God, look at me. Recommending a PCIe 5.0 SSD like I’m some Newegg banner ad. 2023 James would be violently sick. Yet it is in fact 2025, and while cheaper PCIe 4.0 drives still make the most sense to most people, newer and faster 5.0 models have begun to find their place as futureproofed upgrades to high-spec PCs. And if they can be made less of a luxury, all the better, as is the case with Amazon’s current sale on the WD Black SN8100.
Available until 3rd November.
New month, new NSO icons. With the Nintendo Switch Online Missions & Rewards Program, you can nab some rather unique icons for your Switch profile.
Now, you could grab some icons for Mario Party 3 — and they’re quite nice, too — but have you seen those Mario’s Super Picross icons? No? Well just look at them! (Thanks to NSO Icon Alerts for highlighting them!)
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
When we set out to launch Ninja Gaiden 4, we knew we had to do more than drop another game trailer. When the opportunity came to join forces with the cult streetwear brand BAIT at New York Comic Con, we sharpened our blades.
This isn’t merch. This is something far bolder: the collision of a legendary franchise, Japanese artistry, and streetwear culture. Together, we’ve created an apparel capsule unlike anything the Ninja Gaiden community—or Comic Con—has ever seen.
Here’s how it works: inside the BAIT booth, you’ll step into a sealed chamber that looks like it could belong in the Dragon Ninja’s lair. Instead of fighting fiends, you’ll wield a replica mock sword. Every swing and slash splatters vibrant crimson ink across your garment, transforming it into a one-of-a-kind wearable canvas. Fast, fluid, and dynamic like the swordplay of the two deadly ninjas, Yakumo and Ryu in Ninja Gaiden 4.
The result? No two pieces are alike. Just like every battle in Ninja Gaiden, every shirt tells its own story—crafted live, in front of the crowd, with you at the center of the action.
But here’s the catch: only 500 pieces will ever exist. Once they’re gone, they’re gone—true artifacts of a moment where video games and streetwear bled together in real time. For fans who can’t make it to New York Comic Con, a limited number of garments will drop online, giving the global Ninja Gaiden community a chance to own a slice of this collaboration.
To us, Ninja Gaiden has always been about mastery, speed, and precision—and with BAIT, those values take on a new form. It’s not just about what you wear, but how it was forged.
When you step into that glass chamber, you’re not just buying a piece of clothing. You’re wielding the Way of the Ninja—turning every movement into art, every strike into style.
Only the bold will walk away with one. Will you?
The post When Ninja Blades Meet Streetwear: Ninja Gaiden 4 x BAIT Collab Unleashed appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Inspired by PlayStation’s storied heritage, here’s a first look at the DualSense wireless controller – Icon Blue Special Edition, which features unique, layered shades of blue and a glossy pattern of PlayStation shapes on the touch pad.
To share more about the inspiration behind this upcoming controller, here’s Leo Cardoso from our Color, Material and Finish design team:
“From the moment the console powers on and the DualSense controller lights up, that signature blue glow signals the start of something special. It’s the spark that draws you into new worlds and immersive gameplay. Inspired by PlayStation’s iconic shades of blue, this design captures the feeling of anticipation and wonder every time you pick up the controller. As a nod to our origins, we added Katakana characters on the back that spell our name the Japanese way: Pureisutēshon.“
Starting on October 20 in the U.S. and Canada, October 28 in Mexico and Chile, the DualSense wireless controller – Icon Blue Special Edition will be available for a recommended retailer price (RRP) of $84.99 USD / $109.99 CAD / $1,899 MXN / $93,490 CLP at Walmart locations in these regions as well as on Walmart’s official site.
Alongside the controller, we’re also excited to share a look at upcoming products available in the U.S. on Walmart.com and in select stores highlighting PlayStation’s heritage, as well as characters and themes from games like The Last of Us, Astro Bot, and more.
Astro Bot Lunch Box
A collectible lunch box featuring the beloved Astro Bot, complete with a playful lenticular face that shifts expressions as you move it.
Twisted Metal Meltz Figures
A wild assortment of Culturefly’s signature Meltz figures reimagined as over-the-top characters and vehicles from the chaotic world of Twisted Metal.
PlayStation Jersey
A sleek, gamer-inspired jersey blending modern athletic style with iconic PlayStation heritage.
Monogram Backpack Clips
A set of detailed figural backpack clips celebrating fan-favorite PlayStation characters, perfect for collecting or showing off on the go.
The Last of Us Ellie Mini Backpack
A mini backpack modeled after Ellie’s in-game pack from The Last of Us, designed as a stylish and functional accessory for everyday fans.
We hope you enjoy the new controller design!
Nintendo has just released a mysterious animated short film with no explanation — leaving fans wondering whether it’s a tease for the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie, or a hint at a new Pikmin game.
At just under four minutes in length, the dialogue-free animation titled “Close to You” sees a blonde toddler taking their first steps, as their pacifier is mysteriously picked up by an invisible force.
Nintendo fans will note several musical cues from the Pikmin series as the pacifier is picked up and seemingly carried away (though no Pikmin can actually be seen). At the same time, some Nintendo fans have said the child could be space princess Rosalina — who is surely set to debut in next year’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Without any explanation at all from Nintendo itself, this is clearly something fans are being left to ponder about by themselves — though IGN has contacted Nintendo for more.
Certainly, the pacifier’s movements really do look like they could be made by a band of Pikmin carrying the item aloft, and several Pikmin games have indeed tasked players with squirreling away household items. And indeed, Pikmin 4 even tasked players with venturing inside a human house for the first time.
The Pikmin series has always been set on Earth, with Pikmin themselves suggested as always just being out of sight. Is this Nintendo making it clear that, to human eyes, Pikmin are indeed invisible?
Leaving aside the Pikmin music and other clues, other fans have suggested the child here could be Rosalina, whose parentage — alongside that of Princess Peach’s own — looks set to finally be explained in next year’s big-screen Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Is this a scene from that film? We’re not sure — the animation style doesn’t look quite the same as Illumination’s own — but it’s also odd to see Nintendo launching its own, unconnected animated short just six months out from its next big animated movie.
Whatever this is, we’ll update with more when we have it.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
I was rubbing along pretty well in House Of Necrosis before I hurled a vial of unidentified black serum at a squashy purple Devourer. I was hoping the serum would be some kind of poison – I mean, come on, an unidentified black serum? You wouldn’t pour that on your chips. It turned out to be an XP potion, which transformed the Devourer into a Foul Devourer – still squashy, still purple, but with much sturdier defence.
I managed to recover some of the accidentally donated XP by lobbing a cheeky hex, but not enough to boost the stopping power of my homely pawnshop knife and pistol. So down I went in a pool of that special red serum the billionaires like to drink when they’re feeling mortal.
****, we didn’t mean for that to happen. This has been the response from Call of Duty Black Ops 7 developers Activision to folks spotting that you couldn’t type the name of fellow shooter Arc Raiders into the chat of the game’s beta without it being censored. Yep, you could reportedly get away with Arc or Raiders, but stick the two together, and it was off to the starred-out naughty corner.
Naturally, folks wondered why this was a thing, especially since you could chat about more obvious Black Ops 7 competitor Battlefield 6 to your heart’s content without facing any star-based repercussions.
Magic: The Gathering launched its Final Fantasy crossover set in June, breaking records in the process, but the licensed playmats from Ultra Pro were almost as tough to get hold of as the cards themselves.
Thankfully, not only does Amazon have them in stock, but they’re discounted in the Prime Day Big Deals, starting as low as $23.
Before we start, it’s worth noting the labelling is wrong on some of these options. For example, the Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER playmat is listed as being $28.79, but the actual artwork shows an Eikon battle from Final Fantasy 16. Be sure to check the artwork before you place your order.
Also included on that product listing is the Traveling Chocobo (Golden) playmat, depicting the card that shot to the top of our most valuable MTG x Final Fantasy cards list.
Elsewhere, the black stitched playmats are down to $23.03. These include Vivi, Lightning, and Y’Shtola. The ‘Sephiroth’ playmat is erroneously labelled, though – it’s clearly Final Fantasy 6 baddie Kefka in the artwork. That one is $35.99.
Finally, even the double-sided playmats are discounted. This listing does have a (correct) Sephiroth listing, with the One-Winged Angel’s playmat coming in at $31.67, the same price as the Clive and Ifrit two-sided one. Emet-Selch, Unsundered’s is $37.45.
For more, be sure to check out which Commander Deck from the Final Fantasy set is half price right now, and how you can save on the Final Fantasy 14 deck.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.
At the risk of being viciously cyberbullied for admitting I have a favourite power bank: I have a favourite power bank. It’s the Ugreen Nexode Retractable, and it’s perfect for topping up your Steam Deck, Windows handheld, laptop, headphones, wireless controller, portable fan, or overpriced electric toothbrush. It’s also going cheaper than usual in Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale, shedding 25% off in the UK and 30% off in the US.
Good news, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 fans — Activision has extended its open beta to run an additional 24 hours to October 9, taking it right up to competitor Battlefield 6‘s release, which is slated for October 10.
“The reaction to the Black Ops 7 Beta so far has been awesome to see! Whether you’re calling in Nukes in Multiplayer or going for high rounds in Zombies Survival, there’s plenty to jump into and we’ve had a ton of fun playing alongside everyone,” Activision wrote in its latest blog.
“On behalf of all of us at Treyarch, we’re truly grateful for your feedback so far… and speaking of which, we heard you might want a little more, so we’re extending the Black Ops 7 Beta to 9am PT on Thursday, October 9!”
The beta now includes sixth Beta MP map, Toshin, and Open playlists, which have classic matchmaking where skill is minimally considered, Activision said.
Activision also confirmed it will be extending 2XP + 2X Weapon XP through the rest of the Beta “to help everyone hit level 30, try out all the weapons and gear, and unlock plenty of attachments and Overclocks along the way.”
If you’re looking to jump into the beta while it’s live, we’ve got a guide on how to get into the BO7 Early Access Beta, plus how to enable Secure Boot for BO7 if you’re on PC. We’ve also got details of all the BO7 unlockable weapons, and the BO7 Twitch drops you can get your hands on.
• MP: Toshin (NEW), Blackheart, Cortex, Exposure, Imprint, The Forge
• Zombies: Vandorn Farm (extended to end of Beta)
• MP: Open Moshpit, Moshpit, Open Hardcore Moshpit, Search & Destroy (NEW), Training Course
• Zombies: Survival, Training Course
• Team Deathmatch (Core + Hardcore)
• Domination (Core + Hardcore)
• Hardpoint
• Kill Confirmed
• Overload
• Search & Destroy
Black Ops 7 has set its official release date for November 14. This week, Activision revealed that 97% of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 cheaters were caught within 30 minutes of signing into the beta, and “fewer than 1% of cheating attempts reached a match.” PC gamers cannot play unless they enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot.
As for Battlefield 6? EA’s shooter has suffered numerous leaks throughout 2025, and now, just three days before launch, the game itself may have leaked its way into the public’s hands, too.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
