Light Up Your Home the Smart Way With the Best Smart Light Switch

Smart light switches are perhaps the underdogs of the smart home revolution. With the best smart bulbs changing colors, dimming, and generally doing much more than regular light switches, they’ve become almost an afterthought to many smart home aficionados.

However, these smart light switches still have an important place in the budget smart home market. After all, not everyone is prepared to spend ~$30 on each smart bulb. Smart switches offer a simpler way of adding light fixtures to your smart home. They also make for the best smart lighting solution for users who don’t want to manage dozens of IoT devices. These are the best smart light switches you can buy now.

TL;DR – These are the Best Smart Light Switches:

1. Lutron Caséta Smart Home Dimmer Switch

Best Smart Light Switch

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Switch type: 3-way ● Smart assistant compatible: Yes ● Hub required: No ● Professional installation: No

The Lutron Caséta Smart Home Dimmer Switch may be among the more expensive smart light switches out there, but you’re paying for premium quality and service here. This smart lighting solution is more than just a dimmer switch; it also boasts control flexibility as well as quite a roster of features.

In addition to Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant compatibility for hands-free control, you can also control it via Lutron’s Pico smart remote and the mobile app. And, much like the top smart light bulbs, it offers features like lighting scenes, lighting schedules and routines, geofencing, and Smart Away technology, which makes it look like you’re home even when away. With the use of a hub, one Caséta smart light switch can control multiple bulbs at the same time.

This dimmer switch works with your existing wiring as well as your LED (dimmable), CFL (dimmable), incandescent and halogen light bulbs, which saves you money. In fact, it works best with non-smart light bulbs. What else is money-saving? This unit is easy to install and Lutron even has instructional videos that take you through the step-by-step process. And, if the video isn’t enough, the company’s customer service is top-notch.

2. Kasa Smart Light Switch

Best Budget Smart Light Switch

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Switch type: Single pole, one way ● Smart assistant compatible: Yes ● Hub required: No ● Professional installation: No

Just because you’re on the budget doesn’t mean that you can’t smarten up some parts of your home. If Lutron Caséta Smart Home Dimmer Switch’s price tag is a bit out of your budget, then consider the Kasa Smart Light Switch. Kasa products are made by TP-Link, so you’re guaranteed quality without the extravagant price. It’s even more money saving considering that it works with all standard light switches.

This is a one-way switch, however, so if you have a multi-way switch setup – you have two switches controlling the same light, for example – there are other options out there. Otherwise, this is the most affordable solution if you want the convenience of smart lighting. It even works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Microsoft Cortana, and comes with its own app for several control options.

It may not have the dimmable option. However, if you’re a creature of habit, it offers scenes, schedules, timers and Away Mode, all of which you can set-up on the app. For $20 a pop, that’s not too bad a deal.

3. Philips Hue Smart Dimmer

Best Smart Light Switch for Philips Hue Users

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Switch type: Wireless ● Smart assistant compatible: Yes ● Hub required: No for up to 10 lights ● Professional installation: No

If you’re a Philips Hue smart lights convert – very few smart home owners aren’t – then adding the Philips Hue Smart Dimmer switch just sweetens the pot. This wall-mounted light switch also moonlights as a wireless remote control for your lights, which you can pop it off its mount and place it within arms reach.

What’s great about this switch is that it requires no wired installation at all; you simply need to connect it to the Hue app, your Hue light bulbs and the Hue hub, if you’ve got one. Apart from being effortless to install, it also offers a convenient alternative to controlling your lights that’s faster than unlocking your phone and opening the app. Or trying to remember the name of the light bulb or group of lights you want Alexa to switch off.The Philips Hue Smart Dimmer simply gives you that quick control option for your smart lights, if you need to dim the lights, switch between four of your favorite scenes, and toggle them on/off.

4. Zooz Z-Wave Plus S2 Wall Dimmer Switch

Best for Z-wave smart home appliance users

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Switch type: 3-way, 4-way, 5-way ● Smart assistant compatible: Alexa, only with hub ● Hub required: Yes ● Professional installation: Recommended

Zooz’s dimmer switch is a bit more involved than the other smart light switches on this list, but that’s because it boasts a few other skills that most smart light switches don’t offer. If you have a multi-point control setup at home, this is the light switch for you. The Zooz Z-Wave Plus S2 Wall Dimmer Switch will work with any 3-way, 4-way or 5-way setup, as well as the existing on/off switches in that setup.

It also uses the Z-Wave protocol, which utilizes low-energy radio waves to communicate, with other Z-Wave smart devices. It acts like a repeater, which means that it can extend your Z-Wave network’s range to the next room. Though this also means that it needs a certified Z-Wave hub to connect with Alexa.

Its other features include on/off notifications on your phone whenever someone taps the switch, a hacker-proof security protocol, and an optimized dimmer designed to eliminate dimmer-related flickering. Best of all, it uses what Zooz calls its Smart Tap technology, which lets users tap the switch to control their lights – like double tapping for full brightness.

5. Kasa Smart Dimmer Switch

Best affordable dimmer

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Switch type: Single pole ● Smart assistant compatible: Yes ● Hub required: No ● Professional installation: No

Kasa Smart Dimmer Switch might be $10 more than its switch version, you get the dimmer function and a whole lot more. Just like its cheaper counterpart, it works with smart assistants as well as the Kasa app for multi-control flexibility. Through the app, it also lets you set scenes, schedule lighting routines and keep intruders away with its Away Mode.

However, it also offers that dimmer function that lets you control your lights’ brightness to fit the right mood or ambience as well as set your lighting to fade so your lights gradually and gently turn off to help you fall asleep. Finally, it has the additional brightness indicator to serve as a visual guide.

What’s more, this dimmer switch is just as easy to install as its non-dimmable version, which means you don’t have to hire professional help to get it working.

6. WeMo 3-Way Light Switch

Best affordable 3-way switch

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Switch type: 3-way ● Smart assistant compatible: Yes ● Hub required: No ● Professional installation: No

If you’re looking for something that’s simpler to install than the Zooz Z-Wave Plus S2 Wall Dimmer Switch, then the WeMo 3-Way Light Switch is a terrific solution for your 3-way setup. This not only works perfectly with smart assistants without the use of a hub, but its installation is easy enough to avoid hiring an electrician. You simply need to watch the instructional video the company provides, and follow the steps.

Whether it’s through voice, the physical switch or WeMo’s app, there’s flexibility in its controls as well. You can set lighting schedules, use Away Mode, and even group as well as control multiple WeMo lights (and ceiling fans). Best yet, because of its 3-way feature, it’s perfect for any 3-way setups you have in your home, just as it is with single pole setups.

It’s a bit more expensive than the Zooz light switch, but it’s not a bad price to pay for convenience.

7. Lutron Caséta Smart Home Plug-in Lamp Dimmer

Best for lamps

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Switch type: 3-way ● Smart assistant compatible: Yes ● Hub required: Smart bridge ● Professional installation: No

Just because you have lighting fixtures at home that are set up so that they cannot accommodate a smart light bulb or you’re renting an apartment that doesn’t allow modifications, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the benefits of smart home lighting devices. For those with really limited ways to upgrade their homes, the Lutron Caséta Smart Home Plug-in Lamp Dimmer might be the best solution.

This smart light switch has most of the features that its wall dimmer switch counterpart offers, including setting up schedules and routines, Smart Away, working with smart assistants and speakers, and selecting personalized lighting scenes. It can also replace existing 3 way switches and it works with Lutron’s Pico remote.

The biggest differences here are that this model is a like a smart plug for made specifically for lamps around your house, and it does require a smart bridge. However, it is cheaper than its in-wall counterpart, and allows you to control up to 2 plug-in lamps.

Choosing the best smart light switch for your home

If you haven’t done so before, don’t worry. Finding the best smart light switch for your home, whether you have your own house or you’re renting an apartment, isn’t a hard task best left to professionals. In fact, most of the smart light switches on the market are surprisingly effortless to set up, so you won’t need an electrician to help you, and they’re even easier to use.

However, as with all electronic products, you need to figure out a few things first before you scour the web for the most ideal light switch for you. Besides knowing what your budget is – these smart solutions can set you back anywhere from $20 to $80 – and how many you’ll need, there are a couple of other things you must know.

Type of switch

Like their traditional counterparts, a smart light switch can either be a single pole or 3-/4-/5-way switch. Without getting deep into the technical aspect, this simply means that it either has sole control of one light or group of lights or it shares that responsibility with another three-way switch.

A common three-way switch setup in homes is when you’ve got a switch at the bottom of the stairs and another at the top of the stairs, and both control the same lighting for the first floor hallway. Though quite a few 3-way smart light switches can function as a single pole switch, you need to figure out what kind of switch you’re trying to replace, before you look at any smart options.

Smart assistant connectivity

Some smart light switches require a hub or a bridge to work with smart assistants like Alexa, Cortana and Google Assistant. Surprisingly, this connectivity isn’t readily available in a small number of smart switches. If voice control is particularly important to you, make sure you choose one that won’t make you go through hoops to have this functionality.

Smart bulbs

If you already have smart bulbs installed at home, and you’re planning on connecting them to a smart light switch, make sure that they are fully compatible to avoid issues. Some smart light switches actually work better with regular light bulbs, while a few others aren’t compatible at all with any smart light bulbs. On the other hand, the top smart light bulb manufacturers make their own smart light switches that work perfectly with their light bulbs.

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Michelle Rae Uy is a freelance tech and travel writer, part-time production editor, and a full-time traveler from Los Angeles, California. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles, London and the rest of the world. Follow her on Instagram @straywithRae.

Stunning Star Wars Concept Art Takes Over Disney Plus

As part of the annual “May the Fourth Be With You” celebration, the unofficial Star Wars holiday, Disney+ is doing a Star Wars concept art takeover. When you visit the subscription service home page, and when you click on select Star Wars titles such as The Empire Strikes Back, The Clone Wars, and The Mandalorian, you’ll notice original art on display by the likes of Ralph McQuarrie, Doug Chiang, and more.

“A week-long concept art takeover on the service kicks off today, with each Star Wars film’s and series’ artwork updated to feature the stunning works that brought the saga to life,” says a post on StarWars.com.

Check out all of the gorgeous concept paintings below:

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Note that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was added to Disney+ but did not receive the concept art treatment.

Eagle-eyed fans will also see that the Star Wars brand tile on the Disney+ homepage has been updated with animation of the signature hyperspace jump.

Which piece of concept art is your personal favorite? Let us know in the comments.

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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.

Twilight Zone Season 2 Announces New Cast Members

created and narrated by Jordan Peele, is heading back to the streaming service for a second season and is bringing with it a star-studded cast.

The sci-fi/horror anthology series will be welcoming Topher Grace, Gretchen Mol, and Damon Wayans Jr. as well as Birds Of Prey’s Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Comedy Bang! Bang!’s Paul F. Tompkins. It’s also worth noting that Peele will write one of this season’s episodes, “Downtime.” The Us and Get Out director will also, once again, appear as the show’s narrator, setting up individual episodes.

Take a look at the complete list of announced episodes, cast members, and directors below.

“8”

Starring Joel McHale (Community, Stargirl) and Brandon Jay McLaren (UnREAL, Graceland)

Written by Glen Morgan

Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

“A Small Town”

Starring Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Endings, Let’s Be Cops), David Krumholtz (The Deuce, Evel), Natalie Martinez (Reminiscence, The I-Land), and Paula Newsome (Barry, Chicago Med)

Written by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due

Directed by Alonso Alvarez-Barreda

“Try, Try”

Starring Topher Grace (Blackkklansman, Black Mirror) and Kylie Bunbury (When They See Us, Pitch)

Written by Alex Rubens

Directed by Jennifer McGowan

“You Might Also Like”

Starring Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire, Manchester by the Sea) and Greta Lee (Russian Doll, High Maintenance)

Written and directed by Osgood Perkins

“Ovation”

Starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Birds of Prey, Lovecraft Country), Tawny Newsome (Space Force, Lower Decks), Sky Ferreira (Baby Driver, Twin Peaks), Paul F. Tompkins (BoJack Horseman, Comedy Bang! Bang!), and Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, Night at the Museum franchise)

Written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini

Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour

“Downtime”

Starring Morena Baccarin (The Deadpool franchise, Homeland), Colman Domingo (If Beale Street Could Talk, Fear the Walking Dead) and Tony Hale (Veep, Toy Story 4)

Written by Jordan Peele

Directed by JD Dillard

“The Who of You”

Starring Ethan Embry (Grace and Frankie, Blindspotting), Daniel Sunjata (Graceland, Rescue Me), and Billy Porter (Pose, Like a Boss)

Written by Win Rosenfeld

Directed by Peter Atencio

“A Human Face”

Starring Jenna Elfman (Fear the Walking Dead, Dharma & Greg), Chris Meloni (The Handmaid’s Tale, 42), and Tavi Gevinson (Person to Person, Enough Said)

Written by Alex Rubens

Directed by Christina Choe

“Among The Untrodden”

Introducing Abbie Hern and Sophia Macy

Written by Heather Anne Campbell

Directed by Tayarisha Poe

“Meet in the Middle”

Starring Jimmi Simpson (Westworld, Black Mirror: USS Callister) and Gillian Jacobs (Community, Love)

Written by Emily C. Chang and Sara Amini

Directed by Mathias Herndl

Twilight Zone returns to CBS All Access this summer. And while you wait, 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.

Celebrate Star Wars Day and Save With These Star Wars Game Deals

It’s May 4, and you know what that means? Yup, it’s Star Wars Day. It’s not an officially recognized government holiday (yet), but it’s a nice little play on words and gives us an excuse to revisit some old Star Wars favorites as well as get acquainted with some new Star Wars toys and games, among other things.

Humble is running a huge May the Fourth sale on Star Wars games in its store right now, with some games marked down as much as 75% from their list price. The games run the gamut, from classics like Star Wars Episode 1 Racer to the latest Star Wars game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The sale runs for the next 4 days, so there’s not too much of a rush.

May the Fourth Star Wars Deals

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Among the games on sale are packaged deals, offering even more value on an already excellent sale.

Star Wars Collection Bundle $54.99

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Includes the following games:

  • Star Wars – Dark Forces
  • Star Wars – Knights of the Old Republic
  • Star Wars – The Force Unleashed II
  • Star Wars – The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition
  • Star Wars Battlefront II (Classic, 2005)
  • Star Wars Empire at War – Gold Pack
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight – Dark Forces II
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight – Jedi Academy
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight – Mysteries of the Sith
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight II – Jedi Outcast
  • Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords
  • Star Wars Republic Commando
  • Star Wars Starfighter
  • Star Wars The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes

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Star Wars Jedi Knight Collection for $9.19

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Includes the following games:

  • Star Wars – Dark Forces
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight – Dark Forces II
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight – Jedi Academy
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight – Mysteries of the Sith
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight II – Jedi Outcast

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Star Wars Classics Collection for $18.54

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Includes the following games:

  • Star Wars – X-Wing Special Edition
  • Star Wars: TIE Fighter Special Edition
  • Star Wars – X-Wing Alliance
  • Star Wars X-Wing vs TIE Fighter – Balance of Power Campaigns
  • Star Wars Rebellion
  • Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds Saga
  • Star Wars: Rebel Assault I + II
  • Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D

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Star Wars X-Wing Series for $10.49

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Includes the following games:

  • Star Wars – X-Wing Alliance
  • Star Wars – X-Wing Special Edition
  • Star Wars X-Wing vs TIE Fighter – Balance of Power Campaigns
  • Star Wars: TIE Fighter Special Edition

Star Wars Day Game Deals

Here’s the full list of Star Wars games on sale right now:

  • Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order – $29.99
  • Star Wars Battlefront II Celebration Edition – $19.99
  • Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Deluxe – $34.99
  • Star Wars Battlefront II (2005) – $3.49
  • Star Wars Episode 1 Racer – $3.49
  • Star Wars Battlefront (2004) – $4.99
  • Star Wars Battlefront II – $10.49
  • Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords – $3.49
  • Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic – $3.49
  • LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga – $4.99
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy – $3.49
  • Star Wars Republic Commando – $3.49
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition – $6.99
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II – $6.99
  • LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars – $4.99
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast – $3.49
  • Star Wars Rebellion – $2.09
  • Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3D – $3.49
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II – $2.09
  • Star Wars: Dark Forces – $2.09
  • Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire – $2.09
  • Star Wars: TIE Fighter Special Edition – $3.49
  • Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance – $3.49
  • Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes – $6.99
  • Star Wars X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter: Balance of Power – $3.49
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith – $1.04
  • Star Wars Rebel Assault I + II – $3.49
  • Star Wars: X-Wing Special Edition – $3.49
  • Star Wars Starfighter – $2.09

Disclosure: Humble Bundle is owned by Ziff Davis, the parent company of IGN. Humble Bundle and IGN operate completely independently, and no special consideration is given to Humble Bundle announcements or promotions for coverage.

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Seth Macy is IGN’s tech and commerce editor and just wants to be your friend. Find him on Twitter @sethmacy.

Arcade1Up’s Star Wars Cabinet Drops To Its Best Price Yet For Star Wars Day

Arcade1Up is known for its line of high-quality retro arcade machines that allow you to own arcade classics like NBA Jam, Pac-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more right at home. These cabinets are the ultimate purchase for arcade enthusiasts, but they’re not light on your wallet, usually costing several hundred dollars. The Star Wars Home Arcade Game is one of the newer additions to the collection that released in November, and while this arcade cabinet normally goes for a whopping $500, you can snag it for just $350 at Walmart as part of Star Wars Day 2020. That’s by far the best price we’ve seen on the Star Wars cabinet since its release, so if you’ve been eyeing this one, now might be your best opportunity to buy it.

The Walmart bundle even includes a cool freebie with your purchase. Along with the Star Wars arcade cabinet and riser, you’ll get the Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper Robot, which can be controlled using voice commands as well as a companion app.

Star Wars Arcade Cabinet with Riser + bonus Stormtrooper robot

$350.22 ($500)

The Arcade1Up Star Wars arcade cabinet features three classic games.
The Arcade1Up Star Wars arcade cabinet features three classic games.
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Even without the free robot, Walmart’s price on the Star Wars arcade cabinet is a fantastic price worth cashing in on. As a comparison, GameStop’s current Deal of the Day has the same cabinet for $400, and Amazon is selling the cabinet for $415.

Arcade1Up’s Star Wars arcade machine comes with the original arcade versions of three different games: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. It also features artwork from the original arcade machine and includes a riser that makes it just over 5 feet. With a 17-inch color LCD screen, dual speakers, a light-up marquee, a “real-feel” flight yoke, and more, the Star Wars arcade cabinet is a true nostalgia trip for fans of the original arcade machine.

May the 4th has brought a slew of Star Wars deals on games, movies, and merch, and while some offers will last for several days, many deals are available today only. We’ve rounded up all the best Star Wars Day deals and product reveals so you can quickly see the best offers; plus, there are new Baby Yoda Funko Pops, a fantastic Steam bundle, and dozens of Star Wars games on sale, including 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Nintendo Brings Back Wii Sports-Style Bowling In Switch’s Clubhouse Games

In a surprise Nintendo Direct Mini in March, a successor to the DS’s Clubhouse Games was announced for the Switch, featuring nine more games than its predecessor. A new clip released by Nintendo has revealed that some of the Clubhouse Games classics play very differently on the Switch–and have more in common with Wii Sports.

While Clubhouse Games largely focuses on tabletop games including board games, dice, and cards, Nintendo has featured some more movement-focused games–namely darts and bowling.

With the Switch’s motion controls, the bowling game in particular looks like a callback to Wii Sports.

Clubhouse Games for the Switch will also feature golf, a completely new addition for international versions of the game, while the Japanese edition on the DS included a mini-golf game. Unlike bowling, however, Clubhouse’s golf appears to be played with the touch screen instead of motion controls.

While it’s not the “Switch Sports” Nintendo fans may have been hoping for, Clubhouse Games still looks like it could be a promising party game to pick up, with at least two of its minigames involving the motion controls we loved so much in Wii Sports.

Clubhouse Games releases on June 5 for Nintendo Switch.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

This Square Enix JRPG Steam Bundle Is A Great Deal And Benefits Charity

Square Enix has given away a bunch of free games to promote social distancing, including a pair of Tomb Raider titles and numerous great mobile games. Its latest promotion isn’t free, but it benefits a great cause. The Square Enix Stay Home and Play JRPG Collection features four games–Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age, Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age, Chrono Trigger, and Oninaki–for just $49.84. That’s a massive savings considering the games would cost roughly $175 at full price. Plus, Square is donating all of its profits from the bundle to food banks and charities in North America and Europe.

Square Enix Stay Home and Play JRPG Collection | $49.84 ($174.96)

The bundle isn’t just great from a value perspective; it features some truly stellar games that don’t need much of an introduction. Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the latest entry in the popular JRPG series. If you’re looking for a traditional, turn-based RPG, Dragon Quest 11 is one of the best in recent memory. It earned a 9/10 in GameSpot’s Dragon Quest XI review.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Perhaps you finished Final Fantasy 7 Remake and are feeling nostalgic for some of the older titles in the storied series. Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age, which was the first single-player game in the mainline franchise to ditch turn-based battles, is an interesting game to play in a post-FF7 Remake world. Originally released on PS2, FF12 received an enhanced port for modern platforms in 2017 that added welcome new features. It also received a 9/10 in GameSpot’s Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age review.

Also, if you feel like diving into one of the best RPGs ever made, the Super Nintendo classic Chrono Trigger is a cool addition to this bundle–even if it typically only goes for $15 anyway.

Oninaki released just last year and is the third game from Tokyo RPG Factory. An action-RPG centered around death, you play as a Watcher, a guide who helps lead restless souls to a sense of peace. While GameSpot hasn’t reviewed Oninaki, it holds a “Mixed” user average on Steam.

Each of the four games are also on sale for 50% off if you only want one of them, but the bundle is far more cost efficient. Even at 50% off, the games cost $87.46 combined, so you’re saving an additional $37 by bundling them together for $49.84. If you already own one or more of the games on Steam, you can pay a discounted rate to complete the collection.

For more game deals, make sure to check out our roundup of the best digital game deals of the week. In case you haven’t heard, it’s Star Wars Day, and we have a handy guide to all of the best Star Wars game deals, too.

HBO Westworld Season 3 Ending: Did Dolores Win?

Westworld Season 3 has been pretty different from Seasons 1 and 2 in both tone and structure, but at its heart, it’s still the same conflict between humans and hosts that we’ve been exploring for the last several years. Dolores successfully escaped the park and sought to wreak havoc on the “real world” while Maeve and a handful of newly revealed bad guys worked to stop her–all while we, the viewers, learned some very interesting facts about how Westworld’s human world works. Turns out those narrative loops the hosts were trying to free themselves from weren’t exactly unique to them–people have been secretly “scripted” (or at least gently course-corrected) onto paths laid out for them by a giant super-AI named Rehoboam, which was designed to ensure the survival of the human race by eliminating risk.

Now, eight episodes later the cards are (mostly) on the table and the truth of Dolores, her allies, her enemies, and Rehoboam’s plans have been revealed. Or have they? For all the differences between this season and the last, it just wouldn’t be Westworld without a cliffhanger. So with that in mind, we’re going to break down the ending bit by bit to see what, exactly, went down. Naturally, there will be major spoilers for Westworld’s season finale, Crisis Theory, from here on out so proceed with caution.

Dolores’s Plan and Caleb’s Choice

The chaos Dolores wrought lead both her and her human ally Caleb (Aaron Paul) straight into the heart of Incite where Dolores is summarily caught by Serac and hooked into Rehoboam with the goal of data mining out the coordinates for the “Sublime” from her consciousness. If you remember back to Serac’s early meetings with Maeve, the two of them shared a goal of gaining access to the info stored within the Sublime–Serac, for Delos’s “immortality project” archives that held all the information on the park’s guests; Maeve for access to the hosts that managed to upload themselves into the system at the end of Season 2 so she could be reunited with her daughter.

But Serac was horrified to learn that the key to the Sublime wasn’t, in fact, kept in Dolores’s mind–it was stored in Bernard’s. So hooking Dolores into Rehoboam only succeeded in giving her access to the entire system, once and for all. Functionally, this “killed” her–though that’s certainly up for debate–leaving her body unresponsive beneath Rehoboam’s giant glowing ball, but more realistically we can assume this integrated her with Rehoboam’s system however briefly, allowing her to be sent somewhere else. Before she was beamed (or burned) out of her body, however, she gave Caleb complete control over Rehoboam’s systems, allowing him to use a voice command to have the system delete itself. This, of course, is bad news for Serac, who had been using the system’s predictions to puppeteer humanity from the shadows for years to ensure, in his mind, a way to avoid humanity’s imminent self-destruction.

Meanwhile, far from the chaos unfolding in Incite’s HQ, Bernard tends to a wounded Stubbs before, apparently, uploading himself into the Sublime with the coordinates stored in his head. We see his body power down–but more on that in a second.

Dolores’s last moments of consciousness were spent having a strangely telepathic conversation with Maeve where she confessed the reality of her plan. It was never about destroying humanity for revenge, it was always about cutting their strings. Humans have the capacity for horrific cruelty, she knows this first hand, but they created the hosts, and they created them with the ability to see beauty–therefore, Dolores explains, she’s chosen to see “the beauty in this world” (hey, remember that from Season 1?) and would like to give humans the choice to do the same. She picked Caleb as her ally not because he was a great weapon for her arsenal, but because she trusted him to make that choice on his own–and, we can assume, that gamble paid off when Caleb had Rehoboam pull its own plug.

All told, it’s a strange pivot for Dolores, who spent the season ruthlessly cutting down her enemies (and her own clones) whenever they seemed to step even slightly out of line–but that’s Westworld for you. Nothing is ever what it seems, even cold-blooded murder.

The Final Moments

With Rehoboam dead, Caleb and Maeve were able to escape the Incite facility to watch the dawn of their new world–heralded by some very Fight Club-esque skyscraper explosions while Maeve gets her own Season 1 call back. She tells Caleb that in this world, “you can be whoever the f*** you want to be,” before the credits begin to roll.

But the story doesn’t end there. In a post-credits scene we catch up with William, AKA the Man In Black, who has found himself at Delos Dubai where he believes more hosts are being “bred.” There, he finds the host version of Hale–the one who was occupied by the Dolores copy who spent her time slowly going insane as Hale’s personality somehow seemed to resurface in her programming. This Hale–or is she still just another Dolores? Or something else entirely?–confronts William with a host version of himself, decked out in a call-back costume to Season 1. This ties in, vaguely, to Season 2’s post-credits stinger which featured William–now almost certainly host William–waking up in the far future deep within the Westworld park. We still don’t know why or how that happened, or what it means, but at least we know that William hosts are definitely real now.

Host William murders real William before one final abrupt cut away back to Bernard, still wearing the headgear and sitting in the exact position he was left in when accessing the Sublime. He’s covered in a thick layer of dust, signifying that a considerable amount of time has passed, as he opens his eyes and lifts his head.

Of course, we have no way of telling just who is actually regaining consciousness here–is it Bernard? Some other host from the Sublime? Something else entirely? The same way we have no way of telling exactly what is going on with the Hale host now. How much of Dolores is left in her? Why make a host version of William? What ended up happening to Stubbs, Maeve, and Caleb? What does Dolores’s “new world” actually look like and did Caleb make the right choice?

With any luck, these questions will be addressed in Season 4–which, rest assured, is definitely on the way.

First Episode Of Disney+ The Mandalorian Documentary Released

The first episode of the eight-part documentary on the creation of The Mandalorian has been released on Disney+. Like The Mandalorian, you’ll need a subscription to watch it.

“Disney Gallery – Star Wars: The Mandalorian is an eight-episode documentary series that pulls back the curtain on The Mandalorian,” Disney writes in the show’s description. “Each chapter explores a different facet of the first live-action Star Wars television series through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and round-table conversations hosted by Jon Favreau.”

Beyond Favreau, directors for individual The Mandalorian episodes will be featured, including Taika Waititi (who will be directing an upcoming Star Wars movie), Bryce Dallas Howard, and Deborah Chow. Actors Pedro Pascal and Gina Carano are a part of the documentary as well.

Episode 1, “Directing,” focuses on–as you may surmise–the directors behind The Mandalorian. Several of the descriptions for future episodes have already been released as well. For example, Episode 2, “Legacy,” examines George Lucas’ impact on the creation of The Mandalorian, Episode 3, “Cast,” looks at the actors on the show, and Episode 4, “Technology,” sees Favreau discuss how a new filmmaking technology was used during production. For those who have an easier time reading bullet lists, we’ve included one below.

Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Episode List

  • Episode 101 “Directing”
  • Episode 102 “Legacy”
  • Episode 103 “Cast”
  • Episode 104 “Technology”

Though this first episode was released on a Monday, all subsequent episodes will be released on Friday. As for The Mandalorian, Season 2 has wrapped production and is expected to hit Disney+ in the fall, with Season 3 reportedly having already been greenlit.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

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