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Surprised

Elden Ring reportedly runs poorly on Switch 2, but is anyone surprised?

by admin August 22, 2025

When Elden Ring popped up at Nintendo’s Switch 2 reveal, it was a promising sign of third-party games finding their way to the new console.

Yet reports from gamescom suggest Elden Ring runs poorly on Switch 2, particularly in handheld mode, citing low framerates in open world environments. Even publisher Bandai Namco seems to be aware of this, as footage capture has not been allowed, which seems particularly damning.

FromSoftware doesn’t have a great track record with performance, though, and after three years Elden Ring still doesn’t run perfectly on PS5, Xbox Series X, or PC. But this is the studio’s first effort on Switch 2, and it’s perhaps a worrying sign for next year’s exclusive The Duskbloods.

ELDEN RING is coming to Nintendo Switch 2Watch on YouTube

IGN described Elden Ring on Switch 2 as a “disaster” in handheld mode, after Eurogamer’s Ian Higton went hands-on at gamescom.

Ian was only able to play in handheld mode, but played the very start of the game. And while he was impressed with the lighting and resolution, the framerate dropped dramatically during both the Grafted Scion tutorial boss and when entering the open world. “As soon as I opened up those double doors and entered into Limgrave and you see the Erdtree in the background, it started to chug,” said Ian.

Further, the demo only has a single graphics mode with HDR switched on, but this could potentially change in the final release.

Both Jon Cartwright from GVG and Nintendo Life’s Felix Sanchez reported similar feedback. Cartwright noted how fog in the distance caused the framerate to plummet and while the game runs at 30fps, it goes “well below when anything a little bit challenging comes up”, including bosses. He was able to test docked mode, which was “better but not perfect”.

Sanchez, meanwhile, was impressed by the graphics despite being not quite on par with current consoles, but in the open world “the framerate just tanks – it’s really bad and I understand why they don’t want you to see this because wowee zowee it is terrible”.

It’s certainly disappointing to hear, especially when Elden Ring does run perfectly fine on PS4 and Xbox One, not to mention the Steam Deck already provides a handheld mode with steady performance. Over on reddit, fans appear to be upset by the news, but not particularly surprised following FromSoftware’s poor optimisation of games in the past.

Of course, the Switch 2 is weaker compared to PS5 or Xbox Series X, but it does have VRR capabilities – it’s not clear if this has been implemented by the developers.

Perhaps this poor performance shouldn’t come as a surprise. Two years after the base game launched, FromSoftware released the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Yet, as Digital Foundry reported last year, this still did not fix many underlying technical issues with the game, particularly its long-standing stuttering. Seeing issues with the Switch 2 version suggests FromSoftware just doesn’t intend to fix them, with performance seemingly not a priority.

Digital Foundry also examined the Elden Ring Switch 2 trailer from its initial reveal, noting its seemingly poor performance, despite its impressive pixel count. It seems frame pacing issues from the trailer capture are present in the game itself. Still, when Cyberpunk 2077 – an infamously more technically demanding game – runs well on Switch 2, it’s disappointing to see FromSoftware struggling.

Elden Ring remains without a Switch 2 release date beyond this year, so there’s still time for fixes to be implemented. It’s the first FromSoftware-developed game to make it to Nintendo’s Switch family (there’s been no mention of an external team handling the port), as the previously released Dark Souls Remastered was handled by Virtuos. But it won’t be the last. As revealed earlier this year, FromSoftware has the Switch 2 exclusive multiplayer game The Duskbloods on the way.

Will it suffer a similar fate? It’s unclear what engine that game is being created in, but considering it’s a Switch 2 exclusive from the ground up, you’d hope FromSoftware would optimise the game accordingly rather than shoehorning Elden Ring to make it fit. Yet the precedent of poor performance – and FromSoftware’s seeming apathy towards it – has already been set.

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August 22, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Nobody should be surprised by how Jon Jones’ retirement played out

by admin June 24, 2025

Andreas HaleJun 24, 2025, 07:36 AM ET
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UFC CEO Dana White delivering the retirement news of arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time at a postfight news conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, after Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card was as underwhelming as it gets.

White’s tone suggested that he was let down — again — by the man he recently called the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

That man — Jon Jones — has operated on his terms and moved at his own pace. His retirement was no different.

But should anybody be surprised Jones decided to go out this way? More importantly, do we believe that this is truly the end of Jones’ complicated career?

For better or worse, Jones is easily the most selfish fighter in UFC history. And that has worked brilliantly for his MMA career and to the detriment of everyone else.

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Jones’ retirement squashed a highly anticipated heavyweight title unification fight between Jones and interim champion Tom Aspinall after months of will they, won’t they. Jones went out of his way to denigrate Aspinall as an opponent, calling him unproven and annoying. At the same time, he opted to take a legacy-furthering fight with 42-year-old former champion Stipe Miocic that may age better on paper. There was no real reason for the Miocic fight to happen other than the UFC gifting Miocic a payday and feeding Jones’ ego. White felt confident enough last December to guarantee “100 percent” the fight would happen and Jones would take on Aspinall next.

Instead, Jones routinely teased retirement, floated bouts against non-Aspinall opponents such as Alex Pereira and Francis Ngannou and seemingly laughed at the idea that he could be stripped of his title.

And remember, you can’t strip a guy like me at this point I give the belt up freely. Veni, vidi, vici. 😘

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) June 6, 2025

“The fight was done,” White told the media on Sunday in New York. “We had the fight done a long time ago. Why he decided not to fight, you guys will have to ask him that.”

Jones has let people down before to maintain control. There is no concern for the fans, his promoter, or his teammates. But the greatest athletes always have a quirk that separates them from the rest. Jones’ quirk just happens to be selfishness.

That selfishness has protected him for his entire MMA career. Without it, he may not be where he is today.

Jones not fighting Aspinall is just one of many examples where Jones has put his needs first, regardless of who has helped him get to where he is. The UFC could have abandoned Jones during his litany of legal issues. Instead, they stood by their most popular and profitable star, perhaps more than any other fighter outside of Conor McGregor.

But what about when Jones leapfrogged his Jackson Wink teammate Rashad Evans to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the light heavyweight title? What was allegedly a close relationship between training partners dissolved into a vitriolic war of words that led to Evans leaving the gym. Evans called out Jones for being “fake” and said his “good guy act” would eventually fall apart. Jones went on to defeat Evans at UFC 145 in 2012, but the words of his rival have hung over Jones’ career.

Jones also turned down a short-notice fight with Chael Sonnen, causing the cancellation of UFC 151 in 2012, the first time a UFC pay-per-view was called off. To be clear, Jones had three days left in his training camp when he learned Dan Henderson was injured and Sonnen, a former middleweight title contender, had offered to step in. White’s disgust with Jones rang loud and clear on a conference call announcing the cancellation.

“This is one of the most selfish, disgusting decisions that doesn’t just affect you,” White said at the time. “This is affecting 16 other lives, their families, kids are going back to school. The list goes on and on of all the things, the money that was spent for fighters to train and the list goes on and on. Like I said, I don’t think this is going to make Jon Jones popular with the fans, sponsors, cable distributors, television network executives or other fighters.”

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Aspinall vows to become the heavyweight GOAT after Jones’ retirement

Tom Aspinall speaks after officially becoming the UFC heavyweight champion after Jon Jones’ retirement.

When asked on Sunday about whether Jones ducked Aspinall, White referred to UFC 151. “I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again: Jon Jones has never ducked anybody other than that one goofy time with the Chael Sonnen thing.”

Other champions have stepped up on short notice, including Islam Makhachev, who recently defended his lightweight title on a day’s notice against Renato Moicano at UFC 311, but Jones opted to look out for himself. Is it wrong? Not necessarily. Jones would have been favored to win regardless, but he couldn’t be in control of the circumstances, and that’s the key to his decision-making.

Perhaps the most interesting example of Jones putting himself first is how he has expertly navigated the latter half of his career and protected his status as MMA’s GOAT.

The front half of Jones’ career was astounding and filled with dominant performances over Hall of Fame fighters Rua, Evans and Vitor Belfort. He also finished three future HOFers in Sonnen, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida. But over the past decade, he has fought a mere nine times because of legal issues, suspensions and injuries.

Outside of two fights with bitter rival Daniel Cormier — one of which was a knockout win at UFC 214 in July 2014 that was overturned because Jones tested positive for a banned substance — the back half of Jones’ UFC career doesn’t compare to the first.

Jones expertly avoided putting himself in danger of losing by fighting so infrequently. To his credit, he still won. But fans began questioning what would happen against a high-level opponent in his prime. A megafight with Ngannou never materialized in part because Jones reportedly asked for “Deontay Wilder money” ($20-$30 million), and we have seen something similar with Aspinall. Jones chirped through social media and diminished the importance of the fight.

It’s not about money, loyalty or pleasing anyone else for Jones. It’s about Jones doing what he wants, when he wants and how he wants. And when he grew tired of the fans complaining and was possibly given a deadline to make a decision to fight or give up the heavyweight belt, White said Jones called and retired.

If, or when, Jones decides to come out of retirement to fight Aspinall or someone else, he’ll be in the driver’s seat of negotiating. After all, retirement is leverage in MMA, and if there’s one thing Jones loves, it’s operating on his terms.

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June 24, 2025 0 comments

A cloaked Elden Ring Nightreign character lifts her hand and seemingly looks at it despite wearing a mask

Gaming Gear

I was surprised and delighted to learn that every FromSoft protagonist outside of Elden Ring Nightreign is 5 feet 7 inches tall, aka the best height for cool people

by admin June 15, 2025

Aside from when it’s wildly out of whack with the game world, I don’t think about the height of videogame characters much. At a modest 5’7, I generally assume that most videogame protagonists are taller than me. There have been a few occasions where a character’s canonical height has surprised me, though. For example, a while back I read that Thief’s antihero Garrett was a strapping six footer, but a recent search revealed that this is actually not the case, and in fact he might be even shorter than me.

I had a similar reaction watching Zullie the Witch’s recent video discussing character height in FromSoftware’s games, in which she reveals that every FromSoft protagonist up until Elden Ring Neightreign is roughly 1.7 metres, or 5 foot 7 inches, tall. I’d always figured they were strapping six footers, if only because it further accentuates how massive the game’s bosses are.

This is, I should stress, not the central point of Zullie’s video. The vid explores how Elden Ring Nightreign’s new character height modifier affects the game mechanically. Elden Ring’s playable characters have noticeably different heights, even though they’re all based on the same player model. The smallest avatar, Revenant, is a petite 4’9, while at 6’6, the Guardian is at risk of bumping his head on doorframes a lot.

Nightreign – Does height matter mechanically? – YouTube

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As for how this affects the game mechanically, the answer is “not much, but a bit”. Height difference has no effect on movement actions like running or jumping, but they do factor slightly into combat. According to Zullie, smaller characters have a slightly higher chance to avoid being hit by certain attacks (like arrows), while taller characters have marginally longer reach, meaning their swings will hit enemies from further away.

This might not be vastly surprising, but it is interesting regardless. Zullie also notes that the size modifier can be used to adjust the height of any character in Nightreign, and could potentially be used in future FromSoft games, possibly even as a character creation variable. Now I want a FromSoft RPG where you can create a character so small they can attack bosses internally. Though, to be honest, you could probably do that with some of the existing bosses anyway if the games supported it mechanically.

In any case, it pleases me greatly to know I can look all those other FromSoft protagonists in the eye without getting neckache. I suppose it also opens up a lot of cosplay opportunities, which isn’t exactly a huge concern for me. But it’s nice to know that I have options beyond “comic-accurate Wolverine”.

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June 15, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

ATH Reversal Chance, Solana (SOL) Surprised Everyone

by admin June 2, 2025

Bitcoin’s struggle
Solana goes down

At $2.10 XRP is at a pivotal point in its price history pushing both psychological and technical limits. The asset is now clearly tired after a protracted rally that lifted it above the $2 mark. The subsequent sessions may decide whether XRP maintains its gains or enters a more significant correction as the current structure indicates that momentum is ebbing. XRP is situated directly on the 200-day EMA, a significant long-term support level on the chart. When broken this zone frequently indicates a change into a more bearish phase but it usually serves as a buffer during downtrends.

The recent short-term moving average behavior is making matters worse: the 50 EMA is about to cross below the 10 EMA, a bearish crossover that usually indicates increasing downward momentum. The price point of $2 to $10 itself, a crucial psychological level, adds to the tension. Market sentiment has relied on holding above this level but if it breaks down the next leg could be a steep decline.

XRP/USDT Chart by TradingView

Investors are keeping a close eye on XRP because a failure here could lead to a decline with little support between $1.85 and $1.90. The setup is currently leaning bearish but some people may still hold onto bullish hopes. Unless there is a resurgence of strong buying pressure the 200 EMA may not hold as the assets short-term strength declines.

In that case XRP’s $2 breakout will not be viewed as the start of a long-term rally but rather as a bull trap. The lesson is that $2 is now a make-or-break line rather than just a number. If you lose it XRP’s correction could be much more severe.

Bitcoin’s struggle

As it approaches the 26 EMA, a critical level that is currently the last line of defense against a more significant decline, Bitcoin is treading carefully. Bitcoin has had difficulty maintaining its upward momentum after hitting new all-time highs earlier this year and recent price action indicates that a possible reversal may be imminent.

Bitcoin is located exactly on its 26 EMA which has historically served as dynamic support in strong bullish trends and is currently trading at about $104,600. But this time it goes beyond a technical level; it’s the final significant obstacle before a more significant correction. If this support fails the 50 EMA which is still below the crucial $100,000 mark is the next likely target.

Solana goes down

Solana just gave the market a shocking revelation and not in a positive way. SOL appears to be at the beginning of a death spiral after plunging below the 50 EMA following weeks of comparatively stable conditions. Breaking this crucial technical level indicates that the bulls have lost control and that momentum has broken not just that there has been a dip. This breakdown has created the opportunity for a potential move toward $105 which if it materializes could signal a serious decline in market confidence.

Not only is the drop itself worrisome but the way it occurred is also concerning: the convergence of moving averages is creating a dismal image. EMA’s are curling downward and converging instead of fanning out in a bullish pattern which usually comes before more severe downside movements. What’s particularly concerning is how abrupt and decisive the action was.

I Tested the $599 iPhone 16E and Was Surprised by All the Features You Don’t Get

by admin May 26, 2025

When I reviewed the iPhone 16E I was charmed by its simplicity and frustrated by its $599 price. The phone is $200 less than the iPhone 16 but $100 more than rivals like the $499 Pixel 9A (and Google’s cheap phone comes with two rear cameras).

The iPhone 16E has many of the iPhone 16’s best features, like an A18 chip, a 48-megapixel main camera, iOS 18, Apple Intelligence and access to Apple services like Facetime, iMessage and Emergency SOS via Satellite. What more could you want, right?

Well, as with other affordable phones, compromises were made to get to that lower price. These omissions tell you a lot about what Apple values — like Apple Intelligence, for example. I’ve reviewed more budget phones than I can count, and the best ones always offer far more than just their low sticker price. It’s a pleasant surprise when a company like Motorola, OnePlus or Google nails the balance of what to keep and what to omit.

Let’s take a look at the features you don’t get on the iPhone 16E. And just because this Apple phone lacks a feature doesn’t make it bad… unless it’s a feature you want.

Watch this: iPhone 16E Review

07:20

MagSafe and Qi2

MagSafe has become a popular aspect of being an iPhone owner, and it’s wild that the iPhone 16E doesn’t have it. MagSafe debuted in 2020 on the iPhone 12 and uses magnets inside the phone to help it wirelessly charge by ensuring it’s in the optimum position. The magnets have an added benefit because they let you attach magnetic accessories to your iPhone, like a wallet or battery pack, as well as secure your phone to mounts, like one in a car.

The iPhone 16’s MagSafe supports 25-watt wireless charging speeds. But the iPhone 16E only supports 7.5W wireless charging, the original Qi standard — not even Qi2 speeds of 15W.

Ultrawide, macro camera

Apple/Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

The iPhone 16E has something of a rarity in 2025: a single rear camera. But as I’ve said before, in other stories and reviews, I’d rather have one really good camera than the two or three mediocre ones that can often be found on sub-$300 phones. The 16E’s main camera has a 48-megapixel sensor, which has enough resolution for sensor cropping to offer a 2x magnification — not quite the same as having a second camera, but close.

Sensor cropping can’t replace having a dedicated ultrawide camera, which on the iPhone 16 doubles as a macro camera, letting you focus on close-up subjects, like for food photos.

3 grams

The iPhone 16E weighs 167 grams, making it 3 grams lighter than the 170-gram iPhone 16. Hey, not all omissions are bad.

Dynamic Island

The iPhone 16E has a screen notch.

Apple/CNET

The iPhone 16E brings back the screen notch, a cutout at the top of the screen that houses the phone’s selfie camera and FaceID technology. But it lacks the Dynamic Island cutout, which is a smaller, oval-shaped hole at the top of the display on the iPhone 16. Apple uses the screen space around the Dynamic Island cutout to show system alerts as well as background tasks, like when music is playing. Obviously the 16E’s lack of a Dynamic Island won’t prevent it from showing alerts, but it’s still missing out on a clever software interface.

Qualcomm 5G modem and mmWave

The C1 modem is Apple’s first in-house 5G modem.

Apple/Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

In its launch video, Apple proudly pointed out that the iPhone 16E has an in-house designed 5G modem called C1. The new Apple modem forgoes the Qualcomm 5G modems used in other iPhone models. Designing its own modem allows Apple to tailor the device for its phones. The new modem helps extend the iPhone 16E’s battery life, which Apple says is longer than it is with other iPhone 16 models.

But the C1 modem has one wrinkle: It doesn’t support 5G mmWave (or ultra-wideband), which is the very fast flavor of 5G that you might experience in parts of some cities or at a stadium for an event.

Color options

The iPhone 16E comes in black or white.

Apple/CNET

When the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus launched, one of the best aspects was that they came in colors like ultramarine, teal and pink. The iPhone 16E comes in only black or white.

Five GPU cores

One of the iPhone 16E’s biggest features is that, like the iPhone 16, it has the A18 chip and can run Apple Intelligence. But the chip isn’t exactly the same. The iPhone 16’s A18 chip has five GPU cores, while the 16E’s has only four. So, what does that mean exactly? Well, the good news is that the difference doesn’t have a noticeable effect on daily use with the iPhone 16E. But if you’re someone who plays graphics-intensive games for hours on end, the iPhone 16 could have a slight edge.

Camera Control button

Here’s the pop-up menu (top right) that appears as you’re using the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16.

Marc Ganley/CNET

Apple’s omission of the Camera Control button, which also triggers Visual Intelligence searches, makes sense, since the 16E has only a single camera. Those people who are likely to use a Camera Control button are probably going to get an iPhone 16 or 16 Pro, because those models have more cameras. Apple also smartly enabled the 16E’s Action button to start a Visual Intelligence search.

Ultra-wideband, Wi-Fi 7 and Thread

The iPhone 16E lacks Apple’s ultra-wideband chip, meaning you won’t be able to use the Precision Tracking feature in Find My for AirTags. The phone supports Wi-Fi 6 but not the newer 6E or 7 standards. Wi-Fi 6 speeds are good, but as more Wi-Fi 7 routers come out, the 16E won’t be able to take advantage of faster peak speeds. The 16E also lacks support for Thread radio and won’t be able to directly connect to some smart home devices with a built-in Thread border router.

Action, Cinematic and Spatial video modes

The iPhone 16E’s Camera app doesn’t have:

Action mode for stabilizing video recordings with lots of camera shake
Cinematic mode for recording videos with a faux shallow depth of field
Spatial mode for recording “3D” videos for the Vision Pro, which needs two cameras

Other odds and ends

The iPhone 16E has Photographic Styles, but not the newer ones that debuted on the iPhone 16 series. The 16E can take Portrait mode photos, but it lacks the ability to change focus after the fact like on the iPhone 16. The 16E’s display is covered with Ceramic Shield, but not the newer, more durable version that’s on the iPhone 16.

Though this list of omissions is long, that doesn’t mean the iPhone 16E is a bad phone. I look forward to getting my hands on one and testing it soon.

Apple iPhone 16E Specs vs. iPhone 16, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 15

Apple iPhone 16EiPhone 16iPhone SE (2022)iPhone 15Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate 6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate6.1-inch OLED display; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate4.7-inch LCD; 1,334×750 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate6.1-inch OLED; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 60hz refresh ratePixel density 460ppi460ppi326ppi460ppiDimensions (inches) 5.78×2.82×0.315.81×2.82×0.315.45×2.65×0.292.82×5.81×0.31Dimensions (millimeters) 146.7×71.5×7.8147.6×71.6×7.8138.4×67.3×7.371.6×147.6×7.8Weight 167 grams (5.88 ounces)170g (6oz)144g (5.09oz)171g (6.02oz)Mobile software iOS 18iOS 18iOS 15iOS 17Camera 48 megapixel (wide)48 megapixel (wide), 12 megapixel (ultrawide)12 megapixel (wide)48 megapixel (wide), 12 megapixel (ultrawide)Front-facing camera 12 megapixel12 megapixel7 megapixel12 megapixelVideo capture 4K4K4K4KProcessor Apple A18Apple A18Apple A15 BionicApple A16 BionicRAM/storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB64GB, 128GB, 256GB128GB, 256GB, 512GBExpandable storage NoneNoneNoneNoneBattery Up to 26 hours video playback, 21 hours streamed video playback, 90 hours of audio playback. 20W wired charging, 7.5W Qi wireless chargingUp to 22 hours video playback; up to 18 hours video playback (streamed). 20W wired charging. MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher; Qi2 up to 15WBattery size not disclosed (charger not included; supports wireless charging)Undisclosed; Apple says up to 20 hours of video playback (16 hours streamed)Fingerprint sensor None (Face ID)None (Face ID)Home buttonNone (Face ID)Connector USB-CUSB-CLightningUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneNoneNoneSpecial features Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistanceApple Intelligence, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, 1 to 2,000 nits display brightness range, IP68 resistance. Colors: black, white, pink, teal, ultramarine.5G-enabled; supports 25W wired fast charging; Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless chargingDynamic Island; 5G (mmw/Sub6); MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; eSIM; satellite connectivityUS price starts at $599 (128GB), $699 (256GB), $899 (512GB)$799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB)$399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB)$799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB)UK price starts at £599 (128GB), £699 (256GB), £899 (512GB)£799 (128GB), £899 (256GB), £1,099 (512GB)£419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB)£799 (128GB), £899 (256GB), £1,099 (512GB)Australia price starts at AU$999 (128GB), AU$1,199 (256GB), AU$1,549 (512GB)AU$1,399 (128GB), AU$1,599 (256GB), AU$1,949 (512GB)AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB)AU$1,499 (128GB), AU$1,699 (256GB), AU$2,049 (512GB)

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May 26, 2025 0 comments