In a recent investor Q&A, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa responded to a report accusing the company, along with competitors Microsoft and Sony, for using forced slave labor to produce its products.The Australian Strategic Policy Institute published an investigative report in March 2020 calling out a number of companies--among them: Amazon, Apple, Dell, Gap, Google, HP, Microsoft, Nintendo, Oculus, Sony, and others--for "potentially directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through abusive labour transfer programs as recently as 2019." In total, over 80 companies have been accused.The report states that 80,000 Uyghurs ("and other ethnic minority citizens") have been moved from the Xinjiang region to various factories across China. In these factories, people are monitored under "military-style management," where Uyghur citizens are subjected to forced "patriotic education" and mandatory Mandarin classes. Furthermore, Uyghurs can't practice their religion and live in "carefully guarded dormitories" with little freedom.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands' new raid, the Sanctum of Domination, culminates in a confrontation with Sylvanas Windrunner, who for multiple expansions has served as one of the game's primary villains. A new cinematic that plays upon the raid's completion shows what's next for Sylvanas, and it's left more than a few fans divided.Spoilers below!At the end of the Sanctum of Domination, the Jailer, the big-bad Sylvanas has been working for, achieves his goal of obtaining the sigils of the various realms of the Shadowlands, becoming more powerful and receiving a wardrobe change in the process. He then opens a portal to...somewhere, and tells the various leaders of Azeroth in attendance, as well as Sylvanas, to kneel and serve him as he plots to unmake and then remake reality.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has announced the second revision to its popular console-handheld hybrid, the Nintendo Switch. The new Switch OLED joins the standard Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite in what the company is calling its family of Switch systems. The Switch OLED will launch on October 8. If you're in the market for a new Switch system and considering holding out for the OLED model, here's how the systems compare.Key DifferencesEssentially, the two Switch hardware revisions can be thought of as branching paths from the original model. The standard Switch has detachable Joy-Con controllers, an LCD touchscreen, and the ability to switch (hence the name) between a "docked" TV mode and a handheld mode.The Switch Lite is a less expensive, slimmed down model that removes some features in favor of a purely handheld focus. Its control scheme is similar to a standard Switch with attached Joy-Cons, but they're built onto the body of the device and no longer removable. It also removes the ability to dock the system to your TV to play on a big screen. As the trade-off for these concessions, though, it's a smaller, lighter device built to function as a handheld, and comes in three varieties of body colors.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Among Us was one of the biggest hits of 2020--despite not actually being a new game--and InnerSloth, Maximum Games, and Robot Teddy have revealed new ways to experience it with three Among Us Collector's Edition variants. Ranging from $30 to $90, they include things like stickers, posters, plush toys, a fleece blanket, and lots of extra DLC. They're available for all the consoles, though PC is left out as Limited Run has its own physical version. Among Us Ejected Edition $90 The most expensive of the three collector's editions comes loaded with exclusive DLC, a sticker sheet, one of 12 holographic access cards, a map poster, phone and PC wallpaper codes, a lanyard, a plush, and a steelbook case. All standard DLC is also included for free. See at Maximum Games Among Us Imposter Edition $50 For a little less, the Among Us Imposter Edition still includes most of the content from the Ejected Edition, including the stickers, holographic access cards, plush, lanyard, and poster. The steelbook here is replaced by a 3D lenticular case, if that's something you're into. It also still includes the codes for wallpapers on your PC or phone so you can show your fandom all the time. See at Maximum Games Among Us Crewmate Edition $30 For $30, you can still get plenty of goodies in the Among Us Crewmate Edition. These include the stickers, access cards, exclusive DLC, map poster, and wallpapers. You'll just get the standard game case, but it's a lot of value for the price. See at Maximum Games Best Gaming & Tech Deals This Week Steam Summer Sale 2021 Is Live Now The Best Steam Summer Sale 2021 Game Deals Best Cheap Games Under $10 In Steam Summer Sale 2021 + Show More Best Gaming & Tech Deals This Week Links (4) Scarlet Nexus Gets $10 Discount Ahead Of Its Release Tomorrow The 15 Best Post-Prime Day Deals Still Available Razer Raiju Mobile Controller Drops To $50, Its Lowest Price Ever On Amazon (Save $100) Amazon Prime's 7 Free Games For July 2021 Are Live Info from Gamespot.com

As of today, players can start deciding the fate of the Brotherhood of Steel in Appalachia. Update 28 for Fallout 76, which brings the game to version 1.5.4.15, includes Steel Reign, the end of the game's Steel Dawn expansion storyline. Of course, the update also includes a heap of other changes, including the addition of legendary crafting, a brand-new season, and wallet upgrades.Players may want to brush up on the events of Steel Dawn before starting Steel Reign, as the latter picks up right where the former left off. The Steel Reign questline is likewise only available to players over level 20 who have finished the quest "The Best Defense." Along with a heap of new missions, players can also expect new items from the questline, including new suits of power armor.Outside of the Brotherhood's drama, as of today players can start to forge even more powerful weapons and armor thanks to legendary crafting. With this new crafting method, players can turn their normal, unimpressive items into one, two, or three-star rated legendary items. Using two new resources, Legendary Cores and Legendary Modules, players can even re-roll attributes on legendary items or even downgrade their ranking.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Among Us's Version 2021.6.30 update (aka the July 7 patch) is live on all platforms, and it introduces a big change to the game in the form of vent cleaning. It also adds new languages to the game--including Chinese and Irish--and stomps out a few nasty bugs, such as one that caused players to get stuck in place after a meeting concluded.The new vent cleaning task allows all players to clean a vent (surprisingly enough), which prevents any imposters from using the vent for a time. Once the vent is cleaned, imposters can use that vent, and imposters can still use other vents to hide while the vent is being cleaned. However, if an imposter is hiding in a vent that you clean, they'll be booted out, and you can see who they are. How dramatic.latest bug update is out now! 🔪 🐛version 2021.6.30 features:• new vent cleaning task!!!• new translations: Traditional and Simplified Chinese & Irish• getting stuck in place is fixed• scaling on "SHH" screen fixed• and more!full dev log: https://t.co/KjUrmG9zoL pic.twitter.com/0OilFkOtD4 — Among Us (@AmongUsGame) July 7, 2021As mentioned above, this patch also fixes several well-known bugs in the game, included one that caused players to get stuck after meetings, and the broken scaling on the SHH screen. Clouds in the airship will now move in the correct direction, which is a fun detail. Unfortunately, the wizard hat is still missing, so you'll have to wait for a future patch to roleplay your D&D dreams.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In the MCU, Thanos collected all the Infinity Stones and made half of the life in the universe disappear. The comic book version of the character is known for many other things, like falling in love with Death--the character, who is also the concept--and having his own helicopter. In Episode 5 of Loki, titled "Journey Into Mystery," the Thanos Copter made its debut.This really isn't much of a spoiler for the episode, so don't worry, as the Thanos Copter is nothing more than a background prop during the episode. It's an Easter egg. As Loki and the... Lokis are walking around, you can see the bright yellow helicopter in the background with "Thanos" written on the side, so you know who this copter belongs to. Check it out below, along with a comparison to the comic book version.The vehicle has only appeared a couple times in Marvel Comics stories. Back in 1979, the Thanos Copter made its debut in Spidey Super Stories #39. Thanos was on a mission to collect a Cosmic Cube which was in Hellcat's possession. Of course, he needed a helicopter to do so. There's no explanation and it appears in a total of three panels.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Adult Swim and Crunchyroll have announced the voice cast for the highly-anticipated anime series Blade Runner: Black Lotus. The show, which was first announced way back in 2018, is expected to finally premiere sometime later this year--Adult Swim will air the English language version, and Crunchyroll will stream the series in Japanese with subtitles.A first look at the new series will debut at a Comic-Con@Home 2021 panel hosted online on Friday, July 23. (AMC recently released its Comic-Con schedule for the virtual event, whose calendar is quickly filling up with announcements like this one.) According to a release, the show's characters and corresponding English/Japanese voice cast will include:Elle, a female replicant created for a secret and unknown purpose, will be played by Jessica Henwick / Arisa ShidaJoseph, a mysterious figure who owns a spare parts junkyard in Los Angeles, will be played by Will Yun Lee / Shinshu FujiAlani Davis, a fresh LAPD recruit, will be played by Samira Wiley / Takako HondaNiander Wallace Sr, founder and CEO of the Wallace Corporation, will be played by Brian Cox / Takaya HashiNiander Wallace Jr, abrilliant scientist working for his father, will be played by Wes Bentley / Takehito KoyasuMarlowe, a deadly Blade Runner, will be played by Josh Duhamel / Taiten KusunokiJosephine Grant, the wife of the police chief, will be played by Peyton List / Yoshiko SakakibaraEarl Grant, Police Chief of the LAPD, will be played by Stephen Root / Hochu OtsukaDoc Badger, a black market dealer, will be played by Barkhad Abdi /Takayuki KinbaSenator Bannister, a politician with strong feelings on replicant production, will be played by Gregg Henry / Masane TsukayamaDoctor M, a brilliant doctor and professor of medicine, will be played by Henry Czerny / Akio NojimaHooper, a journalist in the pocket of the Wallace Corporation, will be played by Jason Spisak / Kazuki YaoBlade Runner: Black Lotus is, of course, inspired by the Blade Runner movie franchise. The show will take place in 2032--so between the original movie and the sequel Blade Runner 2049--and will, according to Variety, "include some established characters from the Blade Runner universe." The show will consist of 13 30-minute episodes directed by Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

World of Warcraft's Lich King loves a good plague, which makes the game's Wrath of the Lich King expansion the perfect fit for a Pandemic style board game.Announced today via a teaser trailer, the upcoming WoW: Wrath of the Lich King board game from Z-Man Games will be the first officially licensed Pandemic System game, which are tabletop games which use systems from the popular Pandemic board game series but are not set in the world of Pandemic or Pandemic Legacy. Other previous games to use the Pandemic System include Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu and Pandemic: Fall of Rome.The teaser trailer doesn't provide many actual details on how the game will play, but does provide a good glimpse of the game board (a nicely rendered map of Northrend) and some nicely detailed miniatures fans can expect to come with the game.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Battlefield developer DICE LA has changed its name ahead of the studio's reveal of a new mode for Battlefield 2042 later this month at EA Play Live. Going forward, the Los Angeles-based studio will be known as Ripple Effect Studios. The name is meant to represent the idea that "the smallest idea can change the world.""We believe that true transformation in the game industry begins with small moments, like an enlightening conversation in a hallway or a prototype yielding unexpected results," the studio said in a blog post. "Our ambition is to become a studio that excels at everything--not just making games but also the process of how we make them. We want to reach a super level of quality in everything we do, no matter how big or small. This philosophy applies to everything, from constantly refining our development process, to cultivating a positive company culture, and growing a thriving community."Battlefield veteran Christian Grass is the GM of Ripple Effect Studios, which had been operating for eight years as DICE LA as a support studio to the main DICE team in Stockholm, Sweden.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

In typical fashion, Nintendo surprised fans by unveiling a revision of the Switch hardware. Known officially as the Nintendo Switch (OLED model), this new version improves upon the design of its predecessor in several ways, including the addition of an OLED screen, enhanced audio, and more. While it's not the long-rumored upgraded Switch Pro model that many fans had hoped for, it still represents the next functional step forward for the hybrid console handheld. Below we detail everything you need to know about the upcoming Switch OLED.Release DateThe Switch OLED is scheduled to launch on October 8. This date also happens to be the same as the release of Metroid Dread; maybe that's why white is the flagship color for the console.PriceSwitch OLED is priced at $349.99--$50 more than the standard Switch model. You're definitely paying for that OLED screen premium, but this price also includes the new, enhanced Switch dock that features an ethernet jack.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Tencent Games has rolled out a new initiative in China that forces players to submit to a digital face scan to verify they aren't minors. This is the company's effort to comply with the Chinese government in its bid to curb video game addiction among minors.The software makes use of AI to determine if players are attempting to trick the system, forcing players offline if they either fail or reject the request for the scan. This applies to all Tencent's games between the hours of 10 PM and 8 AM. The use of AI will allow the system to detect players using tricks to circumvent the check, while continually learning from fraudulent attempts that were successful.The measure, called "Midnight Patrol," is another system that Tencent has implemented since Chinese authorities drafted a bill of requirements aimed at curbing video game addiction among Chinese minors. This included the requirement to have games use real names for account creation, so that play time and spending could be monitored and restricted for players under the age of 18. These requirements were put in place after gaming-related incidents sparked the authorities' interest, according to Sixth Tone.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A Nintendo employee says Switch owners don't need to upgrade to the new OLED model if they have no interest in the bigger, more vibrant 7-inch screen.Following the announcement of the Nintendo Switch OLED model, manager of product marketing JC Rodrigo was asked on Twitter if this upcoming console refresh will run any better than the current models available on the market. Rodrigo reiterated performance is not what the OLED system is for and said Switch owners can ultimately "stick with the current one if you're not digging the screen."Nope. Not what’s for. Stick with the current one if you’re not digging the screen. — JC Rodrigo (@JCRodrigo_) July 6, 2021Rodrigo's comment makes sense. The Switch OLED model is ostensibly a mid-cycle refresh, not the upgraded version that's been reported and rumored to feature 4K output and better performance. In fact, Nintendo told VGC that the OLED model has "no major internal changes" over the current one. When reached for comment, Nintendo told us that the OLED model also uses the same Joy-Cons.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Filming on HBO's The Last of Us TV series is currently underway in Canada, and now a few more details about the project have come to light from writer Craig Mazin. He revealed this on a Scriptnotes podcast, also confirming that season 1 has five different directors.Mazin--who previously worked with HBO on the acclaimed Chernobyl mini-series--said the writing for the first three-to-four episodes is "kinda done" (via Collider).The Last of Us received a straight-to-series order, which means HBO is not filming a pilot episode and is instead launching directly into the series. The same was true for Chernobyl, and Mazin acknowledged that this presents some potential issues, one being that the production team isn't able to "retool" what they otherwise could have if it was a pilot.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A new cheat engine that uses machine-learning can work on consoles, including Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. The anti-cheat watch group ACPD posted its findings on the new tool on Twitter, explaining how it will be difficult for developers to detect.The tool seems to use a visual feed provided by a capture card (ones like Elgato and AverMedia make) to a PC, which is then analyzed using machine-learning to determine targets. All the player needs to do is aim in the general direction of a foe online, with the tool then figuring out precise aiming and even taking the required shots for the kill. The tool can be configured in a bunch of way, with the video demonstrating how a cheater can increase or decrease the field of view the tool uses to grab targets.Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the next generation of cheating now available on console, and has been for a while but lately its been becoming more popular and more of a trend, consoles are no longer a safe space to play your games legit anymore pic.twitter.com/iEQzPVFf1h — Anti-Cheat Police Department 🕵️ (@AntiCheatPD) July 5, 2021Tools like this are not uncommon on PC, but it's not something that should be familiar to console players. The closed ecosystems of consoles have made cheating far more challenging, but since this tool only needs a visual feed of what is happening, it will be very difficult for either Sony or Microsoft to prevent. ACPD says it isn't impossible, but that developers will equally struggle to find a widespread solution to this problem.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com