There is a lot new with Switch 2, but Nintendo's introduction of Game-Key cards has muddied the waters of physical versus digital and led to plenty of debate. For instance, not everyone is a fan of this new purchasing option, like Nightdive Studios CEO Stephen Kick. That's because instead of containing the game on the cartridge, Game-Key cards provide access to a downloadable copy of the title.Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Kick believes that Game-Key cards are "a step back" for game preservation. "Seeing Nintendo do this is a little disheartening. You would hope that a company that big, that has such a storied history, would take preservation a little more seriously," said Kick, who oversees a developer looking to remaster PS3 and Xbox 360 games. Nightdive's next game is System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster, set to launch June 26. Videogame Heritage Society cofounder James Newman isn't as put off by Game-Key cards, citing constant updates for physical games as a problem regardless. "Even when a cartridge does contain data on day one of release, games are so often patched, updated and expanded through downloads that the cart very often loses its connection to the game, and functions more like a physical copy protection dongle for a digital object," said Newman, who's also a professor at Bath Spa University in England.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Twitch streamer ExtraEmily got a surprise visit from Austin police during a live IRL stream after someone called the authorities with a threat against her life. ExtraEmily, known for her lively IRL, Just Chatting, and gaming streams on Twitch, has built a huge following of over 468,000 fans. ExtraEmily also stands out as a key member of the respected content creation group One True King.

For Nicolas Simon, advancing the field of robotics is a personal mission that could change his siblings’ lives. Two-thirds of Simon’s family members use wheelchairs due to mobility challenges related to Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, an inherited genetic condition. As an engineering student and robotics club chair at France’s École Polytechnique, he saw the opportunity to build a new device that could help his brother and other relatives walk again. His robotics startup, Wandercraft, builds mobility solutions for individuals with spinal cord injuries, stroke and other neuromuscular disorders — with the potential to support the estimated 80 million individuals worldwide who require wheelchairs for mobility. The company’s Personal Exoskeleton, currently in clinical trials, enables users to stand and walk with the support of AI-powered mechanisms for stability and movement. Users can control the robotic system with a joystick. Simon founded the company in 2012 with Matthieu Masselin and Jean-Louis Constanza, whose son also has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The team is accelerating its workflows with NVIDIA technologies — enabling Wandercraft to harness the latest simulation tools and AI infrastructure to bring new capabilities to its exoskeletons. “It’s essential for the exoskeleton to be fast enough that it can be used in the real world,” said Simon. “By integrating NVIDIA AI into the device, we can someday enable users to walk at an average pace, cross the road and go up and down stairs.” Advancing Development With Physical AI  Wandercraft’s first exoskeleton, called Atalante X, is FDA-cleared and already in use as a neurological rehabilitation tool in over 100 clinical and research settings worldwide, with patients taking over one million steps per month. Approved for use in the European Union in 2019 and in the U.S. in 2022, the device has helped hundreds of patients regain mobility through physiotherapy. The startup’s latest device, the Personal Exoskeleton, is aimed at everyday indoor and outdoor use. With clinical trials underway in New York and New Jersey, the Personal Exoskeleton integrates AI to continuously adapt to a user’s movements in real time, supporting smooth and stable walking across different surfaces, including concrete, carpet and tile. “It’s very important for us to use physical AI to deliver a better device and a better experience for our users, so they can move through their daily lives smoothly and efficiently,” Simon said. Laubach demonstrating the Personal Exoskeleton at NVIDIA GTC. Image credit: Wandercraft In addition to helping users gain new levels of mobility at home and in their communities, the Personal Exoskeleton could also help reduce the health impacts of being seated all day — which include increased risk of cardiovascular, skin and digestive conditions. Wandercraft is currently experimenting with NVIDIA Isaac Sim — a reference application built on NVIDIA Omniverse for simulating and testing AI-driven robotics solutions in physically based virtual environments — to accelerate its reinforcement learning pipeline. The company is also investigating the use of the NVIDIA Isaac for Healthcare developer framework for AI healthcare robotics and NVIDIA Jetson Thor, an on-robot edge computer built on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture. With these systems for physical AI training, simulation and runtime in place, Wandercraft will have a three-computer solution for its robotics development. “The technology is there — you just have to build the device,” Simon said. “We take all the technology from the field of humanoid robotics, and we apply it to our exoskeleton. So now, the possibilities are endless.” At the NVIDIA GTC global AI conference in March, Wandercraft demonstrated the prototype Personal Exoskeleton with the help of Caroline Laubach, a spinal stroke survivor and full-time wheelchair user. The exoskeleton system was also featured in last year’s Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay. Wandercraft aims to apply for FDA clearance for its Personal Exoskeleton immediately following completion of its clinical trial, with the goal of making it accessible to millions of wheelchair users in the U.S. with expected Medicare coverage. The company is currently recruiting additional participants for the clinical trial, which it aims to complete this year. “With this technology, we can enable people to move around and access the environment of the city,” Simon said. “My hope is to see my device in the streets — of New York at first, but in every city in the U.S.”

Hello there, PlayStation fans! That’s no moon over the Battle Royale Island — it’s a whole Star Wars Season! Also, the celebration is just getting started in LEGO Fortnite Brick Life. Over in LEGO Fortnite Odyssey, explore and battle for galactic supremacy. The fun continues in Rocket League with the new 2v2 Car Wars LTM. There’s a lot to unpack, but don’t worry — these are the updates you’re looking for! Let’s dive in with what’s happening across Epic Games, starting with Fortnite Battle Royale.  A shadow emerges in Battle Royale Imperial Star Destroyers exit hyperspace in formation around the Death Star, which looms with its superlaser array fixed on the BR map. Heroes from across eras are ready to strike back against the assault led by Emperor Palpatine from the shadows, and the Island’s fate hangs in the balance. Draw your lightsaber and ready your blaster May 2 in Fortnite: Galactic Battle! New places to see, returning weapons to loot Play Video Driving back the Imperial invasion will take every blaster and ship at your disposal and these new locations will help you do just that! The First Order Base, Outpost Enclave, Resistance Base, and Vader Samuari’s Solitude are all primed and ready for exploration (and looting!). Just be mindful, you never know who you’ll run into. The preferred weapon of Force users everywhere An elegant weapon for a more civilized age, the use of a lightsaber is the mark of a Jedi, though it’s also used by their sworn enemies, the Sith. Lightsabers are exceptionally handy for deflecting blaster bolts, and wielding one will allow you to sprint faster, jump twice as high, and have immunity to fall damage. You’ll have to prove yourself to earn one, though… Or just loot it off another player. How to prove yourself? Train with hologramic followers of both the light and dark sides to unlock their respective lightsaber and Force Ability. Force Push, Force Lightning, and Force Saber Throw are the Force Abilities you can learn day one, with more becoming learnable later in the Season! So anyway, start blasting As far as non-lightsaber weapons go, it’s blasters-only on day one, with the exception of the Thermal Imploder that’ll cause a blast in its own way. You’ve got your DL-44 Blaster Pistol, ACP Scatter Blaster, E-11 Blaster, and several more. Be careful about holding down the trigger, as these babies are prone to overheating! Looking to dogfight for your next Victory Royale? Pilot the Imperial TIE fighter equipped with high-powered blasters or the nimble X-wing and take to the skies! Weekly updates May 8 – The pull of the Force Sensing a disturbance in the Force, Leia and Luke will arrive on the Island alongside renowned smuggler Han Solo to offer you strategic services! Also, train with hologram Mace Windu to earn a Purple Lightsaber and be taught Force Pull. Pull in just about anything and anyone nearby with this Force Ability. Rumor has it that Sith Lord Darth Maul will also appear as a hologram, offering Red Lightsabers and teaching Force Throw, which allows you to throw nearby objects as projectiles…   May 15 – Chew on this Chewbacca arrives and he’s bringing his Wookiee Bowcaster to the loot pool to aid the rebels. You’ll also find the new, powerful CA-87 Jawa Scatter Blaster in Chests around the Island! May 22 – Mandalorian Rising Mandalorians will intervene this week. Recruit a Heavy, Scout, Supply, or Medic Mandalorian to your team, and gain further advantage over your opponents with the unvaulted Mandalorian Jetpack!  Also, keep an eye out for signature Mandalorian weapons: the Amban Sniper Rifle and the new dual-wield WESTAR-34 Blaster Pistols.  May 29 – Star Destroyer bombardment Be the first to reach the control room of a Star Destroyer which spawns every match. Assume control of its turbolaser to lay waste from above! June 7 – The final showdown: Death Star sabotage Mobilize and take the fight to Emperor Palpatine in a live, in-game narrative event on June 7. Never tell me the odds. Get the Star Wars Battle Pass The Star Wars Battle Pass is full of treasures from across the known galaxy. The Star Wars Battle Pass has both free and premium rewards that can be claimed by earning XP in any Fortnite experience. Here are the Outfits in the Pass, available as premium rewards: Apprentice Evie: Force-sensitive vigilante spreading peace across the Galaxy. (Automatically unlocked after purchasing the Pass or accessing it through Fortnite Crew!) Poe Dameron: The finest pilot in the Resistance. Wookiee Team Leader: Growl it out. Emperor Palpatine: Leader of the Empire. Ruler of the galaxy. Kaleesh cyborg and General of the Separatist droid army, General Grievous will be a premium Outfit in the Star Wars Battle Pass later in May. Unlock Grievous by completing objectives that’ll come online further in the Season! The Pass will be available to progress in from May 2 until the Galactic Battle ends on June 7, 2025 Eastern Time. More fun begins in LEGO Fortnite Celebrate the most intergalactic time of year in LEGO Fortnite Brick Life’s Star Wars Festival, where you can grab a bite in the Durrr Burger Cantina, score goals in Death Star Soccer Ball, hang out with a Porg, and even acquire your very own Lightsaber Bench. This gathering for Star Wars fans everywhere will be going on from May 2 until June 8, 2025 Eastern Time. In a galaxy just next door, LEGO Fortnite Odyssey is launching a public matchmaking test on May 15 called Rapid Survival — an eight-player public world survival experience on the existing Star Wars Island.  Load in with a pre-determined loadout that includes a Lightsaber, Macrobinoculars, a plethora of building materials, and more to aid in your journey. Even though PvP combat is on, you can also choose to team up against the Star Wars enemies!  Heads-up: Rapid Survival will be open at specific four-hour windows from May 15 until May 26 Eastern Time.  First Order LEGO Pass The ruthless Captain Phasma Outfit is front and center as a premium reward in the First Order LEGO Pass, available starting May 2! There’s even more precious cargo you can unlock like the premium First Order Base Build, First Order AT-AT Build, Lil’ Treadspeeder Emote, and a lot more.  The First Order LEGO Pass will be available to progress in until June 8 Eastern Time, with free and premium rewards unlockable by earning XP in any Fortnite experience. Captain Phasma is automatically unlocked after purchasing the Pass or accessing it through Fortnite Crew! Shift into Hyperspace as Star Wars and Rocket League cross over once again Leading the charge in Rocket League is Car Wars, a brand new Limited Time Mode that’ll require you to channel your inner TIE pilot for any hope of victory! Also, look forward to Star Wars Challenges rewarding imperial items like the Stormtrooper Octane Decal and TIE Fighter Topper. Rocket League x Star Wars runs from May 2 at 12 PM ET to May 16, 2025, at 12 PM ET! Dark Side of the Force = Unnatural Abilities in LTMs Car Wars (May 2 at 12 PM ET – May 14 at 12 PM ET) The 2v2 Car Wars takes place at the Force Field Arena, a Star Wars-inspired twist on the Arena used for Rocket Labs’ Loophole. Target the thermal exhaust ports at each end of the Arena to score and use the lightsaber-fied Spike Rush mutator to hit your mark. G-Force Frenzy (May 2 at 12 PM ET to May 7 at 12 PM ET) Debuting in last year’s Mandalorian Mayhem event, G-Force Frenzy returns this year! This is a 3v3 mode that lets you unleash unlimited boost, cranked to five times standard power. Navigate the arena faster than the Millennium Falcon on the Kessel Run! Swear allegiance to the Empire with new Challenges Ten new items are yours to earn by completing Star Wars Challenges! Claim  antagonistic accessories like the Stormtrooper Octane Decal, Stormtrooper Helmet Topper, TIE Fighter Topper, Force Lightning Boost, and more.

Studio Ghibli’s most harrowing and devastating movie will soon be available in a Steelbook Blu-ray. The Grave of the Fireflies Steelbook costs $22.96 (or $26.98 on Amazon) and releases July 8. Pre-orders are available now. Grave of the Fireflies is based on a semi autobiographical short story of the same name, which follows two orphaned siblings struggling to survive the final months of the Pacific War. It’s an unflinching look at the devastation wrecked upon Japan by the Allied forces during World War II. Grave of the Fireflies was director Isao Takahata’s first film with Studio Ghibli. He went on to direct Only Yesterday and The Tale of Princess Kaguya, among others. The Grave of the Fireflies Steelbook Blu-ray joins a collection of other Ghibli Steelbooks, including Spirited Away, The Wind Rises, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, and My Neighbor Totoro. It includes various bonus features, like feature-length storyboards, deleted scene storyboards, interviews with Takahata and critic Roger Ebert, and other behind-the-scenes material.

As the realities of life set in, some adults find themselves unaware or unable to connect to their sense of imagination, not having adequate outlets to express themselves. This flies directly in the face of an overwhelming amount of research that shows our brains, bodies, and communities need play as an essential element of fostering safe trial, error, and communication. The Time for Fun watch collection by Hey Studio and Trio of Time (TTT) takes this simple concept and translates it to a watch face, upending our traditional ideas of timepiece design. Oil-injected layers allow bold numbers to sprawl across the face and move uninhibited, seemingly weightless, suspended directly above the revolving hands. An essential part of community building, play in any sense helps keeps our minds and spirits active. “Timekeeping doesn’t have to be rigid. With Time For Fun, we bring a lighthearted approach to wearing time on your wrist. It’s a watch that doesn’t just tell time – it plays with it.” shares Joe Kwan, Creative Director at Anicorn & TTT. As the distinct numbers, an eight, seven, three, and one, bounce around the watch face, beholden only to gravity and their expertly crafted casing, one is reminded of how we are forced to reckon daily with the same forces. Yet in this abstraction, inherent possibility is on view: numbers that once held an incredibly defined place on the watch face, now travel freely across the surface, unhindered and susceptible to change. This can be heartening in times of upheaval, that everything, good or bad, does pass in due time. Vibrant, primary colors – blue, yellow, and red – paired with classic black and white add to the playfulness of each watch. Stripes add a rigid, linear detail to the watch bands, juxtaposed to the happy chaos found in the watch face, reminding wearers to take time each day for fun. Barcelona-based Hey Studio was founded in 2007, designing creative strategies and visual languages for brands across the world. They believe in the power of design to go beyond aesthetics, as something that can shape our lives, conveying messages much deeper than the object alone. As they say, “Don’t be fooled by simplicity: there’s meaning and intention behind it.” The Trio of Time is a visionary entity, dedicated to exploring innovation within the watch industry and pushing the boundaries of design. Distinct interpretations of the diversity of time are encapsulated through partnerships with artists, designers, and studios – a testament to the multidisciplinary nature of great design. The Time for Fun watch collaboration is available for purchase on Trio of Time’s website at ttt-watches.com and Anicorn at anicornwatches.com for $229. Photography courtesy of Hey Studio, Trio of Time, and Anicorn Watches.

Raycast on the Mac is a powerful keyboard-based launcher. It's quite popular in Mac productivity circles, and you can think of it as a customizable version of Spotlight. You can add extensions to it, use it for math, create custom shortcuts with it, search for files, and now, of course, talk to AI, using a floating window on top of anything on your Mac.Apple users have requested an iPhone version of Raycast for a long time. But things that Raycast can do on the Mac, like access the clipboard, trigger extensions, and manage windows and files, just aren't possible on the iPhone and iPad. But Raycast for iPhone is finally here after all, and it's just the beginning.Raycast AI on iPhone Credit: Raycast Recently, Raycast has become kind of an all-in-one AI tool, providing you with access to the latest and greatest models from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Deepseek, and more at one low monthly price. You get 50 messages for free, and the $10/month Raycast Pro plan provides you with access to smaller models like GPT mini and Claude 3.5 Haiku. The $20/month plan opens that up to the models like Claude 3.7 Sonnet, GPT-4.1, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and more. Credit: Khamosh Pathak Raycast on the iPhone carries the same design language as the Raycast app on the Mac. When you open the Raycast app on iPhone, you'll see a text box at the bottom, and a Voice button. On the top of the page, there are shortcuts to view all your AI conversations, Notes, Snippets, and Quicklinks. The middle part can be customized to add any AI or Raycast action shortcut that you wish.By default, you'll talk to Raycast AI using the app's own Ray model, which is based on GPT-4. But you can tap on the Model button to switch to any available model, including any custom AI models that you might have built on Mac. You can also add attachments, ask follow up questions, and more.Notes, Quicklinks and Snippets Credit: Raycast When it comes to productivity, the Raycast iPhone app brings over three Mac features: Notes, Quicklinks, and Snippets. If you're paying for the $10/month Raycast Pro subscription, you'll see that all your notes, Quicklinks and Snippets from your Mac will show up automatically on the iPhone (using the Cloud Sync feature).But even if you aren't, you can still use these features for free on the iPhone; they just won't sync to your Mac. You can create 5 notes for free using Raycast Notes.You'll also be able to export notes in HTML, Markdown and in rich text.Quicklinks and Snippets are let you do a bit more, though. Quicklinks let you create shortcuts for launching any URL with a tap. This URL can take you directly to a part of an app, or website.Snippets is Raycast's version of a text expansion tool, and is a more robust version of the built-in Text Replacement tool on iPhone and Mac. Here, you can create text-based shortcuts that expand into any saved text, like your address, or a work email template, easily.A ways to goAnd that's all there is so far. Currently, Raycast thinks of the iPhone app mostly as a companion to the more powerful Raycast utility on the Mac. According to an interview with Raycast co-founder Petr Nikolaev (via The Verge) the goal for the Raycast app was to put something in front of Raycast users and see how they respond. The developers plan to build on top of this foundation using the feedback from users. If the Raycast app on iPhone is successful, they also plan to build an Android app (a the Windows app is already in the works).Currently, Raycast supports the Shortcuts framework that makes it easy to open the AI chat and other features directly from Control Center, or the Lock screen. But it's not the same as replacing Siri or Spotlight Search. According to the co-founders, they would love to bring extensions support to the iPhone app, but Apple's sandboxed environment won't allow for it. Although, they are excited about a potential custom keyboard implementation that would let them bring some of the Raycast features into other apps using the system keyboard.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders are technically open, but it increasingly seems like you'll have a tough time grabbing the console before its June 5 release date if you haven't been able to secure one already. To recap the situation thus far: After an extended delay from the device's original April 9 pre-order date, Nintendo finally kicked off pre-orders in the US and Canada on April 24. A couple of (headache-inducing) hours later, stock at third-party retailers such as Walmart, Target and Best Buy promptly sold out. GameStop began taking pre-orders later that morning but quickly met the same fate, later confirming that its online stock had dried up as well.  Some eagle-eyed buyers were reportedly able to pre-order through Walmart as recently as Saturday, April 26, but that retailer has since taken down one of its Switch 2 pages entirely. (Another listing is still live, but out of stock.) As we write this, none of the other stores mentioned above are accepting pre-orders either. We'll be sure to note if and when that changes, but right now the only other retailer that has confirmed it'll have pre-orders is Nintendo itself. That said, the device maker will only offer the Switch 2 through an invite system. It began accepting registrations for that on April 2, with the first wave of invites set to roll out on May 8. However, the company updated its site last week to say that some people may not receive their pre-order email until after the June 5 launch date.  How to pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 As noted above, third-party retailers like Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart and Target opened their pre-orders on April 24. Best Buy's, Walmart's and Target's pre-orders opened at midnight, while GameStop's in-person and online pre-orders started at 11am ET. As of our latest update, though, all of those stores have either sold out of their stock or currently list the console as "coming soon."  We expect the Switch 2 to be available from Amazon some time in the future, but links are not live on that site yet, and there's been no indication as to when that might change.  Other membership-based retailers like Costco and Sam's Club have posted Switch 2 listings as well, though it doesn't appear as if those stores will accept pre-orders. Newegg has also added a Switch 2 page but isn't offering an option to buy just yet. At this point, we recommend signing up via Nintendo's website if you haven't already. It's free to register and you'll eventually get an email that'll allow you to order the console, even if you have to wait until after the June 5 launch day. Note, though, that Nintendo is prioritizing invites "on a first-come, first-served basis" to those who've paid for its Switch Online service for at least 12 months and logged at least 50 hours of total Switch play time. (For the latter, you'll need to have opted into sharing gameplay data with Nintendo, which you can confirm in your account's privacy settings.) So if you're just registering with Nintendo today, don't be surprised if your invite doesn't arrive until some time after the initial May 8 batch.  In any event, if you're desperate to catch a restock, it's a good idea to create accounts with each of the retailers above and ensure all of your shipping and billing info is up to date. Downloading each store's mobile app and signing up for notifications may help too, though that could get annoying fairly quickly. We'll continue to update this post as time goes on with the latest Switch 2 pre-order information. Pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo GameStop Best Buy Target Walmart Amazon* Pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* *As of 11:30am ET on Thursday, May 1, Amazon has not listed either Switch 2 console package for sale. We will update this article with direct links if they arrive; until then, we're linking to the site's Nintendo-focused hub. How to pre-order Switch 2 accessories and games Naturally, the Switch 2 has a number of accessories and new games that you can pre-order separately. While Nintendo didn't adjust the console's pricing upon announcing its new pre-order date, it did raise the cost of several accessories. The new Switch 2 camera, for one, now costs $55 instead of its original $50; the new Switch 2 Pro Controller costs $85 instead of $80; an extra set of Joy-Con 2 controllers is up to $95 from $90, while the official Joy-Con Charging Grip is going for $40 instead of $35. You can check out Nintendo's official statement from April 18 for all of the accessory price adjustments.  Broadly speaking, most of these accessories are still up for grabs at one or two retailers at a minimum, but stock has become spottier since their initial pre-order date. Upcoming first-party games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, meanwhile, remain widely available. Mario Kart World for $80 Nintendo (digital) Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* Donkey Kong Bananza for $70 Nintendo (digital) Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* Samsung microSD Express Card – 256GB for Nintendo Switch 2 for $60 Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* Joy-Con 2 bundle for $95 Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* Switch 2 Pro Controller for $85 Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* Switch 2 Camera for $55 Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* Hori Nintendo Switch 2 Piranha Plant Camera for $60 Best Buy Target Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip for $40 Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* Joy-Con 2 Wheels (set of 2) for $25 Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case for $85 Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon* *As of 11:30am ET on Thursday, May 1, Amazon has not listed any first-party Switch 2 accessories or games for sale. We will update this article with direct links if they arrive; until then, we're linking to the site's Nintendo-focused hub. More Switch 2 details We knew from its initial teaser trailer that the Switch 2 would be bigger and take a new approach to the detachable Joy-Cons. The new controllers now include a C button, mouse controls and a built-in gyroscope for tilt control. The device itself is indeed a bit larger, with a 7.9-inch LCD screen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate (with VRR), HDR10 and a 1080p resolution. The hardware also has a built-in mic to support a new feature called GameChat that'll let you communicate with friends in-game. Nintendo says that service will be free to all Switch 2 users until March 31, 2026, at which point it'll require a Switch Online membership. When docked, you'll be able to play at up to 4K on your TV, and Nintendo says it's improved the consoles internal speakers as well. The new dock also has a built-in fan to keep the console cool and help maintain performance during long play sessions. The Switch 2 has dual USB-C ports for charging, and the internal storage amount has increased from 32GB to 256GB. The Switch 2's storage can be expanded like the previous model, but it'll only work with newer microSD Express cards. As seen in the recent 20.0.0 update for the original Switch, the upcoming console will also utilize Nintendo's new Virtual Game Card system for lending digital games across systems, as well as a GameShare feature that lets you share select titles locally with just one copy of a game. Tariffs and the Nintendo Switch 2 During its most recent Direct presentation at the start of April, Nintendo showed off more of the Switch 2 than it ever had before. That included the reveal of the April 9 pre-order opening date, in addition to the original $450 starting price. Shortly after, President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on China and other countries, prompting Nintendo to delay pre-orders in the US and Canada. In a reversal, President Trump later announced a 90-day pause on steep tariffs affecting 75 countries, but also announced that the tariff imposed on China will go up even further (right now, it sits at 145 percent). We now know that the original $450 price for the Switch 2 will remain the same in the US and Canada, but based on its official statement, it appears Nintendo is leaving the door open for potential future price increases. We also know that Nintendo started moving some of its Switch console manufacturing to Vietnam in 2019. The increased tariff for Vietnam was set to be 46 percent, but that appears to be on hold for now in favor of a 10 percent tariff that’s now in effect for the 90-day pause period. It has been speculated that Nintendo will boost production of Switch 2 consoles in Vietnam so it can stay on schedule, even if it sells the console at a loss in the short term. It appears the company will have to seriously ramp up production to keep up with Switch 2 demand: according to Nintendo, 2.2 million people entered the pre-order lottery in Japan alone, which is far more devices than it is expected to deliver in that region on launch day. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2-pre-orders-latest-updates-console-remains-sold-out-at-gamestop-walmart-target-best-buy-and-others-140931858.html?src=rss

Amazon has just expanded its 'Shop the Show' feature in its US app, with the number of shoppable shows now at over 1,300 – here's why that could be bad thing.

Investors this earnings season are watching for signs that President Donald Trump's tariff push and global trade uncertainty are hampering advertising demand.