Fans expect Nintendo to soon make cheaper Switch 2 cartridges available to game publishers as a fresh alternative to Game-Key Cards, though one developer has said it expects its game to still cost around $10 more as it shifts to a proper game card.
In a statement today, R-Type Dimensions 3 publisher Inin Games initially said it would take advantage of two new Switch 2 cartridge size options that Nintendo will offer to developers currently stuck choosing between an expensive 64GB cart or a cheap Game-Key Card release.
Inin Games has now reworded that same statement to clarify that Nintendo itself has not made any announcement concerning cartridge storage capacities, and in a further post on social media said that any references it previously made “should not be interpreted as official information from Nintendo.”
That corporate snafu aside, Inin Games is still now launching R-Type Dimensions 3 as a physical release where previously it was not, due to what its hastily-edited announcement now blandly describes as it being able to “recalculate the production in a way that wasn’t possible before.” (Such as with a smaller cartridge size, hypothetically.)
Game-Key Cards — mostly-blank cartridges that simply prompt users to download the game’s contents — have proven unpopular among Switch 2 fans, though some developers have defended their use, saying they are necessary for games that otherwise would not fit on a 64GB cartridge, and a cheaper option for both publishers and players alike.
As if to demonstrate that, Inin Games has said it will switch its physical production run for R-Type Dimensions 3 to cartridges rather than Game-Key Cards, though at a higher price point that’s €10 (just over $11) more expensive. Still, that’s cheaper than the “at least” €15 higher price Inin Games previously said it would have cost players had it used the standard 64GB Switch 2 cards. Not that other, smaller cartridge sizes are confirmed for now, of course.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Cards on the table: I am a big superhero fan and I always have been. I’ve read the comics, I’ve played the games, I’ve watched the movies, I’ve got the tattoos *gulp*. I am usually pretty adept at bending things to see the positives — heck, I can even defend Thor: The Dark World on a good day — but the last few years have been real dark for us fans of caped crusaders.
There have been some high points: Marvel TV (on the whole) has been rather solid, I’ve played more Marvel Snap than I care to admit, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was far better than some folk give it credit for, Batman: Arkham Shadow got its TGA flowers, and show me one animated film in the last five years that doesn’t have someSpider-Verse DNA in it. But, generally, it has been a very long time since I’ve been able to say “I love superheroes” without needing to have a clarifying statement in the back pocket for the inevitable, and often completely valid, comeback.
Consoles and PCs now have a powerful new partner offering even more ways to play: the cloud. With Xbox Cloud Gaming, you have access to a huge and dynamic library of the latest and greatest titles, wherever there’s a compatible screen, a stable internet connection, and a cloud-supported Xbox Game Pass subscription.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is now out of beta and available with Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium, and Ultimate subscriptions, meaning it’s easier than ever to check out cloud streaming. Overall cloud gaming hours have gone up 45% since this time last year as the service has rolled out to millions of new gamers around the world, with particularly strong uptake in Argentina and Brazil.
Below we’ll go over where you can play and everything you need to get started (which you’ll likely already have).
What is Xbox Cloud Gaming?
Xbox Cloud Gaming is a benefit included with most Game Pass plans that allows you to play games anywhere you have a compatible, internet-connected device (such as a PC, TV, or even your phone). Xbox Cloud Gaming lets you stream your games like you stream your shows and movies, through apps and browsers on the devices you already have – and it’s playable with a variety of game controllers and other input methods.
What You Will Need
Xbox Game Pass
Unlimited cloud gaming is included with Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium, and Ultimate plans. Xbox Game Pass is our monthly subscription service that provides access to an ever-growing library of games, online multiplayer, in-game benefits for popular favorites like League of Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone, store rewards, and more with each plan. In addition to streaming from the cloud, you can also download Game Pass titles directly to your preferred console, PC, or handheld device for offline play.
Xbox Game Pass Essential offers unlimited cloud gaming for as low as $10/month and access to more than 50 games. Xbox Game Pass Premium includes everything from Essential as well as access to 200+ games across console, PC, and supported devices for $14.99/month. For the best all‑around experience, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate delivers unlimited cloud gaming, 400+ games across console, PC, and more devices, day‑one new titles, online console multiplayer, plus added benefits like EA Play, Fortnite Crew, and Ubisoft+ Classics, as well as in‑game benefits across Riot titles and Rewards with Xbox — at no extra cost.
Supported Platforms
The following devices currently support Xbox Cloud Gaming (with more details here):
Xbox Consoles – Xbox One and later. Why stream games to a gaming console? It can be a great way to try a title before you download, or to play newer Xbox Series X games on your trusty Xbox One.
Windows PCs – Windows 10 version 20H2 and later
Mac Computers – MacOS 14.1.2 and later
Windows Handhelds – Including ROG Xbox Ally, ROG Xbox Ally X, Logitech G Cloud, and Razer Edge
Steam Deck
Android Phones and Tablets – Android OS 12.0 and later
Apple Phones and Tablets – iOS 14.4 and later
Smart TVs and Streaming Devices – Including those from LG, Samsung, and Amazon Fire
Meta Quest VR – Including Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest 3S
Whatever device you choose to play on, it’s recommended that you have an internet connection speed of at least 20 Mbps to ensure a stable connection while cloud gaming. If you don’t know what your connection speed is, you can use any number of free online speed tests, such as Speedtest.net, Fast.com, or MeasurementLab.
Where possible, it’s recommended that you play over a wired, Ethernet connection, but it’s also possible to play over 5 GHz Wi-Fi or 5G with capable devices. If your wireless router is dual-band, broadcasting at both 5 and 2.4 GHz, you may need to make sure that your device is properly set up to only connect over the 5 GHz network.
Controller
Most games require a gamepad to be connected to your device, either wired or wirelessly. If you have nearly any kind of contemporary game controller, Xbox Cloud Gaming probably supports it, allowing you to use whatever hardware you already have on hand. This includes Microsoft’s own official Xbox controllers and those made by direct partners, as well as a wide range of verified controllers from third-party manufacturers, such as 8BitDo, GameSir, Backbone, or even Sony’s DualSense.
Many games are also playable by mouse and keyboard as well as touch, for devices that support those respective modes of input.
If you really want to game in style, check out the Xbox Design Lab for a variety of special branded and customizable controllers to suit your personal sense of style.
Supported Regions
Xbox Cloud Gaming is supported in a growing list of currently 29 countries all over the world, including India most recently. If you’re not sure whether yours is included, find out here.
What You Can Play
Xbox Game Pass
In total, the Xbox Game Pass library includes hundreds of games across all genres, ranging from indie curios to the biggest AAA blockbusters. At this time, more than two thirds of those are enabled for cloud streaming, with more coming all the time.
Game Pass Ultimate subscribers are also given access to EA Play and Ubisoft+ Classics, which adds additional cloud-playable titles to their libraries from those respective publishers.
Stream Your Own Games
Many titles not included in Game Pass are still cloud playable, which means that you can stream them if you own them. Progress is saved and shared across all platforms, so you can pick up and play your games your way, wherever you are. See the full list.
How to Get Started
The main division between ways to play with Xbox Cloud Gaming is whether you connect through an app or through a web browser. While the means may be slightly different, the results are the same.
For consoles, the process is as simple as tabbing over to your library and Game Pass, then selecting a cloud-enabled game. The other devices listed above might just require the additional step of going to their respective app store and downloading the Xbox app first if it’s not already installed, then opening it and signing in to access your library.
For devices running Android, MacOS, and iOS, the cloud streaming works through a web browser, rather than a dedicated app. First make sure that your browser version is supported here and update if necessary. Then navigate to Xbox.com/play, sign in, and start gaming on the cloud. Selecting the Menu button, then Add to Home Screen will make it easier to access directly.
Steam Deck requires going to desktop mode and installing Microsoft Edge, with detailed instructions linked above.
See You in the Cloud
That should cover everything you need to get started with Xbox Cloud Gaming. If you have any additional questions, our rigorous support pages have you covered. Otherwise, you should go check out the available library and start playing something.
Hey, everybody! Sid, Kristen, and Brett are back this week to discuss their top games of 2025, both in terms of hours played and the ones they can’t stop thinking about. This episode also includes a spoiler-filled Ghost of Yōtei interview with Sucker Punch Creative Directors Jason Connell and Nate Fox.
Stuff We Talked About
Holiday Cards 2025 — Celebrate the holidays with festive cards from our studio friends and developers. See if you can find your favorite characters getting into some yuletide shenanigans.
Marathon new features and updates — Get detailed information on all the changes and updates made to Marathon ahead of its March 2026 release. Extract all the data and be prepared to run as a squad or solo.
Saros developers reflect on Story Trailer — The Housemarque team breaks down the new story trailer, going over the emotional throughlines of the title, working with seasoned actors to bring the vision to life, and more.
Helldivers 2 update —.Blast into some mandatory holiday cheer with the Festival of Reckoning on December 18. Enjoy limited-time access to a host of stratagems and other themed goodies.
Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE
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Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE
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Kristen Zitani – Globlal Content Content Communications Manager, SIE
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
Winter PC game sales have officially begun, making now the perfect time to stock up your library with some excellent new games to play over the holidays. Steam, Fanatical, GOG, Humble Bundle, and the Epic Games Store have each launched their respective Winter sales, and there’s a treasure trove of discounts to look through right now while they’re still live.
Below, you can see a few more of our favorite offers from the various Winter sales right now. If you’re curious to see the sales in full, just click on their individual links above.
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 is a winner all around, with critic Michael Higham writing in his review, “Wearing its inspirations on its sleeve, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 paints itself into the pantheon of great RPGs with a brilliant combat system and a gripping, harrowing story.”
With Christmas coming up next week, this is an excellent time to treat yourself to some new games to play over the holiday period. However, if you have to get last-minute shopping done right now for other people in your life with a love of games, we can help there as well. We’ve also gathered up the 10 best gifts for gamers to help you find the best gifts to give this year, from Xbox Game Pass gift cards to the sleek Meta Quest 3.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.
Dave The Diver took over my PC around Christmas in 2023. I found Mintrocket’s wonderfully charming restaurant manager/ocean explorer a joy to flipper around the depths of, battling big fish, discovering ancient civilisations, and then returning to the surface to do some sushi waitering. I’ve honestly not thought about returning in a while, but the fresh look the devs have just offered at their upcoming In the Jungle DLC has me very much pencilling one in.
Eiji Aonuma, the producer of The Legend of Zelda series, recently dropped some hints about what players can expect from the next game in the series in an interview with Japanese news site 4Gamer. He noted that the collaboration with Koei Tecmo on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment may influence the next mainline Legend of Zelda title.
While the Wii got Twilight Princess and the Switch got Breath of the Wild as launch titles, there has yet to be any announcement about an upcoming mainline Zelda game for the Switch 2. However, owners of Nintendo’s latest console do have Hyrule Warriors: The Age of Imprisonment to play. Age of Imprisonment is the latest entry in a spin-off series that combines Dynasty Warriors-style 1 vs. 1000 musou gameplay with the characters, lore, and locales of The Legend of Zelda. It allows players to experience the Imprisoning War that sealed away the Demon King Ganondorf. Like previous Hyrule Warriors games, Age of Imprisonment was a collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, with Koei Tecmo and its new AAA Games Studio handling the development.
Zelda series producer Aonuma said that his team wanted to be the first to release a new Zelda title on the Switch 2, however Koei Tecmo beat them to it. “The Legend of Zelda: Age of Imprisonment is the first Zelda title released for the Nintendo Switch 2. To be honest, we wanted to bring out the ‘first’ (Zelda game on the new console),” he laughed.
Commenting on the collaboration with Koei Tecmo on Age of Imprisonment, Hidemaro Fujibayashi (director of Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild) said: “it was incredibly fun. They always had ideas we never would have come up with on our own, it was truly stimulating.”
In turn, Age of Imprisonment’s director Koki Aoyanagi talked about how motivating it was to receive such positive reactions from the Nintendo team, saying: “since they (the Nintendo team) were playtesting the game, we wanted to give them big surprises and moments of awe to experience.” Age of Imprisonment producer Ryota Matsushita described the Zelda team and Koei Tecmo’s team as being “on the same wavelength” when it came to collaborating on the game, noting that Fujibayashi’s knowledge of real-life castles enabled them to instantly understand each other regarding how Hyrule Castle should be depicted in Age of Imprisonment.
“We aimed to combine these two approaches; the Zelda-like, strategic back-and-forth of using Zonai gear and varied techniques against powerful foes with the exhilaration of musou (i.e. feeling mighty powerful as you cut down waves of weaker foes),” noted AAA Games Studio head Yusuke Hayashi. Even when Nintendo’s Zelda team gave feedback on points of concern, Fujibayashi said that Koei Tecmo would come back with “proposals that elevated it into something even better.”
Aonuma even suggests that this fruitful collaboration might influence the next mainline Zelda title. “The inspiration we received from this collaboration with Koei Tecmo may be reflected in the (next) Zelda we create. Please picture this while playing Age of Imprisonment, and look forward to our Zelda.”
Aonuma’s comment is mysterious, but this means that we might get elements from Age of Imprisonment’s gameplay in the next mainline Zelda adventure.
“In the first place, the reason I decided to make this a sequel to the previous work was because I thought there was value in experiencing a new game in that Hyrule place,” Aonuma said. “If that’s the case, if a new reason arises, we might return to the same world again. Whether it’s a sequel or a new work, I think it’s going to be a completely new game, so I hope you’re looking forward to it.”
Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi also chimed in with his own comment: “We are very grateful that so many customers have been playing Tears of the Kingdom for so long and deeply, so we will do our best to make the next game even more enjoyable.”
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
A platoon of Tingi, strange mutant babies that a goose with a very long neck keeps vomiting out, march along in Santa hats. As they crawl, fall, and drop into drinks which serve as orange-hued progenating pools where they merge with others to form bigger tingi, they earn money. Millions and billions of cash bills a minute at this point. It collates in a piggy bank far below, beneath the base of the goose’s neck, which just out of the stomach of a rather bemused beachgoer. Everything’s as it should be in Tingus Goose. Well, nearly everything.
It’s mighty high MSRP is $120, but if you don’t mind paying a little more, Amazon has got the elusive set down to $139.99 right now (sold and shipped directly from Amazon, not a dodgy third-party). That’s below market price, around $150, and even better than trusted resale sites like TCGplayer.
Unfortunately, it won’t arrive until after Christmas, but if you’re keen on picking it up, here’s a complete list of what’s included in the collection:
1 foil full-art promo card featuring Mega Charizard X ex
1 foil full-art promo card featuring Oricorio ex
65 card sleeves featuring Mega Charizard X
1 playmat featuring Mega Charizard X
1 deck box featuring Mega Charizard X
1 metal coin featuring Mega Charizard X
6 damage-counter dice
18 Pokémon TCG booster packs:
2 Surging Sparks TCG booster packs
4 Journey Together TCG booster packs
4 Destined Rivals TCG booster packs
4 Mega Evolution TCG booster packs
4 Phantasmal Flames TCG booster packs
A code card for Pokémon TCG Live
This should go without saying, but this collection really only makes sense if you want the exclusive TCG accessories included in the box, at least in my experience with it.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with what’s here, but the selection of booster packs feels just a tiny bit tired. More Phantasmal Flames, or even Mega Evolution packs, would have gone a long way.
Instead, the heavy reliance on Surging Sparks and Journey Together makes the whole thing feel a step behind where it should be. Still, if that isn’t an issue for you, than this is the best value going for the latest Ultra Premium Collection online right now.
If you’re looking to just chase cards, however, I’d also recommend checking out how much some of the best single chase cards are going for right now, to pick up individually. Or, to consult after you’ve cracked open all your packs. Good luck!
From aggressive Mega attackers to powerful evolution support, Phantasmal Flames brings a fiery mix of competitive threats and high-demand pulls.
Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.
The nights are heavy, the sun is frail. The mountain moans its hunger. The rivers are frozen scars and the trees are become hard flashes of black lightning. Bells haunt the wind and peculiar bearded men appear in the fireplaces, to be chased away with pies and brandy. The roses, strangely, are in bloom.
Put on your slippers. Stoke the embers. Pull up a chair. It is time to remember. It is time to renew. It is time to succumb to a growing addiction. It is time… to play Skeal.
