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The Nintendo Switch has been difficult to find in stock as of late, but it’s not the only key Nintendo product you might have trouble buying right now. Joy-Cons, the system’s standard controllers, are seemingly sold out everywhere, at least in the US–and that’s a real problem if you’re one of the many Switch owners dealing with drifting issues.

The video game industry has seen incredible sales in the first half of the year, as the coronavirus drove people indoors and in need of ways to pass the time. The NPD Group reported that video game industry sales in the US during April were up a whopping 73% compared to the same period last year, which is all the more remarkable when considering that a new generation of consoles will soon be here. Switch has been a particularly hot item, with NPD saying its year-to-date hardware sales through April are the highest for any console ever.

Accessory sales were also way up: The April record for controllers was almost doubled, with PS4’s DualShock 4 and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller leading the way. But whereas you can pick up a PS4 or Xbox One controller with little issue, the same can’t be said for Switch Joy-Cons. Head to the online retailer of your choice, and you’ll find one of two things: a “sold out” notice or exorbitant prices from third-party resellers. It mirrors the same thing we’ve seen with Switch itself, as we’ve been tracking for the past few months.

The inability to buy Joy-Cons is more of an issue than you might think. Those who are intent on playing multiplayer can opt for a Pro Controller (if they can find that in stock, which has also proven tricky) or other traditional, third-party controllers. But Joy-Cons are outright required for a game like 1-2-Switch. More importantly, they’re also the means through which you play the system in handheld mode.

Despite being crucial to the hybrid nature of the system, Joy-Cons have a long history of developing drift issues. This is a problem where the analog stick begins to signal input to the system when it should be in a neutral position–a real hassle in almost any type of game, but particularly terrifying when you’re in a menu trying to select the “please don’t leave” dialogue option with one of your Animal Crossing villagers. Many times now, I’ve watched my wife’s character wander into the back of her house without a finger on the controller.

Drifting remains an ever-present issue, but Nintendo committed to fixing Joy-Cons last year. The problem is, Nintendo’s service centers understandably were shut down this spring due to COVID-19. Some of those have begun to re-open as of May 19, but as they still had pending orders to deal with–alongside what’s sure to be a new wave of requests–it’s unclear how long sending a Joy-Con in for repairs right now will take.

Nintendo product shortages are nothing new–you don’t need to look back very far to find examples like Amiibo figures and Ring Fit Adventure. In this case, the lack of Joy-Cons may stem directly from COVID-19. Back in February, Nintendo warned that production and delivery of products, including the Switch and Joy-Cons, could be impacted in Japan. However, analysts like Niko Partners’ Daniel Ahmad suggested at the time that this could ultimately affect other markets, including the US. That certainly appears to be the case.

We’ve reached out to Nintendo of America for comment and will report back with anything it shares. In the meantime, go easy on those Joy-Cons.

Fortnite: Battle Royale’s special in-game event, The Device, has finally happened. Midas activated his special weapon causing a storm that destroyed The Agency and submerged most of the map under a giant wall of water. That’s all we know until Season 3 kicks off on June 17.

Those moments in Fortnite’s latest live event were great, but they aren’t as important as what happened in between them. As the map was getting decimated by the huge wall of water, players were given quick glimpses of an office somewhere else in the game. These short bits gave us more info about the world of Fortnite than any previous event.

Players got to walk around the office, which appears to belong to Fortnite’s trademark blonde guy Jonesy, with the camera in first person (if you looked down you could see whichever skin you have equipped). The walls were decorated with pictures of Jonesy and what appear to be other characters from Fortnite: Save the World’s cast, although it’s not exactly clear who they are. Files labeled “top secret” with images of Midas and other characters were laying on the desk.

These scenes seem to give credence to the idea that Fortnite: Battle Royale is one big simulation: players are just avatars fighting on a digital island. This is the reason why a drone scans the player when they get eliminated and there is no blood when someone dies. Players believe the “loop” Jonesy mentioned during The Device event refers to players dying and then starting a new game.

This idea is widespread in the Fortnite community, with many players saying these cut scenes prove the idea that the battle royale mode is a simulation and Jonesy is a much bigger character in the game’s universe.

“Jonesy may be the CEO of the simulation (battle royale mode) or the head of the Seven? He was amazed that we appeared in his office as we are not real,” wrote one redditor in a post on r/FortniteBR. “So this, and a glitched screen (that apparently only appeared for some players), confirms that the battle royale is just a simulation that was made by Vindermann.”

This is the point where fan theories start to diverge. Some players think that every major event in Fortnite: Battle Royale has been about trying to break out of the simulation, while others believe Jonesy’s company is training heroes for an upcoming event. The biggest question that remains is how all this ties together. If this is all a simulation then why is Midas setting off a mysterious device? Why was Jonesey asking if we could hear him? What’s the purpose of the two organizations, Shadow and Ghost?

We’ll get more information in the coming days as Fortnite: Season 3 begins. Epic Games posted a cryptic image of some sort of object in front of the water which players believe to be some sort of trident.

Now Playing: Fortnite – The Device Live Event (Gameplay)

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After weeks of teases (and a couple of delays), Fortnite’s Doomsday live event took place on June 15, setting the stage for the game’s next season. If you were one of the many players not able to watch the event live due to capacity issues, however, don’t worry; you can watch a full replay of it in the video above.

In true Fortnite fashion, The Device event led to some seismic changes to the game world. Shortly after the clock struck 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT, huge rods began to emerge from the water around The Agency before the device itself–a huge orb–rose out of the spy headquarters and above the map. The orb triggered a violent storm, which temporarily distorted reality and, ultimately, caused a massive tidal wave to surround the island.

The Agency was almost completely destroyed as the event transpired, leaving behind ruins in the center of the map. The tidal wave, meanwhile, has effectively replaced the storm circle, closing in on the island as matches progress and damaging any player caught in it. This all but confirms the rumors that Season 3 of the game will have a water theme.

Season 3 is set to begin on Wednesday, June 17, making this your last chance to complete any challenges you may have missed from this season. If you need some help cleaning up any remaining missions, you can find all of our maps and guides in our Fortnite Season 2 challenges roundup.

The 93rd Academy Awards will be held in 2021, but they won’t occupy their traditional February spot on the calendar. Instead, Variety reports, the Oscars have been officially pushed back from February 28 to April 25, due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

The rescheduling has also affected the submission deadlines for various categories. Feature films will qualify if submitted between January 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. Special categories, such as animated features, will need to be submitted by December 1, 2020. Nominations will be officially announced on March 15, 2021.

As for the show itself and the form it will take when April does finally roll around, things are less certain. Will the Dolby Theater be kept at half-capacity to maintain social distancing between nominees? What about the red carpet interviews? It’s all still up in the air. ABC Entertainment president Katey Burke explained in a statement that “[We are in] uncharted territory this year and will continue to work with our partners at the Academy to ensure next year’s show is a safe and celebratory event that also captures the excitement of the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.”

Though the current pandemic certainly is uncharted territory, this is actually the fourth time the Oscars have been postponed. They were rescheduled in 1938, 1968, and 1981 as well.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

And speaking of things you should be watching, consider listening to GameSpot’s weekly TV series and movies-focused podcast, You Should Be Watching. With new episodes premiering every Wednesday, you can watch a video version of the podcast over on GameSpot Universe or listen to audio versions on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.

Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, and if you’re looking for a gift for dad, then Amazon has an excellent deal on the Apple Watch Series 5. The 40mm version of the Apple Watch Series 5 is down to $300–that’s a $100 discount, making this a particularly great opportunity to snag something nice for your dad. It’s unclear how long this Apple Watch deal will last, so if you’re interested, you should buy it as soon as you can. It comes with free Prime shipping and can arrive within a couple of days, depending on your location.

6478509 – Father’s Day Deal – Apple Watch

Some of the features that come with the Apple Watch Series 5 include GPS, heart rate sensors, a compass, and many more. There are a ton of apps made specifically for the Apple Watch, and it connects directly to your iPhone to alert you of notifications, text messages, and calls. There are also apps that monitor your heart’s patterns and alert you if you’re in a loud area that could cause hearing loss. The Watch’s retina display also never goes to sleep, allowing you to get a quick glance at the time and any other info you need.

All three versions of the Apple Watch are eligible for this deal. That includes the Rose Gold, Silver, and Black aluminum bodies with the 40mm wristband. Unfortunately, the 44mm version is not discounted, though there are a ton of Apple Watch bands and other accessories available on Amazon at cheaper prices. Buying your dad an extra band or accessory is an easy and relatively cheap way to make the gift any better, so be sure to check out some of the accessories below.

And if you’re looking for more recommendations, then see our Father’s Day guide, which is full of great tech and gaming gift ideas. It’s got everything from the best controllers, headsets, and more.

Apple Watch accessories

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When an event is billed as the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” before the match even happens, something is amiss. For weeks now, WWE has been hyping that the blood feud between Randy Orton and recently unretired Hall of Famer Edge would culminate in the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” at their Backlash pay-per-view.

Backlash came and went, but Orton and Edge were disserved by their own company. Their match was everything fans could want, and actually a highlight of both men’s careers. With that type of moniker attached, though, not only does it do a disservice to so many more matches that might be more deserving of that title, but two the two men involved in this bout, as well.

WWE brought in legends and icons like Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, and Ric Flair to try to explain why this match could live up the marketing and hype surrounding it. The problem is they couldn’t, which is unfortunate for talents like Edge, who is already a Hall of Famer, and Orton, who is a retirement speech away from his own induction. WWE booked them into a corner over–what, exactly? It has been reported that Vince McMahon feels as though the roster is lacking star power so instead of this match taking place at SummerSlam, it was pushed forward to Backlash and marketed in this manner to get people’s eyes on the product.

If this match-up had been dubbed “Battle of the Icons” or even “A Decade In The Making,” the hype would have at least been realistic. When you put any two wrestlers into a situation like this, it’s a lose-lose–even if those are two of the best talents on WWE’s roster today. Yes, Edge and Orton put on one of the best matches of the year, but wrestling is art and art is subjective. When you say something is a masterpiece before you finish painting it, that leaves plenty of room for speculation and skepticism.

Both of these men have had storied careers and are legends in their own right. They didn’t need some overhyped gimmick added to what was already going to be a strong bout worthy of being the main event of any pay-per-view. It could have been a fine match on its own, and exponentially better than their Wrestlemania encounter, but calling it the greatest of all time is an insult to them as well as the fans.

If you want to dive deeper into the weird world of wrestling, check out GameSpot’s weekly podcast Wrestle Buddies. Each week, Mat Elfring and Chris E. Hayner talk about the fun side of wrestling, from silly gimmicks to their favorite PPVs. Also, they occasionally interview wrestlers. New episodes arrive every Thursday, and you can check it out on Spotify, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

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