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  • First look at the DualSense wireless controller The Last of Us Limited Edition
    blog.playstation.com
    Commemorate The Last of Us franchise with a brand-new controller; heres a first look at the DualSense wireless controller The Last of Us Limited Edition. Created in close collaboration with the creative team at Naughty Dog, this striking design features glossy trophy icons printed across the surface that call back to key moments, characters, and events from The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II.Play VideoTo share more about the controllers design and inspiration, heres Head of Studio and Head of Creative Neil Druckmann and Graphic Designer Megan Mehran from Naughty Dog:We were excited by the chance to memorialize The Last of Us franchise in a controller that fans and our own team would love. We wanted to ensure that both installments of The Last of Us are represented, via trophy icons printed in black gloss across the controller body. Among the trophies, three particular images will immediately stand out for TLOU fans: The firefly, moth, and wolf. Players will recognize the Fireflies iconic spray-painted logo that originated in Part I, while the moth and wolf represent the intertwining lives and duality between Ellie and Abby in Part II.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageThe DualSense wireless controller The Last of Us Limited Edition will be available in limited quantities for $84.99 / 84.99 / 74.99. Pre-orders start on March 14, 2025 at 10am local time at direct.playstation.com (where available) as well as participating retailers, with launch on April 10, 2025. The exact launch date and availability for the controller may vary by country/region.Were thrilled to share this new design with the community during an especially exciting time for new and old TLOU fans alike. In the coming months, PC players will be able to continue the acclaimed story of this iconic franchise with The Last of Us Part II Remastered, launching on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on April 3, 2025. Fans can also follow Joel, Ellie, and Abbys emotional journeys in the highly anticipated second season of The Last of Us, premiering April 13, 2025, on HBO and available to stream on Max.direct.playstation.com Purchase InformationStarting March 14, 2025 at 7am PT in the U.S., and 10am local time in the U.K., France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, players will be able to pre-order the DualSense wireless controller The Last of Us Limited Edition through direct.playstation.com in limited quantities. When ordering directly from PlayStation, enjoy free launch day delivery for eligible pre-orders visit direct.playstation.com for more details.
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  • Assassins Creed Shadows: 20 minutes of new castle gameplay, launches March 20
    blog.playstation.com
    Assassins Creed Shadows is just two weeks away and in anticipation of its March 20 launch on PS5, weve released 20 minutes of new gameplay showing Naoe and Yasuke infiltrating Nijo Palace, the castle complex (also known as a tenshu) in Kyoto, a major city in the larger region of Yamashiro.Play VideoCastles in Assassins Creed Shadows are strongholds, filled with hostile guards, valuable resources, and one precious loot chest. Conquering a tenshu means eliminating any Samurai Daisho on the premises, which unlocks the loot chest, giving you powerful gear. You can see the contents of these chests when you hover over the castle icon in the map.Castles are just one of many activities in Assassins Creed Shadows that you can complete to increase your Knowledge Rank, which gives you access to higher level abilities and upgrades. Completing them will also earn you experience and mastery points, which you can use to directly upgrade Naoe and Yasukes abilities. Additionally, Castles are full of resources that you can claim for your hideout. Smaller resource bundles can be picked up manually, while larger stockpiles can be tagged by Naoe and Yasuke to be picked up and delivered to your hideout by scouts at the changing of the seasons.Naoe stealth approachOur walkthrough begins with Naoes stealthy approach at night. After dispatching a perimeter guard with her Hidden Blade, she quickly takes to the rooftops with the help of her grappling hook and begins to scout out nearby patrols. Unlike recent games in the series, in Assassins Creed Shadows, you wont have the ability to call upon an avian ally to scout from the skies for you. Instead, youll hold L2 to use the Observe mechanic and focus Naoe or Yasukes vision on an enemy/objective/loot to tag it.While scouting, Naoe spots a Samurai Daisho, an elite guard that will have to be eliminated to conquer the tenshu and claim its ultimate reward. With her tanto blade equipped, Naoe can double assassinate targets, but the Samurai Daishos ample health means she cant take him out with one hityet. Shadows gear not only offers distinct stat bonuses but unique engravings that can change your strategy at any moment. In this case, Naoe swaps her headgear to a piece that gives bonus damage on air assassinations enough to take out the Samurai Daisho in a single blow.Further into the castle, Naoe calls for help from one of her recruited allies, Gennojo. Hes able to stun a pair of nearby enemies allowing Naoe to close the gap and take them both out. Gennojo is just one of several recruitable allies that can be called up in the open world for help (fun fact, each ally is summoned with a different bird call). Once those guards are taken out, Naoe uses Eagle Vision to scope out the interior of a nearby building.Hostile enemies appear in red in eagle vision, while civilians will cast an orange silhouette. Be warned, however: just because civilians wont attack you, that doesnt mean they wont raise the alarm if they spot you. Thankfully, Naoe is able to utilize a host of new stealth features to avoid detection. She starts by extinguishing a nearby lantern, cloaking herself in darkness. She then uses her grappling hook to pull herself up to the ceiling to avoid a patrol before dropping down and assassinating a second Samurai Daisho through a shoji door with her katana.Yasuke stealth approachNow, lets flip to Yasuke as he approaches the palace. Yasuke may be a one-man army in Shadows, but hes still capable of sneaking around. Without a grappling hook, he uses a nearby low-hanging tree to take to the rooftops before pulling out his bow to silently take out a guard from range. Then, while crouching, he sneaks up on another guard and dispatches him with a brutal assassination with his long katana. Its not as inconspicuous as a Hidden Blade, but hey, it gets the job done and doesnt alert anyone else in the area.Yasukes infiltration takes place during the daytime, so he doesnt have the benefit of hiding in the shadows that Naoe did, but by sticking to the rooftops and using the geometry of the pitched roofs, he can stay hidden while crawling prone. Here, Yasuke calls upon another ally, Oni-Yuri, a poison specialist who can knock multiple enemies unconscious.As he moves into the next courtyard, Yasuke spots a bell tower that can alert the entire tenshu to his presence should he be noticed, but with his bow (or Naoes shuriken or kunai), he can disarm the bell tower. Now, its time to go loud and make an entrance to take out the final Samurai Daisho. Yasuke starts by shooting a gunpowder barrel with his bow, taking out a nearby guard, before switching out his bow for a massive kanabo club. The hulking weapons blows overwhelm the Samurai Daisho, earning Yasuke another mastery point.Naoe combat approachSwapping back to Naoe for a combat approach, we see just how skilled a fighter she can be. This begins by exchanging her stealth gear for a more combat-focused headgear and armor that allows her to vault enemies by sprinting at them and knock them down by sliding into them. Finally, her tanto is replaced with a legendary kusarigama that increases damage to enemies over three meters away. The kusarigama is Naoes long range melee weapon, great for crowd control and fighting multiple enemies at once. It also enables Naoe to rush assassinate her targets (rush assassinate is a passive ability that is possible whenever the kusarigama is one of Naoes two equipped weapons and does not cost adrenaline to use) by wrapping one end of the kusarigama around them and using it to fling herself forward for the killing blow.Once Naoe gets to an elevated position, she realizes that a servant that spotted her earlier has returned with reinforcements. Rather than dealing with them herself, she calls her ally Yaya, a hulking brawler, to take care of them for her. With the reinforcements handled, Naoe is able to use the Observe mechanic to scout out Takahashi Shiro, a member of The Twisted Tree family shes been tasked to assassinate. This time around, Naoes air assassination attempt only does partial damage, meaning she has a fight on her hands. Using a combination of smoke bombs and her kusarigama, she makes quick work of the weaker guards as she dances around Shiro, dismantling his armor before going in for the killing blow. With her target assassinated and the Samurai Daisho eliminated, Naoe is free to scale Nijo Tenshu and open the chest, earning a new legendary armor set for Yasuke. Her run ends with her scaling the tenshu for a synchronization point, using the Observe mechanic to scout our nearby points of interest.Verify your age to view this content.Verify your age to view this content.Yasuke Combat ApproachWe end the walkthrough with Yasukes bread and butter, combat. As with Naoe, it begins with a gear swap as the katana and kanabo are replaced with a naginata and teppo (a single-shot rifle). Yasukes last armor was ideal for stealth as it provided a 200% damage bonus to ranged weapons while out of combat. This approach, however, will be loud so he needs a new armor set and thanks to a unique engraving, the new set allows him to parry unblockable attacks (red glowing attacks that can usually only be dodged). The armor pairs especially well with the accompanying helmet which grants 50% damage to the attacker on parry. Not only can Yasuke parry any attack now, but hell reflect 50% of that damage back on the attacker.Its not often you can go in guns blazing in an Assassins Creed game, but thats exactly what Yasuke does, smashing down the door before executing the closest guard with his teppo. With Yasukes size comes a certain boldness (he can take and dish out more damage than Naoe in a straight up fight) and he sprints straight through the courtyard to confront Takahashi Shiro. Wielding his naginata and parrying nearly every attack thrown at him, Yasuke quickly dispatches all the guards, and even takes out Shiro without too much difficulty. He may not be the climber that Naoe is, but Yasuke still ascends the tenshu to claim the prized chest and conquer Nijo Palace.Assassins Creed Shadows two distinct heroes offer up dramatically different abilities, weapons, and playstyles, but Naoe and Yasuke are versatile enough to change up their approach, allowing you to sneak or fight on the fly. Smash through the front door or lurk in the shadows for yourself on March 20 when Assassins Creed Shadows launches on PlayStation 5.Enhanced for PS5 ProAs the first Assassins Creed game built solely for current generation hardware, Assassins Creed Shadows can be played at up to 2160p and 60 FPS on both PS5 and PS5 Pro in Performance mode. PS5 Pro is the only console that supports extended ray tracing, which offers ray traced reflective surfaces throughout the world. Check out the full breakdown of specs below.PS5 Performance Mode2160p upscaled, 60 FPS, Selective* Ray TracingPS5 Fidelity Mode2160p upscaled, 30 FPS, Standard** Ray TracingPS5 Balanced Mode (requires 120/240hz display and HDMI 2.1)2160p upscaled, 40 FPS, Standard Ray TracingPS5 Pro Performance Mode2160p upscaled, 60 FPS, Standard Ray TracingPS5 Pro Fidelity Mode2160p upscaled, 30 FPS, Extended*** Ray TracingPS5 Pro Balanced Mode (requires 120/240hz display and HDMI 2.1)2160p upscaled, 40 FPS, Extended Ray Tracing*Selective Ray Tracing used to compute global illumination for diffuse lighting in the Hideout portion of the game.** Standard Ray Tracing used to compute global illumination for diffuse lighting throughout the game world.***Extended Ray Tracing includes full support of ray tracing to compute global illumination for diffuse lighting and reflective surfaces throughout the game world.
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  • Jackbox figured out a way to let you play Party Packs without a console
    www.polygon.com
    Jackbox Games Party Packs are one of the best ways to bring people together, whether they be polite colleagues or close friends. Jackbox has recently worked to make these Packs more accessible with measures like the Jackbox Megapicker, a program that allows players to switch between the minigames in each installation without having to manually shut down and re-load the stream. Now, Amazon and Jackbox are partnering to bring the games to a smart TV near you.Jackbox will launch an app on smart TVs through Amazons game server hosting program known as AWS GameLift Streams. A beta version of the service will be available on select smart TV platforms in the spring. The early rollout will not contain all of the titles from the Jackbox roster; a small collection of games will be available, punctuated by ads, as a free trial of the full experience coming later. In the future, Jackbox Games plans to offer the entire catalog of games with an attached subscription fee.The Jackbox Party Packs are currently available on Windows PC, Xbox, PlayStation, the Nintendo Switch, and both Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. The party games are notable in that only the host needs to own the game, and the rest of the group can simply join in on a browser with a link. Each pack is about $25, and with eleven installments so far (ten traditional packs and the NSFW Naughty Pack) it can become a pricey investment. Itll be interesting to see whether the sample pack allows even more players to get in on the fun, and whether its possible to gracefully insert ads between rounds of Quiplash or Drawful.
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  • The Power Rangers movie, now on Netflix, shows a better path forward for big franchises
    www.polygon.com
    A reboot of Power Rangers made in 2017 has absolutely no right to be good. In fact, it shouldnt even be tolerable. It should be unnecessarily dark and gritty. It should be violent and mature, and completely embarrassed of the IP its based on. And yet, somehow, none of that is true. Instead, the 2017 Power Rangers reboot movie, which is now on Netflix, is kind of great; its charming, entertaining, and unselfconsciously fun, and it absolutely deserves your time.Power Rangers follows a fairly recognizable story thats more or less ripped straight from the first episode of the original series: Five teenagers find themselves thrust together by fate when they discover magical coins that give them superhuman abilities and costumes. At the same time, an ancient evil sorceress named Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) is released from her prison (in this case underwater instead of on the moon), and dives straight back into her scheme to take over the world. In order to stop Rita, the five teens form the Power Rangers, under the tutelage of Zordon (Bryan Cranston), a giant floating digitized head, and his robot Alpha 5 (Bill Hader).In other words, just like the original series, this plot is unambiguously silly. And the movie, to its credit, is well aware of that fact. Unlike recent entries in the MCU, for instance, Power Rangers embraces its silliness rather than running from it. This gives the movie a genuine heart and goofy charm that it cleverly uses to its advantage, both to land cheesy jokes when it needs to and to give the characters surprising depth and emotion at just the right times.Adding to this unexpected emotional depth is the quality of Power Rangers cast. The main five include Naomi Scott (Smile 2), Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), RJ Cyler (The Harder They Fall), singer Becky G, and Ludi Lin, who stood out in 2021s Mortal Kombat reboot as Liu Kang. For what could have been a simple cash-grab reboot, its a knockout cast of incredible young actors just before they broke out. Meanwhile, Banks plays Rita with an impressive and absolutely ridiculous commitment to silliness, while Cranston somehow marries the goofiness of Malcolm in the Middles Hal with Walter Whites intensity, and Hader adds a bit of necessary worried-robot silliness to the voice of Alpha 5.Every single member of the stacked cast is on exactly the right wavelength for the movie, all hamming it up when they need to and generally seeming to have an excellent time together, which is crucial for any worthwhile Power Rangers project. The chemistry and quality of their performances give the movie an inescapable charm that lasts even through the brief moments when the scripts commitment to cheesiness becomes slightly overwhelming.None of this charm would matter, however, if the action sequences didnt live up to the rest of the movie, and thankfully they do although just barely. The action is muddy and poorly shot, and it rarely shows off the actually interesting choreography, which proves to be the fight scenes saving grace. However, Power Rangers ultimately falls prey to the same sludgy, gray CGI that plagued many movies from this era though this stunt teams exceptionally cool previz video proves that none of this was their fault.The good news is this fighting barely takes up any of the movies run time. Instead, much like the original series, most of Power Rangers is just the core team hanging out with each other, figuring out how to stop Rita, and generally dealing with being teenagers who have exceptional powers or its Banks doing some wonderful yelling and scenery chewing in her ridiculous Rita outfit. Thankfully, this keeps the movie from getting buried by the less-than-stellar action, and lets things stay focused on the elements of the film that work.Watching Power Rangers now, with nearly a decade of mostly bad franchise movies between us and its original release, feels like a breath of fresh air. Its light, silly, and extremely fun, with performances that dont mind dipping into ridiculousness. Its a movie that trades on nostalgia, rather than preying on it, and is more interested in building interesting characters than setting up a dozen-movie-long franchise. In other words, its really no wonder it didnt get a sequel. But, now that its on Netflix, we finally have the chance to go back and give the movie the attention it deserves.Power Rangers is now streaming on Netflix.
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  • A Cantilevered Home in Austin Embraces Its Natural Landscape
    design-milk.com
    Nestled amidst the lush landscape of rolling hills and live oak trees in West Austin, Texas, the Westview Residence by Alterstudio Architecture delivers thoughtful design and environmental sensitivity. Situated on a steeply sloped lot at the end of a cul-de-sac, this home redefines the relationship between architecture and nature by embracing the challenges of its site rather than imposing upon it.A defining feature of the property is a meandering seasonal creek that carves its way through a grove of protected trees. Rather than viewing this natural formation as an obstacle, the architects used it as a central design element, shaping the layout of the home to seamlessly integrate with the existing landscape. The result is a striking composition of masonry structures positioned on either side of the ravine, with a grand living space bridging the two halves as it cantilevers over the occasional stream.This architectural arrangement does more than simply respond to the land it creates a sense of seclusion amidst a densely developed neighborhood. The residence establishes its own private retreat, visually extending its natural surroundings to evoke an atmosphere of tranquility. The spatial arrangement encourages a fluid transition between the indoors and outdoors, with rooms that serve as intermediary spaces, blurring the distinction between built form and nature.A minimalist rectangular swimming pool feels as if its floating amongst a sea of trees on two sides. The three volumes wrap around the pool creating a courtyard with privacy from nearby homes,while the floor-to-ceiling windows allow the occupants views from each structure.Inside, the residence exudes warmth and refinement, featuring oak-clad ceilings and floors that contrast with robust brick walls. The masonry, chosen for its rugged texture and historical character, adds depth and dimension to the home, interacting dynamically with natural light throughout the day. Large openings invite sunlight to permeate the space, fostering a connection to the ever-changing outdoor environment.The black kitchen cabinets and details throughout the interior juxtapose the cream-colored bricks and warm wood surfaces for a balanced aesthetic that feels inviting and cozy.For more information on the Westview Residence or Alterstudio Architecture, visit alterstudio.net.Photography by Casey Dunn.
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  • How Married Couples Can Double Their Retirement Tax Breaks in 2025
    lifehacker.com
    With tax season in full swing, it's prime time for married couples to maximize all the tax breaks available to them. One strategy that you don't want to leave on the table: making spousal IRA contributions. If one spouse isn't employed, they might be missing out on putting retirement assets in their namenot to mention reducing the tax-deferred growth possibilities as a couple. Spousal IRA contributions can double your retirement tax breaksThe IRA contribution limits for 2024 are $7,000 for those under age 50, and $8,000 for those age 50 or older. To clarify: You can make 2024 IRA contributions until the tax deadline on April 15, 2025. Generally, you can only contribute up to these limits for your own IRA, meaning you must have an income that will allow you to do so. And as always, you can and should max out these limits, if possible. However, with a spousal IRA, your spouse can also contribute up to the limit in an IRA under your name.That effectively doubles the amount your household can sock away in IRAs (pre-tax or Roth) each year. The only requirement is that the spouse who owns the IRA must have enough earned income to cover both contributions.For example, let's say Alex earns $100,000 per year and her husband Kevin is a stay-at-home dad with no income. Alex can contribute $7,000 to her own IRA. She can also contribute $7,000 to an IRA that is under Kevin's name. That's $14,000 total that the household can now save in IRAs, rather than just Alex's $7,000 limit.How spousal IRAs workA spousal IRA isnt actually a separate type of IRA accountrather, its just a traditional IRA or Roth IRA set up in the name of a spouse who has little to no income. This may include those who are caregivers for children or other family members, workers who have returned to school, or people who have left the workforce for another reason.To be eligible for a spousal IRA, you have to meet a few requirements:You must file taxes as married filing jointly.The earning/contributing spouse must make enough to cover the contributions to both their own IRA and the spousal account.There are income-based contribution limits for Roth IRAs and tax deduction limits for traditional IRAs based on your tax filing status. These may affect which type of account you select.One key to a spousal IRA is that ownership stays with the person named on the account, no matter which spouse is contributing the funds. This also means that an existing IRAfunded while the owner of the account was in the workforcecan function as a spousal IRA if that person is no longer earning income and their partner simply contributes to the account on their behalf.The bottom lineEligible couples can use a spousal IRA to double their contributions to traditional individual retirement accounts (IRAs) even if only one partner has an income, and deduct a total of $14,000 (rather than $7,000 for the individual income earner) for 2024, as long as they do so by April 15. So there is still time for married couples to make spousal IRA contributions and double their tax-advantaged retirement savingsjust be sure to specify which spouse the contribution is for when sending funds to your IRA provider.With a little planning, a spousal IRA strategy can significantly boost your households' retirement funds. And you can get an immediate tax deduction on your taxes if you make the contributions prior to tax dayso don't leave this tax break on the table.
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  • Is YouTube Premium Lite Worth the Savings?
    lifehacker.com
    YouTube's recent price hike has clearly left a hole in the market. If you want a fully ad-free YouTube experience, you currently need to pay $13.99/month (up from $11.99) or use a third-party workaround. But now, YouTube has a compromise. The service's new Premium Lite plan comes in at $7.99/month ($6 cheaper) and is supposed to block ads on most, but not all, content. With YouTube Premium Lite, YouTube won't show ads on popular categories of long form video, like gaming, fashion, beauty, news, and more. That's a bit vague, but in a video with Johanna Voolich, YouTube's Chief Product Officer, she says this means that all "core creator content", including podcasts, gaming streams, and makeup tutorials will all be ad-free.The catch is that other content, like music and music videos, won't be. That said, I am curious where the line between "core creator" content starts and stopsit'll take some time before subscribers really test the boundaries of this system. What if a smaller creator has a gaming video that doesn't get flagged as being part of YouTube Gaming?Missing features Credit: YouTube Aside from ad-free play, the cheaper plan misses out on two other big Premium features. Namely, you won't get offline downloads or background play. There's no access to YouTube Music either, since that would give you ad-free listening.YouTube Premium Lite is designed for people who want to watch creator-uploaded long form content in peace, without ads, and who don't care about supplemental features or YouTube spin-offs. If you instead prefer to watch offline or like listening to long podcasts in the background or have playlists saved in YouTube Music, the $13.99/month YouTube Premium plan will probably still be more up your alley.YouTube is rolling this out as a pilot test program in the US, so how the subscription works might change in the future. The company plans to expand the testing to Thailand, Germany, and Australia in coming weeks.
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  • Prime Gaming's March freebies include Saints Row: The Third and Mafia II remasters
    www.engadget.com
    It's Thursday, which means there are some more PC games that Amazon Prime members can claim for free. Amazon has also revealed the entire slate of freebies that subscribers can snag throughout March, as well as the games they can stream at no extra cost on Amazon Luna.Arguably the highest-profile additions of the month are available today in the form of Saints Row: The Third Remasteredand Mafia II: Definitive Edition. As ever, nearly every game on the list is for PC, but since Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is claimable via the Microsoft Store, you'll be able to play that one on Xbox as well.Mortal Shell is an RPG from a few years back that I'd been meaning to check out, so I'll be sure to pick that one up. Elsewhere, The Forgotten Cityis a mystery RPG that was originally a Skyrim mod. The standalone version debuted a few years ago to critical acclaim.You typically have about a month to claim each of the games before they leave the lineup (meaning that you can still snag many of the February additions) Here's what you can snap up and when, along with the launcher you can play each game on:NowSaints Row: The Third Remastered (GOG)Mafia II: Definitive Edition (GOG)Crime Boss: Rockay City (Epic Games Store)Naheulbeuk's Dungeon Master (Amazon Games App)March 13Wall World (Amazon Games App)Syberia: The World Before (GOG)Endling - Extinction is Forever (Amazon Games App)Dark Deity: Complete Edition (GOG)Beholder 3 (Amazon Games App)March 20Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (Xbox and PC via Microsoft Store Code)Mutazione (GOG)Figment 2: Creed Valley (Amazon Games App)Legacy of Kain: Defiance (GOG)Mortal Shell (Epic Games Store)March 27The Forgotten City (Amazon Games App)Deus Ex: Invisible War (GOG)Session: Skate Sim (Epic Games Store)Let's Build A Zoo (Epic Games Store)Gamedec - Definitive Edition (GOG)The Wisbey Mystery (Legacy Games Code)Along with those games that Prime members can claim and keep forever (even if they cancel their plan), subscribers can stream a bunch of other titles via Amazon Luna. Along with staples like Fortnite, Trackmania and a couple of Fallout games, members can stream WRC Generations Fully Loaded Edition, Spitlings, The Jackbox Party Pack 3, Strange Horticulture and the utterly brilliant Overcooked! 2 throughout March. As a reminder, only Prime members in the US, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands and Poland have access to these games on Luna.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/prime-gamings-march-freebies-include-saints-row-the-third-and-mafia-ii-remasters-180008526.html?src=rss
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  • The MagicX Zero 40 handheld features a vertical display for DS emulation
    www.engadget.com
    The Nintendo DS is one of the toughest consoles to emulate, for an obvious reason. Its the two screens. This is even an issue with ports. Some developers avoid the problem by mushing everything together onto a single traditional screen, like the recently-released Castlevania Dominus Collection. However, gamers may finally have an affordable emulation solution, thanks to the MagicX Zero 40 handheld console.On its surface, its yet another handheld emulator, but this one features a four-inch vertically-oriented 800x480 touchscreen display. This should allow players to accurately recreate the experience of playing DS games. Thats great news, as replacement parts for any of the DS's iterations are difficult to come by these days.The MagicX Zero 40 runs on a 64-bit Android operating system and features 2GB of RAM and a battery that lasts for four to seven hours. As for storage, it supports flash cards up to 512GB. What about 3DS emulation? The specs sheet indicates theres no support for Nintendos follow-up dual-screen handheld, but the Zero 40 will emulate games from all of the standard single-screen systems. These include the PSP, NES, SNES, Dreamcast and many more.The Zero 40 is expected to be released this April, with an asking price of $75. Pre-orders were open, but are sold out for the time being. Theres another option for a dual-screen emulation, if you have deep pockets. The Ayaneo Flip DS will run Nintendo DS, 3DS and Wii U games, but starts at $739.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-magicx-zero-40-handheld-features-a-vertical-display-for-ds-emulation-175820385.html?src=rss
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