The latest Nintendo Switch Sports content update finally adds basketball to the game.

During the Nintendo Direct showcase last month, it was announced that the spiritual successor to Wii Sports would soon receive basketball as a brand-new game mode in a free content update. At the time, the company said it would arrive sometime this summer, but didn't offer a set release date alongside the reveal trailer.

However, Nintendo has now confirmed via a social media post that the free content update will arrive today in the US, July 9, while the UK will receive it on July 10.

With Basketball added to the game mode roster, players will be able to participate in 2v2 matches, local and online, using the Nintendo Switch Joy Con motion controls. In local play, they can also take on 'Solo Three-Point Challenge' where they can attempt to score as many baskets as they can within the time limit.

Up to five players can also compete in 'Five-Streak Battle' on the court, a more chaotic-looking challenge, with the goal to score the most hoops within the time-limit.

Nintendo Switch Sports first launched in April 2022 and already features seven game modes, including Badminton, Volleyball, Soccer, Tennis, Bowling, Chambara, and Golf.

In order to play online, Switch users will need a Nintendo Switch Online membership, but can still play without one in local play.

Even more announcements were made during the June Nintendo Direct showcase, including the reveal of Mario & Luigi: Brothership - the first new entry in the series in almost nine years, which will see the duo return in an all-new platforming adventure featuring turn-based combat on November 7.

We also got new news of a brand-new Legend of Zelda title, called The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which will see Princess Zelda as the playable protagonist on a quest to save Link and Hyrule. Echoes of the Wisdom is set to launch on Nintendo Switch on September 26.

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The Xbox TV app is officially available on Amazon Fire sticks.

Microsoft and Amazon announced the collaboration last month, but as of July 8, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will now be able to download the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices and gain access to tons of cloud-supported games, no console required.

The app, which can also support a number of Bluetooth devices, will be available only for the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and the Fire TV Stick 4K. To get started, users will need to download the Xbox app on your Fire TV device via the Amazon app store and once installed, sign in with their Microsoft account. 

If they're already a member, they'll get instant access to stream and play any games featured in the Game Pass Ultimate library, including Starfield and Sea of Thieves, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and many more.

For more detailed step-by-step instructions, you can read the handy guide provided by Microsoft below: 

How to get started with the Xbox app:

• Simply install and launch the Xbox app from your Fire TV device.
• Sign in with your Microsoft account to play. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, you’ll have instant access to hundreds of cloud-enabled games.
• Not a member? No worries! You can join Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for one low monthly price, or check out Fortnite without a membership.
• Connect a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller. Controllers like the Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller, or DualShock 4 controller are all compatible.
• Start Playing!

"Over the past several years, we have been on a journey to deliver cloud gaming to more devices and to more people around the globe. We are excited to add Fire TV to our growing family of cloud gaming devices and eager to welcome new players into this experience," said Ashley McKissick, corporate vice president of Xbox experiences and platforms engineering, last month.

"We are excited to add Fire TV to our growing family of cloud gaming devices and eager to welcome new players into this experience."

In June, Amazon also 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.

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• BioShock 4 is officially "ramping up" development with 30 new job listings

2K Cloud Chamber is now "ramping up" development of BioShock 4 as it shares new job listings.

After almost five years since the Bioshock 4 was announced to be in the works, its developer has officially confirmed it is now properly gearing up and is looking for additional members to join the team at 2K Cloud Chamber.

As spotted by GamesRadar, last week the studio's senior cinematic designer Jeff Spoonhower shared a bunch of open roles on LinkedIn, while also teasing what's to come.

"The BioShock team at 2K Cloud Chamber is ramping up!" the post reads. "We have many positions open across a variety of disciplines including art, animation, engineering, design, narrative, and production."

Spoonhower added that the development team is "working on a really awesome project", although didn't offer any more details than that.

As of right now, BioShock 4 doesn't have an official name or release window, and we also don't know what the game is even about.

The project was announced back in 2019 but will not be made by series' original creator Irrational Games. 2K Cloud Chamber does have BioShock veterans on the team, however, and since we're deep in the life cycle of current gen consoles, the game is likely to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, as well as PC.

Since every BioShock title has been in first-person, it's safe to assume the fourth installment will follow the series' tradition, too.

Irrational Games, which made BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite, was rebranded as Ghost Story Games in 2017, and is currently working on its first title, Judas.  BioShock's creator Ken Levine is helming the first-person shooter project and revealed the first official story trailer earlier this year.

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• Paradox delays the console release of Cities Skylines 2 indefinitely, says 'we have not yet met the stability and performance targets we set'

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions of Final Fantasy 14 unfortunately continue to have issues after the official launch of the Dawntrail expansion.

An update on the game's official Lodestone news website confirms the development team is looking into an "issue wherein the game becomes unresponsive when transitioning between areas," specifically on Xbox versions of the MMORPG. The post goes on to detail the ongoing issue.

"Our current progress involves rigorous testing of each potential cause of the issue and verifying the impact of each measure. However, it is highly likely that it will take time to fully uncover and address the issue, so we have applied a version of the process that we believe may be effective to the public servers. Therefore, while we have not yet received the final confirmation that the issue has been fully addressed, we will continue to monitor the situation in the public environment after the patch has been applied."

Should the issue persist, the team will also "consider extending the free game time we previously announced." That would grant players, who normally have to pay a monthly subscription fee to play Final Fantasy 14, some time to play the game at no extra cost.

Dawntrail is the first major expansion to release after the long-awaited arrival of the Xbox versions of Final Fantasy 14, so it seems likely that growing pains will persist here for some time given the sheer size of the now decade-old MMORPG. Hopefully these issues can be resolved soon so that Xbox players can enjoy the excellent new expansion the same as everyone else.

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The console version of Cities Skylines 2 has unfortunately been delayed once again.

Cities Skylines 2 launched on PC in October and was also expected to release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S at the same time. However, the console edition was delayed to spring 2024, less than a month before its intended launch, so publisher Paradox Interactive and developer Colossal Order could "reach the quality targets we have set". 

Earlier this year, it was then delayed to October, with the publisher once again citing optimization struggles.

Now, in a new forum post shared on July 8, Paradox shared an update and informed players that it has come to the decision to delay the game's console release indefinitely. 

The publisher apologized and confirmed that its plans to reach the quality targets have not yet been met. 

"We wanted to update you on the console release schedule," Paradox said. "Unfortunately, we have not yet met the stability and performance targets we set for the console release. Without a Release Candidate (RC), we are now unable to meet an October release window.

"While we are making slow but steady progress, there are still unresolved issues impacting the game in ways that harm the player experience we want to deliver. We expect to receive a new RC, which will undergo a thorough review in August. This evaluation will determine whether we can begin the submission process and provide a solid release date, or if further issues need to be addressed.

Paradox continued, and said, "We understand this is disappointing, and it’s not what we had hoped for either. However, we are committed to keeping you informed throughout this development process, even if the updates aren’t always what we’d like."

There's no word on a new release date at this time, but Paradox said it will keep fans updated.

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Sega's Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, developer of the Like A Dragon / Yakuza franchise, has given the smallest of morsels in regards to what it's working on next.

As reported by VGC, the developer recently held the 'Essence of Fandom' panel at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. Fans in attendance have since said that during the panel, it was said that they'll "be surprised" by what's in store from RGG Studio for its next title.

"We can't tell you what kind of game it is but I will tell you... you will be surprised," reads the quote as posted by TheYakuzaGuy on X / Twitter.

We can employ a bit of analysis to try and work out what Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's next game could be. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth launched earlier this year, meaning the next mainline entry in the series is likely a ways off yet. It's perhaps more likely that the next game could be a spin-off or side story, then, as we saw last year with Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which filled in protagonist Kazuma Kiryu's story between the events of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and Yakuza: Like A Dragon.

RGG also handles developmental duties on other Sega properties, having also worked on Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble and Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown. However, given the panel was strictly related to the Like A Dragon series, it's most likely the studio's next game falls within that franchise.

With that in mind, we could see a spin-off game starring one of the series' popular side characters, or potentially a third entry in the Judgment series which takes place in the same continuity as Like A Dragon. Hopefully we won't have to wait long for more details, as RGG Studio is notable for having a relatively swift and efficient development schedule.

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• EA is delisting Battlefield 3, 4, and Hardline on older platforms at the end of the month

EA has announced that it will be delisting three Battlefield games from select digital storefronts later this month.

In a recent post shared to X / Twitter and spotted by Eurogamer, the publisher confirmed that as of Wednesday, July 31 it will be removing Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4, and Battlefield: Hardline from sale on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

This means users will no longer be able to purchase the titles from the digital storefronts or the extra related content, such as downloadable content (DLC) or any other add-ons.

What's more, online services for Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4, and Hardline on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are also scheduled to end on November 7, 2024. 

"While the online components of these titles close for these platforms, if you own the game, you will still be able to play the single-player component," EA explained. 

The publisher also noted that Battlefield 3 will still be playable on PC, and that Battlefield 4 and Hardline will be playable on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, saying that the announcement "does not affect these titles and platforms".

Although EA didn't offer a reason behind the delisting, it did comment on its official help site that, "some games go away for legal reasons, or because players are asking for resources elsewhere" adding, that "there comes a time in every game's lifecycle when it makes sense for us to remove it from online stores. We refer to this process as 'sunsetting'."

Elsewhere, Dice has announced a brand-new Battlefield 2042 collaboration with Dead Space. The limited-time crossover event will introduce a new mode called Outbreak inspired by the horror series and is set to begin on July 9, with free rewards to earn.

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BioWare has confirmed Dragon Age: The Veilguard will feature several difficulty options, including one that will let you customize your gameplay experience.

Speaking in a new interview with Game Informer, game director Corinne Busche was able to share even more details about the upcoming Dragon Age game by revealing the multiple difficulty options - or "playstyles" as BioWare calls them - the game will feature.

Before players take the first step in their next adventure in Thedas, they'll be prompted to choose from a range of difficulty options, each with their own unique features. 

First, there's 'Storyteller' for those more invested in the story than combat - which sounds like it would fall under the 'easy mode' label - 'Adventurer' for a balanced experience, and 'Nightmare', which is the hardest difficulty in the game. Players will be able to change between difficulties throughout their journey, however, you'll be locked in with Nightmare as it's a "permanent selection".

Finally, and perhaps the most interesting option, there's 'Unbound', which will allow players to customize their gameplay experience to their liking. 

For instance, you'll be able to adjust how wayfinding helps you in-game, use aim-assist and auto-aim, adjust combat timing to make parrying easier, or harder if you prefer the challenge, and even a balanced, 'forgiving', and a third harder option.

Players will also get to adjust how much damage their enemies output, how much damage they deal enemies in turn by changing their health, and even an option to adjust enemy pressure.

For those looking for an even less taxing playthrough, Unbound will also feature a no-death option, making your Rook invincible. 

"[None of these options] are a cheat," Busche explained. "It's an option to make sure players of all abilities can show up."

Dragon Age: The Veilguard doesn't have a launch date just yet, but it's expected to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC in "late 2024". 

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Dice has announced a brand-new collaboration event for Battlefield 2042 that will see content inspired by Dead Space added to the game.

The Battlefield 2042 x Dead Space limited-time crossover event, which is scheduled to begin on July 9 and run through to July 16, will introduce a new mode called Outbreak inspired by the survival horror game.

According to the developer, in Outbreak, squads are "tested by their human resilience and resourcefulness against a new and relentless enemy all while trying to escape the Boreas laboratory." 

To get a sense of what to expect, Dice has teased the event with an official reveal trailer, which you can watch below, showing teams facing zombies that look like the Necromorphs of the Dead Space series.

During the week-long event, players will also be able to unlock free rewards by participating, including items like a new weapon charm, a skin inspired by the horror game, a player card background, and tag.

The collaboration will also feature an exclusive Dead Space bundle containing a legendary specialist outfit called 'Marked Man', three legendary weapon skins, and more goodies. The bundle can be purchased for 2200 BFC.

This event is part of Battlefield 2042's current Season 7: Turning Point, which will be the final season for the game. 

Dice announced the news back in April, confirming that Season 7 would conclude the first-person shooter's post-launch content, but will still continue to support the game with new in-game challenges, events, modes, and maintenance.

"We know this news may be disappointing," said Byron Beede, general manager for Battlefield. "However, as we looked at what the future of the series required, it became clear it was time for us to shift our resources and focus to be fully dedicated to what comes next."

In terms of what's next for the Battlefield series, in May, Electronic Arts' CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed that the next installment is "another tremendous live service" title.

Motive, the studio behind 2023's remake of Dead Space and Star Wars: Squadrons, joined the Battlefield team at EA earlier this year, alongside Criterion and Ripple Effect, to help build a "Battlefield universe across connected multiplayer experiences and single-player". 

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• The latest Elden Ring patch makes changes to two of the hardest Shadow of the Erdtree bosses

A brand-new Elden Ring patch has been deployed, fixing a number of bugs and balance issues, while also nerfing some of the game's most powerful builds.

FromSoftware released version 1.12.3 today, July 4, and is a surprisingly large update that aims to address a bunch of problems, including some that may have been bothering players. 

Specifically, the patch has made changes to two of Shadow of the Erdtree's most challenging bosses, the Golden Hippopotamus and Commander Gaius, by changing the placement of them in their respective arenas so they don't instantly overwhelm you as you pass through the entrance. 

This should also give players a chance to summon one of their many spirits to help in battle before the bosses overwhelm them within seconds.

In addition to a long list of bug fixes, the Swift Slash skill has had its damage and damage animation nerfed in PvP, while the Carian Sorcery Sword has had its Intelligence scaling increased at the cost of its base damage. 

The Lightning Perfume Bottle and Frenzyflame Perfume Bottle, two popular weapons among players, have also been significantly nerfed. According to FromSoftware, the damage output for each weapon was a bug that was dealing double damage "under certain circumstances", so say goodbye to this overpowered build. You can read the full patch notes below.

Elden Ring - Version 1.12.3 patch notes

PvP-exclusive balance adjustments

• Decreased the damage and damage animation of the shearing vacuum effect of the “Swift Slash” Skill.

General balance adjustments

• Increased the Intelligence scaling of the Carian Sorcery Sword and slightly decreased the base damage.
• Extended the throwing attacks range for the following weapons:
• Smithscript Dagger / Smithscript Cirque
• Changed the placement of the bosses in the re-fight against the Golden Hippopotamus and Commander Gaius bosses to be in the same position as in the first fight.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused the Rolling Sparks Skill to deal more damage than expected.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Rolling Sparks and Wall of Sparks Skills to deal no damage while some special effects were applied to the player.
• Fixed a bug where some special effects of a right-handed weapon would also be applied to the following Weapon Skills when cast with the left hand:
  • Feeble Lord's Frenzied Flame
  • Discus Hurl
• Fixed a bug where successfully guarding while attacking using the Thrusting Shield weapon type would consume less stamina than intended.
• Fixed a bug that prevented players from cancelling the attack recovery of two-handed strong attacks by rolling for certain weapons of the Backhand Blades weapon type.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Lightning Perfume Bottle and Frenzyflame Perfume Bottle weapons to deal double damage under certain circumstances.
• Fixed a bug where the Arcane scaling of the Bloodfiend's Arm weapon was higher than intended when setting an affinity. The status buildup of the heavy attack was also reduced.
• Fixed a bug where the Faith scaling of the Gazing Finger weapon was not being applied correctly.
• Fixed a bug where the damage animation of some attacks of the Fire Knight's Greatsword against players was different than expected.
• Fixed a bug where the attack affinity of some attacks of the Fire Knight's Greatsword were different than expected.
• Fixed a bug that caused some affinities for the following weapons to be higher than intended:
  • Smithscript Dagger
  • Smithscript Cirque
  • Smithscript Axe
  • Smithscript Greathammer
  • Smithscript Spear
  • Golem Fist
  • Smithscript Shield
• Fixed a bug that caused enemies to heal when the Maximum HP reduction gradual HP reduction effect applied by Black Knife Tiche wore off.
• Fixed a bug that caused summoned NPCs to behave differently than expected under certain circumstances.
• Fixed a bug where the unblockable bite attack of the Golden Hippopotamus boss would connect with players more easily than intended.
• Fixed a bug that caused text to display differently than expected.
• Several other performance improvements and bug fixes.

Possible unstable performance fixes

• For the PS5 version of the game, unstable framerate may be improved by using the "Rebuild Database" option from the device’s safe mode.
• In some PC versions, Ray Tracing may be unintentionally enabled and cause unstable performance. Please check the Ray Tracing setting in the "System" > "Graphics Settings" > "Raytracing Quality" from the title screen or in-game menu.
• In the PC Version, the message "Inappropriate activity detected" may appear without cheating.
  To fix this issue, please verify the integrity of the game's files before restarting the game.
• In the PC version, unstable framerate may be caused by third-party applications that control mouse behavior. Deactivating these third-party applications may improve performance.

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Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is reportedly set to debut on Xbox Game Pass later this year.

This comes from a reliable leaker that goes by 'eXtas1s' and was spotted by Eurogamer. The leaker stated that they have spoken to sources and has seen "certain graphic evidence" that would indicate the release of more Activision games on Game Pass.

Among these titles is the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which is apparently set to launch on the subscription service in August, but doesn't yet know if it can be played through the Cloud. Windows Central has since been able to corroborate this information, as well.

The leaker also said that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy are "coming very soon" but "cannot guarantee their arrival to the service in the same month."

"Regarding the arrival of some Call of Duty games, I currently have no information about whether they will arrive in August, or whether we'd have to wait even longer," eXtas1s adds.

Diablo 4 became the first Activision Blizzard game to join Xbox Game Pass in March, following Microsoft's acquisition of the company last year.

Back in May, Microsoft announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will arrive on Xbox Game Pass day one for all members, making it the first game in the series to be brought to the service.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is slated to launch on October 25 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and Xbox One. A full gameplay reveal was recently shared at the Xbox Games Showcase, where fans were treated to a first look via an explosive new trailer.

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A lot of the time, the most addictive games are the simplest ones, and so we present to you One Million Checkboxes. You can get the gist of this new game from its title, but the gameplay simply involves you checking and unchecking as many boxes as you like.

Simple, right? Well, if you want to stay productive today, we'd encourage you to think carefully before following that link. You run the risk of being dragged into an endless battle across a field of flashing blue and white squares.

The checked status of each box is the same for every player, which means any box you fill in might soon be made blank again by someone else – and mini-wars are breaking out all across the board as the checkers battle the uncheckers.

Up in the top right corner of the screen is a count of how many boxes you've checked, and how many boxes have been checked. The game, straightforward though it is, is causing a furore online, as some players try and empty the board and some try to fill it up.

Soothing or frustrating?

The game comes from creator Nolen Royalty, who has made similar games and internet oddities before. Judging by the developer's X feed, they weren't expecting quite so many people to get involved – some 500,000, by the last count.

And you don't have to go far on the web to find reactions: it's "kinda soothing" to some, but "maximally frustrating" to others, so your mileage may vary. What's clear is that it's addictive enough to take up a significant chunk of the day.

At the time of writing, the number of checked boxes is up to around 560,000, and the activity is frenetic up at the top of the board. Scroll down, or use the jump box down in the lower right corner, and you can find calmer blocks of the board to play around in.

The big question is: what happens when every box on the board is checked? Or every box on the board is cleared? Perhaps nothing at all – but judging by the time we've spent glued to the checkbox action, we might never end up finding out.

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