- How WarioWare Could Work on Switch Nintendo Life
- Forget about PS5 restocks — why I’m waiting for Nintendo Switch Pro Tom’s Guide
- What we actually want in a Nintendo Switch Pro The Verge
- Rumour: Nintendo Switch Pro “Will Have Exclusives”, Says Insider Nintendo Life
- How Nintendo and Nvidia could bring 4K to the Super Nintendo Switch VentureBeat
- View Full Coverage on Google News
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Japan’s 35 Best-Selling Switch Games In The First Four Years, According To Famitsu
The Nintendo Switch reached its fourth anniversary earlier this week. As of 31st December 2020, the hybrid system has shifted 79.87 million units worldwide and software sales are now at 532.34 million units.
Although Nintendo has already released its top ten software sales data for the financial year 2020/21, the famous Japanese publication Famitsu has now broken down data further in its latest issue – sharing the best-selling Switch games over the first four years of the system’s life in Japan.
It’s not all that much different to global sales, with many of the same games featured within the top 10.
Unsurprisingly, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is out in front with over six million sales. Notable mentions go to Momotaro Dentetsu and Minecraft breaking into the top ten. Breath of the Wild interestingly comes in at number twelve and further down the list there are games like the Japan-only Yo-kai Watch 4.
1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 6,625,026
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 4,145,903
3. Pokemon Sword/Shield – 3,955,554
4. Splatoon 2 – 3,771,338
5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 3,656,140
6. Ring Fit Adventure – 2,346,098
7. Super Mario Odyssey – 2,208,475
8. Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban! – 1,846,039
9. Super Mario Party – 1,818,405
10. Minecraft – 1,806,925
11. Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu / Eevee – 1,772,856
12. Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 1,771,235
13. Super Mario Maker 2 – 1,065,261
14. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 1,031,494
15. Kirby Star Allies – 878,800
16. Luigi’s Mansion 3 – 745,825
17. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics – 630,909
18. Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! – 572,215
19. Fishing Spirits Nintendo Switch Version – 566,909
20. Dragon Quest XI S – 560,075
21. Super Mario 3D All-Stars – 555,345
22. Pikmin 3 Deluxe – 536,209
23. 1-2 Switch – 483,430
24. Mario Tennis Aces – 479,866
25. ARMS – 461,056
26. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – 376,481
27. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training for Nintendo Switch – 363,759
28. Pokken Tournament DX – 344,201
29. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – 341,519
30. Fire Emblem: Three Houses – 323,562
31. Dragon Quest Builders 2 – 308,893
32. Paper Mario: The Origami King – 305,603
33. Yo-kai Watch 4 – 303,978
34. Zelda: Link’s Awakening – 300,027
35. eBaseball Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2020 – 284,876
Are you surprised by any of the games on this list? How many of these Switch games do you own? Leave a comment below.
Google Messages just gave us the Android texting feature we’ve wanted forever
Have you ever forgotten to send a happy birthday text message to a friend? Or had an idea in the middle of the night that you desperately wanted to share with co-workers but didn’t want to risk waking them if their ringer was on? The next time that happens, use Google Messages‘ new scheduling tool to pick the exact time and date you want to send a message.
The text message scheduler is one of several new Google updates to its Android apps. Google recently announced updates to several of its Android apps, including Google Maps, Google Assistant and TalkBack.
Before you can schedule a message, you’ll need to have the latest version of Google Messages installed on your phone. Note that this feature will not work with your phone’s default text message app, only Google Messages. If you don’t know how to change your default messaging app, don’t worry — the first time you open Google Messages you’ll be asked if you want to make the switch. The easiest way make sure you’ve got the latest version of Messages is to open the Play Store app go to My Apps and check for updates. (I have the new feature with Messages version 7.4.050.)
Below I’ll show you how to schedule a text message, including picking a custom send time and how to edit the message if you want to change anything.
How to schedule a text with the Google Messages app
The first time you launch the Google Messages app and open a conversation after updating to the latest version, you’ll see a small pop-up window appear over the Send button letting you know you can schedule messages. This is similar to what you see with scheduling an email in Gmail.
To schedule a text, start typing your message then long-press the Send button. I recommend picking the scheduled time before you fully compose your message, so you don’t write out the message and accidentally send it.
After you long-press on Send, you’ll see a pop-up with preselected dates and times. You can go with one of those suggestions, or tap Pick date and time. That will open Android’s date and time picker that lets you customize when the message will be sent, to the minute. (Handy if you want to wish someone happy birthday at the exact minute they were born.)
Once you’re done setting the time, tap Save.
You can then finish writing out your message. You’re not limited to scheduling only text messages, but you can also add pictures and videos. When you’re done, tap the Send button, which should now have a small clock icon on top of the paper airplane.
How to view, edit or delete a scheduled text message
A scheduled message will appear in your conversation thread, however, it will have a clock next to it and a note that says Scheduled message underneath it. You can hide the message with a tap on Scheduled message if you prefer.
To edit the message or the scheduled delivery time, tap the clock icon. A menu with three options will show up. Those options are update message, send now or delete message.
Update message will let you edit the text or pick a different time. Send now will immediately send the message. Delete message will discard the text.
Being able to schedule a message is a feature that’s sure to be useful, especially if you often remember to send a message at an inconvenient time and then end up forgetting.
Google Messages is a powerful text messaging app that has more tricks up its sleeve, like Google’s Chat feature that adds iMessage-like features to Android. Android 12 was also recently announced, and there’s a lot to look forward to when it launches later this year. Or, if you’re brave enough, you can install it now.
Batman PS5 and Xbox Series X Skins Will Soon Be Available
While the PS5 and Xbox Series X are hard to buy at the moment thanks to an insufficient amount of supply, millions have been able to secure an order of one or both of the consoles. How many of these millions are Batman fans, is anyone’s best guess, but if you do meet these qualifications then you’ll be happy to know a Batman skin for both the Xbox Series X and PS5 is currently in production.
Unfortunately, it’s not an official product from Sony, Microsoft, or Warner Bros., but it does come the way of popular artist POPE, who relayed word that a skin design of theirs that went viral a few months ago for transforming the PS5 and Xbox Series X into a work of Batman art is now in production and will soon be available.
Right now, this is all POPE has revealed, which means not only is there no word of when the skins will release or be available to order, but it’s unclear how much they will cost. All the artist notes is that those interested should “look out for them soon.”
So the skins are sent for production 👍🏻 look out for them soon pic.twitter.com/uezkwnviHv
— POPE (@POPeART_) March 4, 2021
What’s also unclear if there are any plans to expand the console options to Xbox Series S, PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, and Xbox One. That said, if this information is provided, or if any more information on the product, in general, is provided, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. In the meantime, for all of the latest news, rumors, leaks, speculation, deals, reviews, interviews, previews, and guides for all things PS5 and Xbox Series X, be sure to check out all of our past and most recent gaming coverage by clicking right here or, alternatively, peep some of the relevant links below:
PS5 restock update today: Check inventory on Twitter, Best Buy, Target and more
Finding PS5 restock remains an arduous task. Although there were a healthy amount of PS5 restock events last week, both the standard PS5 and the PS5 Digital Edition sell out in minutes whenever PS5 inventory is replenished.
So we’re here to help you find where to buy a PS5, including how to track PS5 restocks on Twitter. Make sure to bookmark this page and check back often for the latest updates on all things PS5 as we track PS5 restocks in real time.
Where to buy PS5: Check PS5 restock right now
As of March 6 at 7 p.m. ET, there is no PS5 restock available at any major retailer. Best Buy had stock on Friday, but has sold out.
Fortunately, a regular PS5 stock tipster claims that millions more consoles will arrive each month through April. It’s our hope that these new PS5 restocks will help gamers avoid overpriced PS5 consoles from third parties. In the meantime, you can use the links below to check where to buy the PS5.
PS5 restocks: Track on Twitter
One of the best ways to find out when PS5 restock hits online retailers is by following the Sony Twitter account. We also recommend following Twitter accounts such as @PS5StockAlerts, @GYXdeals, @PS5Drop and @Wario64, which are often first to have the latest updates on availability.
Keep in mind that PS5 restock availability can also be regional and limited to select stores. Either way, make sure to keep this page bookmarked and to check the retailer listings regularly.
PS5 at Walmart
PS5: $499 at Walmart
Check stock Walmart has started selling the PS5, complete with protection plans that start at $58 for 3 years of service. Currently it’s unavailable. You can also sign up for alerts when it’s back in stock.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at Walmart
Check stock Walmart also offers the PS5 Digital Edition with Walmart protection plans that start at $38 for 3 years. Unfortunately it’s also currently unavailable.View Deal
PS5 at Amazon
PS5: $499 at Amazon
Out of stock Amazon has started selling the base PS5, but stock has sold out at the time of writing.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at Amazon
Out of stock Amazon also sells the PS5 Digital Edition, but it has also sold out of this PS5 version. View Deal
PS5 at Best Buy
PS5: $499 at Best Buy
Best Buy has started selling the PS5, complete with optional 2-year accident protection and several cardmember financing options. When we last checked however, there weren’t any consoles available.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at Best Buy
Best Buy also has the PS5 Digital Edition, but it’s also proving hard to find in stock.View Deal
PS5 at GameStop
PS5: $499 at GameStop
GameStop is offering the PS5, complete with product replacement options and payment plan options that start at $124.99. However, the product is currently listed as out of stock.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at GameStop
GameStop also has the PS5 Digital Edition, but we didn’t see any available stock when we last checked.View Deal
PS5 at Target
PS5: $499 at Target
Target is selling the PS5, but like other retailers, stock has been going fast. The retailer also offers a 2 year protection plan starting at $63. Reportedly, Target will make some PS5s available on Dec. 27.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at Target
Target has started offering the PS5 Digital Edition but it’s been quickly going out of stock. Protection plans start at $47 for the discless console.
View Deal
PS5 at B&H
PS5: $499 at B&H
The standard PS5 is being sold at B&H Photo with a free expedited shipping option. There’s no stock right now, but you can sign up for notifications.View Deal
PS5 Digital Edition: $399 at B&H
The PS5 Digital Edition is also currently unavailable, but B&H is offering free expedited shipping and will notify you when it has more stock via email if you wish.
View Deal
PS5 at Sony Direct
PS5: $499 at Sony Direct
The Sony Direct Store is expected to have PS5 restock soon. You’ll need to form an online queue for your chance to get the console for $499.View Deal
PS5 Digital: $399 @ Sony Direct
The Sony Direct Store is expected to have PS5 restock soon. You’ll need to form an online queue for your chance to get the console for $399.View Deal
How to buy PS5: Essential tips
Get prepared: Make sure you have all the right payment card details and two-factor authentication available and to hand when you find a PS5 ready to buy. Units can go so fast that if you’re fiddling around trying to find your credit card you could miss your chance to secure a PS5 order.
Select a retailer: As you can see from our list above, there are plenty of retailers to choose from, which can actually make the whole process of buying a PS5 a bit complicated. We suggest you select a couple of major retailers like Walmart and Amazon, and keep an eye on their PS5 landing pages.
Sign up to stock alerts: Plenty of retailers offer to alert you to when they have PS5 stock in. We suggest you sign up to those services for the retailers that are offering them.
Find the right product page: It might sound obvious, but make sure you’re on the actual buying page for the PS5 or the PS5 Digital Edition. If you’re on a landing page, you might end up missing the moment new stock arrives.
Sign in to retailers: Make sure you sign in to any retailers you might already have an account with. This will make things a lot faster when buying a PS5 if you spot one on sale. And speed is of the essence today.
Keep refreshing and don’t give up: It can be a little demoralizing trying to find PS5 restock when everywhere looks sold out. But regularly refresh product pages to see what pops up; you might get lucky. And also keep checking back here for any PS5 stock updates.
You can also make it a habit of checking Slickdeals, the online collection of deals that run the gamut from household appliances to gaming consoles like the PS5. The website has a few specific forum threads for everything PS5 that users continue to update. If you follow the thread, head to the last page and keep refreshing to keep up with all the latest news.
It’s also a good idea to check a few of the subscription-based wholesaler retailers like Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Costco. You do need a paid membership to shop at these retailers, but that means reduced competition to snag a unit there. You may need to pay extra for a bundle, but it’s worth checking out these locations either way. Currently, there are no online listings for these retailers to check, but it may be worth heading to each brick-and-mortar store to try your luck at this point.
It’s been a fairly difficult process during this console generation to lock in any sort of next-gen purchase. But as we near the holidays, it’s highly likely there will be additional PS5s available for purchase at some point as Sony catches up with those looking to buy PS5s.
PS5 restocks: Accounts to follow
Where to buy PS5: Avoid the PS5 scalpers
Unfortunately, one of the main reasons for the shortage of PS5 consoles is due to scalpers. These opportunistic people have been using bots to scan retailers for PS5 stock when it becomes available and buy as many of the consoles as they can in one go.
Once they have the highly-desirable console, they will then sell them for extortionate prices, often for thousands of dollars. Business Insider reported one reseller managed to get hold of 200 PS5 consoles and managed to sell them for more than $40,000.
While this isn’t illegal, it’s not exactly the most morally sound thing to do. But at least it’s not as bad as some people who’ve been pretending to sell PS5 consoles on eBay by simply posting photos of the console and scamming people to bid for them when there was no PS5 on offer.
It might seem absurd to buy a PS5 for over $1,000, especially as its launch game lineup isn’t particularly profound. But with the coronavirus pandemic seeing more people staying at home, some PlayStation fans are clearly desperate to get their hands on a new console to keep them entertained.
We advise you avoid buying from such resellers, fake or otherwise. At $499 the PS5 is still quite an expensive console and it currently doesn’t have a huge library of games. So if you can wait until later this year, you’re likely to have a lot more PS5 games to choose from and Sony should have more consoles available.
Sony Files Patent to Turn Household Items into PlayStation Controllers
The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently received an odd request from Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. that could take the PlayStation experience to another level.
Per Business Insider, Sony turned in a request to patent the ability to turn household items and food products into PlayStation controllers. The request was paired with an illustration of a banana being used to play the video game console.
“The system comprises an input unit operable to obtain images of a non-luminous passive object held by a user as a video game controller,” the patent reads. “E.g. a player may hold two bananas – one in each respective hand; or e.g two oranges – one in each respective hand.”
The new feature will be done through a camera that will map out virtual buttons on an object of the player’s choice. Per the patent, Sony believes that this is an inexpensive way to enhance the gaming experience. Also, it will help users take advantage of the console’s full capabilities like portions of its multiplayer mode.
At this point, it’s unclear if this concept will come to fruition. Although Sony went out of its way to patent the idea, this doesn’t mean that it will actually hit the market. A patent only protects the technology from being used by Sony’s competitors for now.
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It's Time To Say Goodbye To Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare – GameSpot
Rumour: Nintendo Switch Pro “Will Have Exclusives”, Says Insider
Bloomberg published a story earlier this week about Nintendo’s plans to release a new Switch model that would come equipped with a Samsung OLED display which will consume less battery, and offer higher contrast and possibly even a faster response time. It’s reportedly a 7-inch, 720p-resolution panel and will be able to support “4K ultra-high definition graphics” when paired with televisions.
ResetEra user and known industry insider NateDrake – who has been linked to various other Nintendo leaks in the past, has now expanded on this story, claiming the new Switch unit will host some “select exclusives”, especially from third-party partners.
“There will be some select exclusives, especially from third-party partners. May not be a big number of them, but I know of at least one.”
In a separate post, the same source said Nintendo’s plan was to position the device as a revision.
“Nintendo’s plans are to position it as a revision. A premium model, if you will.”
If this rumoured system does come with a bit of extra grunt, it would be no surprise to see third-party companies, in particular, wanting to port across more technically demanding titles that the current Switch would likely struggle with. In fact, there are even some games on the current models that could use with a much-needed performance boost.
As for Nintendo, if you reflect on the 3DS era, you’ll know it made a handful of titles exclusive to the New Nintendo 3DS. One of the first ones was Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, which no doubt provided some extra sales for the company. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if a Switch revision followed a similar pattern.
At the moment, Nintendo and Samsung representatives have declined to comment on these latest rumours, and Nintendo’s president last month went as far as saying the Japanese company had no plans to announce a new version of the Switch any time soon.
How would you feel about certain games being exclusive to the rumoured Switch Pro model? Share your thoughts down below.
Silent Hills PT vs Evil Inside Comparison – GameSpot
Blizzard’s Diablo II Remaster Will Support Your Old Save Files
Last month, Blizzard announced Diablo II: Resurrected. It’s a remaster of the base game and Lord of Destruction, and it’s coming to the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms this year. If you happen to be a returning player, you might be interested to know you’ll actually be able to use your saves from the original game on PC.
Speaking to IGN, game producer Matthew Cederquist explained how support for save files that were more than two decades old wasn’t originally planned. The team just tried it out and it happened to work.
“Back when we were working on [the remaster], we wondered if the old save files would work and we kind of shoved it in and it worked. And we were like, ‘okay, that’s the best feature ever’.”
While there was no mention if this feature will even work with the console versions of the game, the remaster supports cross-progression. So in theory, you should be able to load up your old PC save file in the computer version and then access it on the console platform of your choice.
Even if you don’t have your original saves, it technically means you could start levelling a character of your choice in the original PC version (which is available on Battle.Net), as the remaster is the same game featuring new audio and graphics, and a few other changes like improved UI, an expanded stash and revamped ladder seasons.
Do you still have access to your old save Diablo II files? Will you be reviving your old builds? Leave a comment down below.