The Astro A50 headset was the first high-end (more than $300) headset that I owned many moons ago, and for the longest time, it was the go-to option for any gamer wanting the best, but many have been waiting for the next iteration in the A50 series, and it has arrived in the A50 X.

This is the most exciting headset drop since the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, and for many including myself, will solve a number of issues that have been brought with the next-generation consoles. The first is that I simply don’t have enough HDMI ports, which is only an issue since HDMI 2.1 became a thing, and the second is that with both Sony and Xbox locking down their audio even more with the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, this is really the first headset to be fully compatible with both consoles for game/chat audio.

Whether you need it or not, Logitech is to be commended for what it has with the Astro A50 X. The dock with doubles as a charging station essentially has a HDMI 2.1 switcher built-in and whilst it could have gone all kinds of wrong, it works flawlessly. The setup involves plugging in your HDMI cords from your PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as a USB cord from both for chat audio. If you’re wanting to connect your PC and are lucky enough to have it in the same spot, there’s a third USB-C port which also doubles as the charging port as well.

The setup will take a bit of time, but as long as you sort it out properly, it doesn’t get too messy in my opinion. It’s worth mentioning that you only get one USB-C cord in the box (for either console) and no HDMI cord which is a little bit odd given the price tag of the headset

@shannongrixti

The new $750 Logitech Astro A50 X wireless headset is also a HDMI 2.1 switcher providing seamless audio from your PS5, Xbox Series X and PC #Logitech #AstroA50X #AstroA50 #LogitechG #Astrogaming #Headset #Gaming #Tech #Astroheadset

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

I’d also really have loved a third HDMI port for either your PC or Nintendo Switch as well to really complete the setup. I was hoping to connect a mini PC to my TV, and whilst I’d be easily able to get audio from it with the A50 X, I wouldn’t be able to get signal as I’d be back at square one with my HDMI ports in my TV filled up. It’s absolutely solved the issue of connecting both my Xbox Series X|S and PS5 at all time though.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $574WITH FREE DELIVERY

Switching between your consoles is as simple as pressing the Playsync button on the headset which switches between your consoles/PC including both video and audio. I was expecting this to be glitchy but it was absolutely flawless, once I turned off HDMI CEC. My only minor gripe was the fact that even without a PC connected, it still switches to it even though there’s no input.

With this method, you’re able to fully take advantage of audio from both consoles through to the A50 X including game/chat audio balance using the traditional buttons on the right cup. To my knowledge, this is the only headset on the market that can do both game audio as well as game/chat balance from both consoles seamlessly.

The headset can take advantage of Dolby Atmos on Xbox Series X|S, but not on PS5 and this is a little bit painful as it means that you have to deselect Dolby Atmos as an option, and for me with a full Sonos 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup, this means that I can’t utilise Dolby Atmos when using my TV sound, or having to swap back and forth, but I won’t blame Logitech for this.

The headset also connects with Bluetooth via the dock to your phone, and you can use this method to connect to your Nintendo Switch as well. It allows for simultaneous connection between your console/PC and your phone, and once you’ve set it up the first time, it was absolutely flawless connecting instantly to my mobile as soon as I put the headset on and disconnecting when it went back into the dock. Because it does connect through the dock, you can’t use the headset out and about. There’s also a phone app that can change between inputs, control your EQ settings and other basic settings such as sidetone.

The A50s have always been prided on how they sound and the A50 X is no different with its Pro-G graphene drivers not too dissimilar to the ones that I tested in the Pro X 2 Lightspeed headset. The audio feels extremely full with a good amount of bass to hear the minor details in the likes of Forza Horizon 5 and Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It adds a whole other dimension to games and you absolutely won’t be disappointed in this regard.

Similarly, the microphone is fantastic, with my friends saying that I sounded super crisp online. It’s not detachable, which might be annoying to some, but it does mute on flip-up.

In terms of battery life, you get a 24 hour battery life, but honestly, I’d be shocked if anybody ever used it all, with the dock allowing you to simply place the headset onto it to keep it charged, which works as well as it ever has.

The Astro A50 X is absolutely pricey, but HDMI 2.1 switching functionality isn’t cheap, and if you’re somebody who has a PS5/Xbox Series X|S in the same place, it’s a small price to pay for the convenience of having one headset to rule them all. If you’ve also got your PC in the same spot, even better.

Conclusion

The Logitech G Astro A50 X headset is a ground-breaking headset that I didn't know I needed and don't think I'll be able to live without. It brings your entire gaming setup together with fully functional audio from both console manufacturers for the first time with fantastic sound to boot.

Positives

The HDMI 2.1 Switcher Is A Great Idea

Headset Sounds Fantastic

Great Battery Life And Charging Mechanism

Great App Connectivity And Bluetooth Support

Negatives

No HDMI Cable Included

A Third HDMI Port Would Have Been Great

The Cheapest Price

$574 With Free Shipping

The post Logitech G Astro A50 X Wireless Headset Review – One Headset To Rule Them All appeared first on Press Start.

Xbox Australia has announced that it has partnered with a bunch of Aussie streamers to give away over $25,000 in prizes including PC Game Pass vouchers and PC peripherals.

You can tune into the below creators at the below times for your chance to win:

• Crayator: Monday, December 9 at 1pm AEDT
• Fasffy: Monday, December 9 at 8pm AEDT
• Pestily: Tuesday, December 10 at 6.30am AEDT
• Aus Flight Simmer: Wednesday, December 11 at 8pm AEDT
• Oasis on Overwatch: Thursday, December 12 at 7pm AEDT
• Berticuss: Tuesday, December 17 at 10pm AEDT
• Kiittwy: Wednesday, December 18 at 6pm AEDT
• LoserFruit: Thursday, December 19 at 8pm AEDT
• Walkrman: Friday, December 20 at 10pm AEDT
• Nalopia: Saturday, December 21 at 9pm AEDT
• Kahls: Sunday, December 22 at 8pm AEDT

PC Game Pass is also $1 for 14 days at the moment so you can jump into the likes of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Stalker 2 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 24.

If that wasn’t enough, Xbox is also giving away a Lenovo Legion Tower 5i and 12 months of Game Pass worth $3,744 and you can enter on the Xbox Instagram HERE. 

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A post shared by Shannon Grixti (@shannongrixti)

The post Xbox Is Giving Away Over $25,000 In PC Game Pass Prizes To Aussies appeared first on Press Start.

We’re partnering with SteelSeries to celebrate the holidays with an epic 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.

For the next 12 days (weekdays only), you’ll be able to get a chance to win an epic prize pack containing a bunch of SteelSeries and KontrolFreek goodies as well as a bunch of other epic prizes (we’ve seen the list and there’s some epic prizes on the way).

STEELSERIES 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS – DAY 5 PRIZE:

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P
• KontrolFreek Lotus Thumbsticks
• Lego Horizon Adventures for PS5
• LEGO Horizon Tallneck Set

SteelSeries ANZ 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway 2024 ?

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. A NEW PRIZE WILL BE AVAILABLE EACH DAY SO BE SURE TO COME BACK.

You can shop the full SteelSeries range on Amazon HERE. 

The post WIN: LEGO Horizon Adventures, LEGO Tallneck Set + SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P Headset appeared first on Press Start.

The DreamHack team has announced that DreamHack Melbourne will not return in 2025, and there are currently no plans for it to return in Australia in the foreseeable future.

The event had been held at Melbourne Park this year, and in previous years and was fairly popular in attendance, but the announcement was made on the Twitter page of the company that it would not be returning.

“A message from the DreamHack Melbourne team: It is with a heavy heart that we share with you the news that DreamHack Melbourne will not be returning in 2025, and that there are currently no plans to hold further DreamHack events in Australia in the foreseeable future.” said a post on Twitter.

“Creating DreamHack Melbourne was an absolute joy and an honour. We are immensely proud of what we accomplished together with you, our incredible community, and we will be forever grateful for the support that you provided. The memories we made together will always hold a special place in our hearts. Thank you for bringing your enthusiasm, creativity, and energy—you are what made DreamHack Melbourne truly unforgettable. Until we meet again—stay awesome and keep gaming. ” continued the statement

A message from the DreamHack Melbourne team:

It is with a heavy heart that we share with you the news that DreamHack Melbourne will not be returning in 2025, and that there are currently no plans to hold further DreamHack events in Australia in the foreseeable future.

Creating… pic.twitter.com/sSFWaNhYYs

— DreamHack Melbourne (@DreamHackAU) December 6, 2024

Events are obviously one of the only times that our community can come together, so this is definitely sad news today. It’s unclear if any further local jobs are impacted by this news.

The post DreamHack Melbourne Won’t Return Next Year And The Event Is On Hold Indefinitely appeared first on Press Start.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle picks up a year after Raiders of the Lost Ark as Dr. Jones is roused from his slumber by the sounds of a break-in at Marshall College. Though he catches the bandit red-handed, he’s no match physically and awakens shortly after to piece together the mystery of what was taken and why. All signs point to the Vatican and so, to satiate a need for adventure, Indiana sets off on another globetrotting journey, leaving his problems in his rear view. 

Considering the game’s place in the series canon, I feel The Great Circle does well to bob and weave throughout established story and character arcs to find an earned, snug place it belongs. Even in between dalliances with Marion Ravenwood, the love of Indy’s life, Gina Lombardi is a graceful addition to the lineage of “Jones girls” although it’s her self-reliance and grace through the game’s narrative that makes her such a wonderful character. As with all great adventure films, Indy travels to the far reaches of the world and back again, uncovering The Great Circle. Across the main story’s ten hours, we’re whisked away to Egypt, Siam and the Himalayas in search of truth while finding mostly danger. It’s exciting, full of thrills, and has enough spectacular set pieces to make Nathan Drake at least sit up and take notice. 

The true measure of a story’s hero is its villain, of course, and Indiana Jones has often painted its German opposing forces as equal parts menacing and comical. Emmerich Voss is single-minded and doggedly determined to beat Indy to the punch at all legs of this journey, and he’s a tremendous foil for Dr. Jones’ brain even if he isn’t the most threatening in the brawn department. Just as Baron Zemo relies on guile and cunning to sow unrest within the Avengers, Voss exudes a similar brand of quiet confidence in his calculated plan. 

Adventure is truly the essence of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and I do feel freedom to explore and unravel puzzles, ancient and new, is the game’s clear strength. Each of the game’s open zones is littered with a heap of fieldwork and investigative work Indy can complete as he skirts around the periphery of the primary goal—sourcing and keeping the stones that seem to prove the veracity of the titular hypothesis out of Nazi control. I didn’t find too many of the riddles put forth by the game to be too tricky, most solutions are often found in the same room or chamber as the puzzle itself. However, a couple included ciphers and keys that forced me to resort to the old pen and paper, which felt appropriate given Indy’s penchant for antiquities. 

I particularly enjoyed that each open zone’s main adventure is linked intrinsically with a key item that, once bought from the area’s vendor, will have a lasting importance as you continue on your way, chasing fortune and glory around the world. The camera you receive in the Vatican proves useful in snapping curios and people of interest to fill out Indy’s journal and earn “adventure points”, while the lighter and breathing apparatus from subsequent levels are integral for illuminating pitch black tombs and spending long periods underwater respectively. 

There are books throughout the game that, once found, serve as your many skills and buffs. Without a traditional upgrade path or skill tree, your aforementioned adventure points can be used to activate things like Lucky Hat, which is a second wind ability that grants a brief moment in time after being downed to collect your fedora, dust yourself off, and carry on with that trademark Harrison Ford smirk. There are others which prove more useful in the moment-to-moment, such as improved melee power or one that makes whip attacks on unsuspecting Nazis lethal. I do miss Wolfenstein’s approach which had the player meet a predetermined goal, like five stealth kills, for example, to earn the boost. That said, having to earn points through absorbing things of cultural significance is reward enough. 

Aside from the main adventure itself, each of the game’s zones does have a bevy of side content to churn through. Fortunately, if you’re like me and you storm the critical path first, you’re able to return post-credits to mop up all of the quests you missed. These range from broader Fieldwork, which I’d equate to what you’d expect from a side quest with cutscenes and the whole shabang, to Mysteries, which feel more emergent and truncated while serving to scratch that natural itch—not unlike the all-alluring map markers in other open-world titles. 

Where the experience does falter is with the combat itself and the balance the game attempts to strike between snotting Nazis in the nose or hiding from them. 

Stealth, save for a few exceptions, is a completely viable way to navigate The Great Circle, and it works due to easily dupable enemy A.I. Being able to collect so many random items within the map, from bottles right through to stone busts, and either brandish them as a weapon or throw them in an effort to distract guards, makes for a fun, emergent brand of gameplay. Relying on good old-fashioned slap stick pugilism and your whip, which can be used to disarm or trip enemies in combat scenarios, harkens back to the team’s pedigree in both Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness. The only issue I took is with the bevy of holdable items in the game is that you’re forced to drop them whenever unlocking a door or climbing a rope, and are ultimately forced to leave it behind. This is softened by the fact that things things everywhere, however it’s still a baffling choice. 

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $109 WITH FREE SHIPPING FROM AMAZON

Fist fights are an up close and personal mix of stamina management, creating space with a well-timed dash, and landing a left-right goodnight to leave your enemy laid out in the Egyptian sands. For how slow combat looked in trailers, it feels pretty good on the sticks—except for when guns are involved. Wolfenstein is one of the better shooters in modern history, and the talent at MachineGames is undeniable. For them to have to put guns aside, for the most part, for thematic reasons is a shame. Still, there’s practically no circumstance in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle where I’d recommend scooping up a fallen submachine gun off of the ground and rattling lead toward the enemy, which is a shame given that the gunplay is tight. 

It’s just that it serves as a warning bell for every enemy within a one kilometre radius, and it’s often never worth it to invite that kind of attention to yourself—especially when, as I say, the A.I. is a little thick and the hand-to-hand works as well as it does. 

From a performance standpoint, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle does run rather well on console. I never noticed any significant dips in the frame rate, and unlike many other blockbuster titles of late, I noted no crashes. The team’s decision to develop the game in first-person, I feel, is justified immediately through the world’s fidelity and how hands-on you’re able to be. Of course, pulling back to see Indy in context-sensitive actions, such as swinging on or climbing with the whip, or in cutscenes is always a joy. It’s like a time machine seeing Harrison Ford looking so young without the aid of Disney’s de-aging sorcery. Having already touched on both the performances of Alessandra Mastronardi and Mario Gavrilis as the story’s co-lead and villain respectively, I must absolutely give Troy Baker his flowers. 

Having been witness to several Troy Baker performances, it’s hard not to hear when a little dash of Troy himself bleeds through. I feel like even for the most established voice actors, it’s hard to hide the self entirely. Troy Baker simply disappears into this role. What’s stunning is that he isn’t just playing as Indiana Jones, he’s playing as Harrison Ford playing as Indy and it’s a performance so nuanced and so studied, it’s going to fool so many who’ll have simply assumed they’d dredged poor Harrison up again. It’s a remarkable individual acting display from Baker, and with awards season cut-offs and the dreaded recency bias working against him, I pray voters remember this one next year. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a sumptuous adventure that hits on so many of the high notes we’ve long hoped for from an Xbox first-party game, especially in terms of narrative and performance. I expect the game’s combat will divide critics, however its excellent crafting of its world, and its many puzzles, should shoulder the burden and deliver fortune and glory for a game that’s made for Indy fans by Indy fans. 

Conclusion

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle delivers both high calibre adventure, story and performance in spades, to the point it feels as though it’s wading into “uncharted territory” for its publisher. The decision to bop a Nazi should be a foregone conclusion, however the lack of balance in stealth and combat systems kept me in limbo, and left Indiana Jones and the Great Circle just a stone stele’s throw from true greatness.

Positives

A tremendous Indiana Jones story-driven adventure

Fun puzzles that inspire lateral thinking

An incredible Troy Baker performance heads a terrific ensemble cast

Negatives

Combat feels a little clumsy and feels like a less preferred option to stealth

Weird design choices around holdable items

8.5

The Cheapest Price

$109 From Amazon

The post Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Review – Uncharted Territory appeared first on Press Start.

We’re partnering with SteelSeries to celebrate the holidays with an epic 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.

For the next 12 days (weekdays only), you’ll be able to get a chance to win an epic prize pack containing a bunch of SteelSeries and KontrolFreek goodies as well as a bunch of other epic prizes (we’ve seen the list and there’s some epic prizes on the way).

STEELSERIES 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS – DAY FOUR PRIZE:

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5
• KontrolFreek Thumbsticks
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom

SteelSeries ANZ 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway 2024 ?

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. A NEW PRIZE WILL BE AVAILABLE EACH DAY SO BE SURE TO COME BACK.

You can shop the full SteelSeries range on Amazon HERE. 

The post WIN: Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom And A SteelSeries Arctos Nova 5 Wireless Headset appeared first on Press Start.

The cheapest Australian copy of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle starting with local retailers and finishing off with digital-only prices. We will update with new & special prices as they come in up until launch day on December 9th.

The post Indiana Jones And The Great Circle – The Cheapest Australian Day One Bargains appeared first on Press Start.

It was announced earlier this year, but PlayStation has now confirmed that in celebration of its 30th anniversary, it is launching My First Gran Turismo, a free-to-play version of Gran Turismo 7 on Friday.

The game will have full PlayStation VR2 support, 18 unique cars each with their own personality, and some iconic tracks including Kyoto Driving Park, Deep Forest Raceway and Trial Mountain Circuit.

It will include a range of challenges with three race events, three time trials, three Music Rally Stages as well as a full suite of License Tests, so it should provide the perfect intro to Gran Turismo without being too overwhelming.

The experience has been designed to be intuitive, meaning that anyone can jump in and get a taste for what Gran Turismo is all about without being overhwelming.

The post My First Gran Turismo Is Releasing This Week For Free appeared first on Press Start.

Xbox has once again launched its year in review for 2024, and it comes with an entirely new look, a bunch more stats and will tell you all about your year on gaming across PC, Console and Cloud.

The round-up will show you how much time you spent gaming, your most-played games, how high-up the list you were for your gaming stats and also a bunch of relevant stats for the games played as well.

Here’s what is new this year:

• A customized look based on your most-played game.
• A personalized gamer profile just for you, based on the games you love to play! If you’re into epic quests with a sprinkle of magic, you’re a “Knight Owl.” More of a sports champ? You’re a “Real MVP,” always leading the pack.
• Multiplayer fans can see the friends they played with most.
• Dedicated recap sections for Game Pass and Rewards.

How to access your 2024 Xbox Year In Review

You can access the website HERE and then just login with your account details, and then you can choose to either share them online or keep them to yourself.

The post The 2024 Xbox Year In Review Has Arrived To Show You How Many Hours You Spent Gaming appeared first on Press Start.

In news that’s hotter than a castle under siege, the release date for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is being brought forward by a week.

Announced in April 2024 for a release later in the year, developers Warhorse Studios later solidified the game’s launch date as 11th February 2025, arriving on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

After over 8 million copies sold for the first game, Plaion and Warhorse Studios are now treating us to an earlier launch date of February 4th, 2025 – a week earlier than anticipated.

We recently had the opportunity to chat with Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, the Global PR Manager for Warhorse Studios, where we discussed all things KCD; including just how far they’ve come since the early days, and what Henry’s journey looks like in the sequel.

The new launch date came alongside a new trailer that showed Henry being haunted by the ghosts of his past, as the lands of Bohemia begin to shift with political unrest and bloodshed.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is now set to launch on 4th February 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. You can read our interview with the team HERE.

The post Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is Launching Earlier Than Expected appeared first on Press Start.

Ahead of the news that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is bringing its release date forward, we had the opportunity to get a hands-on preview of the game including an interesting side quest for Henry in the town of Kuttenberg. Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, the Global PR Manager for Warhorse Studios introduced the game to us, and after our time with the game we had the opportunity to sit down and talk all things KCD 2.

Just like Henry’s story itself, Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s origins is pretty significant – with a successful Kickstarter campaign bringing the game to life. Did you envision from the start the legacy that would be created from that?

TOBIAS: Absolutely. I mean we envisioned the original game, we didn’t envision the success that would be there! Honestly there were two sink or swim situations; one was the Kickstarter – if that would have failed then we would have shut up and just gone. The second was the actual release of KCD – because the press were reacting well, but those that we had already hooked in the Kickstarter were our main audience – we didn’t know at the time how regular players would receive the game.

I can remember the time when we were traveling to our publisher back in the early days, in Munich where they had their head offices, and we were in the car talking to our CEO doing guesses like “one million copies, is that the same thing, will we sell it? And if so, maybe in the first year or half a year”. Nobody would have guessed that within a week we had hit the million, and then within a year it was the second million. We believed in the game and we knew it was good and put our trust in it, but we didn’t know it would bring this much success.

Unlike so many other games that focus on adding fantasy elements to their games, KCD:II is grounded in history and realism. What is it like bringing inspirational and historic places such as Kuttenberg to life?

T: Oh, it’s amazing. But not only for us – what I find fascinating is that KCD is more – and I don’t mean to sound arrogant in this way – but it’s more than just a video game. For Czech Republican people, it feels more like a cultural export kind of thing: when the city of Kuttenberg found out that we would set KCD: II in their town, the mayor who played the first game was absolutely shitting kittens – he was like “Okay, okay, breathe everyone!” He wanted to be heavily involved, they wanted to fill up their tourist information stands with KCD merch and pictures and stuff.

When KCD: II was announced, it was on the public news in the evening, and on public broadcasts – I mean, imagine BBC would talk about the new English game or whatever, we’re like that’s not happening anywhere else! But this is just a side effect of the game; we want to make a game that is telling a story which is based on events that really happened. So the effect that it had or the side effect is that it had all of these cultural aspects of it.

Kutná Hora (Kuttenberg’s Czech pronunciation) is still a wonderfully medieval city, but we had to take it back to 1403 – so it really is a lot of work, and if you actually think about it, it’s more work than if you create a fantasy world.In a fantasy world you can create whatever you like according to what you need, where we have to create things the other way around, with the elements that already exist.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $89 ON AMAZON WITH FREE DELIVERY

Henry’s journey in the first game is immense, and so was the world-building that we got to see. KCD:II is set to be so much bigger, with around 80 to 100 hours of gameplay; how do you balance the expectations of returning players while making it accessible for new players as well?

T: Very good question. KCD:II is an absolute evolution of the first game, right? So this in itself should already – hopefully please the expectations of the fans of the first game. They want more of the same but to make it better, and that is exactly what we did – more of the same, but made it way bigger.

So everything you know from KCD was transferred to the second game and improved – the learning curve wasn’t as steep as it was before, it should be more accessible and just more enjoyable, and the package should feel more rounded without having to dumb it down or making it too easy to digest for everyone.

It’s still a special game that does things differently to most other games – we don’t drag you by the arm through the game, it still requires you to think about the situation. [The preview we played] was just a tiny side-quest; we told you that you had to steal a sword, but how you do it is totally up to you, there’s no visual hints, no GPS or whatever, you have to make your own way.

For the newcomers its still just a very deep roleplaying experience with knights and castles, and that’s pretty much everything they need to know; we want to make sure nobody feels out of place or that they’ve been left out of something. The beginning of the game focuses a little bit on what happened in the first game, not too much because it’s not all that relevant. We tell you “here’s you, here’s your best friend, this is your current task, good luck and have fun”. The rest comes from either Henry being haunted by his nightmares which will slowly tell you what happened, but 90% of the people you’ll meet will be absolutely new.

Following on from this, the NPCs in the game have been said to be totally unique with their own lives. How hard was that to implement, and how important was it to the team to do so?

T: Really, really very hard because the city itself has a thousand NPCs or so, but there’s a huge amount of people who all go through daily cycles – not everyone has their name or whatever, so at some point its very hard to just have them all be unique. But we have a very good technical system for clothing and for looks and hair and so on, so at least they look different – some of them will have names and some of them are really important for the game.

The baseline we crafted already in KCD where the NPCs have daily cycles is actually beneficial – and placed into the RPG system it is tricky for development because everything can mess with it. So if the character wakes up in the morning and washes themselves then goes to work, after work they might go to the pub. When they go to the pub they might get tipsy, and when they get tipsy they’re easier to pickpocket, so you can wait for them to come out and you can try to pickpocket them easier or whatever.

The quest you played today – you had to steal the sword. If you went to the location during the day, all the doors are open; but everyone is there and awake, and they are all roaming around, so stealth gameplay will be harder. But if you enter the location during the night, the doors are locked, but its easier to move around because everyone is asleep or not around. The daily cycles are there not to be abused, but for you to work with them and use them to your advantage – if you try things during the day and fail, you can try again at night. Or you can poison their food, they all die, but then another NPC will not like that you killed people. So they definitely have an impact on the game.

We’re pressed for time, so our last question: Mastery of weapons is in the hands of the player, and this time around there are even more weapons to master, including more ranged weapons such as crossbows. With an already deep combat system, what was it like fine-tuning it this time around?

T: Combat was the biggest feature from KCD that got reworked the most – but when I say reworked, we didn’t change the basis of it. It’s still similar to the first game, swordplay with different attacking zones, but we tried to make it more accessible for the players, so that the learning curve wasn’t as steep as it was before.

The weapons should all feel differently, and play differently. If you take the sword, that’s for the master sword fighter if you’re that kind of person – it has all the deep mechanics and intricate combat styles. But if you feel like you do not want to invest the time into sword-fighting, you don’t have to – you can use the mace or the axe. They’re not worse weapons, they excel at other parts of the game, but they play differently – the axe is something you just whack the enemy in the head with.

Instead of the ‘star’ that’s in front of you (referring to the attack mechanic from KCD) with four movement directions, you only have three or two, or even one. It’s really an RPG question that you as a player decide and work out what works for you. The alchemy system as well, if you use it, you can create great advantages out of it – spread poisons on your weapons, make yourself stronger and so on.

We definitely had a ball playing through KCD:II’s preview mission, and true to Tobias’s statements, none of us played the mission in the exact same way. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is shaping up to be a journey of epic proportions, and we can’t wait to see it when it launches in early 2025.

The post We Spoke To The Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Team About The Brutal Combat And Living World appeared first on Press Start.

Getting motivated is hard. As we collectively hurtle toward yet another round of New Year’s Resolutions and “this time I’m serious” promises, the space in our lives for the next thing to keep us in line begins to open up. The cold, infinitely less sexy reality is that that thing doesn’t really exist and consistent hard work and self-care is the only real road to long-term succe- Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer is Nintendo’s latest attempt to fill that space with a Switch exercise game. 

The third entry in the (now) long-running Fitness Boxing series which first took a swing at this back in 2018, developer Imagineer has spent most of the Switch’s lifespan refining the edges of its boxing simulator. Where Ring Fit Adventure bundled in additional hardware to expand the range of exercises, Fitness Boxing, as you might imagine based on the name, focuses solely on the one-two punch of boxing, grading your entire performance via the Joy-Con motion controls.

It’s something of an honour system, with your stance, posture, exertion, and form all left to your own efforts, the game itself all too happy to doll out “great punch!” feedback whether you put your body into it or not. 

Despite its relative lack of accurate measurements, Fitness Boxing 3 plays the part of being a casual, ostensibly data-based fitness experience. Booting up the game you’ll be prompted to fill in a questionnaire, ranging from weight to age to fitness goals (weight loss, strength training, relaxed etc), and run through the basics of boxing by the game’s default, and worst, trainer. Once you’ve been onboarded, you’ll need to run through your first full session and a more casual mode before the game’s features fully unlock, but with those done, you’ve got access to the suite of modes Fitness Boxing 3 has to offer. 

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $64 FROM AMAZON WITH FREE DELIVERY

From daily workouts to free play to stretches to multiplayer, you can engage with the game in a decent variety of modes, but the core mechanics remain largely unchanged. In a solid stance with your core engaged, you’ll perform a series of punch types in time and rhythm with the game’s escalating challenge levels. Your digital instructor (you can choose from a small roster of perky, beautiful people who can in turn be customised to a granular level from outfits to eye colour and even mood) will perform the motions for you a few times before encouraging you to begin your own set of them. 

For basic movements like jabs and straights, this is fine, but as the game begins to fold in hooks and the like, its inability to discern how your movements fair is both unengaging mechanically and at a baseline health level, not entirely good for you. While the game does warn that its calories burnt count has essentially no basis in reality (at which point you might wonder if it’s only included for the veneer of a real fitness experience), higher-intensity workouts are often conducted under professional guidance because the human body is a temperamental thing and repeated, incorrect use of it can be rough in the long-term. There’s a degree of fun to be found in doing some basic swings and seeing the score pop and the screen light up but Fitness Boxing 3 is a toy first and foremost. 

Completing a full workout gives you a star rating, scores to chase higher next time, and some form of currency you can spend on outfits for your trainer and songs to work out to. While it might be initially thrilling to see the likes of Billie Eilish and…KISS in the playlist, you’ll soon tire of hearing these lo-fi, kid’s-bop covers of popular songs as a routine will often run you 10-minutes minimum and the musical offerings are sparse. Still, when the game told me my fitness age was 26 and had me punch at the screen to officiate a stamp at the end of the workout, I smiled. 

A cursory glance at the previous Fitness Boxing games tells me that they’ve also somewhat stepped up the overall visual presentation of the game. While UI and menus remain new-age fitness sterile for better legibility, the animations and flare found in the workout sections are at least vibrant and sharp. Likewise, the game now incorporates a seated mode for players with less mobility, an excellent accessibility option. Difficulty elsewhere is a bit looser, usually just extending the time or intensity of a workout session but stopping short of customisation as far as I could tell. 

As with any exercise program, you’re likely to see some results from Fitness Boxing 3 over time but outside of the initial fun of numbers-go-up punching, the experience is too thin and too imprecise to warrant that degree of investment. The new accessibility options are a genuine win and the series commitment to improving its presentation and mode options is admirable, but with such a limited means of engagement, it’s difficult to recommend. If you’re chasing a thing to help you stick to your goals, it might be worth checking out Ring Fit Adventure, but I’d still bet that the 70 bucks you could spend on Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer would be better used to get a nice pair of shoes and going for a walk.  

Conclusion

Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer continues to push the series’ presentation and accessibility options but can’t quite overcome the inherently limited range of exercises the Joy-Con can offer it. Light and fun enough for a beginner, it's more fitness toy than fitness trainer.

Positives

Vibrant and sharp presentation 

Solid selection of different modes 

New accessibility options 

Negatives

Imprecise movement tracking 

Game modes still can only use basic punching 

Limited customisation options 

Music is not a vibe

6

THE CHEAPEST PRICE

$64 FROM AMAZON

The post Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer Review – Joy Con appeared first on Press Start.

We’re partnering with SteelSeries to celebrate the holidays with an epic 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.

For the next 12 days (weekdays only), you’ll be able to get a chance to win an epic prize pack containing a bunch of SteelSeries and KontrolFreek goodies as well as a bunch of other epic prizes (we’ve seen the list and there’s some epic prizes on the way).

STEELSERIES 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS – DAY THREE PRIZE:

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P
• KontrolFreek Thumbsticks
• An Epic Devolver Digital prize pack including: The Plucky Squire, Crush House, Neva, Pepper Grinder, Talos 2, Sumerian Six, Anger Foot, Cult of the Lamb DLC, Children Of The Sun, Astroneer

SteelSeries ANZ 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway 2024 ?

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. A NEW PRIZE WILL BE AVAILABLE EACH DAY SO BE SURE TO COME BACK.

You can shop the full SteelSeries range on Amazon HERE. 

The post WIN: An Epic Devolver Digital PC Game Pack + SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P appeared first on Press Start.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle releases on December 9th on Xbox Series X and S, Game Pass and PC. You can grab it HERE.

We look back on the year 2024 in gaming, reviewing the year in terms of its announcements and quality of releases. We also look at the year ahead, reflect on PlayStation’s 30 years of history and Shuhei Yoshida leaving Sony.

• Listen on LiSTNR
• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Listen on Spotify
• Watch on YouTube

THIS WEEK’S TOPICS

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:11 Treat Time
• 04:55 Reviewing 2024
• 11:51 Xbox’s 2024
• 20:56 Nintendo’s 2024
• 24:54 PlayStation’s 2024
• 32:53 Looking Ahead to 2025
• 37:31 Celebrating PlayStation’s 30th Anniversary
• 45:29 Shuhei Yoshida Leaving PlayStation
• 48:59 PlayStation 30th Anniversary Themes
• 50:33 What The Wiki?!
• 01:01:05 Outro

The post Reviewing The Year 2024 In Gaming — The Press Start Podcast appeared first on Press Start.

Ubisoft has today announced that it will discontinue development on XDefiant, it’s free-to-play first person shooter title that launched earlier this year.

Starting today, the game will no longer be downloadable. For those still playing, Season 3 will be released in the near future and the servers will remain active until June 03, 2025. Despite the game having over 15 million people login to play and it being the fastest Ubisoft game to surpass 5 million users, unfortunately that wasn’t enough to sustain it long-term.

Unfortunately as a result of this, almost 300 people will lose their jobs with some of these coming from the Sydney studio (134 from Osaka/Sydney). This is obviously a massive loss to our local industry, which has already faced a tough time over the last 12 months. Whilst the Osaka and San Francisco studios are being totally closed, it’s said that the Sydney studio will be “ramped down”.

“Today, Ubisoft announced that it will discontinue development on XDefiant, its free-to-play first-person shooter title. As a result, half of the XDefiant team worldwide will be transitioning to other roles within Ubisoft. This decision also leads to the closing of our San Francisco and Osaka production studios and to the ramp down of our Sydney production site, with 143 people departing in San Francisco and 134 people likely to depart in Osaka and Sydney.” said Ubisoft in a statement. 

You can read the full blog post over on the Ubisoft website HERE.

The post XDefiant Is Being Taken Offline With Local Aussie Jobs Sadly Being Cut In The Process appeared first on Press Start.

Nintendo has dropped yet another Donkey Kong game onto Nintendo Switch Online.

Following Donkey Kong Land and Donkey Kong Land 2 dropping in subsequent weeks, Nintendo has now dropped Donkey Kong Land 3.

Just like the previous two games, this is inspired by Donkey Kong Country 3 and is a lo-fi version of the game with levels inspired by the classic game.

Join Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong on an adventure to try to find the Lost World!

Donkey Kong Land III is now available to play for #NintendoSwitchOnline members! #GameBoy pic.twitter.com/nHIQeUqFkh

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 4, 2024

The post Donkey Kong Land 3 Has Stealth Dropped On Nintendo Switch Online appeared first on Press Start.

Popular FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki has addressed the PlayStation Partner Awards about the future of the Elden Ring brand.

The relentlessly punishing director of both Elden Ring and it’s DLC attended to receive an award for Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring’s hefty expansion released earlier this year.

In a statement reported by IGN Japan, Miyazaki confirmed that the From team is not currently considering developing Elden Ring 2.

That being said, he also confirmed that multiple teams at FromSoftware are working on projects, some of which he’s working on directly.

But while Elden Ring 2 isn’t in FromSoftware’s immediate future, Miyazaki did not rule out a return to the Lands Between, saying “the IP could develop in some form in the future”.

It remains to be seen whether that manifests as another game, a film or TV adaptation, or something else entirely.

Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree are, without a doubt, the most successful projects to come out of FromSoftware.

Both games have received Game of the Year nods in their respective The Game Award nominations, though the latter has proven to be controversial.

The post FromSoftware Isn’t Working On Elden Ring 2 Right Now appeared first on Press Start.

“I’m running a museum, Mr. Pots, not a charity” I muttered to the somewhat bloated staff page of my somewhat thriving first museum. We’d had a bit of a rush recently due to a freshly landed exhibit and the resulting foot traffic caused a rise in janitorial duties. At the time of hiring Mr. Pots (affable fellow, really), I was distracted by the slow turnover from the gift shop so I threw in for a third janitor to stem the tide of scuffed floors and mussed toilets. A shortsighted choice- our janitorial output was now too efficient and there was, as they say, far too much leaning and not enough cleaning. So, with the kind of cold precision that any of my former retail managers would have been proud of, I sat Mr. Pots down and told him his services were no longer required. Productivity restored and monthly balances getting a nice bump. It felt good. 

Two Point Studios knows how to turn me into a cartoonish managerial nightmare. After correctly clocking the need in the sim management space for approachable, lower-stakes titles, Two Point’s unique approach to the genre has encompassed the running of a university with Two Point Campus and the daily operations of your own Scrubs (or Grey’s Anatomy? 911? What’s a modern touchstone for medial dramas?), Two Point Hospital. Business is booming in the Two Point and those learned students and healthy(ish) townsfolk need a place to gather and gawk at the wonders of the world. Where better than a Two Point Museum?

The basic principles of Two Point’s design philosophy still apply in Two Point Museum– you’re given control over a newly established business and tasked with generating income and interest via an escalating series of systems and situations. As the managing curator of a collection of museums, the latest outing sees you driving for Knowledge and Buzz among the general populace who flood through your doors daily, both meters, in turn, driving donations and interest you can use to fund more extravagant exhibits and fancier trappings. If you’ve played a Two Point, much of this loop will feel familiar and comforting, the basic rise and fall of supply and demand. 

Two Point Museum starts to play with the boundaries of the Two Point formula though, evidently a studio with a stride now picking a direction in which to move. The needs of a museum after all are pretty unique; the usual assortment of janitorial duties and customer service operations still stand as core pillars of your proficiency as a business (if nobody mans the desk, patrons will begin to queue and get grumpy etc) but the lifeblood of a museum is…well, bones. Or rare specimens suspended in amber. Or haunted artifacts from a lost culture. No matter which of the multiple themed museums you’re running (the preview build also gave us a quick look at a maritime and vaguely spooky one), you’ll need to run Expeditions to “acquire” new exhibits from far off lands, shifting the gameplay outside of the fall walls of Two Point’s finest establishments for the first time. 

Running an Expedition essentially extrapolates the basic hiring and training practices of any baseline Two Point business into more fleshed-out staff excursions. Up to a small handful of your team can be assigned to any given adventure into the unknown; pick a location from a global map, assign staff with the corresponding skills, establish the parameters for the expedition (you can spend a little more for a slower, safer trip or cut corners and demand results quickly), and watch as your crew clambers aboard the company’s military-grade helicopter and sets forth.

From here, a few different things can happen. Best case scenario sees your team return with a fancy new (old) thing to proudly display amid the usual assortment of decorative and informative items (placing a sign nearer an exhibit generates better Knowledge and Buzz), and your adventurous workers unwind in the staff lounge. That new set of bones is also packaged in what could only be described as a Loot Box, a massive package that is unwrapped and opened with a discrete fanfare animation, knowingly. But this being Two Point, things can go comically rather awry. Staff can return with injuries and conditions that need to be treated, for example, or could even vanish entirely under mysterious circumstances. These little flourishes keep Expeditions interesting and work beautifully in tandem with the existing Two Point staff satisfaction and training systems. 

And as Expeditions expand the world around Two Point, so too does your museum require you to consider space and how it’s used. While loading up the walls and floors with fake plants for the simple sake of Vibes and Aesthetics is still a treat (legit don’t think there was a single free panel of wall in my museum I hadn’t covered in drop vines), Two Point Museum asks you to be a little more involved in how a functional space would actually need to operate. Things like walkable pathing through exhibits and the aforementioned correctly placed information and donation stands all play a role in the overall success of the space. It’s just the right amount of extra consideration and sits comfortably alongside the Two Point games’ rewarding customisation options. 

Speaking of, Two Point Museum still hums with the same sense of humour and levity that defined its sister titles. My favourite radio DJ from Two Point Hospital has been replaced with a stately and dry-witted announcer who is just as likely to remind people not to touch the exhibits as she is to inform them that if they’re bored, perhaps they’re just a bit shit. Character animations and art direction likewise fall neatly in line with the broader series and remain a highlight as you zoom in on any given corner of your museum and watch a worker clean tar off their boots or a customer ooh and ahh at the bundle of bones and plants you so proudly angled just right. 

So while Two Point Studios may be inadvertently turning me into my worst self, they’re also continuing to offer up one of gaming’s most approachable and engaging comfort foods. Although we’ll have to wait for the full release to see how far Expeditions go in shifting the Two Point formula, what’s on offer in Two Point Museum is already pointing toward a series that knows how and what to show off. Consider us buzzed. 

The post Two Point Museum Hands-On Preview – Ex(cellent)peditions appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been rumoured for sometime that Lenovo was working on a cheaper Lenovo Legion Go with non-removable controllers and the first photos have leaked courtesy of Windows Central.

It seems to be called the Lenovo Legion GO S and according to Videocardz, it will use the new Ryzen Z2 platform, which is expected to be less powerful than the Z1 Extreme but fairly comparable. It will drop the removable controllers, the kickstand and it will also come in white. The larger trackpad that featured on the Legion GO has also been replaced with a smaller little one on the Go S.

It’s expected to be quite a lot cheaper than the standard Legion Go at roughly $499 USD (~$750 AUD), and we’d expect it to be announced at CES at the start of January alongside a bunch of other Windows handhelds likely using the next chipset from AMD.

It’s very clear that these notebook companies are having a lot of success with these Windows Handhelds, as we already know that MSI is set to release its larger MSI Claw 8 AI+ early next year as well, and we’ll keep you posted on all of the announcements as they come out.

In my Lenovo Legion Go review, I really liked the device saying: “The Lenovo Legion Go is a great handheld that tries to do things differently and goes a long way in succeeding. It offers a huge amount of control options and has a fantastic display, and could be unstoppable with some minor software improvements.”

The post The First Lenovo Legion Go S Photos Have Leaked appeared first on Press Start.

It’s safe to say, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has had a real turbulent launch and right now continues to do so. The launch was literally unplayable with thousands of players keen to get hands-on the shiny new title which ultimately crashed the game’s servers in the first few days. If you were lucky to get in, the game would often hang, get stuck, not load and the user experience frustration grew.

The issues stem mostly from the fact that the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is being streamed directly to your platform rather than downloading a terabyte of plane and world data. Cloud gaming works but that doesn’t mean it’s bulletproof. There’s huge advantages with this method of delivery, especially coming from someone who had to endure massive patch downloads and long load times (sometimes 1-2 hours) from Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, so delivering a title like this where you can hop in within 5-10 minutes is a huge feat however the launch showed us the disadvantages.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of my review, I’m currently on gigabit internet so streaming 4K  isn’t a big issue for me. Quite in fact, having gigabit internet or higher in Australia has only really been a recent thing and not a lot of the population has access to fibre or even NBN. Having a title that relies heavily on cloud will shut a lot of players out, I just can’t imagine myself playing this on anything lower than my current download speed.

Once you get into the game, you’ll be greeted with a character creation screen, albeit not a fully fleshed out one but a welcome addition to creating your own pilot to take through the game and career mode creating an immersion into the world of flight sim. From there, you can take it to the skies.

There’s a few things MSFS2020 players will be accustomed to and that’s mostly the challenges and the world map. If you didn’t know already, Microsoft Flight Simulator allows you to drop a pin anywhere on the world map and you can start flying from that point taking the real-world sites backed by technologies such as Bing maps etc. You’ll see the roads in your neighbourhood and possibly your house; while not 1:1 – it’s sure damn close and a crazy feat in technology. People still get shocked when I show them this mode.

The career mode is the biggest selling point of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, you pick a starting airfield; literally any airfield in the world (personally I just picked somewhere down the road) and your pilot career starts from there as a company hires you. You’ll get a series of introductions in Career mode from basic takeoff and landing to more advanced scenarios before taking on more certifications which opens the doors to different career missions. Your life as a pilot is to complete the jobs to earn money and use that money to upskill your licence until you become a multi-class flyer.

Once you earn enough, you can even start your own aviation company which opens the doors to actually managing said company and maintaining your own fleet. This is probably the biggest step up and welcome addition to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 giving the title a sense of purpose rather than just flying around in all the different planes you can get your hands on. While I managed to dump a few hours into the career mode, the game’s bugs and server issues often barred my progress and also increased frustration when things didn’t load in properly, planes missing landing gear (yes it happened twice now) and controls just not responding. These are all bugs that CAN be fixed and once they are, I’ll be definitely sinking most of my playtime into this.

Behind the curtain both technological and visually, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 surpasses the expectation of the previous title. They took the core sim and not only managed to make it look better but overall bring extra life to the already amazing world map with added terrain, textures, effects and more. I was quite scared my PC wasn’t up for the leap from MSFS2020 but the team did a great job with performance in this iteration; quite possibly thanks to the cloud technology. The title performs well in 4K with my ‘starting to age’ RTX 3070 graphics card which was quite surprising. 

The little aspects of improvement like better lighting and minor things like debris effects especially landing airliners and seeing things like snow on the ground get kicked up, or watching a dust trail your plane as you glide down the runway; it’s the minor things that visually brings out the immersion of being in the real world.

Weird at first but Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 allows you to take a stroll on the ground with your aircraft. Yes, you can take to the land and explore the scenery around the environment but also find fauna and just take in the sights. Walking around the aircraft also allows you to perform pre-flight checks (just like real pilots) if you want to give that extra level of simulation.

While a technological marvel when it works, the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 user experience is far from ready and often smacks my face with a wall of frustration despite loving almost every bit of the new sim. Career mode seems to have a lot of issues when things often don’t load, and this is where my title kept freezing to the point my progress won’t even save anymore and I had to redo it over and over again. Sometimes bugs would happen in missions resulting in you failing it.

There’s also lots of controller issues with my playthrough where I spent half my time talking to other players and figuring out why Turtle Beach Flight Velocity HOTAS setup would often reset or simply won’t register half the time with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. I had several issues and each of them being unique which frustrated the experience even further. Weirdly, I had no issues with the setup in the previous title so I was hoping for a clean transition into this but that wasn’t the case.

At times, sticks would weirdly respond, thrusters wouldn’t register, brakes didn’t work all of a sudden etc. It was a wonky experience and the UI for setting up controllers and equipment is oddly way more frustrating than it should be. Sometimes the mouse would disappear and not register – it was unpleasantly annoying to stop mid flight to reset settings again.

There’s a path of redemption for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 however as most of the issues stem from cloud and lack of polish, I can see the greatness it possess and potentially can be that title we want in the near future however at the moment – if you do decide to jump into it, you may crash – literally. 

Conclusion

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is an incredible feat when you look behind at all the issues it currently has. It’s ambitious and quite possibly a leap in terms of simulations but your experience will often differ a lot depending on how lucky you are with the bugs and cloud streaming issues.

Positives

Incredible visuals and technology

World Simulator Tech

Faster loading without the update hassles

Career mode

Negatives

Constant stream issues, bugs and crashes

Input issues across flight sticks, controllers and mouse

Progress losses and set backs

The post Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review – Heavy Turbulence appeared first on Press Start.

Nintendo are slowly getting better at releasing old games on Nintendo Switch online, following Donkey Kong Land and it’s sequel dropping last week.

This week, Nintendo has announced that none other than TETRIS, as it appeared on the NES, will be coming to Nintendo Switch Online’s NES app on December 12th.

A puzzle classic returns!

Tetris® for NES comes to Nintendo Switch Online on 12/12! pic.twitter.com/TIhj7Uq2Mo

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 3, 2024

This was previously confirmed in Nintendo’s Partner Direct back in August, though a specific release date has not been known until now.

The NES version of Tetris is unique in that it was designed to end the game by becoming unplayably fast as time passes, though sweaty Tetris players eventually worked out a way to do so.

The resilience and tenacity of the human spirit endures.

The post Tetris NES Drops Its Blocks On Nintendo Switch Online Next Week appeared first on Press Start.

The post More Evidence Is Piling Up About A PlayStation Handheld Coming appeared first on Press Start.

Another week, another Switch 2 leak and this time it looks to be surrounding the consoles Joy-Con controllers.

In a video posted to the Chinese video-sharing website Bilibili, the new Switch Joy-Con are shown in greater detail.

BREAKING: Nintendo Switch 2 Joycons Allegedly Leaked ????

?? Larger SL/SR Buttons
?? New Pedal Back Button
?? Curved Design
?? Resembles September 2024 Leak
?? Pics from China Factory
?? Leaked on Bilibili pic.twitter.com/jv3LDBRu0r

— Deck Wizard (@deckwizardyt) December 2, 2024

While we can’t see much in the footage, which is quite low quality, the Joy-Con are shown to snap off rather than slide on, perhaps indicating that the new attachment will be done via magnets.

There’s not a whole lot more to be shown, but the video does show off IR Blasters on both Joy-Con, where the original Switch only had one. There also look to be extra triggers previously though it’s not clear if these are extra buttons, a release mechanism or a trigger for those playing with the Joy-Con horizontally.

While there have been many leaks about the Switch 2, especially a rather major one three months ago, the console has yet to be formally revealed, and no release date is known.

The post The Latest Nintendo Switch 2 Leak Looks At The New Larger Joy-Con In Greater Detail appeared first on Press Start.

Amazon has revealed the games that Prime members can download and keep at no extra cost for December.

Most of the games are given away as GOG codes, which give you a shiny, DRM-free copy of the game to play at your leisure.

If you’re not already a Prime subscriber, you can get 30 days free HERE.

Check out the games coming across a number of dates in December 2024 below.

All games are available as GOG codes unless otherwise specified. You can grab the games from HERE if any of them take your fancy.

Free Games With Prime December 2024

AVAILABLE NOW:

• Star Wars: Bounty Hunter
• Tomb Raider: Underworld
• Overcooked! 2
• Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
• DREDGE

December 5th 2024:

• Quake II
• Disney-Pixar’s WALL-E [Amazon Games App]

December 12th 2024:

• Planet of Lana
• Hero’s Hour
• The Coma: Recut
• Electrician Simulator [Epic Games Store]
• ReDrawn: The Painted Tower Collector’s Edition [Amazon Games App]

December 19th 2024:

• Nine Witches: Family Distruption [Amazon Games App]
• Predator: Hunting Grounds [Epic Game Store]
• Aces of the Luftwaffe – Squadron Extended Edition [Amazon Games App]
• Simlakros [Amazon Games App]
• Christmas Fables: The Magic Snowflake [Legacy Games Code]

December 26th 2024:

• The Town of Light

Don’t forget that if you want to grab any of these games, you can do so from HERE on the dates specified above.

The post There’s 18 Games Included Free With Amazon Prime Gaming In December appeared first on Press Start.

With only a few days to go, Bethesda and Xbox have released the final launch trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

The trailer features everything you’d come to expect from an Indiana Jones epic – guns, whips, Nazis and, of course, a giant boulder.

It’s looking better than I’d have ever thought it would, and you can check it out for yourself here:

With the release of the Launch Trailer, Bethesda and Xbox have also added a new dynamic theme for Xbox Series X|S players, depicting Indy as he appears in the box-art for The Great Circle. It’s available right now.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is out fo Xbox Series X|S and PC on December 9th 2024. If you pre-order the Deluxe, the game is available three days earlier.

The game is included with most tiers of Game Pass, and a PS5 version is coming sometime in 2026.

The post The Indiana Jones & The Great Circle Launch Trailer Brings A Great Sense Of Adventure appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about IO’s 007 project, but in the meantime, it looks as if a LEGO version of everyone’s favourite British spy was in production at some point.

The video, which @LEGOGameMuseum has posted to X (formerly known as Twitter), shows scenes from a wide variety of James Bond films rendered in the classic LEGO style.

While the game is no longer in production, people close to the project have confirmed that the video is real and began materialising towards the end of LEGO Dimension’s development period.

?BREAKING?: An unfinished trailer for a CANCELLED Lego game based on the 'James Bond' franchise has been leaked!

Source: https://t.co/OP9kAzM76y pic.twitter.com/8dSW8aQe2x

— Lost Media Busters (@LostMediaBuster) November 29, 2024

Some have theorised this could’ve eventually been turned into a Level Pack for LEGO Dimensions, while others think this could be a pitch of sorts to get the game entered into production by the license holders for James Bond.

Most sources seem to think this is the latter, however.

Despite the excitement around the project, it seems that the powers that be have decided not to move ahead with the project. Perhaps owing to the less family-friendly nature of the series, though I personally would have loved to see this happen.

While we’ve yet to see what the next LEGO game will be, the latest one, LEGO Horizon Adventures, has been a hit with younger audiences.

The post An Unfinished LEGO James Bond Video Game Trailer Has Leaked appeared first on Press Start.

We’re partnering with SteelSeries to celebrate the holidays with an epic 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.

For the next 12 days (weekdays only), you’ll be able to get a chance to win an epic prize pack containing a bunch of SteelSeries and KontrolFreek goodies as well as a bunch of other epic prizes (we’ve seen the list and there’s some epic prizes on the way).

STEELSERIES 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS – DAY ONE PRIZE:

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5
• KontrolFreek Joy-Con Splash Thumbsticks
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership for the Nintendo Switch

SteelSeries ANZ 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway 2024 ?

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. A NEW PRIZE WILL BE AVAILABLE EACH DAY SO BE SURE TO COME BACK.

You can shop the full SteelSeries range on Amazon HERE. 

The post WIN: Mario & Luigi Brothership, SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 & KontrolFreek Joy-Con Splash Thumbsticks appeared first on Press Start.

Activision has today announced that yet another Crash Bandicoot game will be making its way to Xbox Game Pass. This time it’s Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled which will be hitting Xbox Game Pass on December 5th.

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe this is one of the last Activision games to makes its way across to Xbox Game Pass joniing the likes of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

Start your engines and get ready to race in 3…2…1…

CRASH TEAM RACING NITRO-FUELED IS COMING TO @XboxGamePass DECEMBER 4! ?? ? pic.twitter.com/IdrFeWHabF

— Xbox (@Xbox) December 2, 2024

We gave the game an 8/10 in our original review and said: “This is the definitive Crash Team Racing experience. Nitro-Fueled is everything I hoped it would be, a faithful recreation of the classic game with added flair and personality. A lack of custom race settings and some superficial gripes are not enough to dissuade me that this is among the best kart racers available. Crash is absolutely back, baby!”

The post Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has kicked off the official week of PlayStation’s proper 30th anniversary with a huge console update that brings some iconic goodies to the PS5 for a limited time only.

Once you restart your PS5, you’ll be greeted with the iconic PlayStation 1 boot screen in glorious 4K. You’ll then be taken through a little tutorial that tells you that you can change themes based on all four classic PlayStation consoles and a special 30th anniversary theme.

Each of the console generations have their own unique backgrounds with nods to that console as well as the original sounds that the console had, which is a super nice touch.

The bad news is that these things will only be available for a limited time, so definitely get to your PS5 and enjoy them before they disappear, as it’s a super cool touch.

@shannongrixti

The original PS1 boot screen has arrived on the PS5 #PS1 #PS5 #PlayStation5 #PlayStation #PlayStation30thAnniversary #Tech #Gaming #PlayStation1

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

If that wasn’t enough, PlayStation has also dropped a 30th Anniversary montage with some iconic moments throughout PlayStation’s history and I highly recommend watching that below.

The post The PS5 Just Got The PS1 Boot Screen And Classic Console Themes For A Limited Time appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been happily using a Sonos Arc and Sonos Sub for 3-4 years and wondered how Sonos would better on this combo, and it has done just that with the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sonos Sub 4. For those that already own the older counterparts, it won’t be a world-changing difference, but what Sonos manages to get out of both of these devices make it more than worth it for those jumping into the high-end for the first time.

As far as the design goes, there’s some subtle differences that make a fairly big difference. For the Arc Ultra, it’s now slightly longer, but Sonos has made the height and depth smaller so it will fit under more TVs. It’s also lighter which won’t really affect too many people once it’s on your unit. There’s a new back lip that houses all the controls including a new touch sensitive volume scroller like we’ve seen on all the more recently released Sonos devices.

It’s also got a new matte design which matches that of the Sonos Sub 4 which is hugely improved in my opinion. Whilst I really liked the piano black nature of the Sonos Sub 3, it attracted dust and it also did stand out, so the newer matte finish is much appreciated and much more premium.

Just like with any other Sonos speaker that has released in the last 12-24 months, the Arc Ultra has Bluetooth support, which is great for connecting vinyl players and other devices that can’t plug into your home network.

Probably the most disappointing thing when it comes to the Arc Ultra design is that it still only has the one HDMI port which is used to plug into your TV. I understand this probably won’t affect a lot of people, but given the soundbar takes up a HDMI port, I’d really love at least one (if not true) pass through HDMI ports given this is an $1,800 soundbar.

Really, the biggest difference in the Arc Ultra comes in the internals. Compared to the 11 drivers in the original Arc that results in a 5.0.2 setup, the Arc Ultra has 14 speaker drivers which results in a 9.1.4 channel configuration, with the biggest difference coming in the way of the new woofer which Sonos refers to as Sound Motion technology.

I don’t want to get too technical but this technology that Sonos acquired uses four smaller motors in opposing corners of the channel as opposed to one larger heavy motor which enhances bass and makes it much clearer without needing the actual speaker to be larger.

This results in a sound that obviously isn’t as good as using a soundbar with the Sonos Sub, but it’s really damn close and for the first time, I’d go as far as saying that unless you’re somebody that watches movies 24/7 and really into a deep bass, you’ll be more than fine with the Arc Ultra. I had a real hard time noticing the difference with and without which is a great compliment to the Arc Ultra.

This is the case both for music and movies where there’s a great amount of bass even without the soundbar, and music sounds absolutely fantastic using the Sonos Arc Ultra, with a great amount of balance and clarity in the voice, yet a good amount of oomph behind the beats as well.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $1,799 AUD WITH FREE SHIPPING

Another big improvement comes in the way of an improved centre channel that helps with dialogue crispness. We’ve all been there when it comes to watching a movie and not being able to hear the dialogue, but then turning it up results in action noises being too loud, and that’s why this is such a big improvement. If it’s still not clear enough for you, there’s now two levels of Speech Enhancement within the Sonos app as well.

There’s also been improvements to Dolby Atmos given the improvements in channels, and I think this is probably going to be most noticeable to those who don’t have rears (or Sonos Era 300s) at the very least. It just speaks to how good this soundbar is on its own once again.

When it comes to TruePlay, Sonos’ software that allows you to get the most out of your speaker based on your room, there’s two ways to calibrate on the Arc Ultra. There’s an advanced option which lets you use your Android/iOS device to walk around the room and calibrate, of a quick tuning option that will automatically use the microphones to automatically adjust itself.

When it comes to the Sonos Sub 4, you’re not going to need to upgrade from the Sub 3, unless you’re absolutely desperate for the matte finish (which I’d actually understand) and want a lighter sub. I’d still probably recommend it if you’re investing in the Sonos Arc Ultra, but if you’ve already got one, I’d stick with that.

Sonos has had a bit of a rocky year with its new app, which is mostly fixed now and gave me zero troubles over the last month or so testing out the Sonos Arc Ultra, and it feels like it’s absolutely back with the Sonos Arc Ultra, which will blow people away, especially if they’ve not had a Sonos Arc before.

Conclusion

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a very significant jump over its younger sibling. It's smaller yet adds a significant amount of bass and much more clarity to dialogue.

Positives

Fantastic Bass

Improved Dialogue Clarity

Smaller Improved Design

Added Bluetooth Connectivity

Negatives

No HDMI Passthrough Port

The Cheapest Price

$1,799 From Sonos

The post Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar & Sub 4 Review – Bigger And Clearer Sound appeared first on Press Start.

Ahead of launch later this week, five new heroes have been revealed for Marvel Rivals. This includes Wolverine, Black Widow, Cloak & Dagger, Iron Fist and Squirrel Girl who will be fully detailed through the week in the lead-up to launch.

A new map in Klyntar: Symbiotic Surface was also announced which is based around the Symbiote and heavily features Venom. You can watch the new heroes and the new map over on the launch trailer below.

MARVEL RIVALS AUSTRALIAN LAUNCH TIMES

Marvels Rivals is set to launch at 11:00am AEDT on Friday, December 6th for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam/Epic Games Store). It’s totally free-to-play and includes cross-play across all platforms as well.

The post 5 New Marvel Rivals Heroes Have Been Announced Ahead Of Launch This Week appeared first on Press Start.

Nintendo had previously announced that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp would wrap up on November 28th, but it has now confirmed that the game will live on as a paid version of that game that comes with everyone that was available as paid add-ons as well as some new features.

The game is out now (a full day early) is available for $9.99 AUD which will go up to $19.99 on January 31st. You can download it at the below links:

• App Store
• Google Play

If you’ve already played the free version of the game, you will be able to transfer your save across, but the below features will no longer go over to the paid version of the game:

• Leaf Tickets
• Pocket Camp Club
• Existing Online Play with friends

There will be a bunch of new features in the Complete versions such as the below:

• Camper Cards to share with your friends
• A new location called Whistle Pass where you can view your friends
• Complete Item Catalogue
• Leaf Tokens
• Merry Memories Plan
• Happy Helper Plan
• Furniture and Fashion Plan
• New events and items

For those who are concerned about losing data or want to know more about the new version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp you can head to the FAQ website HERE, but basically you’ve got until June 2nd, 2025 to transfer your data across.

The post Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete Has Dropped A Day Early With A Cheaper Launch Price appeared first on Press Start.

Telstra has today announced that it has acquired one of the most popular Telco brands, Boost Mobile.

Boost Mobile has grown in popularity over the years for its fantastic value for money plans that benefit from already being on the Telstra network, and Telstra has gone on the record to say it doesn’t plan to change these (in the near future at least). If you’re a current Boost customers, you don’t need to do anything as it’s likely nothing will change for the moment.

“We know Boost branded products are a fantastic option for those seeking more affordable mobile connectivity and we are committed to providing that choice in the market” said Brad Whitcomb, Telstra consumer Group Executive.

“Telstra has been an incredible partner to the Boost mobile family and, more importantly, to our customers – for more than 13 years. This acquisition of Boost is the natural evolution of the brand, and I am excited to see how the brand will continue to grow under Telstra’s ownership. The team at Boost are the best in the business and I wish them all well on the next part of Boost Mobile’s journey” said Boost Founder/Chairman Peter Adderton.

There’s some different reports out in market for costs of acquisition with the price of 100-200m being quoted.

Whist this is a big deal, and not likely the last acquisition Telstra will make in the space, Telstra was already responsible for the operational side of Boost, whilst Boost was responsible for the branding and marketing, so hopefully we don’t see too much of a change there as Boost has been positioned out in market very differently to Telstra, mostly targeting the youth of Australia.

The post Telstra Has Acquired Boost Mobile appeared first on Press Start.

8BitDo has announced the latest mechanical keyboard in its classics range following the release of the Famicon and Genesis models, and this time, the OG Xbox gets the keyboard/mouse treatment.

Both the keyboard and mouse have that translucent green goodness, and for the first time, they have RGB backlighting to shine through the clear keys. Just like the other models, it also comes with two super buttons (no software needed) which allow you to set hotkeys easily.

There’s also a dedicated integrated Xbox button that not only lights up, but allows you to quickly activate Windows Game Bar and coloured arrow buttons to match the original Xbox controller.

As far as the mouse goes, it has a charging dock so that you can keep it charged at all times, customiseable side buttons which are inspired by the original Xbox controller, compatibility for left/right hand and three connection modes (wired, bluetooth, dongle).

Both of these products will launch at the start of January for $119.99 USD (~$184 AUD) for the keyboard and $59.99 USD (~$94 AUD) for the mouse. We’ll keep you posted on Australian information once we have it.

The post 8BitDo’s OG Xbox Inspired Keyboard And Mouse Are Absolutely Stunning appeared first on Press Start.

We’re partnering with SteelSeries to celebrate the holidays with an epic 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.

For the next 12 days (weekdays only), you’ll be able to get a chance to win an epic prize pack containing a bunch of SteelSeries and KontrolFreek goodies as well as a bunch of other epic prizes (we’ve seen the list and there’s some epic prizes on the way).

STEELSERIES 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS – DAY ONE PRIZE:

• 1 x SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
• 1 x KontrolFreek Galaxy Thumbsticks
• 1 x Astrobot PS5 Physical Copy

SteelSeries ANZ 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway 2024 ?

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. A NEW PRIZE WILL BE AVAILABLE EACH DAY SO BE SURE TO COME BACK.

You can shop the full SteelSeries range on Amazon HERE. 

The post WIN: SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, KontrolFreek Galaxy Thumbsticks & Astro Bot appeared first on Press Start.

The official PlayStation 30th anniversary is this week and PlayStation has announced a PlayStation Store sale with a bunch of games to help celebrate three decades of PlayStation.

The sale has just kicked off and will last until December 21st. Because it’s just gone live, we don’t have a list of prices yet, but if you go to the PlayStation Store and visit for the listing for any of the below games, you’ll see the new prices.

Looking at the list, the sale doesn’t exactly scream 30th Anniversary with not a lot of retro games/PlayStation classics included. The original Ape Escape is down to $10.46 though, which is 30% off, so I highly recommend playing that if you haven’t already. 

There’s obviously a lot of newer PlaySTation games such as God of War, Horizon Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7 on the list. Gran Turismo is 58% off along with The Last Of Us Part 1 and Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy is 60% off.

PLAYSTATION STORE 30TH ANNIVERSARY GAME DEALS

• #BLUD
• A Hat in Time
• A Little to the Left
• A Plague Tale Bundle
• A Way Out
• ABZÛ
• ACE COMBAT7: SKIES UNKNOWN – TOP GUN: Maverick Edition
• Alaskan Road Truckers: Highway Edition
• Alien: Isolation
• Among The Sleep – Enhanced Edition
• Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
• ANIMAL WELL
• Anno 1800 Console Edition – Deluxe
• Anthem: Legion of Dawn Edition
• Ape Escape
• Arcade Paradise VR
• Assassin’s Creed III: Remastered
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Deluxe
• Assassin’s Creed® Freedom Cry
• Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag
• Assassin’s Creed® Mirage Deluxe Edition
• Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey
• Assassin’s Creed® Origins Deluxe Edition
• Assassin’s Creed® Syndicate – Season Pass
• Assassin’s Creed® Unity
• Assetto Corsa
• Assetto Corsa Competizione – 2024 Pack
• Asterix & Obelix XXL3: The Crystal Menhir
• ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission
• Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack
• Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack
• ATOM RPG
• Attack on Titan
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Gold Edition
• Back 4 Blood: Deluxe Edition
• Batman: The Enemy Within – Season Pass
• Batman: The Telltale Series – Season Pass
• Battlefield 4
• Battlefield 1 Revolution
• Battlefield Hardline Standard Edition
• Bayonetta
• Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions
• BioShock 2 Remastered
• BioShock Remastered
• Black Desert: Traveler Edition
• Blair Witch Deluxe Edition
• Blair Witch VR Deluxe Edition
• Blasphemous 2
• Bloodborne: Game of the Year Edition
• Bloons TD 5
• BLUE REFLECTION
• B?: Path of the Teal Lotus
• Borderlands Legendary Collection
• Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
• Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged
• Broken Sword 5 – the Serpent’s Curse
• Bugsnax
• Builder Simulator
• Bulletstorm VR
• Bum Simulator
• Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop
• C-Smash VRS New Dimension
• Call of Cthulhu®
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War – Cross-Gen Bundle
• Call of Duty®: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Edition
• Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II – Cross-Gen Bundle
• Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III – Cross-Gen Bundle
• Call of the Wild: The Angler
• Car Mechanic Simulator
• Car Mechanic Simulator 2021
• Carnival Games®
• Cars 3: Driven to Win
• Cartel Tycoon
• Castlevania Anniversary Collection
• Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood
• Cat Quest
• Chained Climb Together
• Chained Echoes
• Chants of Sennaar
• Cities: Skylines – Mayor’s Edition
• ClusterTruck
• Commandos 3 – HD Remaster
• Company of Heroes 3
• Control: Ultimate Edition
• Crash Bandicoot Bundle – N. Sane Trilogy + CTR Nitro-Fueled
• Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
• Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
• Crown Wars: The Black Prince
• Crysis Remastered Trilogy
• Cult of the Lamb: Cultist Edition
• Dark Light
• Darkest Dungeon®
• Darksiders Genesis
• Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
• Darksiders III
• Darksiders Warmastered Edition
• Darksiders: Fury’s Collection – War and Death
• Darkwood – Special Edition
• Days Gone
• Dead Cells
• Dead Island 2 Ultimate Edition
• DEAD OR ALIVE 5 Last Round
• Dead Space Digital Deluxe Edition
• DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT
• Death’s Gambit: Afterlife
• Deathbound
• Demon’s Souls Digital Deluxe Edition
• Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed: Single Player
• Detroit: Become Human Digital Deluxe Edition
• Diablo III: Eternal Collection
• Diablo® Prime Evil Collection
• DIRT 5
• DISSIDIA® FINAL FANTASY® NT Digital Deluxe Edition
• DMC4SE Demon Hunter Bundle
• Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!
• DOOM
• DOOM + DOOM II
• DOOM 64
• DRAGON BALL FighterZ – FighterZ Edition
• DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 Special Edition
• DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT Deluxe Edition
• DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
• Dragon’s Crown Pro
• Dreams
• DREDGE
• DRIFTCE
• Drums Rock
• Dying Light
• EA SPORTS FC 25 Ultimate Edition
• EA SPORTS College Football 25 – Deluxe Edition
• EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25 Deluxe Edition
• EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Deluxe Edition
• ELEX
• Elite Dangerous
• Enotria: The Last Song Standard Edition
• Espresso Tycoon
• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game – Year 1 Edition ()
• F1® 24 Champions Edition
• F1® Manager 2024
• Far Cry® 4 Gold Edition
• Far Cry® 6 Deluxe Edition
• Far Cry® Primal
• Farmer’s Dynasty
• FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES Remastered Edition
• FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD
• FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered
• FINAL FANTASY® IX Digital Edition
• FINAL FANTASY® VII
• Firefighting Simulator – The Squad
• Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach
• Flintlock – Deluxe Edition
• FOR HONOR – Gold Edition
• Freddi Fish Collection
• Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator
• Frontier hunter – Deluxe Edition
• Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune
• Funko Fusion + Bob Ross Bundle
• Fusion Bundle
• Gangs of Sherwood – Lionheart Edition
• Garten of Banban 4
• Gauntlet: Slayer Edition
• Generation Zero®
• Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR’S CUT
• Ghostrunner 2 Deluxe Edition
• Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection
• GOD EATER 2: Rage Burst
• God of War
• Gone Home: Console Edition
• Gotham Knights: Deluxe
• Gran Turismo® 7
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Graveyard Keeper
• Gravity Rush 2
• Grow: Song of the Evertree
• Hairdresser Simulator
• Handball 21
• Hardspace: Shipbreaker
• Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions
• Heavy Rain
• Hello Neighbor
• Hello Neighbor 2
• HITMAN World of Assassination
• Hogwarts Legacy: Digital Deluxe Edition
• Homefront®: The Revolution ‘Freedom Fighter’ Bundle
• Horizon Call of the Mountain
• Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition
• HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED
• House Flipper
• House Flipper 2
• House of Golf 2
• Humongous Classic Collection
• Hunt: Showdown 1896
• Hunting Simulator 2
• IMMORTALS FENYX RISING
• INDIGO PROPHECY
• inFAMOUS First Light
• Injustice 2 – Legendary Edition
• Jak and Daxter Bundle
• Judgment
• Jurassic World Evolution
• Jurassic World Evolution 2: Deluxe Edition
• Just Cause 3: XXL Edition
• Just Cause 4 – Gold Edition
• Just Die Already
• Kao the Kangaroo
• Kayak VR: Mirage
• Kayak VR: Mirage + So?a Valley
• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
• Kerbal Space Program Enhanced Edition
• Kill It With Fire
• Killing Floor 2
• Killing Floor: Double Feature
• KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL
• King Arthur: Knight’s Tale
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance Royal Edition
• KINGDOM HEARTS III
• Kingdom Two Crowns
• Knack 2
• Lawn Mowing Simulator
• Legendary Tales
• LEGO® Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Deluxe Edition
• LEGO® DC Super-Villains Deluxe Edition
• LEGO® Harry Potter Collection
• LEGO® Marvel Collection
• LEGO® Marvel’s Avengers
• LEGO® Star Wars:The Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition
• LEGO® Worlds
• Liftoff: Drone Racing
• Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Ultimate Edition
• Like a Dragon: Ishin!
• Little Goody Two Shoes
• Little Nightmares Complete Edition
• Little Nightmares I & II Bundle
• LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOP
• Lords of the Fallen
• Lovecraftian Bundle
• Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite – Standard Edition
• Marvel’s Midnight Suns Digital+ Edition
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition
• Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
• Mass Effect: Andromeda – Standard Recruit Edition
• Max Mustard
• METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
• Metro 2033 Redux
• Metro: Last Light Redux
• Miasma Chronicles
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War
• Monopoly Family Fun Pack
• Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Deluxe
• Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition Digital Deluxe
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
• Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate + Injustice 2 Leg. Edition Bundle
• Mortal Kombat XL
• MotoGP22
• MudRunner
• MX vs ATV Legends
• MY HERO ONE’S JUSTICE 2
• NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja® STORM 4 ROAD TO BORUTO
• NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS
• NBA 2K Playgrounds 2
• Need for Speed
• Need for Speed Heat Deluxe Edition
• Need for Speed Payback – Deluxe Edition
• Need for Speed Rivals
• Need for Speed Unbound Palace Edition
• NEO: The World Ends with You
• Nexomon + Nexomon: Extinction – Complete Collection
• Nexomon: Extinction
• NHL® 25 Deluxe Edition
• Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix
• Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition
• Octodad: Dadliest Catch
• Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (PS1 Emulation)
• Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD
• Offroad Mechanic Simulator
• Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game
• ONE PIECE BURNING BLOOD – Gold Edition
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
• ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 Ultimate Edition
• ONE PIECE: Unlimited World Red Deluxe Edition
• ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS Deluxe Edition
• Onimusha: Warlords
• Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR
• Outlast Whistleblower
• Outlast: Bundle of Terror
• Outlast: Trinity
• Overcooked! + Overcooked! 2
• Overpass
• Overpass 2 – Deluxe Edition
• Paint the Town Red
• Paint the Town Red VR
• PAYDAY 2: CRIMEWAVE EDITION
• Payday 3: Chapter 1 – Syntax Error
• PAYDAY 3: Chapter 3 – Houston Breakout
• PBA Pro Bowling 2023
• Penny’s Big Breakaway
• Persona 4 Golden
• Persona 5
• Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection
• Persona®5 Strikers
• PGA TOUR 2K23 Deluxe Edition
• Planet Coaster: Premium Edition
• Planet Zoo
• Police Simulator: Patrol Officers
• Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid
• Prey: Digital Deluxe Edition
• Prison Simulator
• QUANTUM ERROR
• Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Digital Deluxe Edition
• Red Dead Redemption & Red Dead Redemption 2 Bundle
• Red Dead Redemption 2: Ultimate Edition
• Returnal
• RIDE 3
• Riders Republic 360 Edition
• Road 96
• Rust Console Edition – Ultimate
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure
• Saints Row Gold Edition
• Saints Row IV Re-Elected
• Sakura Wars Digital Deluxe Edition
• Salt and Sanctuary
• SAMURAI WARRIORS 4
• SAMURAI WARRIORS 4 Empires
• SAND LAND
• SCHiM
• Secret Neighbor
• Secret of Mana
• Session: Skate Sim Year One Complete Edition
• Shadow Man Remastered
• SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
• Sherlock Holmes Essential Bundle
• Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments
• Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter
• Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
• Ship of Fools
• Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI Platinum Edition
• Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition
• SMITE Deluxe Legacy Pass
• Sniper Elite 4
• Sniper Elite 5 Complete Edition
• Sniper Elite V2 Remastered
• Sniper Elite VR
• SnowRunner – 1-Year Anniversary Edition
• Sonic Colors: Ultimate – Digital Deluxe
• Sonic Origins
• South Park: The Video Game Collection
• South Park: The Fractured but Whole
• Space Engineers
• SpeedRunners
• Spelunky 2
• Spike Volleyball
• Spiritfarer®: Farewell Edition
• Star Ocean®: The Last Hope – 4K and Full HD Remaster
• Star Trek: Resurgence
• STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor Deluxe Edition
• STAR WARS Jedi Cross-Gen Bundle Edition
• Steelrising – Bastille Edition
• Stellaris: Console Edition – Deluxe Edition
• Still Wakes the Deep
• Stilt
• Stranded: Alien Dawn
• SUCCUBUS
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – Digital Deluxe Edition
• Supermarket Simulation Grocery Empire 3D
• SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET
• Tales from the Borderlands
• Tales of Arise
• Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator
• TCG Empire: Card Shop Simulator
• TEKKEN 7 – Originals Edition
• TEKKEN 8 Deluxe Edition
• Terraria
• The Chant
• The Crew Motorfest Deluxe Edition
• The Dark Pictures Anthology : Season One
• The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
• The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan
• The Disney Afternoon Collection
• The Escapists
• The Escapists + The Escapists: The Walking Dead Collection
• The Escapists 2
• The Evil Within
• The Game of Life 2
• The Inquisitor
• The Jackbox Party Pack 10
• The Jackbox Party Pack Trilogy
• The Jackbox Party Quintpack
• The Jackbox Quintpack 2.0
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’98 ULTIMATE MATCH FINAL EDITION
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2002 UNLIMITED MATCH
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII GLOBAL MATCH
• THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Deluxe Edition
• The Last of Us Part II
• The Last of Us Part I
• The Last Of Us Remastered
• The Legend of Dragoon
• The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame
• The Outer Worlds: Board-Approved Bundle
• The Persona Collection
• The Quarry – Deluxe Edition
• The Settlers: New Allies Deluxe Edition
• The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
• The Testament of Sherlock Holmes
• The Ultimate Sonic Bundle
• The Walking Dead Onslaught
• The Walking Dead: The Final Season – Season Pass
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• theHunter: Call of the Wild
• Thief
• Thief Simulator
• Thief Simulator VR: Greenview Street
• Thymesia
• Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure
• Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: Next-Level Edition
• Titan Quest
• Titanfall® 2: Ultimate Edition
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Breakpoint
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands Standard Edition
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege Deluxe Edition
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
• Tomb Raider: Legend
• Tombi! Special Edition
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 – Cross-Gen Deluxe Bundle
• Tour de France 2024
• Train Sim World® 5: Special Edition
• Trepang2 – Digital Deluxe Edition
• Tropico 6 El Prez Edition
• Truck Driver
• TT Isle Of Man: Ride on the Edge 3
• TUNIC
• Twisted Metal: Black
• Two Point Hospital: JUMBO Edition
• UFC® 5 Deluxe Edition
• Ultrawings 2
• UNCHARTED: Legacy of Thieves Collection
• UNCHARTED The Nathan Drake Collection
• Undisputed WBC Edition
• Unicorn Overlord
• Unravel
• Unravel Two
• V Rising
• V-Rally 4
• Valiant Hearts: Coming Home
• Valiant Hearts: The Collection
• Vampyr
• Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
• Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr | Imperium edition
• Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Gold Edition
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
• Warhammer: Vermintide 2
• WARRIORS OROCHI 3 Ultimate
• Wasteland 3 Colorado Collection
• Watch Dogs 2
• Way of the Hunter
• Wild Bastards
• WILD HEARTS Standard Edition
• WipEout Omega Collection
• Wired VR Bundle
• WitchSpring R
• Wizard of Legend
• Wizard with a Gun
• Wobbledogs Console Edition
• Wolfenstein: Alt History Collection
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood
• World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing 24
• WRC 10 – Deluxe Edition
• WRC Generations – Fully Loaded Edition
• Wreckfest – Complete Edition
• WW2 Rebuilder
• WWE 2K Battlegrounds
• WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition
• XCOM® 2 Collection
• Yakuza 3 Remastered
• Yakuza 4 Remastered
• Yakuza 5 Remastered
• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
• Yakuza Kiwami
• Yakuza Kiwami 2
• Yakuza Zero
• Yooka-Laylee
• Zombie Army Trilogy

The post The PlayStation Store’s 30th Anniversary Sale Has Just Kicked Off With A Heap Of Game Deals appeared first on Press Start.

We’ve partnered with Bethesda Australia to give away 25 double passes to attend an extremely special Indiana Jones and The Great Circle launch event in Sydney.

The event will be taking place on Tuesday, December 10th from 6pm AEDT in Chippendale, Sydney to celebrate the launch of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

WIN: Tickets To Bethesda Launch Event

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. THIS COMPETITION WILL END ON DECEMBER 2ND AT 11:59PM AEDT. TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is launching on Xbox Series X|S and PC on December 6th and will also be available on Xbox Game Pass.

The post WIN: Tickets To The Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Launch Event In Sydney appeared first on Press Start.

The MSI Claw is going for an extremely cheap price at Centrecom at the moment making it one of the cheapest Windows 11 PC handhelds that we’ve seen so far (even cheaper than the ASUS ROG Ally deal).

Using code BFCLAW50 you can get it for the below prices:

• MSI Claw Ultra 5 512GB – $549 delivered
• MSI Claw Ultra 7 512GB – $609 delivered 
• MSI Claw Ultra 7 1TB – $649 delivered 

This is well below 50% off for all three models, which makes it a fantastic deal for anything from playing AAA games to emulation. You’ll struggle to find a better value for money product on the market.

The MSI Claw features a 7-inch 1080p 120hz touchscreen display, and it has a 53Whr battery which is said to delivery a two hour battery life with a full workload. It will also incorporate MSI Cooler Boost technology with dual fans and heat pipes to dissipate heat.

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A post shared by Shannon Grixti (@shannongrixti)

The device will comes with MSI Center M UI which has quick settings, a game launcher and instant platform access and will support the MSI App player to play both Windows and Android games.

The biggest difference between the MSI Claw and the ASUS ROG Ally is the ergonomics which is fitting given the name of the MSI Claw. It has a lot more curvier grips which should make it easier to hold.

Thanks, OzBargain.

The post The MSI Claw Is Going For An Absolutely Crazy Cheap Price appeared first on Press Start.

Season’s greetings, the holidays are finally upon us.

Of course, for us Australians, that means crushing heat and a frantic rush to buy Christmas gifts, but it also means we can take refuge inside and play a few games while sitting underneath the air conditioner.

It’s also a good opportunity to get through your backlog before Grandma, with misguided love in her heart, gifts you a monstrously discounted copy of Gollum, leaving you to smile and nod like Bart receiving Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge.

But I digress, here are the games we can look forward to in December.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle

Release Date: December 9

Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered

Release Date: December 10

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Marvel Rivals

Release Date: December 6

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Nikoderiko: The Magical World

Release Date: December 6

Platforms: PC

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind

Release Date: December 10

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP

Release Date: December 2

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Complete

Release Date: December 3

Platforms: iOS, Android

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

Release Date: December 3

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer

Release Date: December 5

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Cheapest Price: Amazon – $64 (free delivery)

Resident Evil 2

Release Date: December 10

Platforms: Mac, iOS

The Finals

Release Date: December 12

Platforms: PlayStation 4

On Your Tail

Release Date: December 17

Platforms: PC

Botany Manor

Release Date: December 17

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

The post Games Coming Out In December 2024 That You Should Be Excited For appeared first on Press Start.

Black Friday has officially kicked off today (even though it’s been going for a few weeks), and some new deals have arrived for the likes of the PlayStation Portal and it’s very fantastic charging dock.

The PlayStation Portal is down to $299 which is $30 off and just got an update that makes the connection with your PS5 a lot stronger.

• PlayStation Portal – $299 ($30 off)

I also highly recommend the PlayStation Portal Venom Charging Dock which is down to $31 ($29 off). This connects to your PS5 (or any other USB-C charger) and keeps the Portal charged at all times.

• PlayStation Potral Venom Charging Dock – $31 

@shannongrixti

The PlayStation Portal finally has a decent charging dock #PlayStationPortal #PS5 #PlayStation #PlayStation5 #PSPortal #RemotePlay #Tech #Gaming

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

OTHER AMAZON DEALS

• 5% off Xbox Gift Cards
• Spend $200 and get $10 back using code GCBFS10

HARDWARE

• PlayStation Portal – $299
• PlayStation VR2 with Horizon Call of the Mountain – $579
• PlayStation VR2 – $549
• PlayStation Pulse Explore Earbuds – $258 
• Asus Rog Ally – $722 
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – $479 
• Anker 737 Power Bank – $149 
• PS5 Slim – $629
• PS5 Slim Digital – $529
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless – $182
• Meta Quest 3 512GB with free Batman Arkham Shadow – $799
• Meta Quest 3S 128GB with free Batman Arkham Shadow – $499
• WD Black 2TB PS5 SSD – $242
• WD Black 1TB Xbox Series X SSD – $208

GAMES

• FC25 – $49
• Nintendo Switch Sports – $54
• Zelda Echoes of WIsdom – $64
• Spider-Man Miles Morales – $38 
• Super Mario Wonder – $59 
• Stellar Blade – $79
• Hogwarts Legacy – $48
• Horizon Forbidden West – $49
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard – $69 
• Star WArs Jedi Survivor – $39
• NBA 2k25 – $44
• Sonic Superstars – $38
• Star WArs Outlaws – $59
• Elden Ring – $57 
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage – $27 
• Metaphor Refantazio – $69 

CONTROLLERS

DualSense Controllers

• DualSense Edge – $288 
• Volcanic Red – 84
• Chroma Indigo – $84 
• Cosmic Red – $84 
• Camo Grey – $84 
• Chroma Pearl – $84 
• Sterling Silver – $84 

Xbox Controllers

• Robot White – $59 
• Astral Purple – $68 
• Carbon Black – $64
• Deep Pink – $68 
• Electric Volt – $68
• Pulse Red – $68
• Shock Blue – $68
• Velocity Green – $68

Nintendo Switch Controllers

• Pastel Pink/Pastel Yellow Joy-Con – $99
• Neon Green/Neon Pink – $99
• Neon Purple/Neon Orange – $95
• Neon Red/Neon Blue – $95
• Pastel Purple/Pastel Green – $99
• Nintendo Switch Pro Controller – $79

The post The PlayStation Portal And This Incredible Charging Dock Are Both Discounted On Amazon appeared first on Press Start.

Amazon’s Black Friday sale has now kicked off in full force and there’s a bunch of great games on hardware and accessories well below what we’ve seen before.

You can shop all the best deals HERE we’ve rounded up the best deals below as well:

• 5% off Xbox Gift Cards
• Spend $200 and get $10 back using code GCBFS10

HARDWARE

• PlayStation Portal – $299
• PlayStation VR2 with Horizon Call of the Mountain – $579
• PlayStation VR2 – $549
• PlayStation Pulse Explore Earbuds – $258 
• Asus Rog Ally – $722 
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – $479 
• Anker 737 Power Bank – $149 
• PS5 Slim – $629
• PS5 Slim Digital – $529
• PowerA DualSense Charging Station – $29
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless – $182
• Meta Quest 3 512GB with free Batman Arkham Shadow – $799
• Meta Quest 3S 128GB with free Batman Arkham Shadow – $499
• WD Black 2TB PS5 SSD – $242
• WD Black 1TB Xbox Series X SSD – $208

GAMES

• FC25 – $49
• Nintendo Switch Sports – $54
• Zelda Echoes of WIsdom – $64
• Spider-Man Miles Morales – $38 
• Super Mario Wonder – $59 
• Stellar Blade – $79
• Hogwarts Legacy – $48
• Horizon Forbidden West – $49
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard – $69 
• Star WArs Jedi Survivor – $39
• NBA 2k25 – $44
• Sonic Superstars – $38
• Star WArs Outlaws – $59
• Elden Ring – $57 
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage – $27 
• Metaphor Refantazio – $69 

CONTROLLERS

DualSense Controllers

• DualSense Edge – $288 
• Volcanic Red – 84
• Chroma Indigo – $84 
• Cosmic Red – $84 
• Camo Grey – $84 
• Chroma Pearl – $84 
• Sterling Silver – $84 

Xbox Controllers

• Robot White – $59 
• Astral Purple – $68 
• Carbon Black – $64
• Deep Pink – $68 
• Electric Volt – $68
• Pulse Red – $68
• Shock Blue – $68
• Velocity Green – $68
• PowerA Wired Xbox COntroller – $44

Nintendo Switch Controllers

• Pastel Pink/Pastel Yellow Joy-Con – $99
• Neon Green/Neon Pink – $99
• Neon Purple/Neon Orange – $95
• Neon Red/Neon Blue – $95
• Pastel Purple/Pastel Green – $99
• Nintendo Switch Pro Controller – $79
• PowerA Wireless Controller – $70
• PowerA Fortnite Peely Wireless Controller – $58
• PowerA Wired Pikachu Controller – $45

The post Amazon’s Black Friday Sale Is Now Live And Here’s The Best Gaming Deals appeared first on Press Start.

We can reveal eBay’s next wave of Black Friday deals and just like last week’s extremely cheap PS5 deal, this time they’re bringing the heat with an extremely cheap Nintendo Switch deal, a great deal on the new Mac Mini and a bunch of other great deals too.

These will all be live at 10:00am on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th and you’ll be able to access them at the eBay hub HERE. 

The highlight is without doubt the Nintendo Switch OLED + Super Mario Wonder bundle which will be down to $360 for 400 lucky people on Friday morning at 10am. You’ll be able to grab it HERE.

If you need a 30 day free trial to eBay Plus to access these deals, you can grab one right HERE.

FRIDAY 29TH OF NOVEMBER AT 10:00AM

• Nintendo Switch OLED Model White with Super Mario Bros. Wonder – $360 (34% off) – 400 available
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular 49mm Titanium Case with Blue Alpine Loop – $1,099 (21% off) – 50 available
• Dyson Airwrap Long Edition styler and dryer (Blue/Copper) – $449 (47% off) – 150 available 
• Kids Electric Inspired Ride-On sports car – 30% off 
• Puma Smash SD Puma Black-Puma White Sneakers – 30% off 
• Sennheiser Momentum Sport Wireless In-ear Headphones – 30% off 
• Razer Cobra Pro-Wireless Gaming Mouse-White Edition – 30% off 
• New Balance Men’s Fresh Foam X 1440 Running Sport Lifestyle Shoes – 30% off 

WE LOVE BRINGING YOU THE BEST GAMING BARGAINS. WE MAY GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE SALE THROUGH AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS.

The post A Reminder That eBay’s Super Cheap Nintendo Switch OLED Deal Is Happening Today appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been a fun year of PlayStation 30th Anniversary announcements and releases, but PlayStation continues to say that we should “stay tuned for more 30th anniversary celebrations” and people seem to think that there will be a major stream on the actual 30th anniversary next week.

In a recent PS5 trailer, there was a train departure board that had the date/time on it that equated to “03/12/2024” which is the original release date for the PlayStation 1 and the actual 30th anniversary, prompting people to believe that there could be an event happening.

Couple this with the fact that serial PlayStation leaker (who is always right) keeps saying that a bunch of new accessories including a black DualSense Edge, Pulse Explore/Elite headphones, a Helldivers 2 DualSense among other accessories are due to be announced imminently.

? UPCOMING RELEASE ?

Before the 'alleged' release of a new portable console, PlayStation Portal will get a brand new color similar to the accessory set we mentioned earlier,

But that's not all…#PSPortal https://t.co/pLeNbUd6oF

— billbil-kun (@billbil_kun) November 27, 2024

There’s also been a long-standing rumour that the original God of War trilogy is being remastered/remade, with Christopher Judge (voice of Kratos) hinting that announcements were coming soon – this would be the perfect announcement for a 30th anniversary stream.

BREAKING: #Bloodborne servers are undergoing maintenance on 12/03/2024.

The SAME DATE that was hidden in a recent PlayStation trailer.

Is a remaster/remake announcement FINALLY happening?! pic.twitter.com/XpI65kqulu

— FromSoft News (@FromSoftUpdates) November 27, 2024

If that wasn’t enough and you’re looking for a reason to get on the hype train and believe, it was announced that Bloodborne would be down for maintenance on this same day, and whilst this does seem like a stretch, if PlayStation is going to have an event to celebrate 30 years of games, it does seem like it’d be amiss to not do something with Bloodborne.

It does feel like it’s been a long, long time since we’ve heard from PlayStation in a major way, and there’d be no better time than now to celebrate all-things PlayStation with an event.

The post People Think That A Big 30th Anniversary PlayStation Stream Is Happening Next Week appeared first on Press Start.

Target has launched a one day only sale for Call Of Duty: Blacks Ops 6. It’s available for $69 which is a great deal. This is available online and in-stores for TODAY only.

You can grab it at the below links:

• COD: Black Ops 6 PS5 – $69 
• COD: Black Ops 6 PS4 – $69 
• COD: Black Ops 6 Xbox – $69

We gave Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 a 9/10 and said: “Call of Duty Black Ops 6’s multiplayer suite is excellent, complimented by the great (and often hilarious) omnimovement system and the return of classic prestige. This is the best Call of Duty has been in a long time.”

PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY DEALS ON AMAZON

• DualSense Edge Controller – $288
• Pulse Explore Earbuds – $258
• Chroma Indigo DualSense – $84
• Chroma Pearl DualSense – $99
• Camo DualSense – $84
• PS5 Slim (Disc) – $645
• PS5 Slim (Digital) – $549
• Pulse Elite Headset – $195
• Astro Bot – $75
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor – $40
• Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd – $69
• FC 25 – $49
• Elden Ring – $35
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $54
• Returnal – $49
• Helldivers 2 – $47
• Rise of the Ronin – $69
• Stellar Blade – $89
• Gran Turismo 7 – $54
• The Last Of Us Part II – $54
• God Of War Ragnarok – $64
• Avatar – $42
• Horizon Forbidden West – $46
• SPider-Man Miles Morales – $38

The post Target Has Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 For An Extremely Nice Price For One Day Only appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has revealed December’s free PlayStation Plus Essential games and it’s an interesting trio comprising of It Takes Two (a fantastic game that everyone should play), Aliens: Dark Descent and Temtem.

DECEMBER 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS GAMES

• It Takes Two (PS5/PS4)
• Aliens: Dark Descent (PS5/PS4)
• TemTem (PS5)

These will be available to download for all PlayStation Plus Essential members on December 3rd.

PlayStation also revealed three games coming to PlayStation Plus Deluxe later in the month in celebration of PlayStation’s 30th Anniversary. This includes:

• Sly 2: Band Of Thieves
• Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
• Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

You’ve still got a few days to download the below games from November’s line-up:

The post December’s Free PlayStation Plus Essential Games Have Been Revealed Alongside The First Classics appeared first on Press Start.

Dealabs is now reporting that in addition to a black DualSense Edge and Pulse Elite/Explore variations, a black PlayStation Portal will also release in the near future.

It will come in at the same price as the white version ($329.95 AUD) and will apparently be in short supply to begin with.

Dealabs has also reported that a Helldivers II DualSense controller as well as other hardware and accessories are in the works due to be announced and released very soon, so it’ll be interesting to see what that’s all about.

It’s rumoured that PlayStation will make some announcements to celebrate 30 years of PlayStation in the next week or so, so we might see all of this come to light.

The post A Black PlayStation Portal Is Also Apparently On The Way Alongside Other New Accessories appeared first on Press Start.

In some pretty massive news, it’s been announced that PlayStation legend (and current head of Indies) Shuhei Yoshida will leave Sony on January, 15th 2025 after 31 years with the company.

Speaking on the PlayStation podcast, Yoshida said: “I’m leaving Sony Interactive Entertainment on January 15, 2025… it’s like announcing the launch date of a new game, [something] I haven’t done for a long time [laughs].”

Yoshida has been with PlayStation since the very beginning, overseeing the creation of many of PlayStation’s most iconic gaming franchises as Head of PlayStation Studios originally. He has overseen the development of many iconic PlayStation franchises including Crash, Spyro, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, God of War, Ape Escape, Parappa the Rappa and many, many more titles.

In response to a Tweet, Yoshida said that he’d like to remain in the industry, so hopefully we’ll still seem him sticking around.

No, I'd like to stay in the industry

— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) November 27, 2024

I highly recommend reading the interview on the PlayStation Blog and listening to the podcast right HERE as well.

The post PlayStation Legend Shuhei Yoshida Is Leaving Sony appeared first on Press Start.

Just a few days after the original Donkey Kong Land arrived on Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo has now stealth dropped Donkey Long Land 2 onto the platform.

This is a portable (and non colour) GameBoy version of the game that carries across both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong as playable characters and has many of the same levels as the Super Nintendo classic, although much more lo-fi with much less going on on the screen.

If you’re a Donkey Kong fan (or a platforming fan in general), it’s well worth jumping in to play through.

The post Donkey Kong Land 2 Has Arrived On Nintendo Switch Online appeared first on Press Start.

The man is everywhere and in something that won’t come as a surprsie to most, it’s been confirmed that Troy Baker will star in Naughty Dog’s next game that will be directed by Neil Druckmann.

Speaking to GQ, Druckkman confirmed that he would start in the next game that he is directing: “In a heartbeat I would always work with Troy,” said Druckmann whilst also confirming that Baker would return for his next project.

We don’t know what the game is, whether it’ll be another The Last Of Us Game (which Baker plays Joel) or if it’s something totally different. We do know that Troy Baker is also set to start in upcoming big hitters such as Judas and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

The piece is a great read and goes into the work of Baker by a number of other creators that he has worked with. “Troy’s trying to stretch the limits of what this thing is, .. and often he succeeds at making it better than it was in my imagination.” said Druckmann about Baker.

It’s unclear how long we’ll have to wait before we see what the game is. It’s been over four years since The Last Of Us Part 2, so realistically, it could come at any moment.

The post Naughty Dog’s Next Game Will Once Again Feature Troy Baker appeared first on Press Start.

Serial leaker Bilbilkun is reporting that PlayStation is set to release three high-end PlayStation accessories in a new black colourway.

This includes the DualSense Edge controller, PlayStation Pulse Elite headset and PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds which will all apparently come in black.

These are all set to be released in the very near future and will cost the same as their current white counterparts, and we’ll keep you posted as soon as they’re announced.

There’s been rumors swirling for some time that PlayStation will either have an event on the 3rd of December, or make its next wave of announcements to celebrate the proper 30th anniversary of the PS1, with it teasing it in the latest PS5 trailer.

Regardless of whether an event happens or not, it seems as though it’s going to be an exciiting few weeks for PlayStation fans.

The post Black DualSense Edge And PlayStation Pulse Explore/Elite Versions Are Apparently On The Way appeared first on Press Start.

We react to the Game Awards 2024 nominees, make some predictions, discuss the potential of the PlayStation Portable/PS Vita making a comeback and unpack Brodie’s review of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.

• Listen on LiSTNR
• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Listen on Spotify
• Watch on YouTube

THIS WEEK’S TOPICS

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:16 Living with the Nintendo Alarmo
• 08:09 Our Game Awards Nominee Reactions & Predictions
• 35:28 PlayStation Handheld Rumours
• 43:10 Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl Review
• 52:07 Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Release Date?
• 54:03 What The Wiki?!
• 01:02:16 Outro

READ THE REVIEWS

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review-In-Progress – Zoned Out

The post Our Game Awards 2024 Predictions — The Press Start Podcast appeared first on Press Start.

AYANEO hasn’t missed with the many Windows handhelds its released over the last 12-18 months, but it’s now turned its eye to the retro side of the handheld market, going for the high-end, more premium end of the scale, and with the AYANEO Pocket Micro, it absolutely delivers.

Design-wise, this is one of the most beautiful handhelds that I’ve ever used. It weighs just 233 grams and is roughly the same size as the original NES controller. It has a high-end all-metal frame that oozes quality and feels light to hold, yet still feels really hefty in the hands. The edges are rounded so even though it has quite a sleek and harsh look, it feels good in the hands.

It has a totally bezel-less display with a 3.5-inch 950×640 IPS screen that is super vibrant and has incredible colour reproduction. This is a a 3:2 display meaning that it’s perfect for playing GBA games with a perfect 4x scale without any stretching or distortion. Equally, the speakers for such a small handheld are absolutely fantastic.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $299.95 FROM THE GAMESMEN

As far as buttons go, if you’ve used an AYANEO handheld, it’s what you expect with a solid d-pad, four face buttons, two analogue sticks, four shoulder buttons, star/select, two buttons for quickly pulling up AYASPACE or getting to the home screen, and two customisable buttons on the right hand side.

When it comes to inputs, you’ve got Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, a USB-C port for charging, and a MicroSD card slot which is super helpful for getting files on and off the device. There is no 3.5mm jack, which I know will annoy a lot of gamers, but you can connect Bluetooth for audio. You also get a power button that has a fingerprint sensor, which might be overkill given the device’s intention, but given you are likely using your Google Account to login, it’s appreciated.

This is an Android device with a Helio G99 processor. Just like AYANEO’s Windows PC handhelds, as this runs Android, anything that you can do or install on an Android phone, you can get installed on the Pocket Micro.

Pretty much any Android game that I tested ran well, with the ability to map touch-screen controls to buttons for games that don’t have controller support, but I suspect most people will be picking one of these up for emulation. This means that games such as Stardew Valley and Zenless Zone Zero will run flawlessly.

It’s fairly easy to get going given it’s an Android device, and the performance is fairly remarkable for anything up to the PS2/GameCube. Obviously because of the smaller screen size, you won’t want to play anything too graphically intensive, with it being perfect for GameBoy Advance games with its screen size, and also PSP Games too.

As I mentioned earlier, it perfectly scales GBA games at 4x, and makes them look absolutely gorgeous. It’s hard to explain but playing games from my childhood such as Legacy Of Goku, it felt like they were made for a handheld in 2024, with the graphics being so crisp, yet still having that retro, nostalgic vibe. It’s hard to put into words, but it really felt lke the best of both worlds.

If you’re really wanting to push the handheld, it can play PS2 and GameCube games at 1x, which is fine given the screen size. There will be some minor frame skips playing these consoles, but considering the size, it’s more than acceptable, and anything lower than those consoles will play like a dream.

Because you’ve got two analogue sticks, as well as a fairly great feeling D-Pad, you can really play anything on this and expect a fairly great experience. Obviously the screen size means you might end up with black bars for some platforms, but given the screen has no bezels, and the top is black, it really blends into the console as well.

The AYAHOME app can launch all of your games and plugs into other frontends such as Emulation-Station. It’s probably not as good as that in terms of sorting and management, but it has hugely improved and is a good basic way to access all of your games.

Once again, it’s AYASPACE that really elevates this whole experience, with a fantastic overlay that you can pull up with one touch of the button. It lets you control the likes of brightness, which performance mode you’re using, show you the current framerate and more.

When it comes to battery life, you can expect to get about 2-3 hours on max performance mode whilst playing PS2 games and roughly 4-6 hours playing a GBA game whilst in battery saver mode and again for the size and battery, this feels like more than enough.

All-in-all, this is another big win for AYANEO in terms of blending accessibility with high-end design, and it’s a stunning piece of hardware that those wanting to go back in time won’t regret grabbing.

Conclusion

The AYANEO Pocket Micro is an extremely premium Android handheld that feels great in the hands and is equipped to play modern games as well as classics.

Positives

Extremely Premium Design

Fantastic Screen

Runs Android Games Well

Perfect For Emulation

Negatives

No 3.5mm Port

The Cheapest Price

$299 From The Gamesmen

The post AYANEO Pocket Micro Review – Premium Retro Goodness appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve been a long-time AirPods user, but I was eager to check-out the latest Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and I was extremely impressed with how they stack up both in design, but also in feature-set and audio quality.

They’ve copped a lot of flack for looking similar to the AirPods Pro, and it is the case, but there’s a few key changes that I absolutely love. Firstly, they’re a dark silver which looks absolutely incredible and much more premium than the white AirPods, and also won’t show dirt anywhere near as easily.

There’s also two light strips on each of the stems which you only really see when you’re taking them out of the case, so they don’t show when they’re in your ear, but it’s still a really cool touch nonetheless. The last part of the design that I really like is the case, which is also a really luxe silver, but also has a translucent top that lets you see the buds through the case, which again, is minor, but just adds a design element that I really appreciate.

Controlling the Buds3 Pro is super seamless as well, with a simple swipe on either blade adjusting the volume, and a quick pinch on either bud to play/pause your audio and holding to go between noise cancelling and transparency mode. There’s nothing worse than earbud controls that don’t respond and this couldn’t be further from the truth with the Galaxy Buds3 Pro.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $269 FROM AMAZON WITH FREE DELIVERY

As far as audio quality goes in the Buds3 Pro it’s first class with a good amount of bass and clarity whether you’re using one bud or both. it’s about on par with the best wireless buds that I’ve used both when listening to music or taking a call.

Galaxy AI features in the Buds too when using them with Android devices, so your buds are constantly adapting both the EQ but also the ANC to eliminate the sounds you don’t want to hear (such as traffic), but let in people talking you directly and also alarms and sirens.

The noise cancelling is fairly fantastic, but probably a touch below that of the AirPods Pro Gen 2 which is best-in-class. It’s absolutely fine and still blocks out a good amount of external noise, it just doesn’t absolutely drown them out in the same way the AirPods do.

Similarly, the buds are always listening os that you don’t even need to use a wake command to perform functions such as answering a call or turning the volume up, and they pair nicely with the Galaxy phones for translation purposes so that you can get what you’re listening to translated in real time.

As far as battery life goes, you can expect 6 hours with ANC on (26 hours total including case recharging) or 7 hours with ANC off (30 hours with case recharging). You can also also take advantage of wireless charging for the case as well, which is a nice touch if you’re trying to ditch the cords.

Samsung has been hitting it out of the park with its wearables this year. I absolutely loved the Galaxy Ring, and the Galaxy Buds3 Pro finally feel like the high-end, premium solution that Samsung users deserve, and they more than deliver.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro are without doubt Samsung's best earbuds yet, competing with the best of the best. With a super futuristic design, great battery life and fantastic audio quality they absolutely don't disappoint.

Positives

Great Twist On A Familiar Design

Really Solid Audio Quality

Lengthy Battery Life

Negatives

ANC Isn't Best In Class

THE CHEAPEST PRICE

$269 FROM AMAZON

The post Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro Review – A Super Solid Experience appeared first on Press Start.

Bloomberg is reporting that PlayStation is in the early stages of developing a portable console that can play PS5 games on the move.

The product is aimed at expanding Sony’s reach and contending with Nintendo for the portable market. This device is likely years away from launch which means that Sony could also avoid bringing it to market.

The Bloomberg report says that the idea builds on the PlayStation Portal, which was initially intended to function as a standalone device like the Steam Deck, which the report also delves into.

“Sony Group Corp. is in the early stages of developing a portable console that would play its PlayStation 5 games on the move. The product is aimed at expanding Sony’s reach and contending with Nintendo Co. for the portable gaming market, according to people familiar with its development. It would also counter any potential mobile hardware from Xbox maker Microsoft Corp., which is working on prototypes in the category as well. Sony’s portable device is likely years away from launch and the company could still decide against bringing it to market, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private plans” says the report. 

The report is paywalled, but you can find it HERE. 

The post A New PlayStation Portable That Can Play PS5 Games Is Apparently In The Works appeared first on Press Start.

If you’re a Press Start reader of old, you’ll know that Ape Escape is without doubt my favourite gaming franchise of all time (and pretty much my whole personality), so when an original Ape Escape soundtrack vinyl set was announced, I was extremely excited.

The game is 25 years old and was the first to be released alongside PlayStation’s iconic DualSense controller, and this 4 vinyl set has all the original tracks from the original game with one bonus song that hadn’t been released along with a hardcover slipcase box, new 3D artwork and translucent red, clear, blue and yellow vinyls.

In Australia, it’s up for pre-order at Pixelcrib. It’ll set you back $169.99 and it will ship from March 28th, 2025. You can pre-order it HERE.

Ape Escape Originape Soundtrack – $169.99 AUD

APE ESCAPE VINYL SET FEATURES:

• 4xLP Hardcover slipcase box
• Liner notes written by composer Soichi Terada
• Remastered for vinyl by Justin Perkins (Mystery Room Mastering)
• New 3D artwork by Gobo3D
• Color: translucent red, clear, blue, and yellow vinyl
• Designed and manufactured by Cartridge Thunder
• Officially licensed ©Sony Computer Entertainment, by Far East Recording

The post A 4x Vinyl Ape Escape Soundtrack Set Has Been Revealed And Here’s Where Aussies Can Get It appeared first on Press Start.

The last few months have been interesting for PlayStation fans and collectors alike with the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection selling out instantly, but most people don’t realise that even if somebody got everything in the collection, there’s actually almost no chance that anyone can have a complete collection due to the posters included with the consoles.

An interesting twist this time around was the fact that both the PS5 Pro and PS5 Slim came with a poster which was randomised with 30 different ones to collect. It feels like PlayStation did this to go the extra mile in making collector’s stress a little bit less if they missed out on something in particular knowing they could truly never get all of them.

The 30 limited edition posters that come with anniversary editions…
byu/milancosens inPS5

The 30 different posters have started being collated in a Reddit thread and there’s some absolutely stunning ones ranging from the iconic PlayStation boot screen, loads of different shots from the PS1 and PS5 collection, heaps of 30th Anniversary product shots, a really cool look at different PS1 logo concepts, some x-ray shots at all the different PlayStation consoles and a really cool montage with all the white consoles from the different generations.

I highly recommend checking out the whole Reddit thread HERE. 

With my two consoles, I got the PS1/PS5 combo which I absolutely love and also a close-up of the 30th Anniversary DualSense which is equally cool.

The post People Are Sharing All The Different PlayStation 30th Anniversary Posters And There’s Some Beautiful Ones appeared first on Press Start.

Samsung has launched its Black Friday sale and it has a bunch of one day deals, and longer term deals on monitors and more. The super fantastic Samsung Odyssey 32-inch OLED G8 is on sale as well. It’s $500 off bringing it down to $1,500 and you can find it HERE.

@shannongrixti

The Samsung Odyssey G8 OLED gaming monitor offers fantastic brightness, an anti-reflective coating and has streaming apps + Xbox Cloud Gaming built-in #SamsungG8OLED #SamsungG8 #SamsungOdysseyG8OLED #SamsungOdysseyG8 #SamsungOdyssey #OLED #GamingMonitor #Gaming #Tech

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

You can find all of the deals HERE and we’ve listed the best ones below:

ONE DAY DEALS (END TODAY)

• Galaxy Z Flip6 – $1,399 
• Galaxy Z Fold6 – $1,924
• Galaxy Tab S9 FE – $824 
• Galaxy Watch 7 – $360

MONITOR DEALS (ENDS DECEMBER 4TH)

• Odyssey G8 32-Inch OLED – $1,499 (save $500)
• Odyssey Neo G95C 57-Inch QLED – $2,399 (save $800)
• Odyssey G93SD 43-Inch OLED – $1,699 (save $600)
• Odyssey G8 34-Inch OLED Curved – $1,199 (save $600)
• Odyssey G6 27-Inch OLED – $999 (save $500)
• Odyssey OLED G6 27-Inch OLED – $899 (save $300)

TV DEALS (ENDS DECEMBER 4TH)

• S90D OLED 55-Inch – $2,199 (save $1,100)
• S90D OLED 65-Inch – $2,999 (save $1,300)
• S90D OLED 77-Inch – $4,499 (save $1,500)
• S90D OLED 83-Inch – $5,883 (save $2,000)

The post Samsung’s Black Friday Sale Includes A Bunch Of Great Monitor And TV Deals appeared first on Press Start.

The Black Friday PlayStation Plus deal has arrived, and unfortunately, it’s not as simple as it used to be without physical PlayStation Plus cards, but there’s seemingly a decent deal to be had still.

It seems as though if you’re a PlayStation Plus Deluxe member, you can subscribe for another 12 months at 30% off, which is probably the best case scenario. This brings it down to $137 for the next 12 months.

If you’re a PlayStation Extra member, you can upgrade to Deluxe at 30% off for the rest of your subscription, and if you’re PlayStation Plus Essential, you can upgrade to Extra for 25% off the remainder of your membership (or 30% to Deluxe).

If you’re a new member, you can subscribe to a 12 month membership for 25/30% off depending on which tier you go for.

It’s a little confusing, but basically, we recommend heading to this link online (or on the PlayStation Store on your PS5), and you’ll be presented with a pre-order offer like below.

PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY DEALS ON AMAZON

• DualSense Edge Controller – $288
• Pulse Explore Earbuds – $258
• Chroma Indigo DualSense – $84
• Chroma Pearl DualSense – $99
• Camo DualSense – $84
• PS5 Slim (Disc) – $645
• PS5 Slim (Digital) – $549
• Pulse Elite Headset – $195
• Astro Bot – $75
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor – $40
• Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd – $69
• FC 25 – $49
• Elden Ring – $35
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $54
• Returnal – $49
• Helldivers 2 – $47
• Rise of the Ronin – $69
• Stellar Blade – $89
• Gran Turismo 7 – $54
• The Last Of Us Part II – $54
• God Of War Ragnarok – $64
• Avatar – $42
• Horizon Forbidden West – $46
• SPider-Man Miles Morales – $38

The post The Black Friday PlayStation Plus Deal Has Arrived appeared first on Press Start.

The Black Friday sales are in full swing now with all of the PlayStation deals going live this morning, bringing the best prices yet on many accessories, games and consoles with the likes of the DualSense Edge and Pulse Explore Earbuds going to well below their cheapest price ever.

All of these will run until December 2nd or until they’re out of stock, and you can find the whole sale HERE.

PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY DEALS ON AMAZON

• DualSense Edge Controller – $288
• Pulse Explore Earbuds – $258
• Chroma Indigo DualSense – $84
• Chroma Pearl DualSense – $99
• Camo DualSense – $84
• PS5 Slim (Disc) – $645
• PS5 Slim (Digital) – $549
• Pulse Elite Headset – $195
• Astro Bot – $75
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor – $40
• Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd – $69
• FC 25 – $49
• Elden Ring – $35
• The Last Of Us Part 1 – $54
• Returnal – $49
• Helldivers 2 – $47
• Rise of the Ronin – $69
• Stellar Blade – $89
• Gran Turismo 7 – $54
• The Last Of Us Part II – $54
• God Of War Ragnarok – $64
• Avatar – $42
• Horizon Forbidden West – $46
• SPider-Man Miles Morales – $38

The post Amazon Has Some Banger PlayStation Deals appeared first on Press Start.

eBay is back with its fantastic Black Friday promotion, and leading it is a PS5 Slim deal that is absolutely incredible.

For 300 lucky people, you’ll be able to get a PS5 Slim (Disc) for $500. This is worth it for the disc drive alone. This will go live at 10:00am AEDT.

• PS5 Slim (Disc) – $500 (eBay Plus members only)

You’ll be able to find this on the eBay Plus hub where you’ll also be able to get a 30 day free trial of eBay Plus if you haven’t already subscribed. 

eBay Plus Exclusive 30% off Deals

Live at 10am AEDT on respective dates.

22nd November

• Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar Plus
• Mercedes-Benz Licensed Kids Ride On Car
• Google Pixel Watch 2 LTE Matte Black with Obsidian Active Band

26th November

• HP Chromebook N200 8GB 128GB SSD 14″ Touch
• Sennheiser AMBEO Subwoofer
• HP OMEN RTX4080 Gaming Laptop

WE LOVE BRINGING YOU THE BEST GAMING BARGAINS. WE MAY GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE SALE THROUGH AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS.

The post eBay’s Black Friday Deals Include The Cheapest PS5 Slim Deal Yet appeared first on Press Start.

If our first hands-on with Avowed back at PAX Australia served to swiftly initiate us with the game’s core loop and combat mechanics, this week’s most recent two-hour serving feels more like a grand introduction to the Avowed story, characters, and world—all of which call the Pillars of Eternity franchise home. However, as I’ve said before, this game, which remains dense and tactical in other, more user-friendly ways, will be seen as the most accessible gateway into Eora, through its northernmost continent The Living Lands. 

With that said, when you’re dealing with a grand role-playing adventure like this, two hours doesn’t feel like an enormous helping. Even if Avowed is a more truncated title when compared to huge undertakings like The Elder Scrolls and Baldur’s Gate, what we got to see felt like a scene-setting more than anything else. 

First, we got to dive into the game’s character creator, which we hadn’t seen any of in our prior go around. I wouldn’t say the options are exhaustive, ultimately I did settle on a mixture of presets in creating my own Envoy. To add a little extra bit of flair to my character, who’s billed as a “godlike” in this canon, I adorned her face with a smattering of Dreamscourge fungi in attempt to recreate just a sliver of the game’s now iconic, colourful, Alex Garland’s Annihilation-esque key art.

We were then thrust into the game’s prologue which sees our Envoy navigate being shipwrecked on an island neighbour to Paradis, where you’d been directed by an Aedyran emporer to investigate and placate the Dreamscourge plague before it spreads like wildfire. Known for twisting the souls of people, fauna, and the land itself, if left unchecked the plague would surely spell the end for The Living Lands.

This small island is a punchy mission that does a great job at onboarding the player to the game’s front-facing mechanics, namely its free-wheeling, classless combat that refuses to pigeonhole players into the regular archetypes. Getting a bit more of an overview with this slightly broader hands-on, I came away with an even greater appreciation for how user-friendly this approach to combat is, especially for a role-playing game teeming with options. 

Being able to switch on the fly between two unique loadouts by a simple button press, I’d artfully swap out my axe and shield combination for a handier-at-range, two-handed bow that I’d pick off reptilian xaurips with. And once I’d gotten my hands on a grimoire book, which introduces wieldable magic into the fold, I ran it alongside a short sword with the thought of keeping a careful distance and peppering enemies with alternating bursts of fire and ice. It’s flexible, and it surprised me quite a bit how I continued to enjoy each combat encounter here—especially after coming away from the last hands-on interested but somewhat unconvinced. 

Aided by a stout, blue creature that’s sure to drive the furries mad, I made short work navigating this island aside while the game introduced me to some of its role-playing flavours, namely the art of beautifully-written conversation and the moral conflicts you’re faced with. Here, it was whether to trust a self-proclaimed enemy to the Aedyran empire and hope that it was truth, as well as survival instinct, backing her promise of having a waiting boat to escape on. Being a big believer in second chances, I found the key to her prison cell, freed her, and was pleasantly surprised to eventually be sailing toward Dawnshore in her company. It was after I docked here that we parted ways, but I wouldn’t be destined to be alone for long at all. 

Waiting on the dock for me was a messenger, who broke the news to me that the Aedyran ambassador I’d hoped to meet had gone walkabout and would be in certain need of rescuing. Alongside the messenger was Kai, the very same companion I’d paired up with previously who had his own vested interest in tagging along, and it wasn’t long until we were off. It was at this stage I decided to peek behind the curtain and trawl the menus a little bit, which isn’t something I got a huge chance to do last time. 

Of course, there’s an inventory to manage, I’d already made note of the endless possibilities as far as loadouts go. As you climb in level and experience, you’ll earn skill points that can be funnelled in any of the character classes available, whether that’s ranger, wizard, or otherwise. Along with the ability to change out weapons regularly, it’s the steel and sorcery cocktails you’re able to mix with these skills that adds yet another fold to the game’s classless combat. Kai had his own, pruned upgrade path that had fewer, but arguably more significant, skills that greatly improved his helpfulness in the field. 

Before we could leave the townsquare in search of my ambassador friend, an irresistible exclamation point above a distressed citizen’s head lured me in: standard side quest fare. She rambled, barely coherent, about helping rid her home of the same kind of lizardfolk I’d encountered on the island not ten minutes ago. Unable to resist a bit of side action, I took a short detour to clean house, quite literally, only to discover confusing murals that spoke to a relationship of sorts between her and these squatters. Needless to say, I ended the quest far more curious about this world and its people than when I began. 

At last, I ventured onward. I came to a gorgeous, well-lit wood overrun with the same kind of fungi I’d seen all over, sure signs of the Dreamscourge lying in wait. I was glad to get a glimpse at the corruptible nature of the plague and how it can warp nature, as we encountered a powerful bear that had fallen victim to the infection. With its distinct mushroom crown, it charged over and over, making use of its powerful claws to kill me once. In our first demo, it felt as though most of the enemies were skeletons with somewhat predictable patterns, whereas this bear felt wild. I managed to fall the beast on a second pass, saving the day for the poor ambassador. 

While I got a much bigger glimpse at the the combat really feels, and how loadouts work hand-in-hand with Avowed’s approach to its classless combat, free of borders, I think what I came away most pleased with is how familiar the game feels as a western role-playing game. It’s quest design immediately feels like home, and it’s so Elder Scrolls-coded that it’s like slipping into a comfy pair of slippers. 

I’m also pleased with the direction of the story, especially as someone with no prior understanding of Pillars and its inner-workings. Being able to pull from an already rich bible of lore is great in that the team has an enormous library to pull from, while I, as the player, can lean on it too if, for whatever reason, something isn’t explained plainly to me. There’s a complicated political climate in The Living Lands that’s intoxicating and I’m so eager to peel back its several layers in just a few short months. 

The post Avowed Hands-On Preview – Into The Living Lands appeared first on Press Start.

I’m often too busy writing (or making videos) about games, that I don’t often to think about the important part that they’ve played in my entire life, whether it be playing the NES as a young age of 3-4, to countless school holidays spent playing Goldeneye and Mario Kart 64 on the Nintendo 64, but no console played a more important part in my life than the PlayStation 1.

As the youngest sibling of three, it was my first gaming console that was mine, and it took my love of gaming to a whole new level. One that was less about casually playing with older family members and more about it being an escape for myself, playing through my favourite platformers such as Ape Escape and Crash Bandicoot, and I didn’t really think about about how much that actually impacted the rest of my life up until this point quite as much as it had.

When Sony said that they’d be sending me the 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro, obviously I was excited, but I didn’t expect it to be the full circle moment that it was, making me really reflect on the impact that gaming has had on my life both personally and professionally, and it was this console that originally started it all.

It was bittersweet making this content knowing that so many had missed out, but I took it as my duty to show every aspect of this console as a celebration of PlayStation that we could enjoy in together.

@shannongrixti

The PlayStation 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro is the perfect celebration of PlayStation’s iconic history #Gifted #PS5Pro #PlayStation30thAnniverary #PS5 #PlayStation5Pro #PS5Pro30thAnniversary #PlayStation #PlayStation5

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

The outer box of the console features all five PlayStation consoles debossed on each side, starting with the PS5 Pro on the front, the PS3 and PS2 on the sides and the PS4 on the back, leading up to the PS1 on the top of the console, which you need to open to pull the outer sleeve off.

That reveals a more modern PlayStation with the 30th Anniversary logo on top with the PlayStation 30th symbols all over the box, with this one then lifting off to reveal the PS5 Pro in all of its glory, complete with the signature light grey colourway, the OG retro PlayStation logo and the 30th Anniversary on both the bottom of the faceplate, and etched onto the wings (no number for this one).

That’s just the beginning though as behind this is a massive box that has illustrations of all five consoles on it, that houses all the goodies that come with the console. I won’t go into all of the details as the photos and videos speak for themselves, but each item is a celebration of the original PlayStation.

The first item is a poster which I believe there’s 30 different variations of – I quite like mine as it’s got the original PS1 and the PS5 Slim 30th Anniversary.

Both the DualSense and DualSense Edge are the iconic light grey with darker grey accents and the coloured PlayStation logo, with the DualSense Edge also having a matching case and there’s a DualSense charging station (exclusive to this bundle) that matches these perfectly.

You also get a grey vertical stand and for those wanting to get a disc drive to turn your PS5 Pro into a physical console, there’s a disc faceplate in the box as well. Even the manuals and cords are in their own little branded box with little logos on it.

If all of that wasn’t enough, there’s a PlayStation goodies box which has some absolutely incredible items in it. The first is a PS1 inspired USB-C cable clamp that matches with the light grey USB-C PS 30th cable and really completes the console look (I hope this sees a wider release) as well as a PlayStation bubble sticker, paper clip and a set of four PlayStation symbol cable ties.

All of the items in the PlayStation 30th Anniversary range are incredible, celebrate PlayStation’s history perfectly and full of little details, so I hope a bunch of you managed to get something, just to feel the nostalgic gaming magic, if noting else.

The 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro was provided by PlayStation.

The post The PlayStation 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro Is The Perfect Celebration Of PlayStation’s History appeared first on Press Start.

PlayStation has revealed its Black Friday sale for 2024. It’s kicking off tonight (midnight) and will last until December 2nd bringing a range of deals on consoles, games, accessories and PlayStation Plus. You can find all of the deals on the PlayStation Blog.

We’ve got a good idea what a lot of the prices will be based on JB Hi-FI’s catalogue but here’s what will be on sale at all retailers later tonight including Amazon.

PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY 2024 SALE

• DualSense controllers – up to 25% off
• PlayStation VR2 – up to 40% off
• DualSense Elite discount
• Big savings on PS5 Slim Fortnite Cobalt Star Bundle
• PlayStation Plus – Up to 30% off for new members, 25% off for Essential subscribers going to Extra and 30% off for Extra subscribers going to Deluxe
• PlayStation Pulse Elite/Pulse Explore Discounted
• Hundreds of games on offer on PlayStation Store/Physical Stores

JB HI-FI PLAYSTATION BLACK FRIDAY SALE

Here’s all the prices for JB Hi-Fi’s PlayStation sale, but we might see cheaper at the likes of Amazon.

• PS5 Slim Disc – $639
• PS5 Slim Digital – $549
• PlayStation VR2 – $549
• DualSense Edge – $289
• DualSense controllers – $89 (incldes Chroma collection)
• Pulse Elite Headset – $199
• Spider-Man 2 – $64
• Astro Bot – $79
• GT 7 – $54
• Space Marine 2 – $64
• FC25 – $49
• NBA 2K25 – $44
• Star Wars Outlaws – $59
• Hogwarts Legacy – $49
• Alan Wake 2 – $64

It’s very likely we will see a lot of competitions on all of these items, so we’ll do our best to update you from tonight onwards.

The post PlayStation’s Black Friday Sale Has Been Officially Revealed And Here’s What’s On Sale appeared first on Press Start.

When one considers the circumstances around the development and release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, it existing at all seems like quite the miracle. It’s a video game that has Ukraine at the absolute heart of it, and the team’s peril throughout the ongoing conflict has been well-documented, especially so in the recent documentary “War Game”. If nothing else, it provides perspective and context that’s important to the game’s story, even if it’s relatively irrelevant to the bigger picture of how the long-gestated sequel, subtitled Heart of Chornobyl, is set to be received.

I’ll preface this piece by saying that I still want to spend more time with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 so treat this as a review-in-progress, or rather an overview of my experience with this supposed forty-hour game thus far. It’s worth noting, for reasons that’ll become evident shortly, that I’m also playing on Xbox.

Whether deliberate or not, there’s a desperation that permeates this world’s Zone of Alienation. In fact, the world painted for us feels so permanently unsafe, devoid of hope, and analogous to Ukraine itself, it’s hard not to feel a lot of the team’s terrible, life-shattering experiences bleed through in the moment-to-moment gameplay of Heart of Chornobyl. You endure the Zone’s vicissitudes as Skif, a hardened stalker who, after being left for dead having been robbed of a sought-after artefact, is thrust into a branching narrative full of secret plots, warring factions, sides to take, and decisions to make.

As I’ve said I’m early doors as far as the story goes, but the mystery of who crossed Skif in the wilds and left him at the mercy of the Zone’s horrors is enough to drag the boat along for now. Skif might not be the most riveting protagonist, nor would he be any fun at parties, but fortunately many of the Zone’s other major players have starred in their small episodes within this larger journey. Conflicted scientists who pit their ethics against scientific curiosity, ravagers who’ll weaponise your own need for intel against their rivals as they look to secure their slice of slag heap region Garbage, and war-weary generals whose trust in their men is misplaced are but a few I’ve encountered in the game’s early acts.

Though I’ve enjoyed those who call it their home, the Zone itself feels like the main draw for Heart of Chornobyl. It’s a spectacularly hostile place that, despite being rooted in horror and science-fiction, feels so cruel, grounded, and ultra-real in its treatment of the player, bullets are devastating, creatures claw with ferocious efficacy. Even on the easiest of difficulties, it felt as though death crept about every corner. Spectacular emission storms turn the sky a blood red as blue, radiated lightning cracks and pings off the abandoned cars littering the fields, I definitely don’t recommend getting caught in one, however glimpsing one through a window, watching as the world near literally blows on by, is an undeniable thrill and truly sells the scariness of the Zone.

While I think S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 does a marvellous job reminding the player time and again that its world isn’t to be fucked with, its remaining systems managed to upend my enjoyment over and over. I constantly felt as though the game wasn’t designed with a controller in mind, which is fine in principle, so much of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. audience’s roots lie with keyboard and mouse, but so much of Heart of Chornobyl is downright painful to play on console. Inventory management, of which there’s plenty being a hybrid of both survival and immersive-sim genres, is cumbersome and slow, the gunplay is spotty and imprecise with its Bethesda-esque jank and AI pathing leading to frustratingly bad combat situations.

But these gripes aside, it’s really the performance on console that scuttles the whole thing. It’s not that I have played it on PC at all, though I’ll be shocked if there isn’t an enormous disparity between it and this console port because optimisation appears to have been an enormous problem for the team. I’ve not seen bugs of this magnitude since the launch of Cyberpunk, and there are a few that are just as egregious without being game-breaking.

Graphical hang-ups make up the crux of the concern, with unique cutscene assets, like cassette players and headphones, floating offset from their user and floating through the air, wall textures strobing on and off like an epileptic’s nightmare, and draw distance issues causing textures to pop-in at what I’d consider mid-range. Combat can be a tough pill, but it’s made tougher still when raiders magically materialise out of thin air and, in a flash, spot you and fill you full of holes. I also experienced a number of hard crashes, lines of dialogue simply not playing, and enormous plunges in frame rate that, hand on heart, would have been fortunate to register in double digits. I think S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 already caters to a niche audience by being a tough as nails, hard to the core apocalypse simulator steeped in realism, and having to contend with this performance shortfalls that mar that experience and render the game frustrating is disappointing.

The game tries so hard to present its world as an authentic, post-apocalyptic playground that’s super serious in tone, almost like a Fallout for masochists. I enjoyed plenty of my several hours with the game, it teaches you how to be frugal with resources and develops in you an edge that holds you in good stead for the game’s many moral quandaries. For a game crafted in a literal war zone, Heart of Chornobyl is, without question, an achievement. It’s a huge, enormously scoped game, and I admire the team’s ambition to swing for the fences despite the conflict that underpins their day-to-day lives. Sadly, I do think the console version is rife with issues that’ll hamper people’s experience at launch.

However, they’re all issues that can be ironed out and I hope Heart of Chornobyl gets its redemption arc, because bloody hell this deserves a feel-good story. 

Conclusion

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an achievement for so many reasons. As well as being the little game that could, given the team’s real-world challenges, the game doubles down on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. way, delivering a sublimely realised sense of place with the Zone. Unfortunately, so much of the console experience is rendered so disappointingly undercooked.

Positives

A tremendous sense of place

Great blend of survival and immersive-sim sensibilities

Negatives

Feels unoptimised for console

Some systems, such as inventory, feel designed without controllers in mind

So many disappointing performance hang-ups

6.5

The post S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review-In-Progress – Zoned Out appeared first on Press Start.

Giftcards.com.au currently has 10% off Amazon gift cards for today only lasting until 5pm. You can grab them HERE.

You can get up to $2,500 in gift cards which would give you $250 off, which is obviously perfect if you’re making a bit ticket purchase.

• 10% off Amazon gift cards (up to $2,500 in value) – available until 5pm AEDT.

These will be sent within four hours of purchasing, and can be instantly added to your Amazon account to get any deals including the below:

For me, the highlight would be the ASUS ROG ALLY Z1 Extreme which would bring it down a further $72 and down to $656 which is an absolute STEAL.

BEST AMAZON BLACK FRIDAY GAMING DEALS

All of these are before the 10% off that you’d get from loading in a gift card using the above link.

• 5% off Xbox Gift Cards 
• ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme – $729
• Logitech Astro A50 X Wireless Headset – $527 (30% off)
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – $455 (38% off)
• Corsair MP600 Pro 2TB SSD – $234 
• Anker 737 Power Bank – $149 
• Star Wars Outlaws – $65 
• Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 – $66 
• SteelSeries Apex Pro Keyboard – $279 
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor – $40 
• Tekken 8 Day 1 Edition – $63 
• Silent Hil 2 – $84 
• Metaphor Refantazio – $74 
• Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy – $24 
• DualSense Volcanic Red – $98 
• Super Mario RPG – $58 
• Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – $50 
• Sony Inzone Buds – $248 
• Avatar Frontiers of Pandora – $42 
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – $28 
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max – $59 (50% off)
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K – $49 (51% off)
• Final Fantasy 16 – $39 (47% off)
• FC25 – $59 (46% off)
• Unknown 9: Awakening – $44 (50% off)
• Cult of the Lamb Switch – $42 (24% off)
• Sonic x Shadow Generations – $59 (26% off)
• DualSense Controller (Silver) – $98 (22% off)
• 2TB Lexar NM790 2TB SSD – $211 
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – $535 (27% off)
• WD_Black 1TB Xbox Series X|S SSD – $207 (31% off)
• Prince of Persia The Lost Crown – $28
• Super Mario Bros Wonder – $58 (37% off)
• 8BitDo Pro 2 – $69.95 (16% off)
• Xbox Series X|S Controller – $69 (22% off)
• LEGO Bowser – $289 (28% off)
• LEGO Super Mario World – $170 (15% off)

The post You Can Get 10% Off Amazon Gift Cards For Today Only appeared first on Press Start.

EB Games has announced that it is giving Level 5 members 1 month free of EB World Plus as a special gift for Christmas.

This will start on Thursday, November 21st and last until December 21st and will automatically be added to the account of those that are a Level 5 member.

For those that are a Level 5 member that are already EB World Plus members, you’ll get an extra month for free on top of your current subscription.

FULL EB WORLD PLUS BENEFITS:

• FREE GIFT: With 12 month sign-up
• BUY 10 GET 1 FREE BOOSTERS: Get a FREE Booster valued up to $15 after every 10th individual Booster purchase!
• BUY 10 GET 1 FREE POP! VINYLS: Get a FREE Pop! Vinyl valued up to $35 after every 10th Pop! Vinyl purchase!
• BUY 10 GET 1 FREE CLOTHING: Get a FREE Clothing item valued up to $70 after every 10th Clothing purchase!
• BUY 10 GET 1 FREE SOCKS: Get a FREE pair of Socks valued up to $10 after every 10th pair of Socks purchase!
• 5% OFF DIGITAL CURRENCIES: Excludes EB Games and Zing Pop Culture Gift Cards.
• 5% EXTRA TRADE VALUE: Stacks with your EB World Trade Bonus.
• DOUBLE CARROTS: On every purchase. Stacks with all promotional

The post EB Games Is Giving Level 5 Members One Month Of EB World Plus For Free appeared first on Press Start.

After the Nintendo Live Sydney in-person merch shop proved to be insanely popular, Nintendo promised it would allow attendees to shop the items at an online store, and it has now delivered on that promise.

If you attended Nintendo Live Sydney, you should have received an email in the last 24 hours with an exclusive link that allows you to access a hidden area of the My Nintendo shop to purchase items that were previously only available at the in-person event.

The email that was sent out reads:

“Following our previous email about the My Nintendo Store experiencing unexpectedly high demand during the event, we would like to inform you as an attendee of Nintendo Live 2024 SYDNEY that every item that was available at the My Nintendo Store, including Nintendo Live 2024 SYDNEY event-themed items, is now available for purchase or pre-purchase online* via the below link:

Please note, this link is only being shared with you as an attendee of Nintendo Live 2024 SYDNEY and will expire at 11:59AM AEDT on 10th December 2024. The Nintendo Live 2024 SYDNEY category on My Nintendo Store is not accessible without this link.”

You’ve got until December 10th at 11:59pm AEDT to shop the items and it’s one of each item per person. Do not share this link with someone else unless you absolutely don’t intend to buy as it can only be used to buy of each item.

All the goods at the My Nintendo Store at #NintendoLive Sydney pic.twitter.com/693FhHrrJ7

— Vooks (@vooksdotnet) August 31, 2024

It’s unclear if Nintendo will open these items up to the general population once that December 10th period is over, but it does seem likely, so here’s hoping as there’s some extremely amazing items that are available for purchase.

The post Nintendo Live Sydney Attendees Can Now Buy The Products Online So Check Your Emails appeared first on Press Start.

It’s been a feature that’s been requested ever since the PlayStation Portal was announced and PlayStation has confirmed that it’s coming today.

In a new update that is launching today, the PlayStation Portal will be able to stream over 120 PS5 games from the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog directly from PlayStation servers rather than remote play from your console.

This will be available to PlayStation Plus Premium members and available in the below countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

This is launching in beta and will only be available with PS5 games including the below to begin with:  Dave the Diver, Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Monster Hunter Rise, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

You’ll be able to stream games at 1080p/60FPS and take advantages of all of the same control options of the DualSense controller whilst cloud streaming.

The update will also bring the ability to make the speaker volume even lower than previously available as well as the ability to adjust settings for your PlayStation Link devices such as volume and sidetone volume.

You can read more about the new update over on the PlayStation Blog.

The post The PlayStation Portal Is Getting Cloud Game Streaming Today (But Not In Australia) appeared first on Press Start.

I’ve dabbled with the Steam Deck over the years and whilst it was mighty tempting to import one, I always wanted to wait until it was officially available in Australia to properly spend time with one to review it, and that day has finally arrived with the console launching in Australia this week.

I’ve had a multitude of experience with PC handhelds, reviewing a bunch of AYANEO handhelds, the ROG Ally and Ally X, the Lenovo Legion Go and spent a significant time with the MSI Claw, and they’ve come a long, long way over the last 12-18 months, but I was very curious to see how the Steam Deck OLED experience would compare, and it’s absolutely an entirely different experience.

In short, the biggest compliment that I can give the Steam Deck in comparison to the dozens of Windows handhelds that I’ve tested is that it just works. It’s the Nintendo Switch of PC handhelds in the sense that anyone can turn it on and get going within seconds, with a user experience that feels like it was built for to the console, rather than Windows.

From the second you turn on the Steam Deck OLED, you can literally be downloading games within a minute or two. If you’ve got the app on your phone, you can scan a QR code and be straight in, which couldn’t be more opposite of an experience from other handhelds.

Similarly, scrolling through your Steam library is as seamless as it is as using Steam on your PC, with the operating system feeling like it’s at once with the handheld. For those that want the basics such as changing your brightness, or seeing how much battery is left, it’s su[er easy to navigate, and for those that want to tinker and mess with things such as TDP, or lock down frame rates, you can easily do that too, but it’s almost never needed.

Steam does a great job at telling you which games have been verified for Steam Deck use, which basically means that you can boot in without having to worry as it’s been verified to run perfectly. Most games don’t have this certification, but this doesn’t mean that it won’t run, it just means that it might be a less than perfect situation, require some tinkering of settings, or not run at all.

Whilst Steam can run Windows, it severely dampens the experience and isn’t easy to get running, so whilst the Steam Deck offers a much better experience than Windows handhelds, you obviously lose the ability to easily run games from other launchers, with the biggest loss coming in the loss of Xbox Game Pass games, which I’ve really enjoyed on other handhelds. If you’ve got a massive Steam library, this won’t be an issue, but if you’re primarily a console gamer that doesn’t want to buy all your games again, know that you can’t just boot into Xbox Game Pass as you can on the likes of the ASUS ROG Ally.

When it comes to performance, for 80-90% of the games that I tested, it was totally fine running at 60 FPS at 800p, without touching anything, but for newer games, you definitely will see a bit of a performance dip compared to running the ASUS ROG Ally X at 30w, which is expected, and the battery life and experience would still mean that I’d recommend this to most people over other options.

Playing games such as God Of War Ragnarok, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart or Even Cyberpunk 2077 ran totally fine on the Steam Deck, and the few games that did stutter a bit, I was able to just lock the frame rate to 30 FPS and get it to run nicely.

The display on the Steam Deck OLED is absolutely phenomenal. It’s a 7.4-inch 90HZ OLED display that has absolutely stunning vibrancy and brightness. If you opt for the 1TB mode you’ll get an anti-glare display, which I think is always the way to go for a handheld.

The battery life was equally impressive, blowing all other handhelds (except maybe the Ally X) out of the park, with 2.5-3.5 hours minimum playing AAA games and well beyond that playing indie games. I never felt like I needed to be within reach of a charger like I did with almost every other Windows handheld that I did.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $649 AUD FOR 256GB LCD / $899 FOR OLED

Similarly, the value that you’re getting at $649 for the LCD model or $899 for the OLED model is phenomenal compared to other handhelds, although probably a little less so than it was 1-2 years ago, for reasons that I’ve mentioned.

Whilst the Steam Deck OLED looks chonky, it’s extremely comfortable to hold, with the ergonomics being second to none, and the weight also feeling well distributed to the point that it’s never an issue. The build quality also oozes quality and feels extremely premium in its design. ugh v

As far as control options to go, the Steam Deck is still unmatched with all of the expected buttons and triggers, four back buttons, super seamless gyro support and two trackpads that have haptic feedback and a great for games that rely on a mouse or don’t have controller support.

Whilst the Steam Deck is releasing in Australia quite late in the game, it’s still a fantastic value for money way for gamers to play their Steam Library on the go, with Steam’s Cloud Sync being absolutely fantastic. If you want the best performance on the market, want to utilise Xbox Game Pass (or other launchers), or maybe don’t have a huge Steam library, there’s probably other options I’d recommend looking at.

Conclusion

The Steam Deck OLED provides an incredibly seamless experience for those that want to take their PC games on the go. Whilst it's not as powerful as some of the newer released consoles, it's still the recommended option for most.

Positives

Incredibly Seamless Experience

The OLED Screen Is Fantastic

Loads Of Control Options

Fantastic Battery Life

Negatives

AAA Performance Isn't As Good As When It Released

Locked To Steam

The post Steam Deck OLED Review – A Super Seamless Experience appeared first on Press Start.

The day has finally arrived. Today is the day that Australia finally gets the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED years after it launched in most other parts of the world.

The day has finally arrived. Today is the day that Australia finally gets the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED years after it launched in most other parts of the world. It will go on sale at 10am AEDT at the below links:

• 256GB LCD: $649 AUD
• 512GB OLED: $899 AUD
• 1TB OLED: $1,049 AUD
• 1TB OLED (White): $1,099 AUD

If Valve finally bringing the Steam Deck to Australia wasn’t enough for you, it’s now revealed a Limited Edition White Steam Deck OLED and it’ll be launching on the same day that the Steam Deck does into Australia.

The White Steam Deck OLED will come with white/grey accents, a matching white carrying case and also a white cleaning cloth, to complete the entire look. It’s fairly stunning if I do say so myself.

Just like the translucent black model that released alongside the OLED and sold out extremely quickly, this will only be available as one limited drop.

It’s available in the 1TB OLED model and it will be $50 more than the standard at $1,099 AUD. It will be available to order with the Steam Deck goes on sale in Australia (alongside every other market that the Steam Deck is available) at 10:00am AEDT on November 19th (today).

FULL AUSTRALIAN STEAM DECK RANGE

• 256GB LCD: $649 AUD
• 512GB OLED: $899 AUD
• 1TB OLED: $1,049 AUD
• 1TB OLED (White): $1,099 AUD

Just in case you’re not as familiar with the two models, The Steam Deck OLED has a larger 7.4-inch HDR OLED display with 1000 nits of peak brightness. The refresh rate has been updated to 90hz and the latency of the touch screen has also been improved.

The device has a larger 50whr battery (up from 40 whr) and combined with a more efficient APU, you can expect a 30-50% better battery life which Valve says is good for 3-12 hours of gaming depending on what you’re playing. Despite the device having a larger screen and a larger battery, the total weight has been reduced by 30 grams or 5% which should make a big difference in comfort.

@shannongrixti

The Steam Deck is finally coming to Australia and here’s a quick look at the gorgeous 1TB OLED model #SteamDeck #SteamDeckAustralia #SteamDeckOLED #Tech #Steam #Valve

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

The post The Steam Deck Finally Goes On Sale In Australia Today Including That Sexy White LE Version appeared first on Press Start.

The Game Wards 2024 Nominees have been revealed and for the most part, it’s gone fairly as expected with Astro Bot and Final Fantasy 7 leading the count with 7 nominations each.

It’s the Game of the Year category that’s causing the most debate (as it does every year) with the expected games such as Astro Bot, Black Myth, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Metaphor ReFantazio being there, along Balatro with as well as Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree also featuring despite being an expansion for a game that was already nominated (and won) in 2022.

Naturally this has kicked off discussions about whether an expansion or DLC should be eligible to win GOTY, which people feel really passionate about one way or another, and it’s not something that we’ve seen happen before.

It’s worth mentioning that Press Start voted in this year’s awards (as we do every year) as one of the only Australian outlets invited to nominate. The Game Awards are set to take place on Friday, December 13th at 11:30 AM.

THE GAME AWARDS 2024 FULL NOMINEES

Game of the Year

• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Game Direction

• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Ongoing Game

• Destiny 2
• Diablo 4
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2

Best Performance

• Briana White: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Hannah Telle: Life is Strange: Double Exposure
• Humberly Gonzalez: Star Wars Outlaws
• Luke Roberts: Silent Hill 2
• Melina Juergens: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Best Mobile Game

• AFK Journey
• Balatro
• Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket
• Wuthering Waves
• Zenless Zone Zero

Best Art Direction

• Astro Bot
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Neva

Best Score and Music

• Astro Bot
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Silent Hill 2
• Stellar Blade

Best Audio Design

• Astro Bot
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Silent Hill 2

Best Adaptation

• Arcane
• Fallout
• Knuckles
• Like a Dragon: Yakuza
• Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

Best Narrative

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
• Silent Hill 2

Games for Impact

• Closer the Distance
• Indika
• Neva
• Life is Strange: Double Exposure
• Senua’s Saga: Hellbalde 2
• Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Helldivers 2
• No Man’s Sky

Best Multiplayer

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• Tekken 8
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Best Independent Game

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
• Neva
• UFO 50

Best Debut Indie Game

• Animal Well
• Balatro
• Manor Lords
• Pacific Drive
• The Plucky Squire

Best VR/AR Game

• Arizona Sunshine Remake
• Asgard’s Wrath 2
• Batman: Arkham Shadow
• Metal: Hellsinger VR
• Metro: Awakening

Content Creator of the Year

• Caseoh
• Illojuan
• Techno Gamerz
• Typical Gamers
• Usada Pekora

Most Anticipated

• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Ghost of Yotei
• Grand Theft Auto 6
• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
• Monster Hunter Wilds

Best Action/Adventure Game

• Astro Bot
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Silent Hill 2
• Star Wars Outlaws
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Best Role-Playing Game

• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Fighting Game

• Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
• GranBlue Fantasy Versus: Rising
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Arcade Classics
• MultiVersus
• Tekken 8

Best Action Game

• Black Myth: Wukong
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Helldivers 2
• Stellar Blade
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Innovation in Accessibility

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Diablo 4
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Star Wars Outlaws

Best Family Game

• Astro Bot
• Princess Peach: Showtime
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• The Plucky Squire

Best Sim/Strategy Game

• Age of Mythology: Retold
• Frostpunk 2
• Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
• Manor Lords
• Unicorn Overlord

Best Sports/Racing Game

• F1 24
• EA Sports FC 25
• NBA 2K25
• Top Spin 2K25
• WWE 2K24

Best Esports Game

• Counter-Strike 2
• Dota 2
• League of Legends
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Valorant

Best Esports Athlete

• 33 – Neta Shapira
• Aleksib – Aleksi Virolainen
• Chovy – Jeong Ji-hoon
• Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok
• ZyWoO – Mathieu Herbaut
• ZmjjKk – Zheng Yongkang

Best Esports Team

• Bilibili Gaming
• Gen.G
• Navi
• T1
• Team Liquid

The post The Game Awards 2024 Nominees Have Been Revealed And GOTY Is Causing Some Heated Debate appeared first on Press Start.

Amazon’s Black Friday sale has kicked off and will be running all the way until December 2nd at 11:59pm AEDT. Whilst there’s already lots of deals live, we believe that a lot of deals (including PlayStation hardware) is set to go live later this week, so we definitely think there will be a lot of updates and deals added over the next two weeks.

You can find all of the deals on the Black Friday page HERE and we will continue to update the below.

BEST AMAZON BLACK FRIDAY GAMING DEALS

• 5% off Xbox Gift Cards 
• ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme – $729
• Logitech Astro A50 X Wireless Headset – $527 (30% off)
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – $455 (38% off)
• Corsair MP600 Pro 2TB SSD – $234 
• Anker 737 Power Bank – $149 
• Star Wars Outlaws – $65 
• Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 – $66 
• SteelSeries Apex Pro Keyboard – $279 
• Star Wars Jedi Survivor – $40 
• Tekken 8 Day 1 Edition – $63 
• Silent Hil 2 – $84 
• Metaphor Refantazio – $74 
• Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy – $24 
• DualSense Volcanic Red – $98 
• Super Mario RPG – $58 
• Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – $50 
• Sony Inzone Buds – $248 
• Avatar Frontiers of Pandora – $42 
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown – $28 
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max – $59 (50% off)
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K – $49 (51% off)
• Final Fantasy 16 – $39 (47% off)
• FC25 – $59 (46% off)
• Unknown 9: Awakening – $44 (50% off)
• Cult of the Lamb Switch – $42 (24% off)
• Sonic x Shadow Generations – $59 (26% off)
• DualSense Controller (Silver) – $98 (22% off)
• 2TB Lexar NM790 2TB SSD – $211 
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – $535 (27% off)
• WD_Black 1TB Xbox Series X|S SSD – $207 (31% off)
• Prince of Persia The Lost Crown – $28
• Super Mario Bros Wonder – $58 (37% off)
• 8BitDo Pro 2 – $69.95 (16% off)
• Xbox Series X|S Controller – $69 (22% off)
• LEGO Bowser – $289 (28% off)
• LEGO Super Mario World – $170 (15% off)

We’ll keep you posted as more info about the deals come out and obviously let you know once they’re live. You should also follow our Twitter page for deals as soon as they happen. 

WE LOVE BRINGING YOU THE BEST GAMING BARGAINS. WE MAY GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE SALE THROUGH AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS.

The post Amazon’s Black Friday Sale Is Live And Here’s The Best Gaming Deals appeared first on Press Start.

Aldi is going against the grain and having a Black Wednesday sale instead of a Black Friday sale.

This will be taking place on Wednesday November 27th, which is still before Black Friday, but feels later than everyone else’s sale which is starting as early as tonight.

You’ll be able to get your classic Special Buys including a massive 70-inch 4K TV for $589, a smaller 43-inch 1080p TV for $249, a Lenovo Tab M11 for $199, a gaming chair for $149 and a bunch of other goodies which you can find below.

ALDI BLACK FRIDAY (BLACK WEDNESDAY) SALE

For Tech Heads 

• 70″ 4K Ultra HD Smart TV with webOS $589
• 43″ Full HD Smart TV with webOS $249
• Lenovo Tab M11 Tablet Bundle $199
• Philips TAM3205 Micro Music System $149
• Philips True Wireless Earbuds with ANC $49.99
• 15.6″ Portable Monitor $119
• 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger $29.99
• 80’s Bluetooth Boombox (Large) Silver, $229
• Gaming Chair, $149

Kitchen and Home

• De’Longhi Dedica Espresso Machine – White or Black $169
• De’Longhi Argento Kettle $69.99
• De’Longhi Toaster Argento $89.99
• BRITA Flow Cask 8.2L Soft Blue $64.99
• Kenwood MultiPro Compact All in 1 $89.99
• Scanpan Spectrum 5pc Soft Touch Knife Set $24.99
• Tefal Day by Day Spouted Frypan 3pc Set $59.99
• Tefal Garment Steamer $49.99

Beauty

• L’oreal Age Perfect Duo Packs, $36.99
• Olay Gift Packs 2pc, $49.99
• Colgate Pulse Series 1 Whitening Electric Toothbrush $29.99
• Braun All-in-One Style Kit Series 3 or Beard Trimmer Series 3 $44.99

The post Aldi’s ‘Black Wednesday’ Black Friday Sale Will Bring Some Decent Special Buys appeared first on Press Start.

After it was teased in a BTS video for LEGO Horizon Adventures last week, we now have our first look at the next Horizon set which will be branded under LEGO Horizon Adventures thanks to Amazon Mexico.

It’s set to be a 768 piece set and will include an all-new Aloy minifigure with a new boy and hairpiece, a Varl minifigure, a massive Shell-Walker with the ability to take parts off as well as a Sawtooth as well.

We’re expecting this to be announced in the coming months and release early next year. Given this is the first set to be released under the LEGO Horizon Adventures branding, it’ll be interesting to see if we see any more.

The post Our First Look At The New LEGO Horizon Adventures LEGO Set Has Arrived appeared first on Press Start.

Amazon’s Black Friday sale starts tonight (at midnight) running all the way until December 2nd at 11:59pm AEDT and there’s already some early deals live.

The sale page is already live so you can find early deals HERE with loads more to hit at Midnight tonight. 

AMAZON BLACK FRIDAY EARLY DEALS

• ASUS ROG Ally Z1 Extreme – $729
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max – $59 (50% off)
• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K – $49 (51% off)
• Final Fantasy 16 – $39 (47% off)
• FC25 – $68 (38% off)
• Unknown 9: Awakening – $44 (50% off)
• Cult of the Lamb Switch – $42 (24% off)
• Sonic x Shadow Generations – $59 (26% off)
• DualSense Controller (Silver) – $98 (22% off)
• 2TB Lexar NM790 2TB SSD – $211 
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – $535 (27% off)
• WD_Black 1TB Xbox Series X|S SSD – $207 (31% off)
• Prince of Persia The Lost Crown – $28
• Super Mario Bros Wonder – $58 (37% off)
• 8BitDo Pro 2 – $69.95 (16% off)
• Xbox Series X|S Controller – $69 (22% off)
• LEGO Bowser – $289 (28% off)
• LEGO Super Mario World – $170 (15% off)

AMAZON BLACK FRIDAY SALE AUSTRALIAN DATES

The sale will be starting on November 19th at 00:01 AEDT and running until December 2nd at 11:59pm AEDT. This without doubt marks the longest sale that Amazon has ever had in Australia, so hopefully we’ll see a bunch of deals throughout the two weeks.

Amazon has been fairly tight lipped about what will be on sale, only saying that there will be “hundreds of thousands of discounted products across electronics, toys, beauty, homewares and everyday essentials”.

The sale page is already live, so you should definitely go and bookmark it. It’s right HERE. Generally, some deals go live in the lead-up to the sale, but with it being a 14 day event this year, we might not see that happy.

Hopefully we see some deals on the likes of the Meta Quest 3, PS5 controllers, games and accessories and a bunch of other items that we like to stock up on coming into the Christmas season.

We’ll keep you posted as more info about the deals come out and obviously let you know once they’re live. You should also follow our Twitter page for deals as soon as they happen. 

WE LOVE BRINGING YOU THE BEST GAMING BARGAINS. WE MAY GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE SALE THROUGH AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS.

The post Amazon’s Black Friday Sale Starts Tonight And There’s Already Great Deals Live appeared first on Press Start.

Serial leaker Deallabs has posted some of PlayStation’s upcoming Black Friday deals early. So far, these are confirmed for the US and Europe, but we’d be shocked if they didn’t make their way down under as well. The deals are set to run from November 22nd until December 12th.

It’s said that the sale will bring significant discounts for the PS5 Slim (both versions) as well as PlayStation VR2 and the Horizon Call of the Mountain pack with the price set to be almost halved.

It’s also expected that a bunch of games will be on sale, both digitally and physically as well, but we’ll let you know once we have confirmation for Australia.

With Black Friday sales set to kick off extremely early in Australia (literally later tonight), we’ll be following all the best deals at retailers. You can find information on Amazon’s sale HERE.

The post PlayStation’s Black Friday Sale Will Apparently Have Big Savings On The PS5 Slim And PlayStation VR2 appeared first on Press Start.

The final season for Rainbow Six Siege Year 9 was revealed  and we got an early glimpse of what’s coming in December’s update including the long awaited Shield nerfs. Here’s the notable updates coming in Operation Collision Point:

Crossplay between consoles and PC

A big notable change in this update is the crossplay compatibility between the consoles and PC opening up the matchmaking pool even further. Players can now party up with their friends on other platforms, including PC, which wasn’t possible before. Players also have the option to limit their playlist pool if they don’t want cross play on.

With crossplay, Ubisoft has also stated there will be relevant ant-cheat parameters involved with the update such as detecting PC players attempting to switch from the PC to the console only platform pool.

The long awaited Shield nerf

Shields have impacted the meta all year, and Ubisoft has vowed to put an end to that with this update. Shields will be receiving a nerf across the board making them less viable as an offensive weapon. Shield melee attack won’t do any damage anymore making that smoke melee push with Blitz utterly useless. Opponents will still go down however but instakills have been taken off the board.

Defenders have a stronger chance of taking a shield operator head on now with melee attacks and increased suppression. The more you melee a shield operator, the more exposed and unstable they get, allowing you to easily take them out now.

With this nerf, the shields will be more utilised as a support tool rather than a full offensive one. So don’t expect anymore Blitz smoke rushes or Montaigne frustratingly holding the only path into site.

The Blackbeard Rework

With the shield nerf coming into play, Blackbeard gets a rework giving him a more viable choice for attackers.

Blackbeard is given a new shield rather than the small anti-headshot one he had since year one allowing him to be protected even more than before. The shield has a glass panel that goes down and allows you to fire while being in cover – basically a wall panel with a gun out the front. The shield also allows you to penetrate soft walls meaning pushing into site and creating rotates will be easy.

The new rework allows Blackbeard to serve a bigger role in entry fragging with the new shield and ability to create breaches in soft walls.

It’s quite an interesting move adding the rework for Blackbeard now considering the shield nerfs but I’m keen to see how the combination of the two switches up the gameplay. There’s plenty more updates coming to Rainbow Six Siege with Operation Collision Point, check out the reveal livestream below:

The post Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Collision Point Will Bring Crossplay, An Improved Blackbeard And More appeared first on Press Start.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Valve got the original Half-Life 2 development team back together to bring some much-needed updates to the game, with the game now being free for the weekend in addition to a bunch of BTS content that has been released.

Half-Life 2 now includes the Episode One and Episode Two expansions within the base game with them being accessible from the main menu. You can grab it for free HERE.

• Half-Life 2 – Free until November 19th at 05:00am AEDT.

I’d highly recommend checking out the 20th anniversary website for the game HERE which has a bunch of looks at scrapped footage from other Half-Life projects as well.

NEW HALF-LIFE 2 UPDATES

UPDATED GAME CONTENT

• Fixed pops, holes in the world, fading-out and disappearing objects across the game.
• Rebalanced the lighting across Half-Life 2 to account for playing with HDR on or off, using the original release as reference.
• Cleaner, smoother horizon lines thanks to new radial fog!
• Added higher-resolution lightmaps across the game!
• Removed green glow from the G-Man model’s eyes in the opening of the game, and restored the reflective glint as seen in the original release.
• Fixed missing grass sprites and blacked-out models throughout the game!

UPDATED GRAPHICS SETTINGS 

• Choose either the original launch day blood and fire effects, or those created for the episodes, when playing the Half-Life 2 base game!
• Play with only the highest detail models in High Quality mode!
• Get smoother lightmap shadows at Very High shader detail, thanks to new bicubic lightmap filtering!

GAMEPAD/STEAM DECK UPDATES

• Gamepad controls have been updated to match the Half-Life 1 anniversary update.
• Aim Assistance has gotten an overhaul making it feel better to use, and there are more configuration options available. Aim Assistance can be enabled separately for gamepad or mouse/keyboard input. The amount of assistance can be tuned up and down, and it’s no longer tied to a skill setting. Want to play on Hard with high aim assist, or Easy with it off? Knock yourself out.
• The Steam Deck main menu has been updated with all of today’s additions including the Episodes, Workshop, and new input configuration. The Steam Deck version of the main menu will also appear when you play Half-Life 2 on a PC running

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I’ve never been drawn to Farming Simulator games despite my friends’ constant insistence that the cozier, slower paced design of it all is therapeutic, but with Farming Simulator 25, they got me. An oddly cinematic trailer and the promise of worldwide farming was enough to convince me to dip my toes into the world of virtual farming. And while it’s not the best thing I’ve ever played, I’m absolutely in awe of how much depth and detail is hiding in Farming Simulator 25. It’s an experience that has forever changed how I look at these games.

I admit that’s in part due to my own ignorance, but it is incredible just how much is on offer here. The Farming Simulator games each offer the opportunity for players to step into the role of a farmer – usually through inheriting a farm which they can then develop as they see fit. You’ll expand your crops, harvest and sell them and then use that money to invest in expansion. Later games would add more detailed elements that go well beyond the traditional agriculture you’d expect – including livestock and forestry.

Farming Simulator 25 differs from the other games in a few ways. For one, you can now expand your farm beyond what has been typically provided – both American and European style farms – and begin cultivating Asian style farms too. With that, rice is a new crop that can be harvested, and, with that, many other aspects of the process change too. Other improvements with 2025 are the addition of livestock such as buffalo, which has a flow on effect of allowing you to engage in animal husbandry to make buffalo mozzarella to sell. There are some simple additions here, but it is merely adding to Farming Simulator’s already wide and varied offering.

And that’s really where Farming Simulator 25 really surprised me. It feels incredibly authentic. Not fussed with creating watered down experience for players, Farming Simulator 25 does exactly what it says on the box. While I’m not a farmer myself (in case you didn’t know), every aspect of running a farm, even those that I don’t even think about, is captured pretty authentically here. Whether it be managing crops, the aforementioned animal husbandry, or planting seeds and harvesting crops at the right time. The game feels realistic and, more importantly, when you see a big batch of crops come to fruition, it’s satisfying too.

Though it can take you a while to get there. There are some light tutorials at the beginning of Farming Simulaotr 25 but after that, the game really sends you on your way to do whatever you want. You can get out of the vehicles and go speak to people, who can often run you through the basics of whatever crop or activity you need to work out, but overall the game doesn’t hold your hand too much. This is both a blessing and a curse – it does feel like Farming Simulator 25 isn’t dumming things down for a casual audience, but for people like me, who are just getting into things, the constant trial-and-error approach to some of these crops could be frustrating for players less patient than me.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $89 WITH FREE SHIPPING ON AMAZON

But other improvements can help to remove some of the tediousness of some of the activities on your farm. While I’d argue that the simplicity and tedium of the tasks if some of the appeal with a game like this, you can easily implement AI-drive workers to drive vehicles from one point to another, plow a field of crops ready for harvesting or even delivering cargo for you. Their routines can be set individually or just looped, which helps you to focus on other things and, if you’re good enough, maximise your efficiency.

And that’s an important aspect of the whole experience, because you can really do a lot in Farming Simulator 25. It’s kind of impressive just how much variety there is here in terms of which crops you might choose to grow or where you’ll focus a lot of your time to expand and grow profitable. It feels like a true sandbox in many ways, and I guarantee that no two players will have the same experience, farms or even progression through the game. It’s this confidence in players to build their own farms in a way that they see fit that makes it easy for me to see why Farming Simulator has become the phenomenon that it has over the last fifteen or so years.

There are other aspects, some not even new to Farming Sim 25, that help to make the game feel more expansive, though they ultimately feel a bit like shallow window dressing than anything else. When I first started playing, I was excited to see that there was almost a whole world outside of the farm to explore – though ultimately the world is rather empty and feels more like a means to an end rather than an immersive space to buy, sell and trade in. Still, the ambition is appreciated though I’d love to see this aspect honed and improved upon in future instalments.

From a presentation perspective, Farming Simulator 25 is fairly rudimentary. It looks better than previous games though not by too much. The music is similarly what you’d expect from games like these – either no music at all or ambient tracks that help sell the atmosphere. The voice work is horrendous though, and I really hope that if GIANTS commits to a campaign in newer games that there is a bit more attention paid to this aspect of the games presentation.

Newer to this game are weather effects and improvements to the way water hits and flows off of crops, which sounds like a minor improvement, but it’s all smaller details that contribute greatly to the bigger picture. If you’re lucky (or I should say, unlucky) enough to be caught up in a tornado, one of the newer weather effects, you’ll no doubt notice how good it looks as it tears through your crops and pulls in a swirling mess of cloud and debris as it rips through your map. Other moments, like when you harvest crops as the sun sets, are serene and picturesque and really helps hammer home that cosy, relaxing effect that the Farming Sim games have.

All in all, Farming Simulator 25 is an earnest improvement on the previous Farming Simulator games. And while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any stretch, it adds enough new aspects to not only justify it’s existence but bring in new players, like myself without dumming down any of the intricate aspects that make it what it is. And while the onboarding can be fairly tough, especially if you’re completely new to this, sticking with Farming Simulator 25 will (mostly) lead to only fruitful harvests.

Conclusion

Farming Simulator 25 is a pleasantly surprising experience that builds upon its predecessors to feel as expansive as ever while remaining authentic. While it’s no revolutionary change for the series, Farming Simulator 25 is both rewarding and immersive if you stick with it, even if it won’t hold your hand for most of the journey.

Positives

Incredible In-Depth Systems

Plenty Of Freedom To Customise Your Farm

Novel Improvements Like New Maps and Weather

Negatives

Not Very Extensive Tutorials For Newcomers

Big And Empty Open Maps

Horrific Voice Work

7

THE CHEAPEST PRICE

$89 FROM AMAZON

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I’ve been banging on about how good Xbox’s ecosystem is for the last few years now, with the fact that not only saves go across both Xbox and PC seamlessly, but also the fact that you can play Xbox games on the likes of Samsung TVs/Monitors and Amazon Fire Sticks with nothing but a controller is fantastic.

Clearly Xbox agrees, because it has just launched a new marketing campaign really highlighting all the platforms that can be considered an Xbox now, outside of the obvious Xbox Series XS|. This includes the likes of mobile phones, laptops, the ASUS ROG Ally, the Fire TV Stick and Samsung TVs.

The campaign does get a little bit naff as it goes on to compare other boxes like a Kitty Litter and a Bento Box by saying these things aren’t an Xbox, but I am happy to see Xbox really singing the praises of the ecosystem it has built out over the last few years, as I think it works really well and opens up gaming to more people.

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Years after the LEGO Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck set released, it looks like a second set is on the way.

As spotted by TheBrickReporter, the set was teased in a BTS LEGO Horizon video and will apparently release in March 2025 for $45 USD (~$70 AUD) and it will be a 768 piece set including a new Aloy figure along with Varl, a Shell-Walker and Sawtooth which are two of my favourite machines from the game.

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Whilst many were hoping that we’d see a major Thunderjaw set, this will have to do for now, and it’s still pretty exciting given it’s been more than two years since the last set that is now retired.

We gave LEGO Horizon Adventures a 6.5/10 and said: “In many regards, LEGO Horizon Adventures accomplishes what it set out to do: it effectively summarises the story of Horizon Zero Dawn into an approachable all-ages adventure. However, in simplifying the mechanics of Horizon Zero Dawn, they have omitted what makes Horizon and LEGO games special. The Horizon world has been lovingly reimagined in LEGO but overly basic combat and a lack of interactivity hold it back. LEGO Horizon Adventures is salvaged somewhat by a gorgeous art style, a fun retelling of the story and well-executed cooperative features, but the pieces don’t quite all click into place.”

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Miniatures is a sublime collection of short, interactive stories from Other Tales, a small developer that likes to dabble in the otherworldly eeriness of what lurks at the periphery of the known. The more impressive feat is how the team tackles such serious subject matter and frames it through a child’s perspective. 

Having the player unlock a keepsake chest, and handle four curios that plunge them into strange tales is an oh-so-curious premise, and I love how open some of these short stories are to interpretation. I’ve managed to pluck and pull at meanings I’m sure no developer intended, but that’s what art is—inflammation of thought and provoking us to ponder on the things we can’t fully reason with. There are big familial issues at the heart of Miniatures, and they’re, clearly, the source of some pain for those behind it. 

A sea shell, a screwdriver, a small stone lizard, and a moth patch each serve as catalysts for small, ten-or-so-minute vignettes about life’s challenges. 

The House of the Moon, while being about an absent mother, had me thinking about my inverse childhood that saw me grow up without a father figure and how long I obsessed with what was wrong with me, rather than what was wrong with him. Of course, that’s an extremely personal, specific use case to me, but the fact a brief peering through someone else’s lens can draw that out once again speaks volumes to how accessible, albeit strange, Miniatures is as a collection. 

Of the four, I do love Familiar the most. It’s a tale as old as time about a flat-pack cabinet that threatens to tear a family apart, to the point they hide it away once it’s together for fear it’ll collapse, leaving the evil presence within to envelope them. It’s also the best argument for each of Miniatures’ tales having its own bespoke art style, as the creepy undertones are punctuated perfectly through the crude, scratchy illustration, and each scene break’s violin screech.

It’s truly artful and feels like a worthwhile indictment of IKEA, whose only value in my household is cheap hot dogs. 

Miniatures is, without doubt, an hour well spent. It’s to the point that I’ve been ruminating on these quirky, little accounts far beyond their runtime and I felt there was a small amount of healing done, as I managed to retrospect parts of my past specifically and, with some relief, put them to bed. 

Miniatures is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile right now.  

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Not really a gaming deal, but an insanely good one nonetheless. All new and existing Amazon Prime members can currently get TWO years of DoorDash DashPass for free.

This means that you can get $0 delivery on eligible orders on DoorDash for two years for free if you’re an Amazon Prime member.

• Two years of Free DoorDash DashPass for Amazon Prime members 

It’s super easy to link your two accounts using the above link, with it taking just a few seconds to do it myself. It’s unclear if this offer has an expiry date. Other DashPass bonuses include member’s only discounts, 5% back in credit when you pickup orders and more.

It’s worth mentioning that this will automatically renew after two years, so if you’re no longer using it make sure you set a reminder to cancel.

Amazon’s Black Friday Sale Dates Have Been Revealed And It’s A Massive Two Week Event

WE LOVE BRINGING YOU THE BEST GAMING BARGAINS. WE MAY GET A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE SALE THROUGH AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS.

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PlayStation has this morning revealed November’s PlayStation Plus Extra/Deluxe games that will be coming to the service. This includes Grand Theft Auto V (again), Dying Light 2: Stay Human, Like A Dragon: Ishin as well as Synapse and a few of the Blood Omen games in the classics department.

NOVEMBER 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS EXTRA GAMES

• Grand Theft Auto V (PS5/PS4)
• Dying Light 2 (PS5/PS4)
• Like A Dragon: Ishin (PS5/PS4)
• MotoGP 24 (PS5/PS4)
• The Sims 4 Island Living Add-On (PS4)
• Digimon Survive (PS4)
• Overcooked! All You Can Eat (PS5/PS4)
• Stick Fight: The Game (PS4)
• Clash: Artifacts Of Chaos (PS5/PS4)
• Killer Frequency (PS5/PS4)
• Hungry Shark World (PS4)
• Chivalry 2 (PS5/PS4)

NOVEMBER 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS DELUXE GAMES

• Synapse (PlayStation VR2)
• Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PS5/PS4)
• Blood Omen 2 (PS5/PS4)

These will be available to download on November 19th, so not too long to wait. For those in territories that have PlayStation Plus Premium, you’ll be able to get Resistance 1 + 2 (not in Australia unfortunately).

Just as a reminder, you can now get the PlayStation Plus Essential games for November below as well:

NOVEMBER 2024 PLAYSTATION PLUS ESSENTIAL GAMES

• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged (PS5/PS4)
• Ghostwire Tokyo (PS5)
• Death Note Killer Within (PS5/PS4)

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Wasting no time in their colossal 45 minute presentation, Blizzard have announced this morning that both Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness are getting the remaster treatment.

Now simply known as Warcraft Remastered and Warcraft II Remastered respectively, both of the remasters include all the content previously released for the original games back in their heyday.

The remasters include brand new hand-drawn visuals, though purists can select the older visual style if they wish.

The original Warcraft has been updated with modern control schemes to make it a tad more playable today, while Warcraft II’s multiplayer options are included with Remastered.

Any custom maps you’ve previously been playing around with in Warcraft II will work with Remastered too.

Both remasters will be available as part of a Battle Chest with Warcraft III: Reforged, which has recently received substantial updates with today’s announcements too.

Even better? They’re available right now.

Check out the rest of the Warcraft 30th Anniversary announcements HERE.

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Ending the massive Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct this morning, Blizzard showed off a brief teaser trailer for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Midnight.

Midnight is the eleventh expansion for World of Warcraft and is the second chapter in a new era of storytelling within the World of Warcraft.

In the second chapter of the Worldsoul Saga, Midnight, players return to Quel’Thalas to reunify the scattered elven tribes of Azeroth.

That’s all well and good, but Blizzard’s latest teaser seems to insinuate that we’ll be able to buy, own, and customise housing in the game when Midnight launches.

Housing is a much-requested feature in World of Warcraft, as not only will it bring parity for the game with other MMOs on the market, but it’ll also give players a place to call their own and, more importantly, a place to store all of their stuff after their lengthy travels.

The post The Latest World Of Warcraft: Midnight Teaser Implies That Housing Is Coming To The Game appeared first on Press Start.

Blizzard have today confirmed, though it should be obvious, that Mists of Pandaria is going to be getting the World of Warcraft: Classic treatment in 2025.

At the publisher’s massive Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct, it was confirmed that players who are currently playing through Cataclysm Classic will be able to take their progress into Mists of Pandaria content in 2025 when it launches.

Mists of Pandaria was the fifth major expansion for World of Warcraft. It originally raised the level cap from 85 to 90 and also introduced a new playable race, the pandaren as well as a new character class, the monk.

The World of Warcraft Classic experience aims to run separately from the main series of World of Warcraft, recreating the same experience that players had before later expansions would be released.

No exact release date was confirmed, but Mists of Pandaria Classic launches sometime in 2025.

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While Blizzard didn’t hold a BlizzCon this year, it has still gone all out to make sure its presence is felt this November with a bunch of announcements.

The first of its kind, the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct broadcast was held this morning. It featured updates on practically everything related to Warcraft, though another franchise also managed to get a look in.

There was a whole bunch shown in the 45-minute presentation, so let’s get to it!

Warcraft and Warcraft II Are Getting The Remaster Treatment

The remasters will boast brand-new, hand-drawn visuals. You can swap between both on the fly as you want too. Both games have been given minor quality-of-life changes like health bars and mission select screens, to help them feel a bit…well…modern. Warcraft has modern controls, including right-click moving and speed improvement. Warcraft II will also include full multiplayer functionality, and legacy custom maps will be compatible with the remaster. Both games are out now.

Mists Of Pandaria Classic Was Revealed

The reveal was less than surprising given how the Classic rollout has happened so far. Regardless, the direct showed off a new cinematic featuring the most fearsome and cuddly denizens of Azeroth. It’s out in 2025.

Housing Is Coming To World of Warcraft With The Midnight Expansion

It’s called Midnight, which we knew already, but the teaser looks to be insinuating that we’ll finally be able to buy and live in our very own house. The expansion will form the second part of a new trilogy that began with The War Within. No release date has been announced.

Patch 2.0 Brings Heaps Of New Features To Warcraft III: Reforged

The update is free of charge to all existing owners of Warcraft III: Reforged and includes overhauls to lighting, environments and UI. All the assets have also been given the uprez treatment and, if they’re not your vibe, you can choose which assets will look like the new style and which will look like the old style. You can grab the update right now.

The Next Mini Set For Hearthstone Is None Other Than Starcraft

It’s the first time Blizzard has explored another world outside of Azeroth this deeply and the biggest set that Heart. The cards will hail from all three factions – the Zerg, Terran and Protoss – and each has a hero to represent them: Kerrigan, Raynor and Artanis respectively. There’s even a murlock dressed in Terran armour which is cute. It’s out in January 2025.

Arena Is Getting A Big Overhaul In Hearthstone

The arena is getting split into two distinct types of play. The first is the normal arena, which features shorter and quicker rounds. The underground arena, on the other hand, has longer matches with a much more “rogue” style of matchmaking. You can be matched with anyone on the underground, so it’s important that your deck is built to perfection before you head there. There are separate rankings for both and the major changes are expected to hit Hearthstone in the first half of 2025.

The Next Year Of Hearthstone Is Three Expansions And Lots of Dinosaurs

The first expansion, Into The Emerald Dream, will focus on a druid conflict long requested by fans, while The Shrouded City will focus on the mighty dinosaurs of the crater. The final expansion of the year will have players exploring time and multiple realities.

Warcraft Rumble Is Coming To PC

While you can log in to the game right now to earn some cool first anniversary goodies, the PC beta begins on December 10th, just a month away.

A Reminder That The Reven Charity Pet Pack Is Available For Two More Months

As detailed last month, the pack is officially available until January 7th, 2025, and purchases of the pack will support CureDuchenne.

A 20th Anniversary Edition Of World Of Warcraft: Classic Resets Things For Those Wanting Something Fresh

The update will bring with it all new fresh realms. They’re launching on November 21st. Everyone starts fresh, you don’t need to rush to Level 60 and it’s the best time to jump into WOW Classic if you missed it in 2019.

Blizzard Detailed The 2025 Roadmap For Both World of Warcraft and Classic Players

There is a HEAP of content coming for those playing on either of the experiences or even both.

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Square-Enix’s 2D-HD system has been a godsend for traditionally styled Japanese RPGs. After struggling through years of questionable visual updates and smoothing filters, we finally have a visual style that feels respectful to the genre’s forebearers while looking eye-poppingly pretty on modern machines. It all began with Octopath Traveler and it’s fantastic sequel, but since then many games have employed the style, both new and old.

The latest series to get the HD-2D treatment also happens to be a massive blind spot in my personal game experience. Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD Remake, aside from being an absolute mouthful of a title, is a stellar example of how to bring an almost forty-year-old game to the current day. With a gorgeous visual overhaul, a moving orchestral soundtrack and thoughtful quality-of-life features, this 2D-HD remake respectfully allows the original source material to shine.

Our story begins with our protagonist waking up in their single-parent home. We learn that their father left on an adventure some time ago to save the world and never returned. Despite this, our character feels like having a coming-of-age moment and leaving on a similar adventure. Their poor mum must barely make it through the day because of the worry.

You learn of a big bad guy you must defeat and head to the local tavern to assemble an adventuring party to save the world. This is the first moment where you’ll see how free you are to build a party just as you like. You can recruit up to three other party members at a time. You decide their name, appearance, and, most importantly, their vocation. From warrior and priest to more oddball options like gadabout and monster wrangler, you have immense freedom in building out your party.

Here lies one of the aspects of Dragon Quest 3 that impressed me the most. Its job system is incredibly flexible, and with a little thought, it’s easy to build a wildly versatile team with which to take on the world. At a certain point in the game, you’ll get the option to change the classes of your party mates. When you do this, they go back to Level 1, but they keep all the spells and abilities they’ve learned so far, as well as half of their currently built-up stats. Building them back up to level with the rest of the party is pretty painless, and when they get there, they have stats above what they could have had at the same level without re-classing. They also gain all the new abilities of their new class as they grow.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $89.95 WITH FREE SHIPPING ON AMAZON

Normally multi-classing systems put me off a little, I’m afraid I’ll absolutely goose it and end up with a totally useless party member. The way it’s done here means that almost no matter what you do, you’ll end up with better stats than you started with. It made me much more willing to play with the system. In doing so, I went from a pretty standard mage, priest and warrior combo to a party with immensely useful thief and monster-wrangling skills. Each party member became more well-rounded with buffs and heals as well, so if one party member fainted, it was rarely game over. The job system in Dragon Quest 3 is great fun to play with.

The battle system is pretty straightforward and will be familiar to anyone who’s played a turn-based RPG. You’ll take turns to fight with weapons, items, magic spells and special abilities – attacking, defending and manipulating the stats of your party and your enemies to your advantage. Things can be quite difficult to begin with while you’re building out your party’s abilities but I found that if I did a little extra exploring and made judicious use of buffs and debuffs I was usually able to prevail against tough early bosses without too much trouble.

I touched on the 2D-HD overhaul earlier, but it’s worth going into a little more detail. I’m sure it will become old hat at some point, maybe verge on overuse eventually, but for now, I’m still utterly enthralled by the visual style and how it brings NES/SNES-era RPGs to life. Characters and monsters maintain a flat pixel-art look, while the environment around them is rendered in loving 3D detail. A shallow depth of field sells the look even further – it’s like looking into a diorama of little miniatures going about their adventure.

Similarly, the audio has had a respectful revamp that maintains its classic sensibilities while taking advantage of modern hardware. The entire soundtrack is luxuriously orchestrated and feels like a realisation of what was being composed in the NES/SNES era without the shackles of the sound hardware of the time. I’ve enjoyed the soundtrack so much that I’ve gone back to listen to the originals to compare them, and you can hear the distinct flavour of the originals in the new orchestral recordings. Some sound effects have remained from the original, tastefully melding the old and new.

While great effort has been made to keep things traditional, several new quality-of-life additions have made things more palatable to a broader audience. Objective markers can point you to the next major story location to ensure you’re never aimlessly wandering, though wandering is still worthwhile to find little events and items that add flavour to your adventure.

Three difficulty levels are available to tailor your experience to your preference. Dracky stops anyone in your party ever getting below 1HP, and Draconian ramps up the difficulty while reducing EXP gained per battle. Auto-battle options aren’t entirely new to the series, but are an incredibly useful tool when grinding levels or dealing with easier fights that don’t need particular strategies. All of these features are entirely optional, and I didn’t feel they got in the way of playing the game ‘as intended’. Mostly, they just prevented me from looking up a guide when I couldn’t quite recall where to go next.

Conclusion

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a delicious serve of JRPG comfort food. It’s got depth that kept me experimenting with new party setups, challenging enough situations to really test them, and an overall story that’s keeps things interesting from start to finish with a beautiful visual style and music to match.

Positives

HD-2D still looks incredible

Flexible but straightforward vocation system

Luxurious orchestrated soundtrack

A familiar, comfortable vibe

Negatives

Early difficulty might take some by surprise

8.5

THE CHEAPEST PRICE

$89.95 FROM AMAZON

The post Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Review – Gaming Comfort Food appeared first on Press Start.

We’ve been playing LEGO Horizon Adventures together and discussed our review. Brodie weighs in on Metro Awakening VR too, and we discuss the latest on Grand Theft Auto 6, a classic mode returning to Overwatch and Donkey Kong Country’s deep dive reveal.

• Listen on LiSTNR
• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Listen on Spotify
• Watch on YouTube

THIS WEEK’S TOPICS

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:29 LEGO Horizon Adventures Review
• 14:27 Metro Awakening VR Review
• 19:21 GTA 6 On Track
• 32:15 Classic Overwatch Returns
• 38:31 Donkey Kong Country Deep Dive
• 43:08 Rapid Fire Question
• 46:14 What The Wiki?!
• 50:41 Outro

READ THE ARTICLES:

• LEGO Horizon Adventures Review — The Pieces Don’t Quite Connect
• Metro Awakening VR Review — Tunnel Vision

The post Our LEGO Horizon Adventures Review Discussion — The Press Start Podcast appeared first on Press Start.

I had hoped LEGO Horizon Adventures would be a reimagining of the now-classic Horizon Zero Dawn with universal appeal. Having grown up with Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO games, I couldn’t be more excited to relive Aloy’s origin story with the charm and whimsy of a LEGO recreation. While Pixar films or Bluey do a great job of entertaining the kids while conscious of the parent in the room, LEGO Horizon Adventures struggles to find the depth that would keep even the uninitiated interested.

No doubt, much of what would have made LEGO Horizon Adventures special rests on the LEGO brick presentation style. The game looks exceptional. Even playing in Performance Mode, the rebuilt post-apocalyptic environment looks incredible in LEGO form. Environmental artists have had a field day adding extra details that don’t go unappreciated; little LEGO skeletons dotted amongst rusted ruined buildings brought a smile to my face. The lighting is also gorgeous, contributing greatly to an impressive presentation that feels more reminiscent of LEGO Builder’s Journey than LEGO Star Wars.

Poking about the nooks and crannies of each level, however, I was left disappointed by a lack of interactivity. It’s hard not to compare LEGO Horizon Adventures to the other PlayStation-exclusive platforming title released this year, ASTRO BOT, which rewarded you for hitting almost everything. Thinking back to past LEGO-based games, I’m accustomed to whacking and breaking almost every little thing. Bar identifiable barrels, there was little to break to collect those studs, the in-game currency.

With no hidden collectibles or easter eggs to be found, it feels like a missed opportunity. Chests containing studs and powerups are never far from the beaten path. Nor are little LEGO builds, which often feel like the same object repeated, with no indication there’s a certain amount to be discovered in the level. Occasionally, some straightforward environmental puzzle-solving is required, mostly with fire or explosive barrels to break through a wall.

The creative creature design, adapting Horizon Zero Dawn’s many memorable robotic dinosaurs into LEGO form is another strength. They have all been given the same quality, LEGO treatment as the Tallneck set that adorns the shelving in my gaming room. Each new enemy encounter comes with the thrill of seeing how they’ve been recreated in LEGO.

The enemy design also emulates the approach taken by the source material. Like the two Horizon games in the series thus far, combat revolves around hitting weak spots on the machine. Each has its weak spots, with enemies like the Shell-Walker proving more of a challenge with a shield to navigate and two clasps keeping a large weak point at bay.

It’s a combat system that worked well in the original games, darting your way about the level to work an angle on the machine. However, its simplified translation into isometric LEGO form requires the player just point the stick in the general direction with your arrow or spear automatically targeting it.

Playing as Aloy or Varl, you get the option of these two ranged attacks, with the other characters Erend and Teersa having a hammer and bombs respectively. The latter two proved effective if less precise and I gravitated towards Aloy and Erend the most.

Adding more variety are the rare weapons and gadgets you can collect throughout levels. Pickups add elemental damage to your chosen weapon, and in the case of Aloy add scattershot or multiple notched arrows for extra damage. Gadgets get a bit more creative, my favourite being a deployable hotdog truck where the vendor tosses explosives in the general direction of enemies. These pickups have limited uses, but bring some welcome variety to the otherwise monotonous combat.

Sadly, the game’s combat never amounts to much. Granted, LEGO games have never been known for their complex combat mechanics, but still, I was left wanting more. Aloy’s spear never appears for close-quarter combat, whereas past LEGO games have dynamically altered the basic attack based on your proximity to an opponent. That and limiting a dodge/dash mechanic to a consumable pickup seems a misstep, particularly when some of the larger bosses have large area-of-effect attacks that ask more of the player.

Stealth is present somewhat. As you do in the core Horizon games, hiding in long grass makes you invisible to enemies, although there are no stealth takedowns or overrides; an upgrade available later in the game rewards some extra damage from a hiding spot but that’s it.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $99 WITH FREE SHIPPING

To make it more approachable to the youngest gamers, I fear Guerilla Games and Studio Gobo have gone too far and lost much of what makes Horizon’s gameplay enjoyable.

That said, the story is decently executed. Elements of what is admittedly a complicated narrative get glossed over as you would perhaps expect given the target audience, but they have done a commendable job distilling it down to its basics whilst doing the original plot justice. Clearly, emphasis was placed on the character arcs of Aloy — and to a lesser extent the supporting characters — making sure to highlight the key themes most important to young newcomers.

The humour synonymous with the LEGO brand is on full display too, with Rost adopting the role of the narrator with a bunch of self-referential jokes that just about bow out before just becoming overdone. Ashly Burch also pivots to a more family-friendly tone commendably, with fun quips injected throughout.

LEGO’s sense of humour translates into the customisation central to the game. Of course, you can change Aloy’s attire (and that of the other characters too) into any number of daft outfits including spacesuits, chicken costumes and Ninjago gis. Customisation extends to different buildings you add to Mother’s Heart, the Nora Village which serves as the overworld where you upgrade your abilities and start challenges.

Upgrades don’t feel terribly consequential. There are two options: upgrades that increase the powers of all characters, and those tied to each character that can be progressed up to level 20. Each new character level increases their damage or health, whilst the overall upgrades increase the amount of XP earned from various takedowns, the damage done whilst hiding or the duration of elemental effects, for example.

Besides levelling up all the characters, completionists ought to seek out all the Gold and Red bricks they can to unlock all the customisations. Gold Bricks are earned by completing Story Mission and Community Challenges — which range from elemental takedowns to exploring a Cauldron in a spacesuit — and Red Bricks are rewarded for completing the Alpha Machine Hunts.

Story Missions blur together but are divided into different subsections within four chapters, each set in a unique biome. Tallnecks and Claudrons are to be found on alternate paths within these levels, which make for a welcome break in pace. The Story wraps up in several hours, with the Alpha Machine Hunts rounding the game out to what I believe is around a 10-12-hour game.

Alpha Machine Hunts become available after completing a chapter, with more unlocked for that region after progressing the story further. Here the challenge steps up, even on the middle difficulty of the five available. Should you want a serious challenge, there is one should you want to make the grind for all the costumes more arduous. Beyond that, the Platinum seems achievable, but little else would entice me to keep playing.

As expected, playing the game co-operatively online or locally makes it more engaging. The co-op play works well; an online friend can join your story back at Mother’s Heart. Locally, another player can drop in any time you like. Your companion will assume the role of one of the remaining three other characters, at whichever level you have progressed them so far, with all progress tied to your save.

Conclusion

In many regards, LEGO Horizon Adventures accomplishes what it set out to do: it effectively summarises the story of Horizon Zero Dawn into an approachable all-ages adventure. However, in simplifying the mechanics of Horizon Zero Dawn, they have omitted what makes Horizon and LEGO games special. The Horizon world has been lovingly reimagined in LEGO but overly basic combat and a lack of interactivity hold it back. LEGO Horizon Adventures is salvaged somewhat by a gorgeous art style, a fun retelling of the story and well-executed cooperative features, but the pieces don't quite all click into place.

Positives

Gorgeous brick art style

Excellently reimagined machines

Fun retelling of Horizon Zero Dawn

Well-executed cooperative features

Negatives

Overly simplified combat

Little interactivity in each level

Limited replayability

6.5

THE CHEAPEST PRICE

$99 FROM AMAZON

The post LEGO Horizon Adventures Review — The Pieces Don’t Quite Connect appeared first on Press Start.

Performance on Nintendo Switch in 2024 has been a mixed bag, and if there’s one game I didn’t expect to run well it’s LEGO Horizon Adventures, which is a stunning and fairly complex looking game to the point that it has two graphics modes on PS5, so my expectations on Nintendo Switch were low. Booting into the game you’re greeted with the iconic PlayStation intro (which is weird to see on the Switch), but for the most part, it’s largely the same game that is on PS5, which is good news.

I’ve played through a good chunk of the game over the last few days and I’m happy to report that you’re getting a very decent visual experience on the Nintendo Switch. It’s running at 30FPS obviously, and when playing on TV, it runs at a noticeably lower resolution than it does on the PS5, but for the most part, all of the density in the world, the fantastic lighting and the vibrancy all come across to the Nintendo Switch version.

The other part that really surprised me was the load times, which can also be a massive problem on Switch, but they’re fairly instant here, obviously not quite as rapid as the PS5, but still fairly snappy for a game which is important for a game that has you going between levels fairly quick.y

Just like on the PS5, the game has local co-op and online co-op as well, so it really is the full experience that you’re getting, which we were hoping for given it’s $89 (on Amazon) but you can never be too sure with what you’re getting on the Switch these days.

As far as the game goes, you can read Ewan’s review of the game here, but it does feel more at home on Switch, given it does feel to be aimed at younger audiences. I can really see this resonating with Switch gamers more than those loading it into their PS5.

In his review, Ewan gave it a 6.5/10 and said: “In many regards, LEGO Horizon Adventures accomplishes what it set out to do: it effectively summarises the story of Horizon Zero Dawn into an approachable all-ages adventure. However, in simplifying the mechanics of Horizon Zero Dawn, they have omitted what makes Horizon and LEGO games special. The Horizon world has been lovingly reimagined in LEGO but overly basic combat and a lack of interactivity hold it back. LEGO Horizon Adventures is salvaged somewhat by a gorgeous art style, a fun retelling of the story and well-executed cooperative features, but the pieces don’t quite all click into place.”

The post LEGO Horizon Adventures On Nintendo Switch Runs Pretty Damn Well appeared first on Press Start.

Thanks to Five Star Games we have five physical copies of LEGO Horizon Adventures to give away on Nintendo Switch. The game blends the best part of Horizon Zero Dawn and classic LEGO games re-telling the story of the first game. It’s out on November 14th and you can grab it on Amazon for for $89 HERE.

WIN: LEGO Horizon Adventures

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. THIS COMPETITION WILL END ON DECEMBER 1ST AT 11:59PM AEDT.

LEGO Horizon Adventures is out on November 14th and you can grab it on Amazon for for $89 HERE.

@shannongrixti

LEGO Horizon Adventures is the perfect blend of classic LEGO games and Horizon Zero Dawn #LEGOHorizonAdventures #LEGO #HorizonZeroDawn #HorizonForbiddenWest #PlayStation #PS5 #PlayStation5 #NintendoSwitch

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

The post WIN: LEGO Horizon Adventures appeared first on Press Start.

Machine Games has dropped a 15 minutes gameplay deep dive for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

This is our greatest look at the game yet, and covers many aspects of what we went hands-on with last month including a bunch of puzzle solving, melee combat, the infamous whip in use, and some absolutely gorgeous locations.

The game is absolutely stunning and throughout all of the locations shown in the footage, whether it be day, night, dark or bright there’s an impressive amount of detail that I can’t wait to expore.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circles launches on December 9th for Xbox Series X|S and PC with the game being on Xbox Game Pass. It will launch net year on PS5.

The post Here’s 15 Minutes Of Gorgeous New Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Gameplay Footage appeared first on Press Start.

When the PS5 launched four years ago, it was missing a port that was used for the PS4 PlayStation Camera among other accessories, so Sony launched a free offer for those that owned the original PlayStation VR to get a dongle that would allow them to still connect it.

In the next few weeks, Sony has announced that it will end this offer, so those that would like an adaptor to use their original PlayStation Camera with the original PlayStation VR on PS5 have until November 26th (or until stock runs out) over at this link HERE. 

In order to be eligible, you need to have the serial number for your PlayStation VR (original) serial number which can be found on the processor unit.

“As of November 26th 2024, or until supplies last, the PlayStation Camera adaptor will no longer be available.” says an updated FAQ on the PlayStation Camera Adaptor support website.

Whilst we’d imagine the amount of people that need this adaptor to be small, it’s worth pointing out that there’s still many, many original PlayStation VR games that can only be played using the original headset on PS5 as PlayStation VR2 games aren’t backwards compatible. This includes Astro Bot Rescue Mission which is one of the best VR games to date and still stuck on the original PlayStation VR.

The post PlayStation’s Free PlayStation Camera PS5 Adaptor Upgrade Offer Is Ending appeared first on Press Start.

Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: The Definitive Edition had a weird and rocky release schedule coming out quite underdone on consoles and PC, before releasing for mobile last year on Netflix with that release having better lighting and other gameplay improvements that the console versions didn’t get.

Rockstar has now dropped an update for the game on consoles that significantly improves visuals as well as a bunch of other fixes. This includes a new Classic Lighting Mode that can be toggled on, but there’s also a heap of other improvements that haven’t yet been detailed officially, that fans are noticing.

GTA SA Defintive Edition after the New Patch
Left old Right New pic.twitter.com/kxBij35K4z

— Besk (@BeskInfinity) November 12, 2024

Visual effects for rain, fire and fog have all been improved, and animations for the game including when you’re running with a gun has also been totally fixed, and there’s a bunch of other little fixes including the ability to view your position on the world map.

Rockstar hasn’t detailed these changes yet, but the below image/videos show off how different the classic lighting mode is, totally capturing the look of the original game, rather than what was presented originally.

I can't believe I'm saying this but with the new Classic Lightning and the GTA Trilogy DE Patch

I'm on Vice City and it looks absolutely gorgeous. pic.twitter.com/EjI4YRqE07

— Besk (@BeskInfinity) November 12, 2024

GTA DE New Patch has FINALLY fixed the aiming running animations across all guns in GTA 3 and VC DE which used to be extremely broken. This is by far the best fix for me.

Left Old Right New pic.twitter.com/PnG6LJX7m8

— Besk (@BeskInfinity) November 12, 2024

I highly recommend heading to the Beskinfinity Twitter page who has highlighted a bunch of other minor changes that most people probably won’t notice but still can be appreciated regardless.

The post Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Just Got A Massive Update That Fixes The Graphics appeared first on Press Start.

The cheapest Australian copy of LEGO Horizon Adventures starting with local retailers and finishing off with digital-only prices. We will update with new & special prices as they come in up until launch day on November 14th.

The post LEGO Horizon Adventures – The Cheapest Australian Day One Bargains appeared first on Press Start.

Blizzard has announced that Overwatch: Classic will bring many of the original elements of the original game back in a series of events.

The first event will take place on November 12th until December 2nd taking it all the way back to the original 1.0 release from May 2016, including many abilities that haven’t been seen in years.

This will bring the original 12 Overwatch maps back to modes such as Assault, Escort, Hybrid and Control. The full update that can be read on the Blizzard website says that the heroes will be grouped in their original four classes but you will not be required to only play as attackers when on attack or defendeers when defending, instead being able to pick the best hero that works for you.

For the first few days there will be no limits on picking heroes, so there will be able to be the same six heroes on the one team, but this will be turned off a little bit into the event.

Overwatch: Classic will appear as a mode within Overwatch 2, and I highly recommend checking out the the FAQ on the Blizzard website for more information.

The post Overwatch: Classic Will Bring The Original Heroes And Maps Back To The Game appeared first on Press Start.

Following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Xbox has announced that another huge property is coming to Xbox Game Pass.

This times it Spyro The Dragon, with the Spyro Reignited Trilogy making its way to Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming tomorrow.

The Spyro Reignited Trilogy includes Spyro The Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage as well as Spyro: Year of the Dragon which have all been remade with some stunning improvements.

We gave the game a 9/10 and said: “Taking off the nostalgia goggles for a moment, Toys For Bob have done a brilliant job in revamping a classic trilogy of games. In updating the visuals and tweaking the controls, they’ve stayed true to the source material and crafted an experience so involving that you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a brand new game. Initial viewings had me concerned that they might not be able to live up to the hype; but on playing the game, for the briefest moment I was eight years old again – and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

The post Spyro Reignited Trilogy Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass appeared first on Press Start.

If Valve finally bringing the Steam Deck to Australia wasn’t enough for you, it’s now revealed a Limited Edition White Steam Deck OLED and it’ll be launching on the same day that the Steam Deck does into Australia.

The White Steam Deck OLED will come with white/grey accents, a matching white carrying case and also a white cleaning cloth, to complete the entire look. It’s fairly stunning if I do say so myself.

Just like the translucent black model that released alongside the OLED and sold out extremely quickly, this will only be available as one limited drop.

It’s available in the 1TB OLED model and it will be $50 more than the standard at $1,099 AUD. It will be available to order with the Steam Deck goes on sale in Australia (alongside every other market that the Steam Deck is available) at 10:00am AEDT on November 19th.

FULL AUSTRALIAN STEAM DECK RANGE

• 256GB LCD: $649 AUD
• 512GB OLED: $899 AUD
• 1TB OLED: $1,049 AUD
• 1TB OLED (White): $1,099 AUD

Just in case you’re not as familiar with the two models, The Steam Deck OLED has a larger 7.4-inch HDR OLED display with 1000 nits of peak brightness. The refresh rate has been updated to 90hz and the latency of the touch screen has also been improved.

The device has a larger 50whr battery (up from 40 whr) and combined with a more efficient APU, you can expect a 30-50% better battery life which Valve says is good for 3-12 hours of gaming depending on what you’re playing. Despite the device having a larger screen and a larger battery, the total weight has been reduced by 30 grams or 5% which should make a big difference in comfort.

The post A Limited Edition White Steam Deck OLED Has Been Revealed And Australia Gets It Day One appeared first on Press Start.

Nintendo has finally given us a deep dive into the next world joining Nintendo World Japan and it’s none-other than Donkey Kong Country. It’s finally opening at Universal Japan on December 11th before beginning to come to other locations starting next year.

As someone who has recently been to Nintendo World (in LA), Donkey Kong World looks incredibly detailed and totally different from Super Mario World.

Just like in the games, you’ll be able to summon Rambi by banging on the congas and you’ll be able to find the KONG letters and scan them with a brand new power-up band.

As far as food goes, there’s a new DK Crush Sundae as well as a DK Wild Hot Dog both with super cute retro art that comes with the food which you can get from the Jungle Beat Shakes. Obviously you’ll be able to meet the Kong himself as well and he looks larger than life.

Funky’s Fly N Buy features with a bunch of Donkey Kong merchandise with the iconic plane being there in full force just like it is in the game.

Upon entering the Golden Temple, you’ll find the Mine Cart Madness ride and when you think of rides that could match the Donkey Kong games this rollercoaster fits perfectly. We only got a sneak peak of the ride including quick looks at Cranky Kong and Dixie Kong, but it’s very clear that the coaster will jump from track to track and complete darkness.

The post Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country Looks Absolutely Incredible And It Opens Next Month appeared first on Press Start.

UPDATE: We can now confirm that December 12th is the Aussie release date for Black Myth: Wukong. You can pre-order it on Amazon with free shipping HERE.

ORIGINAL STORY: Yesterday we reported that a Black Myth: Wukong physical release announcement was imminent, and surprisingly, that still hasn’t come yet, but Australian retailers seem to be the first one with it listed.

Amazon, JB HI-FI and EB Games have just listed Black Myth: Wukong at $109 and $119 respectively. A release date outside of 2024 hasn’t yet been set, but we do know it’ll include everything that was in the digital deluxe edition including:

• Weapon: Bronzecloud Staff.
• Equipment: Folk Opera Mask, Folk Opera Almsgiving Armor, Folk Opera Leather Bracers, Folk Opera Buskins.
• Curio: Wind Chimes
• Selected Digital Soundtrack

BLACK MYTH WUKONG AUSTRALIAN PRE-ORDER

• $109 at Amazon
• $109 at JB Hi-Fi
• $119 at EB Games

EB Games has also confirmed that it will be the game on a disc, which seemed to be an area of concern for a lot of people in the comments yesterday.

At the time of writing, the listing isn’t live on Amazon, but we will let you know if that changes, as well as the release date once we have it.

We gave Black Myth Wukong a 7/10 and said: “Black Myth: Wukong is a game stuck between wanting to be a Souls-like and a casual action game. It’s a mostly enjoyable time hindered by some frustrating elements, but the love and appreciation for the source material is what shines through the most.”

The post The Aussie Physical Black Myth: Wukong Release Date Has Been Revealed appeared first on Press Start.

To celebrate the release of TY The Tasmanian Tiger HD: Bush Rescue Bundle Deluxe Edition on Nintendo Switch we’ve got five copies to give away.
WIN: Ty The Tasmanian Tiger HD: Bush Rescue Bundle Deluxe Edition

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. THIS COMPETITION WILL END ON NOVEMBER 25TH AT 11:59PM AEDT

The Ty The Tasmanian Tiger HD: Bush Rescue Bundle Deluxe Edition is $99.95 from EB Games and includes:

• All three remastered platformers on one multi-cart:
  • TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD
  • TY the Tasmanian Tiger 4: Bush Rescue Returns
  • TY the Tasmanian Tiger HD
• 2 CDs with a curated selection of tracks from the franchise
• A stunning 200+ page artbook

The post WIN: TY The Tasmanian Tiger HD: Bush Rescue Bundle Deluxe Edition appeared first on Press Start.

Just a few years ago Xbox dropped its Wireless headset that was one of the best value for money wireless headsets on the market, and in the last few weeks its released an updated version, which is priced just at tiny bit higher but offers some solid improvements.

As far as the design of the headset goes, it’s pretty much the exact same thing as what released some years ago, but the green accents have now been also swapped out for black finishes which I much prefer as it takes the premium feel of the headset to the next level. The band feels durable, the earcups are an extremely comfortable faux leather that can also be taken off and replaced and the fit feels exceptional, without pressing down too much on my glasses.

In terms of build quality and fit, I’d put this ahead of the Pulse 3D Headset, which is the same price. You’re not getting any kind of noise-cancelling with this headset, which is to be expected for the price, but it does a good job of blocking out external sounds.

My absolute favourite thing about the headset is still how accessible the buttons (or lack of them) are. I really dislike how many buttons there are on the Pulse 3D headset and the fact that they’re all on one side but on the Xbox Wireless Headset, the entire earcups act as volume controls, so your right cup controls the main volume whilst the left earcup does your game/chat balance.

You’ve also got an easy to access mute button on the microphone as well as a button to turn the headset on and off (complete with a matching startup tone to what you’d be used to with your Xbox Series X). As far as buttons go, that’s literally it and compared to other units on the market, that’s a godsend. Xbox has kept it simple and that’s exactly what you want with a headset. Even on day one, I was never second-guessing where to find one of the buttons or how to turn my chat volume up. It’s perfectly designed.

THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $159.95 WITH FREE SHIPPING

The headset is incredibly easy to pair to either your Xbox Series X/S or PC and all it takes is just holding down the power button to set it into pairing mode. Your Xbox or PC will then recognise the headset and connect each and every time it powers on. You can also connect the headset to multiple devices at once, meaning that you can connect to your mobile via Bluetooth whilst playing on your Xbox, and hear both devices at once, which is really helpful. You can also connect the headset to an Xbox wireless adaptor, which I highly recommend if you’re using a PC as it’s just going to be more stable than Bluetooth. This is still one of the best parts of the headsets as I feel that a lot of headsets at this price range don’t provide simultaneous connectivity.

As far as battery life goes, these have now been improved with a 20 hour battery life (up from 15 hours in the original version). It’s now the best in class in the market by any stretch these days, but it’s still perfectly fine, and you’re getting a quick enough charge from USB-C that it’s never an issue.

One of the original negatives on the original wireless headset was the microphone, and this has been improved quite significantly on the new headset. It does a fairly decent job at muting out background noises and also auto mutes when you’re not speaking. Again, it doesn’t rival the likes of the Arctis Nova Wireless but for sub $200 it’s perfectly fine for casual online gaming.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this headset sounds for $150. Whilst it doesn’t experience the deep bass that I got with the SteelSeries Arctis 7X or similarly priced headsets  , those headsets are more than double the price. What I did get though, was an exceptionally crisp sound even when at the loudest volume. The difference between these and something like the Arctis 7X is probably closer than it should be given the price difference.

The headset now comes with a Dolby Atmos license out of the box which is a big improvement compared to other headsets in this price range. Whether you’ll be able to tell the difference is obviously down to your ears and how much you care about that kind of audial fidelity, but it’s great that it’s included.

@shannongrixti

The new Xbox Wireless Headset has a longer battery life, an all-black design, Dolby Atmos support included in the box and a better auto-muting microphone #XboxWirelessHeadset #NewXboxHeadset #XboxSeriesX #Xbox #XboxSeriesS #XboxHeadset #Xbox

? original sound – Shannon Grixti | Gaming & Tech

Conclusion

The updated Xbox Wireless Headset offers some solid improvements and is still fantastic value for money for Xbox owners that want a wireless headset that compliments their console whilst also simultaneously connecting to Bluetooth devices

Positives

Design Feels Even More Premium

Audio Dials On Cups Is Genious

Dual Connectivity Between Xbox & Mobile/PC

Improved Microphone

Negatives

Battery Still Quite Behind Others In The Price Range

The Cheapest Price

$160 With Free Shipping

The post Xbox Wireless Headset (2024) Review – Even Better Value For Money appeared first on Press Start.

We’ve seen so many IPs benefit from experimenting with ports or sequels specifically crafted for virtual reality headsets, including Half-Life and, of course, Resident Evil. Although I wasn’t an enormous fan of Metro Exodus, which dragged the series in an open zone direction I didn’t care much for, I am a big fan of the original games. Metro, on paper, reads like a title that’d be a natural fit for a format like virtual reality which is so immersive and particularly interactive. I hoped by taking it back to the tunnels, and focusing on the scrappy, survivalist elements of the originals, that Metro Awakening might feel like Metro of old. 

One thing Awakening does to separate itself from the other mainline titles is that it places you in the boots of a new character, setting Artyom aside to help build out the universe’s dense canon. Having been penned in partnership with the novel’s author Dimitri Glukhovsky, there’s an evident care in fleshing out some characters we might not have seen before. You play as Serdar, a medical practitioner who’s surviving like everyone else in post-fallout Moscow. As other Metro games have, Awakening doesn’t shy away from its spiritual and supernatural side as Yana, Serdar’s wife, is tortured by memories and apparitions of their son, who’d passed at the beginning of their life underground, and sets off into the metro chasing ghosts.

This, of course, prompts Serdar to abandon his bedside manner and take up arms against the radiated monsters and raiders of the metro in an effort to save his grieving wife from herself. Metro Awakening’s place in the canon, and what they’re doing with a certain character’s origins, is telegraphed rather early and, due to a few reasons, never ultimately amounts to feeling like the twist in the tale it should be. That said, the story told is full of heart and does well to fill in a few blanks from before our time with Artyom. 

To get it out of the way, and to clarify as it is available on multiple headsets of varying qualities, I did play this game on PlayStation VR2, having plucked it from the underdepths of my bed, like an ancient relic. 

The last time I donned the visor was for Arizona Sunshine 2 which, funnily enough, was developed by the very same team who handled this game, Vertigo Games. With that being the case, there’s a huge similarity between the two in terms of how movement, level progression, and combat is handled, at least on the user-side. It’s also a very different game in so many ways, most obvious is that it’s a hard task to bask in the hot sun when in a nuclear winter.

In terms of combat, I’d say it leans more claustrophobic and tactical. Going from the undead shambling towards you, groaning with arms outstretched, to armed raiders rattling gunfire through windows while mutated dog things nip at your back after flanking you using their makeshift tunnel systems is a huge departure, and in an effort to add grounding and grit to the disparate setting, the gunplay loses its fun a little. 

While using the guns themselves is great, as usual, I found firefights, particularly those at range, to be frustrating. I’d be popping hopeful shots off in the dark, aiming for the muzzle flashes of those who’d wish me dead, only for their perfect aim to tag me time and again, leading to either a retreat on my part or me running out of ammo, which is already scarce to begin with. When dealing with modest numbers, I’d often resort to running in and placing a swift pistol round to the dome—it felt counter to the game’s intent but undoubtedly visceral and effective.

An unfortunate byproduct of this being a VR title, but could be explained away by Serdar not being a militant fighter, is that the resourceful, makeshift nature of modifying guns from past Metro games isn’t present at all. All guns, and their bullets, are found about the metro itself, which does keep things simple, but it does feel like an extraction of something special. 

With the underwhelming gunplay hamstringing the game’s meat and bones, stealth actually felt like the most viable means of working your way through the tunnels. Taking a quiet approach works well enough because there’s plenty of darkness to hide yourself in and the enemies, like their surroundings, aren’t that bright. They’re clearly a rung above the literally brain dead zombies from Arizona Sunshine, though I’d still say they’re easily duped, until they get you in their sights. General sneakiness is only one part of the equation, however, as it begins to fall to pieces when it comes to closing the deal and bopping a bad guy on his head to knock him out. It requires you to get near enough, but not too near, and clumsily punch your arm out in the hopes you’d closed the gap enough. So often I’d misjudge the distance and simply fall short, fortunately their aforementioned stupidity meant they didn’t register my missed punch’s small puff of air on the back of their neck. 

I do like that the scrappy, survivalist aspects of Metro are well enough intact, thanks to Serdar’s all-important backpack, which can be pulled out by reaching over and grabbing behind your left shoulder. Although we never seem to glimpse its contents, all kinds of key items hang off its every corner. In an effort to keep a clean user interface, your objective and ammunition count are scribbled on a board at the top, while a trusty lighter, ever-important gas mask and filters, and crank-handled battery pack that you’ll use repeatedly to generate power for not only your head lamp, but for rusted out fuse boxes in the metro. Every item requires a tactile input that felt earned and kept immersion at the forefront of the experience, even if I would have looked like an idiot going to town cranking it in the lounge room—what?

With its combat not quite hitting the mark, the Metro in VR experience, sadly, feels best in its quieter, less action-packed moments, when you’re able to take in the signature atmosphere the series has long been known for. The sad solitude of the metro tunnels, at least the parts that aren’t teeming with nightmarish horrors, cuts a stark contrast with the stations themselves which, at several points, feel like bustling, relatively happy places. Life, albeit a heavily compromised version of it, does march on here, and the sights of people tending bar and lending their ear to the broken, people strumming guitars around fires, and people simply resting in the homes they’ve fashioned from dilapidated train cars all paint a picture and create the sense of place I’ve adored about Metro forever. 

A format like VR so rarely has wins, and although I’m far from prepared to call Metro Awakening a system seller for any of its platforms, it’s in the upper echelon of experiences available. It tells an earnest story that deserves its place in the world, cleverly uses the technology to blend immersion with atmosphere, and it’s only due to the combat’s inability to nail down the fun that it ultimately falls short of expectations. 

Conclusion

Metro Awakening is a capable, haunting jaunt through the familiar, post-nuclear world beneath Moscow I’ve grown to love. It cleverly harnesses VR to emulate the scrappy, resourcefulness of the underground, however its combat is a bit of a slog and struggles to find the fun, leading to a somewhat disjointed campaign.

Positives

Clever use of VR to emulate the scrappy, slapdash life in the metro

Great atmosphere and visuals

Fills in a worthwhile space in the franchise’s canon

Negatives

The gunfighting is frustrating

Stealth is a bit clumsy and rarely works as you’d like

The story twists are super telegraphed

7

The post Metro Awakening VR Review – Tunnel Vision appeared first on Press Start.

Congrats to the three winners:

• Christina Lungo
• Richard Mcgee
• Cory Rann

Thanks to Devolver Digital, we’ve got three money can’t buy The Plucky Squire merch packs as well as a digital copy of the game on the platform of your choice to give away.

Each pack includes a digital copy of the game, a mug, a pop-up card, stickers, a notepad and pen and a t-shirt.

WIN: The Plucky Squire Merch Pack + Copy Of The Game

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. THIS COMPETITION WILL END ON OCTOBER 20TH AT 11:59PM AEDT.

The Plucky Squire is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

We gave the game a 9/10 saying: “The Plucky Squire is absolute magic, and a page-turner, from beginning to end. From its first, boisterously narrated word, the game packages so much heart and character within a rather novel, wildly creative notion. It takes what Pixar did for toys and applies it to storybooks.”

The post The Winners Of Our The Plucky Squire Competition appeared first on Press Start.

Thank you to everyone who entered. The winners are below:

• Major: Joseph Casserly
• Minor: Fiona o’Sullivan / Troy Lynden

Thanks to Five Star Games, we’ve got another epic money can’t buy (in Australia) collector’s edition to give away, this time for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutants Unleashed and a PS5 copy of the game, as well as two more PS5 copies of the game to give away too.

WIN TMNT MUTANTS UNLEASHED COLLECTOR’S EDITION

WIN: TMNT Mutants Unleashed Collector’s Edition + Copies Of The Game

CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. THIS COMPETITION WILL END ON NOVEMBER 3RD AT 11:59PM AEDT. 

The collector’s edition includes:

• Pizza Van
• Art Book
• Stickers
• LED sign
• Poster
• Mouse Mat
• Metal Pins
• Notebook & Pen
• Patches
• Collector’s Box

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is available now on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. The cheapest copy is $64 with free shipping on Amazon or $49 from Target HERE.

The post The Winner Of Our TMNT: Mutants Unleashed Collector’s Edition Competition appeared first on Press Start.

Thanks to all who entered. The winner is Jessica Taurins.

To celebrate the release of Arcane Season 1 on Blu-Ray and Ultra HD, we’ve got a stunning Collector’s Edition to give away valued at $249.95.

You can learn more about the standard and collector’s editions over on the Sugoi website HERE. Arcane is set in the world of League of Legends and was praised as being one of the best video game adaptions of all time.

WIN: Arcane Season 1 Collector’s Edition


CLICK HERE TO ENTER IF THE FORM DOESN’T LOAD. THIS COMPETITION WILL END ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH AT 11:59PM AEDT. 

The collector’s edition includes:

• Episodes 1 – 9 in 4K UHD and Blu-ray Formats
• 3+ Hours of Bonus Features
• Original Artwork
• Exclusive “Hexcore” Oversized Metal d20
• 7 “Hex Crystal” Liquid Core Resin Dice
• Velvet Dice Pouch
• Double Sided Progress Day Poster with Original Jinx Graffiti
• 6 Art Cards Featuring Powder’s Drawings
• Caitlyn’s Piltover Map (Fabric)

The post The Winner Of Our Arcane Season 1 Collector’s Edition Competition appeared first on Press Start.