Month: August 2021

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The Razer Kishi is our favorite mobile controller for both iOS and Android. The controller turns your mobile device into a Switch-like gaming machine, complete with two sticks, a D-pad, face buttons, and triggers. If you’re in the market for a mobile controller, Amazon has an excellent bundle deal that pairs the Razer Kishi with Razer’s Hammerhead True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds. Listed at $200, you can get this bundle for only $100 for iOS (and $106 for Android).

The Razer Kishi is compatible with a wide variety of phones and connects via the Lightning port (for iOS) or USB-C (for Android). For those who frequently play games on their mobile device, the Kishi offers a far more comfortable and conventional way to play than using a standard controller and mobile clip. The Kishi is particularly useful if you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, as it has a great design for playing Game Pass games via Xbox Cloud Gaming. It’s also better if you game on the go, which is what mobile devices are for after all. The only downside to the Kishi is that you have to remove your phone case while using it.

The Hammerhead True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds are built for mobile gaming in mind. They have custom-tuned 13mm drivers that focus on small details in sounds and offer impactful bass. They have a water-resistant design and have a 30-foot range. The earbuds come with a charging case and last for up to 15 hours on a full charge. They are also touch-enabled and compatible with voice assistants.

The full trailer for Foundation has been released. The lavish adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi novel series premieres on Apple TV+ on September 24.

The show stars Jared Harris (The Terror, Mad Men) as Hari Seldon, a “psychohistorian” who establishes the institute of the title in order to save the Galactic Empire from destruction and preserve the future of civilization. This puts him into conflict with the Cleons, clones who rule the galaxy, who fear that Seldon might threaten their long and unrivaled reign. The show has been a long time coming–the first trailer arrived way back in June 2020–but the spectacular scale and epic visuals, combined with Asimov’s powerful and thoughtful storyline, make Foundation a must-watch for sci-fi fans. Check the trailer out below:

Foundation also stars Lou Llobell (Voyagers), Leah Harvey (Fighting with My Family), and Laura Birn (The Innocents). The showrunner is David S. Goyer, whose last show was the DC series Krypton. He’s also known for co-writing movies such as Man of Steel and Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, as well as directing Blade 3.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Goyer spoke about some of the challenges of adapting Asimov’s books. “The story is supposed to span 1,000 years with all these massive time jumps–that’s hard to tell,” he said. “[But] without giving too much away, I figured out a way to have some of the characters extend their lifespans. About six characters will continue from season to season, from century to century. That way it becomes a half anthological, half continuing story.”

For more, check out GameSpot’s guide to the biggest upcoming shows of 2021.

Sadaho Maeda, better known as his stage name Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba has passed away at 82 from complications with COVID-19. Japan’s Oricon News reported his passing stating that he had been hospitalized for a few weeks with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus and was on a ventilator. He never recovered.

Chiba had over 200 movie and television credits to his name, with modern audiences mainly knowing him from his role as master swordsmith Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill and Uncle Kamata in Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Chiba was also a legitimate martial artist with six black belts in ninjitsu, kendo, and judo who got his start with over 120 movies for Toei and was Japan’s most popular action star for decades. At one point, doing 15 movies a year. He would also get involved in theater productions, even bringing famed samurai stories to the stage as he had already portrayed legendary samurai Yagyu Jyubei multiple times across television and film.

Even into his 50s, Chiba resumed working as a choreographer of martial arts sequences. In the early 2000s, he was as busy as ever in feature films as well as starring in his own series in Japan. Featured roles in director Takashi Miike’s Deadly Outlaw: Rekka and his work with directors Kenta and Kinji Fukasaku in Battle Royale II, effectively brought new school and old school action cinema together.

In November 2007, he announced the retirement of the stage name Shinichi Chiba and preferred to be known as J.J. Sonny Chiba–which stood for Justice Japan, as an actor–and Rindo Wachinaga as a film director.

His final movie, Bond of Justice: Kizuna, will be released in Japan later this year.

Microsoft has announced a new gaming headset for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. The reborn Xbox Stereo Headset borrows many of the features found in the Xbox Wireless Headset, including its overall look. The main difference here is that the Xbox Stereo Headset is a wired option that plugs into the Xbox controllers via a 3.5mm audio cord. The Xbox Stereo Headset is available to preorder now for only $60 ahead of its September 21 release date.

Beyond just looking the same, the Xbox Stereo Headset is also packed with the tech that made the Xbox Wireless Headset a great bargain. The headset supports Dolby Atmos, DTS Headphone:X, and Windows Sonic to offer spatial audio. Essentially, the Xbox Stereo Headset appears to offer the best combination of price and features when it comes to wired Xbox gaming headsets.

If you’re looking for wireless headset options, make sure to check out our roundup of the best Xbox gaming headsets.

Veteran video game writer Rhianna Pratchett has shared her thoughts on where she would like to see games go in the future. The Mirror’s Edge and Tomb Raider writer said, in particular, she’d like to see GTA-style mature-rated games featuring women in the lead roles.

Speaking to Wired, Pratchett said she was “really disappointed” with Grand Theft Auto V because all of its three main playable characters were men. She saw this as a missed opportunity.

“I am interested in what the developers that tend to do hypermasculine worlds would do with more female-lead stuff. I remember being really disappointed with GTA V that the three characters were all guys. I know that the Housers [Daniel and Sam Houser, co-founders of Rockstar Games and developers behind Grand Theft Auto] have talked about the GTA series as being an exploration of masculinity and I thought well, masculinity is not just the domain of men and femininity is not just the domain of women,” Pratchett said.

“It felt like it would have been more interesting to me to see a woman operating in that kind of world because there were some great female characters in The Wire that kind of had to operate in a masculine criminal underworld,” she added, calling out Netflix’s Orange is the New Black as another example.

Pratchett said she hopes developers behind some of the “hypermasculine” franchises will turn their attention toward making games with women in the lead roles.

“I’d like those developers that excel at the hypermasculine stuff to take a stab at female-lead stories and look at the things that would come out of that, the textures and nuances and all sorts of interesting stuff that we haven’t seen before because there hasn’t been a lot of 18/M rated, first-person or third-person shooters with a female lead,” she said. “I’d really like to see more female characters in that context.”

Also in the interview, Pratchett spoke about how she is no fan of the term “strong female character,” because it represents a double standard in her eyes.

“You don’t call male characters strong, you can just call them interesting, or textured, or complicated, or temperamental, or stubborn,” she said. “We don’t call them strong because they’re assumed to be strong. They don’t always try to find it and take time to find the kind of nuance and texture and uniqueness of a female character’s story.”

The full interview is a fascinating and in-depth look into Pratchett’s history in games and more. One of the other anecdotes she shared is that she was approached to work on a Fable game (she didn’t say which one), but then was “ghosted” by the recruiter.

“Honestly, a Fable recruiter did hit me and my agent up about it at one point and then sort of ghosted us, which I was slightly disappointed about,” she said.

One of Pratchett’s latest games was Lost Words: Beyond the Page, a 2D adventure platforming game out now on console and PC.

The Nintendo Switch is one of the most convenient consoles ever made, letting you play with the system docked like it’s a home console or in handheld mode directly on the system’s screen. However, you may occasionally find you’re having internet connection issues with the system, which can prevent you from using features like cloud saving and the Nintendo Switch Online free game vault. There are some steps you can take to alleviate this, however, and they should help you improve your Nintendo Switch internet connection and get back to playing online and downloading new games.

Try connecting somewhere else

If the option is available to you, one of the best things to do when first troubleshooting your Nintendo Switch internet connection is to try connecting it to someone else’s Wi-Fi. This should preferably be a private home rather than a business for security reasons, but you can also try connecting it to a Wi-Fi hotspot on your phone, if your plan permits this.

Should it connect there without issue, then the bottleneck is very likely related to something in your own Wi-Fi setup rather than any problem with the Switch itself.

Ensure your wireless router is compatible

Though it’s unlikely to be the root cause of your problems, you should ensure that whatever wireless router you’re using is compatible with the Nintendo Switch itself. The standards 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, and 802.11b are all supported, and you’ll want to confirm that your home uses either a discrete router or a combination modem-router decide to determine if it’s supported.

You can also check to make sure that your router supporters 5GHz Wi-Fi. This is not required for the Switch, but it will increase speeds, and slowdown issues you encounter may be related to having the 2.4GHz channel selected. Typically, you can set up a Wi-Fi username and password for each.

Try reconnecting

As simple as it sounds, the whole “turn it off and turn it back on” trick can sometimes be what you need. In order to give yourself that fresh start, go to the Settings tab on the home menu and then chose Internet Settings.

Go to the network you’ve been trying to use, select it, and then go to Clear Settings. Confirm, and the network will be forgotten. You can then select it from the found networks when your console does a scan to try the process again.

Alternatively, you can try resetting your router or modem if you think this is the issue; should other devices be affected, this may be the cause. Either unplug and re-plug the device or, in some cases, you can restart it by pressing a reset button with a pen or toothpick.

Move your router

If you’re still having issues–especially if you are connecting and disconnecting repeatedly–then the problem could be where your router is located. Many homes need more than one, especially if they’re on multiple levels, and you’ll typically be able to find range information on your own unit.

A Wi-Fi mesh system can help to alleviate this problem. It ensures a strong signal across your home, with the modem still located in a central location and the beacons scattered away and communicating with it. If you can’t have the modem or main router right by where you play Switch, this is a great alternative.

Change your DNS

One pesky issue that can occur occasionally, especially with lesser-quality internet providers, is an issue with your domain name system, or DNS, which is essentially a system for converting domain names into IP addresses. The important thing for you to know is that ISPs have their own, you use them by default, and they are often not very good. But you can always opt to use another one, and it’s completely free.

Google, for instance, has a public DNS available that you can use with the Nintendo Switch. Go to the Internet Settings menu again and select your network, then go to Change Settings and DNS Settings. From here, enter the number 8.8.8.8 under Primary DNS and 8.8.4.4 under secondary DNS. These are both Google’s own systems and could ensure a more-stable connection.

Use an ethernet connection

When all else fails, the issue may be related to the wireless antenna in your system. Should you not want to get it repaired, you can still play the Switch online via a wired connection–you just need to get an accessory.

A Nintendo Switch wired LAN adapter plugs into a USB port in your Switch’s dock, enabling you to connect an ethernet cable going from the console to your modem or router. With the upcoming OLED model, you will not need this adapter to connect via ethernet.

Once it’s connected, go to Internet Settings again, and select Wired Connection. Confirm, wait for the test setup to complete, and you should be good to go.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.