And just like that the Nintendo Switch was set to have its biggest year since launch. The pieces moved into place slowly (and might not hold), but on paper at least, the portable console’s 2022 is set to be bookended by  Pokémon Legends: Arceus  and  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 , with a whole lot more between. It’s 2017 all over again, but bigger. That year saw the Switch launch with  BOTW  and then follow-up with  Splatoon 2  and  Mario Odyssey  in the months that followed.  It seemed like an accident , in part because  BOTW  was supposed to come to Wii U years earlier, and one unlikely to be repeated. And yet, as the Switch hits the  middle of its hardware lifecycle , that seems to be what’s happening. The Nintendo release calendar has a way of sneaking up on you. That’s what happened last fall when a seemingly sleepy season for Switch  ended up holding its own against the competition , thanks t...

  George R.R. Martin is credited as a key voice behind  Elden Ring , helping game director Hidetaka Miyazaki conceive the otherworldly fantasy setting of From Software’s latest blockbuster video game. But thirty hours into the adventure, I haven’t noticed many particular storylines or environments that echo Martin’s most popular work of fantasy,  Game of Thrones . In fact, the only connection is a borderline blatant nod to the hit book series turned prestige TV phenomenon. [ Ed. note:  This story contains minor spoilers for a weapon in  Elden Ring .] As far as references go, the sword, rewarded upon pummeling a minor boss, is an awesome one. Dubbed the Grafted Blade Greatsword, the blade converts  Game of Throne ’s singular throne made from dozens of swords into a singular sword made from dozens of swords. The weapon isn’t especially challenging to retrieve (you’ll probably be powerful enough to beat the necessary foes after 10-20 hours) but once you pluck ...

  Smithing Stones are extremely important materials in  Elden Ring , allowing players to upgrade their weapons and shields. In the earliest stages of the game, fans will need to use Smithing Stone [1] and Smithing Stone [2] to power up their gear, though they may be uncertain about where they can find these materials. Fortunately,  Elden Ring 's Smithing Stone [1] and [2] are not exceedingly rare, and this guide will detail the easiest way to obtain them in large quantities. Elden Ring: How to Buy Smithing Stone 1 & 2 Players that are interested in obtaining an abundance of Smithing Stone [1] and [2] should consider simply buying these materials. Indeed, it is possible to use Runes to purchase an unlimited number of these two types of Stones, which makes it very easy to put a few preliminary upgrades on numerous  weapons in  Elden Ring . Fans will not be able to buy Smithing Stone [1] and [2] straightaway, though, as they must first fulfill a couple of prere...

  It’s exactly 26 years since the first  Pokémon  games released in Japan and the developers of the series lived up to the hype of this year’s international Pokémon Day by offering up a ton of updates on current games and one major surprise reveal: new mainline entries  Pokémon Scarle t and  Violet  are coming to Nintendo Switch in late 2022. When the latest Pokémon Presents livesetream was announced just a couple days ago, fans assumed their  might be news about future DLC  for  Pokémon Legends: Arceus . Instead we got much, much more. Here’s a quick rundown of everything that was announced and one thing that wasn’t: The  mobile game  will see its Pokédex expanded to include Gen 7 additions from  Sun  and  Moon . Those include starters like Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio, and nearly 80 others. The  gacha game  will get a new boss-rush mode where you can battle Victory Road trainers back-to-back. It’s also addi...

  Multiple rumors have surfaced regarding the  Call of Duty  franchise recently, as leakers have speculated that the series may make many interesting changes in the future. The latest  Call of Duty  rumor relates to the possibility of a new standalone experience of one of the series' most beloved modes. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, and leaker Tom Henderson,  there will allegedly be no new mainline  Call of Duty  game arriving in 2023 . Some have speculated that this is the result of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition, as  Call of Duty: Vanguard  did not do as well as the company expected it to. Microsoft may have encouraged the alleged delay as a means to get the series back on track, however, it seems as though a different kind of  Call of Duty  could come about in 2023. Leakers Tom Henderson, RalphsValve, and CODMW2Informer have allegedly received insider information regarding the possibility of a surpris...

  The  long wait  is over:  Elden Ring  has finally arrived. FromSoftware's latest opus has received overwhelmingly  positive reviews , but there are some notable issues with the RPG. For one thing, there's a problem with game save data on  PlayStation 5  that's worth keeping in mind. Publisher Bandai Namco  said  that if your console switches off unexpectedly while you're playing  Elden Ring  or you put the PS5 in rest mode, "saved data may not be saved correctly." It's working on a fix for the issue, but for now it's best for PS5 players to save their progress manually "by exiting the game regularly." Bandai Namco said your data will be saved properly when you open the menu with the Option button and select Quit Game. For the time being, it's probably best for PS5 players to exit and restart the game after completing a major event (the bosses already seem tough enough without having to beat them twice) or visiting a site of L...

  Valve  just released a new feature  that lets you sign into Steam and check to see how many of the games in your library will run on the new Steam Deck handheld. I’ve ended up with a  lot  of games over my time in this job, from all kinds of genres and eras, so figured running the test on them might be a useful real-world indication of how things are shaping up ahead of the device’s release. As of today (February 24, 2022 in Australia), I have 810 proper, actual games in my Steam library. That sounds like too many video games, but I’ve been doing this job for 15 years, which has involved a ton of companies/people sending me games to check out for impressions/reviews. They add up over time. It’s not like I’ve bankrupted myself in the name of grand strategy games and roguelikes. Because of the number of games involved, but also the variety—most of these are games I’ve had to check out professionally, not the ones I’d be into personally—I was interested...

  Horizon Forbidden West has a very handy but subtle feature that makes sure you never miss an item as you're exploring its expansive, richly detailed world. Guerrilla Games' acclaimed sequel throws you into a beautiful world, to the point where it can be a distraction. For that reason, it can be easy to miss chests and plants hiding in amongst all the tall grass and machine wreckage. However, it's crucial, especially in the beginning of the game, to pick up everything you can and use it to craft ammo, traps, and upgrades. Pressing R3 sends out a focus pulse that reveals items for the taking in the surrounding area, but if you're much of a collector at all, your right thumb is probably going to get tired pretty quickly. Thankfully, as pointed out by AbusedBanana1 on Reddit, there's a built-in feature tucked away in Horizon Forbidden West's settings that automatically scans the area and reveals any items and collectibles you might've otherwise missed.

  In context:  In the past six months, half a dozen game studios, including Activision Blizzard, Bungie, and Bethesda have been acquired for billions. Everyone is wondering which studio will be next, including Ubisoft and its shareholders. This week the company published its quarterly report with some wording that made it read more like a sales brochure, prompting questions about the company’s intentions. Ubisoft published its quarterly report on Thursday and its executives held an earnings call with analysts and shareholders afterward. Subtitles in the 10-page report like "Ubisoft’s assets have never been so strong at a time when the value of assets has never been so high" and "The richest pipeline of games in Ubisoft’s history" made it read like a sales brochure, prompting questions about the company’s intentions. "In a consolidating industry I guess I’m wondering why you guys haven’t had an offer given the embedded value of your IP," analyst Matthew Wal...

  Fortnite  developer Epic Games confirmed this weekend it will transition most of its US-based contingent workers to full-time positions with benefits. The news comes after  The Verge   obtained an internal memo detailing the company’s plans. Epic spokesperson Elka Looks said the studio plans to hire “a few hundred” existing contractors, and that most of those workers currently serve as quality assurance testers. Epic will directly employ those individuals and they’ll have access to the company’s benefits plan. Looks also noted the company will still hire contingent workers to fill “short-term needs,” and the memo  The Verge  obtained said Epic would not extend the full-time employment offer to some workers. “There are a few exceptions in which it makes sense for both the worker and Epic to maintain contingent worker status,” the document said, according to the outlet. Epic’s decision to convert many of its QA testers to full-time employees comes at a mome...

  If you’re not planning to buy the Booster Course Pass for  Mario Kart 8 , don’t worry. You’re not completely out of luck. The new premium tracks will be randomly available for players playing Global or Regional races online. If one of your friends owns a copy of the DLC, you don’t have to purchase it when you’re playing with them in a group either. As originally reported by  Eurogamer , the first wave of premium courses will be available for Random selection when playing Global or Regional races online, starting March 22. Alternatively, you can play them as soon as March 18 by playing in Friends and Rivals races with someone who already purchased the DLC. So  someone  still needs to buy the DLC, or you’d need to pay for the Nintendo Switch Online bundle. But that’s still cheaper than everyone in your local  Mario Kart  meetup purchasing the DLC for themselves. This information has been detailed in the  U.K. version  of Nintendo’s website, b...

  Motorola has a new wearable 5G neckband that is designed to power lightweight VR and AR headsets (collectively known as XR headsets) such as parent company Lenovo’s   ThinkReality A3 smart glasses , the   company announced today . The neckband looks a lot like a large plastic lanyard, and is equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a 5,000mAh battery, a touchpad, SIM card slot, speakers, and a range of sensors including a gyroscope and accelerometer,   Engadget  reports . Motorola says it’s partnered with Verizon on the neckband, which is able to connect to the carrier’s mmWave 5G network. The idea is that the neckband, which Motorola doesn’t provide an official product name for, will be able to act as the brains and brawn for a connected VR or AR headset. By offloading components like a powerful processor and heavy battery, the headset itself can become lighter and more comfortable to wear. For example, Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3 smart glasses are generall...

  A new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is in active development,   Rockstar Games has confirmed . “We are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway,” the company wrote in a post on its website. In the more immediate future,   GTAV   and   Grand Theft Auto Online   will release on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S on March 15th. The popularity — and profitability — of  GTAV ’s online component has meant that there’s been an unusually long wait for a sequel. The game originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, over eight years ago. In contrast,  GTAV  released a little over five years after 2008’s  GTAIV . “With the unprecedented longevity of  GTAV , we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series,” Rockstar Games writes. “With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we hav...

  News of a highly anticipated game getting delayed has become increasingly more common. Fortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case when it comes to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. President and CEO of The Gearbox Entertainment Company Randy Pitchford shared that Wonderlands has “gone gold” for the Xbox One, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. The game is on its way to making it to its March 25 release date. “Gone gold” is a term used within the gaming industry to describe when a game has a playable build that is ready to be pressed to disk and be shipped out to the masses. Going gold doesn’t mean work on the game is finished, though, as work on a game often goes on long after release. Going gold means that there is a functioning version of the game that has been tested and proven to be ready for the public. Now that’s it gold, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will likely not get delayed and will release on time. In a world where many AAA titles are hit with multiple dela...