Remastered and Octopath Traveller II.

But it seems like the Switch and its Tegra X1 will chug on for a while longer. Nintendo appears to have confidence in it.

Prototypes of a Lenovo handheld gaming console, reportedly called the Legion Play, went on a seemingly unauthorized sale in China, according to reports from Lilliputing  and YouTuber Taki Udon. The latter purchased one and posted a YouTube video with a pretty deep hands-on.

Taki Udon wrote that he purchased the model for "around $160," and said in the video that after being shown images, he received it in the mail shrouded in bubble wrap. That price is likely far lower than what the device would have sold for if it was ever officially released.

Luckily, a big sticker on the back of Udon's device lists some of the specs, suggesting this device was codenamed "Zelda." Back in 2021, Liliputing noted that there were some hidden references to the Legion Play on Lenovo's website around Mobile World Congress 2021, which suggested a 7-inch, 16:9 display, HDR10, dual speakers, vibration, and a 7,000 mAh battery. Udon's model, which comes in blue, does appear to meet those specs. In Udon's video, you can see that the system came with 64GB of storage.

In Aida64, Udon found that the Legion is running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor (the same chip in the Logitech G Cloud) and 4GB of RAM. It appears to be running Android 11, another similarity to the G Cloud. The main difference is that this prototype supports display out over USB Type-C, which the G Cloud does not.

Parts of the UI look like stock Android, but it is pretty heavily customized and in some ways seems to be influenced by the Nintendo Switch's minimalistic UI. There's also an application from Tencent that appears to be extremely similar one on the Logitech G Cloud. For some game demos, including emulation, you should check out the full video.

Udon seemed to largely like the physical device, though he said he would like to have seen better rubber on the D-Pad and taller A/B/X/Y buttons.

It's unclear why Lenovo never launched the Legion Play. As both Udon and Liliputing point out, this prototype appears to be from 2021, and if the company was prepared to launch at Mobile World Congress that year, it would have been before Valve's Steam Deck was ever announced (that x86-based gaming machine in July 2021). Since then, Logitech has launched the G Cloud, and at CES Razer launched the Razer Edge. Both of those devices run on Android and are cloud-focused for gaming on Xbox Game Pass and Nvidia GeForce Now.

As for how a batch of these Lenovo prototypes went on sale in China, we may never know. But those who were in the know as these devices went on sale now have a weird piece of Lenovo's history.

Valve is not looking to improve performance of the next iteration of Steam Deck, the designers of the portable console told The Verge. Instead, the company will for now try to improve the battery life and display quality of the device. Once computer architectures evolve significantly, Valve will possibly consider a major upgrade.  

"I think we will opt to keep the one performance level for a little bit longer, and only look at changing the performance level when there is a significant gain to be had," said Pierre-Loup Griffais, a Steam Deck designer. 

Many new games do not really run smoothly on Steam Deck's custom-designed Aerith system-on-chip featuring four Zen 2 cores with SMT at 2.40 to 3.50 GHz and an RDNA 2-based GPU with 512 stream processors operating at 1.0 to 1.60 GHz. As a result, demanding gamers (who tend to buy plenty of games) would prefer a Steam Deck with a higher-performing SoC in order to enjoy their latest titles on the go. But for now, Steam Deck designers Lawrence Yang and Pierre-Loup Griffais are looking forward to improving battery life and display in their next Steam Deck iteration.

While they tend to cost quite a bit more than the Steam Deck, there are competing handhelds that may find more of an audience with demanding gamers. The Aya Neo 2 is based on the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (eight Zen 3+ cores, RDNA 2-powered Radeon 680M iGPU with 768 SPs), which delivers higher performance, but at the cost of battery life. 

"Right now, the fact that all the Steam Decks can play the same games and that we have one target for users to understand what kind of performance level to expect when you are playing and for developers to understand what to target... there is a lot of value in having that one spec," said Griffais. 

Indeed, there are many reasons why it makes sense for Valve to retain the same level of performance with the next iteration of the Steam Deck. If it didn't, it would need to run two separate Steam Deck Compatibility programs for two consoles with different specifications. Secondly, game developers would have to target two hardware configurations, which means longer time-to-market and higher costs for them. Thirdly, some owners of the first-generation Steam Deck would feel left behind once the second-generation launched. Finally, reducing the costs of the Steam Deck to make the hardware profitable makes more financial sense than increasing performance and not making any money on hardware. And as long as the Steam Deck is continuing to sell well, the company has little reason to make major upgrades.

While PC gamers may not exactly feel great about the lack of Steam Deck upgrades in the foreseeable future, it is a normal practice in the console world to keep hardware specifications stable for years. For example, Nintendo could have introduced its 'Switch Pro' based on a more powerful Nvidia SoC by now, but the only upgrade that the Switch console has seen over its five-year lifespan is a better OLED display. 

And if you're a company that's new to the console market and looking to stay there for a long time, you could certainly do worse than looking to Nintendo for some guidance. 

Around this time last year, we reviewed the Nreal Light glasses priced at $599. This year, Nreal has released the follow-up "Air" glasses, which are lighter and cost less at just $379.

The lighter weight and lower price can be attributed to the fact that these aren’t true augmented reality (AR) glasses. The Air lacks the dual cameras of the Light; hence there are no provisions for hand tracking, image tracking or plane detection. So while the price is lower, you’re also getting less functionality. However, for the tasks that it can handle, the Air does them quite well.

Specifications for the Nreal Air

Design of the Nreal Air

The Nreal Air is primarily constructed of plastic, just like its Light predecessor. While the Air looks similar to regular sunglasses, there are some noticeable differences. For starters, at 2.78 ounces (79 grams), they're heavier than most traditional sunglasses. In addition, the top portion of the frame is much thicker, as this is where the dual OLED displays are housed. Those displays then project their image down onto the lenses in front of your eyes. You cannot wear regular glasses with the Air, but a frame is included to add your prescription lenses.

The arms of the Air are thicker than what you'd find on a pair of sunglasses due to the need to support the internal electronics, including a pair of integrated speakers, a power button and a rocker switch for controlling the display brightness.

At the end of the left arm, you'll find a USB Type-C port that accepts a USB-C cable (included in the box) for plugging directly into an Android smartphone, computer or Steam Deck. There are three included nose grips (one of which is already installed on the glasses), a black plastic shade to block out light (making them more akin to virtual reality glasses) and a compact case to hold everything.

If you want to connect to an Android device, Windows PC or M1 Mac, all the hardware you need to get started comes in the box – namely, the USB-C cable. The Air draws power from these devices, so only the USB-C cable is needed for power and audio/video.

However, if you want to connect to a game console (an Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch), iOS device, or anything that doesn’t have a USB-C port, you must purchase a separate Nreal Air adapter ($59) with HDMI connectivity. Unfortunately, iOS users will also need to purchase an Apple Lightning to Digital AV Adapter ($49) if they don’t already have one. If you’re an iPhone user, that’s another $110 you’ll need to budget for in addition to the $379 Nreal Air.

The adapter features an integrated battery providing up to three hours of playback since the glasses won't get power from USB Type-C. Nreal also says you can go from 0 to 40 percent battery in 30 minutes using a USB-C charger. You’ll need to keep this in mind when playing games with a Nintendo Switch or watching videos on an iPhone. 

so It’s definitely a downer to have the Air glasses shut down in the middle of a firefight because the adapter’s battery died. And since there’s no USB-C power passthrough, you can’t get back into the action until you unplug the glasses and stick in a USB-C cable to recharge the adapter.

General Observations with the Nreal Air

Nreal says that the Air projects a 130-inch virtual screen 4 meters away from you with Air Casting mode, which is the mode that I primarily used (there’s also a MR Spaces mode that we’ll discuss later). It's this vast viewing area that makes consuming content like movies/TV shows and playing games so enjoyable. The image doesn't completely fill your field of view; you can still see the environment around you in your periphery (even with the black plastic light blocker installed).

The integrated speakers do a decent job with sound and will work in a pinch. Music sounds lifeless and lacks bass, while in-game audio similarly lacks depth. Instead, I recommend using a decent set of wireless earbuds or headphones. Besides, if you're using the glasses in close quarters, like on an airplane, I doubt that other passengers want to hear whatever sound is emanating from the Air's speakers. 

I must also say that because the Air looks mostly like a pair of traditional sunglasses, you can blend in with the general populous without looking out of place (try wearing a Microsoft HoloLens in public without getting stares). They make a great way to kill time  while riding the subway or taking a long flight.

Using the Nreal Air with the Nintendo Switch

Getting up and running with a console is a somewhat cumbersome process due to the adapters and wires the glasses require. While testing the Nreal Air with a docked Nintendo Switch, I first inserted the included HDMI dongle into the Nreal adapter and plugged in an HDMI cable. The other end of the cable plugs directly into the Nintendo Switch dock. Finally, I plugged the USB-C cable from the Nreal Air into the adapter and turned on the Nintendo Switch. After a few seconds, the glasses displayed the familiar image of the console’s home screen.

I first decided to bogart an existing session of Burnout Paradise Remastered that my oldest son had left in suspend mode. Before I knew it, I had spent 10 minutes blasting around the map, challenging others to races and crashing into unsuspecting AI-controlled vehicles head-on. I was fully immersed in the game world, not paying attention to what was happening in my periphery.

The image displayed was so bright and clear that I didn’t need the black plastic light blocker to enjoy it.

Using the Nreal Air with the Xbox Series X

Setting up the Nreal Air to work with an Xbox Series X was similar to the Nintendo Switch OLED. Using the same Nreal adapter/HDMI dongle/HDMI cable setup, I plugged it into the HDMI port on the back of the Xbox Series X and then connected the Nreal Air.

I first fired up Forza Horizon 5, hitting 215 mph in a Ford GT on the interstate before crashing into a ditch after sideswiping a Jeep. I then switched vehicles, opting for a Ford Bronco as I ventured off-road through the rocky wilderness and over streams. While not the full 4K resolution that I’m used to with the 55-inch TV that the Xbox Series X is usually attached to, the detail was sharp enough that I preferred this viewing experience.

Microsoft Flight Simulator also looked dazzling on the virtual 130-inch screen. Playing in a completely dark room at night was a sensational experience. However, after becoming immersed for about two and a half hours, the game abruptly ended because the battery on the Nreal adapter died.

Using the Nreal Air with an Oppo X5

The Nreal Air has limited compatibility with Android devices; only a select few OEMs are currently supported. You're in luck if you have a recent Android smartphone from LG, Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo or Sony. Nreal provided an Oppo X5 for us to test the Air, and it worked just fine with a OnePlus 9 that I also had on hand (you can see a full compatibility list here).

Rather annoyingly, you must sign up for a Nreal account before using the Air with the required Nebula app. The Nebula app allows you to mirror content to your screen or provide a more interactive AR experience. Once I created an account, the Air paired with the Oppo X5 and downloaded some firmware updates.

Air Casting mode allowed me to mirror the content displayed on the smartphone’s screen, which is a bit limiting due to the permanent portrait orientation. However, when watching videos with apps like Disney Plus or Amazon Prime Video, the Air automatically kicks into landscape mode to view content.

MR Spaces is an interface provided by the Nebular app that Nreal has designed that allows you to customize your own virtual workspace. You can see more of your workspace as you move your head left and right. You can rearrange apps to your choosing and have multiple windows open simultaneously (you can also resize those windows to your liking). If you can't see everything you want on the screen, simply turn your head to see the rest.

You use the phone as a makeshift laser pointer and tap the screen with your finger to interact with apps and on-screen content within MR Spaces. It takes a little while to get used to, but it’s a pretty efficient way to navigate the interface.

I felt like MR Spaces was more of a gimmick than something I'd use daily. However, it's definitely something that you'd want to show friends and family if they want to see what all the commotion is about regarding mixed reality.

Using the Nreal Air with an iPhone 14 Pro

Attaching the Nreal Air to an iPhone required the removal of the HDMI dongle from the Nreal adapter and replacing it with the Apple Lightning to Digital A/V Adapter (provided by Nreal). Next, I inserted the Lighting connector into the iPhone and plugged the Nreal’s Air’s USB-C cord into the Nreal adapter. 

With everything connected, the iPhone automatically recognizes the Nreal adapter and outputs to it. You’re first presented with the iOS home screen and all of your apps in portrait mode. However, this is not an optimal experience as you still have to look down at the iPhone to navigate the user interface.

That all changes when you decide to play a video. I opened the YouTube app and selected the latest episode from Rich Rebuilds, where their homebrew electric side-by-side caught on fire at SEMA. As soon as I hit play on the video, it automatically displayed in landscape mode and took up the full “viewable area” of the Nreal Air. Games also played just fine in landscape mode, as intended.

Using the Nreal Air with a Corsair Voyager A1600

Gaming on the Corsair Voyager A1600 was just as thrilling as it was on the Xbox Series X, and only required me to plug the Nreal Air’s USB-C cord into a free port on the laptop. The Nebula app isn’t available for use in Windows 10/11; the Air just shows up as an additional mirrored display. 

I immediately fired up Red Dead Redemption 2 and galloped on a horse around town, then played about an hour of Grand Theft Auto V. Not surprisingly, I got my butt handed to me repeatedly in Overwatch 2. My gaming skills weren’t enhanced nor diminished due to the Air; I just suck at online shooters.

Frame rates are capped at 60 fps because of the Air’s hardware limitations, which wasn’t a problem for me with the Air in the games I played. I played at 1920 x 1080 resolution and didn’t notice a drop off in image quality compared to playing natively on the Voyager A1600’s IPS panel.

Using the Nreal Air with a MacBook Pro

Like my experience with the Corsair Voyager A1600, using the Nreal Air on a MacBook Pro didn’t require using the adapter. Simply plugging in the AR headset allowed it to spring to life, giving me a full view of my desktop and all apps. 

However, Nreal also provides its Nebula app (in beta) that allows you to utilize the full capabilities of the glasses better. We should note that the Nreal Air and the Nebula software are only supported on M1 Macs – it is not hardware/software compatible with Intel Macs.

While the displayed image tracks with your head movements on the other aforementioned devices (and on the Mac without Nebula), the Nebula Mac software allows you to set the screen at a fixed point in space as if it were a physical monitor. So if you turn your head to the left or right of the fixed point, you see less of the screen. The same goes for moving your head up and down. 

While this arrangement doesn’t make much sense with just a single desktop, Nebula also allows you to simultaneously have up to three desktops. So you can start off looking straight ahead and your primary (central) workspace. If you turn your head to the right, you’ll see the second workspace. If you instead turn your head to the left, you’ll see the third workspace. This, in essence, gives you three virtual monitors to work with when using the Nreal Air.

The only downside to using the Nebula app is that the refresh rate dropped to around 30 Hz instead of its native 60 Hz and the image became very jittery, which gave me a severe bout of eyestrain. I couldn’t find a way to adjust this in display settings, so I used the Nebula Air primarily without the Nebula app.

Bottom Line

The Nreal Air is a compelling piece of hardware at a more attractive price than its Nreal Light sibling. However, the Air also lacks the onboard cameras and extended tracking features of a true augmented reality headset like the Light.

Where the Air truly shines is a as a media consumption tool. I found myself immersed watching YouTube clips and episodes of Star Wars: Andor on the Air. Since they’re so lightweight and don’t feel much different than wearing a pair of sunglasses or prescription glasses, it is low-impact. 

The same ergonomics platitudes can be said about gaming, be it on a Nintendo Switch, Windows PC or Xbox Series X. I felt zero eye fatigue using Air Casting for hours at a time. The only time serious eye strain occurred was when using the Nebula app in macOS.

Where things quickly fall apart is if you want to use the Air with an iOS device like an iPhone. You have to consider the $379 cost of the glasses, $59 for the Nreal adapter and another $49 for the Apple Lightning to Digital A/V Adapter. Now you’re looking at nearly $500, which is a lot to spend for a cobbled together solution for pairing an iPhone and the Air.

Another thing to consider is that if you want to use the Air with a game console or iOS device, the Nreal adapter is required. It has an integrated battery which only provides around three hours of runtime before it needs recharging. We really wish that the adapter was included in the box.

However, if you can get past those downsides, the Nreal Air provides an excellent “big screen” experience that can’t be matched by even the largest smartphones or laptops on the market.

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday filed a complaint seeking to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard over concerns that it would harm competitors by withholding their access to popular titles, such as Call of Duty. The agency claims that Microsoft has a history of denying competitors access to content it acquired. Microsoft argues that the proposed bid will expand competition.

“Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals,” said Holly Vedova, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “Today we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming markets.”

The FTC reminds us that when Microsoft took over ZeniMax (the owner of Bethesda Softworks), it assured European antitrust agencies that it would not withhold games from competing console platforms. Yet, sometime after the deal was completed, Starfield and Redfall games were made Microsoft exclusives.

Being a leading independent game publisher, Activision Blizzard currently offers its titles on all platforms, including Microsoft’s Xbox and Windows, Sony’s PlayStation, and Nintendo’s Switch, to name a few. In addition, Activision has some of the world’s most-played titles — including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch — in its stable, so should Microsoft decide to harm its rivals by blocking their access to these games, it will affect hundreds of millions of gamers worldwide.

The FTC is by far not the first agency or organization aiming to block Microsoft’s proposal to take over Activision in a record $68.7 billion deal, which may become the biggest gaming industry transaction ever and one of the largest deals in the history of the high-tech industry. Numerous antitrust authorities are reviewing the proposed bid in-depth. Many companies, including Microsoft’s rival Sony, asserted that Microsoft would make popular titles from Activision Blizzard exclusive to its consoles and cloud gaming platform.

Microsoft itself denies any plans of wrongdoing and argues that the deal will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and developers.

“We continue to believe that our deal to acquire Activision Blizzard will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers,” said Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft. “We have been committed since Day One to addressing competition concerns, including by offering earlier this week proposed concessions to the FTC. While we believe in giving peace a chance, we have complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present it in court.”

It is not the first time the FTC has sued to block a large takeover deal. In December 2021, the FTC filed a complaint to block the Nvidia-Arm merger, citing concerns that once Nvidia gains control over Arm, it would withhold certain technologies from rivals to gain an advantage over them. Nvidia called off the proposal in February 2022, citing significant regulatory challenges.

The Steam Deck is a computer, full stop. It lets me take my entire Steam library on the go (or even Epic Games and other launchers, if you want to install Windows on the Steam Deck). But one downside to the  Steam Deck is that it lacks expandability.

That's where the Steam Deck Docking Station comes in. It's an $89 dock that falls somewhere between what comes with the Nintendo Switch and what I use to connect a laptop to a monitor. This makes it easier to connect peripherals or attach the Steam Deck to a monitor or TV. 

After a brief amount of time trying out the Steam Deck Docking Station, I've found it to be a completely optional accessory, especially if you already have some other powered hub. There are a few use cases where it can boost your experience, but I found it to be something nice, but nowhere near required.

Steam Deck Docking Station Specs

Design of the Steam Deck Docking Station

The Steam Deck is big, but the docking station sure isn't. It's just 4.5 inches wide and takes up very little space on a desk or near a TV. It's far smaller than the Steam Deck that it actually carries.

A small lip holds the Steam Deck up, and unlike the Nintendo Switch, there's no plastic blocking the screen, so you can use it on its own while it's docked. But unlike the Switch, simply placing the Steam Deck in the dock doesn't start charging it or outputting its screen to a monitor; There's a right-angle USB Type-C port with the perfect amount of length to reach the top of the Steam Deck. This cable is not detachable from the dock, so let's hope it doesn't get damaged.

All of the ports are on the back of the dock. The first two, DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0, are for  video. Next to that is the power connector, which uses an included 45-watt USB-C charger (the same one that comes with the Steam Deck). Next to that, there's a Gigabit Ethernet port, followed by the trio of USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports for peripherals.

I'm glad Valve included the charger here. That means you can keep a charger with the Steam Deck while on the go, but also have the dock immediately set up and ready to go whenever you get back to it without constantly replacing cables.

Using the Steam Deck Docking Station

Here's the short version: it works.  When I plugged in my Keychron Q1, pulled mouse dongles and wired controllers out and tried them, they worked.

Here's the longer version: in most cases, I wouldn't use the Docking Station. For me, it's a very nice place to stick the Steam Deck to charge. But I like using the Steam Deck to curl up on the couch and play games on the build-in controls. I recently finished all of Stray that way.

The Steam Deck's specs are meant for gaming on the go. Its custom AMD Zen 2 "Van Gogh" APU and eight RDNA 2-based compute units are potent enough, but they don't have the specs to blow up these games to a large screen. For me, someone with a gaming desktop, I don't think plugging into a monitor is the best experience. But if this is your only gaming PC, it does work That being said, the dock doesn't add any graphics power to the Steam Deck. Soul Calibur VI, Stray and other games I've been playing on the Steam Deck looked worse when stretched across my 28-inch computer monitor than on the Steam Deck's 7-inch, 1280 x 800 screen.

The monitor aspect actually works better for a totally different aspect of the Steam Deck: the Linux KDE Plasma desktop. Again, I use my own personal computer for browsing the web, writing or working on other projects, but in this case, a bigger screen, with a mouse and keyboard enables the Steam Deck to be a desktop Linux machine

Perhaps the best use of the Steam Deck Docking station is for multiplayer games. The Deck already supports Bluetooth controllers, so you don't need the dock for that. But if you want to play a fighting game (I love some Soul Calibur) with two controllers, either having a TV or having the Steam Deck propped up at all is helpful. The Steam Deck doesn't have a kickstand. For $89, you can hold it up for this purpose. In my initial review, I used a phone stand.

There is a big feature we're still waiting for: FreeSync support, which Valve mentions on its product support page, but is scheduled for an eventual update.

The Big Alternative

Valve, which makes the Steam Deck, has never been quiet about the fact that other USB-C hubs or docks can work with the Steam Deck. You may already have something in your home that works for the majority of these purposes.

Since the Steam Deck launched, I've been occasionally digging into my drawer for a hub. I've got one powered hub sitting around for such a use case that I typically use to plug into my work laptop, which has just two USB-C ports. 

Mine's from some drop-shipped Amazon company with a nonsensical name and was insanely cheap at the time. For a PC dock, which is usually designed for the enterprise or pro users, $89 isn't insane. But I think a lot of Steam Deck users could benefit from grabbing a USB hub with pass-through power delivery (using their included Steam Deck charger) for when they need it.

For instance, this $35 Anker hub with pass-through charging has two USB Type-A ports, a USB Type-C data port, and an HDMI output (though not DisplayPort or Ethernet). This $39 hub from some company I've never heard of has Ethernet and three USB-A ports.

Valve isn't locking you into their dock. If you want everything it gives you, it is there, but there are plenty of other options for people like me, who just want to plug in a USB-A peripheral occasionally.

Bottom Line

The Steam Deck Docking Station is nice to have for certain people. If you want to play on a TV or monitor, resolution or details be damned, it can help, but it's not the only way. If you want to use the Linux desktop or play multiplayer games, it may make more sense.

It works best for people who want it in an entertainment center. The dock has its own power supply and will look snazzy holding up your Steam Deck.

But for those who want to occasionally add a peripheral, getting a USB hub may be a better, or cheaper option. It is for me, and I'm glad Valve has given me the option.

Peripheral giant Logitech has dipped a toe into the teeming handheld streaming console waters with the G Cloud, a Steam Deck/Nintendo Switch lookalike with seemingly unimpressive specs but a nice range of apps from Xbox, Stadia, GeForce Now, Steam Link, and presumably any other streaming service with an Android app.

Inside the machine, which takes the Switch form factor that’s so hot right now, there's a Snapdragon 720G from 2020, as seen in the Samsung Galaxy A52 and Realme 8 Pro smartphones. It’s hardly a top-end chip despite having eight cores (two Cortex-A76 and six Cortex-A55) and is wired up to 4GB of RAM and an Adreno 618 GPU. There's 64GB of internal flash storage too, augmented by a Micro SD slot.

The internal storage matters less when you consider that the G Cloud isn’t made for playing games locally, although it should be able to play many games available on the Play Store. Logitech's G Cloud runs Android 11, and uses streaming apps and its Wi-Fi 5 connection to bring the action to its 1080p IPS screen, which measures seven inches across its diagonal and has 10 finger multi-touch.

Around the back, you’ll find a single USB Type-C port, but there's no video output specified, so it looks like being a purely handheld device with no capacity for docking with a larger display. Controls come in the form of two analog sticks, a D-pad and face buttons, along with gyroscope-measured motion controls and haptic feedback from two motors.

Dimensions are 10.11 x 4.61 x 1.30 inch (257 x 117 mm x 33 mm) making it smaller than the Steam Deck but larger than a Switch, and weighs in at 16.33 oz (463g). Being an Android device, we’d be surprised if it couldn’t manage media streaming apps alongside the gaming ones. A ‘tablet mode’ alluded to in Logitech’s FAQ also suggests a gaming launcher that can be removed to reveal a classic Android home page underneath. Battery life can be up to 12 hours depending on usage.

While nice looking - Chinese company Tencent Games had a hand in the design, as revealed in a leak last month -  the device doesn’t do anything you can’t do with an Android phone/tablet and a Bluetooth controller, and even a Raspberry Pi can be charmed into streaming most of these services. And at $349.99 (a preorder discount is in effect that brings this down to $299.99 or possibly less with a Logitech G promo code) you might be better off with one of the best tablets and a controller, or one of the Steam Deck rivals.

A new device called the Stream Card, for Nintendo Switch owners, was showcased at the Tokyo Game Show. Created by a firm called Tassei, the SD card slot-housed device facilitates PC game streaming over Wi-Fi onto your Switch screen. The device was shown with the surprise hit game Stray in action in a video demo.

Nintendo’s Switch console has an excellent games library, but it isn’t the most powerful handheld around. Therefore, games that look great on PC can pale a little on the small screen. Then there is the question of game availability and pricing – Tom’s Hardware readers know the PC platform is the king of choice and value. Lastly, though some cloud versions of PC AAA games are available on the Switch (notably from Ubisoft and Capcom), there isn’t any competitor product or service that opens up your PC game library to Nintendo’s handheld hybrid – until now.

From the images and video shared by the source, there was an interesting gaming setup on display at the Tokyo Game Show. Inside the display case were what looked like an Intel NUC 11 Phantom Canyon with Intel Tiger Lake CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, a 15-inch portable monitor, and a Nintendo Switch with a Tassei Stream Card protruding in a fragile-looking manner. Outside the case, you can see the videographer playing Stray using a Nintendo Pro controller.

The report from the show floor from 4Gamer suggests the Stream Card isn’t ready for mass consumption. In addition to the bare circuit board design ethic, which adds a brittle protrusion to the refined Switch design, responsiveness leaves room for improvement. Watching the video, you can perceive a lag between the NUC attached monitor game display and the Switch display. The show report says there is a bit of lag when playing, which isn’t going to be ideal for fast-paced competitive multiplayer but could probably be tolerated in other genres.

Looking closer at the hardware, we can see that the attached SD-slot device relies on an ESP8266 for Wi-Fi connectivity. This chip is limited to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, which could explain some of the lagginess. Also Tassei says the streaming system isn’t as simple as a straight Wi-Fi attached display device; it also requires an SoC for ‘processing.’

Tassei’s product information card at Tokyo Game Show says it is looking for a partner to commercialize this device. With an improved compact form factor and tweaks to the Wi-Fi solution and SoC, it has the potential to be appealing, but as it stands, we can’t say it could be raised to the necessary level of refinement/performance to satisfy PC gamers wishing to stream to it.

In summary, this is an interesting product in its early stages, and we will update you if it gets refined and commercialized down the line.

Until now, if you broke your Steam Deck, the only way to fix it would be to take your chance at the local electronics repair shop or try your luck with official parts from iFixit. But now, Valve has opened authorized Steam Deck repair centers, the company announced Friday.

People with hardware issues with their Steam Deck can contact support and then mail in their Steam Deck. "Once there, our team will diagnose the device, repair if needed, then ship the fixed unit back to you," the blog post reads.

If your Steam Deck is under warranty, repairs are free of charge. If a repair isn't covered, Valve says it will reach out and ask to fix up your Deck for a fee, but that users can also decline that fix and ask for the hardware back. Unfortunately, the blog post doesn't make clear who pays for shipping in this situation, though it sounds like getting your hardware back is free for in-warranty fixes.

In the post, Valve uses the hypothetical scenario that a Steam Deck's buttons stop working intermittently to demonstrate an in-warranty repair. In that case, the repair center would replace the button, test the unit and send it back to you.

But if it's out of warranty (Valve uses the example of a dog chewing a thumbstick off of your hardware), you could still mail it in, even if your initial warranty has expired. Valve hasn't listed prices for out-of-warranty repairs. It's also unclear if Valve's repair centers will make part swaps for a fee. One of the most popular DIY fixes among Steam Deck owners has been swapping out the fan with a model from iFixit, which some find quieter and less annoying.

Valve has not provided a complete list of repair services it covers, nor does it specify who runs the repair shops. (When I sent the left Joy-Con from my Nintendo Switch in for servicing in June 2020, it went to a third-party repair center, so Valve contracting this work out would not be uncommon.) Valve didn't respond to a request for more information ahead of publishing, but we'll update this post if we hear back.

The other option, replacement parts and guides from iFixit, are still an option. When Valve launched the Steam Deck, it warned users not to open the device, but with the full set of guides, there's nothing stopping you. But for those who don't have the knowledge or comfort, Valve's official services should make things a bit easier.

In a recent Twitter post by Evan Blass -- which has now been DMCAed, Logitech is reportedly working on a brand new Android handheld gaming device, focusing on running Android games and streaming games from cloud services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now. Effectively, it appears to be the Android counterpart to Valve's Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch.

The story started earlier this month when Logitech and Tencent Games announced a partnership to create a new "cloud gaming handheld" and bring it to market later this year. 

But yesterday, we got leaked images of the new handheld thanks to a Tweet by Evan Blass (@evleaks), which shows off the whole exterior of the new console. But unfortunately, Logitech quickly DMCAed his post, so his images are no longer viewable. Thankfully news outlets that have reported on his Tweet have saved copies of the leaked images for us to see.

Right off the bat, the most interesting feature showcased in the leaked images is support for Google Play games, which suggests this will be an Android handheld. Unfortunately, Logitech never stated what operating system this new console would use, so we can only guess from this leak that it will have a focus on Android and feature an ARM processor of some kind.

Either way, if Logitech's new console does get Android, it will be a nice change of pace from the current bombardment of PC-focused handhelds such as the Steam Deck, Aya Neo, and others. At this time, we don't have an Android gaming handheld with the same high visibility as the Steam Deck. So Logitech could have a huge opportunity on its hands if it turns out to be successful.

But success will be critical; Android is a whole different ball game compared to Windows handhelds. In the Android space, mobile gamers already have portable gaming handhelds in their hands via smartphones. Considering how powerful gaming phones have become, running Android games on mobile devices is a non-issue these days. Plus, many accessories are on the market today turn your gaming phone into a handheld console.

As a result, gamers don't have a top priority of looking for another portable handheld when a smartphone will suffice. Logitech will need to figure out some way to stand out from the smartphone gaming crowd if it wants to be really successful.

The handheld itself is aesthetically pleasing compared to the matte black theme that is very common on Logitech gaming peripherals. Logitech has instead gone with a white theme, accompanied by black accented joysticks, edges, and triggers.

To the left, you get a joystick at the top of the device and a D pad to the middle. To the right another joystick is present, but sitting in the middle of the device, with Y, X, B, A buttons sitting at the top. We don't know the dimensions of the device, or the size of the display, but its form factor looks more compact - like a Switch, as opposed to something larger such as a Steam Deck.

Logitech says the new console will launch sometime in 2022, so we should get an official launch date, official specifications and other details here soon.

A legal claim in the U.K. could see Sony pay up to £5 billion ($6 billion) in compensation for allegedly overcharging customers on its online PlayStation store since 2016. The action, brought through Britain’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, accuses Sony of abusing its market position to increase prices, as Sky News reported.

Led by the former managing director of consumer rights organization Which? UK, Alex Neill, the case includes anyone in the U.K. who has used the PlayStation Store since August 19, 2016; a figure said to be around nine million people. Each user could receive compensation of up to £562 ($664) plus any interest that may be awarded.

Speaking to Sky News, Neill said: “With this legal action I am standing up for the millions of U.K. people who have been unwittingly overcharged. We believe Sony has abused its position and ripped off its customers.”

“Gaming is now the biggest entertainment industry in the U.K., ahead of T.V., video and music and many vulnerable people rely on gaming for community and connection. The actions of Sony [are] costing millions of people who can’t afford it, particularly when we’re in the midst of a cost of living crisis and the consumer purse is being squeezed like never before.”

The case hinges on the terms Sony imposes on publishers selling on the PlayStation Store. It calls them unfair and says they force prices up for consumers. Sony takes a 30% cut of all transactions on the PlayStation Store, which matches Microsoft’s amount from the Xbox store and Nintendo’s for digital Switch purchases. Google reduced its cut from 30% to 15% on the first $1 million income from the Google Play Store in 2021, which matched Apple’s previous reduction. Valve takes a 30% cut from Steam purchases but lowers this above a certain threshold the more money a game makes. The Epic Game Store is the odd one, taking just a 12% share. No companies other than Sony are named in the U.K. legal action, though Valve is facing a case in the U.S. alleging it uses its policies to keep prices high and the market under its control.

Sony has yet to comment on the case, but can you expect the company to put up a robust defense. According to Bloomberg, a U.S. federal judge threw out a similar class action lawsuit centered on the PlayStation Store. It focused not on the cut Sony takes but on the store itself was an unlawful monopoly. The plaintiffs failed to allege violations under the Sherman Act adequately but could yet amend their case.

A Linux OS and Nintendo Switch enthusiast has mind-melded the two disparate systems to create Horizon Linux. In brief, a Redditor by the name of Kent J Hall has patched the Arm64 Linux kernel to run Nintendo Switch games natively. Hall stresses this isn’t an attempt to recreate Nintendo’s Horizon OS, and it isn’t meant to run on Switch hardware – rather the project simply hopes to make Switch games on any Arm64 hardware platform.

After a false start or two, Hall decided to spend a chunk of his free time on the Horizon Linux project summarized above. Patching Arm64 Linux seemed the sensible route to reach his goal as it meant “you get Linux’s vast hardware driver support for free, so not only can it be virtualized on Apple silicon Macs, but it can run bare-metal on any arm64 hardware which supports Linux,” explained Hall. The project should work fine “even on lower-end hardware, given that there’s no need to emulate the CPU,” he added. Moreover the project is flexible, and holds promise for game preservation.

Horizon Linux’s development was greatly helped by taking an existing open source Switch emulator, called Yuzu, and taking the scissors to unneeded parts of the code such as kernel and CPU emulation - while retaining things like the system services, GPU emulation and app loader. The developer also notes that he spent some considerable time getting each system service to run persistently in its own thread.

The Redditor behind this project decided to go public with it at this time, as it has reached a significant milestone. Admitting the work was “far from complete,” Hall says that the first commercial game, Puyo Puyo Tetris, is playable on Horizon Linux.

Hall has published some videos showing Puyo Puyo Tetris running on an M1 Max MacBook Pro, and an Nvidia Jetson Nano. The videos are sadly not available at the time of writing, and we don’t know why. Please note, as mentioned above, the game is running natively on the Arm CPUs of these systems. However, it is still going through the same GPU emulation layer that Yuzu uses, despite the Jetson Nano (for example) featuring the same Tegra X1 GPU as the Switch.

It's worth noting that several Raspberry Pi computers, including the Raspberry Pi 3 and 4, have Arm64 CPUs However, it looks like no one has yet tested Horizon Linux on a Pi.

Hall has recently started a new job, so it looks like some encouragement will be required for him to stick to the project. If you have an Arm64 system you want to test Horizon Linux on, you can comment on the Reddit post from the developer, linked top, and/or visit the Horizon Linux GitHub repository.

Interestingly, Hall was apparently unaware of the Skyline Nintendo Switch emulator for Arm / Android. Since the Reddit post started getting noticed, there looks like a chance for some cross-pollination to occur, as one of the major Skyline developers has asked the Horizon Linux developer to join their Discord.

A fair percentage of Steam PC gamers are keyboard and mouse input devotees. Nevertheless, more choices will always be welcome, and the PC platform is incredibly diverse. This week the Steam Client (Beta) on PCs added another option for gaming controls for Steam gamers: support for Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers.

Nintendo’s detachable controllers for the original (not Lite) Switch form factor are interesting as they can work individually or in unison. Nicely for PC gamers, the latest Steam beta can handle this configuration choice. So, if you have a Switch in the house and no PC joypad, you now have access to two of the miniature controllers or a more fully featured mini gamepad. This addition could be quite a boon for your living room PC while running a party game.

However, the Nintendo Switch bundled controllers are not without their flaws. The most obvious issue for grown-up gamers would be poor ergonomics. The Joy-Cons used separately might be OK for a quick 15-minute jaunt in a casual game but probably not for any extended sessions. Even joined together in a joypad form factor, the Joy-Cons aren’t as ergonomic as heavily iterated controller designs from Microsoft or Sony, for example.

Another aspect of the Nintendo Joy-Cons that isn't great is the issue of reliability and their susceptibility to degrading through normal use. Nintendo has been dragged through the courts due to Joy-Con issues, most notably 'stick drift.' Other controllers with mushroom-like thumb sticks have seen similar issues, including those built into the Steam Deck.

If you are interested in using your Nintendo Joy-Cons in Steam and don't want to wait until support is added to the mainstream client, you can sign up for beta updates in your client settings today. To do this, at the top left of the client window, click Steam > Settings > Account. Near the bottom right of the window, you will see the option for 'Beta participation.' Meanwhile, those who are already Steam Beta users can connect to the Joy-Cons via Bluetooth and configure them in Steam via Steam > Settings > Controller > General Controller Settings.

If you are using Nintendo Online Classic controllers, you will also find that support has improved in the August 4 published beta. These are simple replicas of controllers once bundled with the NES, SNES and N64 consoles of old but are wirelessly compatible with the Switch (and Steam).