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Now Diablo 4 Is Out in the Wild, the True Horror of Its Costly Microtransactions Has Revealed Itself

Diablo 4 launched proper yesterday, June 6, and now all players can see just how pricey its microtransactions are.

Blizzard’s $70 action role-playing game leans heavily on in-game monetisation, with plans for various battle passes post-launch.

Available now, however, is the in-game shop, which has become a bone of contention among fans.

Diablo 4’s shop sells cosmetics only. There are no gameplay-affecting items up for sale. While that is very much a good thing, and in keeping with promises Blizzard made before launch, the pricing of some of these cosmetics has raised eyebrows.

Take the Triune Apostate armour set, for example. It weighs in at 2,500 Platinum. Platinum is Diablo 4’s premium in-game currency, and must itself be bought with real-world money. 2,500 Platinum will set you back £20.99 / $24.99 (2,500 plus 300 Platinum “free”).

The Cryptic Hunter mount costs £6.39. That’s a direct payment with real-world money. No need for Platinum.

And of course there’s horse armour for new mounts. The Three-Fold Nightmare Prestige mount and armour costs 1,500 Platinum, or just shy of £13.

If you want to buy all the cosmetics currently available in the shop, you’re looking at spending hundreds of dollars or pounds. One redditor worked it out, and came up with $357 to get everything in the most cost-effective way possible.

As you’d expect, the Diablo community has pointed out just how expensive these cosmetics are, and the fact armour sets are available for just one class only devalues your purchase somewhat.

But others point out that up to $25 for a bundle that includes a skin and a few minor cosmetics is pretty standard these days. Anyone who’s played Activision’s recent Call of Duty games, for example, will be familiar with this sort of pricing.

Of course, the true test of Diablo 4’s monetisation will come when its battle passes launch and we get a sense of whether Blizzard is paywalling the game’s best-looking armour sets, or if the base game itself includes fancy fits that hold their own.

Generally speaking, Diablo 4 has gone down well and enjoyed a smooth launch. It’s also a smash hit. Blizzard announced Diablo 4 is its fastest-selling game of all time. Two expansions are currently in development.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Send news tips to wesley_yinpoole@ign.com.

Counter-Strike 2 Lets Players Refund Weapons

Counter-Strike 2 now lets players refund their weapons.

Developer Valve confirmed the feature, which Counter-Strike players have long-called for, in the tweet below.

“Bought the wrong thing? Meant to buy a different weapon, armor, or grenade? Sell your purchase back and buy again (during buy time).”

Currently, Counter-Strike does not allow refunds under any circumstances, which means if you buy a gun in error you either have to use it or fork out more cash to buy another.

It’s worth noting Counter-Strike rival Valorant, from Riot, does offer refunds.

The addition of refunds comes as part of a significant update for Counter-Strike 2, which is currently available to play as part of a limited test.

The update also includes a revised loadout system that lets players select 15 weapons from three categories (Valve demonstrated this in another tweet, below). Mirage has replaced Dust II on the test matchmaking servers, too.

Counter-Strike 2 is currently set for release on PC this summer.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Send news tips to wesley_yinpoole@ign.com.

Summer Game Fest 2023: How to Watch and What to Expect

IGN’s Summer of Gaming is officially on, and the events keep rolling with Summer Game Fest 2023 on Thursday, June 8. With E3 being cancelled, Summer Game Fest promises to be one of the biggest events of the season. Jeff Keighley’s show debuted some heavy hitters last year, like The Last of Us Part 1 and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, so there’s definitely potential for juicy surprises this time around, especially since it’s a live in-person event this year.

If you want to tune into Summer Game Fest we’ll point you to where you can watch the livsetream and let you know when it starts. We’ll even do a bit of speculation about what to expect!

Summer Game Fest 2023 Start Time

Summer Game Fest kicks off on June 8, 2023 at 12pm PT/ 3PM ET/8PM BST, and if you’re watching from Australia, that means the show will be premiering Friday, June 9 at 5am AEST. We don’t know which games will be at Summer Game Fest, but we do know the show will be around two hours long, so there will probably be a ton of content stuffed into the presentation.

IGN will also be hosting a pre- and post-show for Summer Game Fest, and that will kick off at 11:30am PT/2:30PM ET/7:30PM BST, or 30 minutes before the show officially starts. The post show will immediately follow Summer Game Fest. This looks to be one of the most packed events for Summer of Gaming.

Where to Watch Summer Game Fest 2023

If you want to watch Summer Game Fest, IGN will be hosting a stream on our homepage and across our other social media pages. Here’s everywhere you can watch the kick-off of Summer Game Fest 2023 on Thursday, June 8.

Summer Game Fest 2023: What to Expect

Because Summer Game Fest is an in-person event at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California, an absolute deluge of publishers have signed on for the event, including CD Projekt Red, Square Enix and Xbox.

So while there’s sure to be trailers from games that are right around the corner, like Final Fantasy XVI from Square Enix, this lineup combined with the live audience is the perfect time to debut “World Premieres.” There’s also Day of the Devs, which focuses on indie games and developers, if that’s more your speed.

Sony will also be at Summer Game Fest, but it comes just a couple weeks after the Playstation Showcase back in May, so don’t expect any huge first-party titles to drop. The same is true of Xbox, although it may sneak some of its highly anticipated game reveals into the show, as the company is confirmed to be a part of the live show. That means we might see a bit of Starfield, though that game is getting its own entire show this year.

Either way, we’ll probably see some glimpses of the best games 2023 has to offer, and we might even get a peek into the future.

The Best Nintendo Switch Micro SDXC Memory Card Deals: Get 512GB for $37.99

If you’ve started compiling a collection of digital games, you probably already know just how limited the Switch’s base storage capacity. The Switch and Switch OLED have 32GB and 64GB of internal storage respectively. Some of that is reserved for the OS. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom takes up over 18GB of storage all by itself. Other must-have titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokemon Sword or Shield tap out at 13.5GB each. There’s only one expansion slot in the Switch console so you want to make sure you get the biggest card you can afford.

The Lowest Prices on MicroSDXC Cards (Updated)

These Micro SDXC cards are 100% compatible with any Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED, and Switch Lite console. Some of them may be rated for higher speeds than the official Nintendo Switch branded memory cards. That doesn’t really matter though; the Nintendo Switch can only support U1 speeds, so a U3 speed will just be throttled back down to U1 speeds.

Steam Deck Owners Can Use These Cards Too!

The Switch isn’t the only gaming system that accepts these cards. If you’re a Steam Deck owner, you can also use this card, especially if you picked up the 64GB storage option.

For more deals, take a look at our daily deals for today.

Angry Birds Is Getting a New Animated Series on Prime Video

Hit mobile game Angry Birds is getting a brand-new animated series on Amazon Prime.

Announced today, the 24-episode series, titled Angry Birds: Mystery Island, will follow three new hatchlings – Mia, Rosie, and Buddy. There’s also a foreign exchange piglet called Hamylton.

“We’re excited to work with Amazon to add a new chapter to the Hatchlings’ story in Angry Birds Mystery Island,” said Rovio’s head of brand licensing, Hanna Valkeapää-Nokkala. “I’m sure fans of the Hatchlings will be eager to see them in their own series, with speaking voices for the first time.”

The show follows the four youngsters as they set off on an all-expenses-paid island getaway, but are instead mistakenly catapulted to a mysterious, uncharted island.

It’s not exactly FarCry, but the ragtag bunch will need to explore the island and unlock its secrets if they want to find their way home. Meanwhile, they encounter exotic sights and unexplained natural phenomena – all while being away from home with no parents in sight.

“Working with such a dream team and cast has been the highlight of my career,” said creator Eric Rogers. “Together, we are hatching a series full of comedy, heart, and binge-worthy mystery, filled with laugh-out-loud moments.”

Speaking of the cast, the four leads will be voiced by none other than Harvey Guillén, Kate Micucci, Dominic Monaghan, and Nasim Pedrad.

“It’s exciting to expand the Angry Birds universe with endearing new characters and multilayered storytelling that speaks equally to kids and kids at heart,” said Amazon Kids head of original series, Veronica Pickett.

Other hatchlings were seen in the animated movie, Angry Birds 2, and have also played a role in the hit game series.

“The Angry Birds captivated people of all ages and became a global phenomenon with the debut of their first game, and their cultural presence has remained steadfast,” said Amazon Studios head of animation, Melissa Wolfe. “We are excited by the opportunity to expand the Hatchlings’ world into a family series for our global customers to enjoy even more stories around these beloved birds.”

Want to read more about Angry Birds? Find out how Angry Birds became one of the most successful mobile games ever as well as more about SEGA’s acquisition of Angry Birds developer, Rovio.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

How to Celebrate Pride Month and Support the LGBTQIA+ Community

It’s Pride Month; the time of year where we not only commemorate the history and achievements of the LGBTQIA+ community in celebration, but also take time to reflect on hardships, current issues, and make space to listen and share their stories, uplift their voices and support them.

We invite you to celebrate and support LGBTQIA+ folks with us; whether it be reading stories by the queer community and its allies, learning about how Pride is more than just a rainbow flag (do you know its history?), or donating to an impactful charity changing and saving the lives of LGBT+ youth (see below); it’s all incredibly important.

What’s more, we’re excited to showcase several Pride-related features you’ll love to read from IGN, Humble and other Ziff Davis sister sites, with more to come throughout June.

Jump to:

Read Queer Stories: LGBTQIA+ Reading List

IGN is excited to share reading lists and resources to support LGBTQIA+ voices in the industry and beyond. Here’s a shortlist to get you started. Our new piece is up, so take a look now:

8 Queer Comics to Read:

Check back throughout the month as we share more lists and exclusive content for Pride each week!

Support LGBTQIA+ by Donating to The Trevor Project

This year, we’re joining sister site, Humble Bundle to support The Trevor Project.

2 Ways You Can Support The Trevor Project:

1. You can donate directly here.

2. You can purchase a Humble Choice Membership or Bundle:

Humble selected The Trevor Project as their featured charity, where 5% of every June Humble Choice membership (available starting June 6) will go to support The Trevor Project until the end of the month. This month’s Humble Choice games include Ghostwire: Tokyo, Remnant: From the Ashes – Complete Edition, and six more.

Humble will be offering a number of bundles throughout the month that support The Trevor Project. Their Blender Animation & Games by Packt is available right now—so be sure to keep an eye out for more bundles supporting The Trevor Project in the days and weeks ahead.

“Last year, your support of The Trevor Project through Humble purchases helped them increase their base of volunteers by 315—that’s 315 trained and qualified people fielding an estimated total of 31,500 crisis contacts over the course of their first year. We’re proud to team up with them again this year and continue supporting their mission to help LGBTQ+ youth through times of crisis.” – Humble Bundle Team

Show Your Pride

You can now shop over 20 fun franchise Pride shirts, including IGN’s own designs made by our amazing designers:

History of Pride Month

Every year, Pride is recognized across the United States during the month of June. This is largely due to the Stonewall Uprising that took place in New York City in 1969. The Stonewall Uprising helped fuel the momentum of the gay rights movement, and following the event, activists began to organize Pride marches and parades throughout June. That tradition continues today, though there are many cities that hold their events at different times of the year.

Read more: 7 Facts About the Stonewall Riots and the Fight for LGBTQ Rights

More LGBTQIA+ Resources:

What Does LGBTQIA+ Stand For?

LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and the + symbol holds space for the diverse gender and sexual identities that continue to be explored and understood.

You may have seen a “2” included at times, which can be more or less common based on region. For example, as stated on Princeton’s Gender and Sexuality Resource Center page; “within the Canadian Government, they use the acronym LGBTQ2, with “2” standing for Two-spirit; a term used by some indigenous communities to represent gender and sexual diversity, often regarded throughout the tribal history as different figures within the community”.

We use LGBTQIA+ to be inclusive while recognizing and understanding it may not include all identities as an acronym and continues to be expanded upon.

For allies:

For parents:

If you are someone who identifies as LGBTQIA+ and are thinking of harming yourself, get immediate support here from The Trevor Project, and know there is help available without judgment. You can also text ‘START’ to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386 to talk to someone now.

Lindsey (she/her) is the Senior Audience Development Manager for IGN since 2021. Find her on Twitter at @LindseySalzer.

Diablo 4 Walkthrough and Boss Strategy Guide

After several betas and an early access period, Diablo 4 is finally available for all to play. IGN’s expert guide writers have been hard at work uncovering its many secrets and adding them to the Diablo 4 Walkthrough. While Diablo 4’s open regions allow you to explore and delve into various dungeons, it’s still worthwhile to tackle the main story as soon as you can, as it’s the only way you can eventually unlock a mount to ride across Diablo 4’s vast areas.

We still have you covered on Diablo 4’s various optional Dungeons, Side Quests, Altar of Lilith locations, and much more, but the latest Diablo 4 Walkthrough update covers each of the first three Acts that can be undertaken in any order and the fourth Act that unlocks the ability to purchase and customize mounts.

While you’re free to tackle Diablo 4’s first few Acts in any order you like, we recommend taking the bulk of them on in the order listed below, due to the minimum recommended level that increases with each Act. Here’s every Diablo 4 main quest that we recommend doing, in the order we recommend, so far.

All Diablo 4 Walkthrough and Guide Sections

Act 1: A Cold and Iron Faith

Upon completing the Prologue in Kyovashad, the game will open up so you can go out and explore more of Sanctuary’s world, along with continuing the main campaign. Act 1: A Cold and Iron Faith contains 19 quests for you to complete in the main region of the Fractured Peaks, and are best done first.

Act 2: The Knife Twists Again

This section of the game contains 17 main story quests to complete and takes place in the main region of Scosglen to the North, and recommends that you’re at least level 10 or higher before embarking on the journey, so is best completed after Act 1 depending on your level.

Act 3: The Making of Monsters

This Act contains 16 main story quests to complete in the main region of the Dry Steppes to the West, and it’s recommended that you go into it around level 15 or higher, which is why we advise completing the other two acts first.

Act 4: A Gathering Storm

After completing the previous three Acts, you’ll be ready to move into Act 4. It only has 6 main story quests, but completing the second quest will finally allow you to visit the Stable and unlock the ability to ride and customize mounts to travel around Sanctuary at increased speeds. It’s recommended that you head into it at level 20 or higher as well.

More Diablo 4 Guides

PSA: Diablo 4 Releases Today, and Servers Could Get Rocky

Diablo 4 was officially released today and if you’re planning to give it a whirl, you should anticipate the game’s servers to be a little rocky.

IGN’s sister site, Downdetector.com, has been sharing user-reported outages for the game’s servers, but these issues aren’t entirely new. Players have reported problems with Diablo 4 since its early access release five days ago. PlayStation 5 players that preordered the $90 Digital Deluxe Edition or the $100 Ultimate Edition reported a day after the early access release that an “Invalid License” error was locking them out.

Players were also having wide login issues last night, although Blizzard said in a tweet this morning that those issues were resolved.

The sever problems haven’t stopped Diablo 4 from becoming a runaway hit for Blizzard, as the company confirmed that Diablo 4 become its fastest-selling game of all time. They also noted that Diablo 4 players have clocked in 93 million hours, though Blizzard did not specifically disclose how many copies were sold.

In our review of Diablo 4, which we awarded a 9/10, we said Diablo 4 “is a stunning sequel with a near perfect endgame and progression design that makes it absolutely excruciating to put down.”

Of course, if you manage to not encounter any server issues for Diablo 4 today and you are looking to track your progress as you play, check out our interactive Diablo 4 map.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

The Best PS5 SSD Deals Today (June 2023): 2TB Is Finally Under $100

2023 might be is finally the year where 2TB PS5 SSD upgrades are actually worth the price. Last year, prices for 1TB PS5 SSDs averaged around $150, whereas 2TB SSDs hovered closer to $300. This year, we’re seeing 1TB SSDs trickle below the $80 price point and 2TB SSDs are as low as $120. Note that you can’t use any old SSD and expect it to perform well on the PS5 console. You’ll want to pick up an PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a rated 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5’s internal drive. That means, for better or for worse, picking a top-shelf SSD.

Note that Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD. Not all SSDs listed here have pre-installed heatsinks. For the ones that do, we’ll be sure to mention it. For the ones that don’t, all you have to do is purchase your own heatsink (we recommend this one for $10) and install it yourself. It’s very easy.

For our recommended picks for PS5 SSDs, check out our Best PS5 SSDs of 2023.

Silicon Power 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink for $98.97

Includes built-in heatsink!

It’s happened, folks. A 2TB PS5-compatible SSD has broken past the $100 price barrier. Amazon Prime members can get the Silicon Power XS70 SSD, which include a robust aluminum heatsink, for only $98.97. The aluminum heatsink is still slim enough to fit in the PS5 without obstruction. It boasts transfer speeds of up to 7300MB/s read and 6800MB/s write, comfortably faster than the 5500MB/s minimum recommended requirement. It actually performs a little better than the Crucial P5 Plus, the original WD Black SN850, and the Samsung 980 Pro, although that won’t make a difference in your PS5.

Adata Premium 2TB M.2 SSD for PS5 for $108.99

The Adata Premium SSD boasts transfer speeds of up to 6,100MB/s, which is more than fast enough to surpass the PS5’s recommended minimum speed threshold of 5,500MB/s. Yes there are faster SSDs out there, but if your intention is to put this in your PS5, then that extra speed is worthless because you’re bottlenecked by the stock PS5 SSD. Better to save that money and put it to better use. It also includes a thin aluminum heatspreader… too thin to be appropriately called a heatsink, but still enough for the PS5 console.

Corsair MP600 PRO LPX 2TB “Optimized for PS5” SSD with Heatsink for Only $129.99

Corsair is a very well known brand for DIY PC builders. Corsair makes some of the best gaming products on the market, and that includes solid-state memory like RAM and SSDs. The MP600 Pro is Corsair’s fastest M.2 SSD and the “LPX” model is “optimized for PS5” because it includes a rugged preinstalled heatsink that is slim enough to fit in the PS5 bay without any issues. We like this RAM so much, we rated it the best PS5 SSD for 2023.

WD Black SN850X 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink $149.99

Today the Western Digital Store beats out all of its middlemen for the best price on the PS5-compatible WD Black SN850X SSD. The WD Black SN850X is generally considered one of the top three fastest SSDs out there right now, and its also the most popular choice of a PS5 SSD (it’s the only brand officially licensed for the PS5 console). It has newer flash chips (BiCS5 vs BiCS4) and an updated firmware which offer improved sequential and random read/write speeds over the previous generation SN850 (non-X). The version that comes with a heatsink is the one you’d want for your PS5. It’s beefy, but still slim enough to fit.

Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PS5 SSD for $122.99

Best Buy is including a free heatsink

Crucial’s newest M.2 SSD meets all the requirements for your PS5 SSD upgrade. It supports transfer speeds of up to 6,660MB/s which is well above the 5,500MB/s minimum threshold. Yes there are faster SSDs out there, but if your intention is to put this in your PS5, then that extra speed is worthless because you’re bottlenecked by the original PS5 SSD. If you’re worried about opening up your PS5 case, don’t worry it’s very easy. Crucial has an official YouTube PS5 SSD install guide to see you through the process.

Nextorage 2TB PS5 SSD with Heatsink for $159.99

There’s an interesting story behind this drive. Nextorage was actually originally created by Sony as an SSD division catered to the PS5 console. For whatever reason, Sony decided to ditch that idea and sold this business to another stakeholder in the company, Phison (they make memory controllers found in SSDs from Seagate, Corsair, and Sabrent, and more). Phison eventually accomplished the goal of releasing an SSD catered specifically for the PS5 console in the form of this product right here.

Samsung 980 Pro 2TB PS5 SSD for $149.99

Samsung SSDs need no introduction. They’ve made some of the most popular and reliable PS5 SSDs on the market. The 980 Pro has been out for a while now, and there’s a newer, faster 990 Pro that’s available. However, if used as a PS5 SSD, this card performs equally as well as every faster SSD out there.

SK Hynix P41 2TB SSD for $156.99

Up until the Samsung 990 Pro release, the SK Hynix Platinum P4 was considered the fastest SSD on the market. It’s also considerably less expensive than the 990 Pro. Benchmarks consistently exceed its rated specs and it performs better than other well known brands like WD and Seagate. SK Hynix might not be immediately recognizable to some people, but they are in no way a fledgeling company. SK Hynix is the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker and the world’s third-largest semiconductor company.

More PS5 SSD Deals

There may be other SSD deals out there, but these are the PS5 SSDs we’ve tried ourselves and highly recommend. They also double up as outstanding boot drives for your gaming PC, in case you don’t need additional storage for your PS5 console.

How easy is it to install the SSD?

It’s extremely easy! Removing the case cover is completely toolless. In fact, the only screw you have to remove is the one that keeps the cover for the SSD bay in place. You don’t even put it back when you’re done. Sony has a quick and easy YouTube video guide.

What if the SSD I bought doesn’t have a heatsink?

Sony recommends you install an SSD that has an attached heatsink. If the SSD you purchase doesn’t include one, it’s simple enough to buy one for about $10 on Amazon and add it yourself. Most of these heatsinks are just attached using an adhesive like thermal tape.

For more deals, take a look at our daily deals for today.

Diablo 4 Is Blizzard’s Fastest Selling Game of All Time, Albeit After 4 Days of Early Access

Blizzard revealed that Diablo 4 is the company’s fastest-selling game of all time. Although, this milestone has some caveats.

While Blizzard didn’t provide any specific sales numbers, Diablo 4 has been played for 93 million hours since its early access launch on June 1.

“This is a moment years in the making for the Diablo 4 team,” said Rod Fergusson, Diablo general manager, in a statement. “We’re extremely proud to offer players the richest story ever told in a Diablo game.”

He continued: “Since the game was first announced in 2019, the support from millions of players around the world drove us toward this release of our dark vision of Sanctuary. Hail Lilith, Blessed Mother.”

It’s once again worth noting that Diablo 4 has been out for four days before its official release date of June 6. So Blizzard is‌ presumably counting sales from early access members in addition to day-one purchases from everyone else.

The previous record holder for this feat within Blizzard was the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion with 3.7 million units sold on its first full day on PC. However, Diablo 4 was released on multiple platforms.

Diablo 4 also currently has two expansions in the works. In IGN’s Diablo 4 review, we said, “Diablo 4 takes the strategy of refining things the series already did so well rather than giving it a more substantial overhaul, and that careful and reverent path has shaped this massive sequel into one of the most polished ARPGs ever created, which makes slicing through the legions of the damned a hell of a good time.”

Looking for more info? Check out our interactive Diablo 4 map to start tracking your progress as you play.

George Yang is a freelance writer at IGN.