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Stellar Blade Developer Plans To Release A Sequel Before 2027

by admin May 22, 2025

Korean developer ShiftUp released Stellar Blade last year, and it quickly became a hit. In roughly one year, it has brought in more than $48 million of revenue for the developer, so it won’t be a surprise that the team is working on a follow-up game. However, according to a Q1 2025 fiscal year presentation from ShiftUp, the developer plans to have a sequel before 2027.

In the presentation, which is where ShiftUp reveals Stellar Blade has brought in 68.1 billion KRW (or $48 million), there’s a slide titled, “IP expansion on its way with high visibility.” We can see the 2024 release of Stellar Blade on PlayStation 5, additional strategy for ShiftUp’s mobile gacha game, Goddess of Victory: Nikke, and “Platform Expansion” for Stellar Blade. This likely alludes to the upcoming PC release. However, beyond that, the slide also shows “Sequel” for Stellar Blade before the year 2027, which is represented as the cutoff for the slide’s timeline.

Though there aren’t any accompanying details, given the reception to Stellar Blade, it makes sense ShiftUp is planning a sequel for the action game.

Elsewhere on the slide, there’s mention of something called “Project Witches,” which gets its own color and is separate from Nikke and Stellar Blade, as it’s likely a new IP.

While waiting for a Stellar Blade sequel, potentially next year, read Game Informer’s Stellar Blade review. After that, read about why it’s Game Informer’s best action game of 2024, and then check out the PC specs required to play Stellar Blade when it launches there next month.

What do you want to see in a Stellar Blade sequel? Let us know in the comments below!

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

A Southwest Airlines employee assists a passenger during their check-in at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on April 18, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Southwest Airlines suffered a brief disruption in operations earlier this morning after a computer firewall issue forced the company to delay many of its flights. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Product Reviews

Southwest Airlines Will Require Passengers to Keep Portable Chargers Out During Flights

by admin May 22, 2025

Southwest Airlines announced it will require all portable device chargers to be kept in plain sight during all flights while they’re in use. The new policy comes after a number of lithium-ion batteries fires on flights worldwide in recent years.

The new policy will start May 28 and will require all Southwest passengers to make sure they don’t have any portable chargers, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, in overhead bins or even just inside a bag in under the seat in front of them, while they’re in use.

“Using portable charging devices while stored in a bag or overhead bin will no longer be permitted,” the airline told Gizmodo in an emailed statement. “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees.”

The airline told Gizmodo that it’s okay to keep your portable charger in your carry-on bag if it’s not connected to anything else. But any charger in active use, including one that may be connected to the phone in the form of a case, should be kept visible for the entire flight.

The TSA already bans rechargeable and non-rechargeable lithium batteries for phones and laptops from checked baggage. Carry-on baggage is fine, but Southwest Airlines will soon require those chargers to be outside of all bags and visible while in use during the duration of the flight.

It’s unclear if other U.S.-based airlines will follow Southwest’s lead, but other airlines around the world have also been cracking down on lithium-ion batteries in an effort to fight fire hazards. As the Associated Press notes, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways both already prohibit the use of portable chargers on all flights. And Korean Airlines also bans portable chargers from overhead bins.

The average U.S. passenger brings four different rechargeable devices with them on a flight, according to the UL Standards & Engagement research group, with the most common devices being smartphones (82%), laptops (41%), wireless headphones (39%), and tablets (36%). The most common incidents were caused by vaping devices, which accounted for 35% of all incidents on flights in 2023, while power banks accounted for 16% of all incidents reported.

“Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin,” the FAA explains on its website. “Passengers should notify flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning.”

Indeed. If you see something on fire on your flight, battery or otherwise, please let the flight crew know. That’s just generally a good idea.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

That rage-inducing Borderlands 4 price tweet hasn’t stopped Randy Pitchford posting, as he declares an indie game is “cheaper than a point of meth”

by admin May 22, 2025

Yep, this is a thing the Gearbox exec has tweeted. He’s posted that indie shooter Mycopunk is “cheaper than a point of meth” and “probably has fewer side effects, too”, in response to publisher Devolver Digital making a joke about Borderlands 4 potentially costing $80.

We all through the exec accidentally revealing B4’s revised release date ahead of schedule by goofing up with timezones when tweeting about it was him at the peak of his posting powers. It wasn’t. Randy’s still evolving, and he has things to say.

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There’s some context to this latest ‘you what?’-inducing post from Pitchford, and it involves more ill-concieved tweets. On May 14, the Gearbox CEO responded to a fan concerned about the latest entry in the Borderlands possibly setting players back $80.

“A) Not my call. B) If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen,” the exec replied, “My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen.”

As you’d expect, that post’s drawn him lots of flak from regular folks who don’t like having it insinuated that you’re not a “real fan” if you aren’t able to buy an $80 game while also keeping your head above water during the cost of living crisis we’re all living through.

Image credit: VG247

One of the responses has come from Devolver, which joked: “You’re gonna be able to buy Mycopunk for you and three of your friends for the price of one copy of Borderlands 4.” Pitchford responded to that light ribbing that mainly serves to promo developer Pigeons at Play’s upcoming co-op shooter by posting: “Mycopunk is cheaper than a point of meth – probably has fewer side effects, too!”

Yeah, imagine if your boss – who’s already made your work life harder by running his mouth – posted that.

That’s not been it either, Pitchford’s also issued what very much looks like a response to the “real fan” backlash by sharing a clip of him talking about Borderlands 4’s still unrevealed price at a recent PAX East panel, reasoning that it’s “the truth” for those who want it.

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It’s three minutes long, and basically sees him admit that he doesn’t know how much the game’ll cost, before going through the factors that could influence how much games cost these days – game sellers having to be aware that some folks they’ll want to sell to are in “price-sensitive” situations, while others are “accepting the reality that game budgets are increasing, and there are tariffs for the retail packaging, and it’s getting gnarly out there”.

“We want people to buy [the game], so we have the resources to make more,” Pitchford said, “but we want everyone who buys and plays a Gearbox game to feel certain that they got the better end of the bargain. Whatever the price is, that they got the best value.” Why didn’t he just say that in the first tweet? Beats me.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

FinCEN Opinion on Samourai Wallet ‘Irrelevant’ in Roman Storm Case

by admin May 22, 2025

Prosecutors in the case against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm are attempting to to sidestep the possibility that a New York judge forces them to hand over additional evidence that could help Storm’s case.

In a Wednesday letter to the court, prosecutors pushed back against Storm’s lawyers’ assertions that they’d failed to meet their so-called Brady obligations — a constitutional requirement for prosecutors to turn over any potentially helpful evidence to the defense before trial.

At the heart of the debate is a recent production of evidence in another case in the Southern District of New York (SDNY): the legal pursuit of Samourai Wallet co-founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill. Both cases involve a crypto mixing service that prosecutors allege was knowingly used to launder crime proceeds,

In the Samourai Wallet case, however, prosecutors recently admitted to having a conversation with two Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) officials in 2023 — before pressing charges — in which the government employees said they didn’t believe the mixing service would qualify as a money transmitting business under their guidelines and didn’t need a license to operate. Lawyers for Rodriguez and Hill accused prosecutors of suppressing critical evidence and violating their right to due process. Last week, the judge overseeing the case denied their motion for a hearing on the matter, telling them instead to include their concerns in their pre-trial motion due at the end of the month.

Though the cases are separate, lawyers for Roman Storm expressed concern that the prosecution’s failure to inform them of their communications with FinCEN regarding Samourai Wallet’s status as a money transmitting business also potentially constituted a Brady violation in Storm’s case.

In their Wednesday response, prosecutors said that the FinCEN conversation wasn’t evidence.t was an opinion, not a fact, they stated, and therefore not required to be turned over to the defense. Prosecutors also claimed that their discussion with FinCEN was irrelevant to Storm’s case, because it wasn’t specifically about Tornado Cash.

“Tornado Cash simply was not part of the conversation,” prosecutors wrote. “While Samourai Wallet and the Tornado Cash service may share some superficial similarities, they operated quite differently.”

Prosecutors said that they didn’t have similar conversations with FinCEN about Tornado Cash, claiming that there were “no such interactions comparable to those described in the Rodriguez Disclosures.”

“As the government has repeatedly explained to the defense in this case, the government has neither sought nor obtained an opinion from any employee at FinCEN — or any other government agency — regarding whether the Tornado Cash service is subject to registration obligations,” prosecutors wrote. “Such an opinion — especially an informal opinion offered by employees who expressly disclaim to be speaking for the agency — would not be legally admissible and would not constitute Brady material.”

The case against Storm is expected to begin on July 14 in New York.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

US Emerges As Bitcoin Superpower With 40% Ownership: Research

by admin May 22, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

A new deep-dive published by River, the San Francisco-based Bitcoin services company, argues that the United States has quietly become the planet’s unchallenged Bitcoin hegemon, controlling an estimated 40% of the entire circulating supply. In dollar terms, the report places the combined holdings of American investors, corporations and public entities at “north of $790 billion,” a figure that would eclipse the market capitalisation of most Fortune 50 companies if it were tallied as a single asset on a balance sheet.

The Bitcoin Empire

River’s analysts describe a multi-pronged dominance that extends far beyond raw coin ownership. Publicly listed US firms hold 94.8% of all Bitcoin sitting on corporate treasuries worldwide, the study notes, while American organisations account for 82% of global Bitcoin development funding and roughly 70% of venture capital deployed into the ecosystem. Even the fledgling exchange-traded fund market skews heavily toward domestic investors: the report calculates that US-domiciled ETFs control 79.2% of the outstanding shares for the entire asset class.

Bitcoin ownership by percentage of population | Source: River

Hashrate—often seen as the most tangible measure of security and industrial commitment—also tilts toward America. River estimates that miners operating within US borders generate 36% of global computational power, a share large enough to make the country the single biggest contributor to network security.

Since the start of 2021, those miners have hauled $42.6 billion worth of newly issued Bitcoin out of the protocol, backed by more than $30 billion in capital expenditure on rigs, power contracts and infrastructure. The boom has spawned a cluster of at least 40 industrial-scale sites exceeding 10 megawatts and has pushed the nationwide head-count of Bitcoin-focused firms past 150, collectively employing more than 20,000 Americans.

Geographic hashrate distribution | Source: River

“America is the global Bitcoin superpower,” the report states in its title banner, before charting the country’s footprint on a map speckled with golden circles for company headquarters and triangles for large-scale mines stretching from Washington State to Georgia’s nuclear-powered corridor.

Texas, Georgia, New York and Ohio appear as dense constellations, underscoring the migration of energy-intensive computing to deregulated or energy-rich states.

The US Bitcoin Industry | Source: River

Sovereign holdings provide another lens on Washington’s clout. The US government controls approximately 198,000 coins—nearly three times the stash attributed to the United Kingdom and more than ten times the totals linked to China, North Korea or Bhutan. El Salvador, whose president Nayib Bukele has turned Bitcoin into legal tender and a geopolitical calling card, holds a comparatively modest 6,000 coins; Venezuela barely registers at 200.

Institutional ownership is no longer confined to hedge-fund hot-hands or crypto-native treasuries. Endowments at Yale, MIT, Brown and Harvard have all built direct positions or ETF exposures, while insurers such as MassMutual, TIAA and Northwestern Mutual have added the asset to long-duration portfolios traditionally populated by Treasuries and investment-grade credit. Hedge-fund heavyweights Citadel, Millennium, D. E. Shaw and Mariner round out the list of marquee names flagged by River as significant holders.

At press time, BTC traded at $106,510.

BTC grinds higher above the 0.786 Fib, 1-day chart | Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView.com

Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

The Most Lifelike 3D Video Calling That Didn’t Totally Blow Me Away

by admin May 22, 2025

After Android XR smart glasses, I was most excited to try out Google Beam, a shrunken and commercialized version of Project Starline 3D video calling booth that Google has been plugging away at over the past couple of years. Seemingly everyone who has tried Project Starline has told me how mind-blowing it is to video call with someone inside of what’s essentially a glasses-free 3D TV, and feel like they’re really sitting in front of them. I finally got the opportunity to try the technology at Google I/O 2025—it’s impressive, but it’s far from some perfect replication of the person you’re talking with.

Let me just repeat myself so there’s no confusion: that Google can replicate a person from a bunch of 2D videos that are then stitched together into 3D using a custom AI neural network is nothing short of wizardry. The 3D person inside of the screen really feels as if they’re sitting across the table. In my demo, which was actually using the older Project Starline setup and not the more compact one HP is making, a friendly guy named Jerome, who said he was being streamed from Seattle, Wash. to my screen in Mountain View, Calif., reached out to hand me an apple that was in his hand, and I instinctively tried to grab it. A few beats later, when he told me the demo was over, we high-fived—I, again, did it without much thought. All the while, during our 1-2 minute convo, we made eye contact, smiled, and laughed, as if we were together IRL. It was all very… normal.

Ridiculously short as my demo was, the limitations of the current version of 3D video calling technology were immediately obvious as soon as I sat down in front of the TV “booth.” When Jerome appeared on the screen, I could see that the 3D render of him was jittering very slightly. The entire time, I could see the slightly horizontal jitters as he moved around. The closest thing I can compare it to is like slightly jittery TV scanlines—but it was something that I noticed right away and became fixated on.

Another limitation is the camera tracking and viewing angle—it only really works looking at it dead center. Whenever I shifted my chair to the left or right, Jerome’s picture darkened and became distorted. Even with an 8K resolution, the light field display still looked grainy. I also noticed that if you try to “look around” the other person’s body, there’s nothing there. It’s just… empty particle-like space. That makes sense because Beam/Starline’s cameras are only capturing the front and parts of a person’s sides, not back angles. If you’ve ever seen the back of a person’s portrait mode photo (see below), you’ll know there’s just no captured data back there.

This is too cool: iPhone Portrait mode…exploded into depth layers pic.twitter.com/oA8FicilWG

— Ray Wong (@raywongy) November 22, 2018

I’m also suspicious as hell about how well Beam works in less-than-optimal lighting. The room I was in had nicely diffused lighting. I suspect that the image quality might be greatly degraded with dimmer lighting. There would probably be some real noticeable image noise.

I should also note that my chat with Jerome was actually my second demo. My first demo was with a guy named Ryan. The experience was equally as brief, but Starline crashed and his image froze, and I had to be transferred to Jerome. Prototypes! Sure, Zoom calls can freeze up too, but you know what doesn’t freeze up? Real-life conversations in person.

Because these units were Project Starline ones—the cameras and speaker modules were attached to the sides of the screen instead of built into them—there’s no way to know whether Google Beam is a more polished product or not.

I really expected to have my mind blown like everyone else, but because it felt so natural, the whole experience didn’t quite make me freak out. And I’m known for freaking out when some new technology seems amazing. Maybe that’s a blessing in disguise—there’s no shock factor (not for me, at least), which means the Beam/Starline technology has done its job (mostly) getting out of the way to allow for genuine communication.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

A destroyed car being collected in RoadCraft.

Esports

Is RoadCraft on PS4?

by admin May 22, 2025

Image via Saber Interactive

Wondering if RoadCraft is available on PS4? Let’s find out.

Published: May 22, 2025 12:14 am

RoadCraft is the latest game to gain traction in the gaming community. The simulation game tasks you with removing debris and rebuilding areas that have been heavily damaged due to natural disasters.

The game gives you access to tons of heavy-duty machinery and even has a multiplayer function, which means that you can rebuild and maintain roads and bridges with your friends. Here’s whether RoadCraft is available on the PS4.

RoadCraft has tons of machinery for you to operate. Image via Saber Interactive

Can you play RoadCraft on PS4?

No, RoadCraft is not available on the PS4. Developers Saber Interactive, known for the popular Mudrunner and Snowrunner games, have specifically designed the game for ninth-generation consoles, while the PS4 is an eighth-generation console.

Another potential reason for RoadCraft not being available on the PS4 is its hardware limitations. Many modern games that run on both the PS4 and PS5 are often locked at 30 FPS on the former, so rather than giving players a low-framerate experience, it seems that Saber Interactive have eliminated the possibility altogether.

Finally, both the PS4 and PS4 Pro come with internal HDD, and not SSD, which is included in both the minimum and recommended system requirements for RoadCraft, according to Steam.

Can you play RoadCraft on Xbox One?

No, you can’t play RoadCraft on the Xbox One because it’s also an eighth-generation console like the PS4. Additionally, even though the Xbox One is more powerful than the PS4 Pro, their ninth-generation counterparts are better equipped for the game’s features.

Is RoadCraft on Xbox Game Pass?

No, RoadCraft is currently not available on Xbox Game Pass as well as the Xbox App and Microsoft Store for PC. However, there’s always hope for it to be added at a later date, as new games are added to the Xbox Game Pass catalogue every month.

RoadCraft platforms

You can play RoadCraft on the PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games launcher. The game is priced at $39.99 for the Standard Edition and $49.99 for the Rebuild Edition.

Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Michigan Lawmakers Propose Four New Crypto-Related Bills

by admin May 22, 2025

In brief

Michigan lawmakers introduced four crypto-related bills, including HB 4510, which would permit public retirement funds to invest in Bitcoin via regulated exchange-traded products.
HB 4511 seeks to block state support for U.S. central bank digital currencies, banning any licensing, taxation, or official advocacy of CBDCs by state agencies.
Two companion bills, HB 4512 and HB 4513, promote Bitcoin mining at abandoned oil wells, offering tax breaks to companies that restore environmental sites in exchange for mining rights.

Four new crypto-related bills were introduced in the Michigan House late Wednesday, joining a growing trend of state-level efforts to define the role of digital assets in public policy.

Rep. Bill Schuette’s (R-MI) House Bill 4510 seeks to allow Michigan’s state treasurer to invest retirement funds in crypto, provided they averaged a market cap of at least $250 billion over the previous year and are held through exchange-traded products.

That threshold effectively narrows eligibility to Bitcoin, which soared past $111,000 on Wednesday and set a new all-time high amid renewed institutional interest.

Assets must be held through exchange-traded products issued by registered investment firms, ensuring regulatory oversight, according to HB 4510.

The next measure, House Bill 4511, introduced by Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-MI), takes aim at the federal government’s push for central bank digital currencies.

The bill proposes a state-level ban on any licensing, taxation, or restriction of digital asset holdings and outright prohibits state agencies from advocating for a U.S. CBDC.

“An agency or department of this state shall not advocate for or support… the testing, adoption, or implementation of a [CBDC],” the bill reads.

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike McFall (D-MI) introduced two companion bills, HB 4512 and HB 4513, focused on Bitcoin mining and tax reform.

One establishes a “Bitcoin Program,” allowing private firms to plug abandoned oil or gas wells in exchange for temporary rights to mine Bitcoin using residual fuel sources.

The other offers income and corporate tax deductions for revenue earned through such mining efforts, linking crypto directly to environmental remediation.

If passed, the program would be administered by the state’s Supervisor of Wells, who would maintain a public registry of eligible well sites, solicit annual bids, and ensure that participating miners carry financial responsibility for site restoration.

Michigan’s legislative push comes as several U.S. states race to either welcome or restrict crypto adoption.

Just hours earlier, the Texas House passed a bill to create a state-managed Bitcoin reserve, sending it to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk.

The bill would allow the state comptroller to invest in any digital asset with a market cap above $500 billion, currently only Bitcoin.

New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte signed a similar bill into law earlier this month, making her state the first in the country to formally authorize crypto and precious metal investments for public funds.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Mario Kart World was first developed for the original Switch, but 60fps only possible on Switch 2

by admin May 22, 2025

Mario Kart World was originally in development for the original Switch, but Switch 2 has allowed the developers to realise their vision of an inter-connected world.

Nintendo began prototyping for the new Mario Kart game back in 2017, even during development of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Development then began at the end of that year.

“I felt that in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, we were able to perfect the formula that we’d been following in the series up to that point, where players race on individual courses,” explained Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki in a new interview from Nintendo. “That’s why, this time, we wanted the gameplay to involve players driving around a large world, and we began creating a world map like this.”

Mario Kart World – Nintendo Direct | Nintendo Switch 2Watch on YouTube

Programming director Kenta Sato continued: “When we were developing for Nintendo Switch, we often worried whether we could find the right balance between planning and performance. Of course, the Switch system’s performance is sufficient for developing different kinds of games, but if we had included everything we wanted to in this game’s vast world, then it wouldn’t have run at 60 fps and would have suffered from constant framerate drops.

“I think there were a lot of people on the team who were worried about whether we could really manage it. But once we decided to release this game on Switch 2, we expected our worries to evaporate all at once. I remember being overjoyed when I discovered we could express even more than we’d originally set out to.”

Yabuki noted that had the idea for the game just been more courses it would’ve been called Mario Kart 9, but the new approach led to the name Mario Kart World. In fact, that name was added to concept art in the early stages of development.

“In previous Mario Kart games, after finishing a course, you’d move on to the next course,” said Yabuki. “However, I thought that with modern technology, being able to seamlessly transition between courses and realise a single, vast world wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. So, with this in mind, we set out to create a new kind of Mario Kart…And that’s when all our troubles began.”

Image credit: Nintendo

Sato had heard of difficulties in creating open world games and felt pressure to achieve this with Mario Kart, especially as Nintendo considers 60fps to be important for the series, as well as split-screen multiplayer. It seems the power of the Switch 2 allowed for this to happen.

The move to an open world also led to the increase of 24 players instead of 12, which was decided fairly early in development.

“By creating long routes in a vast world, you could end up with players spread out in various places, which could diminish the sense that they’re racing against each other,” said Yabuki. “So, we figured that by increasing the number of racers, you’d be sure to see some competitive action here and there.”

Added art director Masaaki Ishikawa: “I felt like the 12 players we had previously was a lot, but as Yabuki-san said, once players spread out, the course starts to look sparse, and the visuals give off a sort of lonely feel. So, I thought that 24 players would be better because there’d be more interaction between various players. That said, it was quite challenging once we got going and the volume of design work increased. But it was worth it.”

Speaking of art, the team wanted to recapture the “lively, bustling atmosphere” of Super Mario Kart on the SNES, with a key phrase being “playfulness”. This led to the more rounded, cartoonish designs of Mario Kart World.

“The characters in the Super Mario series have a rounded look, so we wanted to give the vehicles a rounded design too, to match their appearance,” said Ishikawa. “We also wanted to give the characters a livelier look even while they’re in their vehicles, so we put everything together in a way that gives off a sense of playfulness through the combination of the characters’ rounded designs, soft facial expressions, and rich movements.”

The open world design means courses are now inter-connected across the world, but Yabuki said adding up all the possible variations would “easily exceed 100”.

Image credit: Nintendo

Lastly, the developers discussed the creation of Mario Kart World’s meme-worthy new character, Cow.

“Each new Mario Kart game features new characters to race with, but since we added so many to the previous game, we wondered where we could go from there,” said Ishikawa. “And then one of the designers came up with that silly sketch of Cow cruising along, and I thought to myself, ‘This is it!’ So that’s when we realised the course surroundings actually contained a lot of untapped resources.

“The character designer quickly put together a prototype of Cow that could race, and surprisingly it didn’t feel out of place at all. So we thought maybe we could include other obstacle characters, and decided to add Cheep Cheep and Pokey as racers. As a result, the idea of taking obstacle characters, usually found in courses in past games, and having them participate in races made sense to me in terms of an interconnected world.”

Mario Kart World will launch alongside Nintendo’s Switch 2 on 5th June as a key game in the launch lineup.

Earlier this month Nintendo responded to the suggestion it had used AI-generated images in the game.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Samsung Promo Codes: 30% Off | May 2025

by admin May 22, 2025

Samsung makes everything from smartphones and gaming monitors, to smart TVs and dishwashers. I’m always looking for a sale (I’m assuming you are, too), and I’ve found the best Samsung promo codes to help you save big on your most important tech purchases. At WIRED, we often review the South Korean company’s products, especially Samsung’s vast lineup of Galaxy smartphones, and I’ve rounded up a bunch of Samsung coupons for (virtually) every type of shopper.

$50 Off With Samsung Promo Code and up to $2,100 Off

Right now, Samsung has some of the best deals I’ve ever seen on their best-selling tech, and they’re about to get even better with limited-time trade-in credits, a special offer program, and bundle deals. Shop Samsung’s best coupons and May offers to save up to $2,100 with Deal of the Day discounts on phones, laptops, tablets, TVs, smartwatches, and more tech.

You can also get up to $750 in enhanced trade-in credits on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu rated 8/10 because of its new AI features powered by Google’s Gemini and adaptable settings. And if you have your eyes on the new Galaxy S25 Ultra, now’s your chance to save up to $630 with a trade-in credit (through May 25).

There are a bevy of other Samsung coupons, from discounts for educators to friend referral codes, to help you save on everything from soundbars to wireless chargers to Samsung’s highly anticipated health-based wearable Galaxy Ring. You can also save big on tech purchases with Samsung’s “bundle and save” discounts. By buying products together that you already need, you can save a ton – 40% off select Galaxy Buds, watches and tablets when you order the Galaxy S25 Ultra. You can also get 20% off select Galaxy Books when you order the S25 Series, and save a whopping $1,650 on QLED 4K TVs when you buy an ATMOS Soundbar.

Save up to $500 During the Samsung Memorial Day 2025 Sale

I’m not sure how, but Memorial Day is now a sale day for many brands, including Samsung. Seems sort of sacrilegious to honor those who died in service with discounts and door busters, but that’s show biz, baby! late-stage capitalism for ya (we laugh to keep from crying). Shop the sale to find huge discounts on new tech like phones, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra, where you can save up to $630 with a trade-in, or $230 without and a Galaxy S25 Edge, where you can get up to $750 with a trade-in, plus double the storage. Or upgrade your fitness and wearable tech in time for summer with this deal on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, where you can get up to $325 off, or up to $450 with a trade-in. Speaking of hot wearable tech, when you purchase a Galaxy Ring you can save up to $150. If staying indoors away from the heat is more your thing, the Samsung S90D OLED TV, which we gave a 9/10, WIRED reviews rating, is now $980, a significant discount from its original price. Plus, stay inside with that sweet, sweet A/C and get up to $500 off appliances when you buy 4 or more.

Save up to 30% With Samsung Coupon Codes – Offers Program

One of the hottest Samsung promo codes is a whopping 30% discount for government employees, first responders, military personnel, and educators. Samsung also has offer programs, meaning you can combine your promo code discount with most other offers to increase discounts. Get a pal involved for more savings—when a friend uses your referral code to make a purchase at Samsung.com, they’ll get 5% off their purchase (up to $250 off) and you’ll get up to $100 off per order (with the potential to save $1,000 per calendar year). My insider tip is to sign up for a Samsung Rewards account for even more perks, including exclusive Samsung coupons, flash sales, and updates on the newest Samsung products, like the QLED 8K, select refrigerators, and other home appliances.

Extra $200 Off Samsung TVs With Trade-In Deals

Along with other great tech, Samsung has some seriously nice TVs. The Samsung Frame TV has been trending this year for its stylish ability to blend into your home’s decor. Plus it just feels more elevated than a regular ol’ TV and mount. Some other trending TVs this Spring have been the Q60D, S90C, and the S95D models. Plus, there are tons of TV and home theater deals at Samsung. If you’re in the market for a new TV, it’s worth checking out the 98” QLED Q80C while it’s $600 off and includes mounting for free. You can also take advantage of their Trade-In Recycling Program for up to $200 off when you trade in your old TV—any brand, any size. When your new one is delivered, Samsung will handle recycling the old one, so you can enjoy your upgrade.

$100 Samsung Coupon and Over $1,000 Off Appliances

Although here at WIRED we mostly cover Samsung’s traditional AV tech, they also make top-of-the-line kitchen and home appliances. And right now, you can get $1,000 off a Bespoke Smart Slide-In Electric Range. This range is straight from a The Jetsons fantasy, with an AI Home LCD display, which is pretty much a kitchen robot helper that gives you personalized recipe recommendations, the ability to search for and follow video recipes, and access your favorite apps so you can see who’s at your door through your video doorbell, and more. There’s also a Smart Oven Camera inside, meaning you can check on meals as they cook from anywhere and even share time-lapse videos to show off your skills. When you make a purchase, you can get a $100 Samsung coupon towards future appliance purchases, which will be emailed 35 days after the item’s delivery.

Right now, you can get even more discounts on hot, high-tech Samsung appliances, like an $1,800 off the Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub and $1,000 off Bespoke Smart Ovens, with deals on gas, induction, and electric models. This deal includes a free installation service, plus Samsung will haul away your old appliances and recycle them. This futuristic fridge is basically also an iPad, with an AI Family Hub with the large screen and changeable door panels. Plus, there’s AI Vision inside, so you always know what’s inside (and what you need to buy at the store). And the Beverage Center has an internal dispenser or a built-in AutoFill Water Pitcher to get cold, crisp water whenever you want it, whichever way you want.

Stay up to Date on all Things Samsung at WIRED

WIRED also has guides to help determine which Galaxy S24 phone is best for you and how to set up your Samsung Galaxy S25 to ensure you’re getting the most out of its features, as well as advice on which Galaxy S24 series accessories, like cases, chargers, and power banks, are worth the money.

Us nerds here at WIRED also follow CES (sort of the Coachella for tech nerds) for all the updates on tech (almost) no one asked for, and Samsung’s bi-annual Galaxy Unpacked event, where they show off its newest toys. We have a lot of opinions about Samsung’s foldable Galaxy Z Flip6 and Z Fold6 phones. We are also patiently awaiting new releases of Galaxy Tab tablets, a new line of Galaxy Buds Pro 3 wireless earbuds, and a new series of the Galaxy Watch, with a new design and improved sensors for health tracking.

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May 22, 2025 0 comments