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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 Standard And Collector's Editions Get Great Discounts
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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Standard And Collector’s Editions Get Great Discounts

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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 has received its first major discount since launching last month. You can pick up the remakes of the classic arcade skateboarding games for $35 (was $50) at Amazon or Walmart. Both retailers have this deal for all five console platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox. PlayStation gamers can also save big on the THPS 3 + 4 Collector’s Edition, which comes with a Birdhouse skateboard deck and a bunch of in-game content.

THPS 3 + 4 Standard Edition — $35 ($50)

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 Collector’s Edition is discounted to $104 (was $130) for PS5 at Amazon and Walmart. If you’re lucky, Amazon will offer you an additional 30% off. The coupon offer is only available in select regions, including the Midwest. If you’re eligible, you’ll see a coupon box below the price. Check the box to slash $31.20 from the sale price at checkout. With the extra coupon applied, you’ll wind up paying just $72.79 for the Collector’s Edition.

$35 (was $50) for PS5, PS4, Switch 1/2, Xbox

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 has significantly overhauled graphics, enhanced gameplay mechanics, new levels, an expanded roster of skaters, and fresh music. Just like the remakes of the first two games, the skateboarding mechanics are superb. The moment-to-moment gameplay is extremely satisfying–the excellent soundtrack helps–and the new levels are well-designed.

All that said, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4’s original career mode is sorely missed. Developer Iron Galaxy Studios removed the free-roaming structure and replaced it with the classic two-minute runs found in the first three games. The new version of THPS 4 is good in its own right, but it’s not the game you remember.

The remake collection earned an 8/10 in GameSpot’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 review.

Heads up for Nintendo players: The Switch version comes with a game card but requires a download; the Switch 2 version is a download code inside a box. Activision isn’t offering an upgrade path from Switch to Switch 2.

If Amazon and Walmart sell out of this deal, Best Buy and Target are offering $10 discounts on the standard edition.

$104 (was $130) | $72.79 for select Amazon customers

The full-size Birdhouse skate deck is limited edition and only available in the Collector’s Edition. Birdhouse is Tony Hawk’s official skateboard brand, making this a cool collectible item for fans.

You’ll also get all of the in-game DLC from the $70 Digital Deluxe Edition. Most notably, you’ll get two characters from the Doom franchise as playable skaters: Doom Slayer and Revenant. Each skater has unique secret moves. Along with the Doom characters, this edition includes Doom-themed gear for Create-a-Skater. Here’s a list of all of the in-game extras:

  • Doom Slayer playable skater
  • Revenant playable skater
  • Unmaykr Hoverboard
  • 5 Doom-themed skate decks
  • 5 Doom-themed apparel items
  • Wireframe Tony Shader
  • Additional in-game music

Only the PS5 edition is on sale at Amazon and Walmart, but you can still get the Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X Collector’s Editions for $130.

Everything included in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Collector’s Edition



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Borderlands 4 Standard Edition Confirmed To Cost $70
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Borderlands 4 Standard Edition Confirmed To Cost $70

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Gearbox has opened pre-orders for Borderlands 4, confirming a $69.99 price for the Standard Edition. This news alleviates fan concern that the upcoming shooter would retail at $80 and follows CEO Randy Pitchford’s controversial comment last month that “real fans” would find a way to purchase the game at that price.

The worry over Borderlands 4’s price stemmed from an exchange on X with Randy Pitchford on May 13 where a fan told him the game “better not be 80 dollars.” Pitchford responded by saying the decision was “Not my call”, then added the following:

“If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen. 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.”

Pitchford’s comment attracted criticism from those who took this as him implying that players who couldn’t afford to pay $80 are not true fans. It also fueled speculation that Borderlands 4 would indeed follow the growing trend set by Mario Kart World of retailing at the higher price point.

Following the backlash, Pitchford addressed his comment by sharing a clip from a PAX East developer panel (which occurred before Pitchford’s controversial X post), where he elaborated on Borderlands 4’s then-potential price by speaking on the current realities of video game development budgets and pricing.

“It’s an interesting time, right?” says Pitchford during the Q&A session. “On one level, we’ve got a competitive marketplace where the people who make those choices want to sell as many units as possible and they want to be careful about people who are price-sensitive. So there’s some folks who don’t want to see prices go up, even the ones deciding what the prices are. There’s other folks accepting the reality that game budgets are increasing and there’s tariffs for the retail packaging and it’s getting gnarly out there, you guys. Borderlands 4 has more than twice the development budget than Borderlands 3. More than twice. So the truth is, I don’t know what the price is going to be.”

He then added, “As artists, we want everybody to have it. We want to make it as easy as possible for everybody to enjoy what we’re creating.”

In addition to the $70 Standard Edition of Borderlands 4, Gearbox is also offering a Deluxe Edition for $99.99 and a Super Deluxe Edition for $129.99. Each version contains a bevy of extra content, and you can read more details about what each edition entails on the game’s website. 

Borderlands 4 will launch on September 12 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. A Switch 2 version is also planned for sometime this year. 



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Crypto Trends

Solana (SOL) Drops 8% in 24 Hours; Standard Chartered Maintains $500 Target by 2030

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Solana’s SOL

dropped 7.87% to $147.07 over the past 24 hours, as traders reacted to renewed volatility across crypto markets. After opening at $159.60, SOL fell sharply during late Thursday and early Friday trading, reaching a low of $142.13 before stabilizing above the $147 mark. Key intraday volume spikes suggest some accumulation near support, but the overall structure remains fragile as the token trades nearly 40% below its March highs.

The short-term weakness puts added focus on a late-May price target from Standard Chartered’s Global Research team. In a May 27 note initiating formal coverage of SOL, the bank forecast that Solana would rise to $275 by year-end, with a long-term target of $500 by 2029. The report cited Solana’s speed and efficiency as core differentiators but acknowledged that much of its recent meme-coin-driven activity remains heavily discounted by the market.

The growing gap between that bullish outlook and current market conditions illustrates the core dilemma facing long-term SOL investors: whether to treat recent drawdowns as temporary noise or as fundamental rejection of the growth narrative. While Standard Chartered expected solana to underperform ether in the near term, it positioned the token as a high-beta bet on retail-driven ecosystems that could re-rate sharply if adoption expands beyond memecoins.

For now, price action remains choppy, with buyers stepping in near $143 but meeting resistance near $150. Whether SOL can regain upside traction in time to validate even a portion of the year-end forecast may depend on broader macro stabilization and renewed on-chain activity in the coming weeks.

Technical Analysis Highlights

  • SOL dropped 11.87% intraday, from $160.49 to a low of $142.13.
  • Intense selling occurred between 23:00–01:00 UTC before price stabilized.
  • A tight consolidation range formed between $143.50–$146.50.
  • Higher lows since 02:00 suggest possible bullish divergence.
  • Volume peaked at 13:31 (31.8K SOL) and 13:39 (43.4K SOL) as buyers defended support.
  • Resistance sits at $152; a break above could shift short-term trend.

Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.



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What Is Matter? We Explain the Smart Home Standard (2025)
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What Is Matter? We Explain the Smart Home Standard (2025)

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The ideal smart home seamlessly anticipates your needs and instantly responds to commands. You shouldn’t have to open a specific app for each appliance or remember the precise voice command and voice assistant combination that starts the latest episode of your favorite podcast on the nearest speaker. Competing smart home standards make operating your devices needlessly complicated. It’s just not very … well, smart.

Tech giants try to straddle standards by offering their voice assistants as a controlling layer on top, but Alexa can’t talk to Google Assistant or Siri or control Google or Apple devices, and vice versa. (And so far, no single ecosystem has created all the best devices.) But these interoperability woes may soon be remedied. Formerly called Project CHIP (Connected Home over IP), the open source interoperability standard known as Matter arrived in 2022. With some of the biggest tech names, like Amazon, Apple, and Google, on board, seamless integration may finally be within reach.

Updated May 2025: We’ve added the Matter 1.4 and 1.4.1 specifications for enhanced multi-admin, energy management, and easier setup, and updated general progress for the standard.

Table of Contents

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What Is Matter?

Matter enables different devices and ecosystems to play nicely. Device manufacturers must comply with the Matter standard to ensure their devices are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and others. For folks building a smart home, Matter theoretically lets you buy any device and use the voice assistant or platform you prefer to control it. (Yes, you can use different voice assistants to talk to the same product.)

For example, you can buy a Matter-supported smart bulb and set it up with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa—without having to worry about compatibility. Right now, some devices already support multiple platforms (like Alexa or Google Assistant), but Matter will expand that platform support and make setting up your new devices faster and easier.

The first protocol runs on Wi-Fi and Thread network layers and uses Bluetooth Low Energy for device setup. While it supports various platforms, you must choose the voice assistants and apps you want to use—there is no central Matter app or assistant. Because Matter works on your local network, you can expect your smart home devices to be more responsive to you, and they should continue to work even when your internet goes down.

What Makes Matter Different?

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (or CSA, formerly the Zigbee Alliance) maintains the Matter standard. What sets it apart is the breadth of its membership (more than 550 tech companies), the willingness to adopt and merge disparate technologies, and the fact that it is an open source project. Interested companies can use the software development kit (SDK) royalty-free to incorporate their devices into the Matter ecosystem. This is much simpler than certifying devices individually with each smart home platform.

Growing out of the Zigbee Alliance gives Matter a firm foundation. Bringing the main smart home platforms (Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings) to the same table is an achievement. It is optimistic to imagine a seamless adoption of Matter across the board, but it has enjoyed a rush of enthusiasm with many smart home brands jumping aboard, including August, Schlage, and Yale in smart locks; Belkin, Cync, GE Lighting, Sengled, Signify (Philips Hue), and Nanoleaf in smart lighting; and others like Arlo, Comcast, Eve, TP-Link, and LG.

When Did Matter Arrive?

Matter has been in the works for years. The first release of Project CHIP was due in late 2020, but it was delayed to the following year, rebranded as Matter, and then touted for a summer release. After another delay, the Matter 1.0 specification and certification program opened in 2022. The SDK, tools, and test cases were made available, and eight authorized test labs opened for product certification.

The first wave of Matter-supported smart home gadgets went on sale in the fall of 2022, and we have seen a steady trickle since then. The first update to the specification, Matter 1.1, arrived in May 2023 and consisted largely of bug fixes. Announced in October 2023, Matter 1.2 added support for nine new device types, including refrigerators, robot vacuums, and air purifiers, alongside improvements to existing categories.

The Matter 1.3 specification was published in May 2024, adding energy management, EV charging, and water management alongside support for new devices, including ovens, cooktops, and laundry dryers. It also brought improvements to Matter Casting, so on top of being able to cast from your phone to your TV, other smart devices, like your robot vacuum, can send messages to your TV to warn you if they’re stuck, for example.



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Microsoft acknowledges "standard commercial relationship" with Israel Ministry of Defence, conducts internal review of AI services
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Microsoft acknowledges “standard commercial relationship” with Israel Ministry of Defence, conducts internal review of AI services

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Microsoft has conducted an internal review following concerns that its Azure and AI technologies were being used by the Israel Ministry of Defence (IMOD) “to target civilians or cause harm in the conflict in Gaza”.

Earlier this year, an investigation conducted by the Associated Press claimed Microsoft’s commercial AI products were being used by the Israeli military.

The AP reported that Microsoft’s Azure technology was allegedly being used to “transcribe, translate, and process intelligence gathered through mass surveillance” which could be “cross-checked with Israel’s in-house AI-enabled targeting systems”.

Microsoft has since acknowledged that it provides the IMOD “with software, professional services, Azure cloud and AI services”, as detailed in a statement published earlier this week.

Following interviews with “dozens of employees and assessing documents”, it came to the conclusion that there was “no evidence to date” that these technologies “have been used to target or harm people” in the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Microsoft clarified that it “works with countries and customers around the world, including the IMOD” and that “as with many governments around the world, [it] also work[s] with the Israeli government to protect its natural cyberspace against external threats.”

The firm emphasised that it had a “standard commercial relationship” with the IMOD. Microsoft did note that it “occasionally provides special access to [its] technologies beyond the terms of [its] commercial agreements”.

This included providing “emergency support to the Israeli government in the weeks following October 7, 2023, to help rescue hostages”.

“We provided this help with significant oversight on a limited basis, including approval of some requests and denial of others,” Microsoft said.

“We believe the company followed its principals on a considered and careful basis, to help save the lives of hostages while also honouring the privacy and rights of civilians in Gaza.”

Microsoft stated that the IMOD was “bound by Microsoft’s terms of services and conditions of use”, including the prohibition of the use of its cloud and AI services “in any manner that inflicts harm on individuals or organisations or affects individuals in any way that is prohibited by law.”

The company noted that militaries “typically use their own proprietary software or applications” for “surveillance and operations”, clarifying that it had “not created or provided such software or solutions to the IMOD”.

Microsoft said it was “important to acknowledge” that it does not have the ability to see “how customers use [its] software on their own servers and devices”.

Specifically, the firm said it did not “have visibility to the IMOD’s government cloud operations, which are supported through contracts with cloud providers other than Microsoft.”

“Microsoft has long defended the cybersecurity of the State of Israel and the people who live there,” the company’s statement concluded. “We similarly have long been committed to other nations and people across the Middle East.

“Our commitment to human rights guides how we engage in complex environments and how our technology is used. We share the profound concern over the loss of civilian life in both Israel and Gaza and have supported humanitarian assistance in both places.”

It continued: “The work we do everywhere in the world is informed and governed by our human rights commitments. Based on everything we currently know, we believe Microsoft has abided by these commitments in Israel and Gaza.”

As reported by our sister site Eurogamer, the No Azure for Apartheid petition has called for Microsoft to make the findings of its investigation public. The No Azure for Apartheid group is made up of current and former Microsoft employees.

Last month, the Palestinian BDS movement called for a boycott of Microsoft and Xbox in response to the company providing the IMOD with its services.



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Nintendo Switch 2 Is Compatible With A Standard USB Mouse
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Nintendo Switch 2 Is Compatible With A Standard USB Mouse

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One of the most intriguing developments with Nintendo Switch 2 is that the Joy-Con 2 controllers have mouse-like functionality for certain games. That’s been a long-requested feature, but players who love using mice appear to have that option on Switch 2 as well.

During a demonstration for Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening CE on Switch 2 (via Insider Gaming), producer Michi Ryu plugged a wired mouse into the console and began playing with it. He also noted that when the mouse is plugged in, it takes priority control away from the Joy-Con 2 controllers. Ryu used the mouse around the 10:53 mark in the video below.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that all Switch 2 games will be compatible with a standard mouse. It’s also unclear if wireless mice are also usable on Switch 2. XCOM creator Julian Gollop recently suggested that Switch 2’s mouse options may lead to more strategy games on the system.

Nintendo’s upcoming 3v3 sports title, Drag x Drive, will extensively feature the Joy-Con 2’s mouse capabilities. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will also incorporate the ability to switch between Joy-Con 2’s controller and mouse-like capabilities on the fly. That may make aiming a lot easier in the upcoming sequel. Nintendo also recently shared a better look at how the Joy-Con 2’s mouse capabilities will work.

All The Nintendo Switch 2 Games (Confirmed And Rumored) So Far

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Crypto Trends

Bitcoin on Track to Hit $500K as Government Entities Increase MSTR Holdings: Standard Chartered

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In brief

  • Bitcoin’s price will reach $500,000 over the next three-and-a-half years, Standard Chartered analyst Geoff Kendrick writes.
  • In the first quarter, 12 government entities increased their exposure to Strategy.
  • Strategy holds 576,000 Bitcoin.

Bitcoin’s price remains on track to hit half a million dollars before Donald Trump’s current term ends after government entities increased their indirect exposure to Bitcoin in the first quarter, according to Geoff Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered, 

Whether it was South Korea’s National Pension Service, the Swiss National Bank, or U.S. state retirement funds, government entities’ recent holdings of Strategy—which owns around 576,000 Bitcoin—“was very encouraging,” Kendrick wrote in a note on Tuesday. That group also included Swedish pension funds, a state-owned bank in France, and the Saudi Central Bank.

In the first quarter, 12 government entities increased their exposure to Strategy, holding 31,000 Bitcoin worth of Strategy shares, he added.

Although investors can gain exposure to Bitcoin through spot exchange-traded funds that were approved in the U.S. last year, government entities’ increased Strategy holdings reflect “widening structural demand” for Bitcoin and Strategy’s continued use as a Bitcoin proxy, Kendrick wrote.

“We believe that in some cases, MSTR holdings by government entities reflect a desire to gain Bitcoin exposure where local regulations do not allow direct BTC holdings,” he added.



Analysts at the British multinational bank believe that Bitcoin’s price will reach $500,000 before the end of  Trump’s second term ends in early 2029. That target is premised on the understanding that Trump’s administration, through the repeal of SAB 121 and initiatives like his strategic Bitcoin reserve, will improve investors’ access to Bitcoin, while encouraging demand.

 

Each quarter, institutional investment managers with over $100 million worth of assets under management are required to reveal their holdings through a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Known as a 13F, Kendrick argued that these filings are the best way to test “our thesis that BTC will attract new institutional buyer types as the market matures.”

Within the U.S., state retirement funds for California, New York, North Carolina, and Kentucky upped their Strategy holdings by the equivalent of 1,000 Bitcoin, Kendrick said. Each share in Strategy equates to 0.0018 Bitcoin per diluted share, per Strategy Tracker.

Sovereigns’ exposure to Bitcoin through spot ETFs “was disappointing at first glance,” Kendrick noted, pointing to an overall decline in their direct holdings. The State of Wisconsin Investment Board, which held the equivalent of 3,400 Bitcoin through ETFs, sold all its holdings. 

Mubadala Investment Company, the sovereign wealth fund for Abu Dhabi’s government, validated Standard Chartered’s thesis when it started stockpiling Bitcoin last year. In the first quarter, its Bitcoin exposure increased to 5,000 Bitcoin, from 4,700 Bitcoin, not long ago.

Edited by James Rubin

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