Apple’s iPad Air drops to $500, plus the rest of the week’s best tech deals

We’re in the thick of the holiday season, so we’re still seeing good deals on a number of gadgets and tech gear we recommend. Apple’s iPad Air, for instance, is down to its second-lowest price to date at $500, while Amazon’s Fire HD 8 is down to an all…

The Evercade EXP handheld brings key improvements but it’s still a curious concept

When we tried the original Evercade handheld, it was a fun-but-curious concept. Old games on a new handheld with cartridges? Nostalgia squared, basically. Whether you thought it was a good idea or not, there are now almost 40 collections available tota…

FromSoftware’s next game is ‘Armored Core VI’, arriving in 2023

Although The Game Awards didn’t bring news of a major Elden Ring expansion, there was another juicy announcement for FromSoftware fans. The revered studio is bringing back the Armored Core series after a decade of dormancy. Best of all, you won’t have to wait too long to get your hands on Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. It’s coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Steam in 2023.

From and publisher Bandai Namco announced the game with a trailer that shows mechs emerging from the embers of an apocalyptic event. The clip doesn’t offer a ton of story details, but it doesn’t have to. The footage is gorgeously detailed and richly rendered enough that the plot can easily take a back seat for now.

What we do know is that you’ll be able to assemble your own mech and freely explore the environment, seemingly with slow, steady movements. According to the Japanese version of the trailer’s YouTube description, you’ll be able to utilize more dynamic movements, fire weapons and engage in close combat when you battle enemies. 

This will be the first mainline Armored Core game since 2012’s Armored Core V (a standalone expansion followed in 2013). After the mammoth success of Elden Ring, From has set its standards extremely high. But if any studio can clear that bar, it’s probably this one.

‘Crash Team Rumble’ expands the Bandicootverse into team-based fruit collection

A new Crash Bandicoot online multiplayer game is on the way. The 4v4 team-based Crash Team Rumble launches on PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. The game, which supports cross-platform play, will arrive in 2023.In the game, you team up with thr…

Amazon Games will bring Bandai Namco’s ‘Blue Protocol’ to the west

At the Game Awards, Amazon Games announced it will be publishing Bandai Namco’s forthcoming free-to-play online RPG, Blue Protocol in the west. A new teaser trailer offer views of the game’s beautiful cel-shaded world, multiple character classes and weapons. It’s an action RPG, with the ability to play both solo and cooperatively. You’ll apparently be able to participate in raids with up to 30 other players.

While the game will be coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, Blue Protocol is designed to be played on controllers, with aim-assist support for people not using a mouse and keyboard. In fact, each class will have different sliders to adjust controls for smoother playstyles. Talking of style, you’ll apparently be able to customize your character deeply, across hairstyles, clothing accessories and even mounts – yes you’ll have your own fantasy steed a little like Pokemon Legends Arceus.

You’ll be able to pick from five classes at launch. The Blade Warden uses both a sword and shield, a Twin Striker that excels at short-range damage with double axes and the Keen Strider is an agile class with bow-based long-range attacks and area effects. Rounding out the lineup, the Spell Weaver is your magic wielder, while Foe Breaker has a massive hammer and can even fire a short-range cannonball. Somehow.

It’s 2022, so while you will be able to play the whole story without spending, there will be cosmetic upgrades available to buy, as well as features that will apparently help play the game. I get the feeling there’s more than a little inspiration gleaned from Genshin Impact, the free-to-play action RPG that’s been extremely lucrative for its creators – and a huge global hit. It’ll be intriguing to see how Bandai Namco’s new game compares. It’s also an unusual team-up with Amazon Games. 

According to the press release, Blue Protocol will be the “latest title in Amazon Games’ portfolio of high-quality live service games” including New World, an MMORPG – which makes some sense. Perhaps Amazon Games can offer some insight into ensuring Blue Protocol runs smoothly from a technical standpoint. The game is now set to launch in the second half of 2023, but expect a closed beta to run early next year. You’ll be able to sign up for that soon, online.

‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ is a direct sequel to ‘Fallen Order’ arriving March 17th

The Game Awards is often full of surprise announcements and reveals but one thing we knew going into this year’s ceremony is that it would provide a first look at Star Wars Jedi: Survivor gameplay. The game takes place five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Fittingly, the trailer shows an older and more rugged Cal Kestis, who’s now a Jedi Knight. 

You’ll journey to new planets in the Star Wars galaxy, each of which has unique biomes and enemies. You’ll have fresh gear, skills and abilities at your disposal to help you survive these worlds. For one thing, Cal will be able to wield two lightsabers at once. He’ll also have an ascension cable for vertical traversal and the ability to tame and ride creatures.

The trailer for the next entry in Respawn’s Dark Souls-inspired series closed with a release date. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will arrive on current-gen systems on March 17th, adding another prominent title to what’s shaping up to be a busy first quarter for major game releases.

‘Street Fighter 6’ lands June 2nd, 2023

You’ll have to wait a while longer to give Street Fighter 6 a spin. Capcom revealed at The Game Awards that its modernized brawler will be available June 2nd, 2023 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC (via Steam). Pre-orders are available now.

The new title includes favorite series characters like Ryu and Chun-Li as well as relative newcomers like Luke, a DLC addition from Street Fighter 5 who’s a “key player” in the expanding storyline. SF6 will add new modes like World Tour and Battle Hub, and promises to be more accessible to newcomers with a “modern” control mode. You can expect new mechanics like the Drive Gauge, and real-time commentary from experts in the fighting game scene to help explain what’s happening in matches.

It’s too soon to say if SF6 will please hardcore fighting game fans. However, it’s clear that Capcom is eager to court players who’ve felt intimidated by the sometimes steep learning curve of fighting games. In theory, you’ll enjoy yourself enough to stick around for the long term.

Watch The Game Awards here at 7:30PM ET

Get ready for two and a half hours of game trailers, announcements, gameplay and maybe even a few award acceptance speeches. The ninth edition of The Game Awards is upon us. We’ll be covering all the big news from tonight’s event, which you can also watch live below starting at 7:30PM ET.

Vying for the top prize of Game of the Year are God of War Ragarnok, Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray, A Plague Tale: Requiem and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. God of War Ragarnok has the most nominations with 10, while Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West have seven each. Among the other notable nominees are Marvel Snap, Immortality, Scorn, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Splatoon 3, Tunic, Cult of the Lamb, Sifu, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, MultiVersus, Vampire Survivors, Diablo Immortal and Overwatch 2.

There’s a new category this year called Best Adaptation, which recognizes TV shows, movies, podcasts, comic books and books that are based on games. Arcane: League of Legends, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, The Cuphead Show!, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Uncharted are the inaugural competitors.

While most of the awards are about honoring the past year in games, the ceremony looks toward the future with fresh reveals. You can expect news on dozens of games and expansions, including Among Us, Baldur’s Gate 3, Destiny 2: Lightfall, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Tekken 8 and lots more we don’t yet know about.

In addition to usual suspects YouTube and Twitch, the event will stream on dozens of other platforms. As a reminder, if you watch via Steam TV and you’re eligible to win, you might get lucky and score a free Steam Deck. Valve is giving one away for every minute that the show runs. Otherwise, you can catch the livestream in glorious 4K right here:

Samsung Odyssey Ark review: When bigger isn’t always better

The idea of sitting in front of a massive 55-inch gaming monitor all day sounds like heaven. Being able to twist it into a towering portrait mode? The stuff of my multi-tasking dreams. That’s the pitch behind Samsung’s 55-inch 4K Odyssey Ark Monitor. A…