Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Is Already On Sale (US)

“Save up to 40%” in this new eShop deal.

One common response to the arrival of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on the Switch was to wait until a sale. And now, just months after its release, this slick and stylish “must-play” has received a 40% price cut on the eShop in the US and Canada.

As highlighted by Nintendo of America, this reduces the digital price of the 2.5D platformer from $49.99 to just $29.99. You can also save some money on the digital deluxe edition (featuring some in-game content and more), which is now $35.99 instead of $59.99. This sale runs until 1st April. If we hear anything about a sale in other regions, we’ll let you know.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Random: Nintendo Has Supposedly Changed The Day Of Switch Game Releases

Thursday is the new Friday in the US.

When Nintendo confirmed the release dates of some upcoming Switch games recently, certain eagle-eyed fans noted how as of the next financial year, the company would seemingly be shifting release dates from Friday to Thursday in the US.

So far, this includes the launch dates for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (23 May 2024) and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (27 June 2024), and also Endless Ocean: Luminous (2 May 2024). Before now, games like Another Code: Recollection, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and this week’s upcoming release Princess Peach: Showtime! have all been scheduled for Friday.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Sydney Sweeney Reveals The Simpsons Game That She Loved Growing Up (and Who She Played as)

Not long ago, Madame Web and Anyone but You star Sydney Sweeney revealed in an IGN interview that, like many of us, she grew up playing a Simpsons video game – but she didn’t reveal which one it was.

Luckily, for the sake of journalism, we’ve followed up and found out that the Simpsons game in question was, in fact, The Simpsons: Road Rage.

It all started a few weeks ago, when Sweeney mentioned at a press junket for Madame Web that she grew up with a brother who plays video games all the time. When asked what her favorite game was, she said, “we would play The Simpsons game,” while miming a steering wheel. She also mentioned playing Super Mario Bros. games on her Nintendo DS when her co-star Isabela Merced brought it up.

@ign Sydney Sweeney & Isabela Merced loved Mario growing up! #videogames #sydneysweeney #isabelamerced #dina #thelastofus #madameweb #marvel #sony #spiderman #movie #film #movies #mario #nintendo #nintendods #ds #thesimpsons #roadrage #hitandrun #thesimpsonshitandrun #thesimpsonsroadrage #supermario #ign #interview #gaming #letsplay #gamingontiktok ♬ original sound – IGN

Fans were quick to speculate on just what the Simpsons game could be. As Gamespot noted, given that Sweeney’s 26 years old, pure timing would place 2001’s Road Rage and its spiritual sequel Hit & Run as the obvious candidates. Other sites simply assumed Sweeney meant Hit & Run (and, to be fair, so did I).

Luckily, we caught up with Sweeney to chat about her upcoming horror film Immaculate and got the chance to set the record straight.

“I want to say it was the racing game,” she said. With the help of my colleague Jeffrey Vega, she eventually remembered that it was Road Rage.

“Road Rage! Because it was old, it was on the Xbox,” she said. And what character did she play as?

“I always liked Homer,” she said.

Well, there you have it.

Sweeney’s one of many fans with fond memories of The Simpsons’ car-based game adaptations, although it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting a sequel to 2003’s Hit & Run anytime soon. Last year, Hit & Run’s developers revealed in an interview on the MinnMax YouTube channel that a follow-up was in the works, but never came to fruition for whatever reason.

“It was just a really bizarre decision,” executive producer John Melchior said of the sequel being tabled. “I’ll never understand it. Most people on the production level never understood it.”

Sweeney will next be seen in Immaculate, a horror film that she stars in and produced. It debuted at the SXSW Film Festival last week, and will hit theaters on March 22.

Thumbnail credit: Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

Get To Know Our Team: Austin – Technical Program Manager (Hardware & Internal Flighting)

Get To Know Our Team
Austin
Technical Program Manager (Hardware & Internal Flighting)

Hi, everyone! Wynn here again. Welcome back to another Xbox Insider Team interview. Today we’re having a chat with Austin—a member of the Flight Operations team whose responsibilities are mostly over Hardware and Internal Flighting.

How’re we doing today, Austin?

Pretty great Wynn!

Excellent. We’re glad you could make it. To start off, let’s tell the community a little about yourself.

Let’s see. I started on the Xbox Insider team back in 2016 and—Wait, a second. I can hear my goat screaming. She must’ve gotten out.

I’m sorry, what?!

*several minutes later*

Sorry about that. I put this fence up for these stupid goats and one of them has made it her life’s mission to escape every day.

That’s a strong contender for “longest sentence spoken in both 1924 and 2024”. So, how and why does one acquire multiple goats?

Haha. Well, I live right at the base of the mountains in Washington. I have some acreage on my property, and I got a quote to clear it that was a couple of grand. I figured the goats would be a cheaper initial investment. Plus, I could rent them out later.

This sounds like the plot of an Always Sunny episode. I’m so down.

That’s actually bang on. When we initially got the goats, we didn’t have a fence, an enclosure, or anything. We bought the first two and they kinda sucked. So, I had this brilliant idea to get two more goats that were older to sort of teach the other goats what to do.

I think I see where this is going Mac.

Oh yeah. Absolutely backfired. They all just ravaged the land. But I guess it did technically get cleared.

Sounds like your investment was maybe a success, then?

Kind of. The goats are still quite low on my list of things I enjoy. Have you ever seen that video of the sheep getting pulled out of the ditch and it hops around before jumping back in? That’s basically my doe with escaping the fence. She’ll get out and then just sit there and scream until I put her back in. If you know anyone who wants a Mini LaMancha, I got one for super cheap.

Haha. I’ll make sure to put the word out.

Okay, with the much-needed goat break out of the way, I think you were telling us when you started working here.

Oh yeah. So, I started here in August of 2016. It was my first job in the games industry, as well as in a sort of corporate environment.

Wow! What a place to start.

To be honest, it was kind of intimidating. I’ll never forget coming in that first day and badging into the building. I was shocked that I had a whole office to myself. It was my first time really experiencing anything like that and it was intense.

Where did you work prior to Microsoft?

I had pretty much only been in the restaurant business. I bartended for a few years but right before I got hired here, I was doing back-office work on the point-of-sale system for the restaurant. I remember getting the call that I had the job and just walking out onto the street shaking like, “I can’t believe I’m getting to leave the restaurant industry.”

Dude. That’s so amazing. Coincidentally, I was also in a restaurant when I got my first Microsoft call. Though I was just eating, not working.

So, you’ve been here almost eight years now, what’s that journey been like?

It’s wild to hear it aloud like that. I still feel like I’m so early in my career here, even though I’ve done a little bit of everything. I started out working on PC stuff, then moved into Android/iOS Flighting, I owned a bunch of older 360 programs for a while, did some triaging, and now I’m mostly focused on hardware flighting and making sure system updates are all in order.

That’s quite the résumé there man. Impressive. Can you talk about anything that you’re working on currently?

The nature of hardware means a lot of that is under wraps. But what I can say is that we’re currently working on a more automated and more invested approach to selecting people for Alpha / Alpha-Skip Ahead rings. It’s still being hammered out, but I’m really excited by what we have in store.

I’m glad you mentioned that because I’ve been sort of teasing it through a few of the Community Updates.

Yeah, I don’t want to get anyone excited that it’s happening tomorrow or anything. But we wanted to make sure we were capturing people’s investment in the program and rewarding that properly.

Well, speaking of rewarding, what’s your favorite thing you’ve done or worked on in your time here?

It’s not a particular project, but my favorite memory is definitely when PUBG was first launching, and we got to flight it with some of the senior leadership of Xbox. Lots of fun driving around my Humvee, splattering the SLT.

Haha. That sounds great. Did you get any wins?

Oh, yeah. Got a few chicken dinners in those lobbies. Beat Major Nelson 1v1 in one of them.

We absolutely love to see it. Other than pub stomping all your bosses in PUBG, do you have a favorite game or one that’s the most memorable to you?

My favorite of all time is easily Mass Effect.

An excellent choice. Just the first game or the whole series?

The first game in particular but I love all of them. I rented Mass Effect at a Hollywood Video just based off the box art. I had no idea what the game was, but I fell in love almost immediately. Now I’ve played all of the games for hundreds of hours a piece and have all the achievements in every version.

Okay, now I have to know. Thoughts on Andromeda?

I know people experienced a lot of weirdness with that one, but I never had any issues. I think people were expecting something completely different and new. Instead, they got a Mass Effect game with a different cast and different setting. I enjoyed it.

Now that’s a spicy take.

Usually, I ask about other media interests next, but given the whole goats thing, I’m curious if you do anything else with all your land?

It’s funny you said “spicy take” because I actually use some of my land to grow my own vegetables, specifically peppers which I make into hot sauce.

No way. You make your own hot sauce?!

Ha. Yeah, it’s been a hobby of mine for a little bit now. I’m actually hoping to be able to make enough to sort of do a little side hustle selling the sauce at local farmer’s markets.

I’ll absolutely pay for shipping if you can send me some. I love hot sauce.

Definitely.

Okay, let’s hop back into the media side of things. Do you have a favorite album or song that you find yourself keeping on repeat?

I don’t really listen to too much music, but when I do it’s definitely like… I don’t even know that I want to say this, but it’s super poppy.

Nothing wrong with a little pop! What’s the vibe when you’re listening though. Top 40s? One artist in particular?

My fiancée usually chooses the music, so this is a House of Swift situation.

This is too perfect. The guy who has goats and makes his own hot sauce is also a Swiftie.

100%. I’m a man of multitudes.

Well, now I gotta ask—

Yes, I think they’re getting married. I’m happily engaged, so I missed my chance a while ago.

Hahaha. I wonder what the Swiftie x Xbox Insider crossover is like. Will people have any idea what that means?

If you don’t know the Swelce lore, then you gotta read up.

All right. What’s a goat-wrangling Swiftie’s favorite TV show?

That sounds like a bad setup to a “enters a bar” joke. I feel like I’m really exposing myself here. I’m a diehard Avatar: The Last Airbender fan. I rewatch both the original and Legend of Korra yearly.

Okay, let’s go. Love the ATLA love. How’re you feeling about the new live action?

It’s not terrible, but I’m much more excited about the new animated show they’ve also announced.

There’s gonna be more?!

Yup! It’s set after Korra and is coming out in 2025, I think.

I’ll definitely need to keep an eye out for that, then.

Well, we’re almost at time now. This has been a fantastic interview. Any final words you’d like to share with the Community?

It might sound a little cheesy, but sometimes I think it’s forgotten that everyone here is super passionate and love Xbox just as much as our users. Like, just watching people work for the past seven-and-a-half years, I’ve seen so many incredible people working really hard to make things happen. If we were anywhere else, we probably wouldn’t have lasted half as long. We see the passion and investment that Xbox Insiders place in the program, and we put all that emotion into our work ourselves as well. So yeah, just wanted to remind everyone that the feeling is mutual.

Wonderfully said Austin. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Anytime!

Xbox Insiders, be sure to be on the lookout for more content all throughout February including more interviews from the team, a trip down memory lane, and so much more. All of our 10th Anniversary content can be found on our Hub Page.

Until next time! Wynn/

The post Get To Know Our Team: Austin – Technical Program Manager (Hardware & Internal Flighting) appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Save 60% Off This 40,000mAh Power Bank (Can Fast Charge a Nintendo Switch)

Amazon is currently offering Amazon Prime members a Romoss 40,000mAh USB Type-C Power Bank with 18W of USB Power Delivery for only $23.99 after you clip a 50% off coupon on the product page. Non-Prime members can get it for $29.99. That’s an excellent price for a pretty massive 40,000mAh power bank that’s also equipped with a USB Type-C output with 18W of Power Delivery, which is the ideal wattage for charging your Nintendo Switch gaming handheld.

Romoss 40,000mAh USB Type-C Power Bank for $23.99

Amazon Prime members only ($29.99 for non-Prime members)

The Romoss 40,000mAh power bank has a larger capacity than most portable battery backups we’ve seen. The tradeoff is its size; it’s a pretty hefty device, measuring in at 6.7 x 3.2 x 1.7 inches and weighing in at 2 pounds. It’s important to note that the Romoss can’t be brought onto the plane as carry-on. The maximum cutoff is 27,000mAh and 100Wh, whereas this powerbank is 40,000mAh and 148Wh. A smaller 10K mAh power bank might be a better choice as a daily driver or airplane travel, however the extra battery capacity is useful for when you don’t have access to a power outlet for longer periods of time.

There are four total ports: one USB Type-A input, one USB Type-C input/output, and two USB Type-A outputs. The maximum amount of Power Delivery is 18W via USB Type-C, which also happens to be the max charging speed for the Nintendo Switch. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, supports a max of 38W and the ASUS ROG Ally even higher at 65W. If you want the most efficient charging for those gaming systems, there are better (and more expensive) options. If you’re not in a rush, though, this power bank can still charge up all three without a problem, it will just take a little onger.

It’s important to note that technically, the Romoss can’t be brought onto the plane as carry-on. The maximum cutoff is 27,000mAh and 100Wh, whereas this powerbank is 40,000mAh and 148Wh.

For more options, check out our picks for the best powerbanks of 2024.

Guide: Best Nintendo Switch Collections And Compilation Games

Bundles of joy.

Updated with Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story. Enjoy!


Switch is many a gamer’s go-to console for revisiting retro classics, at home on the TV, or wherever you happen to take the handheld hybrid. Squeezing in nostalgia trips between the big new releases has never been easier, and there have been a host of exceptional collections and compilation packages on Nintendo’s system that bring together bundles of retro games, often with new features, bells and whistles.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox Insider Release Notes – Alpha (2404.240314-2000)

Hey Xbox Insiders! We have a new Xbox Update Preview releasing to the Alpha ring today.

It’s important we note that some updates made to these preview OS builds include background improvements that ensure a quality and stable build for Xbox consoles. We will continue to post these release notes, even when the noticeable changes to the UI are minimal or behind the scenes, so you’re aware when updates are coming to your device.

Details can be found below!

Xbox Insider Release Notes

System Update Details

  • OS Version: XB_FLT_2404ZN25398.4026.240314-2000
  • Available: 2 p.m. PT – March 18, 2024
  • Mandatory: 3 a.m. PT – March 19, 2024

Fixes Included

Thanks to all the great feedback Xbox Insiders provide and the hard work of Xbox engineers, we are happy to announce the following fixes have been implemented with this build:

System

Known Issues

While known issues may have been listed in previous Xbox Insider Release Notes, they are not being ignored! However, it may take Xbox engineers more time to find a solution. If you experience any of these issues, we ask that you please follow any guidance provided and file feedback with Report a Problem.

Audio

  • Some users have reported experiencing intermittent audio issues across the dashboard, games, and apps.
    • Troubleshooting: If you do experience issues, please confirm your TV and all other equipment have the latest firmware installed. If you are unsure, you may need to contact the manufacturer for assistance. You can also find additional troubleshooting tips here: Troubleshoot audio on your Xbox console.
    • Feedback: If you continue to experience issues after applying the latest firmware and troubleshooting further, please submit feedback via Report a Problem when you are experiencing the issue. Use the “Reproduce with advanced diagnostics” option, then select the category “Console experiences” and “Console Audio Output Issues”.
      • Note: Be sure to include as much information as possible about the issue, when it started, your setup, troubleshooting you have completed, and any additional information that will help us reproduce the issue.

Networking

  • We are investigating reports of an issue where the console may not connect to the network immediately on boot. If you experience this, be sure to report the issue via Report a Problem as soon as you’re able.
    • Workaround: Wait a minute or two for the connection to establish. If your console still hasn’t connected, restart your Xbox from the Power Center or the guide then file feedback with Report a Problem. Learn more about restarting here: How to restart or power cycle your Xbox console.

As always, be sure to use Report a problem to keep us informed of any issues you encounter. We may not be able to respond to everyone, but the data we’ll gather is crucial to finding a resolution.

What Happens to Your Feedback

If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please visit the community subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help with your concerns.

When posting to the subreddit, please look through the most recent posts to see if your issue has already been posted or addressed. We always recommend adding to existing threads with the same issue before posting a new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Also, don’t forget to use “Report a Problem” before posting – the information shared in both places helps us understand your issue better.

Thank you to every Xbox Insider in the subreddit today and welcome to the community if you’re just joining us! We love that it has become such a friendly and community-driven hub of conversation and support.

For more information regarding the Xbox Insider Program follow us on Twitter. Keep an eye on future Xbox Insider Release Notes for more information regarding your Xbox Update Preview ring!

The post Xbox Insider Release Notes – Alpha (2404.240314-2000) appeared first on Xbox Wire.

PSA: Dragon’s Dogma 2 Spoilers Have Leaked Online

Capcom’s highly anticipated role-playing game Dragon’s Dogma 2 launches March 22, 2024 but spoilers have already leaked online.

As reported by Eurogamer, the now fairly common occurence of major games leaking before their release date has happened again with Dragon’s Dogma 2, where players have seemingly received physical copies ahead of launch.

Regardless of how they obtained the copies, these players have streamed them online, uploaded videos to YouTube, and shared clips and other content on social media. While Capcom has issued takedown notices for some of these, the nature of the internet means they’ve already spread like wildfire.

Those looking forward to the RPG may therefore want to mute keywords on X/Twitter and avoid online discourse surrounding Dragon’s Dogma 2 for fear of spoiling the game too early. We won’t share what information has leaked online for obvious reasons, but it goes without saying myriad story details have surfaced.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 takes place in a parallel universe which “mirrors the world setting of the original game”. Players can explore the human kingdom of Vermund and the beastren kingdom of Battahl and ultimately take on a big evil dragon.

The myriad non-player characters of Dragon’s Dogma 2 also appear endlessly complex, as beyond some pawns being completely customisable as mentioned, NPCs can form different bonds with the player character and may even fight each other for the player’s love.

Those looking to kill time until it comes out proper can check out the game’s character creator, which Capcom released early. Players have used it to make some incredible recreations of other iconic characters (and some absolute monsters), with all data transferrable to the main game.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

The Axis Unseen channels years of Skyrim design experience into a spooky, open world hunting game

A heaving expo floor is not a great place to sample a first-person open world hunting game that wants you to monitor your own heartbeat, but The Axis Unseen manages to be pretty atmospheric regardless. It helps that I’m hunting Bigfoot. Hefting my magical bow, I peer around a tree trunk at the creature as he wanders down a slope of vivid orange grass sprinkled with pale blue rock. I only have a couple of arrows in my quiver, which doesn’t feel like nearly enough, so I edge across the hillside to another tree trunk, where I can hopefully line up a headshot.

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