Microsoft and Amazon have announced that the Xbox App is coming to Amazon Fire TV next month.

As of July, this collaboration also means that the Xbox Game Ultimate Pass game library will be available on select TV’s with a compatible Fire TV Stick and Bluetooth-enabled controller. 

Users will gain access to hundreds of cloud-enabled games directly through the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices, no console required, such as Bethesda’s most recent space role-playing game Starfield, as well as other titles like Fallout 4, Forza Horizon 5, Sea of Thieves, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and many more.

“We’re committed to making it easy for customers to access their favorite entertainment experiences with Fire TV. We’re excited to work with Microsoft to bring the Xbox app to select Fire TV devices so customers can enjoy a vast library of high-quality games, allowing them to play amazing titles without the need for a console,” said Daniel Rausch, vice president of Fire TV and Alexa. 

"Now customers have even more ways to play the games they love, wherever they are, with just a compatible Fire TV Stick, Bluetooth controller, and Game Pass Ultimate membership."

To get started, users will need either a Fire TV Stick 4K Max or a Fire TV Stick 4K, then you can go ahead and download the Xbox app on your Fire TV device via the Amazon app store. Once installed, you can then sign in with your Microsoft account, and if you’re already a member, you’ll get instant access to stream and play any games featured in the Game Pass Ultimate library. 

When it comes to connecting a Bluetooth controller, you can select from a range of options, including the Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, the DualSense Wireless Controller or the DualShock 4.

Earlier this month, Amazon expanded the availability of its cloud gaming platform Amazon Luna to three more countries, including Austria, the Netherlands, and Poland, allowing users in these countries to experience a wide selection of available games.

Amazon has also teamed up with GOG Game Store to offer more than 40 titles that can be played on the Luna via the cloud, such as the massively popular Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight, and Cuphead. 

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The patent for Xbox's Keystone cloud console has been leaked, providing us with our first detailed look at the canceled device.

First spotted by Windows Central, the patent on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website shows features several blueprint images of the Xbox console and confirmed that the patent was filed in June 2022.

If you look at the images provided, it's clear that the device - codenamed Project Keystone - would have been a smaller, box-shaped design with a circular top reminiscent of the PlayStation 1, where you would insert the game disk.

However, since the Keystone was intended as a cloud console, there is no opening slot on the box to insert games. The top and front edge of the device also features the Xbox logo, with a few minimalistic buttons on either side.

There are what appears to be some ventilation ports too underneath the box like the Xbox Series X, as needed with every console to allow heat to pass through, as well as a diagram showing the slots required for HDMI and Ethernet cables.

The patent images are all in black and white, so it's unclear what color the console would have been, but if we were to look back at Xbox's history, it's likely Project Keystone would have been either black or white.

Microsoft announced that it was working on a new console back in 2021, at the time describing it as a dedicated streaming device for Xbox Game Pass. It wasn't until 2022 where we received confirmation via a dataminer that it was called Project Keystone. 

Unfortunately, later that year, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed that the project was scrapped (via The Verge) because of its cost and due to an inability to bring the console down to a marketable price for customers. According to Spencer, he wanted Keystone to cost around between $99 and $129.

Rumors have been circulating about a potential Xbox handheld console for a while now, and although Xbox has yet to formally reveal anything of the sort, it did recently announce brand-new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S models. 

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Valve has shared how many of its Steam users are playing games with a controller.

In a new Steam blog post, Valve revealed that more players are choosing to play Steam games with a controller than ever, and that since 2018, the daily average controller use has tripled from 5% to up to 15%.

It also confirmed that 42% of these controller sessions are using the Steam Input feature.

In terms of which controllers are being used the most, Xbox is winning by a landslide. According to Valve, 59% of sessions are played using an Xbox controller, while 26% are using PlayStation - likely the DualSense or DualShock 4 - and 10% are on Steam Deck.

"As usage has grown, our team has continued working to improve and add features to enhance the controller experience for these players," Valve explained, before listing a number of the new features that it has released for Steam Input and controller recently.

These include a Big Picture mode update, which introduced a complete redesign of the controller-first experience on Steam, which also brought Steam Deck user experience to the big screen, as well as new controller configurations, Gyro aiming, virtual menus for the desktop client, and PlayStation and Xbox controller support.

Valve also just added support for the latest Horipad controller for Steam. From Japanese peripheral manufacturer Hori, the Wireless Horipad will be available in Japan on October 31 and is listed at 7,980 Yen ($50 / £40). 

It will come in four color variants, including Midnight Black, Shiny White, Neon Yellow, and Luminous Violet. 

Steam now allows over 300 supported controllers, and if you're looking for some recommendations, you can check out our guide for the best PC controllers of 2024.

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Japanese peripheral manufacturer Hori has revealed its latest controller: the Wireless Horipad for Steam. It's a gamepad that, as the name succinctly gives away, is primarily compatible with PC and SteamOS.

The product is viewable on the brand's Japanese website, where it's listed at 7,980 Yen (around $50 / £40) and comes in four distinct color variants: Midnight Black, Shiny White, Neon Yellow, and Luminous Violet. The Wireless Horipad for Steam is set to launch on October 31 (spooky) in Japan, but thus far no global release date has been announced.

The Wireless Horipad for Steam appears to have a decent amount of features for a controller at this price. For one, its analog sticks have a pair of touch sensors used to enable gyro controls. Plus, Bluetooth connectivity means it has a chance of being compatible with Nintendo Switch consoles, too. 

The controller also features all of the menu and share buttons found on Steam Deck, but it is missing those trackpads. Sadly, it also seems like the Wireless Horipad for Steam doesn't have rumble of any kind. This could position it as a competitive, esports-facing controller (vibration can cause slight fluctuations in a player's aim in a shooter or turning angle in a racing game, for example), but this will have a negative impact on its casual appeal.

We're definitely seeing an uptick in PC-specific controllers in recent years. Some of the best PC controllers, in fact, are now tailor-made for the platform, including the superb GameSir T4 Kaleid and the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra, both of which have PC software used for customizing various settings. The Wireless Horipad for Steam appears to be a part of this new wave, too, and it'll be interesting to learn how it stacks up when it launches in October.

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It's a huge day for classic survival horror fans, as some of the most highly requested games for preservation are being ported to GoG this year: the original Resident Evil trilogy.

The news was announced today by The Sphere Hunter, a YouTube creator who specializes in covering classic sci-fi and survival horror video games, often of the Capcom variety. In her 17-minute video, she explains that the first Resident Evil is available to buy now, with the remaining two coming sometime in 2024.

Resident Evil is purchasable now at GoG for $10 / £8.99, and the next two games will follow suit later in the year at the same price. For those interested in buying all three, a trilogy bundle is also available for $24 / £20.99. Players who purchase the bundle will have Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis added to their GoG libraries automatically at the time of release.

The Japanese Biohazard versions of each game are also included here, as well as quality-of-life additions and new features present in the original PC versions. That includes the ability to skip door transition animations, as well as galleries and 3D model viewers. These also appear to be 'warts-and-all' ports, meaning that legacy bugs found in the original versions will be present here. However, GoG technical producer Adam Ziółkowski explains in The Sphere Hunter's video that some audio and visual oddities have been cleaned up for these re-releases.

While the original Resident Evil trilogy has enjoyed some truly phenomenal remakes in recent years, there hasn't been an easy, accessible way to play the original games since the now-delisted PlayStation 3 ports of the PlayStation 1 versions. Finally, those interested in experiencing the very roots of the legendary survival horror franchise now have a way of doing so on PC, DRM-free, and at a very reasonable price.

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Atari and Digital Eclipse have announced a brand-new expansion for the Atari 50: the Anniversary Collection.

Entitled Atari 50: the Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition, this new version of the game will add two timelines, along with 39 games, to the playable Atari retrospective.

The Expanded Edition is set to release on October 25 for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One,  Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and PS5, as well as for the Atari VCS this holiday. 

The Nintendo Switch and PS5 versions will also receive physical editions. More specifically, it will include a steelbook for the Nintendo Switch, which comes with quite a few extra goodies, including Atari 2600 art cards, miniature arcade marquee signs, and an Al Alcorn Replica Syzygy Co. business card.

The standard version will retail for $39.99 / £31.50, while the steelbook will retail for $49.99 / £39.40.

However, the two new timelines and games will be offered to owners of the original Atari 50 release as downloadable content (DLC) later this year.

As for the two timelines featured in the Expanded Edition, 'The Wider World of Atari' timeline will feature 19 playable games and eight video segments and takes  a series of deep dives into stories from Atari history, showing how Atari continued to influence creators and fans over the decades. 

It will also feature new interviews, vintage ads, historical artifacts, and more have all been researched and presented with Digital Eclipse’s signature style, along with highlights such as a deep dive into Stern Electronics' robot-blasting Berzerk; unusual and underappreciated innovations and hidden gems from the late 1980s; a spotlight on the artist Evelyn Seto - who helped create the “Fuji” Atari logo - Pong creator Al Alcorn explaining the birth of Breakout; and more.

Meanwhile, 'The First Console War' timeline will include 20 playable games and six video segments, and will tell the story of the first major console war in the gaming industry between the Atari 2600 and Mattel’s Intellivision.

Among a series of highlights of M Network games, this timeline will also have interview features from numerous industry veterans.

Atari 50: the Anniversary Collection was released in 2022 from developer Digital Eclipse and details the storied history of Atari with playable games and extras including galleries, arcade flyers and documentaries. 

It launched with 103 games from Atari's history, then receive 12 more in December 2023. With the Expanded Edition set to add 39 more games, this will bring the total of games to 154.

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Elden Ring's director Hidetaka Miyazaki says he may consider including "beginning to end, total co-op" in future FromSoftware games. 

Speaking in an interview with PC Gamer ahead of the release of Elden Ring's expansion Shadow of the Erdtree, the FromSoftware president was asked to comment on the popular Seamless Co-op mod.

If you're unfamiliar, Seamless Co-op allows players to party up with their friends in one continuous multiplayer session and provides a different experience when exploring the Lands Between.

While Elden Ring does feature a co-op system, it's fairly limited and doesn't allow you to constantly play with friends. 

According to Miyazaki, he's not against players using the mod on their adventures and explained that when designing the game's summoning mechanic, he wanted it to be more casual.

"It's definitely not something we actively oppose or want to downplay, wanting to go through the whole game together," said Miyazaki. "In terms of where we were with Elden Ring, it was simply a case of wanting that more loose, casual style — drop in, defeat a boss, drop out. It doesn't put any technical restrictions on the player, it just sort of lets them complete this focus and then move on, so to speak."

Miyazaki also went on to reveal that FromSoftware may consider changing its approach to co-op with future titles, considering the mod's popularity.

"That's not to say we won't consider other ways like you and your friend played, from beginning to end, total co-op—that's not to say we won't consider ideas like that with our future games."

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree launched on June 21 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. We gave the expansion 4.5 stars, with Hardware Editor Rhys Wood calling it "quite anomalous among modern-day downloadable content" and "FromSoftware’s biggest and arguably best DLC expansion to date."

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Fortnite dataminers have unearthed Pirates of the Caribbean as the next major crossover, and it's coming soon.

Earlier this year, Fortnite's roadmap for 2024 leaked and included spoilers for a bunch of collaborations and crossovers planned for the battle royale game, some of which recently released, like the Metallica and Billie Eilish collections.

Among the leaks was a mention of Disney's pirates franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean, which has now been confirmed by Epic Games to be arriving next month on July 19.

Reliable Fortnite leaker HYPEX recently shared brand-new assets on X/Twitter (via Eurogamer), showing off the first look at the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean collaboration.

Through a series of posts, it's clear that players will be able to purchase and unlock several skins inspired by the characters featured in Pirates of the Caribbean, including Jack Sparrow - along with a Skeleton variant designed after his appearance in The Black Pearl - Elizabeth Swann, Davy Jones, and Hector Barbossa. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Orlando Bloom's Will Turner will be available during the crossover.

There will also be several swords available that will likely be modeled for the players' pickaxe, as well as Back Bling inspired by the Dead Man's Chest, a Ship in the Bottle, which is described as "a cursed ship trapped in a bottle. Open it to unleash the ship from its ghostly depths, diving into your opponents with a devastating crash!"

We also got a decent look at a loading screen showing Jack Sparrow running away from Davy Jones. 

Although HYPEX's leaks claimed that the crossover would arrive on July 18, Epic has since confirmed that it won't go be released until July 19.

HYPEX and fellow leaker 'ShiinaBR' also made players aware that the Pirates of the Caribbean 'Cursed Sails Pass' had been put on sale ahead of its determined release date, however, Epic Games quickly stepped in and removed it from the game. 

"For players who purchased the Cursed Sails Pass ahead of its intended release on July 19, please note you are currently unable to progress the Pass until the start of the event, but will retain your Jack Sparrow outfit in the meantime," Epic said via the Fortnite Status X/Twitter account. 

The developer went on to provide instruction on how to refund their purchase and return the Outfit "because the Pass is not yet completable", which can be done on the official support page.

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Amazon Prime Day 2024 kicks off next month, but members can now grab up to 15 games leading up to the event.

Amazon has officially announced that its annual Prime Day event will take place on July 16 and July 17 this year, where a whole range of deals will be made available for those who are subscribed to the website's Prime membership. 

Among those offers will be some sweet gaming deals, but ahead of the sale, Amazon is also offering a collection of free games leading up to Prime Day itself.

Starting from June 24 through July 26, Prime members can claim 15 PC titles at no additional cost through Prime Gaming, which they can keep for good, including some popular and classic titles like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 – The Sith Lords, Forager, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. 

Each game varies in terms of the gaming platforms you can play them on, like the Epic Games Store, Amazon Games App, and GOG. You can check out the complete list of games on offer below, as well as the dates they become available.

Prime Day 2024 – 15 free games on offer:

• Deceive Inc - Now available 
• Tearstone: Thieves of the Heart - Now available
• The Invisible Hand - Now available
• Call of Juarez - Now available
• Forager - June 27
• Card Shark - June 27
• Heaven Dust 2  - June 27
• Soulstice - June 27
• Wall World - July 3
• Hitman Absolution - July 3
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood - July 3
• STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords - July 11
• Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX - July 11
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - July 11
• Samurai Bringer - July 11

Amazon confirmed that it will also have more offers for members during Prime Day itself.

If you're yet to become a Prime member, you can get a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime to get access to this year's Prime Day deals. Just like a regular membership, you'll get access to a ton of discounts, including savings on free delivery and access to other Amazon services like Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Gaming, and more. 

After claiming the 30-day trial, you can cancel at any time to avoid paying the regular fee the following month, which is $14.99 / £8.99 per month.

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UK retailer GAME has denied reports that it will stop selling physical games in-store.

This initial report came from Gfinity Esports, who claimed that sources told the publication that the storefront will no longer carry gaming related stock and that gaming hardware and software will only be available on a pre-order basis.

However, according to GAME, these claims are totally false. "This reporting is categorically not true," a GAME spokesperson told press. "GAME continues to support the physical gaming market, offering a wide-range of physical games, hardware, software, accessories and digital gift cards, in stores and online."

This latest report comes soon after a series of significant changes that have recently been implemented at the retailer.

Earlier this month, it announced that it would be discontinuing its Xbox All Access offer. For context, as of June 26, GAME will no longer offer the all-inclusive Xbox All Access plan to new subscribers - a service that allows consumers to pay a monthly cost towards their Xbox console and includes 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. 

GAME also confirmed that it will be permanently shuttering its reward scheme and Elite membership tier next month meaning that, as of July 15, customers will no longer be able to earn reward points from purchases and will have until July 31 to spend their points before they're gone for good.

In addition to these changes - as well as a series of layoffs that moved staff to zero-hours contracts - the UK retailer halted all trade-ins in its stores to phase out its pre-owned stock. 

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The 8BitDo Ultimate 2C has been announced, and it's a dedicated PC version of the popular brand's previous budget effort: the 8BitDo Ultimate C.

The 8BitDo Ultimate 2C is compatible with PC and Android devices, and ships with a 2.4GHz dongle, allowing PC folks to play wirelessly on their machine. For Android users, the controller is Bluetooth-compatible, too. You can also hook it up via USB-C if you'd prefer a wired connection.

This new controller comes in four striking pastel-themed color options: Green, Mint, Peach, and Purple. They're all quite basic, but nonetheless more aesthetically pleasing than the usual black, white, and gray of even many of the best PC controllers.

What's most appealing about the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C - and perhaps unsurprising for those familiar with the brand - is its relatively low price. Much like the former Ultimate C, this new PC-specific model comes in at $29.99 (around £24.99 / AU$45 - though regional pricing has yet to be announced). 

That's not bad considering the controller features drift-resistant Hall effect thumbsticks and triggers, and the addition of two remappable bumpers; things you usually find on more expensive Pro-adjacent gamepads. Furthermore, it looks like the controller has a turbo function like older models, with some refinements to its bumpers and d-pad.

The 8BitDo Ultimate 2C can be pre-ordered right now from 8BitDo's Amazon store page, and it's expected to ship on July 15 in the US. If you're looking for an affordable controller that nonetheless packs in excellent features and wireless connectivity, then the Ultimate 2C should be on your radar.

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Nintendo has revealed the file size for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom which launches on Nintendo Switch on September 26.

Spotted by Nintendo Life, the upcoming game, which debuted at the June 18 Nintendo Direct, is set to take up 6GB of your Switch's storage space. Or an estimated 6,144MB according to its official Nintendo store page. 

That's ever so slightly more than 2019's The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake, which Echoes of Wisdom continues to use the aesthetic of. The remake clocked in at around 6,035MB, indicating the new game will be similar in size and scope.

Fun fact: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is larger than both combined at 16.7GB, though that's to be expected given the colossal size of its open world.

Both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite have 32GB of onboard storage, meaning that The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom should take up roughly a fifth of that available space. If you're using the original hardware, we'd recommend investing in one of the best SD cards for Nintendo Switch to give you that extra peace of mind. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch OLED's storage is doubled to 64GB; plenty of room for a game as relatively small as this.

However, don't let Echoes of Wisdom's file size fool you; we're still expecting a decently meaty adventure here, especially with how the Echo system (which allows Zelda to make a clone of objects and enemies for placement in the overworld) factors into overall exploration. It's looking to be a very different style of Zelda game and we're excited to see what it brings to the table this September.

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