Author: Trafficblast

Ebay came out swinging against Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale with a cheeky counter-promotion of its own and a promise to roll out deals over several days. One of those discounts available today is a can’t-miss price on a brand-new PlayStation 4 Pro.

The PS4 Pro 1TB is going for $320, a whopping 20% off its regular MSRP. It’s listed among Ebay’s Deals page, which is currently running a “Hot Deals for Hot Days” sale with new discounts daily through July 22. This is all centered around beating Amazon at its own summer sales game, including an “Ebay Crash Sale” planned to compete directly with the retailer on July 15, when Prime Day begins. Ebay promises that if Amazon crashes, it will trigger extra discounts to be unlocked on its site.

See PS4 Pro at Ebay ($320) »

Ebay also boasts that many of its sale items include free shipping without a membership, unlike its competitor. Some other notable deals that have already gone up include:

Amazon has been successful marking mid-summer as a destination for deals, and more than past years other retailers are stepping in to join the fray with their own discounts. Ebay is the one most directly targeting Amazon with its messaging, but a GameStop Summer Sale and Target Deal Days both overlap with Prime Day as well. And if you do pick up a shiny new PS4 Pro, you can also get some great deals on PS4 games to go with it.

CBS All Access’ upcoming Picard series got a brand new poster teasing the addition of one critical member to the cast: Jean Luc’s new “No. 1,” a dog who apparently helps the retired Starfleet admiral tend to his retirement vineyard. The poster was tweeted out by none other than Sir Patrick Stewart himself.

The dog’s name remains a mystery, but his rank was spotted by eagle-eyed fans on the Starfleet emblem hanging from his collar.

The vineyard imagery comes as no surprise to anyone who watched the first teaser trailer, released back in May. We don’t have many details about the plot as of yet, but from what we can tell, there was an incident–“the unimaginable”–that drove Jean Luc into retirement after a majorly heroic act.

Now, people are left wondering what the Admiral has been up to since his departure from Starfleet. Hopefully not just making wine–though, let’s be honest, we’d definitely watch that show, too. It’s set approximately 20 years after the finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation, so there is plenty of room to explore and doubtlessly, plenty of stories to tell about Chateau Picard or otherwise.

Picard is expected to air on CBS All Access at the end of this year under the direction of showrunner, acclaimed novelist Michael Chabon.

Disclosure: CBS is GameSpot’s parent company.

Nintendo surprised everyone this morning with an addition to the Nintendo Switch family. The Nintendo Switch Lite–a lighter, cheaper version of Nintendo’s flagship device–is set to launch this September and makes a few minor adjustments to hit its more affordable price tag. Despite rumors of another Nintendo Switch console, said to feature improved hardware over the existing model, the company says there are no other new pieces of Switch hardware coming this year.

GameSpot sister site CNET shared the news at the tail end of its report. According to newly-appointed Nintendo president Doug Bowser, the Nintendo Switch Lite is the only new Nintendo Switch console this year. Bowser says the traditional Nintendo Switch won’t receive any updates or upgrades. However, there are reports of an upgraded Nintendo Switch console in production.

Bowser seems to suggest Nintendo is sticking to just two options: the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch Lite. Hardware adjustments are nothing new for Nintendo, as the company is notorious for introducing incremental upgrades to its long-running DS family. The 3DS lineup consists of the 2DS (2013), the 3DS (2011), the 3DS XL (2012), the New 3DS (2014), the New 3DS XL (2015), and the New 2DS XL (2017).

Though it may be cheaper than the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch Lite will still support Amiibos, features device switching, will receive a Pokemon Sword and Shield model, and comes with a notable controller improvement.

The Nintendo Switch Lite launches on September 20 for $200 USD / $287 AUD / £160 GBP. You can check out the announcement trailer below.

Nintendo finally confirmed the next iteration of the Switch console family: the Switch Lite, which arrives on September 20. The very first pre-order pages have gone up, so it will soon be possible to reserve your own, including the slick, Pokemon Sword and Shield-themed Zacian and Zamazenta Edition.

The Switch Lite costs $200, versus the full price of a regular Switch at $300. In exchange, the Lite is smaller, can’t dock to the TV, and has no detachable Joy-Cons or rumble. It does add a real d-pad, however, which fans have been requesting on the regular Switch since it came out. It seems the new system is a great as a substantially cheaper entry-point into the Switch ecosystem, as well as being more conveniently portable for players that prefer the console’s handheld mode anyway. For more details on things like Amiibo support and transferring between consoles, check out everything we’ve learned about the Switch Lite.

Here’s where you can pre-order every version of the Nintendo Switch Lite. Currently, Best Buy has only posted placeholder pages, so you can only sign up for notifications of when it will go live, but we’ll update this article as more retailers open up pre-orders.

Switch Lite pre-orders

Nintendo Switch Lite – Turquoise — $200

Nintendo Switch Lite – Gray — $200

Nintendo Switch Lite – Yellow — $200

Nintendo Switch Lite – Zacian and Zamazenta Edition — $200

Nintendo is releasing a smaller, cheaper Switch model this fall called the Nintendo Switch Lite. The system does away with a number of features found in the base model, so it won’t have detachable Joy-Cons, HD rumble, or be able to connect with a television, but one feature it will still have is Amiibo support.

GameSpot reached out to Nintendo to clarify if the Switch Lite will still be compatible with Amiibo, and a PR representative for the company confirmed the system will indeed work with the collectible figures. Just as with the standard model, you can tap an Amiibo on the right control stick and it will interact with a compatible game.

The Nintendo Switch Lite launches worldwide on September 20–the same day The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake releases. The game will hit stores alongside an adorable new Link Amiibo figure, which will unlock an extra feature for the game’s dungeon maker mode. Other Zelda Amiibo will also be compatible with the title.

At launch, the Switch Lite will be available in three different colors: yellow, grey, and turquoise. Nintendo will also release a special edition Pokemon model on November 8, a few days ahead of the launch of Pokemon Sword and Shield. That version will have a light grey body, cyan- and magenta-colored buttons, and an illustration of the games’ Legendary Pokemon, Zacian and Zamazenta, on the back.

While the Switch Lite won’t have detachable Joy-Cons, it will have one improvement over the standard Switch: a proper D-pad. It appears it’ll be the only model to boast one, as Nintendo says it has no plans to add a D-pad to Joy-Con controllers. You’ll also be able to move your data between the standard Switch and Switch Lite, although Nintendo hasn’t shared any details about how this will work yet. Check out our roundup of everything we know about Switch Lite for more on the new system.

Nintendo has announced a new version of the Switch. The Nintendo Switch Lite is a leaner version of the existing Switch model that sacrifices some features for a cheaper $200 price tag. It will be available starting September 20.

The Switch Lite features a 5.5-inch screen that displays at a resolution of 720p. This shrinks the screen down slightly from the original Switch’s 6.2-inch size. Additionally, the Switch Lite will no longer be able to connect to TVs via USB-C and HDMI. This means that the Switch Lite is being positioned as a purely handheld platform, as opposed to a hybrid like the original.

The headphone port is still there (Bluetooth headset support has not been added, sadly), and the button layout is largely unchanged. However, the Switch Lite no longer has detachable Joy-Con controllers. Furthermore, the Switch Lite will not have rumble or the IR motion sensors. Joy-Con controllers can still be connected to the Switch Lite. Nintendo has swapped out the four small buttons that serve as the directional inputs on the Joy-Cons for a traditional D-pad, however.

One other thing to consider is that Nintendo Labo, which allows users to build peripherals using cardboard, won’t work since the Switch Lite is smaller.

The Switch Lite is matte plastic and, according to CNET, which had a chance to go hands-on with it, has a “solid feel reminded me a lot of the recent Nintendo 2DS XL handheld. No detachable Joy-Cons means the sides of the Switch Lite don’t flex or creak as much, either.”

When the Switch Lite launches on September 20, it will be available in grey, yellow, and turquoise. A limited edition Pokemon-themed design that has etchings and an off-white case will arrive alongside Pokemon Sword and Shield, though it will not include the game as part of a bundle.

Nintendo Switch Lite Specs

Reports of new Switch models being in production surface in June. At the time, Nintendo said it would not announce the new systems during E3, and they stuck to their guns on that. Reports have indicated that two new Nintendo Switch models are in the works. The first, a less expensive iteration with pared-down features, we now know is the Switch Lite.

However, it has also been reported that an “enhanced” version of the Switch targeted at “avid” gamers is also in production. Nintendo has not indicated this is the case and there are far fewer rumors, reports, and early rumblings relating to this more powerful version that there was for the Switch Lite.