UPDATE 31/5/22: Activision Blizzard has now officially confirmed reports it has called off the release of Diablo Immortal in Belgium and the Netherlands.
"Diablo Immortal will not be available in Belgium or the Netherlands, and will not appear on Battle.net or the Belgian and Netherlands App or Google Play Stores," an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Eurogamer this morning.
"This is related to the current operating environment for games in those countries. Accordingly, pre-registrations for the game are not accessible in those markets."
ORIGINAL STORY 30/5/22:
This week's long-awaited launch of Diablo Immortal has reportedly been scrapped in both Belgium or the Netherlands, due to the countries' laws around loot boxes.
An Activision Blizzard Benelux communications manager confirmed the move to Dutch news site Tweakers, GamesIndustry.biz has reported, and cited "the current operating conditions in these countries". Eurogamer has contacted Activision Blizzard here in the UK for comment.
Pre-registration for the game's mobile launch and PC beta has also now been withdrawn in both countries, it's been claimed.
A quick look at Diablo Immortal, which arrives this week.
Both Belgium and the Netherlands have historically taken a strict stance on games with loot box mechanics, most memorably with sales of Ultimate Team packs in FIFA.
Back in 2018, both the Netherlands and Belgium declared loot boxes were a form of gambling and therefore illegal. EA withdrew FIFA Points from sale the following year, though continued to fight a lengthy legal battle to get a €10m fine over its sale of FIFA loot boxes overturned.
Still, it seems as if Blizzard is taking no chances.
An unverified email apparently from Blizzard Europe's customer support team has also surfaced on reddit, which provides more detail.
"Unfortunately players in the Netherlands and Belgium will not be able to install Diablo: Immortal due to the countries' gambling restrictions. The lootboxes in the game are against the law in your country, so unless the gambling restrictions change the game will not be released," it reads.
"It would be illegal for you to download the game in another country like France. If you manage to run the game I cannot guarantee that you will not be banned for it."
An alleged prototype of Google’s upcoming Pixel 7 smartphone has been posted on eBay, giving us our first look at the new phone in the wild months ahead of its scheduled fall release (via Android guru Mishaal Rahman).
Google just revealed the phone a few weeks ago at Google I/O, and what we can see in the prototype matches up with what Google has already shown. The distinctive camera bar is back, and this year it’s an aluminum bar with cutouts for the cameras. And the alleged prototype’s casing is a deep black that looks just like one of the colors Google showed off at I/O.
The eBay listing includes a few photos of the front, back, and sides of the device, though there’s not much to see that you can’t already spot on Google’s official renders. A photo of the phone turned on shows it has 128GB of storage, which suggests Google will once again be offering a 128GB model as an option for the final phone. A screenshot says that the phone’s model is GVU6C. And one photo indicates that this eBay seller may have gotten their hands on a Pixel 7 Pro as well, as you can catch the reflection of what looks to be the Pixel 7 Pro’s camera bar on the back of the Pixel 7 prototype.
We’ve collected images from the eBay listing into the gallery below, if you want to scrutinize them for yourself:
In messages with The Verge, the seller claims they bought the Pixel 7 prototype from a wholesaler without knowing what it was. The seller says they realized it was a Pixel 7 after doing research and seeing pictures that seemed like the phone they had. They also say they had a Pixel 7 Pro, but sold it already.
The listing has been closed, so you won’t be able to snap up this device for your collection. There were no bids for the prototype, and the starting bid was $450. Google didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Unfortunately, we’ll likely be waiting a few months before Google shares more about the Pixel 7. The phones aren’t set to arrive until the fall, and if past years are any indication, we should expect some kind of launch event in October. Until then, these photos from eBay might be our best look at the upcoming phone... well, until it inevitably leaks again.
Sniper Elite 5 is the latest chapter in Rebellion's ongoing love affair with covertly firing high calibre rounds into digital Nazis, and it seems to have struck a chord this time around. The new game launched last week, and not only has it done well critically, people are putting down the cash for it too. In the UK's physical games chart, it's debuted at number one, but more interesting is the divide between PlayStation and Xbox sales.
Of the sniper sandbox's physical sales so far, a whopping 92 per cent of copies sold were the PS5 and PS4 versions. That means just eight per cent of the share went to the Xbox version at retail. Now, obviously there are some caveats to this. These charts do not include digital sales data, which would no doubt sway those percentages somewhat. The other point to make is that Sniper Elite 5 launched on Game Pass, so a lot of Xbox users will be playing the game via their subscription.
All that said, this is quite a clear indication of a shift away from purchasing games outright and towards a service-based future. It's only one example, but on the face of it, Game Pass appears to have had a huge impact on physical sales here. Microsoft has said before that the subscription actually increases sales, but this seems to show the opposite. We're obviously missing a lot of data to draw any real conclusions, but it looks to us that the effects of Game Pass are really shining through in this example.
Elsewhere, Horizon Forbidden West is down to second place, but it's enjoyed a podium spot for the last few weeks. Gran Turismo 7 has overtaken a few others, now racing in fifth, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga falls back slightly into fourth. FIFA 22 continues its upward trajectory, moving up from eighth to sixth.
Here's the latest top 10 in full.
UK Sales Charts: Week Ending 28th May 2022
Sniper Elite 5
Horizon Forbidden West
Nintendo Switch Sports
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Gran Turismo 7
FIFA 22
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Minecraft (Switch)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
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Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've got on their minds. Today, Gavin ponders why he's spending time and money importing Nintendo curios from the East that he's not even sure he'll play...
If you're not familiar, that's a shogi game (Japanese chess, if you like) for Nintendo 64 developed by SETA. Naturally, it never saw release in the West, what with it being a sequel to a Japan-only launch game and showcasing a Japanese chess variant. That's no slight on the fine game of shogi, just an acknowledgement that if you're going to release a chess-like game on the intentional market, best for your bottom line to make it plain old chess.
Morita Shogi 64 came on a unique style of N64 cartridge (or 'Cassette' as they were known in Japan — I always liked that). A bulging protrusion on its rear side allows for a little internet cable slot on top. Yes, if you hooked up your game to a phone line, you could play shogi online on your Nintendo 64 back in the late '90s.
As you can see, it's pretty neat. And being 'pretty neat' is all it takes to get someone like me to dive onto eBay and start hitting 'Watch' on lots of things — that's where the trouble starts.
As many of you will have no doubt experienced, all it takes is an innocent tap of the 'Add to Watchlist' button and nine times out of ten you'll soon receive an offer with a modest discount — typically 5-10%. It's not much, but if the item is already reasonably priced, it's a surprisingly tempting tactic to get you to pull the trigger on something you really don't need but which is, yes, pretty darn neat. 10-20 days later (typically), the best type of package arrives at your place of residence — a parcel from Japan.
What a crim (Image: Nintendo Life / Gavin Lane)
If you've never bought an item from a Japanese seller, it's no exaggeration to say that the care and attention lavished on even the smallest parcel is, generally speaking, a cut above sellers based elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, I've received beautifully wrapped, properly protected items from other countries — and I'm certain it doesn't apply to all Japanese sellers — but I've yet to receive anything that hasn't arrived in perfect condition, neatly and precisely packed.
And that beautiful Japanese customs label makes the whole thing feel luxuriously exotic, too; forbidden, even. These mysterious video game jewels were never intended for the lowly, sweaty-handed likes of me! That 'Not For Resale' stamp on every Japanese Nintendo game I own is proof positive that this particular item shouldn't be in my possession. What can be more tempting than that?
So, I carefully sliced open the parcel, peeled off layers of expertly-taped bubblewrap, and finally held my illicit prize aloft. Yes! I now possessed Morita Shogi 64.
And on my shelf it went. I think I fired it up once just to check it worked, but I honestly don't remember. I was probably willing to trust that it was in full working order. The terrible truth is that it really doesn't matter.
Most game purchases I make will definitely get played. The NTSC version of Wave Race 64 was a real education in PAL slowdown that just had to be sampled, and I fully intend to enjoy every last one of the JP Game Boy games I've acquired when I get an afternoon to myself. Sin & Punishment was an even more essential pick-up — a seminal Treasure rail shooter that never released in the West. Well, except on Virtual Console on Wii. And Wii U. And on Nintendo Switch Online a few months after I shelled out for the NTSC cart. Hey, that box art though, amirite?
My latest import arrived recently. Following on from Zion's amazing EarthBound video and the accompanying 'Mother's Day' articles Team NL assembled in early May, I decided to finally pick up the N64 'Definitive Edition' of Mother creator Shigesato Itoi's fishing game, Itoi Shigesato no Bass Tsuri No. 1. What can I say — I liked the look of the yellow cover, and the idea of Itoi-san teaching me to fish appeals.
Fishing (the real-life variety) is something that started appealing to me over the last few years. I suddenly realised that the idea — for most fisherpeople — isn't to head out onto the water and 'hunt' a lunker while wearing a funny hat, but rather to sit in the sunshine, breathe in great lungfuls of fresh air, enjoy the sound and motion of the lapping water, and tap your foot on a cooler of glistening, ice-cold tinnies. Fishing, as I see it, is an excuse to get away from it all in the great outdoors; bagging some dinner at the same time is an optional bonus.
The very small amount I know about fish and fishing, however, comes from Ocarina of Time and Animal Crossing. With this in mind, I thought perhaps the genial Itoi-san could introduce me to the basics before I go to the considerable trouble and expense of procuring waders and rods and all that game, all in the hope of enjoying a quiet beer on a lake. Nobody enjoys putting their fingers in slimy worm buckets, surely?
The plan, then, was to fire up the game alongside the Google Translate camera app — which still remains for me a wondrous piece of Star Trek future magic — and see if I've got what it takes to best the (digital) bass. But if I’m honest with myself, will this ever actually happen? Well, I would have to dig out and set up my Japanese N64, and ideally, I would want to do it through a CRT so lag doesn't hamper the development of my angling skills. So I need to get one of those flashy PVM monitors, which could take a while.
As the guardian of two small humans, I’m not blessed with an abundance of free time anyway. In fact, it's far more likely that Itoi Shigesato no Bass Tsuri No. 1. and its poppin' yellow cover will only ever be enjoyed on the shelf. Which it will! But buying games with little or no intention of actually playing them? I've been there before, although at least I could read the text in those games if I ever get to fire them up.
As if that wasn't enough, I researched the fishing game some more and chanced upon a certain peripheral produced by ASCII specifically for Itoi's N64 angler. Of course, I took one look and before you know it the Watch button had been hit and the offer came through...
Oh neu(Image: Nintendo Life / Gavin Lane)
It's not too late for me to come back from the edge of this particular abyss. My Japanese Nintendo collection is still comparatively slight — just a handful of exclusives really! Mother 3, Captain Rainbow, one of the Custom Robos, the JP version of Metroid: Other M with the awesome box art, a couple of Famicom Disk System games, a few others. It's tasteful! I haven't spiralled into acquiring the entire 64-bit mahjong catalogue just yet.
Appealing to my Nintendo Life colleagues in hope that they'll talk me down is about as helpful as you'd expect. The aforementioned Zion was as psyched as I was about ASCII's Itoi fishing rod. And let's not even talk about Mr McFerran's collection, often showcased on his enviable Twitter feed. One look at the retro collection housed at Nintendo Life HQ is enough to make any red-blooded retro gamer weep. Weep, and then crack open the eBay app and scroll yourself to sleep in the wee small hours.
X is the latest thing I'm eyeing — once again, primarily because I like the look of the box. Actually, that's not quite correct. X is a thoroughly noteworthy first-party Game Boy release from Argonaut which did incredible things on a system that shouldn't have been able to handle it. I picked up the DSi sequel recently on the soon-to-be-shuttered DSi store, so there's a gap to be filled in my collection, right? "Worth owning for its historical value alone," a colleague reassures me. Yes. As a Nintendo fan, it's surely my solemn duty to have this on the shelf. *Adds to Watchlist*
Play it, you ask? Well of course I could. But it looks awful pretty just on the shelf.
Feel free to share your more exotic and/or inexplicable game and peripheral purchases from other territories with a comment below. No judgements — we’re all friends here.
Apple may unveil new Mac hardware at WWDC this year, with the redesigned MacBook Air being the most likely potential hardware announcement, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained his expectations for potential Apple hardware announcements at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
Signs of "realityOS," the long-rumored operating system believed to run on Apple's mixed-reality headset, were spotted in Apple source code earlier this year and there has been growing enthusiasm about Apple's AR and VR project finally "approaching liftoff" for launch this year. Rumors of Apple announcing its headset sooner rather than later were stoked earlier today when a trademark for "realityOS" surfaced, with a foreign filing date deadline of June 8, 2022, just two days after the main WWDC keynote. Despite these rumors, Gurman is wary of "a full-blown" announcement of Apple's headset at WWDC:
In terms of new hardware... though Apple's upcoming mixed-reality headset is full steam ahead — underscored by the recent demonstration of the device to the company's board — I'd be wary of expecting a full-blown presentation for developers and consumers next week.
Gurman previously reported that the launch of the headset will likely be delayed until 2023 following a plethora of development problems, including issues with overheating from at least one chip on par with the M1 Pro, as well as camera and software challenges.
Mac-related announcements are reportedly more likely at WWDC this year, should Apple unveil any new hardware, according to Gurman. He believes that Apple planned to launch a new MacBook Air model with the M2 chip at WWDC this year, but supply chain issues seem to have complicated the timeline:
If there's any hardware at WWDC, it will likely be on the Mac side. The company has been aiming to launch the next MacBook Air with M2 chips at the conference. The recent supply chain crunch due to Covid-related closures in China has complicated that, but developers say that Apple employees are increasingly using next-generation MacBook Airs with their apps. That's a sign that the new Mac is close.
Beyond any potential hardware announcements, major new software updates for Apple's devices, including iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16, and macOS 13, are expected to be previewed at WWDC on Monday, June 6.
Mr Kurzner built up the club during the disco era of the late-1970s and 1980s with the venue attracting hoards of revellers by the end of the decade.
The club had an armour-plated glass floor which made thousands of patterns of light in time with music, in 1983 it was the only fixed floor of its kind in the whole of the UK.
Use the arrows to take a trip through the colourful history of Hy's Nightclub.
Popular Korean tech site ET News reports that, for the first time in iPhone history, Apple will install a South Korean front camera in its smartphone. The camera will bring major upgrades in image quality (broken down here), but comes with an eye-watering cost increase.
05/27 Update: further details of Apple's iPhone 14 production plans have now leaked and they come from two of the industry's most credible sources. First acclaimed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that production of the new iPhone 14 Max "is running behind". Kuo cites the Shanghai lockdown as a factor but says he is hopeful that "suppliers can work overtime to catch up with the schedule."
Adding further context is Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) and one of the most accurate industry insiders. Replying to Kuo, Young claims that "iPhone 14 Max panel shipments have always been behind" adding "Not sure why." Interestingly. he speculates "Perhaps they have modest volume targets for this one." This is possible, but I suspect the iPhone 14 Max is going to be the most popular model in the iPhone 14 range.
Either way, Apple is potentially heading for its first split release since the iPhone 12 launch in 2020 — which in turn was only the second in iPhone history (following the iPhone 8 / iPhone X). So if you want an iPhone 14 Max at launch, you will need to act fast.
05/28 Update: iPhone 14 components continue to leak at a pace. Mysterious industry insider ShrimpApplePro, who first revealed the iPhone 14 Pro's i-cutout display in Septemberfollowed by detailed dimensions, has now leaked the first details of their new A16 chip.
The tipster says his source understands the A16 Bionic will continue to use the same 5nm (nanometer) fabrication process as both the A15 (2021) and A14 (2020) and will again be manufactured by TSMC. ShrimpApplePro also downplays rumors of major performance gains, saying "Upgrades are slightly better CPU, LPDDR5 RAM and better GPU."
The big boost here is the move to LPDDR5 memory, which is 1.5x faster and 30% more power-efficient than the LPDDR4X memory used in the iPhone 13. That said, memory alone won't deliver the big performance jumps we have seen from some new iPhone chip generations.
Interestingly, with Apple's recent admission that supply lines are restricted, it sounds like Apple's M2 chip is where the next innovation leap with occur. ShrimpApplePro reports it is the chip which will transition to 3nm — something previously tipped for the A16 — and that is understandable given its use across iPad, Mac and MacBook lines. 3nm is expected to reduce power consumption by 25-30% compared to 5nm chips, enabling higher clock rates and boosted performance.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 chipset mystery continues. We may have our first details on the A16 chip, but multiple leaks have claimed the chip will only come to iPhone 16 Pro models — potentially as the 'A16 Pro' — with iPhone 13's A15 chip used in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max and renamed 'A16'. How Apple fans would react to this strategy remains to be seen...
Citing industry sources, ET News claims that Apple was forced to quickly change its plans for the iPhone 14's front camera following "quality problems from Chinese manufacturers" during testing. Consequently, Apple will install an LG Innotek camera module this year which was originally intended for the iPhone 15.
The good news is ET News reports the module brings advanced functionality to the iPhone's front camera for the first time, including autofocus. This is something respected industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first revealed back in April with autofocus joining an improved aperture for better depth-of-field in Portrait mode and video calls.
The downside is cost. According to ET News' source, "the unit price of the iPhone 14 front camera has risen nearly three times compared to previous models." This is the biggest component price increase I can remember. Historically, Apple's moves to dual then triple rear cameras and the addition of a high refresh rate display have all added cost, but not a 3x multiple.
Apple 14 Pro Max render based on multiple leaks
EverythingApplePro
All of which adds to the narrative that Apple will increase iPhone prices by $100 for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, while the new iPhone 14 Max will be at least $200 more than the iPhone 13 Mini that it replaces.
On the flip side, following multiple reports that the standard iPhone 14 will be little more than a (potentially controversial) rehash of the iPhone 13, the leap in front camera quality could be one of the phone's biggest selling points. Especially with the take-off in video calling in recent years.
How much do you know about PlayStation and the gaming industry that surrounds it? If you fancy yourself a walking PlayStation encyclopaedia, then why not put your brain to the test with our PlayStation General Knowledge Quiz?
This is Issue 10 of our PlayStation General Knowledge Quiz. You can have a crack at our previous quizzes by clicking this link.
Below, you'll find 15 general knowledge questions with multiple choice answers. Some are relatively easy, and others are devilishly difficult.
We'll be posting new PlayStation General Knowledge quizzes every other weekend, so be sure to check back. In the meantime, good luck (you might need it)!
It seems now we've got some additional information courtesy of Twitter user and dataminer 'Wipeoutjack7' - revealing the game's source code makes mention of 10 additional characters. The exact characters haven't been revealed just yet, but hey, it means characters such as Daisy could return.
Of course, this is all subject to change, and for now - all we know is that this post-launch content will include at least some free characters. If we did get 10 additional characters, as noted above, this would bump the full roster up to 20.
These free post-launch updates follow in the footsteps of various other first-party Nintendo releases. On the sports front, Mario Golf: Super Rush also got additional courses and characters.
How do you feel about Nintendo and Next Level Games bolstering Mario Strikers: Battle League with additional free content? What characters would you like to see join the roster? Leave your thoughts down below.
With only two weeks to go until kick-off in Mario Strikers: Battle League, Nintendo has dropped a surprise demo for the game that'll let you get your keepie uppies in before the whistle blows on 10th June.
This limited-time demo will allow you to hop into training mode to try out the characters and the new gameplay elements. The demo is available now for Nintendo Switch Online members, but those without a subscription will be able to sign up for a 7-day free trial from 2nd June that will include cloud saves, classic games, and access to online play
Online play is restricted to a few different timeslots over the weekend of 4th and 5th June, which we've listed below — some are going to be a little iffy for certain timezones, but three a day isn't bad at all!
Saturday 4th June — 4am - 5am BST
Saturday 4th June — 12pm - 1pm BST
Saturday 4th June — 8pm - 9pm BST
Sunday 5th June — 4am - 5am BST
Sunday 5th June — 12pm - 1pm BST
Sunday 5th June — 8pm - 9pm BST
Nintendo has also announced that the game will be getting free post-launch updates. Maybe it'll sneak in a free Daisy for those of us who are already missing the yellow-clad Princess? Or perhaps some new modes.
If you haven't had a chance, check out our early impressions of the game when we got some hands-on time with it at Nintendo UK:
Will you be trying out the demo? Let us know in the comments!
Engineers have unveiled the smallest remote-controlled walking robot ever created - even tinier than a flea.
The tiny robotic crab can "walk, bend, twist, turn and jump" according to engineers from Northwestern University in the US. It could signal the beginning of a new era of microscale robotics.
The little machine isn't powered by miniaturised hardware and electronics, but instead by a shape-memory alloy material that transforms when it is heated.
Image:The robot was given the shape of a crab because it amused students. Pic: Northwestern University
How do they move?
The researchers use a scanned laser beam to rapidly heat the device at different locations across its body to make them transform and effectively force the robot to move.
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One of the tricks the researchers used was covering the device in a thin coating of glass that forces that part of the robot's structure to return to its deformed shape after it cools.
"Because these structures are so tiny, the rate of cooling is very fast. In fact, reducing the sizes of these robots allows them to run faster," explained Professor John Rogers, who led the experimental research.
More from Science & Tech
Part of the achievement was in the manufacturing process, which involves bonding flat precursors on to slightly stretched rubber - which forces the crabs to take on a 3D shape like a pop-up book.
The work remains exploratory and experimental, however.
Despite the comparable range of movement and size, the crab bot is much slower than a flea and has "an average speed of half its body length per second," according to Professor Yonggang Huang, who led the theoretical work.
"This is very challenging to achieve at such small scales for terrestrial robots," Prof Huang added.
Image:The tiny robot is small enough to stand on the edge of a coin. Pic: John Rogers / Northwestern University
Created on a whim
Northwestern University stated: "Although the research is exploratory at this point, the researchers believe their technology might bring the field closer to realising micro-sized robots that can perform practical tasks inside tightly confined spaces."
"You might imagine micro-robots as agents to repair or assemble small structures or machines in industry or as surgical assistants to clear clogged arteries, to stop internal bleeding or to eliminate cancerous tumours - all in minimally invasive procedures," added Prof Rogers.
Image:The team can manufacture the tiny crabs using a pop-up book style process. Pic: Northwestern University
Millimetre-sized robots resembling inchworms, crickets, and beetles were also created - but Prof Rogers' and Huang's students settled on peekytoe crabs.
"We can build walking robots with almost any sizes or 3D shapes," Prof Rogers said.
"But the students felt inspired and amused by the sideways crawling motions of tiny crabs. It was a creative whim."
The research has been published in the journal Science Robotics.
With only two weeks to go until kick-off in Mario Strikers: Battle League, Nintendo has dropped a surprise demo for the game that'll let you get your keepie uppies in before the whistle blows on 10th June.
This limited-time demo will allow you to hop into training mode to try out the characters and the new gameplay elements. The demo is available now for Nintendo Switch Online members, but those without a subscription will be able to sign up for a 7-day free trial from 2nd June that will include cloud saves, classic games, and access to online play
Online play is restricted to a few different timeslots over the weekend of 4th and 5th June, which we've listed below — some are going to be a little iffy for certain timezones, but three a day isn't bad at all!
Saturday 4th June — 4am - 5am BST
Saturday 4th June — 12pm - 1pm BST
Saturday 4th June — 8pm - 9pm BST
Sunday 5th June — 4am - 5am BST
Sunday 5th June — 12pm - 1pm BST
Sunday 5th June — 8pm - 9pm BST
Nintendo has also announced that the game will be getting free post-launch updates. Maybe it'll sneak in a free Daisy for those of us who are already missing the yellow-clad Princess? Or perhaps some new modes.
If you haven't had a chance, check out our early impressions of the game when we got some hands-on time with it at Nintendo UK:
Will you be trying out the demo? Let us know in the comments!
If you're a Wii Sports veteran, one of the first things you'll probably notice when playing Nintendo Switch Sports is the new avatars. While they seem like a natural evolution alongside Mii, during the development of Switch Sports, Nintendo experimented with all sorts of different character designs.
In the latest translation of Nintendo's 'Ask the Developer' series', the Switch Sports team showed off some other character concepts that didn't make the cut. Some proposals included student and college characters, round-shaped characters, and even robots with an avatar controlling them from the inside!
Junji Morii(Art Director): "Even before we decided to make a fresh start again, we had proposed different kinds of character illustrations. In the early stage, we proposed round-shaped characters with no arms or legs, similar to the Mii characters in Wii Sports. We also created college student characters that looked like this with a theme of intercollegiate sports."
Takayuki Shimamura (Producer): I remember we had the most outlandish characters that looked like robots. (Laughs)
Morii: Around the time when we decided to restart the project from scratch and were told that we would be starting over to create the world’s most easy-to-invite to motion-based game, I asked, "Are you sure we can't go this far?" (Laughs)
Image: Nintendo
The player is inside the robot, but it is the robot that moves when you swing the Joy-Con controller. The robot is the one doing the bowling.
What? You operate the robot?
Yoshikazu Yamashita (Director): Yes, you operate this robot, and the robot throws the ball. I know it doesn't make sense. You might also wonder how big this bowling alley is. (Laughs)
Image: Nintendo
Morii: At first, everyone was so excited about this robot idea that we all thought, "This could be fun!” We even made a prototype. But when we actually saw the robot on the screen and moved it around, a blanket of silence fell over everyone.
Everyone: (Laughs)
Okane: This would make the gameplay about operating a robot.
Yamashita: The player controls the character in the robot to operate the robot. Then, the robot throws the ball. There are too many steps in between.
In the end, the development team of Nintendo Switch Sports decided to play it safe and go with a design that resembled a human being - also known as "Sportsmates".
Image: Nintendo
What do you think of the final character designs in Nintendo Switch Sports? How about these concept ideas? Leave a comment down below.
The titles joining the service on this occasion include Congo's Caper (Data East, 1993) and Rival Turf! (Jaleco, 1992) for Super Nintendo, along with Pinball (Nintendo, 1983) for NES.
Japan this month gets Rushing Beat (Rival Turf!), Pinball, and the 1994 Super Famicom title Umihara Kawase in place of Congo's Caper. Umihara Kawase is definitely worth a look if you're into platform games, and would like to see how this first entry in the series started out.
Of course, to access all of these games, you'll need to have a subscription to Nintendo's Switch Online service. Will you be trying out any of these titles on the SNES and NES Switch Online service? Tell us down below.
Ever since its unveiling in 2020, Dead Space creator Glen Schofield's sci-fi horror The Callisto Protocol has conjured images of Dead Space, so it was a bit of a surprise when, due to various studio connections, it was announced the game would be set in the PUBG Universe. That, however, is no longer the case, with Schofield now saying it's its "own story and world".
The Callisto Protocol is a third-person horror game set in 2320, with its action unfolding within the confines of the Black Iron prison colony on Jupiter's moon Callisto. While that set-up mightn't immediately scream PUBG to onlookers, the connection came from the fact developer Striking Distance was explicitly established by PUBG: Battlegrounds publisher Krafton to create narrative-driven games that would expand the universe introduced in the battle royale hit.
As Schofield explained in a recent GameInformer cover feature on The Callisto Protocol, "When we came in, [Krafton] had a lore team and they were writing this big story, like, 'Where does PUBG start? Where does it fit in?'". Had those plans continued, the horror game would have sat "pretty far out" along the timeline, but somewhere during development the idea was dropped.
The Callisto Protocol - Cinematic Trailer Reveal.
In a post to Twitter Schofield revealed that while The Callisto Protocol "was originally part of the PUBG timeline, [it] grew into its own world." Expanding on that in conversation with GameInformer, he added, "The idea of us being in the universe at first sound really good, and then as you start coming up with your story we realised, 'Wow, this is a little out there.'"
"PUBG is awesome, and we will still have little surprises for fans," Schofield continued in his tweet, "but TCP is its own world, story and universe."
The Callisto Protocol, now shorn of any PUBG connections, is expected to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC later this year.
It looks like PS5 exclusive Returnal may be heading to PC.
Details for Housemarque's BAFTA winning sci-fi roguelike have been spotted on SteamDB, including references to its Tower of Sisyphus DLC, Selene's ship Helios, and the alien planet of Atropos.
Returnal would follow the likes of God of War earlier this year, as well as Days Gone and Horizon Zero Dawn as previous console exclusives arriving on PC.
There's no further information, or a release date. One big question: how will the PS5's DualSense features transfer over?
Returnal will also be available on Sony's PS Plus subscription service - it's the most recent PS5 exclusive, except the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut.
Housemarque boss Ilari Kuittinen told Eurogamer he hopes the game will reach a new audience on PS Plus.
Sony has announced that its upcoming PlayStation VR2 will have over 20 first-party and third-party games available at launch.
The announcement was made today in a business briefing by Sony on its "Game and Network Services Segment."
Speaking to investors in a briefing call, PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said, "Right now, there is a considerable amount of money being spent on partnerships with independent and other third-party developers to secure a considerable pipeline of attractive VR content at the launch of PlayStation VR2," (thanks, VGC).
"That energy, that effort and that money will continue to grow as the installed base of PlayStation VR2 headsets grows also."
The headset features integrated cameras to track head movement, along with 4K HDR OLED panels which offer a 110-degree field of view at 90 or 120Hz.
There are also new controllers, called the PlayStation VR2 Sense, which feature the same trigger effect featured on the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller.
It also announced the first game to launch on the headset, a Horizon spin-off named Horizon Call of the Mountain.
However, we are still yet to recieve a release date or pricing details from Sony, so we'll have to wait a little while longer.
Maserati has revealed the long-promised convertible version of its recently launched MC20 supercar, which features a unique ‘smart glass’ panel in its folding roof.
Maserati says its first convertible model since the V8-engined Grancabrio bowed out in 2019 “is a model devoted to driving pleasure in the great outdoors", highlighting its folding roof window that can change from clear to opaque at the touch of a button.
It can go from open to closed in just 12sec, making it just one second slower than the 720S Spider’s but still among the quickest of any convertible on sale.
Apart from the roof, the MC20 Cielo is technically identical to the MC20 coupé, taking its power from Maserati's new 621bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6, the Nettuno.
The high-revving mid-mounted powerplant will propel the MC20 Cielo from 0-62mph in around 3.0sec.
The carbonfibre tub and butterfly doors are also carried over and the roof mechanism adds just 65kg to the total kerbweight, which is posted at 1540kg.
No pricing details have been announced, but the convertible is expected to be slightly more expensive than the coupé, which costs £187,230.
The Cielo is the second of three planned variants of the MC20, alongside the coupé and soon-to-be-revealed electric variant.
“The Cielo offers a perfect mix of sportiness and luxury, courtesy of a specification unique to the segment: the innovative retractable glass roof,” Maserati said.
“In actual fact, the new spyder acts as a meeting point between Maserati audacity and the infinite sky, featuring a special ‘sky feeling’.”
Sources with knowledge of the situation reportedly told The Elec that the phone’s release date has been postponed simply because it isn’t finished yet. Young backed up these claims in a tweet, stating he heard “from multiple sources in the supply chain that the Google foldable launch was delayed till next spring” but didn’t cite a reason why.
Past leaks indicate that Google is experimenting with two designs for the device, called “Passport” and “Jumbojack” internally. While “Jumbojack” folds horizontally like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, “Passport” folds vertically like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. As noted by The Elec, the folding device could come with displays from Samsung, with the Passport variation featuring a 7.57-inch display on its interior and a 5.78-inch screen on its exterior.
Now that Google is focusing on the launch of the highly anticipated Pixel Watch and Pixel 7, it seems even more unlikely that Google would decide to reveal the folding phone at its Pixel event this fall.
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