The Fortnite Week 9 Alien Artifacts are coming up soon. They’ll appear in-game starting on Thursday, August 5 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET, which is the same time the Epic Quests will go live. As always, these Artifacts will only stick around for a few days, so make sure you grab them within one week. But with our guide, you’ll not need to worry. Here’s where to find Week 9 Alien Artifacts in Fortnite.
Week 9 Alien Artifacts
There are five Alien Artifacts on the island this week, as is almost always the case. Each canister actually adds four Artifacts each to your cache, meaning you can find 20 Alien Artifacts on the island in specific places, not to mention the bonus Artifacts you may find by opening Cosmic Chests throughout the week. You’ll find Alien Artifacts at the following locations:
Under the floor of Unremarkable Shack on the central northern mini-island (smash through the wood to see it)
Inside Gas N’ Grub gas station just east of The Aftermath
Atop the satellite dish at Defiant Dish, east of Weeping Woods
Inside the small hut beside the mini-spire within Weeping Woods
Inside the shack on a small island offshore from Holly Hatchery
All Week 9 Alien Artifacts
With Alien Artifacts, you can unlock new cosmetics for Kymera. The Tier 1 Battle Pass alien character can be customized across a variety of features, including armor color, skin color, armor underglow, eye color, head shape, and more. Each category of Kymera’s features includes a tiered list of options ranging from 2-17 Alien Artifacts per item, including a full set of free options which act as the default Kymera style. To unlock the most expensive item in any category, you’ll need to first unlock all the others before it in the same category.
That’s why collecting all Fortnite Alien Artifacts each week is so important if you’re hoping to unlock the full range of features. Unlike past customizable Battle Pass cosmetics like Chapter 2 Season 2’s Maya or Chapter 2 Season 3’s ‘Brella, Kymera can be restyled whenever you feel like it.
There’s no permanent locking-in of his look. You could even make multiple Kymera characters for different presets. It’s like amassing an alien army for your loadouts. But you have to get Alien Artifacts during the week in which they debut, as they’re replaced the following week with new ones. Also new this week is a quality-of-life feature that puts Alien Artifacts on your map when you’re nearby.
You’re unlikely to grab all Alien Artifacts in one round since they’re spread out–though you could with a UFO and a little Storm luck. But don’t worry, so long as you get them all before they disappear next week, you’ll be all set.
After a generation of premium peripherals expanding the range of features and options to look for in a controller, the well has gone dry for PS5 players. With no sanctioned third-party controllers, players who want features outside the DualSense’s standard loadout still have one place they can turn: Specialty gamepad modders, who add and/or replace parts to make custom versions of the DualSense.
HexGaming’s customizable DualSense model, the Rival, adds rear buttons and replaceable thumbsticks, plus a handful of other optional features and tons of cosmetic options to your specifications. For a controller that’s been chopped up and reassembled, it looks and feels incredibly well-made, and its added features feel right at home with the DualSense’s standard offerings. Picking up a custom DualSense is a big step – It’s much more expensive than your average controller – but HexGaming’s modifications rise to meet the DualSense’s high bar for quality.
HexGaming Rival – Design & Features
Despite its new name, the Rival is a modified version of the original DualSense, so much of its design feels identical to the original… Because it is. The basic shape and button layout is the same. It has the same long handles and that big clicky pad in the center. Despite the fact that HexGaming replaces the PS logo with its own round home button, you wouldn’t mistake the Rival for anything other than a DualSense.
The Rival has a few core upgrades that come with every controller. It has replaceable analog sticks, and comes with three different lengths, all of which seem to be taller than the standard DualSense model. HexGaming’s sticks are held on magnetically, which makes it easy to pull them off and switch options without any risk of the sticks flying off during intense play.
There’s also a large rear panel strapped to the back of the Rival, which affixes two wing-like rear buttons that curve into place right under your middle fingers. They’re comfortable, with a nice tactile click, and easy to pull. The large panel that houses the buttons, however, can crowd your hands a bit, depending on your grip.
You can map almost any button to the rear buttons – only the PlayStation button and Touchpad are off-limits. Pairing is easy, but takes a little bit of time: You have to hold a button to turn on pairing mode, then hold the rear button and the button you’re mapping for a few seconds, then turn off pairing mode. It’s quick enough so that you won’t hesitate to remap buttons at the start of a new game, but you might think twice about changing them on the fly mid-session.
Beyond the core “Rival” upgrades, you can customize almost every part of the DualSense in some way or another. In a made-to-order build, you can replace the face buttons, d-pad, menu buttons, bumpers, triggers, touchpad, front panel, rear panel, and more. Most of these replacements are primarily cosmetic: Instead of Sony’s standard clear-on-white face and d-pad buttons, you can get shiny chrome red or matte purple (like mine). While they are mostly for show, it’s worth noting that the changes do alter the feel of the controller a bit. If you get a controller face and/or touchpad with a pattern, for example, it’s printed on shiny, smooth plastic panels, rather than the smooth matte material on the standard DualSense.
There are also a couple of optional upgrades that offer more substantial changes. There’s a black textured rear panel, which adds a rubberized back with paint-drip pattern bumps along the backs of the handles. The biggest optional feature is “FastShots,” a permanently installed low-profile trigger lock for the bumpers and triggers that significantly limits the travel on all four buttons. According to HexGaming, L1 and R1 bottom out at 0.5mm, down from 1.2mm. L2 and R2 are cut more dramatically, 7mm to 2mm. The difference between the two is stark, especially on the triggers: On a normal DualSense, the triggers press all the way down to the base of their housing: With FastShots, there’s a tactile click, but the button barely moves. Likewise, the bumpers have a more pronounced tactile click when you press them, but they move significantly less.
As with AimControllers’ modified DualSense, which has a similar optional feature, FastShots has pros and cons that skew heavily toward competitive players. Reducing travel cuts down on the time it takes to push the bumpers and pull the triggers, which is great in a high-reflex shooter. On the other hand, removing travel cuts out some of the unique immersive features of the DualSense’s smart triggers; specifically, you lose the capacity to feel any resistance when pulling down the triggers. It enhances your competitive experiences, but at the expense of your single-player ones.
There’s one crucial DualSense component that doesn’t come with HexGaming Rival – a charging cable. Finding a USB-C charging cable isn’t exactly a hardship given how many devices use USB-C. (Fun Fact: I charged it with my Macbook Air charger one time). Still, given the Rival’s hefty price tag, it feels a little chincy to leave out a cord that you’ll need to keep your controller running.
HexGaming Rival – Gaming
Setting aside the pros and cons of trigger locks for just a moment, every facet of the Rival mod works incredibly well. While the smooth plastic panels and matte buttons don’t feel exactly like a DualSense, the experience is fundamentally the same. (That’s a very good thing). The build quality of the controller holds up, and none of the modded parts feel cheap or flimsy. The rear buttons have a quick pull, which makes them great for snappy, reflexive inputs like rolling in Demon’s Souls, or aiming down sights in Destiny 2. And, as with most rear buttons, they’re very comfortable. I find them especially useful when you need to hold a button for an extended period of time, like when fixing generators in Dead by Daylight.
FastShots is one of the most comfortable, well-implemented trigger-locks I’ve used. They successfully cut down on the time and distance of each trigger pull and bumper press. (Though that’s a given, really). The tactile clicks of the bumpers and triggers compensate for the lack of travel, which effectively hides the “jammed” sensation you feel with most locked buttons. While it prevents trigger resistance, it doesn’t impede the smart triggers’ precision rumble and other immersive features, allowing single-player games like Returnal to retain most of their controller-based immersive quirks.
The smaller gameplay-relevant touches also feel good in-game. If you’ve ever held a DualSense and wished that its microscopic textured grip was larger and more pronounced, the rubberized grip really makes it feel stable in your grasp, even with sweaty hands. The replaceable analog sticks are easy to swap quickly, even on the fly. As someone with short fingers, I don’t really need longer sticks so they weren’t that appealing to me, but I admit that having actual adjustable sticks beats buying stick extenders or other makeshift add-ons that compromise how the stick feels just to add length.
An ancient sword, rumored to have demons lurking within, finds its way into the hands of an orphan, changing her destiny forever.
In Yakuza Princess, which releases everywhere on September 3, singer/songwriter MASUMI plays Akemi, a lone wolf who discovers she’s the heiress to half of the Yakuza crime syndicate.
Forging an uneasy alliance with an amnesiac stranger, Shiro (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who believes a special Katana blade binds their two fates, Akemi unleashes war against the other half of the syndicate who wants her dead.
Check out the exclusive trailer for Yakuza Princess…
Directed by Vicente Amorim, and based on the graphic novel “Samurai Shiro” by Danilo Beyruth, Yakuza Princess is set in the expansive Japanese community of Sao Paulo in Brazil — the largest Japanese diaspora in the world and combines two mysteries into a kick-ass revenge movie. With only an antique Japanese sword to answer the confounding riddles, Akemi and Shiro unite to rock the criminal underworld and carve out a path of destruction.
We’ve also got your exclusive look at the Yakuza Princess poster…
Yakuza Princess also stars Tsuyoshi Ihara (13 Assassins). It is set for wide release on September 3.
Microsoft has revealed a new color variant for its official Xbox Series X/S line of game controllers.
The new Aqua Shift Special Edition is a bright blue that gives off a glistening effect, with a dual-color swirl that almost looks like a water reflection on the side of the controller, which is inspired “by the fantasy that gaming brings into our lives,” according to Microsoft.
In addition to an alluring new color scheme, the Xbox Wire post notes that this is the first Special Edition Xbox Series X/S controller that includes rubber side grips, meaning you will have a better hold of the controller compared to the standard Xbox Series X/S controllers.
The Aqua Shift Special Edition is slated to release on August 31. But if you are looking to get your hands on one, you can preorder a unit for $69.99 USD on Microsoft’s website.
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Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
The Big House, one of competitive Super Smash Bros.’s biggest fall events, will not be held in person for the second year in a row. According to a statement from the tournament’s organizers on Twitter, the event was canceled out of concern for “the health and well-being of our community.”
The statement goes on to say that organizers for The Big House 11 were “forced to either commit to or relinquish our venue” this past February “due to the lead time required by large-scale convention centers.” However, organizers found that “it was too early to commit to a date with the uncertain trajectory of COVID-19 and vaccinations at that time.”
For what it’s worth, The Big House’s organizers may have made the right call. While COVID-19 infections and deaths have fallen since the virus’ peak last year thanks to highly-effective vaccines that prevent severe cases and hospitalizations, a new highly contagious variant sweeping across America is raising concerns and sparking renewed mask mandates.
That being said, the most recent major Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament, Smash Summit 11, was held entirely in person. While the event wasn’t open to the public, it did feature competitors from around the globe.
This marks the second year that The Big House won’t be held in person. The tournament, which has been a competitive Melee staple every year from 2011 to 2019, was canceled last year due to a cease-and-desist demand from Nintendo of America.
The Big House 10 was going to be hosted entirely online last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and would have used a Melee mod called Slippi, which makes online play feasible. At this time, it’s not clear if The Big House 11 will shift to an online format at the risk of receiving another cease-and-desist from Nintendo.
Hey remember the 1990s? Of course you do, because it’s impossible to forget that decade if you’re old enough to have lived through it. Well, the fine folks Bandai America have used their skills of nostalgia farming to create a perfect storm of 1990s wistful remembrance through technology with the Tamagotchi Star Wars R2-D2, which you can preorder right now in either “Classic White” or “Hologram Blue.”
Now I was at the tail-end of the Tamagotchi craze just because I was arguably too old to be caring for a digital pocket pet, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have one then and it doesn’t mean I didn’t just preorder this one now. Because I did.
I opted to make it as 1990s as possible by ordering the Hologram Blue version. If you look at the product images, you can see the name stems from the fact the plastic casing is translucent, which was the hallmark of a cool tech product in the late 1990s. The design craze stemmed from the original iMacs released by Apple, but you probably remember it best from the N64. It got a little out of hand when you could buy a clothes iron with translucent highlights (a real thing).
For $20 and a November release date, I’m definitely looking forward to forgetting I ordered this until it arrives at my door to my delight and surprise.
This is the part of the article where I remind you it’s in your best interests to preorder early from Amazon because you aren’t charged until the item ships, and if the price goes down even for a minute, as long as you secured a preorder before the price drop, you’ll ultimately be charged the lowest price.
Google’s Waze service has teamed p with Microsoft for a Halo-themed takeover where Master Chief will give you driving directions in real life to help you get to where you’re going.
You can drive with Master Chief and have your real car visualized as a Warthog, or you can ride with Escharum the Banished war chief giving you directions as your car is displayed as a Ghost.
The Halo Co-Pilot feature, as it’s called, is available in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. And it features what sounds like Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes himself giving you directions and saying things like, “In a half a mile, turn left.” The Halo takeover is only available for a limited time as part of the effort to promote the launch of Halo Infinite this year.
In other news, the Halo Infinite multiplayer beta has ended, but a second one is coming up and will be expanded to more Halo Insider members. Be sure to sign up for the free Halo Insider program for a chance to get in for this latest round of testing, whenever it comes up.
This year marks a big change for Konami’s long-running eFootball series–formerly known as Pro Evolution Soccer–as it transitions to a free-to-play model that will be supported by microtransactions in the years to come. So how much of the game will be free to try out? One that’s roughly the size of a demo according to the official eFootball Twitter account which answered several questions from fans this week.
“During “Early Autumn”, eFootball will have no micro-transactions–so everything will be free-to-play at launch. We will then add more content during Autumn. Exact content details to follow,” the account tweeted. “We want people to get hands-on with eFootball as soon as possible, so we will launch with a limited number of teams and modes.”
Q: Is “Early Autumn” launch basically a demo?
A: In many ways, yes. We want people to get hands-on with eFootball™ as soon as possible, so we will launch with a limited number of teams and modes. Exact details to follow.
Other details shared on eFootball include the game being developed for “consoles first” and it will include multiple features for matchmaking based on location and platform. Players on console and PC who are concerned about a graphical downgrade when matched up against mobile users won’t have to worry about diminished visuals on their more powerful platforms.
Q: Is eFootball™ just a mobile game for consoles?
A: eFootball™ is developed first for consoles but is a platform for everyone to enjoy. The game will take full advantage of the hardware capabilities of each supported device.
One of the methods in which eFootball looks to generate revenue is through a Match Pass system that will let players nominate and acquire their favorite soccer stars. The eFootball account added that “free and paid” Match Passes will be available instead of the strong lottery element that previous games made use of. Master League will also be available as premium downloadable content in the future, with more details to be shared in an upcoming announcement.
Konami’s eFootball will launch on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC first in Autumn, and will then roll out to iOS and Android at a later date. Producer Seitaro Kimura explained last month that eFootball has become a “platform” and that Konami is ditching annual premium releases in favor of free annual updates instead. As usual, eFootball’s biggest rival will be EA’s FIFA series, which you can see more of in action with new FIFA 22 gameplay.
When it comes to gaming on a PlayStation console, be it a PS4 or PS5, it might not cross your mind to use a keyboard and mouse. However, both consoles support the traditional PC input scheme, which might make some games more comfortable to play or just easier to manage if you’re choosing to play on a desk. Better yet, the range of supported keyboards and mice is rather wide, with both the PS4 and PS5 supporting a range of wired, wireless, and Bluetooth peripherals.
Where you might not find the best support is with games, as developers must explicitly allow keyboard and mouse as an input if you want to use them natively (there are tools that let you trick consoles into thinking you’re using a controller, but we won’t be covering those here). Right now, there aren’t any PS5-only titles that support keyboard and mouse input, but many PS4 titles do (and these are playable via backwards compatibility on PS5), including but not limited to:
Final Fantasy XIV
Overwatch
Fortnite
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
DayZ
The Elder Scrolls Online
They Are Billions
How to use a keyboard and mouse on PS4 or PS5
Connecting your keyboard and mouse to a PlayStation console is straightforward, too. For wired peripherals, you simply plug them into a USB-A on the console. Wireless peripherals that use 2.4GHz dongles are plug-and-play too, with both the PS4 and PS5 recognizing most when the dongle is simply plugged into the console. Bluetooth devices, on the other hand, require you to pair them through the console’s setting’s menu, and this might be the most hit-or-miss option depending on how good the Bluetooth support is on your respective keyboard or mouse. They’re not the best options for gaming, anyway, given Bluetooth’s inherent latency compared to both wired and 2.4GHz connections.
Things to keep in mind
There are several caveats you should consider before making the switch to mouse and keyboard on PlayStation. For multiplayer games, like Fortnite or Overwatch, you will automatically be matched against PC players when using a keyboard and mouse, or console players who have opened matchmaking to other PC players. This is to keep things fair online, as using a keyboard and mouse can offer a significant advantage to most controller-based players. Another thing to consider is some game-specific features that might make use of unique aspects of a controller for immersion, especially in single-player titles. Although there are no PS5 games out right now with keyboard and mouse support, using these peripherals in the future will exclude you from features such as the DualSense’s adaptive triggers, which can add be very beneficial to specific games.
The best PlayStation keyboards and mice
If you are looking to make a switch in your PlayStation setup, you have loads of options to choose from. Below, we’ve rounded up some great keyboard-and-mouse bundles that offer great value, as well as separate keyboards and mice that offer great support for all their features without needing to interface with PC software that won’t be available on a console (software for controlling RBG and macros, for example). There are also lapboards you can buy that make it much easier to game with a mouse and keyboard from the comfort of your couch, offering the best of both worlds if you’re willing to pay the premium.
If you’re planning to play with a mouse and keyboard but not give up the comfort of your couch, then you’re going to want a lapboard. Razer makes probably the best one out there in the Razer Turret. Don’t be put off by the Xbox branding–this wireless keyboard-and-mouse combo works just fine on PlayStation consoles with its 2.4GHz dongle. The price is a little steep at $250, but this is an all-in-one package with a tenkeyless mechanical keyboard, a retractable, magnetic mousepad, and a mouse with a profile very similar to Razer’s DeathAdder. It comes with a docking station for charging and very comfortable padding on the bottom for long gaming sessions, making it an ideal fit if a controller just isn’t doing it for you anymore.
Another option if you’re interested in what Razer has to offer is the company’s All-Star Gaming Bundle, which includes a keyboard, mouse, and headset again. This time you get the Razer Ornata V2 RGB, which is a membrane keyboard with some slim clicking elements to replicate the feel of a true mechanical keyboard. The Razer Viper ambidextrous mouse is included along with the excellent Blackshark V2, which is one of the most comfortable headsets around. You’ll also get a large Gigantus V2 XXL mousepad, which might be perfect if you’re planning to play PlayStation on a desk.
Corsair offers a great combo deal on the K55 keyboard with the Harpoon RGB gaming mouse, both in wired variants. The K55 is a membrane keyboard with three-zone lighting, which makes it a little less robust in the RGB department. But with a detachable wrist rest and media controls, it has everything you need for good, comfortable gaming sessions. The Harpoon mouse is also a great choice, with up to 60 hours of playtime on a charge, six programmable buttons, a lightweight 99g build, and a 6000 DPI sensor for great tracking. At this price, you’ll struggle to find a better bundle.
Since pretty much every wired keyboard will work with both PS4 and PS5, you have a large range of great gaming keyboards to choose from. But many of these require PC software to get the best out of them, which makes the HyperX Alloy Origins Core a great compromise. It features lovely mechanical switches, including HyperX’s own tactile aqua switches, as well as on-board memory that allows you to flick through programable profiles without needing to be linked to proprietary software. This means you can set up three different lighting or macro profiles on a PC and have those transfer over for your use on PlayStation. At $90, it’s also a great price for a solid keyboard, although you will need to be fine with a tenkeyless design.
On the front of great wireless keyboard options, the Logitech G613 ticks many of the boxes. Firstly, it’s wireless with two connection options, both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth, which gives you flexibility when it comes to using it for both PlayStation gaming and work. It features Logitech’s Romer-G mechanical switches, which are somewhere between a traditional tactile and clicky switch. There’s no backlighting to speak of, but you do get a solid (albeit plastic) build that will stand the test of time and a built-in wrist rest for comfort. Two AA batteries are all you’ll need to get going–according to Logitech, that should provide around 18 months of use.
The Razer DeathAdder is as timeless as it gets when it comes to gaming mice, with Razer’s most popular design having endured for over a decade. This latest version brings several improvements, including a new sensor, faster mechanical switch, eight programmable buttons, and Razer’s SpeedFlex cable that will make it feel wireless while offering the response times of being wired. It’s as low fuss as a reliable gaming mouse can get, making it a perfect choice for long play sessions on PlayStation.
If you aren’t looking to spend close to $100 for just a mouse and don’t want any wires, then this budget Corsair wireless gaming mouse might be perfect. It uses a 2.4GHz dongle for strong and seamless wireless connections, weighs just 96g, and works off a single AA battery that is rated to last over 135 hours of playtime. It also features Bluetooth connectivity, so when latency isn’t an issue, you could even use the Katar Pro Wireless for work on the go or at your desktop.
The Couchmaster Cycon 2 doesn’t come with a keyboard and mouse. Instead, it’s an ultra-comfortable docking station, providing a USB hub for your keyboard and mouse and then connecting wirelessly to your PlayStation. It offers a lot of space for you to nestle into on your couch, giving you armrests that are omitted on many other lapboard options. For that, it’s priced considerably higher at $180, while still requiring you to provide your own peripherals as well. But it’s a great option if comfort is as paramount to your gaming as your choice of input device.
The dark side is set to strike back in a terrifying way in LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales, a Halloween-themed special coming to Disney+ this October.
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales will premiere on Disney+ on October 1, kicking off this year’s Hallowstream celebration. The all-new animated special from Lucasfilm and LEGO will shine a saber on the villainous dark side of the Star Wars galaxy, illuminating a terrifying tale set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Check out the poster for the spooky special below:
According to StarWars.com, the special will see Poe Dameron and BB-8 make an emergency landing on the volcanic planet of Mustafar where they’ll meet the greedy and conniving Graballa the Hutt, who has purchased Darth Vader’s castle and is renovating it into the galaxy’s first all-inclusive Sith-inspired luxury hotel.
Poe and his trusty sidekick will venture deep into the mysterious castle while his X-Wing is in repair. They will be joined by Graballa and the crime boss’ mechanic Dean, together with Vader’s loyal servant, Vaneé, who will play host to the terrifying tour, sharing three creepy stories linked to ancient artifacts and iconic villains from across all eras of Star Wars.
As Vaneé spins his tales and lures our heroes deeper into the shadowy underbelly of the castle, a sinister plan will emerge. The “plucky and courageous” Dean will be on hand to help Poe and BB-8 to face their fears in a bid to stop an ancient evil from rising and escape to make it back to their friends.
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales features a talented voice cast that includes Jake Green as Poe Dameron; Raphael Alejandro as Dean; Dana Snyder as Graballa the Hutt; Tony Hale as Vaneé; Christian Slater as Ren; Trevor Devall as Emperor Palpatine; and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as NI-L8.
David Shayne is writer and executive producer, and the director is Ken Cunningham. James Waugh, Josh Rimes, Jacqui Lopez, Jill Wilfert, Keith Malone and Jason Cosler are executive producers on the latest LEGO Star Wars special, which is produced in collaboration with Atomic Cartoons.
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales will debut on Disney+ on Friday, October 1. It follows last year’s LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, which arrived on Disney+ on November 17, the same day the original Star Wars holiday special aired on CBS in 1978. IGN rated it a 7, saying it was “an unexpected treat for those looking for an extra bit of closure on the Skywalker Saga.”
