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The upcoming Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World was originally intended for the OG Switch console, according to an interview with the game’s developers. This was the goal until the dev team realized that the console couldn’t handle it.

“It was difficult for us to incorporate everything we wanted, so we were always conscious of what we were giving up in return,” said programming director Kenta Sato. A big sticking point seemed to be that the original Switch would have had to run the game at 30FPS. Mario Kart games have always run at 60FPS, for obvious reasons. You can’t simulate speed without, uh, simulating speed.

Developers pecked away at the “tough situation” until finally deciding to create more DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a way to bide time as the team figured out what to do.

“As we’d decided to release Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — Booster Course Pass, we thought that would give us a bit more time to continue development,” said producer Kosuke Yabuki. “That’s when the conversation of moving it to the Nintendo Switch 2 system came up, and this suddenly opened up a bunch of possibilities on what we could do. It was truly a ray of hope.”

This interview also revealed that the game has been in development since 2017, which is a heck of a long time. However, it makes a certain amount of sense given that the original Mario Kart 8 came out in 2014.

The upcoming racer was always set in an open world and it was never going to be called Mario Kart 9. The developers wanted to “take the series to the next level.” The big, connected world seems to do just that.

“I felt that in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, we were able to perfect the formula that we’d been following in the series up to that point, where players race on individual courses,” Yabuki continued. “That’s why, this time, we wanted the gameplay to involve players driving around a large world, and we began creating a world map like this.”

I personally think the company made the right call by delaying this game until the Switch 2. Recent first-party Switch titles have experienced massive framerate issues, and there’s no way the console could have handled races with 24 participants. In any event, we only have a couple of weeks until we get to play Mario Kart World, if you’ve successfully reserved the Switch 2 for the June 5 launch.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-kart-world-was-initially-planned-for-the-original-switch-174704456.html?src=rss 

Sony is opting out of its PlayStation Stars loyalty program. Starting today, you can no longer sign up for the program. If you’re a member and cancel your membership, you won’t be able to sign up again.

Current members can still earn points and digital collectibles and level up their status until July 23 at 9:59 PM ET. After that, all campaigns and rewards will be kaput. The program will be entirely discontinued on November 2. But if you keep your membership until then, you can still redeem your points after that, provided they haven’t expired.

Sony launched PlayStation Stars in 2022. The company’s first loyalty program lets you earn points by playing games and making purchases on the PlayStation Store. You can redeem points for items like PSN wallet funds and select store products.

The company will now “refocus” its approach to rewards. (How, we don’t know.) “We want to thank all of our players for supporting PlayStation Stars since the launch in 2022,” Sony wrote on the PlayStation Blog. “As we explore new ways to evolve our loyalty program efforts for the future, we’ll continue to celebrate all of our players through the various community activities we have planned.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sony-is-ending-its-playstation-stars-loyalty-program-164514310.html?src=rss 

OpenAI is buying Jony Ive’s startup, io, for $6.5 billion, as first reported by The New York Times. The company confirmed the news in a blog post on its website headlined by the photo you see above, which is apparently real and not AI generated. As part of the deal, Ive and his design studio, LoveForm, will continue to work independently of OpenAI. However, Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey and Tang Tan, who co-founded io with Ive, will become OpenAI employees. 

OpenAI has not disclosed whether the deal would be paid for in cash or stock. The company has yet to turn a profit. According to reporting from The Information, OpenAI has agreed to share 20 percent of its revenue with Microsoft until 2030 in return for the more than $13 billion the tech giant has invested into it.  

Developing…

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-buys-jony-ives-design-startup-for-65-billion-173356962.html?src=rss 

According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft says Apple‘s App Store rules are to blame for the continued delay of the Xbox mobile app store it announced last summer. The store would have allowed users to buy Microsoft mobile games through the Xbox web store on iOS. In an amicus brief filed this week, Microsoft expressed support for Epic Games in the companies’ long-running bout against Apple. The company also expressed concern that Apple could succeed in overturning the injunction that has opened the floodgates for payments outside of apps that circumvent Apple’s 30 percent fee.

Apple filed an appeal against the injunction earlier this month, and just a few days later it asked the Ninth Circuit to halt enforcement of the original ruling while it works through its appeal. Microsoft, for its part, is urging the court to enforce the injunction while the courts handle the appeal. The company points out that Apple itself has said that the policy changes it made in response to the injunction “can be undone,” raising concern that without firm enforcement by the courts, Apple could pull the rug at any given moment.

As of this writing, Microsoft’s filing is not yet publicly available, but The Verge has details on the brief’s contents. It reads, in part: “The district court’s injunction allows Apple to maintain its in-app exclusivity but at least should have enabled Microsoft to offer consumers a workable solution by launching its own online store — accessible via link-out — for in-app items to be purchased off-app and used in games or other apps. And that is what Microsoft wants to do. But even this solution has been stymied by Apple.”

While things are moving quickly, with apps like Fortnite already returning to the App Store in the US, Microsoft remains in a holding pattern awaiting a firm outcome in the case. It seems they want to avoid a situation where the Xbox mobile store is released, only to be taken down should Apple win on appeal.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/microsoft-blames-apple-for-xbox-mobile-store-delays-162413207.html?src=rss 

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is coming to PS5 this summer, though we don’t have a concrete release date just yet. Ninja Theory says it will be optimized for both the standard-issue PS5 and the beefier PS5 Pro.

The company also says it launches alongside a free update that’ll be available for all platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. We don’t know much about this update, but the developer promises “new features.” There’s a trailer that discusses the update, but is also devoid of any real details.

This is something of a homecoming for the franchise, as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was originally released for PS4 back in 2017. Ninja Theory says it’s “excited to bring Senua back to where her journey began and for PlayStation players to be able to experience the next chapter in her brutal saga of survival.”

For the uninitiated, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is a brutal and gorgeous game that first hit the Xbox and PC in 2024. It’s a third-person adventure set in Iceland during the 10th century. We called it an outstanding “interactive brutality visualizer” in our original review, going on to say it features “an extended, extremely anxious and violent vibe.” Good times!

The combat is decent, though not groundbreaking, and the puzzles are just average. The sheer violence, however, is epic. The protagonist Senua screams with each swing of the sword and every fight is close combat. This is for those who revel in simulated physical violence. We’ll let you know when we have an actual summer release date for this gem.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/senuas-saga-hellblade-2-is-coming-to-ps5-this-summer-163539229.html?src=rss 

This is a big month for Xbox Game Pass, as there are some real standout titles hitting the service. Upcoming games include the sublime Metaphor ReFantazio, Tales of Kenzera: Zau and The Division 2, among others.

Let’s get to the games. You likely heard a whole lot about Metaphor ReFantazio last year. The JRPG was a bona-fide phenomenon, and it actually grabbed a nomination for game of the year. It also easily made our list of the best games of 2024. It’s developed by Atlus and the game improves on the formula behind the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei franchises in nearly every way.

The characters are great. The dungeons aren’t procedurally generated. The world feels alive, with quests and objectives in nearly every nook and cranny. The story is perhaps the biggest reason why the game became such a sensation. It’s grounded and feels like it was plucked from today’s news, despite being set in a fantasy-laden kingdom. It’ll be playable on May 29.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau is a Metroidvania platformer that wears its heart on its sleeve. The story is extremely emotional and engaging, particularly for this genre. The graphics are lovely and the gameplay is fluid, with plenty of nifty upgrades as you advance. What’s not to like? The game arrives on May 22.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is something of a hybrid, with plenty of both tactical shooter and RPG mechanics. The game is set in an open world version of Washington DC, which is a pretty cool location. It’s online-only, so there’s a deep emphasis on multiplayer. It can be played solo, but you have to be connected to the game’s servers. It’ll be available on May 27.

Other forthcoming games include Spray Paint Simulator (May 29) and Stalker 2 (May 22.) The deckbuilding roguelike Monster Train 2 is available right now.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/mays-game-pass-additions-include-the-brilliant-metaphor-refantazio-and-the-division-2-151424740.html?src=rss 

The best smartwatch you can get your hands on right now is the Apple Watch Series 10 (at least if you’re an iPhone user). The wearable is on sale at the minute, making it a more enticing proposition. The Apple Watch Series 10 can be yours for $299. That marks a discount of $100 and is a record-low price.

This price is for a GPS version (meaning it doesn’t support LTE) with the smaller 42mm case. At the time of writing, the $299 price applies to two color variants: a jet black aluminium case with black sport band and a rose gold aluminium case with light blush sport band. Discounts vary on other configurations.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is an iterative upgrade. If you already have a Series 8 or 9, it’s perhaps not worth switching to the latest model. However, if you’re rocking an older Apple Watch or you’re looking to pick up your first one, this is our recommendation. We gave the Apple Watch Series 10 a score of 90 in our review.

The Series 10 is a little thinner and lighter than the previous model, but it has a larger OLED screen, which makes it easier to see what’s on the display. Apple has improved the efficiency of the battery life as well, and it should often last longer on a single charge than the 18 hours for which it’s rated.

The new sleep apnea feature is very welcome, but the blood oxygen feature from older models is not available here (Apple removed that app from certain models in the US due to a patent dispute). In general, though, the Series 10 is a solid step forward for the Apple Watch. The latest model is a terrific fitness tracker that helps you keep an eye on the most important alerts and notifications you receive on your iPhone.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/memorial-day-deals-include-the-apple-watch-series-10-for-100-off-151537320.html?src=rss