At Google's GDC 2019 keynote, company VP Phil Harrison revealed a new cloud gaming streaming service called Stadia. During the presentation, Harrison also unveiled a new controller specifically designed for Stadia. The floor model that's currently being displayed at the show, as confirmed by GameSpot' sister site CNET, has the Konami code engraved on it. You can see the engraving in the tweet below.According to Polygon, you can go to Stadia's website and actually input the Konami code with your computer keyboard to find a cool Easter egg: a 3D model of the new controller. You can spin the controller around on your screen in order to get a better idea as to how it's shaped. For those who don't know, the full Konami code is up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, start. You only need to input the first 10 keys, however, to see the controller model on Stadia's website.Yes, Google did put the Konami code on the back of the #Stadia controller. #GDC19 https://t.co/wbMcyQPBqi pic.twitter.com/86un28ZLKI — CNET (@CNET) March 19, 2019The Konami code engraving isn't the only unique aspect of Stadia's controller. It also comes with a share button that allows you to upload footage straight to your YouTube channel. Another button allows you to ask Google Assistant a question at anytime. Stadia's controller links to the platform via Wi-Fi as well.During the Google keynote, the company described Stadia as a platform meant to unify players, spectators, and developers. So, for example, you'll be able to watch a YouTube trailer for a game and then, if you want, just start playing said title via cloud streaming within a few seconds. Stadia will feature cross-platform support as well, allowing you to play with others regardless of system. As Stadia will support cloud saves for game state and save files, it should have cross-platform progression for specific games as well.At launch, Stadia will stream games up to 4K HDR at 60 FPS, and Google has scheduled plans to increase that threshold to 8K resolution. Stadia is scheduled to release sometime this year and will be supported across several platforms, including desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets, and phones. In an interview with GameSpot, Ubisoft chief executive officer Yves Guillemot said that Stadia should be viewed as a platform that exists alongside consoles and PCs, and not a replacement. For now, anyway.You can read up on how cloud gaming works if you have additional questions about it, and also see which companies are making the largest strides and investing the most time and resources behind it. We've collected all of the Google gaming news announced during the GDC keynote too--including the reveal that Doom Eternal will release on Stadia. We've captured gameplay of Doom Eternal on Stadia as well if you want to know what it looks like.Info from Gamespot.com

The NPD Group has released its US sales report for February, revealing the best-selling hardware and software for the month and providing an overall health update on the industry.Starting with game sales, BioWare's Anthem was the best-selling title of the month, beating out other new releases like Jump Force, Far Cry New Dawn, and Metro Exodus.Anthem enjoyed the second highest launch-month sales in BioWare's history, only behind 2012's Mass Effect 3. It is now 2019's second best-selling game, trailing only Kingdom Hearts III. One caveat to mention with Anthem is that PC digital sales are not included. Publisher Electronic Arts has not shared any hard sales data for Anthem.Also notable on the software side is that Metro Exodus debuted at No. 8; it was outsold by a number of 2018 games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Red Dead Redemption II. Still, Exodus' first-month sales were the highest in franchise history, eclipsing the first-month sales of Metro: Last Light by almost 50 percent, according to the NPD. As with Anthem, PC digital sales for Metro Exodus are not included.In total, February software spending in the US across console, portable, and PC games reached $457 million, which is up 15 percent. Year-to-date, spending stands at $896 million, and that's up 10 percent compared to last year.You can see the best-seller charts for February 2019 at the bottom of this post.Moving to hardware, the Nintendo Switch was February's best-selling platform. It is also the highest-selling system of 2019. Also notable is that Nintendo posted its highest February month for hardware sales since February 2011. Across all platforms, hardware spending dropped 12 percent year-over-year to $277 million.February 2019 US SalesTop 20 Games All PlatformsAnthem^Jump ForceKingdom Hearts IIIFar Cry New DawnRed Dead Redemption IIResident Evil 2Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*Metro: Exodus^NBA 2K19Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*Mario Kart 8*Grand Theft Auto VAssassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*Minecraft#Super Mario Party*Rainbow Six SiegeMadden NFL 19^Spider-Man2019 Year-To-Date Top 10 GamesKingdom Hearts IIIAnthem^Resident Evil 2Jump ForceRed Dead Redemption IISuper Smash Bros. Ultimate*Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*NBA 2K19Ace Combat 7: Skies UnknownAll Platforms 12 Months Ending February 2019Red Dead Redemption IICall of Duty: Black Ops 4^NBA 2K19Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*Madden NFL 19^Spider-ManFar Cry 5God of WarAssassin's Creed: OdysseyMario Kart 8*February 2019 Xbox OneAnthemJump ForceFar Cry New DawnRed Dead Redemption IIKingdom Hearts IIICall of Duty: Black Ops 4NBA 2K19Resident Evil 2Metro: ExodusGrand Theft Auto VFebruary 2019 PS4AnthemJump ForceKingdom Hearts IIIRed Dead Redemption IIResident Evil 2Metro: ExodusFar Cry New DawnNBA 2K19Call of Duty: Black Ops 4Spider-ManFebruary 2019 Nintendo SwitchSuper Smash Bros. UltimateNew Super Mario Bros. U DeluxeMario Kart 8The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildSuper Mario PartySuper Mario OdysseyPokemon: Let's Go PikachuPokemon: Let's Go EeveeSplatoon 2MinecraftFebruary 2019 3DSYo-Kai Watch 3Etrian Odyssey: NexusMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s JourneyPokemon: Ultra SunPokemon: Ultra MoonThe Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3DSuper Smash Bros. Super Mario MakerMario Kart 7Super Mario 3D Land* Digital sales not included^ PC digital sales not included# Minecraft digital sales on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One includedInfo from Gamespot.com

Halo developer 343 Industries held a Reddit AMA today where it answered a series of fans' burning questions about Halo: The Master Chief Collection's PC release and more. The studio talked about mod support on PC, dedicated servers, how you'll be able to buy each game on PC within the package, the possibility of bringing Halo 5 to The Master Chief Collection, and a lot more.You can read the full Reddit AMA here, while we've rounded up some of the more interesting subjects and answers in this post.Halo: The Master Chief Collection comes to PC through Steam and the Windows Store later . this year. As announced previously, games within the package will be released individually, beginning with Halo: Reach (which is also coming to Xbox One). The game was recently revealed to not be an Xbox Play Anywhere title.On The Master Chief Collection's PC Release Plans"Players can purchase each title one-by-one along the way or wait until the collection is complete at the end. We don't have any plans for a 'season pass' model." [Full quote]On The Specific Release Timing Of Each Game"Right now the priority is getting Halo: Reach ready for public flighting and work is underway almost in parallel for Halo: CE, which will be the second game. Ultimately we want to get these games into player's hands as soon as possible.""We're hesitant to commit to a firm time frame because the truth is they're ready when they're ready. Flighting will be critical to help us get these titles to a great place and depending on how that goes, it could lengthen or extend the release cadence. We'll definitely share more details as we start ramping up flighting." [Full quote]On Frame Rates, Controls, And 144hz"Current plan is to support 'uncapped FPS' in each title. But, as we move deeper into development on each title, we'll have to determine what's feasible within each game.""Delivering great KB+M controls is one of our top priorities. We are exploring different ways to make a balanced, fun experience for PC and will share more details in the future." [Full quote]"The goal is to support 144hz+ for all of the games in MCC, though as with things like FOV sliders and framerates, it could vary slightly by title." [Quote 2] On The Possibility Of Split-Screen On PC"This one is tricky and the team is still looking at what can be supported." [Full quote]On Mod Support For The Master Chief Collection On PC"We are working closely with the members of the modding community (including some friends on the ElDewrito team) to explore our options for 'official' mod support, but we won't have this at launch. Our #1 priority for launch is ensuring we get each of these core games 'right' for PC and security/anti-cheat is a big focus. As we've stated, this entire offering will grow and evolve over time." [Full quote]On Halo 5 Joining The Master Chief Collection"Our focus is bringing MCC and Reach to PC, there are no current plans to bring over Halo 5" [Full quote]On Dedicated Servers And Custom Game Browser"This is a topic of discussion here but currently this isn't something we're able to commit to in terms of actual community-hosted dedicated servers. A custom games browser is of course very important to us and something we're looking forward to bringing to MCC on PC and Xbox One." [Full quote]On PC Specs"Ultimately, flighting and the results of those tests will help finalize the min specs but we want to support the widest range of hardware possible. We'll definitely share spec details soon." [Full quote]Your Progress Moves Between Xbox One And PC Versions Of The Master Chief Collection"Within MCC, yes, your progress and progression will carry-over between the console and PC versions. All stats, achievements, Forged maps, and game variants will be shared between all of the games within MCC. Mid mission saves will be unique to each platform and cannot be shared.""Your Halo: Reach unlocks and progression from the original game on Xbox 360 will NOT carry over to MCC. And as a reminder, MCC on Steam will require a free Microsoft Account, but not Xbox Live Gold." [Full quote]Windows 8 May Not Be Supported"Currently our focus is on Win10 and Win7. Win8 is still being investigated." [Full quote]Forge And Theatre Won't Be Available When Reach Launches On PC"Forge and Theater for Reach won't be ready at the same time as the MP/Campaign/Firefight experiences on PC. From a development perspective, it makes more sense for the team to tackle Reach's Forge/Theater a little later in the roadmap at the same time as Halo 3 and Halo 4 work." [Full quote]ODST Firefight Not Planned For Release On PC"We know this is a longstanding request from players and is something the team will continue to evaluate for the future. For now, our focus is on bringing ODST's Campaign to MCC on PC. (and we'll of course have Reach Firefight coming to MCC!)" [Full quote]Info from Gamespot.com

The latest update for the ongoing Red Dead Online beta has arrived, and it adds a new free roam event. The event is a "Fishing Challenge," that, as its name suggests, challenges players to compete against others to catch as many fish as possible.As part of the challenge, players are tasked with racking up the most total weight for fish; and this has variations for water types: Lakes, Rivers, and Swamps.In addition to the new fishing challenge, Rockstar has introduced a number of new items to grab from the store, including the Gator Hat, Ortega Vest, Pelt Half Chaps, and Woodland Gloves. They are available for a limited time from Wheeler, Rawson, and Co. Finally, Rockstar is offering a 30 percent XP boost for hunting all animals, while players can also get a Fishing Care Package that comes with 5x Live Crickets, 1x River Lure, 1x Lake Lure and 1x Swamp Lure. The package is available from the Post office or loxkbox at camp.The new Gator Hat and moreRed Dead Online is the multiplayer component of Red Dead Redemption 2 that is available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is still in beta. Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch's new hero, Baptiste, is out now for everyone on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Baptiste had been available on Overwatch's PTR for a while now, but he's finally available for everyone on every platform. Like Overwatch's other post-release characters, he's free. Baptiste is Overwatch's 30th hero. A combat medic who serves as a support class in Blizzard's hero shooter, his primary weapon is the Biotic Launcher, which is a burst-fire rifle that fires three rounds at a time. His secondary fire heals allies.He is also capable of jumping extra high thanks to his powerful Exo Boots. Additionally, Baptiste wields an "Immortality Field" that creates a field that keeps his allies alive, while he also has an "Amplification Matrix" that doubles damage and healing effects.Check out the video in the embed above to see Baptiste in action.Info from Gamespot.com

Respawn has launched the latest update for Apex Legends, and it's a big one. This patch kicked off the game's first season, so it covers more than just the typical additions and tweaks--although those are a big part, with the much-anticipated hit box changes being implemented. The new update also adds both the Battle Pass and new character, Octane. Here's everything new and different in the patch notes.Respawn released the patch notes for the Season 1: Wild Frontier update on the Apex Legends subreddit, and they give a little more detail on a few things, like how long Octane's abilities last, and included a bunch of quality-of-live improvements that are now part of the game as well. Arguably the biggest is the hit box change, though. According to Respawn, the hit boxes for Gibraltar, Caustic, and Pathfinder have been changed "to better align with their shapes." These were announced previously, and the adjustment to character hit boxes should make big characters like Gibraltar, Caustic, and Pathfinder a lot more viable on the battlefield.Hit boxes are invisible shapes assigned to characters that register when they've been hit--if you shoot a character but your bullet lands outside their hit box (hitting, say, a hand or a piece of clothing), the hit doesn't count and the character takes no damage. Caustic and Gibraltar, being the biggest characters in Apex Legends, had the biggest hit boxes, but they were also apparently not quite in line with the character players see on screen. The same is true of the robot Pathfinder, whose hit box previously extended into places that didn't look like they should count as a hit, such as the space between his metal legs. The change should make all three characters a little tougher to hit, and therefore, more players will be likely to choose them going forward.The new update also throws in a number of bug fixes, like patching a spot in Gibraltar's shield that wasn't blocking bullets and fixing a problem in which Pathfinder's zip line wouldn't deploy if players used it while jumping. There are a bunch of other quality-of-life changes that should make playing the game a bit easier for some people, like the ability to swap the functions of the left and right bumpers on controllers.Another notable addition in this patch is the new ability to report people you suspect might be cheating. Players using hacks have been a problem for Apex on PC, and Respawn said in its patch notes it has banned just shy of 500,000 players for cheating. That's a pretty big number, but considering Respawn says 50 million people have downloaded the game, there might still be a long way to go in cleaning up the cheater problem.Finally, another aspect of note is improved crash reporting. PC crashes are still more commonplace than many would like, and this update aims to improve the way reports are generated. It also makes it easy for you to decide whether to share this report with Respawn and that there isn't any personal data being included when you do.You can read the full patch notes below. The update--and accompanying new content, include Octane skins--is now live on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.Apex Legends March 19 Update Patch NotesStability & PerformanceWe’ve got some fixes in this patch that will improve stability on PC but we know there are still issues out there we need to address. We also added crash reporting so we can better understand how to tackle the issues we haven’t solved yet and address future ones.Improved stability for various GPU configurations.Capped PC FPS to 300 to balance improving stability but still letting you folks enjoy those sweet frames.Addressed issue with PS4 crashes due to running out of memory.Introducing better reporting when Apex crashes on PC without error message. We really want to fix any crashes people happen to get on PC. We also respect our player’s privacy. So, if the PC game crashes, it will write "apex_crash.txt" to your "Documents" folder. This tiny file is plain text, so you can easily see for yourself that it has no personal information. If you choose to share this file with us, it will tell us whether the crash was in Apex or in third party software. If the crash was in Apex, our programmers can use the information to find and fix it. If you experience a crash, please include this file when you report. We protect your personal information.You can easily see everything in the file yourself; we have no secrets.You're in control of whether we ever see the file.Added Report a Player feature for cheating and abuse on PC. Players can now report cheaters they encounter in-game and it’ll be sent directly to Easy Anti-Cheat. You can do this from either the spectate view after dying or when looking at your team’s Banner Cards in the Squad tab.We have lots of other work going on behind the scenes and this remains high priority for us. We won’t be able to share many specifics of what we’re doing but we’ll strive to provide updates on progress for the things we can talk about.As I'm finishing the notes this morning, 499,937 accounts and counting have been banned for cheating.Speed hacking: We do currently have anti-speed hacking in Apex Legends, but it’s not being as effective as intended due to a bug that we believe we’ve identified and will be addressing in our next server update. Will provide ETA for it when I have it. Working to get it out ASAP.Added Report a Player for abuse on Consoles You can report players from the spectate view after dying or when looking at your team’s Banner Cards in the Squad tab.Optimized skydiving to improve overall server performance.Fixed bug where sometimes the client could crash when opening Apex Packs one right after the other.Quality Of LifeAdded "Swap LT/RT & LB/RB" / "Swap L1/R1 & L2/R2") toggle in the Controller Button Layout settings. Lets you quickly swap what your bumpers & triggers are set to, with any controller preset.Added "Sprint View Shake" setting under the Video tab. Setting this to "Minimal" can be especially helpful for players susceptible to motion sickness.Added "Trigger Deadzones" setting under the Controller tab. Customize how far you want to pull the triggers before they register.Added "Advanced Look Controls" settings submenu under the Controller tab. Fine-tune specific aspects of the look controls for a custom feel; such as Deadzone, Response Curve, Target Compensation (aim assist), and more.When you relinquish the Jumpmaster position to another player you will now hear your Legend’s VO line in addition to the new Jumpmaster. The third player won’t hear it though.Pathfinder grapple: updated iconPathfinder grapple: added indicator near crosshair to show when player is in range of grapple-able geoImproved mantling from a grapple point.Pathfinder can now grapple ziplines.We’ve added D-pad navigation as a convenience in most of the menus. Our hope is this will speed up browsing and improve accessibility.UI improvements to the KO Shield Shield bar drains to indicate the remaining health of the shield.When you have a Gold KO Shield and are down, we’ve added an effect to the label that reminds you that you can self revive.We saw that the Ring indicator that appears when players are viewing the whole map wasn’t accurately showing the player’s position so we fixed that.Character animations while taking damage now accurately reflect the direction the damage is coming from.Fixed a bug where occluded sounds would sometimes sound unoccluded.Patched up some issues with missing geo on Kings Canyon and fixed a few spots where players were getting stuck.Fixed a script error that could happen when removing attachments on holstered weapons.General polish to game UI fixing some grammar issues, improved navigation, and composition of elements.Fixed PC users constantly switching weapons while scrolling through items in a Death Box.Fixed issue where we were seeing server stability issues sometimes caused by purchasing items while matchmaking.Fixed script errors that could occur during the skydive.Reduced skybox fog.Adjusted the code for Supply Bins so they are less likely to kill players. If you do still get killed by one please let us know!Made it so push-to-talk is no longer on when a chat box is active.LT/RT no longer switches between players in spectator mode while the map is open.Updated the minimap to more accurately reflect the geo and points of interest on the main map.Adding sound FX to the UI for the key binding menu.Fixed issue where a player’s name would not show up when they send a message that reached the character limit.Fixed bug where sometimes the Champion screen resolution would be stretched in widescreen resolutions.Fixed audio bug where sometimes the zipline sounds FX would keep playing after disembarking.Added accessibility option to modify the subtitle size.Improvements / fixes for color blind players: Added better color blind support for Blood Hound’s Threat Vision.Colorblind colors per setting are now displayed in the settings menu.Colorblind settings moved from Video Settings to Gameplay->Accessibility. They are now applied on the fly.Enemy pings now use proper enemy color instead of only using red.Audio: Turned down volume when Wraith activates a portal.Turned down the end sounds on the Peacekeeper charged shot.Turned down the draw/holster sound slightly for thermite grenades.Legend Hit Box AdjustmentsAdjusted hit boxes for Gibraltar, Caustic, and Pathfinder to better align with their shapes.WeaponsFixed players being able to shortcut weapon swap by changing stanceFixed players being able to shortcut Peacekeeper rechamber sequenceFixed inaccurate auto ranging fullscreen (sniper) optics when base FOV is not set to defaultSpitfire: fixed ADS view on Legendaries partially obscured by custom geo. (The Continuum, The Heavy Construct)Fixed ADS view being blocked when using Caustic legendary skins with certain weapon/ optic combosDigital threat optics: threat highlights are now more visible (slightly brighter; no longer affected by TSAA)Fixed bug where Devotion audio sometimes wouldn’t accurately reflect rate of fire.Additional Bug FixesFixed rare issue where a player could get stuck on the drop ship and be invulnerable.Patched up the hole we found in Gibraltar’s shield.Fixed issue where Lifeline’s revive shield wouldn’t stay put while on a moving platform.Fixed issue where sometimes players would get stuck in map geometry while skydiving from the dropship or Jump Towers.Fixed bug where players could still shoot even after being downed.Fixed bug where occasionally Lifeline’s D.O.C. drone would stay connected to a player but not heal them.Limited the amount of Lifeline’s D.O.C. drones that can connect to a player to 2.Fixed Pathfinder’s zipline not deploying when jumping.Fixed a bug with the HUD where sometimes the Heal Bar would stay up if the heal was cancelled right after it was started.Fixed a bug where sometimes the audio would continue to play sound FX for the Knockdown Shield even after it’s been destroyed.Fixed issue where sometimes players could get disconnected when unplugging their controller during a game.Fixed the exploit where you could do infinite wallclimb using Pathfinder’s Grapple.Fixed bug where sometimes you couldn’t fire the Peacekeeper after riding a zip line.Fixed issue where sometimes the skybox fog would not appear while spectating after you died.Fixed bug where Banner Cards would show through walls occasionally when viewed through a very high FOV.Fixed some odd light flickering that was happening on the ballon flags attached to Jump Towers.Fixed bug where sometimes a player’s Banner Card would not show up after character select.Razer Chroma SupportApex Legends will now detect Razer Chroma peripherals and supported devices will now play animated colors that react to things you do in the game! Some examples:Red lights during banner transitions.While skydiving colors will tune to the color of your smoke trail.Picking up loot.Opening Apex PacksFiring and taking damage.Colors that flash when your Ultimate is ready.And more!Info from Gamespot.com

Disney's massive deal to buy the majority of Fox's assets and franchises--including The Simpsons, Family Guy, Deadpool, and X-Men--for around $71 billion is nearly completed. Fox and Disney announced in their own press releases that the acquisition is expected to become effective at 12:02 AM EST on March 20."This is an extraordinary and historic moment for us--one that will create significant long-term value for our company and our shareholders," Disney CEO Robert Iger said in a statement. "Combining Disney's and 21st Century Fox's wealth of creative content and proven talent creates the preeminent global entertainment company, well positioned to lead in an incredibly dynamic and transformative era."Disney said buying Fox's franchises will allow Disney to "provide more appealing high-quality content and entertainment options to meet growing consumer demand; increase its international footprint; and expand its direct-to-consumer offerings."Some of the "direct-to-consumer offerings" Disney has in the pipeline include ESPN+, and Disney+, along with its continued investment in Hulu.Here is a specific rundown of what Disney gets in its Fox acquisition:Twentieth Century FoxFox Searchlight PicturesFox 2000 PicturesFox FamilyFox AnimationTwentieth Century Fox TelevisionFX ProductionsFox21FX NetworksNational Geographic PartnersFox Networks Group InternationalStar IndiaFox's interests in Hulu, Tata Sky, and Endemol Shine GroupAfter the buyout, Fox will still live on, but in a more limited capacity. Fox is creating a spinoff unit that will continue to operate the Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Sports, and the Fox Televisions Stations Group, along with the cable networks FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes, and Big Ten Network.Even before the Fox buyout, Disney was primed for a massive 2019 with movies alone. The company already released Captain Marvel from its Marvel division, while Avengers: Endgame is coming next month. Some of Disney's other major film releases in 2019 include Dumbo, Aladdin, Lion King, Frozen 2, and Star Wars: Episode IX. Info from Gamespot.com

Following the new Once Upon A Time In Hollywood poster featuring Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio's characters, another one has come online for Margot Robbie's role.Robbie plays Sharon Tate, who was murdered by Charles Manson's followers in 1969. Check it out below.Hollywood. 1969. #OnceUponATimeInHollywood pic.twitter.com/8KKlH6jI65 — Margot Robbie (@MargotRobbie) March 19, 2019According to Deadline, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood tells a Pulp Fiction-style story that features intersecting stories set in Los Angeles during 1969. DiCaprio plays Rick Dalton, who is the struggling former star of a Western TV show, while Pitt plays his stunt double Cliff Booth. Rick's neighbour is Sharon Tate.In addition to DiCaprio, Pitt, and Robbie, the film features other huge names like Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, James Marsden, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Timothy Olyphant, Lena Dunham, Emile Hirsch, and Dakota Fanning. Bruce Dern came aboard the movie last year to play a part meant for Burt Reynolds who died in September 2018.Luke Perry filmed scenes for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood before his death in March.Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which is due in theatres on July 26, is Tarantino's ninth film, and it might be one of his final movies. In 2016 he said that he would quit directing after his tenth movie, but it remains to be the seen if this is still the case.According to IndieWire, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood may make its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival in May.Info from Gamespot.com

For those of us who already spend our entire waking life tethered to the internet, the concept of Hypnospace will seem like both the logical conclusion to our always-online existence and its literal nightmare scenario. Hypnospace, the titular technology of Hypnospace Outlaw, is a social network you can access while you sleep, thus solving the problem of its users failing to update their status due to having to close their eyes for eight hours a day. It's both ingenious and terrible, and serves as the all-too-horrifyingly-plausible premise of this quite clever, quite funny, simulated '90s web browsing puzzle game.Log on to Hypnospace and you find yourself jolted back to the late '90s internet age where every page belonged to a webring, had a visitor counter, and blared tinny MIDI music on loop every 15 seconds. The Hypnospace web portal is a walled garden, to use the modern term, split into themed zones that play host to whatever it is people make websites about. Or rather, what people used to make websites about.It's 1999, the frontier era of the internet, before it was dominated by corporations, where random people stole some HTML and threw up a page dedicated to whatever random things interested them at the time. There's a kind of ramshackle energy at play--whether it's in Bill Aldrin's House of Sound and his raw music reviews or Gus' Temple of Serenity and his earnest new age-isms--that will make those of a certain generation (i.e. me) nostalgic for the looser, weirder, more experimental, yet more innocent internet that we seem to have lost in the years since.You navigate these sites as a kind of moderator in the employ of Merchantsoft, the startup behind Hypnospace. You're dispatched jobs to track down incidents of content infringement, harassment, illegal activity, and so on, removing the offending text, images, or links from the pages you find them, and issuing warnings to the users who posted them.Initially, you're assigned specific zones to monitor, and early cases are a simple matter of browsing the pages in each zone until you encounter the relevant material. The pages themselves are mostly spot on in terms of their portrayal of late '90s amateur internet culture and reading through each new page becomes a source of constant amusement. What you're being asked to do as a mod in these early cases isn't especially interesting, but that's fine, because the writing across the board is so sharp.Things soon get more complicated, and fulfilling each new task requested by your manager becomes more of a puzzle that you really need to work to solve. These puzzles are mostly satisfying to work through. You'll be plugging in search terms to track down potential leads, cross-referencing data and Hypnospace user IDs, reading blog entries to identify clues that might suggest how you could try to crack someone's password, exploring unlisted zones and installing new kinds of software. It quickly becomes a game of internet detective where you're saving documents to your virtual desktop and bookmarking pages of interest to return to later.Where it suffers is when this sleuthing distracts from the writing. Getting stuck and browsing through the same pages again and again rarely makes any of the jokes funnier. As you progress through the cases, weeks and months pass and you'll see the passage of time reflected as users update their pages--occasionally even in response to your moderating actions--while new pages appear and old ones close. Such updates are welcome, and remarkable given the sheer quantity of pages you're able to browse by the game's end, but you're still going to be looking at the same stuff many times over before you're done.Hypnospace Outlaw loves the internet, warts and all. It loves how the internet is really still all about weird online communities and their rivalries, feuds, and splinter groups, and how one person's ideas--both good and bad--can gather momentum and spin out of control. It also loves how trivial much of the internet really is, and how we should both celebrate all this made-up nonsense and acknowledge how much of our time with the internet is just frittered away on garbage. It also very accurately simulates that "down the rabbit hole" journey where one click leads to another, and before you realize it, you've spent the night chasing links and can't remember whatever it was that prompted the expedition in the first place.There are glimpses of darkness through the nostalgic haze, and it's in these moments that you realize that this isn't really just about the internet of the '90s. The cowboy arrogance and shady dealings of Merchantsoft is analogous to many tech startups of today that promise to liberate but only oppress. And in a frightening near-future vision of the gig economy, you're paid in Hypnocoin, a virtual currency accepted at Hypnospace's commercial partners, and only receive payments for reporting violations of Hypnospace's code of conduct. These elements may feel ahead of their time for a game set in 1999, but they make a fair point about where we've taken the internet in the intervening years.As an exploration of early-ish internet culture, Hypnospace Outlaw demonstrates how far we've travelled online over the past 20 years while at the same time asking whether we've gone anywhere at all. The bandwidth may have improved since 1999 but the content can look all too familiar today. Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo is giving Switch owners a chance to try out one of the console's best games free for a limited time. In an uncharacteristic move, the company is offering a special week-long demo of Splatoon 2, which lets prospective players dive into the colorful shooter and its suite of online modes at no charge.The Splatoon 2 Special Demo will be available on the Switch Eshop later today, March 18. Much like the full game, you'll need an internet connection and a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play the demo. If you don't already have the latter, you'll receive a code for a free seven-day trial for the service via email after downloading the demo, even if you've already tried the previous free NSO trial.The Special Demo will run from March 19-25. During that time, players will be able to try out Splatoon 2's signature Turf War mode, which pits two teams of four against each other in a contest to cover the most terrain with your color ink, as well as the game's various Ranked Battles and the cooperative Salmon Run mode.If you're interested in purchasing Splatoon 2 after your time with it, Nintendo of America is offering 20% off of the game in the Eshop until March 28, bringing its price down to $48. Players in Europe will get an even bigger savings; the base game will be 33% off, while the Splatoon 2 and Octo Expansion DLC bundle will be discounted by 25%. You'll also be able to carry any progress you've made during the free trial period over to the full version.Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions run for US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6 for one month, US $8 / £7 / AU $12 for three months, and US $20 / £18 / AU $30 for one year. Along with online play, the subscription offers a handful of other benefits, including cloud saves for most games and access to a catalog of classic NES titles, including Kid Icarus and StarTropics, which were added to the library earlier this month.Info from Gamespot.com

Bethesda has announced it will once again host an E3 presentation , eschewing the recent trend from publishers like Sony and Electronic Arts to step back from the industry event. It will take place Sunday, June 9 at 5:30 PM PT, and will be livestreamed for viewers at home.The company teased the announcement with the #BE3 hashtag on Twitter. The theme for this year's presentation is "Be Together," and Bethesda says it will be inviting more fans to join in the live audience. The only game formally announced to make an appearance is Doom Eternal, though the teaser image shows silhouettes of lots of characters from across Bethesda's franchises. Last year the studio mentioned both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6, so we may hear more about those.The teaser even includes a cheeky reference to Walmart Canada, which exposed several games planned for last year's E3--including Rage 2 from Bethesda. The company riffed on the leak, and then marketing director Pete Hines cracked a joke at the store's expense during the E3 2018 presentation.This is par for the course for Bethesda, which began having large-scale E3 presentations five years ago. It is swimming against the tide of the industry as a whole, however. Nintendo stopped giving press conferences in favor of pre-recorded Nintendo Direct presentations and week-long Treehouse streams. Sony announced this year it wouldn't be presenting at E3 at all. EA recently followed suit, still planning its E3-adjacent EA Play event, but declining to do a press conference.That leaves Microsoft, Ubisoft, and now Bethesda as the last remaining publishers planning old-fashioned E3 stage shows. Microsoft, for its part, appears to be capitalizing on the opportunity and claims it will be "going big" this year.Info from Gamespot.com

WWE's biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania, is right around the corner, coming to PPV and the WWE Network on Sunday, April 7. The night will have some of the biggest matches of the year, including multiple championship bouts, wrapping up story lines that WWE has been building for months.This year's event is coming to Metlife Stadium in East Ruthersford, New Jersey, on Sunday, April 7. You can watch the event for yourself on the WWE Network or on PPV through your cable or satellite provider. While the official schedule on the Network isn't out for April 7, Wrestlemania 35 is listed as starting at 7 PM ET. Like all other larger WWE events, there will more than likely be a kick off show starting two hours prior to the event.Check out the start times for multiple time zones below.Wrestlemania Start Time:4 PM PT6 PM CT7 PM ET12 AM BST (April 8)The biggest match on the Wrestlemania card is none other than Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship. Originally, Lynch was going to be suspended until after Mania, after her numerous attacks on Rousey forced the McMahons to punish Lynch for her actions. However, she's now been added to the match, after Rousey attacked her at Fastlane.Additionally, Batista returned, beat up Ric Flair on his birthday, and demanded a match against Triple H. Although Batista had made a few appearances on WWE programming, he has not competed in the ring since 2014. This will be an interesting match to see these former stablemates fight each other in a No Holds Barred match.Below, you'll find the match card for this year's Wrestlemania. We'll keep updating it as more matches are announced in the upcoming week's to the WWE PPV.Wrestlemania Match Card:AJ Styles vs. Randy OrtonShane McMahon vs. The MizTriple H vs. Batista (No Holds Barred Match)Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (Raw Women's Championship)Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins (Universal Championship)Make sure to come back to GameSpot on April 7 for live coverage and a review of the event. Info from Gamespot.com

EA has announced that the Season 1 battle pass, titled Wild Frontier, for Apex Legends is launching tomorrow, March 19. The battle pass releases alongside Octane, the ninth and newest Legend to join the battle royale game. Octane is not a part of the battle pass and will release separately, allowing you to buy him with Legend Tokens or Apex Coins. He'll be the same cost as Mirage and Caustic--12,000 Legend Tokens or 750 Apex Coins.Apex Legends' Season 1 battle pass can only be purchased with Apex Coins, one of the three in-game currencies. Buying into the battle pass will cost you 950 Apex Coins. However, you don't have to buy the battle pass right away to avoid missing out on rewards. "You'll receive all the rewards up to your Battle Pass level (which is your current level for the season) retroactively!" EA wrote in the battle pass FAQ. "For example, if you're on level 20 for the season when you buy the Battle Pass, you'll unlock all rewards for every level up to 20, plus three special Battle Pass skins."The Season 1 battle pass has 100 levels in total, and contains an assortment of weapon skins, stat trackers, Legend voice lines, and Apex Coin and XP drops as rewards. Leveling up is entirely XP based, as there are no challenges--at least for this season. Respawn has suggested that the exact structure of the battle pass could change for future seasons.Like other games that feature seasonal battle passes, all rewards unlocked with Apex Legend's Season 1 battle pass remain during follow-up seasons. However, once Season 1 ends, you can no longer unlock the items included in this specific pass. Regardless, whether you buy the pass or not, you'll be able to unlock free rewards during Season 1. You can get 18 new stat trackers, five Apex Packs, and a new skin for Octane. Most rewards are only available for those who buy the battle pass; that includes free Apex Coins--up to 1,000 are available if you level up enough, effectively letting you earn back the cost of the pass and giving you enough to buy next season's.Another reward of note is the game's "first-ever three-stage evolving Legendary weapon skin." This is for Havoc and, as you earn kills during a match, Respawn says the gun's "eyes glow and its nostrils emit smoke," among other things.If you want to buy yourself a little help in unlocking the Season 1 battle pass rewards, there's also a bundle--which you can purchase for 2,800 Apex Coins--that unlocks the next 25 levels for you. Like many other aspects of Apex's battle pass, this essentially mirrors the way the wildly successful Fortnite has operated. Apex Legends is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. In our Apex Legends review, Phil Hornshaw gave the game a 9/10, writing, "Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses. Respawn's intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it's an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future."Info from Gamespot.com

Much like Epic's hit battle royale game, Fortnite, Respawn's Apex Legends will offer a paid Battle Pass every season, through which players will be able to unlock new cosmetic items and other rewards. The first Battle Pass is set to go live across PS4, Xbox One, and PC tomorrow, March 19, and ahead of its release, publisher EA has shared a load of new details about it, including how much it'll cost.The Season 1 Battle Pass can be purchased through Apex Legends' in-game store for 950 Apex Coins (roughly $10)--the same price as Fortnite's Battle Pass. Similarly, EA is also offering a Battle Pass bundle that will instantly unlock the first 25 tiers, giving you immediate access to those rewards. That option will cost 2,800 Apex Coins.If you do spring for a Battle Pass, you'll automatically unlock three special skins as an added bonus: Lifeline Revolutionary, Wraith Survivor, and Mirage Outlaw. Even if you don't purchase the pass, however, you'll be able to unlock a handful of rewards for free, including one Wild Frontier Legends skin and five Apex Packs.The Season 1 Battle Pass features 100 tiers of rewards to unlock, including weapon skins, banner frames, XP boosts. You'll also earn up to 1,000 Apex Coins as you level your Battle Pass up throughout the season, which will potentially allow you to pick up next season's Battle Pass without spending any real-world money. You can read more about how the Apex Legends Battle Pass works here.Launching alongside the Battle Pass tomorrow is Apex Legends' newest playable character: the previously leaked Octane. However, Octane won't be included as part of the Battle Pass; rather, he'll be available to purchase separately for either 12,000 Legend Tokens or 750 Coins, much like Mirage and Caustic were.Info from Gamespot.com

The biggest weekend of the year for professional wrestling is nearly upon us all. WWE's Wrestlemania 35 takes place on Sunday, April 7 and caps off a week of the highest-profile wrestling you'll find anywhere. From WWE's own shows--which include Wrestlemania, the annual Hall of Fame ceremony, and NXT TakeOver--to the likes of Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Impact running major shows, there's simply too much wrestling for you to keep track of alone--and most of it is streaming online for those that can't travel to Wrestlemania.Luckily, you don't have to search high and low to figure out where to watch the most anticipated wrestling shows of Wrestlmania weekend, because GameSpot has that covered. After looking through the entire schedule of events, including dozens of non-WWE shows, we have tracked down all you need to know about how to watch them all from the comfort of your own home.So while you may not be able to travel to the New York area to partake in the Super Bowl of professional wrestling, there's no reason to miss out on events presented by Evolve, Shimmer, WrestleCon, and WWN. There's even some wackier options like Kaiju Big Battel, which is essentially Godzilla meets pro wrestling. And if you're excited for NXT and Wrestlemania, you are certainly going to want to stream the Ring of Honor/New Japan Pro Wrestling combined show streaming live from a sold out Madison Square Garden.Follow along as we dive deep into a week of wrestling insanity and find out where you can stream practically every show happening over Wrestlemania weekend.Thursday, April 4Independent Wrestling.TV's Family ReunionWhen: 12 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tvEvolveWhen: 12 PM ETWhere to stream: WWN LiveDestiny World Wrestling's Fight For DestinyWhen: 3 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tvWXW's America Is WunderbarWhen: 4 PM ETWhere to stream: WWN Live, Fite.tv GCW: Josh Barnett's BloodsportWhen: 4 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tvWrestleCon SuperShowWhen: 7 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tvISW Boner Jam IV: Balls OutWhen: 7:30 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tvDDT Pro Is Coming To AmericaWhen: 8 PM ETWhere to stream: WWN Live, Fite.tvImpact Wrestling's United We StandWhen: 11 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tvAIW's The Slumber Party MassacreWhen: 11 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv Kaiju Big Battel's The 25th Silver JubileeWhen: 12 AM ETWhere to stream: WWN Live, Fite.tv Friday, April 5ShimmerWhen: 11 AM ETWhere to stream: WWN Live, Fite.tvWrestleCon's US vs. The WorldWhen: 11 AM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv Chikara: Once Upon A BeginningWhen: 12 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv WWN Super Show: Mercury RisingWhen: 3 PM ETWhere to stream: WWN Live, Fite.tv Rev Pro Wrestling's Live In NYWhen: 3 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv Black Label Pro's' Adventures in WrestlingWhen: 3 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv Stardom Japanese Women's Wrestling's American Dream 2019 In The Big AppleWhen: 4 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv WWE NXT TakeOver: New YorkWhen: 6:15 PM ETWhere to stream: WWE Network Joey Ryan's Penis PartyWhen: 8 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv Joey Janela's Spring Break 3: Part 1When: 8 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv Blackcraft Wrestling's No ApologiesWhen: 12 AM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tvSaturday, April 6Wrestling Revolver's Pancakes & Piledrivers 3When: 11 AM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv Nova Pro's Born to RunWhen: 12 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv MoreThanMania.com 2019 Wrap Up PartyWhen: 2 PM ETWhere to stream: WWN Live, Fite.tv HOG's Culture Clash 19When: 2 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv IWS: UnstoppableWhen: 4 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv WWE Hall of Fame 2019 Induction CeremonyWhen: 7 PM ETWhere to stream: WWE Network Drags And DropkicksWhen: 7:30 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv ROH-NJPW G1 Supercard: New York CityWhen: 7:30 PM ETWhere to stream: Honor Club, Fite.tv WrestlePro vs. CZWWhen: 7:30 PM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tv Joey Janela's Spring Break 3: Part 2When: 12 AM ETWhere to stream: Fite.tvSunday, April 7WWE WrestleMania 35When: 5:30 PM ETWhere to stream: WWE NetworkInfo from Gamespot.com