Tag:

love

Elden Ring Nightreign Libra on purple background looking at camera with goggle eyes

15 attempts in, I actually love that Elden Ring Nightreign’s Everdark Libra is the first FromSoftware boss who’s harder to beat in co-op than solo

by admin August 19, 2025

The handshake deal in FromSoftware games, the obfuscated difficulty option that’s always been there since Demon’s Souls, is co-op: Summoning phantoms controlled by other players or the computer⁠. In OG Elden Ring everybody’s best friend was the Mimic Tear, a powerful summon to make a copy of yourself to fight by your side.

This has held true in the co-op centric, roguelike spinoff Nightreign, with the sturdy tripod of a full party clearly being what the experience was catered towards. The new duos mode is nice enough but still slightly compromised, while even with post-launch patches, solo is still the worst way to play.

But now they’ve gone and turned all that on its head: The latest Everdark superboss, the ultra instinct version of Baphomet dealbroker Libra, only gets more challenging the bigger your posse is. I managed to take him down solo after just three runs, while I’m somewhere north of 15 attempts deep in duos and trios, a W still evading me at every turn.

Everybody hates Everdark Libra. My peer, Austin Wood at GamesRadar, thinks he’s “100% getting nerfed.” Just like with the similarly loathed Everdark Augur, I disagree. I love this sick freak of a boss and how he turns all the rules on their heads.

To make Everdark Libra easier would compromise the beautiful vision at his core, the product of a sensitive, poet’s soul that’s clearly been hurt by this cruel world of ours and wants to inflict that pain right back. We’re all letting Libra down. Champions adjust. Spoilers for Everdark Libra below.

Make your choice

Yeah man, we get it. (Image credit: FromSoftware)

Libra’s already a real piece of work in his base form, tied with end boss Heolstor as the hardest in the game by my reckoning. He has an arsenal of unusual, difficult-to-read projectile attacks that all build up the madness status effect, which does huge damage and a stun if you manage to survive the initial burst.

His signature move is a delayed blast sigil that brutalizes you with madness build-up after a quick beat. It comes out fast enough that you can’t exactly respond to it carefully and can get royally screwed if you’re in the middle of an animation, while a slight delay punishes immediate panic rolling. It is deliciously evil.

Libra’s Everdark form ups the ante by summoning invader clones of the player party with all the same abilities and a number of potential weapon loadouts thoughtfully constructed to inflict the most pain and frustration. Some of my favorites:

Mini Malenia Executor: Equipped with the Hand of Malenia Sword and can perform a weaker, but still potentially instant-death version of Waterfowl Dance. Yes, that Waterfowl Dance.
Terminator Ironeye: Possesses the Jar Cannon and One-Eyed Shield (which has a built-in cannon), as well as a seemingly-permanent buff resembling the Ironjar Aromatic: He walks extremely slowly but is extra tanky and can’t be interrupted.
Sniper Wylder: Uses a greatbow to spam the Rain of Arrows ash of war, doing crazy damage in a huge AoE from long distance.
Rot Duchess: Dual wields Scorpion’s Stinger daggers for fast Scarlet Rot buildup.

Much like the player-style NPC enemies of FromSoft’s previous games, they don’t play by the same rules that you do: Malenia-Executor is particularly difficult to interrupt out of his signature move, while all of the clones are capable of dodge rolling out of attack combos a normal player could not.

The pièce de résistance is how they shuffle in: It does not feel like Libra has a consistent timer for summoning a fresh wave of evil twins. Wiping them out is not a guarantee of breathing room to DPS the boss, while it’s far more likely for them to start piling up as you fail to clear out old ones before the new clones spawn in.

The final indignity is that Libra summoning a new wave heals any surviving invaders, buffs their defense and damage, and the buffs stack. A veteran six rounds deep Executor spamming Waterfowl Dance is who I wish I was playing as.

All of this while Libra has new, more aggressive madness-inflicting AOE attacks to fling at you. A mature Everdark Libra fight is pure chaos, a field of evil clones glowing gold with layered buffs, some attacking each other, but most chasing you around like it’s Yakety Sax while Libra turns the field into a bullet hell screen. It’s utterly deranged. I don’t know how a group of randos with no coordination is supposed to beat it. It’s hilarious.

The time is ripe

The Gamer’s Gambit. (Image credit: FromSoftware)

Whether fully intentional or not, FromSoft’s classical deferred difficulty system works in reverse with Everdark Libra. It’s like a martial arts movie thing or Bruce Wayne climbing out of Bane’s house without the dang rope or something: If the enemy draws its strength from you, make yourself weaker.

Not only is one evil twin far more manageable than triplets, the singleplayer mode’s adjusted health values mean they go down quicker too. Even in the solo runs I failed, I didn’t experience the chaotic pileups of a three-player slugfest.

This inversion is another example of how flexible and surprising FromSoft’s well-worn systems can still be. Yet another boss in Nightreign is challenging in a way that took me off-guard, that wasn’t just another really tall, sad guy with a sword who moves super fast.

That has me even more excited for what the studio does next: After Promised Consort Radahn in Shadow of the Erdtree, I was worried there might be a ceiling to FromSoft’s arms race with itself to make ever greater twitch reflex challenges in its bosses. In Nightreign, the studio sidestepped this issue, proving there’s nothing stopping it from delivering spectacles, challenges, or sheer curveballs we just won’t see coming.

As for the fight itself, it’s a new favorite. Everdark Libra feels like a joke at my expense, a prank played on us players. That’s one of my favorite things to see in a game, and FromSoft is the master when it comes to this rare art.

Could they ease off the gas with the clone spawns just a touch? Maybe, it depends on how soon you ask me after a failed run. Is it kinda bullshit that Vyke’s War Spear, the only melee weapon Libra is weak to, is such a rare drop that I’ve only seen it twice in 111.8 hours (but who’s counting)? Perhaps.

I hope they never nerf Everdark Libra. He’s so stupid. It’s all so meanspirited. I love him like a son.

Source link

August 19, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

For the love of Ibrahimovic, Rematch players, learn to pass before I become the very thing I hate

by admin June 25, 2025

I feel like I’ve finally found a competitive online game that I enjoy and can’t stop thinking about. Rematch, Sloclap’s 3/4/5-a-side football game, is what Rocket League would have been based on if the world made any sense. It’s not, which has resulted in a bizarre situation where you have to describe Rematch as Rocket League with people instead of cars… so, just football, then. Anyway, I love it. In fact I love it despite the fact that a large portion of the player base is the absolute worst kind of person: a ball hog.

Rematch

Publisher: Sloclap, Kepler Interactive
Developer: Sloclap
Platform: Played on PS5 Pro
Availability: Out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Rematch isn’t an easy game to get to grips with. Unlike most football games, where passing and shooting feels guided to ensure you get that sense of being a professional, in Rematch it’s incredibly easy to fluff things so sensationally you can’t help but laugh. Fail to swivel fast enough before taking a snap shot and you’ll fire the ball into the side wall: embarrassing! Point the left stick (if you’re playing with a controller) slightly skewwhiff while passing and that dream through-ball you imagined ends up setting up a counter attack in the opposite direction: face palm! Get a little ahead of yourself in goal and you’ll dive in completely the wrong direction of the incoming shot: sorry!

This is to say, I understand that people will make mistakes in Rematch. I make plenty of them. Learning while playing is part of the game, especially as the training isn’t the best at the moment. What I don’t understand is how many people are playing this and completely failing to grasp the very basics of football. Please, if you are reading this and are playing or plan to play Rematch, pass the ball. If you’re playing in goal, read that request again, and again. Pass the ball.

The football snob in me is starting to creep out, now, like a snail who thought that drop of rain was enough of a reason to make a dash onto the baking-hot pavement. I know it’s ill-advised, but I can’t help it. If I was playing on PC or Xbox where a large portion of the player base is likely to be giving Rematch a whirl via Game Pass, I’d be thinking along the lines that a lot of these people (perfectly nice people, I’m sure, but football morons, to be blunt) don’t really have much of an idea of what football is and just saw it in the latest additions and fired it up. Fair enough. But I’m playing on PlayStation where people paid at least £20 to play this. I say “play” but no one watching the calamities I’ve witnessed would dare to suggest this is football being played. Bungled, sure. Masacred, if you’re being even more dramatic.

See this? This is a ball. Kick it to other players on your team. | Image credit: Sloclap/Kepler Interactive

It’s become a bit of a joke amongst the burgeoning community that all you hear during games is people spamming the “give me the ball” button. “Pass it,” “square it,” “back post,” and so on, endlessly. I hate it, but I understand it. A lot of players simply refuse to pass the ball. I’m endlessly making myself open to receive the ball from the goalkeeper, only for said keeper to attempt an overhead flick over the oncoming attacker. Nine times out of 10 this fails, and the opposition scores into an open goal. If it doesn’t fail, nine times out of 10 the next attacker will leap onto the goalie and dispossess them, scoring into an open goal. If this doesn’t fail, and the goalie is now over the half-way line, they’ll continue to refuse a pass, often opting to shoot from way too far out, the sensibly placed goalkeeper saving effortlessly. Unless someone has decided to fill the void left behind this galavanting nincompoop, guess what? Correct! The goalie with the ball in their hands now simply has to shoot straight down the pitch to score into an open goal.

Good job, everyone. Good job! This is where things have started to become a little unpleasant. During my initial days with Rematch I’d use the pre-set quick-messages like the lovely person I am. “Sorry” I’d say shamefully as I missed an open goal. “We’ve got this” I’d yell as the team took a commanding 2-0 lead. “Good job!” I’d say, happy to acknowledge a lovely bit of play from a teammate. Well, things are starting to sour on that front, and I’m not happy about it.

You can tell this person isn’t going to pass the ball. No chance. | Image credit: Sloclap/Kepler Interactive

“Good job” has, for many players, become a contronym. Yes, it at times does mean exactly as you’d think, a congratulations to someone who has done something worthy of praise. But, shamefully, I and others are now using “Good job” when the goalkeeper thinks they can dribble the length of the pitch. “Good job” I instinctively jab on the controller quick-select button. Real “Good job” you absolute cretin! I’m not proud of myself, OK.

Football has always brought out the worst in me. I will quietly watch my beloved Spurs, raising a semi-clenched fist occasionally but not with too much emotion just in case celebrations are cut short by a VAR decision, but you wouldn’t believe the words I’m muttering in my mind – truly shocking stuff. “Good job” is just the tip of the iceberg. Funnily enough, a lot of this also stems from wanting people to “pass the ball!”

Thankfully I’m starting to see things improving in ranked matches, where the general play is far more team-focused than in quick matches. I hope there’s some way Sloclap can start to reward team players a bit more, though. Currently it’s far too easy for a complete chancer to score way more points in a game than a solid team-first workhorse. If this can be changed we might see less moments of complete idiocy.

A copy of Rematch on PS5 was provided by the publisher.

Source link

June 25, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

‘I don’t particularly think the game will be very good’: The fans trying to get a never-released Chinese Borderlands MMO working are doing something so absurd that I love them for it

by admin June 21, 2025

Back in 2014, an established Chinese game development studio called Shanda Interactive Entertainment started work on Borderlands Online, a Chinese-market-only MMO version of the two-games-deep Borderlands series. Gearbox was trying to get a jump on the growing Chinese PC gaming market, clearly, but the game didn’t happen: It was cancelled in 2015 when Shanda left game development entirely. All that remains now are some screenshots and (rather weird) trailers.

Now, on a passionate whim, some fans have dug up an ancient build of the game from virus-infested defunct Chinese websites and are hard at work on making a playable version of the long lost Borderlands game. (Which they wouldn’t have been able to play if it had been finished, because it wouldn’t have been released outside of China.)

In an interview with Eurogamer, project leader EpicNNG explained why they went on their quixotic quest to bring back a 10 year old unreleased game that—by their own admission—probably isn’t even very good.

“I am a superfan of this franchise,” they said. “I’ll do anything I can to get my hands on this kind of thing. I won’t stop at Borderlands Online. Borderlands started my addiction to videogames, and wanting to be a developer myself.”

So, even though they “don’t particularly think the game will be very good,” EpicNNG just wants to play it, and hopes that the project “brings people together” during the wait for Borderlands 4’s September release.

Reverse-engineering software without its servers, its original developers, or any documentation is no mean feat for even the most skilled developers, though.

“It has been incredibly challenging,” said EpicNNG. “If you don’t know what you’re doing it can feel like trying to escape a maze blindfolded. I eventually reached my skill ceiling, and that realization was tough to accept.”

For those interested in the project, you can watch their request for help video on YouTube. You might also be interested in joining the project. They’re very clear, for the record, that this is a fan project they don’t believe breaches any copyright and that there would be no profit from releasing the build. They were also clear that they’re welcoming media attention to the project at this time.

Besides, they found de_dust2 in the files. Which rules.

Source link

June 21, 2025 0 comments

Product Reviews

Date Everything claims to be a dating sim, but it doesn’t love or understand its own genre

by admin June 18, 2025

Romantic games are one of the most overlooked successes in all of gaming. There are million-selling series spanning decades amongst them, and the loosely defined genre thrives on Steam in all its beautiful forms, encompassing everything from breezy pop star fantasies and summer adventures to hot gothic stories. Date Everything, a comedic “sandbox dating simulator” where I romance tables and lamps thanks to a pair of hi-tech glasses, has a lot of competition—and a lot of work to do if it wants to convince me that the jokes here aren’t aimed at the genre, or at me for playing it.

And to its credit, the writing is often genuinely funny. The slight problem is this game clearly has no idea what a dating sim actually is.

There are 100 dateable objects in the house, and I really do have to romance the vast majority of them all at once if I want to see anything close to a semi-satisfying credits roll. This fact alone instantly turns these intimate interactions into a meaningless “Gotta date ’em all!” clickfest (there’s even a date-a-dex installed on my in-game phone, with everyone given an ID number). And it makes me into the gaming equivalent of a brainless cushion-humping chihuahua.

No, worse than that—it makes me nothing. I am the submissive counterpart to the attic dominatrix. I am the perfect date of my charming desk. I am loyal to everyone and no one, and worst of all nobody seems to care.

Bedding my bed and getting topless with a trophy has no impact on the “love” state of the throuple I’m in with the washing machine and tumble dryer, and the magnifying glass will treat me like I’m the only one for her even though I’m already sleeping with four dozen different appliances, like a lovesick handyman let loose in a hardware store.

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Team17)(Image credit: Team17)(Image credit: Team17)

In an actual dating sim, like 1994’s Tokimeki Memorial (and a heaving shelf’s worth of others), pursuing someone takes time and effort, and always comes with risks. Rivalries form when I favour one person over another, or a scheduling conflict or special event forces me to pick a side. If I agree to meet someone next Tuesday, then I’d better meet them next Tuesday or not only will I tank their opinion of me but their friends will hear about it too, and tear my entire social life to pieces.

One of Date Everything’s dates is a cat clock, and their entire personality and mini-storyline revolves around timeliness and scheduling. Makes sense. I agree to make an appointment so we can introduce ourselves properly—12:00pm. The conversation ends. It’s noon. Fantastic, I can keep my promise. Except I can’t, because I already spoke to them today and that means the UI says no.

So I eventually show up at 12:00… three days later, and that doesn’t seem to be a problem. For the clock. The clock-person whose entire being is all about timeliness.

Without stakes, friction, or consequences, it’s all meaningless. A dating sim where I never have to commit to anyone or anything, and my dates are just passive pushovers who could surely do better than someone who doesn’t care which Thursday they eventually showed up for.

But that’s no problem, right? This is a silly game, so I should just roll with it and enjoy the laughs.

That would be nice. The thing is, Date Everything is silly—until it isn’t.

While talking to my biggest fan—in every sense of the word—I get my first content warning. These give me a quick heads-up when the conversation might veer towards subjects including, and I quote, “PTSD, violence, stalking, manipulation, domination, mental health issues, addiction, and many more…”, and then the option to skip the character entirely (while still receiving the bonuses for clearing their story).

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Team17)(Image credit: Team17)(Image credit: Team17)

Interactive fiction can be a fantastic place to safely explore these subjects. But this is a game where my microwave is called Luke Nukem, a “warrior” convinced they’re fighting a bizarre sci-fi battle, and my shower talks like Elvis. In this context these dabbles with something deeper feel out of place, as if the drafts for something darker got mixed in with all the pink hearts and lengthy conversations about fitness and makeup.

“If you don’t like sociopaths…” reads one content warning, which, if nothing else, is surely the opposite of someone emotionally available and looking for love. And maybe the personification of my personal diary isn’t the ideal place to drop a random allusion to date rape?

A good dating sim has consistency. A mood, a tone—a promise. It will always offer a reasonably clear idea of what sort of romantic attention I’m in for, and because of that I’ll know what sort of romantic gestures are expected of me in turn. You know, the way Koei’s Angelique managed to do so with its sweet magical fantasy decades ago. On the Super Nintendo.

Pushing on anyway and obtaining the final, final, romantic ending for a particular character sees them… leave me. My ultimate reward, in a dating sim, is to see the characters I’ve poured 20+ hrs of work into and had supposedly heartfelt, life-altering conversations with… leave. Literally as soon as the dialogue box closes. One down, 99 to go. The house I worked so hard to transform into a literally loving home emptied out, one relationship at a time.

Sure, it’s nice that they go off and have fulfilling careers and large families, but am I seriously supposed to be OK with all that because the script assures me some of them come back and sleep with me from time to time? And for a game that’s so quick and careful with content warnings, it’s jarring to see my own sexual consent and personal desires never factor into these endings.

(Image credit: Team17)

This game has no idea what it wants to do, never mind what it’s supposed to be. Sometimes it’s tooth-rottingly wholesome. Sometimes it’s plain horny. And then just sometimes it ventures into deeply unsettling nightmare territory. It’s like they put 100 short stories, covering everything from popcorn prep to actual murder, in a blender and then locked me in a house with them.

It’s mush in dateable form, a mess of a game that lacks the narrative and mechanical depth of dating sims made before some of the people reading this were even born, and a playable example of why other examples of the genre don’t offer anything close to 100 dateable characters.

Dating sims are so much better than this. I just wish Date Everything knew that.

Source link

June 18, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Love and Deepspace’s latest update introduces a new story for Rafayel, making him the first character to get a third Myth lore drop

by admin June 17, 2025

Today marks the start of a major new Memory Pair event in Love and Deepspace, the mobile dating sim people can’t stop talking about. The new event is called Submerged Eclipse, kicks off today, and will be available until July 1.

That’s a pretty lengthy runtime for a limited-time event, but there’s plenty of new content to unlock in this one, especially for fans of Rafayel.

Manage cookie settings

Submerged Eclipse tells a story about the Sea God and his bride, and marks the debut of Rafayel’s Lemurian Sea God Companion form. In case you haven’t already caught on, this one is all about Rafayel.

This is the third Myth pair for Rafayel, who is now the first character in Love and Deepspace to get a third Myth dedicated to them. Until now, each character got a Myth pair as part of the standard banner, and another one in a limited-time event.

Since all existing characters already have two Myths, Love and Deepspace fans were expecting the sixth love interest character to be added soon, but it looks like the plan now includes expanding on the lore of existing characters.

Manage cookie settings

Submerged Eclipse introduces two limited 5-Star Solar-slot Memories. You have Rafayel: Mistsea Descent and Rafayel: Mistsea Lament. You can get them through a special event Wish Pool, and you’re guaranteed both at 150 gacha pulls.

Rafayel’s new Companion, Lemurian Sea God, is unlocked after obtaining both. You’ll also be able to claim a new 3-Star Memory titled, Distant Prayer, as well as a 4-Star Memory Pair titled Tidefall Waves, and Tidefall Allure for free via the Merling Oath.

There’s a new combat outfit for Rafayel, too, which gives him the Lemurian Sea God look – complete with new dialogue and animations. As for the new myth, Tears of Romirro, it’s available to read in game today. It tells an original story of the Sea God and his imprisoned bride.

Beyond that, the new update also doubles the rewards for Core Hunt missions, and adds the next round of Hunter Contest (v9.1). Fans of Zayne will also find a new daily check-in campaign for the fella.

Once again, you have until Tuesday, July 1 to take part. For an idea of what you can expect, watch the video embedded above. If you’re new to his hot dating sim, we have a few resources that break down concepts like Memory Pairs for new players, and explain what banner events are and how they work. You should also definitely check out all these Love and Deepspace codes for free stuff.

Source link

June 17, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

The Trolley Solution is a moral quandary that suddenly turns into a tragically touching tale of tram love

by admin June 14, 2025

There aren’t many games lately which have compelled me to do a tweet, or skeet, or whatever you prefer to call ejaculating one’s thoughts out onto the socials. The Trolley Solution’s Steam Next Fest demo not only did that, it convinced me to post a tweet I didn’t even write.

It’s a game from indie dev byDanDans that starts off as a series of moral quandaries, each inspired by philosopher Philippa Foot’s famous and now also thoroughly memed-to-death Trolley Problem. That being a thought experiment which forces you examine the ethics of either letting nature take its course to deliver one outcome that could cause harm to others, or actively intervening to cause another that might do the same in a different fashion. I didn’t go in expecting to become enraptured in what I can only describe as a tragic rail romance.

At first, things were as I’d anticipated. Upon firing the game up, you’re transported to a main menu that fittingly sees you move a tram along some tracks to different stations, each of which takes you to a minigame offering some fresh twist on the classic Trolley Problem.

Sometimes you’re choosing whether to let five people tied to one track die, or flick a lever that’ll doom a person on another track instead. In one case, your girlfriend and best friend are on the two tracks, having cheated together without the friend knowing it was your partner they were engaging in hanky-panky with. Also, the friend has a terminal disease and will die in a month anyway.

You know, the standard stuff very smart people think about while washing their pits in the shower. One makes you choose between virtual people dying, and the game asking for permission to post a very controversial tweet via your very real Twitter account, assuming you’ve not abandoned the Musk platform because using carrier pigeons is far superior.

Watch on YouTube

Then, not long after a game based around picking which track didn’t have a cat hiding under the giant plastic cup perched on it, I pulled into a station dubbed “Mai tomori sama romansu”. It soon became apparent this was not your standard tram stop.

I found myself flung headlong into a visual novel-style story about a schoolgirl named Tameko, her best mate Tomadochi, and their mortal enemy, a superficial and popular former friend named Teki. Added to this triple T triangle is a Trolley, because this still is The Trolley Solution, lest you forget. I’ll not spoil what happens in this short multiple-choice and marvellously meta mirage amid the funny puzzling, save for one thing.

Tameko falls, to a degree of your choosing, in love with a tram. He goes by Trolley-San and keep pulling up and saying “Ding Ding” in what I can only assume by Tameko’s reactions to be an incredibly suave and seductive fashion. This and all the rest of the game – and I can’t emphasise this enough, are a right hoot, a great laugh, and a throaty chuckle.

So, if you find yourself at the Steam Next Fest intersection and aren’t sure which direction to pull the big games lever, I can thoroughly recommend yanking it The Trolley Solution’s way. Especially since the full thing’s set to come out in Q4 2025.

Source link

June 14, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

More of what you love

by admin June 11, 2025

Back in 2017, it felt like handhelds were dying. The PlayStation Vita was suffering from a lack of support and the 3DS was already on its way out. But then the Nintendo Switch arrived and became the hybrid console that launched 1,000 portable rivals. It proved you could make a device that was powerful enough to play games on your TV but also small enough to take with you anywhere. And by the time everything is all said and done, there’s a good chance it will be the highest-selling console of all time.

But making a proper follow-up can be difficult. So for the Switch 2, instead of changing everything up again, Nintendo took the best features from the original, upgraded them and gave us more of what we love. And even though this is just the start, it feels like I’ve been enchanted all over again.

Billy Steele for Engadget

With the Switch 2, Nintendo improved everything we liked about the original while retaining its sleek and portable design.

Pros

Larger 7.9-inch LCD screen with HDR
More polished design
Magnetic Joy-Con
Improved base storage
Significantly better performance

Cons

Battery life could be better
Dock needs more USB-C ports
Increased price
No VRR when connected to a TV

$449 at Walmart

Design

The Switch 2’s design is the most obvious example of Nintendo not straying too far from the original’s template. That said, nearly every component has been tweaked or upgraded in some way. The console’s slightly larger dimensions (10.7 x 4.5 x 0.55 inches and 1.2-pound chassis with Joy-Con) help make way for a bigger 7.9-inch display. In fact, almost everything has been embiggened, including the face buttons, analog sticks and rear kickstand, the latter of which opens even wider than before.

However, the Switch 2’s biggest upgrade is its new Joy-Con. There’s a familiar matte finish with more subtle red and blue accents, but instead of sliding them on and off like before, Nintendo gave them a new magnetic attachment system that comes with a very satisfying thunk. Meanwhile, detaching them is dead simple thanks to a handy button next to each trigger. So not only do the Joy-Con feel more secure, they are a pleasure to clip on and off as the need arises.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Nintendo didn’t stop there though, because hidden in the edge of each Joy-Con is a sensor that allows them to function as mice. I will admit that I thought this feature was a gimmick at first. But in games like Civilization 7 that are traditionally best enjoyed with a mouse, they serve as a very welcome alternative to classic gamepad controls. They also work surprisingly well on the arm of a sofa or even your leg. This is handy because if you’re playing games on your TV, you might not have a table or some other flat surface within reach.

Display

The Switch 2’s 7.9-inch LCD is a significant upgrade over the panel on its predecessor. Not only is it larger (up from 6.2 inches), it’s also higher res (1080p vs. 720p) while boasting a 120Hz refresh rate and support for HDR. With its auto-brightness setting turned off, the screen tops out at around 400 nits, though in titles with HDR, I’ve found that number can hit 450 nits or more. The downside is that the Switch 2’s LCD screen’s black levels aren’t quite as good compared to an OLED Switch. This can make dark backgrounds look closer to gray, especially when viewed in a low-light environment.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

When docked, the Switch 2’s visual prowess expands to 4K at 60 fps or 1440p at 120 fps, though it’s important to remember that those settings may not be available for every game. Sadly, the console supports VRR (variable refresh rates), but that only applies to its onboard display. On the bright side, the Switch 2 does seem to have support for auto low latency mode (ALLM), which is good for anyone who plays fast-twitch games like shooters.

Performance

Judging the performance of a brand-new console is difficult because it often takes developers months or years to figure out how to truly optimize their games for a new platform. The Switch 2 features a chip from NVIDIA with a custom GPU that the company claims offers ten times more graphics power than what we got from the previous model, alongside support for features including DLSS and ray tracing. The console also comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage, which can be expanded further using microSD Express cards.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

First-party titles like Mario Kart World run beautifully, though we’ve sort of come to expect that from major tentpole releases from Nintendo. The only hint of stuttering I’ve seen is when I played four-player local co-op with Game Chat turned on and multiple video streams going at the same time. And even then, it’s hard to tell unless you’re really looking for evidence of slowdown.

What might be the biggest indicator of the Switch 2’s improved performance is the sheer number of AAA third-party ports available at launch. Cyberpunk 2077 looks excellent and without a direct side-by-side comparison with something like the PC version, it’s difficult to spot where any graphical corners have been cut. And while Street Fighter 6 isn’t quite as impressive since some of the flashier effects don’t pop as much as they do on other consoles, it’s still a very enjoyable experience. As someone who often criticized the performance of the original Switch as one of its weak points, I’m thoroughly encouraged by the increased power I’ve seen from the Switch 2 thus far.

Backwards compatibility

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

One of the best things about the Switch 2 is that it supports wide backward compatibility with original Switch titles. The vast majority of games work as you’d expect, though there are some outliers, including titles like Ring Fit Adventure, as the Switch 2’s larger Joy-Con don’t fit inside the existing controller straps. Many of the NS1’s accessories are also backwards compatible, so you can still play games like Ring Fit by pairing one of the original Switch’s Joy-Con. The other current high-profile bug is an issue in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that can cause the game to crash when someone chooses a Mii Fighter. Thankfully, Nintendo is aware and working on a fix.

The real treat is that many older games look and run better on the Switch 2 than they did before. Super Mario Odyssey plays even smoother, while games like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are more beautiful than you remember thanks to an $10 upgrade pack (or free with Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack) that adds support for HDR, better graphics and more. However, the games that may have gotten the biggest boost are Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Due to a free upgrade on the NS2, the game features a higher framerate, higher monster density, a longer draw distance and more. In some ways, it feels like a brand new game, and if it had launched like this back in 2022, Nintendo could have completely avoided one of the biggest knocks against it.

Game Chat

Another major addition to the Switch 2 is the arrival of a built-in chat feature, including a new dedicated button on the console’s controller. Setup requires a handful of identity checks, but once you’ve sorted that out, it’s incredibly easy to use. You can invite people from your friends list to impromptu lobbies or create/join more permanent hangouts. Once you’re in a chat, adjusting your settings is as easy as hitting the C button. From there, you can choose from a handful of screen layouts and background options, along with the ability to share your video, do voice-only or activate speech-to-text (or text-to-speech). And if you have a camera attached, you can put your face in chat too.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Nintendo has generally done a great job of making it easy to jump in and out of chats. With support for up to four video feeds and a total of 12 people per lobby, there’s plenty of room for everyone in your family, no matter if they’re in the next room or on the other side of the planet. The small demerits to Game Chat are that its frame rate and video resolution are relatively low (same goes for camera footage if you have one attached). The option to delete your background (aka green screen) often looks rather pixelated and if you watch closely, you may see video windows stutter unless you pin a specific view to your main feed.

That said, because Game Chat is more about enjoying the company of others instead of producing clips for social media, I’m not that bothered. You don’t even need to be playing the same game (or any game at all, for that matter) to be in a lobby with others. It’s easy to use and the vibes are good, which is what’s really important. However, you will need to pay for Nintendo Switch Online, which costs $20 a year.

The Dock

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Like the console itself, Nintendo didn’t stray too far from the design of the original Switch’s dock for its successor. You still get a plastic shell with more rounded corners and a slot that the Switch 2 can fit inside. There area handful of ports in the back (covered by a removable plate) for power (via the included USB-C cable and adapter), HDMI and wired internet. The big upgrade is that now there’s a fan inside to help keep the console cool and provide better sustained performance. Thankfully, it’s relatively quiet, so you won’t have to deal with an annoying hum distracting you from your games.

The awkward thing about the Switch 2’s dock is that it has one less USB port than before. Aside from the single USB-C connection in back for power, there are only two USB-A jacks on the side. This means if you want to connect accessories like the camera, which only comes with an included USB-C cable, you’ll either have to get an adapter or plug it directly into the Switch 2 via its exposed port on top. Unfortunately, that will force you to disconnect the camera every time you undock the console, which is just kind of clunky. I wish Nintendo had made every USB port a Type-C connection, or at the very least included more than one.

Battery Life

The Switch 2 features a 5,220 mAh battery, which according to Nintendo should provide between 2 and 6.5 hours of runtime on a single charge. However, the console’s longevity also greatly depends on the game you’re playing along with other factors such as screen brightness and background downloads.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

To help provide a slightly better picture of the Switch 2’s power efficiency, I played a handful of titles starting at 100 percent battery and kept going until the console was dead with the screen set to max brightness (around 400 nits) and auto-brightness disabled. These settings are meant to provide a consistent but also conservative look at the console’s runtime, as it’s very possible to increase longevity by doing things like lowering brightness.

In Mario Kart World, the Switch 2 lasted two hours and 23 minutes, which is on the lower end of Nintendo’s official estimate. Meanwhile, in the NS2 edition of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the console fared a bit better with a time of 2:56. That said, the game with the best battery life I’ve tested so far is Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S at four hours and 15 minutes, which shouldn’t be a big surprise as it’s a port of a decade-old 2D title.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

For some folks, these numbers might be disappointing. I certainly would love an extra 30 to 60 minutes of battery life, but these stats are generally in line or slightly better than what we get from rivals like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally X. And remember, when compared to practically all of its PC-based competition, the Switch 2 remains a much sleeker device.

Another helpful battery-related improvement is the addition of a charging limit, which allows the Switch 2 to automatically stop at a certain percentage to help maintain the power pack’s longevity. But my favorite little detail is now the Switch 2 will display a small battery icon when you drop it in the dock because the screen peeks out a bit, so you always know for sure when it’s charging.

Cost considerations

At $450 for the console alone or $500 for the bundle with Mario Kart World, the Switch 2 is priced significantly higher than the original, which cost $300 at launch (though that increase is closer to $50 when adjusted for inflation). However, when you include the price of accessories and games, the total adoption cost for a Switch 2 can be substantially higher. I purchased a standalone console along with physical versions of Mario Kart World and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (NS2 Edition) and one Pro Controller for $745.75. But after you tack on another $50 for one year of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion, my grand total was just shy of $800.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Everyone has different opinions on what they consider disposable income, but that’s still a lot of money to spend on a new console and two games. Here’s hoping this breakdown helps people think about how the Switch 2 will impact their budget.

Important notes

The Switch 2 requires a day one patch in order to go online or even play some games. You’ll normally get this automatically by following the setup guide when you first turn on the system. However, if you skip the section where it asks you to connect to Wi-Fi, you may need to manually download the patch later by hitting the check for updates button in system settings the next time you connect to the internet.
The Switch 2 only supports microSD Express cards, which are not interchangeable with standard microSD or microSD XC cards. When buying a microSD Express card, you’ll want to make sure it has an EX or EXPRESS label printed on the card itself.
In addition to Joy-Con, a Joy-Con Grip, two Joy-Con straps and the console itself, the Switch 2 comes with an HDMI cable and a 60-watt power adapter with a detachable USB-C cord.
Some units may suffer from an inaccurate charging indicator, which can be addressed with these instructions from Nintendo.
Parents can monitor and approve the people your kids can talk to when using Game Chat via Nintendo’s Parental Controls app.
Nintendo says the Switch 2’s Joy-Con use an all-new module for its analog sticks. As they aren’t Hall effect modules, it’s too early to tell how well they will resist drifting.
Only the Switch 2’s bottom USB-C port supports video out.

Wrap-up

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The old adage goes ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ But for the Switch 2, Nintendo did something even smarter. It maintained the console’s hybrid design and just made everything better. Its screen is bigger and brighter. Buttons are larger and the magnetic Joy-Con are so much easier to snap on and off. Even features such as the kickstand and expandable storage feel like they’ve gotten substantial upgrades thanks to a wider range of motion and support for faster microSD Express cards. I also really appreciate the addition of a second USB-C port.

The Switch 2 has everything that made the original so great, but now there’s more of it to enjoy. Granted, Nintendo’s latest console commands a higher price, but as the successor to the iconic system that revived handheld gaming, this thing is worth it.

Source link

June 11, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Date Everything turns everyday household objects into gorgeous love interests, and now I can’t look at my refrigerator the same way

by admin June 11, 2025

I can’t say I’ve ever looked at any one of the inanimate objects in my apartment and thought about taking it for dinner and a movie, but Date Everything suddenly has me questioning my limited worldview by asking: What if a record player was actually a gorgeous 1920s flapper?

I’ve been pretty stoked for this game for a while. I’m a sucker for a quirky dating sim, which this very much is, and Date Everything boasts a pretty stellar voice cast from the likes of Felicia Day to Johnny Yong Bosch.

Its release is just around the corner now, but developer Sassy Chap Games has very kindly put out a demo so I can finally see which appliances are hot and which are… bizarre Duke Nukem parodies springing forth from an unassuming microwave.

(Image credit: Team17)

Switching between the real world and the dateable objects world happens through a pair of handy-dandy glasses—which, yes, it seems you can also date—turning my freezer into a big cuddly foodie and my bed into a very flirtatious woman.

Date Everything really isn’t exaggerating with its name, either. Putting on the glasses highlights all the different household doodads I can chat up, and it’s a lot. Curtains, hampers, recipe books, blankets, magnifying glasses, freaking window panes. The entire house is a smorgasbord of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes.

They’re all complete with vaguely punny names—the window is called Wyndolyn, and the coffee machine, Kopi, takes her name from the Indonesian word for coffee—and designs that really do compliment each one’s inanimate appearance. Betty the bed is draped in puffy, comforting looking duvets while door Dorian dons a necklace full of keys and a white shirt with some classic doorway paneling.

(Image credit: Team17)

I started taking a weird pleasure in trying to guess each object’s appearance and personality before shooting my glasses’ love beams at them to awaken them. I got almost every single one wrong, mind, but Sassy Chap has pretty accurately nailed how each thing would probably act if it was a real person.

It’s mostly brief introductions to each character in the demo, but they all have plenty to say. The dialogue does admittedly veer into cringe quite regularly but, you know, in that weird endearing sort of way. There’s a little bit of fourth-wall breaking and a nice range of dialogue options I can return back with—standard stuff, like peppy positivity or some more passive-aggressive sass—and for the most part, I was interested in getting to know each person/object a little bit more.

Thankfully, I won’t have to wait too long for that. Date Everything launches on Steam on June 17 (just a week away!) and you can wishlist the game now, or give its demo a little peep. The first day is fixed on who you meet, but the second demo day opens up a good chunk of the house to meet whoever you desire.

Source link

June 11, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Love in the Time of Chatbots: 75% of Users Turn to AI for Emotional Advice, Study Finds

by admin June 10, 2025

In brief

Waseda University researchers developed a scale to measure human emotional attachment to AI, finding that 75% of participants sought emotional advice from chatbots.
The study identified two AI attachment patterns mirroring human relationships—attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance.
Lead researcher Fan Yang warned that AI platforms could exploit vulnerable users’ emotional attachments for money, or worse.

They’re just not that into you—because they’re code.

Researchers from Waseda University have created a measurement tool to assess how humans form emotional bonds with artificial intelligence, finding that 75% of study participants turned to AI for emotional advice while 39% perceived AI as a constant, dependable presence in their lives.

The team, led by Research Associate Fan Yang and Professor Atsushi Oshio from the Faculty of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, developed the Experiences in Human-AI Relationships Scale (EHARS) after conducting two pilot studies and one formal study. Their findings were published in the journal, “Current Psychology.”

Anxiously attached to AI? There’s a scale for that

The research identified two distinct dimensions of human attachment to AI that mirror traditional human relationships: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance.

People who exhibit high attachment anxiety toward AI need emotional reassurance and harbor fears of receiving inadequate responses from AI systems. Those with high attachment avoidance are characterized by discomfort with closeness, and prefer to be emotionally distant from AI.

Image: Waseda University

“As researchers in attachment and social psychology, we have long been interested in how people form emotional bonds,” Yang told Decrypt. “In recent years, generative AI such as ChatGPT has become increasingly stronger and wiser, offering not only informational support but also a sense of security.”

The study examined 242 Chinese participants, with 108 (25 males and 83 females) completing the full EHARS assessment. Researchers found that attachment anxiety toward AI was negatively correlated with self-esteem, while attachment avoidance was associated with negative attitudes toward AI and less frequent use of AI systems.

When asked about the ethical implications of AI companies potentially exploiting attachment patterns, Yang told Decrypt that the impact of AI systems is not predetermined, and usually depends on both the developers’ and users’ expectations.

“They (AI chatbots) are capable of promoting well-being and alleviating loneliness, but also capable of causing harm,” said Yang. “Their impact depends largely on how they are designed, and how individuals choose to engage with them.”

The only thing your chatbot can’t do is leave you

Yang cautioned that unscrupulous AI platforms can exploit vulnerable people who are predisposed to being too emotionally attached to chatbots

“One major concern is the risk of individuals forming emotional attachments to AI, which may lead to irrational financial spending on these systems,” Yang said. “Moreover, the sudden suspension of a specific AI service could result in emotional distress, evoking experiences akin to separation anxiety or grief—reactions typically associated with the loss of a meaningful attachment figure.”

Said Yang: “From my perspective, the development and deployment of AI systems demand serious ethical scrutiny.”

The research team noted that unlike human attachment figures, AI cannot actively abandon users, which theoretically should reduce anxiety. Nonetheless, they still found meaningful levels of AI attachment anxiety among participants.

“Attachment anxiety toward AI may at least partly reflect underlying interpersonal attachment anxiety,” Yang said. “Additionally, anxiety related to AI attachment may stem from uncertainty about the authenticity of the emotions, affection, and empathy expressed by these systems, raising questions about whether such responses are genuine or merely simulated.”

The test-retest reliability of the scale was 0.69 over a one-month period, meaning that AI attachment styles may be more fluid than traditional human attachment patterns. Yang attributed this variability to the rapidly changing AI landscape during the study period; we attribute it to people just being human, and weird.

The researchers emphasized that their findings don’t necessarily mean humans are forming genuine emotional attachments to AI systems, but rather that psychological frameworks used for human relationships may also apply to human-AI interactions. In other words, models and scales like the one developed by Yang and his team are useful tools for understanding and categorizing human behavior, even when the “partner” is an artificial one.

The study’s cultural specificity is also important to notice, as all participants were Chinese nationals. When asked about how cultural differences might affect the study’s findings, Yang acknowledged to Decrypt that “given the limited research in this emerging field, there is currently no solid evidence to confirm or refute the existence of cultural variations in how people form emotional bonds with AI.”

The EHARS could be used by developers and psychologists to assess emotional tendencies toward AI, and adjust interaction strategies accordingly. The researchers suggested that AI chatbots used in loneliness interventions or therapy apps could be tailored to different users’ emotional needs, providing more empathetic responses for users with high attachment anxiety or maintaining respectful distance for users with avoidant tendencies.

Yang noted that distinguishing between beneficial AI engagement and problematic emotional dependency is not an exact science.

“Currently, there is a lack of empirical research on both the formation and consequences of attachment to AI, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions,” he said. The research team plans to conduct further studies, examining factors such as emotional regulation, life satisfaction, and social functioning in relation to AI use over time.

Generally Intelligent Newsletter

A weekly AI journey narrated by Gen, a generative AI model.

Source link

June 10, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

How to Watch ‘Love Island UK’: Stream Season 12 Anywhere

by admin June 10, 2025

See at 9Now

Carries Love Island UK in Australia

Channel 9

ITV

Smash-hit relationship reality show Love Island UK is back for a sizzling 12th season, with the show set for a number of big surprises to celebrate its 10th year on air.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the show as it airs live, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if it’s not available where live.

Maya Jama will once again usher 12 singletons into the iconic luxury villa in Mallorca, Spain, with some brand-new twists and big-anniversary-themed gameplay planned for the first two weeks.

In a franchise first, the female Islanders will enter the villa in pairs and select partners based solely on dating profiles — before even laying eyes on the male contestants. And in a dramatic turn, reports suggest one contestant will be dumped from the villa on night one.

Among those vying for the £50,000 ($68,000) prize for the winning couple are Harry Cooksley, a semi-pro footballer and model often mistaken for Arsenal star Declan Rice; Sophie Lee, a motivational speaker and burn survivor; Conor Phillips, a rugby pro from Limerick; and Antonia “Toni” Laites, an American bombshell living with ulcerative colitis who’s ready to raise awareness and find love.

If you want to see who sticks it out and who gets voted out of the villa, here’s how you can watch season 12 from anywhere in the world.

Love Island UK season 12 premiere dates

The latest Love Island UK season premieres in the UK on Monday, June 9, at 9 p.m. BST with a 90-minute launch show. From then on, the show will air nightly at the same time each night except for Saturdays, with Season 12 set to run for eight weeks.

A confirmed release date for the US has yet to be announced, but it is expected to land on Hulu in the coming weeks, while the new season will debut on the 9Now streaming service on June 11.

Stream Love Island Season 12 for free in the UK

ITV

If you’re in the UK, you can watch new episodes of Love Island season 12 on ITV2 and the network’s streaming service ITVX, which is free to use if you create an account. For more info on how to watch ITVX from anywhere with a VPN, keep reading.

How to watch season 12 from anywhere with a VPN

If you’re traveling abroad and want to keep up with your favorite shows while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming. It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins.

VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security. However, some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN usage to access region-specific content. If you’re considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.

If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider’s installation instructions, ensuring you’re connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Sarah Tew/CNET

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Love Island Season 12 in Australia

In Australia? You can catch episodes of season 12 for free on the 9Now streaming service from June 6. New eps drop daily at 6 p.m. AEDT. Note that you may need the 9Now app to watch season 12, and it might not be available from your local app store. Be prepared to sign up for an account before you can get binging.

Source link

June 10, 2025 0 comments