One of the Nintendo Switch's most appealing features is its portability, but with such a big screen, it's at high risk of getting scratched or otherwise damaged if you're not careful with how you transport it. Whether you're bringing it with you on a train, plane, bus, or even in a car, having a hard-cover case is essential. There are countless case options out there, but today, we're spotlighting possibly the most attractive Nintendo Switch case we've ever seen: the Hori Alumi case with a gold-and-black Legend of Zelda-inspired design. Normally listed at $25, it's only $17 on Amazon right now and comes with free one-day shipping if you're a Prime member.See it at AmazonAn officially licensed Nintendo product, the Hori Alumi case is heavy-duty and durable, with a smooth, brushed aluminum hard shell to protect your Switch screen from scrapes. The gold accents along the zipper and in the artwork are stunning, and the black-and-gold design continues on the inside as well. The inner case also includes a padded pocket for storing small accessories and up to five game cards.One drawback of the Hori Alumi case is that it doesn't have as much storage as some other cases on the market, so if you care about keeping more than five games on you or carrying extra accessories like Joy-Cons or a charger, you may want to consider other options. Its main strengths are its durability, as Hori's cases are constructed with high-quality aluminum rather than nylon or foam, as well as its eye-catching Zelda design.In case you're curious, we've gathered a few other Switch cases on sale at Amazon right now, as they include other features such as more game card slots or more storage to carry the dock and controllers (however, that means they're a bit more bulky to travel with). The Vikena Deluxe Switch Travel Case is a particularly good option as well, as it features storage for the Switch, dock, a Pro controller, a Joy-Con controller grip, AC adapter, 18 game card slots, and more--and it's over 50% off right now. You can check out that case and other options below.RDS Industries Switch Carrying Case, Black Ballistic Nylon Exterior -- $31.02 ($40)Vikena Deluxe Switch Travel Case -- $29 ($60)JETech Switch Carrying Case -- $10 ($20)AmazonBasics Hard Shell Switch Travel Case -- $23 ($26)Info from Gamespot.com

It's been 35 years since the first issue of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic was released, after being created by Kevin Eatman and Peter Laird as a means of entertaining each other. Against all odds, though, the property remains a beloved franchise, with seemingly every generation having their own version of the Ninja Turtles.Whether it's the original film, any of the animated series, a number of comic book lines, or even the live concert tour, it's hard to think of a time in the last three decades where the Ninja Turtles weren't somewhere in pop culture. According to Eastman, who sat down to speak with GameSpot at San Diego Comic-Con, it wasn't by design. "When we did the first comic, we thought that if we sold 200 copies that would be fantastic," he admitted.That's due, in large part, to the fans that have never let go of the franchise and continue to introduce it to new generations. During his interview with GameSpot, Eastman spoke about those fans, the arrival of a female turtle, and collaborating with other creators--from Jim Henson to those in charge of the current show, Rise of the TMNT--to make sure the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise always stays true to its roots.GameSpot: It's 2019 and the Ninja Turtles have a crossover movie with Batman, Rise of the TMNT on Nickelodeon, a popular comic book, and toys that are still all over stores. When you and co-creator Peter Laird thought this idea up in a garage 35 years ago, did you have any idea it would have this lasting appeal?Kevin Eastman: My goodness no. I always go back to the original [TMNT] comic that Peter [Laird] and I did. It really made me feel like it was a lot of things responsible for this longevity, but 99% of them are the fans, period. It's just one of those things that whatever resonated initially back then is somehow still finding its way into that soft spot in fans today, 35 years later. When we did the first comic, we thought that if we sold 200 copies that would be fantastic and that would be great, and then we'd go on to the next thing.The fact that it worked the first time, found its audience base and kids as toys and cartoons and all that stuff, and the movies, was fantastic. 20 years later, it found a new generation with the stuff that we've done, so every generation sort of had their version of the Turtles, right up to [Rise of the TMNT]. So to me, it goes back to the fans, in that I would say you can't tell a child what's cool and what's not cool. They decide. And the fact that there's still something about [Ninja Turtles] that people like is mind-blowing to me in every sense of the word.GameSpot: The comic book movie genre is a very crowded space in 2019, but times were different back in 1990 when the original film was released. How involved did you get to be in adapting them for live-action back then?Kevin Eastman: Well, we were very lucky. Our mentors and our inspirations--guys like Jack Kirby--not only did they not own [their creations], they didn't participate in what was done with them in other types of entertainment [mediums]. So we knew how lucky we were [to have] owned and controlled all aspects of our characters, whether it be the comic series, the final design of the toys, the 300 cartoon episodes we worked on, [or] all those movies. We wanted full and complete say, so we had treatment approval, script approval, and we had final look of the Turtles approval.Hollywood at the time, even then they were like, "Who do you think you are?" And we're like, "We think we're exactly who we are. We created these characters and it's not that important for us to do a movie on your terms, but if you want to do a movie on our terms, we're willing to have that discussion." Luckily for us, before they thought we had big of egos and threw us out, we were really like, "Look, so we have a vision of what these characters need to look like."We saw too many of our favorite superhero movies ruined by people that thought they knew better than the fans that loved them in the first place. But Steve Barron came on as a director and he really loved the original black and white comics and he sort of rooted it based in reality of some of the early versions. Jim Henson's Creature Shop, that was a miracle that they came in. They're the reason that they brought those characters to life and had them work as well as they did and it was just a perfect storm of Steve Barron, Todd Langen who wrote it, and Jim Henson that just made that movie a great movie that was good for all audiences.That to me will always be the pinnacle of all sorts of entertainment, was that first movie.GameSpot: As someone who grew up watching The Muppet Show, it's so bizarre to think about you working with Jim Henson to come up with how these things look in live-action.Kevin Eastman: Isn't that crazy? It is. We've seen those movies [where] the costumes don't work [and] you don't buy into that world. You might go, "Look, I know it's a person in a rubber suit." I knew that stuff, but if you're allowed to get past that, fully invested in that--especially for kids because they're pretty smart anyway. But yeah, [Henson's] work made it come to life.GameSpot: For the franchise, that was a strange time, because you couldn't look anywhere without having Ninja Turtles somewhere in your line of vision. There was even a concert tour. Are there any memories that stand out for you from that time of the popularity?Kevin Eastman: Well there were several, and actually I quite liked the evolution of the Coming Out of Their Shells tour because it's not Barney on tour or Disney on Ice--there was always these wonderful kid events. It was gauged as something that would be fun as a kid's event. I loved how it evolved with the songs.But I think you know back in those days--what we call it was the peak years of the Turtles--it might be at that time in '91, '92. I went to Paris to be part of the promotion for the first Turtle movie, but I just remember standing there the first time looking at the Eiffel Tower and going, "This is incredible!" But then seeing an advertisement for "Tortues Ninja," the new Turtles movie coming out. So that was a weird sort of thing, being in such an amazing place, the names of all that I love and appreciate from art history. And here I am standing, looking at the Eiffel Tower with an ad for my characters next to it.But there was so many other pleasant experiences or weird juxtaposition of things like that, but all [are] blessings, every single one of them. The things I've done and seen, the people I've met and I've traveled the world and get to meet fans from all over the world and it's always the same. They just love their turtles and that's changed my life. I can't imagine what an amazing life I've had thanks to them.GameSpot: Looking at other character designs, how involved do you get to be when it comes to developing the turtles for their various TV animation styles?Kevin Eastman: Well like I said, in the early days we had full control for that work. But I sold my interest 15-plus years ago, so what's been great is that although I have no final say, you have a wonderful company like Nickelodeon who wants to bring that original element of the creators back in. So they brought me in to consult on the series and I work on the comic books and they want my input. The thing is that they don't have to have my input. They own it and control it but it's their commitment to make it right, to make it good, but still keep the heart and soul back from the original creation.So it's been fantastic to see these different versions and work with guys like [Rise of the TMNT producers] Ant [Ward] and Andy [Suriano] or [producer] Ciro [Nieli] on the 2012 series because they're all coming from the same sweet spot [that] these are characters that they're invested in, that they love, and they want to tell great stories [about]. So they're in really good hands already.GameSpot: It was recently announced that the female character Jennika in the comics had become a mutant turtle. Some fans will certainly remember Venus from Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. Will we see anything traits from that character makes their way into the Jennika character?Kevin Eastman: Well what's interesting is the difference--like Venus is now 20. That context is 20-something years old. It was 1997 when that came out. But now it's a new spin. It was an interesting time because we were still in control but we were sharing the control with Haim Saban, and [he had] success with the Power Rangers. I'll say a term as endearing as I can, the campiness of the Power Rangers is what made those [shows] so popular. So he wanted Turtles to take the turn more like a live-action cartoon as opposed to trying to find a balance. I think the resistance there came from the hardcore fans because that was the first version after the original animated series.The fans were not happy. They didn't like Venus as a character. It was sort of put in their face and the show was way too campy. I loved the series, I worked very hard on it. But it just didn't resonate with the fans.Congratulations to the creative team of #TMNT! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #95 is now sold out at the distributor level and going to 2nd print! Until then, head over to your local comic shop and pick-up your copy…rumor has it there’s a huge cliff hanger! 👀🐢 pic.twitter.com/PjYdajBoIA — IDW Publishing (@IDWPublishing) July 8, 2019What was interesting when we evolved into the character Jennika--much like what Ciro's approach to the 2012 series, Ant and Andy's approach to the Rise--my focus is on the comic books with Tom Waltz and IDW and it's always story first, story-centric. So when we introduce a character in Issue 51 named Jennika, we really like her and we knew that if the fans liked her as much as we did, she can continue as part of the family. She got more and more popular and so for about 30 issues we wanted to evolve her into this female turtle character.We've been thinking about this for two-and-a-half years and planning it. And so we knew that because of her popularity and because of the same story-driven aspect that we said, people will buy because they've already bought into the story. They're already fully invested in the characters and they love her as a character--to see her evolve organically to become this character instead of, "Hey we need to sell more issues. Here's a girl turtle!" So it's very story-centric and it has exceeded our hopes in that we hope that they would embrace her. We hope that they'll like it because we have so much fun doing it and they go nuts so it's been a great blessing.This interview has been edited for clarity and length.Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Masters, the new Pokemon mobile game from DeNA (the studio behind Fire Emblem Heroes, Super Mario Run, and other Nintendo mobile titles), is coming to iOS and Android devices very soon. The Pokemon Company has previously said the game would launch sometime this summer, but we may now know its exact release date thanks to the App Store.While the official Pokemon website still lists Pokemon Masters as "planned for Summer 2019," the game is expected to launch on August 29, according to Apple's digital storefront. GameSpot reached out for clarification, and a PR representative for The Pokemon Company confirmed the game's tentative release date is August 29; however, the rep noted the release date is subject to change, and it will be officially announced once it is finalized.Meanwhile, certain countries will be able to play Pokemon Masters a little early. A "preview version" of the title is launching for Android devices in Singapore this week. The preview version will also come to Canada, although no specific date was announced. Progress made in the preview version can be carried over to the full game when it launches later this summer.If you're eager to jump into Pokemon Masters, pre-registration for the title is now live on the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android. Everyone who pre-registers for the game will receive a notification when it is available to download. Like many other mobile titles, Pokemon Masters will be free to download and play, with optional microtransactions. You can read more details on the official Pokemon website.Pokemon Masters is set in a new island region called Pasio, where famous Pokemon trainers from around the world have gathered to participate in the Pokemon Masters League tournament. Each trainer has one partner Pokemon, forming a "Sync Pair," and you can team up with other Sync Pairs to engage in three-on-three Pokemon battles and earn Gym Badges. You can take a look at some of the confirmed Pokemon Masters Sync Pairs so far in our gallery. For more on the title, check out our Pokemon Masters hands-on impressions.Info from Gamespot.com

Remedy Entertainment's upcoming third-person shooter Control has gone gold, according to a developer on the team. Effectively, development on the game has completed and discs are ready for manufacturing and distribution. Everyone can rejoice and wait with bated breath as the game's August release date inches closer.Remedy's game director Mikael Kasurinen tweeted that Control is "done," noting that the work the Finnish studio's put in over the past three years was "an achievement from the best dev team on the planet." Control is headed to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 27.It is done. New IP, new tech, new game structure, new direction, three platforms. And three years. What an achievement from the best dev team on the planet! @ControlRemedy pic.twitter.com/laFc0ocNvQ — Mikael Kasurinen (@MikaelKasurinen) July 24, 2019Ville Ruusutie, Remedy's principal animation programmer, offered some additional context on Kasurinen's news. In a tweet of his own, Ruusutie said the team "lost animation middleware and wrote new from scratch" while noting it was a "big risk" but thinks the studio has done well considering some of the "big tech challenges" Remedy has faced working on Control.'It’s been quite a ride. Big tech challenges. We lost animation middleware and wrote new from scratch which depends heavily on Motion Matching. It was big risk but I think we nailed it. Proud of our team. Ex and current ones. @remedygames @505_Games. https://t.co/KG8tjrph4d — Ville Ruusutie (@villeruusutie) July 24, 2019Control comes three years after the studio's last outing, Quantum Break. In Control, you play as Jesse Faden, the Federal Bureau of Control's new director, exploring the Oldest House and harnessing supernatural abilities to defeat enemies and find her brother. We found it to be Remedy's most interesting game since Alan Wake after spending some time with it, saying, "Control is being designed with a Metroidvania-like structure that requires you to re-examine previously explored locations when new skills are unlocked, and the thought of incorporating an alternate dimension into this concept is very intriguing."Though Control is headed to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, the game will be a limited-time Epic Games Store exclusive. PC requirements have been revealed, and while one of them is a mandatory Epic Games account, Control will arrive on Steam in Summer 2020.Info from Gamespot.com

Prolific action stars Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger will stand side-by-side on the big screen. Though the two are attached, this isn't a Rush Hour-Terminator crossover. Instead, The Mystery of the Dragon Seal: Journey to China is a fantasy movie that finally, after a few hiccups, has a release date--but only in China and Russia for now.The Hollywood Reporter confirms the movie is headed to both China and Russia on August 16. While it wrapped up production in 2017 and sat in postproduction hell for a couple of years, Journey to China will finally make its way to theatres. Unfortunately, there's no confirmation on when or if the fantasy movie will debut in other regions.According to the THR story, Journey to China will feature "wizards, princesses, martial arts masters, and 'the king of all dragons,'" with Chan and Schwarzenegger playing a master wizard and an imposing sea captain, respectively. The movie also stars Charles Dance (Ghostbusters), Christopher Fairbank (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1), Igor Jijikine (Forbidden Empire), and Martin Klebba (Jurassic World). Blade Runner star Rutger Hauer, who recently passed away, also appears in the movie.Directed by Russian filmmaker Oleg Stepchenko, Journey to China is a sequel to his 2014 movie Forbidden Empire, a loose adaptation of a horror novella by a Russian writer named Nikolai Gogol. Journey to China sees British actor Jason Flemyng (X-Men: First Class) tasked with mapping the Russian Far East. Flemyng, who starred in Forbidden Empire, reprises his role as an 18th-century English explorer who travels east and encounters a plethora of dark mysteries along the way.Info from Gamespot.com

The MCU likes to play fast and loose with its villains. From total reinventions to visual overhauls, the last ten years have been a testing ground for Marvel Studios to really push their source material to its absolute limits--and sometimes far beyond--in service of making a compelling film that stands alone for fans who haven't buried themselves in the last six decades of published comics history. Most of the time, that works perfectly fine--Marvels' reinventions have given us some truly fascinating bad guy takes, from Hela, recreated to be Thor's long lost sister, to Vulture, pivoted from hand-wringing evildoer to complicated, down on his luck father.Other times, the major changes can leave something to be desired. This was, unfortunately, the case with Captain America: Civil War's Helmut Zemo--expertly played by Daniel Brühl, but almost entirely unrecognizable when stood next to his comic book counterpart. Live-action Zemo was a vengeful Sokovian soldier whose vendetta was less specific to any one Avenger personally, and more just a scattershot across the entire superhero community. He worked in the story, sure, but in terms of memorable onscreen villains, he didn't really register, especially not in the shadow of the movie's real conflict, the knock-down-drag-out brawl between Captain America and Iron Man.But luckily, as we learned through the news out of San Diego Comic-Con and the new Disney+ streaming service are giving us a second pass at Zemo complete with a new look, care of the Falcon & The Winter Soldier miniseries, which means we might actually get to see a live-action translation of one of the greatest hero-villain rivalries in comics history.The Real Zemo StoryLike oh so many parts of the Captain America pantheon, Zemo's story actually begins back in World War II--sort of, at least. The Zemo family was an invention of the 1960s, swooping into the mix after Steve Rogers had been revived for the modern Marvel era, but the introduction included a little fancy footwork to retroactively place them throughout history. Heinrich Zemo, Helmut's father, was eventually revealed to be one of Cap's greatest foes throughout the war, and the villain responsible for the exploding plane trap that killed Bucky Barnes and sent Steve Rogers into the Atlantic ocean where he was frozen for years.Once he was revived, Steve didn't take too kindly to the fact that Heinrich had killed his sidekick, and he set out for revenge. During a confrontation, Heinrich fired a laser gun which Steve deflected with his shield, hitting the terrain behind Heinrich and triggering an avalanche which killed him. This was the late '60s and the whole "no killing" rule for superheroes hadn't really set in yet, so Steve was mostly just excited about this development, believing justice to have finally been served.Fast forward several years for the surprise reveal that Heinrich had a son, Helmut, who popped up to blame Captain America for the death of his father, and you've got a recipe for a serious grudge match.For years, that was essentially the most important thing to know about Helmut. He blamed Captain America for his father's death and he'd do basically anything to try and get his revenge--even if it ultimately meant driving himself more and more insane. Through the years, Zemo ping-ponged around from raving lunatic to begrudging anti-hero and leader of "reformed" villain teams like the Thunderbolts--but, regardless of where he fell on the morality spectrum, he never really rose past b- or c-list side character.At least, until Bucky Barnes came back.The rivalry to end all rivalriesBucky Barnes' surprise resurrection as The Winter Soldier was not something fans saw coming. In fact, there used to be a cliche shared among readers that the only permanent superhero deaths were Jason Todd, Bucky Barnes, and Uncle Ben.Obviously, only one of those things is still true today--but the sentiment was very much still alive when Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting launched into their early 2000s story arc revolving around the surprise reveal that not only had Bucky Barnes survived the plane explosion trap set by Heinrich Zemo back in the '40s, he'd been brainwashed and used by the Soviet spy cell known as The Red Room for the past six-odd decades as an assassin.Naturally, this revelation had a pretty major effect on Steve, but it also wound up getting back to poor Helmut, who, as a traditionally less-than-stable chaotic element in the Marvel Universe, did not handle the news very well. Unlike the MCU's version of events, Steve was killed shortly after the Winter Soldier revelation, leaving a magically recovered Bucky (all his memories were returned thanks to Steve wishing on the Tesseract--don't worry too much about it) to take over as Captain America in the meantime.At first, this was a relatively secret development--no one really know Bucky Barnes had come back from the dead, and even fewer knew that he had picked up the shield--but the villains were the first to key into the fact that something was definitely strange. You know, like when they suddenly found themselves fighting a Captain America who had no qualms about stabbing them with trench knives.When word got to Zemo, things took a sharp turn for his mental state. All those feelings about his father's legacy and death at the hands of Steve Rogers all those years ago came roaring back with newly honed focus. Bucky Barnes was alive. Heinrich's death trap had been a failure. The Zemo legacy had been tarnished. But what's more, there was the fact that Bucky Barnes had been forgiven by his teammates and friends, despite his actions as the brainwashed Winter Soldier. He was embraced by the superhero community and the public, something that Helmut himself had never accomplished despite his years of on-again-off-again anti-heroism and team leadership.This combination of major revelations was enough to drive Zemo right off the edge with his crosshairs firmly trained on Bucky; the spark in the powder keg of one of Marvel's greatest and most under-appreciated grudge matches.Blood feudsZemo took a new approach when he set out to ruin Bucky Barnes. There were no big villain monologues or threats of world destruction. Instead, he opted for the personal route--he didn't need Bucky dead, at least not yet; he needed him thoroughly destroyed in every way that could matter. This process involved a months-long conspiracy where Zemo strategically gaslit, mind-controlled, or otherwise manipulated Bucky into dangerous public situations while strategically leaking sealed documents that linked Bucky back to the Winter Soldier's crimes.Public opinion of the new Captain America took an almost immediate turn for the worst. While Zemo himself continued to physically and mentally torture Bucky--even forcing him to re-live his own death in real-time--the US government began moving to try the Winter Soldier for war crimes and treason, of which he was found guilty and sent to Russia to be imprisoned in a gulag--at least, for a little while. There was a whole Fight Club situation involving genetically modified bears and a murderer's row of vintage villains. It was awesome. But naturally, it was also temporary.Zemo and Bucky's burning resentment, however, was anything but.In recent years, their hatred for one another has manifested in a few unusual ways. For a time, Bucky took over as leader of the Thunderbolts, a team that Zemo himself used to command (unsurprisingly, Zemo wasn't too enthusiastic about this sudden change in management). Around the same time, Steve Rogers' history was cosmically re-written (after he was resurrected, of course) to the point where he believed that he and Helmut, rather than he and Bucky, had been friends and partners through the 1940s. This gave Helmut yet another opportunity to really stick it to Bucky and force him to go through the whole plane-death-trap scenario yet again--you know, just for good measure. The whole plan really revolved around hitting Bucky as close to home as possible, because world domination and evil plans are completely secondary to Zemo's burning need to just completely screw this guy over as hard as possible.That's really biggest and most important takeaway from Bucky and Helmut's constant conflicts: They're always deeply, deeply personal. These are two characters who hate each other not because of their ideals or their respective moral codes--there's no real "I'm right and you're wrong" hero/villain back-and-forth, and they don't have a Batman-and-the-Joker "we're two sides of the same coin" thing going on. They just hate each other.And with any luck, we'll finally start to see that hatred start to come to the surface in the Disney+ TV show. After all, not only is Zemo getting a more comics-inspired look, he has plenty of reason following Civil War to resent everything Bucky stands for. After all, Zemo's grand plan to dismantle the Avengers not only failed, it brought his ace-in-the-hole, the brainwashed assassin, even further into the fold. Info from Gamespot.com

The classic novel series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is reportedly being adapted into a series for Hulu. THR reports that the series will be headed up by Carlton Cuse (Lost, Jack Ryan) and Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman). The two will write and executive produce the project.The show is said to be under the umbrella of ABC Signature, the ABC division that focuses on streaming shows. Disney is also the majority owner of Hulu, and owns the rights to Hitchhiker's Guide. Cuse has an overall deal with ABC as well.The HGTTG series of novels from Douglas Adams follows Arthur Dent, a down-on-his-luck British man who goes on a space-hopping adventure after Earth is destroyed to make space for an intergalactic highway. The series is known for its dry wit, with equal parts satirical and absurdist humor. It was previously adapted into a movie in 2005 starring Martin Freeman, Mos Def, and Zooey Deschanel.Hulu has gained critical attention in recent years for The Handmaid's Tale. While Disney is the majority owner, it offers a mix of original programming and selections from network and cable TV. Disney's own streaming service, Disney+, is scheduled to launch this fall for $7 per month.Info from Gamespot.com

The Xbox One's Home will get a new look for those enrolled in Microsoft's Xbox Insiders program. A new console update, available today for those Alpha Skip Ahead Xbox Insiders, will introduce "a streamlined user interface" as well as "further [evolutions]" to voice commands.An Xbox Wire post reports that the new update will "[deliver] a faster Home experience" and "[evolves] Xbox voice commands to improve the voice experience." Both features aren't available to all Xbox Insiders, with the new Home rolling out to the Alpha and Alpha Skip Ahead ring and the voice commands heading to the Alpha Skip Ahead ring. Those not enrolled in Xbox Insiders will have to wait, as there's no confirmation on when the changes will be made public for everyone.A Streamlined HomeThe new Home will "deliver an easy and seamless experience for you to navigate your console," Xbox Wire writes. The goal here is to get you into your video games faster and keep your content at the front of the Home experience. The new experimental Home design, below, removes the scrolling options from the top for things like Community, Mixer, and Store for dedicated buttons underneath the selected piece of content on the left side of the screen. Things have also been shifted around a little and the tilesets look a little larger than the system's current Home design.The experimental Home design will be available this week to Xbox Insiders part of the Alpha and Alpha Skip Ahead rings.Evolving Voice CommandsVoice commands are also changing, with the objective being to "further [evolve] commands on Xbox and [move] away from on-console experiences to cloud-based assistant experiences," according to Xbox Wire. This means Cortana will be inaccessible via headset, instead shifting to "the Xbox Skill for Cortana via the Cortana app on iOS, Android, and Windows or Harmon Kardon Invoke speaker." However, Cortana is still reachable via Alexa-enabled devices. Due to the changes in voice commands, this console update will disable the virtual keyboard's dictation on the system, but Microsoft will share what alternative solutions are in development in the near future.Similar to the experimental Home design, these new voice command changes will arrive this week and are available to the Alpha Skip Ahead ring. Xbox Wire notes that the new voice commands will "fully rollout to all users this fall," but it's unclear if that means the Alpha ring or all of the Xbox Insiders. Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has increased the number of levels you can share online in Super Mario Maker 2. Since the game launched last month, players have only been able to upload a maximum of 32 courses to the online Course World hub, but that limit has now been doubled, and it appears it'll go up again with a future update.According to an in-game notification, Nintendo plans to increase the course-upload limit one more time in the future. The company hasn't announced when the limit will be bumped up again or what the new limit will be, but in the meantime, players can now upload a maximum of 64 courses. As before, however, you'll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription in order to upload your levels and play those created by other players.In addition to the course-limit increase, Nintendo has shared the Course ID for a new level created by the Mario Maker 2 development team. This course revolves around the Superball Flower, an obscure power-up from Super Mario Land that can be unlocked as a course part in Mario Maker 2 when you clear the game's Story mode. You can see the Course ID as well as a clip of the level in the tweet below.The maximum number of courses that you can upload in #SuperMarioMaker2 has been increased from 32 to 64 courses! We plan to raise this limit again in the future, so stay tuned. The development team has also created a special course, featuring Super Ball Mario!24Y-BMK-5JG pic.twitter.com/bJ8pl5qbDq — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) July 24, 2019We know of at least one more update still on the way for Super Mario Maker 2. During E3 2019, Nintendo confirmed it is working on an update that will allow players to play online Versus and Co-Op matches with friends. Presently, the game only allows players to play those modes online with strangers. Nintendo hasn't announced when this update is expected to go live.Super Mario Maker 2 is available exclusively for Nintendo Switch. The game received a lot of praise from critics, including GameSpot. In our Super Mario Maker 2 review, GameSpot's Peter Brown wrote, "Whether exploring the full potential of a single element or throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, I've got the itch to join the creator's club. Mario Maker 2 makes the learning process intuitive and enjoyable. Most importantly, it's enabled designers amateur and professional alike to share their creativity with the world."Info from Gamespot.com

If you're a fan of id Software games like Doom, Quake, or Rage, you're probably aware that QuakeCon 2019 is about to kick off this week. The four-day convention, which will take place July 25-28 in Dallas, is one of the longest-running bring-your-own-computer gaming events in the world, drawing thousands of gamers every year to attend panels, compete in tournaments, and demo upcoming releases.Naturally, the star of the show this year is Doom Eternal, which releases November 22, and attendees will get a first-hand look at the upcoming FPS and highly anticipated sequel to Doom (2016). But while the event's 2019 tagline is "The Year of Doom," there are plenty more games involved with QuakeCon than some people may realize. And for the vast majority of gamers who won't be at the convention in Dallas this week, there are great deals to be had as retailers celebrate QuakeCon with huge sales on PS4, Xbox One, and PC games.The QuakeCon sales this week expand to multiple Bethesda franchises, like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, and Dishonored, with deals at various retailers like GameStop, Steam, and Fanatical as well as the PlayStation and Xbox stores. Notably, Rage 2 is down to $40 on Xbox One and PS4 ($27 on PC), and Doom Eternal is only $51.59 to pre-order on PC at Fanatical. Plus, Fallout 76 is only $15 at Amazon for both PS4 and Xbox One, and Prime members receive $15 back in reward credit afterward, essentially making the purchase free. The Amazon Prime deal ends after this Friday, July 26.See more of the best QuakeCon game deals to take advantage of below!PS4Dishonored 2 and Prey bundle -- $20 ($30)Dishonored: The Complete Collection (digital) -- $48 ($40 with PS Plus) ($80)Doom (2016) (digital) -- $17 ($15 with PS Plus) ($20)Doom Eternal (pre-order) -- $49.94 ($60)The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition -- $20 ($40)The Evil Within (digital) -- $12 ($10 with PS Plus) ($20)The Evil Within 2 -- $20 ($40)Fallout 4 (digital) -- $18 ($15 with PS Plus) ($30)Fallout 4 - Game of the Year Edition -- $25 ($60)Fallout 76 -- $15 (with $15 reward credit for Prime members) ($60)Fallout 76 - Tricentennial Edition -- $40 ($80)Prey -- $18 ($15 with PS Plus) ($30)Rage 2 -- $40 ($60)Rage 2 - Deluxe Edition (digital) -- $60 ($52 with PS Plus) ($80)Rage 2 - Wingstick Edition (Only at GameStop) -- $40 ($60)Wolfenstein: The New Order (digital) -- $12 ($10 with PS Plus) ($20)Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus -- $20 ($40)Wolfenstein: The Two-Pack (digital) -- $18 ($15 with PS Plus) ($30)Wolfenstein: Youngblood - Deluxe Edition -- $32.84 ($40)Xbox OneDishonored 2 and Prey bundle -- $20 ($30)Doom (2016) (digital) -- $15 ($20)Doom Eternal (pre-order) -- $49.94 ($60)Doom + Wolfenstein II bundle (digital) -- $40 ($80)The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition -- $20 ($40)The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr (digital) -- $39 ($60)The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr Collector's Edition (digital) -- $52 ($80)The Evil Within 2 -- $20 ($40)Fallout 4 - Game of the Year Edition -- $25 ($60)Fallout 76 -- $15 (with $15 reward credit for Prime members) ($60)Fallout 76 - Tricentennial Edition -- $40 ($80)Rage 2 -- $40 ($60)Rage 2 - Wingstick Edition (Only at GameStop) -- $40 ($60)Wolfenstein: The New Order (digital) -- $10 ($20)Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus -- $20 ($40)Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - Digital Deluxe Edition -- $40 ($80)Wolfenstein: The Two-Pack (digital) -- $15 ($30)Wolfenstein: Youngblood - Deluxe Edition -- $32.84 ($40)PCDishonored 2 -- $7.59 ($40)Dishonored - Complete Collection -- $24 ($80)Doom (2016) -- $6.59 ($20)Doom Classic Complete -- $4.94 ($15)Doom Eternal (pre-order) -- $49.94 ($60)The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition -- $12.39 ($40)The Elder Scrolls - Essentials Pack -- $21 ($74.97)The Elder Scrolls Online: Elsweyr - Digital Collector's Edition -- $48 ($80)The Evil Within 2 -- $13.79 ($60)Fallout bundle -- $15.49 ($59.97)Fallout 4 - Game of the Year Edition -- $13.79 ($60) - limited-time Star DealPrey -- $5.69 ($30)Quake Collection -- $7.49 ($51.92)Rage 2 -- $27 ($60)*Rage 2 - Deluxe Edition -- $36 ($80)Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - Digital Deluxe Edition -- $24.79 ($80)Wolfenstein: Youngblood - Deluxe Edition -- $33.19 ($40)**PC key is redeemable at Bethesda, not SteamInfo from Gamespot.com

When HBO's take on the celebrated comic book Watchmen premieres in October, it may not be what fans of the Alan Moore story are expecting. While it's already known that the series is set after the events of the comic, executive producer and writer Damon Lindelof admitted at the TCA press tour that there might be some fans that don't recognize the world on display."Whether or not the show feels like it's Watchmen is in the eye of the beholder," he said. Still, Lindelof made sure to note that the events of Watchmen's 12-issues are canon in the story. "We re-explore the past, but it's canon," he explained. "One of the rules we had as storytellers and writers was that everything that happened in those 12 issues could not be messed with."So what is there to say about the world of HBO's Watchmen without spoiling? While most plot details remain under wraps, Lindelof said the show is set in 2019, in a world that's a mix of actual and alternate history. In the series, people don't have the internet and smartphones were banned by President Robert Redford--yes, the actor.It was teased in the comics that Redford could potentially run for president in the future, and in the show, it's something that actually happened. "Robert Redford is the president of the United States and has been since the early '90s when they abolished term limits," Lindelof teased.The central conflict, based on what Lindelof had to say, seems to be between police and what looks to be a white supremacist group that has appropriated the words and mask of Rorschach, using them to rise up against the government. It's not immediately clear who the villains or heroes are, which is intentional."If you're asking are the police presented in a heroic light, are they the heroes of the story, after just seeing the first episode, I'd say the answer is no," Lindelof said.Ultimately, whether or not this continuation of the Watchmen story lines up with what fans expect from this universe, it's coming from someone who treasures the comics. "All I can say is I love the source material," he promised.Watchmen premieres on HBO in October.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite isn't the only battle royale game on the cusp of a new season. PUBG Corp. has rolled out PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' Season 4 update on PC, introducing some big changes to the shooter, including a revamp of its original map, a new Survivor Pass with an assortment of new missions to complete and rewards to unlock, and more.The biggest changes come to the aforementioned map, Erangel, which has received a major visual overhaul. PUBG Corp. says it has "improved the graphical quality of Erangel's various areas and terrains across the board," ranging from improved textures to updated terrain. According to the developer:"We've updated existing terrain, signage, and buildings and have added a small number of buildings to some areas as well. To better illustrate Erangel's history, terrain elements have been added or revised. Trenches, blast marks, camo nets, and abandoned tanks have been added across different areas of the map."Additionally, PUBG's Season 4 Survivor Pass, dubbed Aftermath, is now available. The pass can be purchased on Steam for $10 USD and grants holders access to a variety of seasonal, premium, and weekly missions to complete, which will level the pass up and unlock an assortment of new cosmetics and other rewards, such as emotes, clothing items, and weapon skins.The Season 4 Survivor Pass also introduces a new cooperative mission system. Much like Fortnite's Party Assist feature, this allows players to team up with friends and contribute to a mission's progress. New weekly missions will go live every Wednesday throughout the season. The Season 4 Survivor Pass will be active until October 15.In addition to those changes, the Season 4 update also makes balance adjustments to many weapons and vehicles. You can find the full patch notes for the update on the PUBG website. PUBG Corp. says Season 4 will also be coming to the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game this summer, although no exact date has been announced just yet.Info from Gamespot.com

The X-Men have a bit of a reputation for being, well--complicated is probably putting it lightly. Divisive may be a better buzz word. There's a tendency in fan circles for people to fall into one of two categories: The kind whose eyes light up at the mere mention of a mutant and the kind who instantaneously go gaunt and fearful the moment they realize they're about to have to engage in an X-Men related conversation. This reputation is certainly well earned--X-Men live-action films pre-date the MCU, their cartoon series is second only to Batman: The Animated Series in terms of Saturday morning nostalgia bombs, and the team's most famous members are more readily recognized and understood by the general population than most of the Avengers.It's just that their comics are also notoriously insurmountable, their stories are the absolute epitome of everything that makes superhero comics seem absurd, and their continuity seems to be in an almost permanent state of flux. Trying to figure out just how and where to engage with X-Men stories can feel like the worst kind of homework, where well-meaning fans will spout off list upon list of classic stories that are required reading, and then follow them up with list upon list of caveats to explain which parts need to be remembered, which parts should be cherry-picked and forgotten, when the dead characters come back, where the time travel kicks in, how Cyclops is the worst, how Cyclops is the best, how Jean Grey's powers are changed and then changed again--and so on, and so on.The past several years of Marvel comics publication haven't really helped the problem. The X-Men status quo has been up in the air, split between multiple color-coded team books with key players like Charles Xavier tabled, time-travel plots bringing duplicate past versions of characters like Jean Grey and Bobby Drake to the present, and mutantkind itself being all but wiped out because of an Inhuman disaster that may or may not have been thanks to some behind-the-scenes movie rights conflicts between Fox and Disney. Thankfully those days are behind us.It wasn't that the stories themselves were bad, per se, but trying to find somewhere to start that didn't leave you feeling like you'd missed a few seasons was all but impossible--especially if you were someone who really just wanted to read a story about your favorite big-screen X-Men without needing to graduate from a college-level course in X-Men history to understand it.But thankfully, there is a light at the end of that particular tunnel, and it's coming from an unexpected quarter. Legendary writer Jonathan Hickman, whose work on Avengers provided a ton of the groundwork that went on to inform movies like Avengers: Infinity War, has teamed up with artist Pepe Larraz for an X-Men reboot like no other--one that is intended to completely overhaul the way X-Men stories work for the foreseeable future, and provide the perfect gateway for anyone and everyone to finally start reading X-Men comics.The plan is relatively simple. Hickman and Larraz are kicking off their effort with two dueling mini-series called House of X and Powers of X with alternate release schedules. House of X #1 hit shelves today while Powers of X #1 will hit shelves next Wednesday, and so on. Then, in the conclusion of each mini-series, a "new era" of X-Men stories will begin in earnest with new ongoing X-Men titles kicking off for monthly consumption, picking up threads laid in HoX and PoX to move the ball forward.So, in theory, everything you could need to know about the future of mutants in the Marvel universe is contained in these two mini-series, and should you choose to engage, the next twelve weeks will become your one-stop crash course in X-Men.Senior editor in charge of X-Men comics, Jordan D. White, spoke with GameSpot at this year's San Diego Comic-Con about what, exactly, HoX and PoX are setting out to do. "House of X is the story of the most eventful month in the history of the X-Men, where the big, huge changes are happening in the present," White said. "It has to do with Xavier's master plan--[which] we haven't heard about until now...Whereas Powers of X is the story of the past, present, and future of mutantkind, all connecting to that master plan. So the two stories really, really are two halves of the same whole. They weave together."Though they're definitely accessible for people who have never picked up an X-Men comic before, White also assured us that they won't be holding anything back. Anyone who's read a Hickman comic, or just sat through Infinity War, would know enough about his style to expect a little bit of mind-bending--but don't let that put you off."If you feel overwhelmed, the people who know a lot feel overwhelmed too," White laughed. "Let me say that. Jonathan likes to throw big ideas out there. If you were reading Avengers for 50 years before he wrote Avengers, you still were going, 'Whoa!' And that's the same with X-Men. So I think everybody is going to be on the same level playing field. You're going to go in, your mind's going to be blown, but you're going to be ready for it."White continued, "[The point of these stories is to] reaffirm what is great about the X-Men while making people see them in a new way. It repositions them. I mean, Jonathan's very big on that. [He understands that] you definitely need to be connected to what came before. You need to give people that feeling that this is all one piece. But at the same time, if you're not doing something new, you're not doing your job. Ideally, in a year, you will be reading a completely different kind of X-Men stories than you've ever read."If you've picked up House of X #1 today and are feeling particularly amped--don't worry. White was also kind enough to give us a list of his favorite classic X-stories for new readers. These aren't essential to understanding the new stories, of course, but if you're hungry for some mutants and the week-long wait between issues feels like too much, these are for you.Astonishing X-Men vol. 1: GiftedNew X-Men vol. 1: E is for ExtinctionDays of Future PastX-Men: The Dark Phoenix SagaX-Men SchismHouse of X #2 hits shelves on August 7, while Powers of X #1 arrives next week on July 31. Info from Gamespot.com

For a long time now, Guardians of the Galaxy actor Dave Bautista has made it known that he wants to play Marcus Fenix in the upcoming Gears of War movie. The actor has now commented on how that campaign is going; it's not looking good.Bautista said on Twitter that Hollywood is "listening" to his campaign to play Fenix, but "they could give [a f**k]!" he said. "Believe me when I say I've tried everything to make this happen," he said.They’re listening. And they could give AF! 🙄.. but thank you for the support. Believe me when I say I’ve tried everything to make this happen. https://t.co/8THxKLkbdV — Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) July 23, 2019In June, Gears of War boss Rod Fergusson said he agrees that Bautista "would be awesome" in the role of Marcus Fenix. However, he said he wields no power over casting decisions. Not only that, but there are no plot details available yet for the movie, so it's not even confirmed that Fenix will be in it.Whatever the case, Fergusson said it's exciting that someone of Bautista's caliber is interested in being in the Gears of War movie. Fergusson went on to say that the movie's producers have told him that actors have reached out seeking roles in the movie. He teased that people you wouldn't necessarily think about have inquired about roles.The Gears of War movie has been in various stages of development for 12 years already. The Lord of the Rings studio New Line Cinema purchased the rights to make a movie based on the game originally back in 2007, but in October 2016, Microsoft confirmed that the Gears of War movie was in the works with Universal Pictures.The Gears of War movie has gone through multiple writers. In June, Fergusson confirmed that a new draft is currently being written, though he didn't say who the writer is. F. Scott Frazier (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) was hired to write a draft of the script in November 2018.No director has been announced for the movie. The late Tony Scott, who directed Top Gun and Man On Fire, reportedly wanted to direct the Gears of War movie.The next Gears of War game is Gears 5, which releases in September for Xbox One and PC. The game's first multiplayer tech test was held over the weekend, and the second one kicks off on July 26. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more. Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft is launching a new streaming service, currently codenamed xCloud, in public trials this October. The company has now shown off more of how it works and talked about the service at a high level. xCloud, or whatever name Microsoft ends up giving it, allows you to stream high-end games to your phone or presumably a variety of other internet-connected devices.The games themselves run from datacenters that Microsoft operates around the world. In a new Fortune video, Xbox streaming boss Kareem Choudhry showed off the actual guts of the server rack that powers xCloud games. The core innards of eight Xbox One S consoles are fit into a 2U rack unit that was specifically designed for a data center.The racks are physically located in 13 regions around the world, Choudhry said. You can see it for yourself in the video below, beginning at around 1:45.It's not the flashiest of reveals, but it's neat to see the guts of how something as broad and ambitious and technically demanding as xCloud operates in a way you can see with your eyes.Also in the video, Xbox boss Phil Spencer talks about how Microsoft does not expect cloud gaming to really take off anytime soon. Instead, the version of xCloud launching this year in public trials is seemingly being positioned as a foundation on which to build the program over the years. Spencer specifically said the groundwork being laid today will support xCloud for a decade to come.He also talked about Microsoft's ambition for game-streaming to reach more people around the world over time than traditional gaming has been able to thus far. The thinking is that by removing the need to buy a console, Microsoft can reach a much larger population of gamers. As Microsoft has said time and again, consoles aren't big-time money-makers--it's software and services that bring home the bacon. With xCloud, seemingly every phone in the world is a potential Xbox Live subscriber, and that could become an incredibly lucrative opportunity for Microsoft if it pans out.That being said, Microsoft continues to develop traditional consoles and it will for a long time to come. Microsoft's efforts into streaming are meant to complement the traditional console-based experience, not replace it. For Microsoft, it is all about giving people an option of how they want to play. Microsoft's next home console, Project Scarlett, launches in Holiday 2020.xCloud's public trial launch in October is just ahead of when Google's own streaming service, Stadia, is pegged to debut in November. Info from Gamespot.com