But what is XDefiant? And is it worth your time? Let’s cover the basics.

What is it?

XDefiant is a free-to-play, first-person arena shooter. Online matches are fast-paced, and the action is frantic. You can play across a range of maps, fire an expanding arsenal of weapons, and compete over several different game modes.

You can choose to play as one of five factions who all have their own unique perks, skills and abilities. The Libertads are revolutionary fighters and medical wizards, while the Phantoms are an elite group of weaponsmiths with great fire power. You can choose to play as the stealthy Echelon factions, the fire loving Cleaners, or cyber attack specialists DedSec.

Wait, is it basically Warzone?

Sort of yes, but with some key differences. Firstly, it’s completely free, but another USP for XDefiant comes in how it is monetized. There are no pay-to-win mechanics in the game. There is gameplay impacting content available to purchase, however this can also be unlocked through challenges.

A number of maps are taken from existing Ubisoft IP. This includes Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, The Division, Far Cry and DedSec. While unconfirmed, we are hoping that more maps from the Ubisoft back catalogue will be rolled out as time goes on.

How can I play?

If you own a console, you’re pretty much ready to go. XDefiant is currently available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows and Amazon Luna. Sadly, Nintendo Switch owners will have to go without.

That’s good news for console collectors – especially since we’re also expecting Nintendo Switch 2 to arrive this year as well.

We can make some educated guesses as to what improvements the PS5 Pro will bring. Better graphics, 8K capabilities and much greater resolutions, to name just a few potential improvements.

The PS5 Prowill give a good polish to titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and God of War Ragnarok, but there’s a forthcoming title that will demand much greater console power. That would be Grand Theft Auto VI.

Grand Theft Auto VI may be the most hyped video game of all time. It’s already been 11 years since Grand Theft Auto V lured us into its world of criminality, and became one of the most successful games of all time. With its sequel set to drop in late 2025, gamers will want the best possible console to play it on.

Price City

Sony knows this. With a landmark title like Grand Theft Auto VI, Sony will want to bill the PS5 Pro as the console you need to fully immerse yourself in the world of Vice City. Given how Sony were disappointed with its latest quarter sales figures for the PS5, it makes sense that Sony will be keen to piggyback on Grand Theft Auto VI‘s success with a brand new console.

But what does this mean for the customer? Games consoles aren’t cheap. The PS5 remains roughly the same price today as it did on its 2020 launch. Chip shortages have meant that players have only been able to reliably access the PS5 for a couple of years. This is quite the short life-cycle for a games console that was the best on the market not even four years ago. Should gamers be expected to give Sony more of their money so soon, just to play a new title? As someone who has only recently bought a PS5, that would leave a slight sour taste in my mouth.

It could also be argued that the PS5 Pro is coming far too soon. Developers are still yet to truly stretch the limits of the PS5’s capabilities, and there’s still many titles that need to be optimised for the PS5. Waiting a few years could allow developers to truly push (and exhaust) the power of the PS5, and all the games that come with it. That would include Grand Theft Auto VI.

It’s safe to assume that Grand Theft Auto VI won’t be a PS5 Pro exclusive. There is no world where Sony alienates its current gamer base in the pursuit of greater console sales. But should gamers be expected to shell out yet more money to play their favourite games in the best way possible? My answer would have to be no.

• PS5 Slim vs old PS5: what’s the difference?

With so much hype (and a little controversy) surrounding the fight, it’s easy to see why it’s already being lauded as one of the biggest fights of all time. But where and how can you watch it?

When does it start?

We’re expecting Fury and Usyk to emerge for the ring walks at 11PM UK time, 6PM ET, 3PM PT. For UK viewers, the night’s coverage will begin at 4PM UK time, 11AM ET, 8AM PT on Sky Sports Box Office. There will also be two hours of undercard fights available to watch on Sky Sports Action from 4PM UK time, 11AM ET, 8AM PT.

Who’s fighting on the night?

Alongside Fury and Usyk, the night features a stacked undercard of fighters.

• Joe Cordina vs Anthony Cacace
• Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Briedis

While unconfirmed, other fights expected on the undercard are:

• Mark Chamberlain vs Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab
• Sergey Kovalev vs Robin Sirwan Safar
• Isaac Lowe vs Hasibullah Ahmadi
• David Nyika vs Michael Seitz
• Moses Itauma vs Ilja Mezencev
• Agit Kabayel vs Frank Sanchez

US

The whole night of action will be shown on DAZN & ESPN+ USA in the US ($69.99). The Fury and Usyk ringwalks are expected to begin at 18:05ET/16:05PT.

Through DAZN, Fury vs Usyk is available in over 200 countries across the globe. Find a full list of countries and prices here.

UK

In the UK, the whole night’s actions will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491) and Sky Sports Box Office HD (Sky channel 492). As it’s a PPV, the event costs £24.95 for current Sky customers, or €27.95 for Sky (and Virgin Media) customers in the Republic of Ireland.

If you’re not a Sky customer, the fight is available to buy from DAZN for £24.99.

VPN

With a VPN, you can watch Fury vs Usyk from anywhere in the world, on virtually any broadcaster in the world. We’ve already picked out our favourite VPN services, which includes the likes of NordVPN and more. In our personal opinion, ExpressVPN is our preferred service for sports fans, offering secure high-speed servers in 105 countries.

Having experienced some rare heat here in the UK, I already know this fan will be my best friend throughout the summer. One of its major features is found in the built-in sensor that powers the Auto Mode. This allows the fan to automatically make adjustments based on room temperature, ensuring a balanced temperature. But for me, its greatest strength is in its convenience. It features an LED screen to easily tweak the fan’s settings, and a remote control means you can make adjustments without ever needing to leave your bed. It’s also relatively sleek, at least compared to other fans on the market.

Fan-tastic

Light sleepers shouldn’t need to worry about constant noise while you’re trying to nod off either. The fan operates to noise levels as low as 20dB in Sleep Mode, or up to 48dB in Turbo Mode. All this power doesn’t mean it’ll damage your energy bills, either. Compared to traditional fans, users can save up to 45.3% on energy costs. It’s important to note however that this was tested by Levoit internally.

OK, I get it. Electric fans aren’t exactly the sexiest gadget to dedicate an article too, but I already know the Levoit Classic Tower Fan will be my saviour this summer. So in that I plead with you, dear reader, to not make the same mistakes I have for so long. Buy one before it’s too late.

US

US fans have plenty of choices when tuning in to the Premier League, so much so that it can all get a little confusing.

Cable subscribers can watch a select number of live matches on NBC networks, including USA Network, NBC Sports, and NBC local. The official broadcast schedule is a handy tool for planning your Premier League diary. It’ll even sync your favourite teams playing schedule to your preferred digital calendar.

There’s also ways to watch if you don’t have or want cable. NBC once again offers one of the best all-in coverage for the Premier League. 380 games are available across NBC, NBCSports.com, Peacock and USA Network. You can discover what games are broadcast on which network by taking a look at the broadcast schedule.

A Peacock subscription is the best way of gaining access to not only Premier League games, but also MLB Sunday Leadoff, Sunday Night Football, Olympic sports and much more. A Peacock Premium subscription costs $5.99 a month (+tax), or $59.99 per year (+tax).

UK

While England may be the home of football, watching the Premier League on British shores certainly isn’t straightforward. A myriad of platforms and broadcasters vying for a slice of the Premier League pie means that fans must sign up to a number of different services simply to watch their team week in, week out. Oh, unless they’re playing at 3pm, but we’ll get on to that later.

UK rights have been split between Sky Sports, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) and Amazon Prime Video. To watch every game being aired throughout the season, you’ll need to subscribe to all three services.

Sky Sports currently has the largest amount of games available throughout the season, at 128 matches. A Sky Sports subscription is currently available for £22 a month for 18 months, in addition to an existing Sky membership. For new customers, a Sky Entertainment & Netflix package with sports is £20 for 1 month, then £29 a month after.

A bundle with Discovery+ and TNT Sports will set you back £29.99 per month. For that, you’ll get 52 fixtures throughout the year. Amazon Prime has the rights to 20 games throughout the season, which are aired at no extra cost with a Prime membership – £8.99 per month, or £95 per year.

VPN

Thanks to an archaic ruling first introduced in 1960, the Premier League has a blackout on games being aired in England, Scotland and Montenegro between 2.45pm and 5.15pm. We have ex-Burnley chairman Bob Lord to thank for that. These blackout rules do not apply to those outside Scotland, England and Montenegro, which is great news for fans who live literally anywhere else in the world. But if you do live in those three countries, then a VPN might help.

The likes of ExpressVPN (3000+ servers in 3,000 servers in 94 nations) and NordVPN (5400 servers across 60+ countries) offer deals perfectly tailored for Premier League viewing. Many even come with a few months free.

• Our guides to the best VPN and best free VPN – which should you choose?

“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world,” Myhren said. “Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”

Great civilisations throughout history have been born, explored the plains and oceans of Earth, and crumbled for a new land to take its place. Venice was forged in the water, the UK from coal. We’ve touched the seabed and left a footprint on the moon. We’ve produced great works of art, music, theatre, and poetry. The hands we share have hunted, gathered and created, and we will continue to do so.

So why, then, does Apple believe it’s going to destroy all that with its ‘thinnest iPad’ ever?

That was the impression I got after seeing the latest Apple advert. It shows humanities greatest works – from Greek busts to a guitar that could be in the hands of the next Bob Dylan – crushed by a hydropress. But our shared culture is not reduced to rubble, as such. Instead, we get something far worse. The latest iPad.

Tone deaf

OK, first off, I understand Apple’s angle here. The latest iPad, to the company that made it, is everything an artist, gamer, musician, work horse, or Netflix lover would need. But there’s a level of pomposity to it that’s hard to ignore. It is to say that life must exist within the digital form. It posits Apple as best, anything else inferior. It believes an iPad can produce the next great work of art, which it could possibly do. But its at the expense of, oh, I don’t know, around 40,000 years of human evolution and achievement. It, quite literally, crushes real world cultural pursuits, in favour of its $3600/£3000+ new machine (that will likely become somewhat redundant in around 18 months or so).

Apple, a 2.8ish trillion dollar corporation, has long cultivated for itself an independent image. It may charge you $50 for a phone cable, but hey, it has Zane Lowe presenting on its radio stations. Apple projects a ‘cool dad’ vibe from an office in Silicon Valley, and this advert is the latest example of its own ego.

With Glastonbury soon kicking the UK’s festival season off with a bang, folks should be prepared with some solid gear, a set of boots and enough fuel for a long weekend of fun. Just be sure to take a water bottle – because no one wants to see parched desperation drive you to drink your own urine. Got that, Bear?

• Which trainers should you buy? The best workout shoes for running, training and exercise

Anker 521 Portable Power Station

Sometimes it’s good to go off-grid, but an accidental digital detox is no way to entertain your followers. For a full cell all festival, add this personal power station to your camping kit list. Equipped with a pair of USB-A ports, a USB-C slot, a cigarette adapter and a standard plug socket, its massive capacity can boost your smartphone more than 20 times over. Besides keeping your equipment fuelled for days, its LED display ensures you’re up to speed on supply levels, while an integrated light can illuminate the way when you go searching for signal across the field.

Hydro Flask Growler

Like the Pet Shop Boys and Metallica, lukewarm lager remains a staple of the festival circuit. Want beer that’s less than tepid? You could buy chilled drinks from the official bar. Or for a liquid line-up that won’t leave you bankrupt by the end of the weekend, try this stainless steel growler. Equipped with a leak-proof seal and double-wall insulation, it’ll keep the contents of your cans chilled for up to 24 hours. And with a 1.8L capacity, it should at least see you through a few support acts.

BioLite CampStove 2+

A sunny day at the main stage might leave you needing aloe, but crimson skin won’t generate electricity. For a scorcher that cooks and charges, load up the fuel bin of this battery-powered burner. Standing firm on aluminium legs, the compact campfire torches twigs, wood scraps or pellets. Internal fans stoke the flames for smoke-free singalongs, while the attached power pack harnesses heat to send 3W to the USB port (or 3200mAh cell inside). An LED dashboard also provides total toast control when sizzling on the optional grill – so you won’t be left redder in the face by burnt-banger embarrassment.

• Best compact BBQ: the top charcoal, gas and electric grills

Nemo Helio Pressure Shower

Maintaining basic hygiene is only fair to your fellow festival-goers, but you don’t want to miss a headliner because you were stuck in a queue for the facilities. Skip the line for shower time with this packable pressure wash. Because its 13-litre tank can be pressurised, you don’t have to hang it for accelerated flow: simply brim the bowser, pump with your foot and enjoy up to seven minutes of cleansing spray – with no-one hurrying you to finish your rinse.

UCO StakeLight

With a field full of guy ropes between you and the loo, a festival faceplant is a foregone conclusion. For safer stumbling after dark, anchor your cords with these battery-powered pegs. Fulled by a single AAA cell, each shiny spike can run for up to 10 hours, casting 17 lumens on your lines. Water-resistant and crafted from hammer-proof aluminium, the stakes should at least give you a fighting chance of staying on your feet. Unless you’ve been on the cider.

JBL Charge 5

Back from the main stage and stoked for more music? Why wait until morning: entertain your tented neighbours with this beefy Bluetooth speaker. Built to be bold, the Charge 5’s dual bass radiators deliver wireless whump worthy of an EDM set. Its 20-hour battery life will keep the tunes pumping past dawn, with a built-in power bank on hand to fuel your phone. And with an IP67 water-resistance rating, it’s sturdy enough to survive the soggiest summer downpour – or an attempt by bucket-wielding wardens to rain on your ravey parade.

• Which is the best cheap Bluetooth speaker? Affordable wireless audio

Quechua 2 Seconds XL

• Buy the Quechua 2 Seconds XL here from Decathlon

Kipping under canvas is a fundamental part of the festival experience, but pitch up after dark and you could be fumbling ’til sunrise. For rapid erection at any hour, book a stay in this effortless shelter: freed from its circular carry bag, it pops into position in two seconds flat. Peg in the lines, pop your bags in the porch and reward yourself with some well-earned shut-eye. And when dawn does come around, the Fresh & Black lining blocks heat and light to keep you and your companion dozing in dimmed conditions. Who needs glamping?

Goal Zero Crush Light Chroma

Campsite life is always boosted by sunshine, but it takes a special setup to harness daylight rays. Forecast set fair for your festival weekend? Pack this lantern for renewable radiance. Lightweight and collapsible, it’s topped by a photovoltaic panel for sustainable top-ups. Bright at up to 60 lumens, it can last on lower glow for 35 hours. Hang it from the peak of your gazebo, pick one of the six colour modes and illuminate your pitch with proper solar flair.

Voited Recycled Ripstop Blanket

Single-use plastic has no place on a campsite. Spread the word with this ripstop combo blanket: made from recycled plastic bottles, it’s an insulated lesson in renewable versatility. Equal parts eco and cosy, the Voited quilt can keep you warm when the rosy glow of your green deeds doesn’t quite cut it. Need a place to rest your head? It performs as a pillow when packed into its pouch, or serves as a sleeping bag when folded and popped shut. It can even snap into action as a waterproof cape – perfect for parading around the campground like a sustainable superhero.

• The best lightweight waterproof jackets: top picks for unpredictable weather

Pure Woodland Glow – outdoor speaker and LED lamp

There’s two major concerns you have to deal with when camping. The first is how you’ll find your way in the dark. The other is how are you going to bring the tunes? Well, the Pure Woodland Glow outdoor speaker and LED lamp solves both those major problems in one handheld device.

The Woodland Glow is a bright LED light and outdoor speaker in one. The lamp comes with advanced Bluetooth 5.3 and AUX connectivity, as well as up to 14 hours of playtime on low power mode. It’s also dust and waterproof, and should withstand general drizzle and wear and tear.

Weber Go Anywhere

No camping trip is complete without a few cremated pieces of indistinguishable matter you think may have once been a sausage. But being in the wild doesn’t mean you should eat like an animal. For a solid BBQ that cooks a mean burger and is easy to carry, the Weber Go-Anywhere is a great on the go BBQ for handling high temperatures or cooking low and slow. Made for charcoal and weighing just 6.78kg, it won’t cause too much grief when lugging it across a desolate field either. For those who don’t want to mess around with hot coals, a gas version is also available.

Heimplanet Carry Essentials Dopp Kit

• Buy the Carry Essentials Dopp Kit here from Heimplanet

Soap to scrub off that mosh-pit pong. Toothpaste to clear the lingering taste of last night’s kebab. Deodorant to mask the day ahead. It takes a line-up of lotions to stop you being sniffed at, but organising toiletries can be tricky in a tent. Reduce rummaging with this durable wash bag: divided into three, it features an array of pockets, slots and elasticated loops inside. Ready to rinse? Use the integrated hook to hang the unzipped kit for easy access to your arsenal, without balancing balms on slender cubicle shelves.

VOITED Premium Wearable Sleeping Bag

• Buy the VOITED Premium Wearable Sleeping Bag direct from VOITED here

Sure, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. The VOITED took this mantra and ran with it, by creating a sleeping bag that doubles as a cosy puffy coat (with arms). The VOITED Premium Wearable Sleeping Bag isn’t a gimmick, though – it’s a tough, hardwearing and toasty bit of kit.

It’ll withstand extreme temperatures down to -5°C (23°F), and has a comfort temperature of around 11°C (52°F). Outside of camping in a snow storm, that should be enough to keep you warm. A Repreve polyester outer shell has a water repellency of 13.000mm, and a 5000mm breathability coating means you won’t wake up at 7am in a clammy hell of your own making.

Trtl Pillow

A camping holiday usually involves a long road trip. That means hours spent folded over after falling asleep in a shoddy yoga position. You need a travel pillow, and not one you hastily bought from an airport back in 2005. A pillow that’s actually suited to your needs.

The bead-filled Mubi neck cushion has served us incredibly well on several long haul journeys, but for convenient and compact comfort, our pick is the Trtl Pillow. This flexible pillow can be bended into pretty much any shape and to any angle, and is designed to protect your neck against pain, strains and aches. An internal support will also keep your neck upright, which should stop you from falling on to the stranger next to you mid-sleep.

Flare Isolate

Festivals might be about feeling the beat, but your weekend won’t be buzzing if your head’s too busy banging. These miniature earplugs turn down the volume without sacrificing sound quality. Available with ABS, aluminium or titanium stems, the low-profile bungs fit comfy with memory foam tips, while reducing noise by an average of 32dB. Instead of simply muting the music, they lower bass, mid and treble levels evenly – so you can enjoy the gig without the risk of future tinnitus.

Larq Bottle PureVis

Not every festival attendee is self-cleaning, but at least this water bottle can keep itself fresh. A light inside uses UV-C to neutralise 99% of microscopic nasties: simply tap the top for instant purification or leave the lid alone for an automated cleanse every two hours. Insulated stainless steel keeps aqua cool for up to 24 hours, while a month-long battery life means you’ll always have hydrating H2O to hand – whether you fill from a fountain or a farmer’s hosepipe.

snap+ juice pack mini

If you’re looking for a sturdy portable charger to last the festival season but don’t want to deal with wires, the snap+ juice pack mini may be your best friend in a time of need. This magnetic 5000mAh charger is good for two, potentially three charges from 0%, and is small and lightweight enough to split into a pocket.

Before you buy, though. Check the small print. The snap+ juice pack mini works with most iPhone 14/13/12 series phones, and it works with iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and Qi-enabled Devices. Sorry iPhone 13 Pro users, but yours isn’t on the list.

Mountain Equipment Helium 600 Sleeping Bag

When it comes to a good night’s sleep in the wilderness, there are few sleeping bags more equipped than Mountain Equipment Helium 600 Sleeping Bag. Designed for high altitudes and warm enough to keep you toasty from early-Spring to late Autumn, this pro sleeping bag is one of the best we’ve ever had the honour of kipping in. It’s lightweight and compact too, making it a must have for long walking expeditions.

• Green bottles: the best flasks for sustainable hydration

Sony’s terms and conditions pitted PS5 gamers against those using a PC. But it wasn’t more of a battle, rather a culling of PC gamers from around 177 countries on Steam. But what exactly happened? Here’s the brief story on how Sony almost destroyed one of its best most recent IPs in a single weekend.

Let’s (hell) dive into it

In case you’ve been living a harmonious life away from the internet over the past few weeks, we’ll fill you in on the world of Helldivers 2. Helldivers 2 is the online co-op shooter that pits gun totin’ democracy spreaders against the enemies threatening to eradicate their way of life. Have the people you’re fighting against actually done anything wrong? No, but democracy must be spread by the barrel of a gun.

Helldivers 2 is a very tongue in cheek satire on global imperialism, and takes more than a little inspiration from Starship Troopers. And it’s very, very good. It’s so good that hundreds of thousands of players have flocked to the game since its release in February. But recently, there’s been an exodus. Not by gamer fatigue or lack of interest. Rather, it’s down to Sony’s corporate interest.

Sony owns the Helldivers IP, and as such has a pretty big say in how the game develops. As such, Sony wanted gamers to sign up for its PSN service, but did it in a strange way.

On 3 May, Sony announced that PC gamers would need to link their PSN accounts to their Steam profile to continue playing the game they’d already paid real life human money for. Sure, it’s a further collecting of data of Sony’s part, but it’s not that bad, right? From EA to Bethesda, many companies require you to create an account to play its game. The only snag in this scenario, is that the PSN network is not currently available in many parts of the world. As such, Steam removed purchase of the game from 177 countries.

Once this action came into effect, a (hell)storm came with it. Over 211,000 negative reviews were left on the Helldivers 2 Steam page. Message boards were flooded with one-time Helldivers 2 players from Japan, Algeria, Jordan and the Isle of Man. Refunds were offered, but by that time trust had been lost with the gamers who had already plunged hundreds of hours into one of Sony’s most recent victories.

Why?

You might ask why Sony would shoot themselves in the foot over this. But when it comes to multibillion dollar corporations, the answer’s usually pretty easy. This misguided decision was made in the pursuit of, you guessed it, money. As PC Gamer reported, over half of Helldivers 2 players in the US play the game on PC. That’s a lot of people and, most importantly to Sony, a lot of people it can sign up to the PSN service.

How Sony fixed it (sort of)

What Sony perhaps underestimated was the fan backlash. After a long weekend of review bombing and justified gripe, on 6 May, Sony announced it was scrapping its Helldivers 2 plans. In a Tweet, Sony outlined how it had “heard [fan] feedback” and that it “will not be moving forward” with its update.

This is undoubtedly a win for Helldivers 2 players, who have since began operation clean up to reverse negative reviews. But still, it’s a change that should not have happened in the first place.

On 7 May, Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo, made a statement. On Twitter/X, the official Nintendo account casually dropped a bombshell, stating: “We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015.” Furukawa went on to say that “[Nintendo] will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”

It’s safe to say that Ninty fans across the world are rejoicing at this news, and for good reason. By our estimation, “the latter half of 2024” could point to a Christmas release. So too, might the PS5 Pro. There are strong rumours to suggest that Sony are aiming for a Q4 2024 release for the PS5 Pro, conveniently several months before the planned 2025 release of Grand Theft Auto VI. This will pit console against console in a war for our hard earned Christmas bonus.

But while we’re eagerly awaiting the PS5 Pro and Nintendo Switch 2, where is the Xbox 2.0 in this conversation?

Identity crisis

We have a rough idea of what the PS5 Pro and Nintendo Switch 2 will offer, but news has been light on an upgraded Xbox. We’ve had a few reported leaks, including news of a redesigned, discless Xbox Series X and a new controller setup. We also might be getting a white Xbox later this year. But compared to its console counterparts, the enthusiasm for a new Xbox console isn’t quite there in the same way.

Why is that? Well, it’s hard to deny that Xbox is suffering something of an identity crisis. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that a number of its former-Xbox exclusive titles would be going to PS5 and the Nintendo Switch. This included Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, the medieval adventure game Pentiment, and Grounded. Then, there was the Xbox streaming device debacle. Rumours surrounding an dedicated streaming console for the Xbox had been doing the rounds for a few years, only further fuelled by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer himself in a much discussed 2022 Tweet. Now, it seems like the Xbox dongle dream is dead.

With so much uncertainty around Microsoft’s future plans, it’s hard for me to get excited about a future Xbox. Sony has its many flaws, but the company’s sheer, unwavering greed reassures me that its exclusives will never be available elsewhere. The same is true for Nintendo, who would rather put a mafia hit on Mario than have him appear on a different gaming platform. To me, Xbox is a more fickle beast, one that I can’t quite trust with me money.

But I’m a fickle beast. Last year, I bought myself a PS5 after months of temptation. Since then, my Nintendo Switch has been gathering dust, put to one side like Andy from Toy Story. I’ve ploughed an unholy amount of hours into classics such as God of War and The Last of Us 2, to more recent titles Dave the Diver and Helldivers 2. But while I’ve been battling mushroom zombies and Nordic gods, Mario and Luigi have been made redundant. However, that might all change with the Nintendo Switch 2.

Same Switch, but different

We’ve already mused about what we’d like to see in a next-gen Nintendo console. And in more recent developments, a Switch successor has been confirmed by Nintendo itself. In a Tweet posted on 7 May 2024, Nintendo President Furukawa stated that the company will “make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year”, in relation to “the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024.”

This is indeed exciting news. But for me, I’ll only upgrade if it offers something drastic. You see, when it comes to consoles, I’m usually not too tempted by upgrades. I likely won’t upgrade my existing PS5 to the PS5 Pro, whenever it’s officially released. I often find pro upgrades unnecessary at best, company cash grabs at worst. In that, unless a console offers a radically new gaming experience, it won’t be getting the contents of my wallet. But Nintendo are in a fortunate position, arguably a much better one than Sony and its forthcoming PS5 Pro.

For me, the Switch 2 needs to compete power-wise with the PS5, without losing what makes the OG Switch unique. And signs point to that happening. Rumours suggest the Switch 2 will utilise Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology. This is almost like a gaming hack, and uses AI to magic additional frames to improve image quality. This could, in theory, transform 45-50FPS images into 120-120FPS. While that’s all under the hood stuff, I was happy to learn that the Switch 2 is rumoured to support existing Joy-Cons and 1080p.

In my eyes, Sony have a much harder job in convincing its players to go Pro. To me, the PS5 Pro needs to offer something far beyond a nice graphics update and upgraded loading times, and I’m not sure it can. Sony has the unenviable task of improving what is already the most powerful console on the market. For Nintendo, I believe its mission is simpler. Give us more power. If the Nintendo Switch 2 achieves that, it’ll be the radical new gaming experience I yearn for.