Nintendo Disputes Switch OLED Profit Report, Denies Having Plans For New Model

In a Bloomberg report last week, analysts claimed that the new $350 OLED model of the Nintendo Switch cost Nintendo only $10 more to produce. Nintendo has now publicly denied those claims and said that the original report was incorrect.

“A news report on July 15, 2021(JST) claimed that the profit margin of the Nintendo Switch (OLED Model) would increase compared to the Nintendo Switch,” Nintendo tweeted. “To ensure correct understanding among our investors and customers, we want to make clear that the claim is incorrect.”

Now Playing: The Nintendo Switch OLED Everything We Know (So Far)

Nintendo usually refrains from issuing statements in response to rumors and reports. President Shuntaro Furukawa did say recently that there was nothing to announce about a Nintendo Switch Pro, though he noted that Nintendo is always working on new hardware.

The company didn’t reveal just how much the OLED Switch upgrades actually cost, and it also took the time to address fresh rumors of a more powerful Nintendo Switch Pro being in development.

“We also want to clarify that we just announced that Nintendo Switch(OLED Model) will launch in October, 2021, and have no plans for launching any other model at this time,” Nintendo said.

Nintendo announced its new OLED model Switch this month, which will launch on October 8. Aside from the improved and slightly larger screen, new dock, and an ethernet connection in the dock, internally the OLED model is the same as a regular Switch console. Preorders are now live, although the white model seems to be the most popular one so far.

If you’re still wondering which handheld is best for you, you can check out our feature on the Switch OLED model vs the Switch Lite. Or if you’d prefer something with more power and versatility under the hood, you can take a look at our Switch vs. Steam Deck comparison.

Daily Deals: Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD for $10 Off

This Sunday has brought with it a pretty great set of deals. Leading things off is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD which is $10 off over at GameStop. Best Buy has a great little gaming laptop on sale from Gigabyte, and Newegg is continuing to run their promotion of FFXIV Game Time Cards, so you can stock up now and get yourself ready for Endwalker later this year.

Daily Deals for July 18th 2021

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Space Jam: A New Legacy Shoots Past Black Widow to Win the Domestic Box Office

Space Jam: A New Legacy has earned $31.7 million at the domestic box office, earning it the top spot and surpassing Black Widow’s $26.3 million.

As reported by THR, the sequel to 1997’s Space Jam (which itself earned $27 million in its opening weekend) also brought in $23 million overseas for a global total of $54.7 million. Prior to this weekend, Warner Bros. anticipated Space Jam: A New Legacy to open in the $20 million range, which would have been a long way from its reported $150 million budget.

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Space Jam: A New Legacy, which is also on HBO Max, secured the biggest opening for a family title in the pandemic-era and, of those who went to the theater, 61% were under 25 and 49% were under 17.

Black Widow saw a big drop from its $80 million opening weekend, and it couldn’t even secure a second weekend thanks to LeBron James, Bugs Bunny, and the Tune Squad. Overseas, Black Widow has racked up more than $324 million when including Disney+ Premier Access.

Sony’s Escape Room: Champion of Tournaments took third place with $8.8 million from 2,815 theaters. F9 is continuing its successful theatrical run and is close to breaking the $600 million mark. It placed fourth this week at the box office with $4.7 million.

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For more on Space Jam: A New Legacy, check out our review and LeBron James’ Tune Squad outfit that’s now available in Fortnite.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

John Cena Returns To WWE In Final Moments Of Money In The Bank PPV

At the conclusion of the Money in the Bank (2021) main event, in front of a live Fort Worth, TX audience, John Cena returned to WWE, setting up a rivalry between the Doctor of Thuganomics and current Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Reigns had just beaten Edge in a closely contested title match, with assistance from his cousins, the Smackdown Tag Team Champions the Usos, and his former Shield brother Seth Rollins. He was standing tall in the ring, proclaiming, “Now the whole world can acknowledge me,” when the signature intro to John Cena’s theme blared over the sound system.

Up until this Sunday, Cena has not competed in WWE since Wrestlemania 36 on March 26, 2020. In that pre-recorded, ‘cinematic’ match, Cena lost to “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a “Firefly Funhouse” match that deconstructed his wrestling career. Cena has spent much of the past several years developing his movie career, which includes roles in Fast & Furious 9 and the upcoming James Gunn-directed Suicide Squad.

Cena last fought Reigns at the 2017 No Mercy PPV. Cena lost that match by pinfall after a spear. The buildup to that match was intensely personal, with John Cena delivering numerous “worked shoots” that criticized Roman’s position as the top wrestler in the company.

While Cena’s return marked a huge moment for the WWE PPV, the streaming service Peacock–which hosted the event in the US–had major streaming issues during the opening of the men’s Money in the Bank match. This made much of the match unwatchable for many Peacock subscribers.

Money In The Bank Streaming Issues On Peacock Make Part Of WWE PPV Unwatchable

Peacock subscribers who watched WWE Money in the Bank on Sunday, July 18 experienced severe streaming problems, including freezing, skipping, and sound that cut in and out, during one of the most anticipated matches of the evening. The issues began during the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match–lasting for the duration of the wrestlers entrances. All told, the disruption lasted about 10 minutes.

The stream crashed and went offline before returning to normal. WWE announced that the problem was fixed as of 10:07 PM, and recommended that subscribers exit and re-enter the stream. Even upon doing this, some users still had buffering issues.

Peacock is currently trending on social media. Users are reacting to the technical issues, with some demanding refunds, some saying they’re canceling their subscriptions, and many pushing for WWE to abandon the streaming service entirely.

NBC acquired the exclusive US streaming rights for WWE content in January 2021. The WWE Network discontinued its United States service on April 4. The Network is still active for subscribers outside of the US.

Money In The Bank 2021 Results: Live Updates, Match Card, And Surprises

It’s time to see who can climb the ladder the fastest, with no one trying to pull them down. It’s time for the 2021 edition of WWE’s Money in the Bank, where Roman Reigns will face Edge for the Universal Championship and Rhea Ripley defends the Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair. Of course, there will also be two matches dedicated to climbing a ladder.

This year’s event will take place at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. What’s important about the latest PPV is that it marks the return of audiences to live WWE events. The era of the Thunderdome is no more, and we will miss you. Of course, the titular ladder-climbing event means the winners of the men’s and women’s matches will get a contract for a championship match, so there is a lot on the line.

If you want to watch MITB, you’ll need to subscribe to Peacock–or WWE Network if you’re outside of the US. While Peacock has a free tier, you’ll need to subscribe to Peacock Premium ($5 a month) or Peacock Premium Plus ($10 a month). The difference between the two is that Premium Plus is not ad-supported. However, both tiers of Peacock play the same stream of the PPV.

Match card:

  • Rey & Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. The Usos (Smackdown Tag Team Championship) [KICKOFF SHOW]
  • AJ Styles & Omos (c) vs. The Viking Raiders (Raw Tag Team Championship)
  • Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Raw Women’s Championship)
  • Men’s Money in the Bank
  • Women’s Money in the Bank
  • Roman Reigns (c) vs. Edge (Universal Championship)
  • Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship)

The men’s Money in the Bank match will feature Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, Matt Riddle, Ricochet, John Morrison, Big E, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Seth Rollins. The women’s will feature Zelina Vega, Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Nikki A.S.H., Liv Morgan, Natalya, and Tamina.

While you wait for Money in the Bank to begin, why not check out this week’s episode of GameSpot’s professional wrestling podcast Wrestle Buddies? This week, Mat Elfring, Chris E. Hayner, and sophisticated AI program PredictionBot 3000 predict the winners and losers and possible surprises we’ll see at this year’s WWE PPV.

Below, you’ll find live updates and results for Money in the Bank as it airs on Peacock–or on the WWE Network outside of the US. Additionally, there will be some notes for each match as well.

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Kickoff Show

The Kickoff Show starts at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT and will air on Peacock, Twitter, and YouTube.

Notes from the preshow or changes in the match card will be noted here.

The Next Skate Game Will Not Be at EA Play Live 2021

EA’s next Skate game will not be part of EA Play Live 2021, but developer Full Circle has a “little something” to share with all of us tomorrow, July 19.

Full Circle shared the news on Twitter, reiterating that, while the studio was formed in January and they got a “bunch of super talented people to join the family,” the currently untitled new Skate game is not quite ready for prime time yet.

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“holy @%$!… it’s been a year?!?! what have we been up to? well, we formed a studio back in january, got a bunch of super talented people to join the family, and we’ve been working hard on the new game, now, we know many of your were hoping to see more from us this week but we’re not ready for prime time just yet and we won’t be part of the EA Play Live show on thursday,” Full Circle wrote.

“it’s still early and we are committing to doing this thing right which means it’s gonna take some time. our number one goal is not to blow it. for you, for us… for skate. HOWEVER, we are stoked to share a little something with you all tomorrow.”

This new Skate game joins those who have also confirmed that they will not be part of EA Play Live, including the next Mass Effect and Dragon Age and any Star Wars game.

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This new Skate project was announced at last year’s EA Play, where Cuz Parry and Deran Chung announced that the long-awaited new entry in the skating franchise was “really early” in development.

EA Play Live’s main showcase is set to air on Thursday, July 22 at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST and will feature updates on Battlefield 2042, Apex Legends, Lost in Random, and quite possibly a Dead Space revival if reports end up coming true.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

28 MORE Things You STILL Didn’t Know In BOTW

In the video above, we cover 28 tips and tricks that aren’t quite as well known, ranging from secrets to glitches, some that are pretty simple and others that are fairly complex. Breath of the Wild has been out for four years at this point, and players have found some amazing things, intended or not, that keep the game and its sense of discovery feeling fresh.

The Batman: Colin Farrell Says He Is The Penguin In Only ‘Five or Six Scenes’

Colin Farrell, who is set to play The Penguin in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, has revealed that his character is only in “five or six scenes” of the film.

As reported by Collider, Farrell made an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and shared his experience working on The Batman which will star Robert Pattinson as The Dark Knight himself.

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Alongside revealing that The Batman will have a “unique take on the Dark Knight mythology,” he also jokingly said that the movie could be more successful since it has less of him in it.

“I’m only in it for five or six scenes, so I can’t wait to see the film because it won’t be ruined by my presence. Really, it’s a freebie to me. I’ll get a little bit uncomfortable for the f-ing nine minutes I have, and then the rest of it, I cannot wait to see how he [Reeves] brought this world to life,” Farrell said.

Farrell’s reveal as The Batman was one of the most talked about points as he is barely recognizable in the role. The actor discussed how makeup artist Mike Marino and the crew chose to use a fat suit to circumvent health issues, as Farrell was still dealing with the fallout of his weight changes from The North Water.

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“Mike Marino is a genius. He’s an absolute and veritable genius. And that word gets thrown out a lot, but he is a drawing, sculpting, shaping genius,” Farrell said. “And he created this visage for the Penguin. I mean he and Matt talked about what physically the character stature would be, and I had been quite big for The North Water and I didn’t want to naturally go big again cause I had a few little health things as a result of The North Water and I was just like, f-ck, this acting thing ain’t this important.

“I know the top actors that go up and down, and God bless them, I wish them good health. But for me, I think The North Water is the last time I’ll go up that much. So, we decided on a fat suit.”

Farrell concluded by continuing to praising Marino, saying his work, and not Farrell’s acting, is what will truly make this character special.

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“Look, I only had, as I said, five or six scenes, or seven scenes, and I wasn’t quite… I was up here early stages, looking at what I felt, what I could do, what I could bring to it,” Farrell said. “I was a bit lost. And then, when I saw what Mike did, the whole character made sense to me. I swear to God, I saw what he did, and I just went ‘Ok,’ and I got really excited about it. All that to say that if anyone ever thinks what I do at The Batman is a decent performance, I’ll gladly take 49% of the credits.”

The Batman is set to be released in theaters on March 4, 2022.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Thousands of PS4s Being Used As a FIFA Ultimate Team Bot Farm Seized by Ukrainian Police

Thousands of PS4s from a supposed cryptocurrency farm in Ukraine that were seized last week were actually being used to grind FIFA Ultimate Team for various accounts that would then be sold on the black market.

As reported by Eurogamer, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced last week that they had shut down a cryptocurrency mining farm that contained 3800 PS4s. However, this mining farm’s main function was not trying to get cryptocurrency but instead was building valuable FIFA Ultimate Team accounts.

Image Credit: Security Service of Ukraine

An investigation by Ukraine business newspaper Delo revealed the truth of this operation – that these PS4s were being controlled by PCs running bots to constantly farm Ultimate Team for profit.

The SBU noted that they did also find 500 video cards, 50 processors, draft documentation on electricity consumption, notebooks, phones, flash drives and more, hinting that while there may have been some cryptocurrency mining, this farm was still mostly about FIFA.

While players can unlock high-value cards via real-world money loot boxes in FIFA Ultimate Team, players can also play enough of the game to earn in-game currency to bid on the exact cards you want. There is also a way to buy FIFA Ultimate Team coins on the black market, but EA has warned that buying or selling FIFA Ultimate Team coins could result in a ban.

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These PS4s would just constantly be playing games and racking up this in-game currency. Once enough was earned, the accounts would be loaded up with the best and most valuable players cards before being put on the black market at a high price.

In other FIFA news, EA recently revealed FIFA 22 will be arriving on all platforms on October 1, 2021, and will feature Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe as its cover star. However, its next-gen upgrade comes at a hefty cost and FIFA 22’s PC version won’t include next gen improvements like Hyper Motion Technology.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.