Apple's iPad series of tablet computers had a huge impact on the computing landscape. The combination of a large-format touchscreen and the fluidity of Apple's software made for a really compelling device for web browsing, playing games, watching videos, and reading books. At the same time, iPads haven't quite displaced traditional computers for a lot of more traditional productivity-focused use cases, and haven't dethroned more dedicated devices like game consoles either.

That's where the latest generation of iPad Pros comes in. The 2024 iPad Pro packs a stunning "tandem OLED" display capable of up to 1600 nits peak brightness, along with the brand-new M4 processor which promises enough juice for sophisticated apps and console-level games. It's by far the most capable iPad yet, and the best positioned to shore up any weaknesses prior iPads might have had. So how does the M4 iPad Pro fare as a general purpose computer? And does it turn in satisfactory results when put up against the recent crop of demanding iPad console ports?

The M4 iPad Pro's form factor is exceptional - it's remarkable just how thin and light it is. I purchased the 11-inch mode and it feels like it's just barely there. It comes in about half a kilogram in weight, and is a mere 5.3mm thick - way thinner than my iPhone 15 Pro and substantially thinner than any other prior iPad. The actual utility of that thinness is perhaps a bit more questionable though - I can't really say that a thicker tablet has much of an impact on its day-to-day use. The second item of note is the OLED display, which is a first for any larger-screened Apple device. It offers perfect black levels, great off-axis viewing, and 120Hz support for silky smooth animation. It also features great brightness levels - about a thousand nits for a full white screen in SDR and HDR and 1600 nits for HDR highlights. I'd say those figures are better than the best OLED TVs on the market today, which can hit similar peak brightness but take a huge brightness hit with more uniformly bright content.

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An ancient quest, one the bards will sing of in every tavern this side of Cloudy Mountain. A heroic ranger, travelling mountain passes, fjording rivers and hacking her way through cursed forests, protected only by her wiles and the taught string of her trusty bow. Her arrows, enchanted by the witch queen, bounce off cavern walls, apt at slaying all manner of rat, bat, snake, and conniving spider. She tracks them through the mazes encountered on her journey, using scat and skull alike to stave off their advance – and that of the tunnels' vicious demons and dragons whose attacks land close enough to shave the very fibres of her cloak, but just can't seem to bring her down.

And so she hunts, careful to avoid the shambling pink blobs that are said to be indestructible even to the magic weapons of the brave adventurers who set out for Cloudy Mountain, never to return. By hook and crook and skin of teeth, she rides there and confronts the legendary winged dragons that guard the two lost halves of the Crown of Kings. The crown shards sport the midnight sigil of the ancients. Three arrows notched and flown straight through the creatures' hearts are the only way to take them down. The ranger recovers one shard, then the other. A fuzzy, computerised blast of sound greets her in her triumph. You return to the map screen, relinquishing control. You've done something I've never done. You've beaten Advanced Dungeons & Dragons on the Intellivision.

It was once the most technologically advanced piece of Dungeons & Dragons media known to humankind. Its mountain mazes, made up entirely of green and yellow pixels, held wonders and horrors for those with courage enough to brave their depths. Its enemies scaled in difficulty, from one-shot KO rats, to two-shot minibosses, all the way up to the winged dragons in the fabled Cloudy Mountain that took three arrows to vanquish. The game's sound design was enthralling, the back of the box quick to assure players – and rightfully so – that "exciting sound effects highlight game play." You were alerted to the presence of nearby monsters in the maze by the sound of their wings or the slithering of their bodies through the mud before seeing them at all. To find them, you had to uncover the rest of a tunnel by walking through it, and by that point it could be too late.

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Salt and Sanctuary, from Ska Studios, is a bit bloody good, serving up an enormously enjoyable, Dark Souls-inspired slice of 2D action-adventure. It's also now eight years old - but that hasn't stopped it from getting a surprise update this week, adding a tough new Randomiser mode.

Salt and Sanctuary, which initially released for PlayStation 4 and PC back in 2016, is a fairly explicit attempt to translate From Software's now oft-replicated dark fantasy RPG formula, complete with considered combat and corpse runs, into two dimensions. It begins on the shores of a vast and broodily enigmatic kingdom, which players - in the role of the Saltborn - must explore and overcome, tackling enemies and imposing bosses along the way.

It's good stuff, and not exactly a walk in the park, but it just got a whole lot tougher thanks to its new Randomiser mode. As detailed over on Steam, Salt and Sanctuary players looking to give themselves a real challenge can now select from three randomiser options: Item Randomiser, Monster Randomiser, and Scaling Monster Randomiser.

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Somehow, it's that time of the year again already! THQ Nordic's annual gaming showcase has returned to offer a look at its upcoming slate of releases, both previously known and newly announced. This time around, the long-awaited Gothic 1 Remake and Titan Quest 2 both got gameplay reveals, and Epic Mickey: Rebrushed popped up to remind us all it's coming out relatively soon. As for the new stuff, Wreckfest is getting a sequel, Little Nightmares studio Tarsier's creepy new game has been teased (as has a new Darksiders), while strikingly animated platforming adventure The Eternal Life of Goldman looks like a real gem.

So if you didn't catch the showcase and are curious to see what you missed, you'll find a full round-up - augmented by a few additional details from an earlier press briefing - below.

We were big fans of 2018 demolition derby racer Wreckfest ("Wreckfest offers primal pleasures," wrote Martin Robinson, "with little by way of pretension), and developer Bugbear Entertainment is ready to do it all over again in the newly announced Wreckfest 2. Details are relatively scant at this early juncture, but it promises "unmatched deformation and physical damage models" as its high-octane single-player and multiplayer racing unfolds.

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Activision and Microsoft have reportedly approved the creation of a new "smaller" team within Blizzard Entertainment - mostly comprised of employees from Activision's mobile-focused King division - to develop new "AA" games based on existing Blizzard properties.

That's according to Windows Central's Jez Corden, whose sources say the new initiative reflects an eagerness at Microsoft to "explore and experiment" with smaller teams within the larger organisation, in response to the "monstrously ballooning costs" of AAA game development.

Corden notes Microsoft has seen success with the likes of Sea of Thieves and Grounded, both built by comparatively small teams - and, of course, 2023's Hi-Fi Rush, created by a small team within Tango Gameworks, was heralded as a "break out hit" by Microsoft after its release.

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Riot Games' free-to-play hero shooter Valorant launches today for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, following its recent console open beta.

The game will not offer crossplay between its existing PC version and consoles "to maintain Valorant's renowned standard for competitive integrity", Riot has said.

In a press release issued today, Riot did at least promise future game updates would release simultaneously, so all additional maps and characters will arrive at the same time.

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Once Human's maintenance is now complete, and the F2P open-world shooter is back online with a plethora of QoL improvements and optimisations, including a desperately-needed revision to vehicle handling.

Whilst players received a bundle of Stardust and health-related items to make up for the downtime, Once Human's long-promised controller and Steam Deck support is still nowhere to be seen (although, confusingly, the "controller" in-game item remains in place).

In terms of Memetics, you can now pick up memetic specialisation memory fragments in the wild and trade them between players. All memetic fragments will be destroyed at the end of the season – which is in a couple of weeks time – and cannot be sent to Eternaland, so be mindful of that.

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Turkish air pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec has become an unlikely Olympic star after winning the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

The 51-year-old won silver without any special equipment (lenses, eye covers, ear protection) and has subsequently been likened to a hitman, though he's in fact competed in every Summer Olympics since 2008.

His seeming nonchalance has been compared online to South Korean markswoman Kim Yeji, who also won silver in her event and has won over fans for just being impeccably cool.

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The upcoming movie adaptation of Supermassive's horror Until Dawn sees Peter Stormare reprise his role from the game, psychiatrist Dr Hill.

Whilst it remains unclear how, exactly, the movie will account for the game's myriad of deaths, survivals, and endings, Stormare's casting at least hints that Supermassive's trademark player "guide" will be making an appearance.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stormare will be joined by Maia Mitchell and Belmont Cameli, although what roles they'll play remains under wraps for now.

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Chivalry 2 is now "content and feature complete", as its developer moves on to new projects.

The medieval first-person slasher received its latest update in May, the Regicide Update, which provides the game's narrative conclusion. In a new blog post, Torn Banner Studios president and creative director Steve Piggott confirmed this is the final update, but not the end of the franchise.

"With the Regicide Update we consider the game to be content and feature complete," said Piggott. "Though every story comes to an end, we know many players will be disappointed by the news - but this isn't the end for the Chivalry franchise."

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Nintendo is adding Game Boy Advance title Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team to its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack catalogue.

The role-playing game spin-off from the main Pokémon series joins Nintendo's subscription library next week, on 9th August.

This is the first Pokémon game from the Game Boy Advance era to land on Nintendo Switch Online, which has so far offered other spin-offs such as Pokémon Snap, originally on N64, and Pokémon Trading Card Game, originally on Game Boy.

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Prison Architect 2 has been indefinitely delayed so publisher Paradox can improve its performance and content.

The game was expected to release on 3rd September, but has now been delayed for the third time this year.

The news was shared in a statement from Paradox, explaining the team "need more time to improve both the game's performance and its content" as internal reviews and beta test groups highlight these require more work.

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Bungie is no longer working on Payback, a new project set in the Destiny universe once overseen by franchise bosses Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy.

That's according to reporting by Gamespot's Tamoor Hussain, Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who all state that Smith and Noseworthy are also now no longer at Bungie.

Details of Payback leaked online back in April, when it was described as "Destiny 3". There were questions at the time over whether the project was still in development. Now, Schreier has confirmed that Payback was more of a spin-off, and was cancelled "a while ago".

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Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing over the past few days. This week we push through to get to better times in a game, which we hope are coming; we change our perception of a game after talking to the people who made it; and we find the familiar in a game that also manages to feel completely new.

What have you been playing?

Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We've Been Playing archive.

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Intel is cutting 15,000 jobs as part of a swathe of "significant actions to reduce costs" and save $10m in 2025.

CEO Pat Gelsinger said those 15,000 jobs represent 15 percent of its global workforce and come after the computing megacorp reported no profits from the last financial quarter.

Other cost-cutting exercises to make "Intel a leaner, simpler and more agile company" include reducing operating costs, simplifying its portfolio, eliminating complexity, reducing capital, suspending its dividend, and maintaining growth investments.

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Nintendo's sales for Switch hardware and software have seen big declines as the console nears the end of its life.

In its latest earnings report, Nintendo stated a 46.3 percent decline year-on-year of console sales, while software has declined 41.3 percent year-on-year.

However, this is largely due to the huge success Nintendo had in 2023. The release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie "energised" game sales, while the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom boosted both software and hardware sales.

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Following yesterday's mass layoffs at Destiny 2 developer Bungie - in which 220 employees lost their jobs - a new report has claimed the cuts were a result of Bungie leadership 'overstating the studio's financial prospects' to Sony, which acquired the developer in 2022.

That's according to sources interviewed by journalist Stephen Totilo, who, writing in his GameFile newsletter, reports yesterday's job cuts were necessary to stem Bungie's continued financial losses. The studio is said to have repeatedly missed financial targets promised to Sony, and has reportedly lost money since the release of Destiny 2 expansion Lightfall in 2023.

Totilo claims yesterday's layoffs - the second round of job cuts in less than a year - had long been planned, and "couldn't be avoided" even if this year's Destiny 2 expansion, The Final Shape, had "blockbuster performance". Bungie management reportedly concluded last year - amid poor sales and a dwindling Destiny 2 player base - it would need to "make deep cuts to show Sony's executives that it was taking its finances seriously", with the studio's autonomy - and management jobs - seemingly on the line if it failed to meet its targets.

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It barely feels like five minutes since the last one, but, somehow, Gamescom is almost upon us again. Which means publishers are starting to detail their plans for the show - and in Microsoft's case, we now know that'll include daily livestreams for those at home, plus over 50 playable games for anyone wandering the Koelnmesse's halls.

Attendees visiting Microsoft's Hall 7 Gamescom booth in person will find 50 games from Xbox Game Studios, Blizzard, Bethesda, and third-party partners, playable across 240 gaming stations. These include Age of Mythology: Retold, Ara: History Untold, Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, Fallout 76: Milepost Zero, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road, and Towerborne.

Playable third-party games, meanwhile, include Star Wars Outlaws, Space Marine 2, and the long-awaited Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. A full list of games at the booth can be found here.

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UPDATE 10.06pm: Following a bit of an "oopsy" on developer FuturLab's part, Steam users now have an additional two PowerWash Simulator levels to blast into a state of cleanliness alongside today's intended cruise ship release.

It's not entirely clear how the mishap occurred, but it started after Steam users began reporting they were unable to play PowerWash Simulator's cruise ship DLC following its release earlier today. Then, while FuturLab was orchestrating a fix, the game's next update - The Muckingham Files 4 - managed to work its way onto Valve's store ahead of schedule.

As a result, Steam users now have access to two additional PowerWash Simulator jobs: they can hose down crypto enthusiast Devon King's vandalised modern mansion, as well as pilot Floraine Perez' fire plane - which is looking a bit worse for wear after a flight over Mount Rushless.

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June's big Civilization 7 announcement was pretty light - by which I mean completely devoid of - detail. But that's about to change, with developer Firaxis having now revealed it'll be showcasing first gameplay of its latest 4X strategy title later this month.

First, viewers will get a taste of Civ 7 during this year's Gamescom Opening Night Live, which - in case your diary isn't up-to-date - is airing from 7pm BST/11am PT on 20th August.

But! Firaxis will then be airing a far more substantial chunk of gameplay once Opening Night Live comes to an end. Specifically, Civ fans can expect to see "more than" 20 minutes of gameplay - and hear Civ 7's development team share "exclusive insights" on its "innovative new features" - from 9.30pm BST/1.30pm PT on 20th August.

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UPDATE 2/8/24: Following rumours of a delay for Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed, Microsoft has now officially moved the fantasy action-RPG's release out of 2024.

Avowed will now launch for Xbox and PC on 18th February next year, as confirmed in an official infographic shared on social media. The image, featuring release dates and windows for all Xbox's currently announced games, confirmed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, plus Starfield's Shattered Space Expansion, are still expected to launch this year.

In text accompanying the graphic, Microsoft said it was moving Avowed's release to February 2025 in order to "give players' backlogs some breathing room." In a separate post, Xbox boss Phil Spencer wrote, "We're proud of what the Obsidian team have accomplished with Avowed and want to make sure they have the best launch possible."

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After teasing us all earlier in the year with a playful trailer featuring a vibrating cardboard box, the Jackbox team has today lifted the lid on its upcoming, risqué themed Naughty Pack.

The Naughty Pack, you may recall, will comprise three "provocative" games, which the Jackbox team promises will "deliver on laughter, wit, and a touch of irreverence".

We now know what these three games are, and one of them wants us to answer the ever important question: "Which of these meats most wants to be called daddy?" Well, I say!

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Fortnite players are now able to unlock the Tesla Cybertruck, though have found it has arrived with some issues - not unlike its real-world equivalent.

Players report that using the digital version of Elon Musk's motor breaks various in-game items, effectively penalising them for attempting to drive the Cybertruck themselves.

Videos uploaded by Fortnite fans on reddit show players unable to use the meta-dominating Nitro Fists, as well as the current Pirates of the Caribbean collaboration item Ship in a Bottle, after driving a Cybertruck.

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Developing games for Apple platforms has been described as "like an abusive relationship", due to a lack of support or strategy.

In a new report, MobileGamer.biz has spoken to a number of anonymous developers making games for the Apple Arcade mobile platform and the Vision Pro VR headset.

Sources describe a whole litany of issues, suggesting Apple simply "does not understand gamers" or the industry.

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Cor, it feels good to be ricocheting hats off chrome skulls again, let me tell you. It's been almost ten years since the original SteamWorld Heist showed us how XCOM could work in a 2D play space, and Thunderful's sequel has only doubled down on what made this particular bag of bolts such a joyful offshoot in the turn-based strategy genre. Case in point: the hats that you could whizz off the head of your enemies and claim for your own (for no other reason than sheer cheekiness) are back in full force, with 101 of them ready to be pilfered in your search for tasty loot. Its new cast of characters are also daft and brilliant in equal measure, and I'm not ashamed to admit that one of my first recruitment decisions was based purely on the pun work. Why yes, Dame Judy Wrench, I will have you on my crew with your Harsh Language special attack that can shame an enemy for three damage. Why is that even a question?

SteamWorld Heist 2 isn't just more of the same, though - even if that is a large part of its overall appeal. Apart from the shift in setting from space to a more explorable and connected ocean planet, there's a new class system that lets you pinch skills learned in other jobs you've undertaken. Of course, Heist 2 isn't the first game to land on this particular idea, and its execution is perhaps only partially successful in practice (more on that in a sec). But given this sequel is easily double the size of the original, it does need some form of progression support like this to help prevent its missions from buckling under the weight of its lengthy environmental crisis story. In truth, that reach for something bigger and better is arguably SteamWorld Heist 2's undoing in many ways, but what's here is still eminently enjoyable - and you're certainly not left hungry.

Let's start with the good stuff. Aside from its copious array of optional headwear to parade and pilfer, the heists themselves are as sharp and thrilling as ever. In your bid to find out what's causing this world's freshwater shortage (salt water doesn't play nice with a Steambot's metal work, after all), you'll be raiding all manner of moored ships, rigs and naval facilities to find the source of the problem. Unsurprisingly, there are several hiccups, detours and other obstacles you'll need to deal with along the way, taking you from the balmy, tropical shallows to deep, icy northern trenches and more - which you'll pootle around in your trusty submarine in real-time, travelling from one mission to the next on the high seas.

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Pokémon Go's upcoming addition of Dynamax mechanics has been something of an open secret - and now we're able to see how some elements will look in-game for the first time.

Fans of Pokémon Go have peered inside the popular mobile game's files to find visual elements of the upcoming Dynamax system, which also offer clues as to how Dynamax Pokémon will be obtained.

For the first time since Pokémon Go's launch all the way back in 2016, new locations look set to appear on the game's overworld map - currently labelled as "stations". These gym-like structures look like they'll host raids for Dynamax Pokémon.

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You can currently re-subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online and get an extra two months' worth of membership time for free.

Nintendo announced the offer today as a feature of its new Mega Multiplayer Festival, which runs from now until 8th September.

Purchase a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online membership option during this period from the eShop or My Nintendo Store and you'll be credited with 14 months of membership time.

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Last week, Ubisoft raised eyebrows when it issued a vaguely-worded apology for "some elements" in Assassin's Creed Shadows' promotional materials that had "caused concern" among some fans.

Fans widely attributed the statement as referring to the ongoing backlash towards the game's inclusion of historical figure Yasuke as a Black samurai and its dual protagonist. Moderators of the main Assassin's Creed reddit this week described the topic as a "tedious discussion" that Ubisoft's statement had only "exacerbated".

In contrast, Ubisoft creative director Julian Gerighty has now acknowledged online criticism of Star Wars Outlaws - specifically, the aesthetic appearance of main character Kay Vess - by stating that "bad-faith" debates are "not worth engaging with".

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A mod has been released for the fan-made Fallout 4 mod Fallout: London to change all football references to soccer.

Fallout: London, unsurprisingly, transports the post-apocalypse of the series to the English capital and has been created by a group of British fans, Team Folon.

That means the mod is full of British references, but the It's A Soccer Ball mod on NexusMods from GrumpyOldNord changes things for American players.

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Following news of yesterday's layoffs at Bungie, CEO Pete Parsons has faced criticised from staff for spending millions on classic cars since the studio was purchased by Sony in 2022 and bragging about his lavish collection, as the company headed towards this week's latest brutal round of job losses.

Employees - some of whom are now unemployed - have shared links to an array of classic cars purchased via the Bring a Trailer website, with Parsons profile public and listing a vast number of auction wins. The earliest was in September 2022 costing $34,000; the most recent was 1st June this year costing $91,500, just a month before these latest layoffs. "How exciting!" wrote Parsons in a comment. "I have wanted a c1 since I was a little kid. My second hot wheel ever (in gold). Going to its forever home."

Parsons spent $79,000 on a vehicle in October 2023 just ahead of the previous layoffs, followed by three more purchases over the remainder of the year - including a Porsche costing over $200k. In total, Parsons appears to have spent $2,414,550 on vehicles.

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Current and former employees of Destiny 2 developer Bungie have responded to the news of devastating layoffs at the studio - which has seen 220 employees lose their jobs - aiming harsh criticism at the handling of the cuts amid calls for Bungie CEO Pete Parsons to resign.

Parsons announced the studio would be laying off approximately 17 percent of its workforce earlier today, blaming "rising costs of development and industry shifts as well as enduring economic conditions." The news marks the second round of job cuts at the studio in less than a year, with approximately 100 employees having been laid off last October.

Following this latest round of job cuts, former and current Bungie employees took to social media to lambast the decision. Destiny 2's global community lead Dylan Gafner (AKA dmg04) called the move "inexcusable" in a post on X. "Industry leading talent being lost, yet again," he wrote. "Accountability falling upon the workers who have pushed the needle to deliver for our community time and time again."

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With Planet Coaster 2's big reveal out the way, Frontier Developments is ready to start talking specifics - and it's now done just that in the first in a series of developer deep dives, showcasing some of the sequel's new features in 15 minutes of first gameplay.

The big new thing in Planet Coaster 2 is , of course, water - or rather water parks, with the likes of pools, lazy rivers, and flumes. Frontier's deep dive offered a quick walk through the basics here, noting its sparkly new pools can be carved into the earth using geometric or custom shapes, while body flumes - just like rollercoasters - can be constructed piece-by-piece. Expect to see the likes of plughole, sphere, vertical, and boomerang flume pieces, even a six-person raft flume ride, adding variety to the basic flume styles.

Flumes, like any other ride, can be ridden in first-person, and also have their own excitement, nausea, and fear levels that'll determine whether guests want to ride them. Also like other rides, they'll work with Planet Coaster 2's suite of new customisation options, with players able to assign them colours, pre-defined patterns, and more.

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Microsoft is expanding Discord support on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One with a number of new features - including a consolidated Xbox and Discord friends list - that'll be rolling out to general users in the "coming weeks" following a bit of Insider testing.

Starting with that Xbox Friends list, Discord friends who are gaming or chatting in Discord Voice will soon appear in the "Happening now" tab alongside Xbox friends in parties or games. Additionally, if a friend is talking or streaming a game in a Discord server voice channel, that channel will also be shown in "Happening Now".

Furthermore, once the update is available, it'll be possible to initiate a Discord call, jump straight into a voice channel, or watch a friend streaming directly from the Xbox Friends list.

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard publisher EA has narrowed down the game's release window slightly, and indicated it will launch after 1st October.

Previously missing from EA's last financial results calendar, the publisher now lists BioWare's upcoming long-awaited RPG as being set to launch in its financial Q3.

EA's first financial quarter of the year ended on 30th June, while its second ends on 30th September. BioWare meanwhile has given The Veilguard a vague "fall" or autumn launch window.

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As another month draws to a close, PlayStation has announced the next slate of games coming to PS Plus Essential.

The three Essential games - which are available to all PlayStation Plus members - coming in August are:

This selection of games will arrive on 6th August, and be available to download until 2nd September.

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Destiny developer Bungie has laid off another 220 staff, representing roughly 17 percent of the studio's workforce.

In October last year, the studio laid off 100 staff from its then 1200-strong workforce. That means Bungie has laid off around a quarter of its workforce in the past nine months.

The news was shared today in a blog post from Bungie CEO Pete Parsons, describing the decision as "some of the most difficult changes we've ever had to make as a studio".

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Microsoft's ever-expanding line-up of special edition Xbox wireless controllers has increased yet again, this time with the new transparent blue Sky Cipher - which (as well as looking like something straight out of the 90s, when tech wasn't worth a jot if it wasn't at least partially see-through) also heralds the introduction of new eco-friendly controller packaging.

Of course, a new Xbox controller reveal wouldn't be the same without at least some attempt to sex up what's very much just more of the same in a different colour, and the Sky Cipher Special Edition - with its metallic innards visible through blue plastic - is described as "exuding an aura of sophistication and futuristic appeal."

It also sports sky blue metallic triggers, a matching D-pad circled by a ring of dark blue, a set of "two-tone" thumbsticks - sky blue at the base, dark blue near the top - and sky blue rubberised grips on the rear. Battery life should last around 40 hours, it's got the usual 3.5mm audio jack, and works with Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android, and Cloud Gaming devices.

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Marvel Rivals is the second new hero shooter to arrive in beta form this month, following on from Sony's Concord as another team-based multiplayer affair. This time though, it's a full cross-platform release, with Xbox Series X and Series S joining PS5 and PC. Rivals also goes further in using the Unreal Engine 5 feature set, with Lumen global illumination and reflections, and features a third-person perspective of the titular heroes and villains that sets it apart from the likes of Overwatch. Early impressions suggest a more deeply ambitious game, but one that also comes with more profound technical challenges in its current form.

We've tested every platform to see how they compare, paying special attention to PS5, Series X and Series S to see how closely they manage to hold to the target 60fps - and in the case of the Series S, how much they sacrifice to get there with more modest hardware. Beyond that, how do these platforms hold up to the game running maxed out on PC, with Lumen GI and reflections set to ultra, and what technical gremlins lurk behind that beta badge?

Before we answer these questions, it's worth looking at the state of play right now. After all, this is a beta in flux, with 21 characters and four map variants on offer during our testing. Developers NetEase Games are no strangers to genre giant Overwatch, having worked on creating versions of the title and other Blizzard releases for the Chinese market, and that comes across in the presentation: slick, snappy and broadly similar.

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Braid: Anniversary Edition has "sold like dog shit", according to its creator Jonathan Blow.

Blow regularly streams on Twitch and has discussed the sales performance of the Braid re-release on a number of occasions since its release in May.

YouTube channel Blow Fan has pieced together a montage of clips from Blow's streams (spotted by VGC), in which he bluntly shares his thoughts on the sales of Braid: Anniversary Edition.

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Sorry singing fans, Amazon's Yakuza TV show won't include the game's iconic karaoke sessions.

The Yakuza, or Like a Dragon, games are known for their bizarre minigames, but it seems the TV producers are taking a more serious approach to their adaptations by focusing on human emotion and offering new interpretations of familiar characters.

When asked during a roundtable if karaoke would be featured in the Like a Dragon: Yakuza TV show, executive producer Erik Barmack said it would not, though "singing may come eventually" (thanks The Gamer).

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Palworld community manager John "Bucky" Buckley has shared his thoughts on 'dead games', saying he believes it isn't healthy for the industry to play the same game all the time if it wasn't created with this sort of playstyle in mind.

Bucky first got involved in the 'dead game' discourse earlier this year, when he addressed Palworld's player numbers. Palworld was the first big mega-hit of 2024, surpassing 2m concurrent players on Steam back in January. It was only the second game to ever achieve this, the other being PUBG. As expected, however, player numbers declined after release, as they do with many games. Palworld was then branded a 'dead game' in certain corners of the internet.

Speaking about this player dip back in February, Bucky acknowledged "there are so many amazing games out there to play", and said people didn't need to feel bad about trying something different.

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The Star Wars Outlaws team has devised a solution to that 'yellow paint' debate.

Many video game developers have introduced yellow paint into their games, as a way of signposting players where to go next. Not sure where to climb? Look for the yellow scuffs on the cliff side. If it's a building, maybe look out for a yellow drainpipe or window ledge. Resident Evil even features yellow locks for players to pick.

Needless to say, yellow paint - or indeed any brightly coloured marker - is a pretty common occurrence across the video game landscape. It is a useful accessibility tool for many players. And, this same paint-based path finder also features in Star Wars Outlaws. That is, unless you don't want it to.

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Microsoft's continued decline in Xbox console sales continued through the last financial quarter, the company has confirmed.

In what is now a familiar pattern - and one not limited to Microsoft - revenue from gaming hardware fell again, this time by 42 percent. That's down further on the 31 percent fall reported back in April this year, for the quarter before.

Microsoft's gaming revenue overall was up overall by 44 percent, thanks to a significant boost from the addition of Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft bought for $68.7bn before its latest round of layoffs. Without Activision, growth would have sat around three percent.

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Mafia: Definitive Edition will be available to play via Xbox Game Pass next month.

Microsoft along with publisher 2K confirmed Mafia: Definitive Edition will be coming to the subscription service last night, after a leak earlier in the week suggested as much.

"A re-made classic is on its way," the Xbox Game Pass social media account posted.

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EA CEO Andrew Wilson has discussed the impact of the SAG-AFTRA actors strike, stating the company doesn't anticipate "any significant short-term impact".

Wilson's comments were during a Q&A after its latest earnings call, where an investor questioned the impact of the strike.

The CEO replied the company is "working diligently to negotiate at the table" but doesn't expect "near-term disruption to any of the games we have in development" or current live-service games.

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Cleansing the land of an ancient evil, purging its demon spawn in a flurry of Japanese artistry, and watching new life spring forth as nature returns to peace and harmony… Nope, I'm not talking about the brilliant inkwash battles of Okami, but the demon-slaying kagura dances of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. It is, in fairness, a connection that Capcom has increasingly leaned into in the run-up to Kunitsu-Gami's release. If the shared themes and free Amaterasu and Waka costumes for its deuteragonists Soh and Yoshiro weren't a sign that, yes, this is likely as close as we're ever going to get to a pseudo-spiritual successor to Clover Studio's 2006 romp through Japanese folklore, then the option to substitute Kunitsu-Gami's musical score for remixed Okami tracks surely seals the deal.

But to say Kunitsu-Gami is simply a sheep in this particular white and red wolf's clothing would also be doing it a great disservice. For underneath all the Ammy nostalgia, this is a finely crafted action strategy game that has both the brains and brawn to stand on its own, marrying fast and visually hypnotic swordplay combos with the cerebral plotting of quick-witted tower defence. Of course, this being Capcom, these towers aren't static objects to slap down and hope for the best. They're fellow villagers you can move about the battlefield and assign different roles and classes to in order to help you combat the waves of yokai monsters that pour out of torii gate portals every time the sun goes down. As Soh, your goal is to protect and escort the priestess Yoshiro toward these torii gates so she can banish their corrupting influence for good, though with the risk of defeat ratcheting up the closer you get to victory, you'll need to do plenty of thinking on your feet to help win the day.

The expert pacing of Kunitsu-Gami is arguably what binds it altogether. Thanks to the inherent ticking clock of its day-night cycle (beautifully portrayed as a reflection of the sun arcing round a bowl of water), each individual level rarely exceeds 10-15 minutes in length. These bursts of concentrated action make your days feel tense and urgent as you make your preparations, but sharp and punchy when nightfall comes and you battle the menacing Seethe monsters. Combat isn't simply about living to see a new dawn either. With every Seethe defeated, you'll collect crystals that can be ploughed back into assigning your villagers new roles if you need to switch up your strategy, as well as carving a path for Yoshiro so she can shimmy up to the big torii gate at the end of level to perform her cleansing ritual.

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Wildermyth, the acclaimed procedural storytelling RPG from developer Worldwalker Games, is - after three years revelling in its many accolades garnered while exclusive to PC - coming to Switch, PlayStaton, and Xbox on 22nd October this year.

At first glance, Wildermyth is pretty familiar stuff, taking players on a fantasy flavoured adventure of party based levelling and tactical turn-based combat. Those bits are all perfectly good, but the real cleverness starts with its procedurally generated story, where campaigns are cunningly, convincingly assembled from beautifully illustrated, wonderfully written narrative fragments and choose-your-own-adventure-style scraps.

And that all builds out from your highly customisable party of characters, who each get distinctly defined traits, personalities, histories, and abilities. And each of them can forge alliances, develop rivalries, fall out, fall in love, die and be reborn is a constantly swirling maelstrom of variables that keep things fresh. And that's without factoring in some of other clever stuff, like the way your journey - passing in days, months, and years - unfolds across a dynamic world map that evolves, not always positively, depending on your actions.

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Arrowead Game Studios has detailed Helldivers 2's latest Premium Warbond. It's called Freedom's Flame and promises new fire-themed armaments and other treats when it launches alongside the bug-splattering, bot-bothering live-service shooter's previously announced "biggest ever update" next Tuesday, 6th August.

"Incinerate everything standing in your path with new weaponry almost too hot to handle," Arrowhead exclaims on the PlayStation Blog. "Survive the heat of battle with lifesaving armour; and burn brightly across the cosmos with fresh emotes, capes, and skins."

If it's specifics you want though, Freedom's Flame includes the SG-451 Cookout as a new primary weapon capable of unleashing a "burst of incendiary phosphorus pellets" at enemies. It also features the FLAM-66 Torcher lightweight flamethrower as a second primary.

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Aside from a blue paint job and some migraine inducing Na'vi Senses, last year's movie tie-in, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora was a Far Cry game in all but name. It's a typical Ubisoft move to repurpose portions of an existing product that has already proven popular with their audience, but in the case of Avatar, the final result failed to set the metaphorical Home Tree on fire (sorry, too soon?).

I think part of why Avatar's players burnt out so quickly (sorry again), was that it was basically just Far Cry but made worse with the addition of a bunch of Avatar gubbins. In the case of Star Wars Outlaws however, Ubisoft hasn't just picked one singular game to rework. Here, its plucked all the best bits from across its biggest franchises and created this melting pot of familiar gameplay elements. These elements are instantly recognisable when you see them one-by-one, sure, but they all come together as a whole to create a proper Star Wars-y feeling adventure.

When our dashing Deputy Editor, Chris Tapsell went hands-on with Star Wars Outlaws in June, he came away underwhelmed by the dated gameplay he'd experienced during the trio of linear missions he'd been given to play. As if countering that preview with a big, 'well check this out then', Ubisoft invited me along to a four-hour preview session that featured a big chunk of open-world action instead, where player were let off the leash to explore as they saw fit.

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I am a big Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fan. That whole world that Tolkien created fills me with an immense amount of wonder and awe. While I don't fancy coming face to face with an orc anytime soon, I would relish the opportunity to explore Middle-earth with my backpack full of lembas bread and a pint from the Prancing Pony in hand.

That is why when I was scrolling through X the other day, I stopped and did a brief double take. In a welcome change to some of the rubbish on social media these days, my algorithm had presented me with a beautiful, photorealistic re-imagining of Lord Of The Rings' The Argonath scene, made in Unreal Engine 5.

For a tranquil minute and a half, I was transported from my desk to a small boat on the River Anduin, as the two monumental statues made famous in Fellowship of the Ring watched over me. After playing the video again, I quickly got in touch with the footage's creator Micah Malinics to find out more about his project, and - importantly - if I would ever get the chance to play through this fan-made recreation myself.

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