Amazon hasn't yet released a full list of what's coming to Prime Video in June, but we do know what original titles are slated to premiere throughout the month. Prime original action comedy Deep Cover (June 12) has a stacked cast that includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed, and Sean Bean. In the film, Howard plays an improv comedy teacher who recruits two of her students (played by Bloom and Mohammed) to infiltrate London's gangs by pretending to be criminals. Countdown (June 25) is a new crime thriller series from Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas. An LAPD detective is recruited to a secret task force to investigate the murder of a Department of Homeland Security officer. And We Were Liars (June 18) is a psychological thriller series based on the titular novel by E. Lockhart, the plot of which follows the wealthy Sinclair family and the events of summer on their private island. Finally, there's sports doc American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans (June 12), which chronicles the journey to bring the American stock car Chevrolet Camaro to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Here are the originals coming to Prime Video in June.What’s coming to Prime Video in June 2025 Available June 12American Thunder: NASCAR to Le MansDeep CoverAvailable June 15The Chosen: Last SupperAvailable June 18We Were LiarsAvailable June 23Head Over HeelsAvailable June 25CountdownAvailable June 27Marry My Husband

Build A Rocket Boy’s MindsEye has had quite the journey in the past week, from finally showcasing extensive gameplay at last to its co-CEO believing that those with negative reactions are “100 percent” financed by “someone.” Nevertheless, studio founder and director Leslie Benzies believes in the game’s vision and offering value for money without the filler. Speaking to GamesIndustry, Benzies said, “I don’t think you can have filler content in games. I think people want the meat and they want the potatoes. We’ve tried to make as much meat as we can if that makes sense.” Though MindsEye’s story was previously touted as requiring about 15 hours to finish, Benzies has since noted that it will take “20ish” hours, which is a “good length for a game.” “What you also find through data is that [with] big games, people don’t play them all. The majority of people – 60% or 70% of people – don’t actually play games to the end.” “So when you’re making something, I would prefer – I’m sure the team would say the same – [that] you had the whole experience from start to finish and not create this 200-hour game. Create something that is finishable but has some side things that will fill out the universe. A lot of the side missions on the play side of MindsEye do fill out the characters’ back stories or fill out what was happening in the world.” As for the price, which is $60, Benzies said, “The world’s in a funny place. People are worried about the price of eggs. So value for money, I think people appreciate that when times are difficult.” The discussion is interesting since titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered have received praise for offering so much at $49.99. Whether MindsEye can aspire to the same quality of content in its runtime remains to be seen. It launches on June 10th worldwide for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, but the journey only starts there, with a post-launch roadmap announced. Check it out here.

The sales figure does not include those who downloaded the game via Xbox Game Pass.

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 85, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, sorry in advance that this week is a tiny bit politics-y, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about Sean Evans and music fraud and ayahuasca, playing with the new Obsidian Bases feature, obsessing over every Cliche” more times than I’m proud of, installing some Elgato Key Lights to improve my WFH camera look, digging the latest beta of Artifacts, and downloading every podcast I can find because I have 20 hours of driving to do this weekend.I also have for you a very funny new movie about tech CEOs, a new place to WhatsApp, a great new accessory for your phone, a helpful crypto politics explainer, and much more. Short week this week, but still lots going on. Let’s do it.(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you reading / playing / watching / listening to / shopping for / doing with a Raspberry Pi this week? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here. And if you haven’t subscribed, you should! You’ll get every issue for free, a day early, in your inbox.)The DropMountainhead. I mean, is there a more me-coded pitch than “Succession vibes, but about tech bros?” It’s about a bunch of (pretty recognizable) billionaires who more or less run the world and are also more or less ruining it. You’ll either find this hilarious, way too close to home, or both. WhatsApp for iPad. I will never, ever understand why Meta hates building iPad apps. But it finally launched the most important one! The app itself is extremely fine and exactly what you’d think it would be, but whatever. It exists! DO INSTAGRAM NEXT.Post Games.Polygon, all about video games. It’s only a couple episodes deep, but so far I love the format: it’s really smart and extremely thoughtful, but it’s also very silly in spots. Big fan.The Popsockets Kick-Out Grip. I am a longtime, die-hard Popsockets user and evangelist, and the new model fixes my one gripe with the thing by working as both a landscape and portrait kickstand. $40 is highway robbery for a phone holder, but this is exactly the thing I wanted.“Dance with Sabrina.” A new, real-time competitive rhythm game inside of Fortnite, in which you try to do well enough to earn the right to actually help create the show itself. Super fun concept, though all these games are better with pads, guitars, or really anything but a normal controller.Lazy 2.0. Lazy is a stealthy but fascinating note-taking tool, and it does an unusually good job of integrating with files and apps. The new version is very AI-forward, basically bringing a personalized chatbot and all your notes to your whole computer. Neat!Elden Ring Nightreign. A multiplayer-heavy spinoff of the game that I cannot get my gamer friends to shut up about, even years after it came out. I’ve seen a few people call the game a bit small and repetitive, but next to Elden Ring I suppose most things are.The Tapo DL100 Smart Deadbolt Door Lock. A $70 door lock with, as far as I can tell, every feature I want in a smart lock: a keypad, physical keys, super long battery life, and lots of assistant integrations. It does look… huge? But it’s pretty bland-looking, which is a good thing.Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster. One of a few Titan-related documentaries coming this summer, meant to try and explain what led to the awful events of a couple years ago. I haven’t seen this one yet, but the reviews are solid — and the story seems even sadder and more infuriating than we thought.“The growing scandal of $TRUMP.” I love a good Zeke Faux take on crypto, whether it’s a book or a Search Engine episode. This interview with Ezra Klein is a great explainer of how the Trump family got so into crypto and how it’s being used to move money in deeply confusing and clearly corrupt ways. Cameron Faulkner isn’t technically new to The Verge, he’s just newly back at The Verge. In addition to being a commerce editor on our team, he also wrote one of the deepest dives into webcams you’ll ever find, plays a lot of games, has more thoughts about monitors than any reasonable person should, and is extremely my kind of person. Since he’s now so very back, I asked Cam to share his homescreen with us, as I always try to do with new people here. Here it is, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:The phone: Pixel 9 Pro.The wallpaper: It’s an “Emoji Workshop” creation, which is a feature that’s built into Android 14 and more recent updates. It mashes together emoji into the patterns and colors of your choosing. I picked this one because I like sushi, and I love melon / coral color tones.The apps: Google Keep, Settings, Clock, Phone, Chrome, Pocket Casts, Messages, Spotify.I haven’t downloaded a new app in ages. What’s shown on my homescreen has been there, unmoved, for longer than I can remember. I have digital light switches, a to-do list with the great (but paid) Stuff widget, a simple Google Fit widget to show me how much I moved today, and a couple Google Photos widgets of my lovely wife and son. I could probably function just fine if every app shuffled its location on my homescreen, except for the bottom row. That’s set in stone, never to be fiddled with.I also asked Cameron to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent back:Righteous Gemstones on HBO Max. It’s a much smarter comedy than I had assumed (but it’s still dumb in the best ways), and I’m delighted to have four seasons to catch up on. I’m really digging Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which achieves the feat of breakneck pacing (the game equivalent of a page-turner) and a style that rivals Persona 5, which is high praise. I have accrued well over a dozen Switch 2 accessories, and I’m excited to put them to the test once I get a console on launch day.CrowdsourcedHere’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now, as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads and this post on Bluesky.“The Devil’s Plan. This Netflix original South Korean reality show locks 14 contestants in a windowless living space that’s part mansion, part prison, part room escape, and challenges them to eliminate each other in a series of complicated tabletop games. (If this sounds familiar, it’s a spiritual successor to the beloved series The Genius from the mid-2010s.)” — Travis“If you’re a fan of Drive to Survive, I’m happy to report that the latest season of Netflix’s series on NASCAR is finally good, and a reasonable substitute for that show once you’ve finished it.” — Christopher“I switched to a Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel Watch 3 from an iPhone and Apple Watch about 6 months ago and found Open Bubbles, an open source alternative to BlueBubbles that does need a Mac but doesn’t need that Mac to remain on, You just need a one-time hardware identifier from it, then it gives you full iMessage, Find My, FaceTime, and iCloud shared albums on Android and Windows using an email address. So long as you can get your contacts to iMessage your email instead of your number, it works great.” — Tim“Playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the last time before Mario Kart World arrives next week and takes over my life!” — Ravi“With Pocket being killed off I’ve started using my RSS reader — which is Inoreader — instead as a suitable replacement. I only switched over to Pocket after Omnivore shut down.” — James“I just got a Boox Go 10.3 for my birthday and love it. The lack of front lighting is the biggest downfall. It is also only on Android 12 so I cannot load a corporate profile. It feels good to write on just, almost as good as my cheaper fountain pen and paper. It is helping me organize multiple notebooks and scraps of paper.” — Sean“Giving Tweek a bit of a go, and for a lightweight weekly planner it’s beautiful. I also currently use Motion for project management of personal tasks and when I was doing my Master’s. I really like the Gantt view to map out long term personal and study projects. (I also got a student discount for Motion, but it’s still expensive.)” — Astrid“Might I suggest Elle Griffin’s work at The Elysian? How she’s thinking through speculative futures and a cooperative media system is fascinating.” — Zach“GeForce Now on Steam Deck!” — SteveSigning offOne of the reasons I like making this newsletter with all of you is that it’s a weekly reminder that, hey, actually, there’s a lot of awesome people doing awesome stuff out there on the internet. I spend a lot of my time talking to people who say AI is going to change everything, and we’re all going to just AI ourselves into oblivion and be thrilled about it — a theory I increasingly think is both wrong and horrifying.And then this week I read a blog post from the great Dan Sinker, who called this moment “the Who Cares Era, where completely disposable things are shoddily produced for people to mostly ignore.” You should read the whole thing, but here’s a bit I really loved:“Using extraordinary amounts of resources, it has the ability to create something good enough, a squint-and-it-looks-right simulacrum of normality. If you don’t care, it’s miraculous. If you do, the illusion falls apart pretty quickly. The fact that the userbase for AI chatbots has exploded exponentially demonstrates that good enough is, in fact, good enough for most people. Because most people don’t care.”I don’t think this describes everything and everyone, and neither does Sinker, but I do think it’s more true than it should be. And I increasingly think our job, maybe our method of rebellion, is to be people who care, who have taste, who like and share and look for good things, who read and watch and look at those things on purpose instead of just staring slackjawed at whatever slop is placed between the ads they hope we won’t really notice. I think there are a lot of fascinating ways that AI can be useful, but we can’t let it train us to accept slop just because it’s there. Sorry, this got more existential than I anticipated. But I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I’m going to try and point Installer even more at the stuff that matters, made by people who care. I hope you’ll hold me to that.See you next week!See More:

After a universe-shaking season 4 finale on The Boys, it’s once again time for the kids of Godolkin University to step up to the plate. While Gen V’s second season won’t premiere until September, Amazon took to CCXP Mexico to give fans a look at the new season — and a little of how The Boys season 4 impacted the college-set spinoff. Here’s the official synopsis: As the rest of America adjusts to Homelander’s iron fist, back at Godolkin University, the mysterious new Dean preaches a curriculum that promises to make students more powerful than ever. Cate and Sam are celebrated heroes, while Marie, Jordan, and Emma reluctantly return to college, burdened by months of trauma and loss. But parties and classes are hard to care about with war brewing between Humans and Supes, both on and off campus. The gang learns of a secret program that goes back to the founding of Godolkin University that may have larger implications than they realize. And, somehow, Marie is a part of it. Most of the cast is back for season 2, including Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, Lizze Broadway as Emma, Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap, London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li, Asa Germann as Sam Riordan, and Sean Patrick Thomas as Polarity. Tragically, Gen V season 1 star Chance Perdomo, who played the Magneto-like Andre, died in 2023 on his way to Toronto to film season 2. The production team had previously announced that they would not recast Perdomo’s role for season 2, and it seems the writers have incorporated his departure into Polarity’s arc. New to season 2: Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass) as Dean Ciphe, a new villain who looks… absolutely punchable. Gen V season 2 will kick off with a three-episode premiere on Sep. 17.

Looking up guides for video games might account for a higher proportion of my Google searches than any other individual activity. Just the sheer number of different quests, mechanics, stats, and even romance guides any given game can involve is staggering. That's why I've come to appreciate collectibles maps even more lately. These interactive tools let you find, filter, and track all the little doodads in your games, organized by the layout of the game's map.There's a good chance you've stumbled onto some collectible tracking sites just by searching for something like "where the heck is that last manuscript page in Alan Wake II?" Sometimes, guides with more traditional lists and screenshots will link to an interactive map where you can get a top-down view of everything you're looking for.While these tools are often described as tracking "collectibles," in reality they're often databases for the location of almost everything in a game. Whether it's the location of certain characters, quest markers, shopkeeper locations, and upgrades, these maps will often point you to everything you need to find.For the biggest game library: IGN's interactive mapsIf you've come across any collectible trackers, it's probably one of IGN's. You've probably come across a walkthrough of a particular level in a game from IGN via Google. What you might not have noticed is that, along the top of those pages, are links to interactive tools that show a lot of the same information overlaid on the game world's map. You can click on points of interest and even check off which ones you've collected. That same info even syncs to the text-based guides. (Disclaimer: Ziff Davis, Lifehacker's parent company, also owns IGN.)Of all the collectible tracker sites I've seen, IGN has the most games available, with over 200 titles. It even includes some recent releases like Doom: The Dark Ages with most or all of the info available on release date. This will vary based on a game's popularity, release date, and how complex tracking its quests and data can be, but if you're looking for a tracker for a particular game, IGN is your best bet.The downside is that while browsing IGN's maps is free, you can only check off 50 items without a subscription to IGN Plus. In exchange for $30/year (or $5/month), you'll unlock the ability to check off as many items as you want, add your own custom notes to maps, and the removal of ads. If you play a lot of sandbox games—and you don't want to roll your own game-tracking spreadsheets—it might be a worthwhile trade-off.For a much cheaper subscription: Map GenieA very similar service to IGN's interactive maps, Map Genie has almost as many games as IGN, with similar limitations, but a much cheaper subscription. Like IGN, Map Genie limits you to 50 items you can check off for free, but you can get unlimited access (and no ads) for only $10/year.Here's a plot twist for you, though: Map Genie is also owned by IGN. So why bother with IGN at all if Map Genie exists? Well, while Map Genie has most of the same game maps as IGN, there are several games IGN has that Map Genie doesn't. Games like Bioshock and Cyberpunk 2077 appear in IGN's library but not Map Genie.On the other hand, a Map Genie subscription also includes access to in-progress game maps. At the time of writing, that includes games like Hollow Knight, Control, and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. In general, Map Genie is the better deal anyway, but the specific game you want to track might impact which service is better for you.For free tracking (on fewer games): GameTrekGameTrek has a much smaller library (with only 18 games so far at time of writing), but it has one big advantage: it's free. At least for now, you can track every collectible, write your own notes, and filter every category of item on the map without paying a cent. You will need to create an account to track anything, but there's no payment required.The small library is also growing at a healthy (if not frenzied) clip. Within the last couple of months, the site has added guides for recent releases like Doom: The Dark Ages and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as well as older-but-popular games like The Last of Us Part II. There are a lot of gaps in GameTrek's library right now, but it's hard to beat free.Another free option: Enthusiast sites (like Zelda Dungeon)Interactive collectible trackers take a lot of work and often don't turn a profit. If you saw a $30 or even $10 per year price tag above and (perhaps understandably) scoffed, you can see why. Fortunately, there's no shortage of excited nerds online who love obsessing over their games. Depending on the franchise, you can sometimes find whole sites dedicated to maps and trackers for just one series.Zelda Dungeon is the perfect example here. While it has guides for every Legend of Zelda game under the sun (or moon, as the case may be), it also has interactive maps for several games. This includes Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and even the recent Echoes of Wisdom.Not only do these include tracking for everything from Lightroots to Korok seeds (all 1,000 of them), but you can even mark them complete for free without an account. You'll need to create an account and log in to save your progress across devices, but it's the most generous of all the collectibles trackers I've seen. Your mileage may vary depending on which franchise you're looking for (or how old the game you're playing is), but there's always someone out there documenting their favorite games. If you find a good forum, subreddit, or fan-site dedicated to your beloved franchise, it's worth seeing if they already have an interactive map you can use.

Start SlideshowStart SlideshowImage: Nintendo / Kotaku / Jake Randall / Burndumb, Nintendo / Kotaku, Fox / Disney / Kotaku, Sandfall Interactive, Nintendo / Kotaku, Arrowhead Game Studios / Kotaku, Screenshot: Подкаст «Пóпы и культура» / YouTube / Switch 2, a2dubai / YouTube / KotakuFrom mergers to memes, the landscape of interactive entertainment is always in motion. Here’s your cheat sheet for the week’s most important stories in gaming.Previous SlideNext SlideList slidesTarget Leaves Dozens Of Switch 2 Consoles Locked In A Cage On The Store FloorNintendo’s next big console, the Switch 2, is set to arrive on store shelves in just 10 days. So it’s not surprising to see photos showing dozens of Switch 2 consoles sitting in store warehouses and back areas. However, I wasn’t expecting a bunch of Switch 2 consoles to be sitting in a metal cage in the middle of a Target already. - Zack Zwiezen Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesSwitch 2 Leaker Explains How He Got The Console Early And Why He's Not Afraid Of NintendoImage: Nintendo / KotakuIt was the middle of the night when Fedor Volkov found himself anxiously waiting on the streets of Moscow for a ride back home. In his arms he held a Switch 2 box and nestled within was the console fans had been waiting years to get their hands on, but which still didn’t officially go on sale for more than a week. He was too nervous and excited to remember to bring something to hide it in. - Ethan Gach Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesSomeone Take Away Randy Pitchford's PhoneImage: Fox / Disney / KotakuSometimes you just gotta walk away. And this might be one of those times. Earlier this month, Gearbox co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford replied to someone on social media about the studio’s next game, Borderlands 4, possibly receiving an $80 price tag. He said it wasn’t his call and then infamously added, “If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.” This didn’t go over well with people online. A few days later, on May 22, he said he didn’t intend to sound like an asshole. - Zack Zwiezen Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesSwitch 2 Startup And Menu Settings Appear Online As Early Player Shows Off Console In 'Code Red' Leak For NintendoScreenshot: Подкаст «Пóпы и культура» / YouTube / Switch 2The Switch 2 is just days away from its official June 5 launch, but already footage is beginning to spread online of people going hands-on with Nintendo’s next console. One fan based in Russia recently uploaded a nearly 10-minute video that includes the Switch 2's startup sequence and a tour through its menu settings. “Respects to this man for sacrificing his life to unbox the console a week before launch,” reads the top comment on YouTube. - Ethan Gach Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesClair Obscur: Expedition 33 Publisher Says Fans Would Never Guess The Hit RPG's Budget: 'I'm Sure Mirror's Edge And Vanquish Cost More'Image: Sandfall InteractiveClair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the top-rated games of the year and has sold over 3.3 million copies. And it did it all with a very small budget, according to publisher Kelpler Interactive. How small? Portfolio director Matthew Handrahan isn’t saying, but he thinks everyone’s guesses are probably wrong. - Ethan Gach Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesOnly One First-Party Nintendo Game Won't Work On Switch 2Image: Nintendo / KotakuThe Nintendo Switch 2 will be able to play most original Switch games without any issues when it launches on June 5. According to an update from Nintendo, most big games and all first-party titles (with one tiny exception) will work on Switch 2, though you might need an update or an old Joy-Con. - Zack Zwiezen Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesHelldivers 2 Players Are Pulling Off Incredible Feats In A Last-Ditch Effort To Save Super EarthImage: Arrowhead Game Studios / KotakuHelldivers 2's Galactic War has come to Super Earth and it’s going very, very badly. Players have lost every major city on the planet save for two, but are making a triumphant last stand against the Illuminate as fans from across the real world band together to hold the line. - Ethan Gach Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesSomeone's Unboxing A Switch 2 But Claims It Needs A Day-One Patch To WorkScreenshot: a2dubai / YouTube / KotakuSwitch 2 hardware appears to be officially out in the wild, but it doesn’t sound like anyone will be able to play the console early. A day-one patch is needed for it to fully work, according to someone who uploaded a brief unboxing video of the new Nintendo console to YouTube. - Ethan Gach Read MorePrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesGameStop Doubles Down On Crypto With Massive Bitcoin Purchase As Stores CloseGameStop Doubles Down On Crypto With Massive Bitcoin Purchase As Stores Close Share SubtitlesOffEnglishThe company continues its pivot away from selling games and toward doing anything else to stay afloatPrevious SlideNext SlideList slidesPlayStation’s Days of Play Brings Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, NBA 2K25 & More To PS PlusPlayStation’s Days of Play Brings Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, NBA 2K25 & More To PS Plus Share SubtitlesOffEnglishBomb Rush Cyberfunk is hitting PS Plus alongside NBA 2K25 and a Destiny 2 takeover in June

Start SlideshowStart SlideshowImage: FromSoftware / CD Projekt Red / Bethesda / KotakuWith this weekend comes the close of another month in 2025. We’ve had a few ups and downs this past week. For us fans of CD Projekt Red’s adaptation of Cyberpunk, we just got a little bit closer to its sequel. That’s exciting! But, if you were eagerly anticipating the Black Panther video game, sadly that project’s been killed and the studio has been closed. Awful stuff. But on a more positive note, there’s a new console out next week! The Switch 2 arrives on June 5, but we’ve already seen consoles hanging out in Target aisles while unboxing videos have sprung up on the internet. We even had a chat with someone who got his hands on a unit already. Until the Switch 2 arrives, however, all of us are stuck with our old consoles and PCs. Luckily, those still work, so we’ll be playing some games this weekend. If you’re looking for a few recommendations to fill up your next couple of days, why don’t you have a look?Previous SlideNext Slide2 / 8List slidesCyberpunk 2077List slidesCyberpunk 2077Image: CD Projekt RedPlay it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”) and soon, Switch 2Current goal: See if Night City can seduce meGenerally, here in the Weekend Guide, we write about games we already know that we like, that we’re looking forward to spending more time with, and that we can enthusiastically recommend. But this weekend, what I’ll be doing is enthusiastically revisiting, with fresh eyes, a game I didn’t care for much the first time I finished it: Cyberpunk 2077. That experience was back around launch, and though I’ve returned to CDPR’s much-revised open-world role-playing game a few times in the years since then to replay its excellent first few hours, and I even visited the new district of Dogtown when the Phantom Liberty expansion arrived, I have not actually given the full game another proper chance. What’s compelling me to do this now, of all times? Well, the fact that it’s landing on Switch 2 next week alongside the console itself, in a version that looks mighty impressive for running on handheld hardware. There’s little doubt that Mario Kart World will absorb the bulk of my time on the new device in those first few weeks after launch, but I also have an itch to pick up another impressive game or two. And I do greatly appreciate that Cyberpunk 2077’s physical release will be an actual cart with the game on it, none of this “Game-Key Card” nonsense. But before I shell out another $70 for a game I already own elsewhere just so I have something else to play on my shiny new console, I want to be sure I actually feel Night City calling to me. There was some mystery and poetry to be found on its streets at launch, but also a lot I didn’t care for, and I don’t just mean glitches and other technical issues. Still, I’m open to being seduced by the game after all these years, and I think revisiting a game years later can often be an immensely fascinating and rewarding experience. So if you’re looking for me this weekend, look no further than The Afterlife. — Carolyn Petit Previous SlideNext Slide3 / 8List slidesElden Ring NightreignList slidesElden Ring NightreignImage: FromSoftwarePlay it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: Playable)Current goal: Defeat the Gaping JawI’m prepping for a gaming all-nighter with the boys tonight. I somehow convinced my Rocket League crew to go all-in on Elden Ring Nightreign, and after trying to insulate them as much as possible from all of the current criticisms swirling around about FromSoftware’s messy new multiplayer experiment, they have it installed and ready to go. It’s the first time in years we’ve managed to get everyone together for a new multiplayer launch. Even though I’ve been playing the game for review prior to release I’m excited to finally experience the magic of navigating its battle-royale-infused Elden Ring horrors with the proper level of laughter, anguish, and friendly negging. Despite its flaws, I feel an incredible rush every time I drop into a new Nightreign run, and the boss fights have the aura at times of mini-raids. I can’t wait to play it all weekend. I will not let my crew abandon Limveld before our work is done. — Ethan GachPrevious SlideNext Slide4 / 8List slidesBalatroList slidesBalatroImage: LocalThunkPlay it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”), MobileCurrent goal: Break 1 billion in a single handI’ve fallen back into Balatro hard. Almost every night this week I’ve snuck in a run or two before bed. Encouraged by the card-playing prowess of PS5 architect Mark Cerny I’ve decided to try to go for the platinum trophy now that it’s free with PS Plus. Progress has been decent so far. I’ve been able to complete most decks in a single run, though Ante 12 when things quickly scale into the hundreds of millions continues to elude me. Things were going decent the other night when I got a deck full of Kings, a Barron Joker that gives 1.5X for each one held, and the Blueprint Joker that mimics that effect a second time. Unfortunately, some critical miss plays left me unable to break 500,000,000 for the small blind. But the constant churn of new unlocks and achievements has me, for now at least, feeling buoyed by my obsession. — Ethan GachPrevious SlideNext Slide5 / 8List slidesProject Warlock IIList slidesProject Warlock IIImage: Buckshot SoftwarePlay it on: Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Playable”)Current goal: Complete more levels and get more powerfulProject Warlock II is a boomer shooter that recently left early access. It is also a retro-inspired FPS that feels like it’s always terrified that you might get bored and stop playing. So the fast-paced shooter is filled with weapons to find, achievements to earn, collectibles, big fights, power-ups, stats to boost, perks to unlock, challenges to complete, things to upgrade, and much more. And I’m here for it. The combat in Warlock is punchy and satisfying, while moving around levels feels smooth and buttery. There’s something really wonderful about killing a giant horde of imps and skeletons using two super shotguns. Or mowing down a giant pig demon with a machine gun. I’m not sure Project Warlock II is going to land on my game of the year list, but I’m diggin’ it. – Zack Zwiezen Previous SlideNext Slide6 / 8List slidesBorderlands 3List slidesBorderlands 3Image: Gearbox SoftwarePlay it on: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: Playable)Current goal: Replay the campaign ahead of Borderlands 4Yeah, yeah, I know some people don’t like Borderlands 3 as much as 2, but I’m not one of those people. I agree that 2’s Handsome Jack is a much better villain, but I prefer basically everything else in Borderlands 3 over the earlier sequel. Combat is better, moving around the world feels nicer, and the larger levels and various planets provide perfect places to explore and loot. My wife and I have jumped back in and are running through the game with new characters ahead of Borderlands 4’s arrival. I’m curious to see how many of the jokes land, and I will be very curious to see how the upcoming sequel compares. If we finish this entry with enough time, we might go back and play Pre-Sequel, which is one of my favorite games in the series. — Zack Zwiezen Previous SlideNext Slide7 / 8List slidesThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion RemasteredList slidesThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion RemasteredDid you know the horses smile??Screenshot: Bethesda / Claire Jackson / KotakuPlay it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)Current goal: Avoid violenceYou know, the problem I have with Bethesda games is that I usually take the premise of “play however you want” a bit further than the games are actually designed to support. Such was the case when I tried to resist violence in Starfield. While I enjoy rolling the dice on these games by developing a unique character concept and trying to see just where adhering to it will take me, the games are typically designed in favor of violent playthroughs, which means my less violently inclined characters have a really rough time. It’s a shame when an open-world game promises so much, but then it turns out I can’t just chill there and experience things other than swinging swords and using explosive spells.Apparently not having learned my lesson, I’m gonna try for yet another low-combat Bethesda run, this time in Oblivion, knowing full well that violence will show up whether I want it to or not. Maybe it’ll work in a narratively satisfying way for me this time around. Whether I’ll pivot my existing Oblivion character to this or just make a new one, I’m not sure, but the plan is to roleplay as either an alchemist or some kind of really obsessed botanist. I just wanna stroll through these fantasy landscapes, collecting herbs that I’ll use to brew potions and sometimes even sell back at market. But I’m sure there’ll be some damn dog, or fish, or demon from hell that’ll show up to wreck my day. Maybe I’ll have enough potions to make it through the forests alive. In any case, as frustrating as it can be, that challenge of trying to resist what a game wants me to do often makes it worth playing all on its own. — Claire JacksonAnd that wraps our picks. Happy gaming!

Enders Analysis Amazon Fire Sticks enable “billions of dollars” worth of streaming piracy Research firm blames outdated DRM tech, Facebook ads, Amazon hardware, and more. Scharon Harding – May 30, 2025 5:18 pm | 114 An Amazon Fire Stick and remote. Credit: Amazon An Amazon Fire Stick and remote. Credit: Amazon Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Amazon Fire Sticks are enabling “billions of dollars” worth of streaming piracy, according to a report today from Enders Analysis, a media, entertainment, and telecommunications research firm. Technologies from other media conglomerates, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, are also enabling what the report’s authors deem an “industrial scale of theft." The report, "Video piracy: Big tech is clearly unwilling to address the problem," focuses on the European market but highlights the global growth of piracy of streaming services as they increasingly acquire rights to live programs, like sporting events. Per the BBC, the report points to the availability of multiple, simultaneous illegal streams for big events that draw tens of thousands of pirate viewers. Enders' report places some blame on Facebook for showing advertisements for access to illegal streams, as well as Google and Microsoft for the alleged “continued depreciation” of their digital rights management (DRM) systems, Widevine and PlayReady, respectively. Ars Technica reached out to Facebook, Google, and Microsoft for comment but didn’t receive a response before publication. The report echoes complaints shared throughout the industry, including by the world’s largest European soccer streamer, DAZN. Streaming piracy is “almost a crisis for the sports rights industry,” DAZN’s head of global rights, Tom Burrows, said at The Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit in February. At the same event, Nick Herm, COO of Comcast-owned European telecommunication firm Sky Group, estimated that piracy was costing his company “hundreds of millions of dollars” in revenue. At the time, Enders co-founder Claire Enders said that the pirating of sporting events accounts for “about 50 percent of most markets.” Jailbroken Fire Sticks Friday's Enders report named Fire Sticks as a significant contributor to streaming piracy, calling the hardware a “piracy enabler.” Enders’ report pointed to security risks that pirate viewers face, including providing credit card information and email addresses to unknown entities, which can make people vulnerable to phishing and malware. However, reports of phishing and malware stemming from streaming piracy, which occurs through various methods besides a Fire TV Stick, seem to be rather limited. Still, at the February Financial Times event, Herm said that Fire Sticks account “for about half of the piracy in the UK.” “People think that because it’s a legitimate brand, it must be OK. So they give their credit card details to criminal gangs. Amazon is not engaging with us as much as we’d like," he said. In the UK, there has been a push to crack down on illegal usage of Fire Sticks. For example, in November 2024, a man received a three-year, four-month sentence for hacking Fire Sticks. In June 2024, another man got a two-year suspended sentence after a police raid found jailbroken Fire Sticks in his home. In the US, however, there aren’t nearly as many publicized efforts to combat illegal streaming on Amazon devices. While Enders’ report accuses Amazon of contributing to the piracy problem, as the owner of its own streaming service, Prime Video, Amazon has an incentive to fight piracy. Amazon’s streaming business includes selling streaming hardware, but the business is more centered on getting people to sign up for Amazon services (like Prime Video), data collection, and ad sales. When reached for comment, an Amazon spokesperson told Ars Technica: Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights and compromises the security and privacy of our customers. We work with industry partners and relevant authorities to combat piracy and protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content. Our Appstore prohibits apps that infringe upon the rights of third parties, and we warn customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources. Amazon’s representative also told Ars that Amazon works with industry partners to break up piracy networks and has assisted law enforcement efforts, including the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit in London and UK IP Crime Group. DRM limitations Enders’ report also blamed poorly updated DRM systems, especially from Google and Microsoft, for contributing to streaming piracy. Google’s Widevine and Microsoft’s PlayReady "are now compromised across various security levels,” the report said, pointing to a lack of upkeep. Microsoft issued its most recent big update to PlayReady, version 4.6, in December 2022. The report authors wrote: Over twenty years since launch, the DRM solutions provided by Google and Microsoft are in steep decline. A complete overhaul of the technology architecture, licensing, and support model is needed. Lack of engagement with content owners indicates this a low priority. Outside of Enders' report, Google was criticized by the Italian government earlier this year for allegedly failing to block pirate websites identified by Italy’s communication regulator, AGCOM. In March, the Court of Milan ordered Google to poison its public DNS servers with the goal of blocking illegal soccer streams. And beyond the aforementioned tech giants, earlier this month, France ordered five VPN providers (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, and CyberGhost) to block illegal sports streaming sites. Unsurprisingly, the move has been slammed by VPN providers as setting “a dangerous precedent," per i2Coalition, an Internet infrastructure trade association that manages the international VPN Trust Initiative consortium of VPN providers. A growing problem As the Internet solidifies its position as the primary method for watching shows, movies, and, increasingly, live events, it presents new challenges to content distributors and owners seeking to curb online piracy. In the case of sports, especially, the distribution of sports rights across various linear networks and streaming services often means signing up for multiple services in order to watch a single team’s season. For some fans—including NFL players themselves—that's financially and/or logistically impractical. Simultaneously, anti-piracy advocates argue that piracy could lead to higher subscription fees for streaming services. As legislation and rights holders become more stringent about piracy, we can expect more effort from tech providers and law enforcement to block piracy, while hackers also seek new ways to enable illegal streams. Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter Scharon Harding Senior Technology Reporter Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She's been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Tom’s Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK. 114 Comments

Last week, we asked you to highlight expressive faces from the games you love using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: ​​ MrioMoreno5 shares Ellie’s face lighting up in The Last of Us Part II. Couch_Gamer2k23 shares Maelle looking apprehensive in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 EmperorHal shares Deacon grimacing while holding a weapon in Days Gone Remastered xirantics shares Cait Sith with a cheeky grin in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. ​​ player1pov shares Raven looking fierce in Stellar Blade RhodWulfLeon shares Aloy looking wistful in the grass of Horizon Forbidden West Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: MonochromaticSUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on June 4, 2025  Next week, we’re all about color. Share monochromatic moments from the game of your choice highlighting one color using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.