With storage prices hitting insane peaks across both SSDs and hard drives, it's a safe bet that many gamers are carefully counting every wasted gigabyte — particularly as most AAA productions get bigger with each iteration. Final Fantasy VII fans looking to play Revelation, the final entry in the remake series, might have to delete another game on their console or PC to make way for the potentially over-200 GB title.

This revelation came about at the Tokyo Game Show, in an interview where Video Games Chronicle (VGC) talked to Final Fantasy VII remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi. He says the game might take up 200 GB or more, needing the one UHD Blu-ray disc (to the tune of 93.1 GB usable) along with an additional download for the remainder of the data — potentially putting the required download at 100+ GB.

The director remarks that the figure is an estimate, but it's not hard to believe considering the series' gigantic scope plus the fact that the previous entry in the series, Rebirth, took roughly 146 GB. When prompted about fitting the game in two discs (hypothetically, two UHD Blu-rays), he stated that doing so would require a "compromise" for the game's scope, or presumably, visual fidelity.

Furthermore, he clarified that delivering game content digitally allows for patching up until the release date, whereas the standard disc manufacturing process needs around three months' planning.

Hamaguchi added that there are two character backstory DLCs planned for Revelation. One will go over Vincent's story, while the other will be centered around everyone's favorite ōdachi-wielder Sephiroth. Considering that the INTERmission DLC for Remake was roughly 8 GB, there's a chance that a fully loaded install of Revelation could ring in at as much as 215 to 220 GB.

That storage requirement would make Final Fantasy 7 Revelation what appears to be the first game to require 200 GB for strictly a base install. Even the infamous 300+ GB requirement of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 was only doable if one installed every single content pack and language. Some PC games like DCS titles, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and ARK: Survival Evolved can hit many hundreds of gigabytes, but that's by way of added maps and content packs.

Revelation is coming April 8, 2027, giving gamers plenty of time to prepare. Even still, PC and PlayStation 5 owners can easily add storage, since both systems can use bog-standard NVMe drives — up to 8 TB in the case of Sony's console. Meanwhile, Xbox owners are worse off, since increasing available storage requires specific and pricier expansion modules that cap out at 4 TB.

More games are taking advantage of the free-to-play model, and Microsoft is building systems designed to deliver ads without disrupting the gaming experience. According to Respawn First, the system would first give players some ad-free playtime, which could either be based on time or in-game progress, such as levels and bosses. Once this expires, the company will then open a window and briefly serve “promoted content.”

However, this system will not just show ads out of the blue. Instead, it will work with the game engine so that they will only appear during downtimes, like after a boss fight, at the end of a cutscene, while a new level is loading, when you complete a quest, or enter a menu. While the ad is being served, the game enters a frozen state to ensure that player progress isn’t disturbed. After you finish watching the ad, it resets the ad-free playtime, allowing gamers to play another round with no distractions.

The patent application itself describes it as “a content management system” and that it could obtain a promoted content trigger event based partially on the game, suspend a user’s interaction with the game based on the promoted content trigger event, obtain promoted audiovisual content and present it to the user, commence the user’s interaction with the game, and establish “a credit based at partially on the promoted audiovisual content, wherein the credit delays suspension of the user’s interaction with the interactive software application during a credit duration.”

Based on this description, it works similarly to some free-to-play mobile games, where ads are automatically served after you finish a round or after a few minutes of playing. The difference with this system is that it doesn’t serve ads arbitrarily; instead, it works with the game engine and even uses machine learning to determine when it’s the best time to show players the ad.

While this is still a patent application and it’s not even clear if this has been deployed in actual games, it shows what Microsoft is considering for how it could monetize free-to-play games. We’ve seen similar moves with Xbox Cloud Gaming, with the company experimenting with an ad-supported free tier for the cloud gaming service.

While the tech that Microsoft applied for a patent on could actually be a good thing, as it would make in-game ads less jarring, we could argue that it would encourage both gamers and publishers to focus on free-to-play titles. The idea behind these games and services is that it would allow more people, especially those who don’t want to spend cash, to enjoy gaming. However, some say that they’ve actually broken the diversity and innovation in the gaming industry, as developers and publishers focus more on monetization instead of unique games and quality titles. You can view the USPTO application here [PDF].

A massive 192 GB treasure trove of GTA V data has surfaced online, and multiple fans and enthusiasts have revealed data pertaining to the early development of GTA VI as well as unreleased DLCs and alternate endings in the 2013 game. The data leaked way back in 2022, which was also the same year Rockstar confirmed GTA VI. Furthermore, more recent leaks have a full working build of the upcoming game, unlike the rough draft that we see here.

The most interesting thing found in the archive was an early build of the GTA VI map that has apparently been built and is playable on GTA V. X user TJGM shared screenshots of the rough drafts, showing early concepts of Leonidas, with various areas looking like they were built from satellite images and Google Maps Street View. It’s also been alleged that these were from 2014 to 2015 — if true, then this would show that Rockstar has been, to some extent, working on a sequel to its most popular title even before the original came out on PC in 2015.

There also appears to be a map outline for Liberty City designed, which is a nod to an unreleased DLC for GTA 5 that was supposedly set in the city. It’s only accessible via CodeWalker, the GTA 5 map editor, and is seemingly much larger than the original map in GTA IV. However, it’s only an outline, and there’s no other information embedded in the files. Aside from the Liberty City DLC, details of another unreleased single-player expansion called Agent Trevor were discovered buried among the files.

This was revealed in an X post by affmal, which showed a massive bunker under the satellite relay station in the Grand Senora Desert, a spaceship, and an Arab mansion. Although some of the details here were recycled from other in-game assets, the user said that they’re three times bigger than what we have seen in the game so far.

There were also some voice-overs for cutscenes that didn’t make it into the final game, including one where GTA IV’s Brucie Kibbutz was talking with GTA V’s Franklin in some sort of mission. The other sound clip shows Trevor getting a cold alternate ending if you picked Option A in GTA V’s finale. Here, it hints that Trevor crashed into a tank of liquid nitrogen, after which he freezes and breaks into pieces, which is quite the opposite of what actually happened to him in the final game.

GTA VI is set to go live in under two months, with pre-orders available today. Many GTA fans seem to be interested in the what-ifs and what-could-have-been scenarios: what if Rockstar had decided to release these things in the final game as side missions or alternate endings, or if the company had decided to make the single-player DLCs instead of focusing on GTA Online and Red Dead Redemption 2.

A 9-year-old Minecraft player called MightyMikePLays67 unknowingly spent a massive $118,000 on their dad’s company credit card to promote their YouTube channel. The father, Dave, gave a lengthy update on the YouTube channel, saying he’s lost his job and has to pay the amount within 30 days.

Interestingly, he’s had no issues with losing work, saying that “jobs come and go. I’ve worked my whole life; I’ll find another job… I’ve got two hands, I’m healthy, I’m capable of working. So, if losing my job was the worst that came out of this, I’d honestly probably be okay.” Unfortunately, he’s still on the hook for the massive bill, and it's gotten to the point where he and his wife are talking about selling their home to help pay for it.

Despite the depressing development, Dave and Mike were still about to joke around a bit about it. After Dave thanked his son for bringing him some water, Mike answered, “67.” He then asked, “Mike, do you even know what 67 means?”

To which the kid replied, “To say the least, I do not know what it means, but I think it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just something that makes people laugh and smile.”

The dad then replied, “Yeah, I would have to agree with that, Mike. Actually, I know what 67 means, Mike. That’s how old you’re going to be when you finally have to stop mowing lawns… That’s retirement age for the general public, but not for your old man. After this situation, apparently, I’m going to be working until I’m like 94.”

Interestingly, Dave said that he doesn’t want to accept external help, like setting up a GoFundMe or a crypto coin to help with the bill. “We do not have a Mighty Mike coin. We don’t have a 67 coin. We don’t have any coins. No crypto. We don’t have a GoFundMe. We have no fund raising set up.”

He set up a merch website with 14 different shirt designs that remind people of Mighty Mike’s misadventures, but only three designs are currently available.

A few comments said that this was a scam or a made-up story, but Dave shared a screenshot of the credit card bill (which was eventually removed) showing the $118,479.83 bill on the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card.

Several others encouraged him to take the help being offered and let big news channels talk to him, but he seems to want to deal with the problem on his own. “So, I felt like if I sit down with Fox or CNN or whatever, and I tell them my story, what has that changed?” Dave said during the YouTube video. “I’m still living in this reality, and I still have to sort of dig myself out of this hole. I don’t know if I have the mental bandwidth to sit there and talk to some reporter, but I might, anyway.”

2019’s Control followed Jesse Faden into the ever-shifting, paranormally corrupted brutalist innards of the Oldest House, the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control, where she became the new FBC director, fought the invading forces of the Hiss, and sought the truth about the fate of her kidnapped brother Dylan.

Control Resonant marks the next chapter in the siblings’ story, as Dylan reawakens to discover that Jesse has gone missing and that the Hiss threat has escaped the Oldest House and corrupted Manhattan. Using his own powers and guided by the mysterious Board, Dylan sets out to find Jesse, combat the Hiss incursion, and uncover the mysteries of a new paranormal entity at work in the twisted Manhattan cityscape.

We’ve had access to Control Resonant for the past few days, and we’ve been exploring its performance and image quality across a range of hardware and settings.

Control was one of the first games to show off the capabilities of GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards and their ray-tracing capabilities, and it was also one of the first titles to incorporate DLSS upscaling. It’s only fitting, then, that Resonant is a technical showcase of its own. It features path-traced lighting effects bolstered by Nvidia’s RTX Mega Geometry tech, as well as support for the full suite of DLSS 4.5 features: Super Resolution (aka upscaling), Ray Reconstruction, and Multi Frame Generation.

With that extensive spread of cutting-edge rendering tech at its disposal, I expected Resonant to look incredible, as both Control and Alan Wake II did before it.

Even without ray tracing or path tracing and DLSS Ray Reconstruction, Control Resonant already looks good, as we’ve come to expect from Remedy games. If performance is a priority, you certainly won’t make the game bad by leaving RT off.

But ray tracing or path tracing is certainly worth enabling if you can. Outdoors, RT primarily improves the rather blobby shadows and soft reflections that appear in the numerous puddles around Manhattan.

Sometimes this is subtle; other times it’s dramatic, as with the railing shadow above.

At its highest settings, path tracing turns shadows into the crisp, accurate renderings you would expect in direct sunlight and makes reflections much stronger and clearer not only in water but in glass like car and shop windows.

Inside, RT models the behavior of strong artificial light sources more accurately. Overhead lights properly shadow Dylan’s face from above and let his back fall into darkness if he’s occluding them. Metallic objects like trash cans look and shine like roughed-up metal as you move around them, not a flat and static game asset.

In the examples above, you can see how path tracing accurately represents the light from a fluorescent tube outside the storeroom, casting a hard shadow on the wall and a green glare on Dylan's uniform. WIth RT off, this effect is only represented on the floor.

Everything looks more alive and more real, in other words, and these subtleties need to be appreciated in motion, not just in stills. I enable path tracing for those moments where something unexpectedly realistic catches the corner of my eye and makes me double back to explore it.

Despite all the environmental magic that path tracing and DLSS Ray Reconstruction lend to Control Resonant’s setting, that level of polish isn’t evenly applied across all the game’s assets.

Control stood out to me not only for its lighting effects but also for its amazing facial modeling work. In Resonant, however, the character models of Dylan, Zoe, and supporting characters like Langston all look like a step back from the level of detail achieved in past Remedy games. Maybe I’ve been staring at too much DLSS 5 output, but the faces in Resonant don’t match up to the environmental quality, and that gap stands out.

Control Resonant raster gaming performance

Our gaming performance results start off with native res, raster-only settings.

At 1080p Ultra with RT off, Control Resonant is already placing heavy demands on our tested cards. You want an RTX 5060 Ti or better or Radeon RX 9060 XT or better for 60 FPS (ish) average among current-gen cards, or an RTX 4070, RTX 3080, or RX 7800 XT among earlier cards. The RTX 3060 can’t even break 30 FPS on average, and that’

Radeons also tend to turn in lower 1% lows than GeForces, although that didn’t translate to a bumpy experience with our high-refresh-rate, variable-refresh-rate monitor. If you’re only playing on a 60 Hz display, that difference may be more apparent.

Even though it still lands above a 60 FPS average at 1080p, the older Radeon RX 6800 XT is stuck with FSR 3.x upscaling, so its output image quality is noticeably worse than RX 9000- or RX 7000-series cards that get FSR 4.1.

Control Resonant is also the first game we’ve tested where the demands of running the DLSS 4.5 transformer upscaling model hits RTX 30-series products hard, so if you’re not trying to perform heroic feats of upscaling, you can probably get a few frames per second back by shifting to older DLSS models at the cost of some output image quality.

2560x1440 Ultra is similarly punishing. Here, the RX 9070 GRE and RTX 4070 Ti end up just below a 60 FPS average, while the RX 9070 and RTX 5070 Ti end up slightly above it. Any weaker card will likely need lower settings, a dose of upscaling, or both to deliver a smoother experience.

Finally, at 4K, only the RTX 5090 can deliver the coveted 60 FPS average. Some degree of upscaling, frame generation, or both will be needed on every other graphics card here for this resolution (and possibly on the RTX 5090, depending on your desired experience).

Control Resonant ray-traced performance

Given the already punishing raster baselines we just saw, we had little reason to believe that RT would be an attainable feat in Control Resonant at native resolutions, and it’s not.

Enabling even the medium RT preset at 1080p smacks down a wide swath of our tested cards. The RTX 4070 Ti, RX 7900 XTX, and RTX 5070 all land just below the 60 FPS mark, while the RX 9070 XT lands right on it. The RTX 5070 Ti offers a significantly more comfortable average frame rate and 1% lows for a smoother experience.

At 1440p, even the RTX 5080 isn’t quite enough to manage a 60 FPS average, and at 4K, not even the RTX 5090 can conquer Control Resonant with these settings. Oof.

These results mean that upscaling and frame generation will be mandatory if we’re going to chase RT glory in Control Resonant.

Control Resonant path-traced performance with upscaling and frame generation

There are two problems with trying to gauge competitive performance when we go ham on upscaling and frame generation, as we’re about to here.

For one, DLSS 4.5 produces a much more stable image than FSR 4, especially at extreme settings like 4K Ultra Performance. FSR 4 can look slightly sharper at rest, as reviewers usually are when creating side-by-side comparison images, but in motion, it can exhibit strong and distracting flickering artifacts, especially on fine structures with repeating elements like fire escapes and chain-link fences.

DLSS 4.5 isn’t entirely free of those artifacts, but they affect much smaller portions of the screen and to a much less intrusive degree.

The net result is that DLSS 4.5 frames are not the same as FSR 4.x frames, so that makes for two different experiential variables we have to account for in any comparison: raw performance and delivered image quality.

And the third variable is that FSR Frame Generation (whether in its ML-powered or traditional shader-based form) isn’t backed up with a robust latency reduction technology like Nvidia’s Reflex or Intel’s Xe Low Latency in Control Resonant.

Radeon Anti-Lag does reduce input latency, but even with the RX 9070 XT in full path-tracing trim, it is at best taking a high input latency and making it somewhat less high. Even with Anti-Lag enabled on the RX 9070 XT, the average latency before framegen is enabled is well above the roughly 60 ms threshold we try not to exceed.

What’s frustrating is that AMD has a more robust input latency handler for devs to use. Radeon Anti-Lag 2 exists and works well in Cyberpunk 2077. But like FSR 4 Ray Regeneration, it’s not implemented in Control Resonant.

Worse, FSR Frame Generation isn’t compatible with the performance counters that Nvidia FrameView monitors to estimate PC latency, so we’re left with only our eyes and our guts to decide whether the net result of FSR FG is a truly playable experience. Even Intel’s XeFG supports these performance counters properly, so it’s all the more annoying that AMD doesn’t, even two years after the arrival of FSR 3.1.

So before we get into these results, bear a couple asterisks in mind. Path tracing as Nvidia envisions it and as Control Resonant implements it—with upscaling, denoising, frame generation, and lag reduction all working together—is not possible to replicate 100% on AMD hardware.

We include AMD results (and RTX 30-series cards with FSR framegen) as a sort of best-effort reference point for maxed-out RT behavior with this game, but because these are doubled frame rates, any figure below 60 FPS on these charts for RTX 30-series and AMD cards should be understood as an unpleasant (or even unplayable) experience, whether due to input latency, significant artifacting, or both.

At 1080p with Ultra RT, DLSS Quality, 2X Frame Generation, and DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, only the RTX 5050 and RTX 4060 fail to deliver playable input latency. Even the RTX 5060 squeaks in under the 60 ms threshold we want for a responsive experience. That’s great news for the accessibility of path tracing on relatively affordable hardware, or at least what used to be relatively affordable hardware.

At 1440p with DLSS Performance, the RTX 5060 just barely fails to meet the 60ms mark for acceptable input latency. This is more the territory of the RTX 5060 Ti and up.

And at 4K with DLSS Ultra Performance, we’d strongly recommend an RTX 4070 Ti or better, although you can get away with an RTX 5060 Ti or RTX 4070 in a pinch.

The combination of DLSS 4.5 technologies and Reflex makes for a perfectly playable path tracing experience in Control Resonant across a wide range of hardware, and as we’ve already noted, it’s impossible for AMD gamers to enjoy the same experience.

Bottom line

Control Resonant marks a new chapter for one of my favorite gaming sagas, and I was thrilled to step back into the Oldest House. The Hiss-corrupted Manhattan setting looks fantastic, even if I’m still waiting for the story to fully grab me. I need to fully explore the full range of weapon forms, skill trees, and builds the game offers as our protagonist Dylan Faden fights through hordes of Hiss in close-quarters, split-second combat. Death is just one wrong move away in this game, and I've been frequently reminded of that fact.

For all its path-traced environmental splendor, there are some wrinkles on the tech side in Control Resonant that stand out. The character models, even main characters like Dylan and Zoe, look a bit basic for a 2026 game, especially with all the other graphical fireworks happening around them. Perhaps I’m ruined by DLSS 5 (and perhaps this game was meant to have it alongside more capable hardware), but I've come to expect more from Remedy given the artistic heights of Control and Alan Wake II.

Any graphical shortcomings like that stand out given how crushing Control Resonant is for many graphics cards. This is a game that really demands some degree of upscaling for good performance on less powerful hardware, and Ultra settings may not be possible on older, lower-end cards, period.

But at least for Nvidia RTX 50-series gamers, the aggregate improvements to the DLSS 4.5 software stack in 2026 make Control Resonant’s fanciest graphics settings incredibly accessible, and you really should take advantage of every DLSS feature at your disposal in this title.

Thanks to DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution’s remarkable capabilities, even the RTX 5060 can do path tracing at 1080p with DLSS Quality upscaling, DLSS Ray Reconstruction, and frame generation enabled, all with a reasonable input latency and solid output image quality. And if you’re willing to tolerate slightly higher input latency, you can get away with the same settings at 1440p using DLSS Performance.

The RTX 5070 provides a great experience at all resolutions with those same settings, and you really only need more powerful hardware like an RTX 5070 Ti if you’re chasing higher DLSS input resolutions. I would normally shout out the RTX 5060 Ti here, but that card’s 16GB version especially is so close in price to the RTX 5070 that you should just get the more powerful card if gaming is your goal.

The situation is less rosy on the AMD side, even for the latest RDNA 4 cards. FSR 4.x upscaling is available in this title for RX 9000- and RX 7000-series graphics cards, but it isn’t as strong at image reconstruction as DLSS 4.5, so lower RT settings and higher FSR input resolutions may be necessary on RX 9000-series cards than on comparable RTX 50-series hardware to achieve the right balance of performance and image quality.

And the lagginess of FSR Frame Generation means that you’ll have to carefully test that feature if you want to try to use it to boost smoothness, unlike the general no-brainer that is DLSS 4.5 (M)FG.

All told, the incomplete implementation of AMD’s gaming tech suite in Control Resonant, as well as the generally lower RT performance of RDNA 4 cards versus Blackwell, means that you can max out RT settings in this game, but you still won’t enjoy the same image quality as on GeForce cards, especially in the areas of the frame that DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction enhances.

Once again, this situation proves that having a software feature in your toolkit is meaningless if you can’t convince a developer to adopt it. Every new game that comes out with only a patchwork of AMD features like this is another paper cut for RX 9000-series GPU owners who are left with a distinctly lower-tier experience than RTX 50-series cards get. Fine wine, this is not.

But maybe you’re totally unmoved by RT and neural rendering techniques and just want strong raster performance with a touch of upscaling where it’s needed. RX 9000-series cards deliver that experience with strong performance per dollar in today’s ever-pricier gaming graphics card market.

Going off what I’ve played of Control Resonant so far, I’d suggest checking some full gameplay reviews to see if it’s for you and perhaps giving it a post-launch point release or two to iron out some minor technical issues we saw.

But one thing is for certain: the full array of Nvidia tech in this title, and its general accessibility across a wide range of hardware, means that a GeForce graphics card is the best way to play it.

An artificial intelligence and games development enthusiast has demonstrated the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Hijacked map running natively in Minecraft. In a post on X/Twitter, Luckey Faraday explains that a browser-based port of Black Ops 2 they previously created was first inserted into Minecraft and ran “on a PC screen inside” the game. Then, GPT Astra was used to rebuild the project so that the Hijacked map ran “directly on Minecraft’s own OpenGL context.” Video footage shows the 2012 Call of Duty map running full-screen pretty fluidly at around 45 fps.

“The map, collision, bots, navmesh, weapons and rendering are all running inside Minecraft as a Fabric mod,” explains Faraday. Fabric is a lightweight, open-source mod loader and development API for Minecraft. Thus, the Black Ops 2 content and Hijacked map are injected directly into Minecraft through this modding framework.

Faraday runs an AI builders’ community where they invite fellow enthusiasts to collaboratively build demos and share logs and code. The way this port was made and rebuilt is a prime example of their process. Specifically, the dev began by making Hijacked playable in a browser. Subsequently, this effort was shoehorned into Minecraft but would exist only as a playable game on 'a PC' inside the sandbox. Then, Faraday decided to task GPT Astra with rebuilding the whole thing in Java. With this new code, they were able to run the iconic FPS directly in Minecraft’s OpenGL context.

Faraday says that there’s “still a lot left to do,” but this compact yacht-based map looks playable enough running in Minecraft, rather than just being displayed in the game. Next up, if the project continues, we might expect additional maps, more weapons, and multiplayer modes.

Many will know Minecraft as the best-selling video game in history. While it appeals to youngsters for its adventure gaming, creative building, and social aspects, the openness and extensibility of the sandbox mean it also attracts some highly technical minds. This is why it has been behind some spellbinding computer science feats. Examples that immediately spring to mind are the working 5 million parameter ChatGPT model, dubbed CraftGPT, wedged into the game.

Anti-Tamper and DRM (Digital Rights Management) software developer Denuvo is taking its fight against video game piracy to court by filing a lawsuit against the anonymous game cracker known as “voices38.” According to TorrentFreak, the company claims that the accused bypassed its Anti-Tamper technology in at least 26 PC games and is seeking monetary damages as well as a court order that would prevent further tampering of its DRM.

In its lawsuit filed on September 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Denuvo alleges that the “defendant is a computer hacker who is focused on reverse engineering, hacking, or ‘cracking’ video games employing Denuvo’s Anti-Tamper product. Defendant has bypassed DRM restrictions in copyrighted works, removing protections that allow copyright owners to restrict who may access their works, and allowing for pirated versions of those copyrighted works.” The complaint also named 26 games including popular titles such as Hogwarts Legacy, Black Myth: Wukong, Resident Evil Requiem, and Doom: The Dark Ages.

It is worth mentioning that Denuvo doesn’t actually own the copyrights to any of these games. Meaning that instead of a filing for copyright infringement, the complaint relies on the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA. It essentially prohibits bypassing a digital lock that controls access to a copyrighted work, or distributing tools and instructions that help others to bypass copyright protections.

What makes the case interesting is that Denuvo does not know the real identity of voices38. It only points to the defendant as “an unknown individual or entity” alongside ten other unnamed defendants. The complaint also references Reddit and Discord accounts as well as Steam profiles that Denuvo believes may be connected to the cracking activity. The company could eventually seek information from these platforms as part of its legal proceedings.

Voices38 has been particularly active in recent months, with reports pointing to a growing number of Denuvo-protected game cracks to the anonymous cracker. Recent releases include Star Wars: Outlaws, Persona 3 Reload, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. For Denuvo, the lawsuit could lead the way in identifying one of the more active figures in the recent video game-cracking scene. That said, the case is still in its early stages, and Denuvo's allegations have yet to be tested in court.

The ‘magic security chip’ inside the original PlayStation 2 has been successfully reverse-engineered and dumped. Canadian retro hardware and software enthusiast DiscoStarslayer was the manic mind behind the cracking open of the CXP102064 MechaCon chip, which arrived inside the ‘PS2 Fat’ from 1999. It took “four years of effort” to reach this stage, but this milestone should be a boon to hardware preservation, repair, and emulation projects.

The Mechacon got its name from its primary duty of controlling the PS2’s optical and flash drive mechanics. It also played a significant part in Sony’s game optical disc security, supporting “Magic Gate [memory card] and KELF file [executable] decryption among other things,” notes the PSDev Wiki. Unlocking the secret workings of such chips can be important to those involved in video game preservation. So, many people will appreciate DiscoStarslayer’s work in reverse engineering and dumping one of the PS2’s last remaining secrets.

As per the social media post, the arduous task of breaking the MechaCon’s security took four years. Some of the reverse engineering tricks utilized by DiscoStarslayer include chemically decapping the CXP102064 to expose the die, then using microscopes and optical dumping skills to analyze the silicon chip circuitry. In this case, a lucky break during the hacking apparently uncovered an exploit that provided a method whereby the chip’s data could be extracted through software.

With this achievement unlocked, the game/hardware preservation and programming communities can look forward to improved emulation and homebrew developments. It should also open up possibilities for replacing the aging optical drives in PS2 consoles.

Beyond the confines of PS2 Fat consoles, some social media commenters noted that the MechaCon was also used in a handful of arcade machines from the era. Specifically, the Namco System 246 and System 256, as well as the Konami Python 1, which used modified PS2 hardware, used the MechaCon firmware to authenticate security and allow the execution of encrypted game data.

A father says his 9-year-old son spent $118,000 on YouTube ad campaigns for his Minecraft and Roblox gameplay videos over about three weeks, all charged to a company credit card the father had saved to his own Google account, which his son also used. The father, who identifies himself only as Dave, described the incident in a video titled “Message from Dad…Mighty Mike Plays is Over.” posted to the boy’s channel on Sept. 15. Dave said he was called into a meeting with his manager, corporate staff, and finance and shown the advertising charges.

Mighty Mike Plays (@MightyMikePlays67) is a 9-year-old’s Minecraft and Roblox gameplay channel with about 24,000 subscribers and 182 uploads as of early Sept. 16. Dave said it started when the boy was around 8, streaming straight from a PS5 with a cheap headset and no editing. Early videos got 5 to 11 views, he said. Dave said he entered the company card himself to buy Robux for his son, and it then sat saved on the Google account that also carries his work email, calendar, and files. Dave did not say why he used the company card for that purchase.

Dave said that after the boy complained about views, he set up a roughly $20 promotion and talked through the steps aloud: set a budget, select who sees the ads, hit run. The boy then created his own campaigns, and Dave said his son did not understand the $20 as a limit. “The credit card, it just says approved every single time,” Dave said in the video. Finance showed him three weeks of ad spend totaling $118,000 on campaigns titled “Mighty Mike,” “Epic Roblox,” and Minecraft gameplay.

Three of the promoted videos reached around 200,000 views. As of a check at 12:26 a.m. ET on Sept. 16, the channel’s three most-viewed gameplay videos stood at 260,000, 224,000, and 178,000 views, with a run of uploads above 1,000 views and most of the rest under 100. Four days before Dave’s video, the boy had posted a video titled “NeverMyFault made a Short about my Ad?” about another creator noticing one of his promotions; it had about 70,000 views.

Dave said the matter has been escalated and he does not yet know whether he will get to keep his job or have to repay the costs.

Google’s own help pages say a payment method entered for any Google purchase is stored in a payments profile tied to the Google Account and is offered again for the next purchase. The profile is also shared across Google Ads and other Google products. YouTube’s Promote tool, which Google describes as a simplified version of Google Ads, walks a creator through a goal, an audience, a budget, and an end date. Dave did not say which interface his son used, but the steps he described match Promote’s. Google Ads does not allow users under 18, but the account was the father’s.

In a separate case, the FTC announced on Sept. 4, 2014, that Google would refund at least $19 million to parents billed for children’s unauthorized in-app purchases on Google Play, and required it to get express consent before billing. That covered Google Play, not Google Ads. Dave said the family will remove saved payment details, add spending caps, and set up parental controls, and that the channel is paused until “real guard rails” are in place.

Games optimization specialist OptiProjects (AKA OptiJeugos) has released a new port of Minecraft Legacy for the Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii consoles. The project is based on the Minecraft Java 1.2.5 source code, rewritten in C++, and using a recreated legacy console interface (machine translation). Even on the quarter-century-old PS2 with its cramped 32MB of RAM, the OptiCraft Heritage Edition runs at 15-30 fps. Check out the video demo embedded below.

Minecraft is one of the best-selling games of all time, with sales above $400 million according to an Entertainment Weekly report earlier this year. Meanwhile, the PS2 is the best-selling home console in history, with 160 million units shifted worldwide. When Minecraft first launched, the PS2 had already been kicking around for close to a decade and was rapidly reaching retirement age. Thus the Minecraft PS2 game release was never a thing (it did launch on PS3 in 2013-14). Similarly, the Wii got overlooked by Minecraft's publishers, with the Wii U only getting the game in late 2014.

Ponder over the features and performance comparison table we have nailed together, above. You can see how tightly the PS2 version is constrained by its hardware limitations. In comparison the Wii version is significantly more comfortable. Moreover, the Wii version has experimental online gaming functionality.

If you are interested in enjoying some retro Minecrafting on your old PS2 or Wii, or emulators for either system head on over to the official OptiProjects page linked top for your downloads. Those aiming to play on original hardware will need to be able to load .ELF files from USB (on PS2), or access the game via SD card and the Homebrew Channel (on Wii). To my knowledge that means your PS2 or Wii must be soft or hard modded to play homebrew code.

Retro gaming fans who own Nintendo Switch consoles now have several classic Windows titles they can now enjoy. A video shared on Twitter/X shows the well-loved Need for Speed Underground 2 running pretty smoothly on Nintendo’s hybrid device. Meanwhile, a forum about Wine-NX says that Quake III and OpenTTD are also playable, with WarCraft III nearly ready, too. It's early days for this 'experimental' software, but things look very promising.

In the embedded video you can see NFSU2 runs rather well on Nintendo’s hardware. Older PC games are perhaps a good fit for what many consider to be the rather anemic specs of the Switch. A status panel shows CPU and GPU usage. According to the forum post “Races run at roughly 20–45 fps at default detail with the CPU overclocked.”

Other games that Wine-NX can handle well at this time include OpenTTD (Transport Tycoon Deluxe), which runs at up to 60 fps. Quake III Arena is also capable of running at around 37 fps at 1,280 x 720 pixels, according to the source. The last PC game mentioned as being compatible, almost, is WarCraft III, and specifically this work in progress has working “menus, campaigns, and now cutscenes.”

The Wine-NX forum page linked to helpfully explains what exactly this is, and how it works. In brief, Wine-NX is a port of Wine 11 to the Switch’s native Horizon OS. It comes as a homebrew package in the NRO format Horizon expects games to be in, but that allows it to run Windows programs and games with Box64's ARM64 dynarec translating the x86 code. Graphics are handled through Mesa 20.1's nouveau driver. It supports audio and touchscreen, and the Switch controllers can also handle mouse / keyboard duties – as well as doubling as an Xbox 360 controller.

You can’t use any Nintendo Switch to load Wine-NX and Windows PC games. You’ll need to have a console that can boost custom firmware, and run homebrew NROs. That means an older unpatched Switch or one with a hardware mod.

IKEA has announced the Kallax Storageborn companion creation for players of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on PC or Xbox. But who’d want a set of drab utilitarian Swedish shelves following them around during their adventures in this fantastical role-playing game? The answer is quite a lot of people, it would seem, from the social media feedback we’ve seen. IKEA’s free mod for this iconic RPG also appeals to gamers’ pragmatic instincts with its claims that “your inventory woes end here.”

The household furniture giant says it designed this Skyrim mod as it wanted to bring its real world smart storage solutions to the digital domain. Skyrim was chosen, in particular, because gamers in this classic title are “plagued by the evils of encumbrance and disorganization,” asserts IKEA.

Of course, the furniture maker will have invested time and money into the development of this fully voiced companion mod (voiced by comic actor Matt Berry) for the publicity, too. But there's little to complain about as it's free and entirely optional to your Skyrim experience.

If you are interested in adding the Kallax Storageborn companion creation to your Skyrim experience, you can get it directly from Bethesda here, for free. But before using these eminently practical flatpack DIY shelves in your game and “sending clutter back to the fires of oblivion,” you have to discover and assemble your Kallax through a questline. You’ll find it at the Dwemer furniture store, where you’ll also discover the secrets of Kallax’s origin and have to defeat the Clutter Golem.

Naturally, you summon this shelving unit in the game with a call of ‘Aya Key Yah.”

The mod doesn’t just introduce your trusty new Kallax Storageborn companion; you’ll also get access to the Allenblade weapon, some blue and yellow-themed armor, and a Meatball helmet.

It is always interesting to see non-tech brands cross over into our reporting realm. The first example that springs to mind is the KFC console, but IKEA has dipped its toe into tech more recently by expanding its computer furniture ranges to include products such as the Xbox Gaming Den furniture series showcased at Gamescom 2026, plus various smart home accessories.

In a recent lawsuit against Sony, the firm argued that "reasonable consumers would not be misled" into believing they own digital games that they "purchased" on the PlayStation Store. Folks on the Consumer Rights Wiki have now compiled a humongous list of specific instances in which Sony currently states that users do, in fact, own their digital PS4 and/or PS5 games. The list is currently up to 44 specifically documented statements, but actually notes hundreds of examples where Sony explicitly states that users do, in fact, "own" their games across its various services and pages.

In this case, Sony says that no "reasonable person" would believe that, when they add a game to their cart and click "Purchase" on the PlayStation Store, they are entering a contract that entitles them to ownership of the digital goods in question. Instead, Sony believes it's obvious that what you're paying for is a limited, revocable license for a service that only remains available as long as Sony offers it, which is quite different from ownership in a legal context.

The case isn't exactly about ownership, though; it's really about consumer disclosure and product representation. The plaintiffs aren't arguing that buying a digital game somehow transfers ownership of Sony's underlying intellectual property, but rather that Sony's use of words such as "buy," "purchase," and "own" could reasonably lead consumers to believe that they were acquiring a durable right to use the game, rather than merely obtaining a revocable license. That distinction matters because Sony's defense depends in part on the claim that no reasonable consumer would interpret the transaction that way. At the same time, the plaintiffs have produced a substantial body of evidence showing that Sony itself routinely uses precisely that ownership language when describing the digital games its customers have purchased.

This issue is in particularly sharp relief now that Sony's digital store is confirmed to be the only way to purchase new PlayStation games from next year. The publisher's announcement that it would stop producing game discs in January of 2028 caused quite an uproar among gamers who value physical copies of games as a token of ownership. It's worth noting that most players do purchase games digitally (as much as 85% of PlayStation games, by some reporting), and also that disc production and usage become less practical as the manufacturing of both disc drives and discs slowly winds down.

The gamer outrage isn't really about the end of discs, though. This fury has been simmering for a good while now, as gamers resent perceived anti-consumer practices. The realization that discs are going away simply forced a lot of gamers outside the enthusiast sphere to confront the reality that they do not own their digital purchases and that they can be taken away at any time, just as Sony has already done in the past. This is especially pointed in light of the price increases asked by game publishers in the last few years, where games have gone from a typical ceiling of $60 USD up to $70 and now, more recently, $80 (with Mario Kart World, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and now Grand Theft Auto VI), despite often struggling to provide the same level of satisfaction and enjoyment as older titles.

And so we come back around to the Consumer Rights Wiki and its list of times that Sony has explicitly used ownership language on its website and on its digital storefront. The Wiki catalogs these quotes with both links to live pages as well as archived snapshots and screenshots with the relevant text highlighted. The Consumer Rights Wiki was of course founded by consumer rights advocate and YouTuber Louis Rossmann, but much of the work was done by the community that has sprung up around the site as people rebel against the continuous erosion of their consumer rights, particularly by technology companies that argue against their own responsibility.

It's unfortunately still not clear if this case is actually going to trial yet. Sony is attempting to have the case moved to private arbitration, citing that all four plaintiffs agreed to such when signing up for the PlayStation Network; in that case, Sony will likely pay a small cash award to each plaintiff and the matter will be settled, legally speaking. If the case goes to trial, there's a possibility for real legal precedent to be set by a public ruling, at least in California. For the sake of consumer transparency on the PlayStation Store, let's hope that the court agrees to hear this one.

Plaion's release of the NeoGeo AES+, a contemporary, hardware-level 1:1 replica of SNK's evergreen NeoGeo console, is being delayed by 10 months, with a new September 16, 2027 release date. Predictably, Plaion says the main reason is the AI-driven RAM shortage, though it remarks that demand is higher than expected.

Unlike nearly every other modern console re-release, the AES+ is intended to be an exact, 100% compatible replica of the original, by way of physical hardware rather than emulation software. Plaion says it's using dedicated ASIC chips and presumably contemporary clones of processors like the Motorola 68000 and Zilog Z80A.

The team counts long-time MiSTER core developer Jotego among its staff, lending serious pedigree to the project and assuaging concerns about whether the AES+ will perform just like the original. They're even going as far as using 5 V power delivery to be directly compatible with the original cartridges.

It's expected that every game cartridge from the original NeoGeo AES (Advanced Entertainment System) home console will work on the AES+, and there are modern third-party adapters for using original arcade cartridges. Plaion is re-releasing ten iconic games in cartridge form, including Metal Slug, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Pulstar, and King of Fighters 2002.

The NeoGeo was the greatest 2D arcade/home system that ever existed (according to me), with production lasting for 14 years from 1990 to 2004. It had a number of "firsts," being the first system that used the same exact hardware for the home version as it did inside an arcade cabinet, with nothing but the form factor, the name (AES vs. MVS), and a defeatable lockout mechanism as a distinction. Arcade operators loved the then-new swappable cartridge system, and there were variants that could hold four games that were switchable on the fly.

The AES also marked the appearance of memory cards for save games, and that came with a serious arcade joystick, unlike its competitors' gamepads. Every home console release at the time promised "arcade-quality games in your home," but only the Neo Geo actually delivered.

Of course, all this goodness had a small problem: the AES cost $399.99, or $1,028 in today's dollars — for just the base system with the one joystick and no games. The Gold package with two sticks, one game, and a memory card would set buyers back a cool $649.99, or $1,671 today.

The technical reasons for the NeoGeo's longevity are quite straightforward: it was ridiculously overpowered from the start. Its architecture covered almost every possible use case and lent itself well to most every type of 2D game. The NeoGeo packed a total of seven processors and co-processors, and a GPU with a 24-bit bus, capable of 3840 simultaneous colors across 380 sprites. The graphics chip also had hardware scaling and used an unconventional but effective vertical-strip sprite mechanism, unlike tile maps of the era.

The expandable storage also played a big part in longevity, with late-day cartridges storing as much as 716 Mb, or 89.5 MB. The only notable omission is the lack of a direct-to-screen drawing mechanism (aka framebuffer), precluding Doom ports — but as always, people are finding a way regardless.

If you're looking to order a NeoGeo AES+, the base model with the console and one stick will set you back $249.99 (or 199.99€), an affordable amount considering a decent joystick can cost $75-100 on its own. The Anniversary Edition comes in a white finish, with Metal Slug, a wireless joystick, and a memory card, for $349.99 (or 299.99€). Finally, the Ultimate Edition comes with all ten re-released games, two joysticks (one wired, one wireless), and a gamepad, for $999.99 (or 899.99€).

Nintendo of America got its tariff refund and is using the money to hold a sale, rather than returning it to customers who paid higher-than-expected prices for the Nintendo Switch 2 and accessories. The rare promotion, dubbed the "Customer Appreciation Sale," will run from September 13 to 26 and will offer 30% off digital Switch games, bundles, and "select physical games, downloadable content, accessories, amiibo, and apparel." Discounts will be available in Nintendo Stores and the Nintendo eShop, as well as other participating retailers.

"The Customer Appreciation Sale is our way of saying thank you to Nintendo players for their continued support and is made possible in part by tariff-related refunds," a brief blog post on Nintendo's U.S. website reads. "While Nintendo absorbed most tariff-related costs, the refunds helped make promotions like this one possible."

In a 2026 earnings document, the company stated that it got $300 million in tariff refunds.

Nintendo of America is facing a proposed class action lawsuit from customers who believe the company will be made whole twice: once through raised prices and a second time through the refunds. Sony is facing a similar suit, and in September, Nintendo of America filed a motion to dismiss its suit.

Nintendo was hit hard by the Trump administration's tariffs. Soon after the Switch 2's initial announcement, the company delayed U.S. pre-orders for the console, though the system launched on time. In May, Nintendo raised the price of the Switch 2 by $50 to $499, though that also priced in component shortages and included hikes in Europe and Japan.

In March, Nintendo of America sued the U.S. government in the U.S. Court of International Trade seeking refunds, joining Costco, FedEx, Revlon, and more than 1,000 others. The Supreme Court ruled that large swaths of the tariffs were unlawful, with over $166 billion due back to American businesses. By the end of July, the government had paid $100 billion in refunds.

Most companies seem to be pocketing the refunds, even though costs were typically passed on to American consumers. In August, Panic, which makes the handheld Playdate focused on indie games, refunded tariffs to customers.

Today is September 9, and the significance of the date for Australian consumers is that, by law, buying online apps and games now requires an over-18 age verification step. The local law isn't specific about the exact type of verification, only that it offers "appropriate age assurance measures." Valve is complying by asking for a bank card rather than government ID or a biometric check. The problem in the land down under is that while credit cards seemingly all work, debit card support is spotty and conditional.

This situation isn't unique, as it's basically a repeat of the same existing scenario in the United Kingdom. Valve's privacy-minded approach is laudable, as a bank card only links a payment method to a name and address. Meanwhile, a government ID is a more dangerous document if it gets leaked; face scans are quite fallible and revealing, and biometrics are intrinsic to the person and not replaceable if exposed — unlike bank cards, which can be canceled and swapped in minutes.

However, having a card check as the only verification option is causing problems, and many users are already asking for other means of verification, even if they're more invasive, citing Xbox and Sony's services as more accommodating.

Since credit cards in Australia (and the UK) can only be issued to adults, they work fine for Steam verification. Debit cards, on the other hand, can be carried by minors, and they're only valid for age checks under specific conditions. For now, that seems to be those (a) belonging to the Mastercard network, which introduced its own global automatic age verification check on June 2, 2026, and (b) for which the issuing bank flagged the card product as adults-only. The transaction firm only passes the answer to "is the buyer an adult?" back to the merchant (in this case, Steam), without exposing an actual date of birth.

A quick harnessing of user reports, mainly from Reddit posts, seems to indicate that debit Mastercards from Commonwealth, Westpac, and Macquarie appear to work, while those from Bendigo, St. George, Revolut, ANZ, and most Visa cards seem to fail the check. Note that this is an evolving situation, so the situation may have changed by the time you're reading this.

The demographics of credit card ownership definitely don't help matters. Unlike the U.S., where credit cards are the default method of purchase, only about 45% of Australian buyers and 65% of UK punters own one. Perhaps most importantly, within the 18-24 age demographic, only 25% to 30% own a credit card — precisely the people who buy the most games and are the most affected. For both user satisfaction and business reasons, it's seemingly desirable that Steam add verification alternatives.

Preorders for the Nintendo Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition went live shortly after yesterday's Nintendo Direct and sold out instantly. Walmart has listed the handheld gaming console but has enabled preorders. Meanwhile, you can preorder it on Amazon for $519.99, so you may still have a chance to get one at MSRP before the scalpers.

• Pre-order the Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition on Amazon
• Pre-order the Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition on Walmart
• Pre-order the Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition on Best Buy
• Pre-order the Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition on Target
• Pre-order the Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition on GameStop

Major U.S. retailers, including Target, Best Buy, and GameStop, were the first to enable preorders for the Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition, which instantly sold out. It did not take long for scalpers to hit eBay to resell preorders for as much as $1,000, almost 2X over Nintendo's MSRP. Zelda-exclusive consoles have always been prime targets for scalpers.

The Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition, the first limited edition of the Switch 2 and a The Legend of Zelda-themed edition celebrating the franchise's 40 years, makes the handheld console even more desirable to hardcore fans and scalpers looking to make a quick profit. Plus, the console's $519.99 price tag, which is only $20 over the vanilla Switch 2, gives gamers extra incentive to purchase one. The problem is finding one in stock.

Along with the console, Nintendo also gave the Switch 2 Pro controller and carrying case with an included screen protector the same The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition treatment. Best Buy currently has both up for preorder at $99.99 and $39.99, respectively.

The Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition officially launches on October 29. Historically, The Legend of Zelda-themed consoles are available for purchase on launch day. However, stock will likely be extremely limited, which is why many fans like to lock in their preorders early.

It remains to be seen whether Nintendo will produce many units of the Switch 2 The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition. At least for the previous limited-edition consoles, like the Nintendo Switch OLED: Tears of the Kingdom Edition or Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition, stock was not a problem since you can still buy them today despite being last-generation consoles.

If you play hard to get, you could get Xbox Game Pass for cheaper; at least that is what numerous users are reporting on a Reddit thread. One Xbox Game Pass subscriber shared a screenshot of Microsoft offering them the Ultimate plan for $16.09 for a month, 30% lower than the standard $22.99. Their secret? Cancel Xbox Game Pass almost every month.

Dynamic win-back discounts are perhaps the oldest trick in the book, but they remain widely used because of their effectiveness in re-engaging customers who have stopped buying a product or, in Microsoft's case, canceled their Xbox Game Pass subscription. These targeted offers, often disguised as "We Miss You" or "Welcome back" deals, aim to win back lost customers with exclusive or time-limited discounts.

According to the Redditor, they have used Xbox Game Pass on and off for about two years. However, instead of committing to an annual plan, the user frequently paused and resubscribed. In the Redditor's words, they were "not doing any sort of tricks lol...just got the offer randomly because I cancel gamepass almost every month, so maybe this was their way of keeping me."

This kind of customer behavior is not uncommon among subscription services, since buyers seek to maximize value and avoid unnecessary spending. Apparently, Microsoft seemingly noticed this user and proactively offered a 30% discount, dropping the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price from $22.99 to $16.09 for a year. And it worked. The Redditor confirmed that they took the offer and locked in for the entire year.

At least one other Redditor confirmed they also received the same $16.09 offer. The thread quickly filled with additional posts as users shared their experiences with Xbox Game Pass discounts. For example, one Reddit user said that when they logged in with a secondary account on their Xbox console, they saw an $18 offer for 12 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Their main account allegedly never receives offers like this. Meanwhile, other users chimed in to report receiving $ 20-per-month offers.

It is unclear what criteria Microsoft uses to distribute these win-back discounts. Many speculate that the company may be considering activity, subscription history, or even multiple accounts. The discounts do not seem limited to the U.S., where the Redditor lives. Users in the thread have reported similar discounts in regions like México.

Despite Microsoft slashing Xbox Game Pass pricing earlier this year, many gamers still resort to digital key marketplaces such as Eneba, G2A, or Loaded, where one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate can cost as little as $9.28. By running targeted annual promotions, Microsoft can encourage subscribers to stick with Xbox Game Pass, secure long-term revenue, and avoid the risks of month-to-month cancellation.

However, these targeted discounts raise an important question: should Microsoft not reward loyal Xbox Game Pass subscribers with similar exclusive discounts? Win-back promotions are great for bringing back former subscribers, but long-time users will feel overlooked and see no reason to commit, since the generous deals go to those who cancel and return.

Nintendo just aired one of the most important Directs of the Switch 2 generation, showcasing the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake in all its glory. The presentation also brought along the announcement of the first special edition Switch 2 hardware: The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition. The console costs $519.99, but there's also an identically themed Pro Controller for $99.99 that you can pre-order right now — either item ships later this year on October 29.

• Pre-order The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Switch 2
• Pre-order The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Pro Controller
• Pre-order The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Edition Carrying Case

The company's first handheld to be adorned in special edition Zelda makeup was the Game Boy Advance SP released in 2004 alongside The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. The first home console to receive the same treatment was The Wind Waker HD edition of the Wii U in 2013. Most recently, we got a Tears of the Kingdom-themed Switch OLED in 2023, followed by the Hyrule Edition of the Switch Lite next year.

Across every handled and home console released, The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary special edition Switch 2 will be the 12th piece of Zelda-themed hardware Nintendo has put out. Moreover, it took the original Switch just a few months to get its first limited-edition hardware (Monster Hunter XX Special Pack), but the Switch 2 has clearly taken its time with this design, and it's sure to be a collector's item.

The tablet itself is mostly the same boring black except for a few golden triangles at the back. However, the Joy-Cons feature a beautiful green design with a Tri-Force symbol on the left. The dock is a gorgeous, two-tone golden and black color with a very bold Tri-Force theme across the front and some easter eggs on the back. Even the packaging is supposed to have textured foil cover art. The console will retail for $520 and does not come with any game.

Alongside the console, there's a Switch 2 Pro Controller that looks very similar to the Joy-Cons, with a green and gold theme that combines elements of the Triforce with a crest emblem. It comes as is for $100, but you can also get it with a subtly themed display stand for $110. Finally, there's also a $40 carrying case adorned with Zelda illustrations. You even get a custom, green-colored microfiber cloth inside and a screen protector.

• Pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (remake)

Keep in mind that all of this hardware celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Zelda franchise, which already passed earlier this year. It has nothing to do with the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake and, as such, the game is not included in the $520 limited edition Switch 2. Pre-orders for all the items discussed above are open, and they will be released on October 29, 2026. The Ocarina of Time remake drops next month, on November 19, 2026, and will be sold separately for $60.

A Super Smash Bros Melee decompilation project hit its key long-standing goal a few hours ago. Nintendo’s legendary platform fighting game, which launched on the GameCube in 2001, has now been 100% decompiled by a team of developers. This is a complex game to convert to C code, but the project code can now be compiled into a binary byte‑for‑byte identical to Nintendo’s original main.dol. The effort has taken the team six years or more to get to this stage, with OpenAI's Astra part of the effort to get it over the line. Gamers may already be excitedly anticipating Super Smash Bros Melee ports and modding tools, but these too will take time and effort.

Decompilation projects seem like the latest trend to grasp the retro gaming and development communities, but some, like this, have been in progress for a very long time. Enthusiasts are spurred on by old console hardware becoming scarce, expensive, or uneconomical to repair. Thus, they want to preserve the original game code in a manner that can be ported to modern supported systems. Demanding 100% accuracy with a complex game like this was ambitious, but now that milestone has been reached.

Preservation isn’t the only goal, or result of projects like this. Seasoned developers will now be able to pore over the game’s C code and gain insights into Melee’s engine, physics, game mechanics, and more. Armed with this knowledge, we should eventually see the modding potential of this game blossom. This has happened in the wake of previous successful decompilation projects.

If you drop in on the doldecomp/melee GitHub page, linked above, you can check over the code for yourself. There are instructions for compiling this Super Smash Bros Melee C code on various platforms, including Windows. However, please remember these aren’t ports; you will just be recreating the v1.02 US release main.dol file from the GameCube, which weighs in at 3.88MB. You'll also need the original assets (textures, audio, etc.) from the GameCube disc that you own, in order to run the game.

Some highlight that the project was finalized with thanks in part to the latest AI tech, including GPT-6 Astra. Similar tech might also be used to rapidly develop the ports and mods that the crowds are looking forward to.