As the title prepares for launch, we chat with Sandfall Interactive to learn how Unreal Engine 5 enabled a small team to realize its unique vision for the highly-anticipated turn-based RPG.

Tracy Scott ForsonSenior EditorIf you didnt know better, you might think that photographer Takuya Ishiguro was in imminent danger as he snapped his shot of one seemingly gigantic creature decapitating another. Its like a horror scene out of some crazy science fiction movie, says Quentin Nardi, Smithsonian magazines chief photography editor and a judge of this years contest. In reality, Ishiguro spotted these regular-size praying mantises along a roadside in his Japanese hometownalbeit in a macabre embrace. He credits the low angle of the shot and the grounds rough texture with supersizing the drama. It adds dimension, making the subject seem more real and tangible, he says.The Grand Prize-winning image, one of nearly 30,000 entries submitted from more than 150 countries, was one of several category winners to play on our sense of scale and perspective: the grandeur of Utahs Monument Valley contained inside a room. A bicyclist appearing to ride from our dimension toward another. A desert landscape dissolving into abstraction, all swirling lines and color. Each photograph, Nardi says, reframes the familiar: An everyday occurrence meets an otherworldly treatment.(You can view all 60 finalists from the competition here.)Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine now for just $19.99This article is a selection from the April/May 2025 issue of Smithsonian magazineGrand PrizeTakuya IshiguroTakuya IshiguroOsaki, JapanPhotographed: October 2021Ishiguro, 44, who works as a production engineer, was in his car on the lookout for praying mantises to photograph. I was driving slowly, he recalls. He pulled over and approached the insects on foot, only to realize hed happened upon one of the insect worlds most taboo occurrences, at least from a human perspectivea praying mantis snacking on another. That this image was caught in such an urban settingnot in a tree, or a bush, or on any type of plant, but on the ground, on what looks like asphalt, says Maria Keehan, Smithsonian magazines creative director and a contest judge. Amazing.ArtisticAnna WackerAnna WackerBerlinPhotographed: April 2022A fan of architecture, Wacker was drawn to the Marie-Elisabeth-Lders-Haus, a government building opened in 2003. She repeatedly circled the iconic structure with her Nikon digital camera in hand, searching for the perfect angle. When a cyclist dressed in black rode by, perfectly aligning with the large circular backdrop of the building, I knew I had captured something special, she says. A self-taught photographer who picked up the hobby in 2012, Wacker blended two still imagesone a straight-on view of the cyclist in front of the circular opening of the geometric facade, the other obliquely angled to capture the facade and its upward-sweeping triangular overhangand converted the resulting image to black and white. The architectural form of the building and the wheels of the bicycle both embody cycles, says Wacker, a business administrator in the tourism industry. The image invites the viewer to contemplate the loops we find ourselves in both physically and metaphorically.American ExperienceKaustav SarkarKaustav SarkarMonument Valley NavajoTribal Park, UtahPhotographed: September 2024On a family vacation to tour Utahs iconic parks, New Jersey resident Sarkar, 24, a professional real estate photographer, grew tired of the standard gift shop farekeychains, mugs, magnets and T-shirts. But at the Monument Valley visitor center, he stumbled on something distinct: a corner stuffed with handcrafts by the people from the place, he remembershandmade pottery, textiles, boots and figurines made by local peoples who have lived near the valleys giant buttes. It spoke a lot about the character and the history of the place. Sarkar took out his Google Pixel camera and positioned himself with his back to the checkout counter, snapping a photograph of the famous Mittens and Merrick Butte, each framed by a giant picture window. He says the image combines natural and human history in one shot. The outside and the inside, the people and the place, all came together.TravelMichelle LauMichelle LauSydney, AustraliaPhotographed: April 2022Since taking up photography 12 years ago, Lau has visited more than 30 countries, usually by herself. Traveling alone allowed me to deeply understand local cultures and discover their unique beauty. It broadened my horizons, redirecting my life toward independent photography, says the former graphic designer, whose photography has led to collaborations with Vogue and other internationally renowned brands. While visiting Sydney, Lau, 35, who lives in Hong Kong, spent time at Bondi Beach. Perched three stories above crystal blue waters, she found a stellar view of the legendary Bondi Icebergs Club pools, leading out to the Pacific Ocean. Lau spent two hours taking about 20 photographs of the waters. I preferred to take photos rather than swim, she says.AerialMarek BiegalskiMarek BiegalskiHanksville, UtahPhotographed: October 2024While visiting the mineral-rich Bentonite Hills, formed from Jurassic-era volcanic clay, Biegalski mounted his Canon onto an aerial drone to capture this colorful geological formation from nearly 290 feet above it. The self-taught photographer took multiple exposures at different settings, he says, later blending them together to achieve the perfect balance of light, detail and depth. A marketing professional back home in Ireland, Biegalski, 52, cherishes photographing natures wonders. My goal is to capture the raw, untouched beauty of the natural world, he says, allowing its pure essence to shine through.Natural WorldThorben DankeThorben DankeBesigheim, GermanyPhotographed: March 2022Some photographers travel far and wide for the perfect subject. Danke, 42, an industrial electronics engineer, had the star of this close-up presented to him at home. Thats where his children found a brown marmorated stink bug lifeless on a windowsill. Danke attached a microscope lens at 20 times magnification to a Sony digital camera to zoom in on the insects compound eye, at the left of the photo. The distinctive metallic-colored patches belie the bugs brown moniker. If you look closely, you will find all the colors of the rainbow. PeopleMichael AcheampongMichael AcheampongAtlantaPhotographed: June 2024Their attire may suggest that theyre focused on what separates themthe various countries from which the parents of these first-generation Americans emigrated to the United States. But their intent is to present One Africa, as Acheampong titled this photograph. Acheampong, 30, a Savannah College of Art and Design graduate student whose parents are from Ghana, wanted to create an image that represented unity among those of African heritage in his community. Even though we may have differences, were alike more than we think, he says. Staging the photograph at an Atlanta farmers market, Acheampong says the locations ambiguity was intentional. We wanted it to have the feel of Africa.Readers' ChoiceErhan CoralErhan CoralMekong Delta, VietnamPhotographed: October 1, 2024Believe it or not, professional photographer Erhan Coral is not standing waist-deep in Vietnamese waters alongside the women who are hard at work gathering lilies in his winning image. I was actually shooting from a small hilltop next to the water, overlooking the scene, he says. When he immortalized this moment, Coral, 58, who started taking photographs in his teens, was in the Mekong Delta on assignment, capturing the daily lives of people and the cultural richness of the country. That includes the vibrant red, pink and purple waterlilies that draw visitors from around the world, especially from August to November when the flowers are most abundant. Coral, who lives in Turkey, took several dozen shots of the farmers, experimenting with his drone and camera from different angles. For this image, Coral says, the lighting was entirely natural. Early morning sunlight provided a warm glow that enhanced the colors and textures, he says. I aimed to create an image that felt immersive, as if the viewer were floating alongside the women.Get the latest Travel & Culture stories in your inbox.

Backbone is expanding its partnership with Xbox to officially launch the Backbone One: Xbox Edition mobile game controller ($110) on March 27.Read More

INCYMO.AI launched its human-powered, AI-aided creative platform for crafting mobile gaming advertisements.Read More

A screenshot from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is still alive and its looking good. Nintendo unveiled a new trailer for the game that serves as an introduction of sorts, showcasing the alien world youll be exploring along with Samus various abilities, including new psychic powers that work both in combat and in puzzle solving. While no specific release date was announced, the game is due out in 2025 for the Switch.Beyond has been in development for a quite a while. It was originally announced in 2017 shortly after the launch of the original Nintendo Switch, but in early 2019, Nintendo announced that it was rebooting the games development and bringing on Retro Studios to make it.Last year, Nintendo finally debuted a gameplay trailer for it and announced the Beyond subtitle. That trailer had some clear Metroid Prime DNA intense firefights and scanning things! But at the time, the company only provided a vague 2025 release date for the upcoming game.The first Switch was actually a great platform for Metroid games, with the thrilling 2D Metroid Dread and a very-good remastered version of the original Metroid Prime. You can also play the original Metroid, Metroid II: Return of Samus, Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, and Metroid: Zero Mission via Nintendo Switch Online.

Best Buy in Canada has confirmed the company will open pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 on April 2nd so that customers have the chance to secure their console early. Best Buy hasnt said what time the preorders will open; however, its on the same day as the Nintendo Direct presentation thats all about the new Switch 2, which starts at 9 AM ET / 6 AM PT.Nintendo opened the first Nintendo Switch preorders immediately following a presentation in January 2017, and you had to physically go to a Best Buy or Target to secure a preorder before its launch on March 3rd, 2017. US retailers, including Best Buy, have yet to confirm they will have preorders ready for the Switch 2 after the presentation.Nintendo revealed the looks and minimal details about the Nintendo Switch 2 console in January. Some of the most significant information we know about the Switch 2 is that it has a larger screen, is backwards compatible with Switch 1 games, and has magnetically attached Joy-Cons (that will probably have mouse-like control abilities). Nintendo has set up nationwide events running from April through May for customers to try the system. However, all tickets have been given out so you must join a waitlist at this point. The Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to launch this June.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders will start on the same day as the Switch 2 Direct, April 2, according to an official blog post recently released by Best Buy Canada.The blog post is a comprehensive guide on how to pre-order the Switch 2, and states: "Pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 will open on April 2nd at Best Buy Canada."It's yet to be confirmed if it's just Best Buy Canada commencing pre-orders on April 2, or whether other major retailers will follow suit.Best Buy's Switch 2 page for the U.S. is yet to have any mention of a pre-order start date, but it does allow users to sign up to be notified of news on pre-orders.Nintendo Switch 2 - First LookSwitch 2 was revealed near the start of the year, with a short trailer from Nintendo confirming the new hardware alongside a brand new Mario Kart game, and closed with confirmation of a Switch 2 Direct presentation on April 2.Nintendo has also recently announced a Nintendo Direct focused on the Nintendo Switch. The direct is set for 7 am PT today, March 27, and will feature around 30 minutes of upcoming games for the Nintendo Switch.There was also a familiar reminder from Nintendo that there will be no updates about Nintendo Switch 2 during the March 27 presentation. Nintendo's Switch 2 Direct is currently set for 6 am PT on April 2.PlayNintendo is also hosting various fan events in the days following the Direct next week. North American locations will include New York from April 4 to 6, Los Angeles from April 11-13, Dallas from April 25-27, and Toronto from April 25-27.European locations include Paris from April 4-6, London from April 11-13, Milan from April 25-27, Berlin from April 25-27, Madrid from May 9-May 11, and Amsterdam from May 9-11. Fan events will also be in Melbourne from May 10-11, Tokyo from April 26-27, and Seoul from May 31-June 1.Switch 2 Pre-orders: How to BuyHere are some additional tips from IGN's Deals team, who are actively tracking Switch 2 pre-order news 24/7, to help ensure you can secure your pre-order ASAP.Follow IGN and IGNDeals on social media platforms like X and Bluesky. Well keep you updated on preorders for the console, games, accessories, and more.Keep an eye on major retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, GameStop, and Best Buy.Email notifications from retailers like Best Buy can be slow to send out, so consider exploring alternative notifications from outlets like IGN during the Nintendo Direct on April 2.Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 launched back in January and easily became the most powerful desktop graphics card on the market. Now, a few months later, Nvidia has launched its Blackwell architecture for laptops, and while these mobile Nvidia GPUs are nowhere near as powerful as their desktop counterparts, they do deliver an incredible gaming experience, especially on high-end gaming laptops with high-refresh displays. However, just like Nvidias latest line of desktop graphics cards, the generational improvement in pure performance isnt nearly as pronounced as its been in previous generations. Thats offset a bit in games that support features like Multi-Frame Generation, of course, but it does mean that anyone who already has a decent gaming laptop doesnt need to sweat upgrading their setup for this new generation. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile PhotosSpecs and FeaturesWhile the GPU in the Razer Blade 16 I tested is called an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, its a far cry from the desktop version of the GPU with the same name. Just by virtue of space and thermal constraints, the mobile version of the RTX 5090 needs to be much smaller: Instead of the 21,760 CUDA cores in the desktop version of the card, the mobile 5090 is limited to 10,496 cores across 82 Streaming Multiprocessors. Thats less than half the silicon, and places the RTX 5090 mobile closer to the desktop RTX 5080.But its more than just the size of the chip laptops are a lot more power-constrained than a desktop, too, by virtue of needing to operate on a battery or via a portable power brick. The system I tested the RTX 5090 Mobile with had the GPU limited to 160W, which is a little over a quarter of the power of its desktop counterpart. That has a huge impact on gaming performance, since a general rule of thumb is that more power = better performance. However, compared to the previous-generation Razer Blade 16 with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, the new mobile chip has been beefed up a bit. The RTX 4090 packed 9,728 CUDA cores across 76 Streaming Multiprocessors, at the same 160W power budget. Thats about a 7.4% increase in the amount of cores, which is a minor increase, but it lines up extremely well with the performance increase you can expect from the RTX 5090. Keep in mind, though, that with laptop graphics, its largely up to the laptop manufacturer how much power and cooling a GPU has access to. There may be some gaming laptops with an RTX 5090 configured to run with as little as 95W. The laptop I tested had it configured for 160W, which is above the maximum listed TGP (total graphics power) specified by Nvidia. The point is, your mileage may vary, as a 95W RTX 5090 is going to be much weaker than one running on 150W. Each Streaming Multiprocessor is architected a bit differently than the RTX 4090 too. Just like the desktop version, the RTX 5090 Mobile is based on the new Blackwell architecture, which places special emphasis on AI computation after all this is the same architecture powering most cutting-edge supercomputers right now. The new Tensor Cores, combined with a new AI Management Processor, or AMP, allow the GPU to do much more complex AI workloads, and is the driving force behind multi-frame generation. Nvidia has also made an effort to improve battery life, which has never been a strong point for gaming laptops. Its done this by improving Nvidia Optimus, a technology that dynamically switches between discrete and integrated graphics depending on what youre doing. But Team Green has also implemented something called Battery Boost, which should improve gaming performance when youre not plugged into the wall. Basically, Nvidia is using an algorithm to detect whats going on in the game youre playing and adjusting performance accordingly. For example, itll lower GPU clocks when youre in a dialogue scene, and push more performance when you actually need it. Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile BenchmarksPerformanceJust like its desktop counterpart, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile doesnt have the strongest generational improvement over its predecessor. On average, I found that the RTX 5090 was about 8% faster than the RTX 4090. The performance gap was a bit better in workloads like 3DMark, but for the most part it doesnt deliver much better gaming performance, at least before Frame Generation is brought into the equation. To be clear, testing laptop graphics performance is a bit more complicated than testing a desktop graphics card, especially across generations. The Razer Blade 16 that Nvidia sent me for this architecture review is sporting an AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370, while the previous-gen Razer Blade 16 I used for testing the RTX 4090 has an Intel Core i9-13950HX two very different processors. Plus, the chassis design has changed completely, and while we have a full review on the laptop coming later, the new design is much thinner and lighter, which calls into question thermal constraints. However, throughout my testing, I didnt notice the RTX 5090 being thermal- or power-limited in any way, even if the RTX 4090 was able to stretch a little above the 160W power limit though not by much. So, while my initial results point to the RTX 5090 being on average 8% faster than the RTX 4090, there is enough variability here to take the numbers with a bit of a grain of salt. Well have a clearer picture of what this GPU can do as more laptop designs head to market over the next year or so. In 3DMark, the new RTX 5090 Mobile was 12% faster than the RTX 4090 in Speed Way, and 16% faster in Steel Nomad. These are both DirectX 12 tests, and indicate potential performance more than anything. When it comes to actual games, the performance differences are much less pronounced. For instance, in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at 1600p, the RTX 5090 Mobile system got 107 fps, compared to 106 fps from the RTX 4090. Thats just a 1% improvement and totally within the margin of error. Things look a little better in Cyberpunk 2077, where the RTX 5090 Mobile manages 67 fps to the 4090s 62 fps, making for an 8% improvement. Thats decent, and its important to note that this is without Frame Generation, which will further increase the 5090s lead in frame rate. I tested Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition with no upscaling, to give an idea of what to expect from pure ray tracing performance. In this game, the RTX 5090 gets 61 fps at 1600p with the Extreme Preset, compared to 56 fps from the RTX 4090, thats a 9% improvement, lining up with the increase in CUDA cores almost exactly. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a weird case, as it puts the RTX 5090 behind the RTX 4090 at 1600p with DLSS set to Balanced. The newer GPU gets 89 fps, compared to 93 from the RTX 4090, which is about a 4% drop. However, this is likely due to the CPU not being able to keep up. Total War: Warhammer 3 is a good way to gauge pure rasterization performance, as it eschews any ray tracing or upscaling technologies. In this game, the RTX 5090 is about 6% faster than the 4090. Though this may be another case where the CPU is holding the 5090 back. In Assassins Creed Mirage, the GeForce RTX 5090 is able to soar with 107 fps at 1600p with everything maxed and with DLSS set to Balanced. However, thats only 4% faster than the RTX 4090 with the same settings. Then, in Black Myth: Wukong, a game thats extremely GPU-heavy, the GeForce RTX 5090 gets 63 fps on average, which is only 5% faster than the 4090s 60 fps average. This is one of the games that showed the strongest uplift for the RTX 5090 on desktop, so it's especially damning here. Even for creators, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 for laptops isnt a huge improvement. In Blender, the RTX 5090 Mobile is only 9% faster than the RTX 4090 in the Monster benchmark. Blender performance usually gets better over time, but its something to keep in mind. The main reason the desktop version of the RTX 5090 had a large lead over its predecessor was because it had a much higher power budget 575W vs 450W. With the RTX 5090 and RTX 4090 having the same 160W power limit, we see similar results to other RTX 5000 graphics cards. Chips like the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080 had very modest improvements over their predecessors, which also had similar power requirements. At least when it comes to traditional gaming performance, Blackwell seems to be an architecture that is extremely dependent on power, so it shouldnt be surprising that laptop performance doesnt scale as well as Nvidias desktop cards. DLSS 4 For LaptopsThe biggest difference between the RTX 5090 and its predecessor is DLSS 4, and specifically multi-frame generation, or MFG. DLSS 4 does also include improvements that are available on previous-generation GPUs, like moving AI upscaling from a convolutional neural network (CNN) to a Transformer network. This greatly improves accuracy and image quality, whether youre using the RTX 5090 or an older RTX graphics card. However, multi-frame generation really is the star of the show, particularly on the Razer Blade 16 with its 240Hz display. Just like the previous version of frame generation that debuted with DLSS 3, MFG uses the Tensor Cores to generate frames between natively rendered frames. It then uses the new AI Management Processor to pace out the frames to minimize latency and other weirdness. Frame pacing is a task that has traditionally been handled by the CPU, so the AMP is especially needed to cut down on system latency when the GPU is magically creating three frames in between each rendered one. For a high refresh display, though, this is an awesome feature. It doesnt improve latency or anything, but it does make the gameplay look a lot smoother, which is really all you need in single-player games like Assassins Creed Shadows. Just dont expect it to magically improve your response times if you enable it in an online shooter like Marvel Rivals or Fragpunk. Nvidia claims that MFG can triple frame rates, but its important to keep in mind that theres a catch: you need to already have a good frame rate to get a good experience from frame generation. I wouldnt recommend any kind of frame generation unless youre already getting 50-60 fps without it. Below that, youre basically asking for weird artifacts to show up as the algorithm struggles to track objects between frames. If you do already have a good frame rate though, MFG really does boost frame rates by a huge margin, even if it does come with a slight cost to latency. For instance, in Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing Overdrive preset and with DLSS set to balanced with no frame generation, the Razer Blade 16 managed an average of 51 fps at 1600p. That came with latency around 47ms, which isnt great, but still more than playable. When I turned frame generation to 2x, that frame rate jumps all the way up to 96 fps, with the latency going up to 53ms. Thats a huge improvement to framerate, and the latency cost really isnt that high. The latency cost is a bit greater with MFG, as turning it up to 4x increases average latency to 59ms though the framerate jumps to 170 fps. Its a similar story in Star Wars Outlaws. At 1600p with DLSS set to balanced, the RTX 5090 Mobile gets around 61 fps on average, with an average latency around 36ms. With 2x frame generation the frame rate goes up to 115 fps, with latency also increasing to 45ms. The jump up to 4x frame generation only brings the latency up to 48ms, but bumps the frame rate up to 210 fps, which is getting extremely close to the laptops native refresh rate of 240 Hz. Realistically, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is going to primarily be found in high-end gaming laptops with high resolution displays with high refresh rates. Thats exactly where multi frame generation shines, and its awesome to finally be able to take advantage of these super-fast laptop screens. Still, if youre someone who is sensitive to latency or if you play competitive games, it might not be worth enabling. Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

The power of Xbox is now in your handsanywhere, anytime. The new Designed for Xbox: Backbone One Xbox Edition transforms your phone into the ultimate companion for gaming on mobile.Enjoy your games with an enhanced D-pad for precise control and magnetic adapters that secure your phone in place, even with your phone case on. Quickly access your Xbox dashboard with a single press of the Xbox button and jump straight into games like Halo Infinite and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. All this, with a look that captures the classic Xbox design, featuring a stunning translucent green inspired by the original Xbox.Stream with cloud gaming and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, play natively, or use remote play from your Xbox console or PCwherever you are. Designed for low-latency and responsive controls, Backbone One Xbox Edition keeps you in the game.The Backbone app unifies your gaming experience, connecting your favorite titles, streaming services, and social features into one intuitive hub. And to kickstart your adventure, each purchase includes one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no cost (for new members only), unlocking hundreds of games ready to play on the go.Backbone One Xbox Edition is available now for $109.99 USD through Backbone in the U.S. and coming to additional markets in April 2024. The device is compatible with iPhone models with USB-C (15 and up) and Android devices running Android 6.0+.Take control. Push limits. Play anywhere.