James Ratcliff

At its Let Loose event on May 7, Apple revealed the upcoming M4 iPad Pro and iPad Air Gen 6 models, each launching on Wednesday, May 15. Apple also showed off some features of the new Apple Pencil Pro, including haptic feedback and improved response, and a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro, which will come in different sizes and colors.

According to some rumors about the next Nintendo console, the Switch successor could include RAM that puts it within range of the Xbox Series S while in Docked mode, but with a few differences between the systems. The same rumors also state that, while the Switch 2's specs remain unconfirmed by Nintendo, the system could use DLSS to bridge the gap between other current consoles.

Final Fantasy 14 players can soon claim an outfit from the series' long history, as the Imp Attire from Final Fantasy 6 will be added to the game during the annual Make-It-Rain Campaign. The upcoming Final Fantasy 14 campaign will let players earn extra points and housing items by playing mini-games in the Manderville Gold Saucer.

Xbox pulled back the curtain on its latest controller design, the Fire Vapor Special Edition Controller, as part of its ongoing Vapor Controller series exclusively available on the Microsoft Store. Like other Vapor Controllers from Xbox, the Fire Vapor Controller comes with a special dynamic background for Xbox console users to enjoy.

A Pokemon fan artist gave Orthworm a new look, as they created a terrifying redesign and shared their efforts on social media. In response to the eldritch horror version of Orthworm, some Pokemon trainers commented on how threatening the creature looked, and others shared comparisons to other games.

Following the return of Walking Wake and Iron Leaves, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pulled back the curtain on the next Seven-Star Tera Raid battle against Primarina the Unrivaled, a starter from the Alola region. The battle will start over a month after Pokemon Scarlet and Violet hosted Seven-Star Tera Raid battles against Meganium.

With the first anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom right around the corner, a fan chose to celebrate by creating some festive rockets in the game and sharing a video of their efforts. The Tears of the Kingdom fan received compliments from other players, who expressed interest in the items used on each rocket.

In the wake of renewed interest in the Fallout series, a fan put together a collage that showcased how the Pip-Boy device changed in its designs over the years. The Fallout fan shared five different versions of the Pip-Boy designs that are most commonly used throughout the series, and other fans commented about which designs were their favorites.

Final Fantasy 14 players waiting for Dawntrail news will soon be in luck, as Square Enix announced that the next Letter from the Producer Live broadcast and the updated Dawntrail benchmark are right around the corner. The 81st Live Letter will air on the morning of May 16, and the updated Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail PC benchmark is slated to be released during the week of May 23.

After a round of improvements, Xbox Cloud Gaming and console users will soon be able to manage their save files on the go and manage more than one Wi-Fi network in the OS settings. The changes are now available for Xbox Insiders to test on compatible Xbox Cloud Gaming devices and Xbox Series X/S, with a general release to the public likely happening after a short testing window.

Amid the rumors surrounding Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 console, sources stated that it will be deliberately underclocked in handheld mode to prolong battery life and could be more powerful than anticipated while in its TV dock. The same rumors also stated that the Switch 2 could output up to four teraflops of graphical power while docked, which is more than anticipated in previous rumors.

According to a source, a recent survey from Microsoft may prove that the tech giant is developing a handheld Xbox console to compete with the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally, and other portable handhelds. While Microsoft has not officially revealed any specifications or concrete information about a portable Xbox console, the new survey could indicate Microsoft is gauging interest in such a product.

With World of Warcraft: The War Within Alpha testing underway, some players point out that unlocking the Earthen Allied Race will require more steps than completing the leveling campaign. According to data from an updated Alpha build, World of Warcraft players who want to play as an Earthen character must undergo three additional side quests, and unlock an associated achievement for completing the max-level campaigns.

A Pokemon fan artist recreated the rare Normal-type Pokemon called Dunsparce as a Bug-type, and shared their redesign with fans on social media. While only a few changes were made to Dunsparce's design overall, others complimented the Pokemon fan artist for turning Dunsparce into something simple and creative.

During the 2024 ID@Xbox Showcase, Pocket Pair pulled back the curtain on an upcoming Palworld update introducing at least four new Pals and a new island for players to explore. The new Palworld update is slated to launch in the summer of 2024, and Pocket Pair shared a short teaser video of the new Pals that players will encounter in the update.

In the wake of World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Season 4, some players reported a bug in Awakened raids that made the Shadow Priest's Devouring Plague spell heal for over four times the percentage it usually does, which makes the dark spell casters nearly invincible. Despite the mounting evidence, World of Warcraft has not released a fix for this issue at the time of writing.

A Pokemon Emerald player and artist stated that they are painting the entire map of the Hoenn Region, and shared five paintings they have created so far on social media. The Pokemon fan artist stated that they were halfway done with turning the Hoenn region into paintings, and other fans complimented them for their ongoing effort and for depicting Pokemon Emerald in their art.

A gamer scored an amazing deal on eight Nintendo 64 cartridges via their local Facebook Marketplace and shared pictures and details of the games they purchased for $40. The N64 fan said that of the games they got, onlyPokemon Snap, Pokemon Stadium, and Super Smash Bros. were duplicate cartridges, which left them with five new titles for their collection.

After Square Enix made certain changes to its payment processor, some Final Fantasy 14 players reported that they were greeted with errors when attempting to make purchases or update their payment methods. While some Final Fantasy 14 players claimed that some workarounds allowed them to make their purchases, others took to social media and the game's forums to raise awareness.

On April 25, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it had voted by a margin of 3-2 to restore net neutrality rules that were repealed in 2017 by the Trump administration. This means that internet service providers (ISPs) in the United States will be reclassified by the FCC as common carriers, in a move similar to how net neutrality was handled by the Obama administration in 2015.

As part of their ongoing art series, aPokemon fan redesigned the Rock Pokemon called Nosepass to show what it would look like as a human and shared their work with other trainers. In response, some Pokemon fans complimented the artist for their continued efforts in drawing some Pokemon as humans, and for giving Nosepass a new look.

World of Warcraft players will only have a few more months to use the mobile Companion App on iOS and Android, as Blizzard announced that the free app will be retired soon. The World of Warcraft Companion App, launched in 2018 by combining the Mobile Armory and Legion Companion apps, will no longer be supported when The War Within is released.

In honor of Earth Day on April 22, a Pokemon fan artist recreated Numel and Camerupt, two Fire-type Pokemon, as regional Grass-types to suit the chosen theme. The Pokemon fan artist shared their work with other trainers, who complimented them for turning two Fire Pokemon into creatures that resembled dormant volcanoes reclaimed by nature.

Weeks after the previous Tera raid battle event, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet confirm the return of Walking Wake and Iron Leaves as Dive-star Tera raid bosses. The last time Walking Wake and Iron Leaves appeared in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet respectively was during the 2023 winter holiday season, so players who have not already done so will have another chance to catch these elusive Pokemon.

Blizzard announced that the final World of Warcraft: Dragonflight content update, Dark Heart, will launch on Tuesday, May 7, and will give players a new story to bridge the gap between the Dragonflight and The War Within expansions. Shortly after the upcoming World of Warcraft update goes live, the highly-anticipated WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria mode will launch at the same time globally, on Thursday, May 16.

Alongside its second paid expansion, Final Fantasy 16 Patch 1.31 improved the ability for players to pet Torgal by shortening the cooldown between petting animations. This improvement to Final Fantasy 16 was released alongside The Rising Tide DLC, and FF16 fans quickly pointed out the change to the game's cutest feature.

A Pokemon fan artist designed the Normal-type Pokemon Whismur and its evolutions as humans and drew incredible outfits to fit the theme of the sound-based Pokemon. The Pokemon fan artist shared their work and a short backstory about Whismur on social media, and other fans complimented them for their efforts.

As the wait for the next expansion continues, Final Fantasy 14 confirmed that the Yo-Kai Watch collaboration event would return to the game for players to experience. The event will give Final Fantasy 14 players who missed out on previous Yo-Kai Watch events a chance to earn exclusive mounts, minions, and cosmetic weapons for their collections, alongside a new reward for this iteration.

A Pokemon fan artist created a new Mega Evolution for the Ice and Psychic Pokemon called Jynx, and shared their artwork with their peers. The Pokemon fan artist shared the normal and shiny versions of Mega Jynx, explained the inspirations that went into the designs, and received compliments from other trainers.

World of Warcraft: Plunderstorm will soon come to an end, as Blizzard confirmed that the limited-time battle royale will conclude its initial run on Tuesday, April 30. However, to tide World of Warcraft players over, Blizzard also stated that the reputation gained from taking part in Plunderstorm will be doubled starting with the April 16 weekly maintenance.

Following the launch of the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail benchmark, some players discovered an Easter egg that changes the default benchmark character to Hildibrand or Brandihild, depending on which PC time settings were changed. Final Fantasy 14 players shared the Easter egg on social media and discussed the methods that caused either character to appear.

Though Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail is still weeks away, Square Enix revealed a calendar of events for players to take part in until the launch of the upcoming expansion. Among the events coming to Final Fantasy 14 throughout May and June, the return of the Yo-Kai Watch and Dragon Quest 10 collaboration events were confirmed, along with the dates for the next two Letter from the Producer Live broadcasts.

Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida stated that the player blacklist feature will receive upgrades in Dawntrail, with some enhancements going as far as removing blacklisted character models from sight. The changes to Final Fantasy 14's blacklist will also include a new mute list and term filter for players to use.

Following the release of the Ultimania compilation for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, game producer Yoshinori Kitase stated that the development of the highly anticipated third entry in the series could lead to a shorter release window. Kitase said that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was developed in three years following Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Intermission DLC thanks to the retention of team members, which led to an efficient development period that he hopes to continue into Part 3.

A Pokemon fan artist redesigned the ghost Pokemon called Chandelure as a Kalosian regional variant with a new type pairing and shared their work with other trainers. The Pokemon fan artist also gave their new Kalosian Chandelure a short backstory to match their design and received praise for their efforts.

As part of the Triple-I Initiative, Vampire Survivors pulled back the curtain on its fourth paid expansion, Operation Guns, a crossover DLC with Konami's Contra series. The upcoming expansion for Vampire Survivors will launch on May 9, including 11 new characters, 22 new weapons, and two stages for players to experience.

Over a year after its exit from China, Blizzard announced its return to the country thanks to a new partnership agreement with NetEase. Starting in the summer of 2024, fans of Blizzard and Microsoft games in China can expect to see the return of titles such as World of Warcraft and Hearthstone that were part of the previous NetEase agreement.

Following the shutdown of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U online services on April 8, some Pokemon fans took to social media to find out what would happen if a Pokemon was deposited into the Global Trading System (GTS) before the shutdown. To their dismay, Pokemon fans reported that any Pokemon left on the GTS were lost forever.

Just as the 2024 solar eclipse started in North America, a Pokemon fan shared artwork based on the phenomenon, which combined Solrock and Lunatone into a single creature. After sitting on it for some time, the Pokemon fan artist shared their work on social media, and other fans complimented them on their clever design choice.

A fan paid tribute to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess by creating an incredible drawing based on the game's major characters and shared their work with other fans on social media. The Zelda fan artist was complimented by their peers for their efforts and attention to detail when designing the background of the artwork.

A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player developed a team strategy to defeat the Seven-Star Tera Raid boss, Meganium the Unrivaled, in one hit. The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player recorded footage of the Tera raid battle, and they explained the steps they took on social media for otherPokemon trainers to use against the Herb Pokemon.

A Pokemon fan baked an adorable cake that featured the Water Pokemon called Psyduck as the central piece and shared the tasty treat with other trainers on social media. The Pokemon baker received compliments from their peers, and some asked questions about how the Psyduck cake decoration was crafted.

Alongside the release of Palworld version 0.2.0.6, developer Pocket Pair said that the new update introduced a bug that prevented Pal eggs from being placed inside an incubator. However, Pocket Pair added that Palworld players could resolve the issue by rebuilding and replacing all the incubators on their bases, and apologized for the bug.

AMD continues to offer PC builders more choices for various budgets, as sources discovered that the tech giant lowered the price of its current flagship graphics card, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, to $899. The price cut of the AMD card was discovered on Newegg, but some Radeon RX 7900 XTX quantities remained in back order at the time of writing.

Though Season of Discovery Phase 3 in World of Warcraft Classic is not scheduled to launch until April 4, some players pointed out that one of the update's main features, dual talent specialization, was secretly added early into the game. But at the time of writing, the new World of Warcraft Classic feature is reportedly buggy, so players may want to hold off on unlocking dual-spec until Phase 3 is released.

A Pokemon fan artist created convergent forms of Magnemite and Magneton, with completely different names and inspirations for the new designs to match. The Pokemon fan artist shared their efforts with other trainers, who commented on both the convergent Pokemon designs and the names the artist chose for the project.

To start the month of April, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pulled back the curtain on a new challenge for trainers to face, as the next Seven-Star Tera Raid battle will pit players against Meganium the Unrivaled. The new Seven-Star Tera Raid battle in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet against Meganium will follow after a break in Seven-Star boss battles.

Following the launch of Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox Series X/S consoles, a player reported receiving a ban from Xbox's services for using a common term from the critically acclaimed MMORPG. After the appeal to their temporary ban was initially denied, the Final Fantasy 14 player contacted other users for their aid with the situation.

A Palworld player used a program to uncover what the Dark-type Pal Leezpunk looked like without its black jacket and shared their discovery with other players. The Palworld player also shared the method they used to remove Leezpunk's jacket, leading other users to discuss how the Pal looks without the clothing item.

With the Pokemon series now spanning nine generations, a fan created a useful infographic that showed how players can transfer their favorite critters from past games to the current lineup. The Pokemon fan shared their efforts on social media and edited them after other users gave feedback on some missing games.

Days after revealing the release date of the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail expansion, Square Enix confirmed that fans can expect to hear more news about it during the next Letter from the Producer LIVE event on April 12 and 13. The upcoming Final Fantasy 14 broadcast is expected to touch upon Dawntrail news that was not covered at the March 23 PAX East panel.

World of Warcraft executive producer and vice president Holly Longdale stated that players focused on PvE content will have a new experiment to play with in the coming weeks. The announcement from Longdale came just over a week after World of Warcraft launched Patch 10.2.6 and the limited-time Plunderstorm battle royale event.

A Pokemon fan put pen to paper to design their version of what Mega Charizard Z could look like in the upcomingPokemon Legends: Z-A and shared their work with other trainers. The Pokemon fan artist explained why they chose the color palette they used to create their Charizard, and other fans complimented them for the effort.

AMD is not abandoning the AM4 socket yet, as sources claim that the tech giant is working on a Ryzen 5000XT refresh for its last-gen CPU lineup. This refresh is the first by AMD in a few years, as the Ryzen 3000XT series saw slight increases for Zen 2 processors at similar price points to their non-XT branded counterparts.

Just as pre-orders for Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail went live in North America, the Square Enix Store experienced technical issues due to the mass user traffic. At the time of writing, Final Fantasy 14 posted on social media that the storefront's developers were aware of the issue and suggested some temporary workarounds as the investigations continued.

A Palworld player used some clever placement of campfires and succeeded in capturing the Legendary Ice Pal called Frostallion. ThePalworldplayer shared their strategy for taking down Frostallion on social media and made a short video of their encounter with the frosty Pal as proof of their efforts.

Starting on March 26, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic will allow players to take part in Operation: Gnomeregan and Zalazane's Fall, two battles that will grant the gnomes and trolls a new starting zone in Cataclysm Classic. The battles will periodically occur in World of Warcraft: Classic until the Cataclysm Classic pre-patch goes live.

With Easter right around the corner, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet revealed that a new Mass Outbreak event featuring Baby Pokemon will start at the end of March. This new Mass Outbreak event will give Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players a chance to catch some rare Pokemon with a chance to carry an equally rare mark.

A Pokemon fan artist created a realistic version of the Legendary Pokemon called Mewtwo and compared their new design to how Mewtwo was originally depicted in its movie debut. For their effort, the Pokemon fan artist received feedback from their peers, with some remaining divided on the creative liberties taken in the realistic Mewtwo depiction.

On the main stage of PAX East, Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida revealed that the Dawntrail expansion will launch on July 2, with early access starting a few days prior, on June 28. Yoshida also confirmed that pre-orders for Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail will begin on March 26, granting players early access to the expansion.

To start the second day of PAX East 2024, the Final Fantasy 16 development team revealed that the game's second expansion, The Rising Tide, will launch on Thursday, April 18. The expansion will launch along with a free update for Final Fantasy 16, including some adjustments and a new battle mode for players to try out.

With Final Fantasy 14 gearing up to release Dawntrail in the summer, some datamining of Patch 6.58 uncovered two items that may be associated with preorders of the anticipated expansion. The Final Fantasy 14 items in question, Azeyma's Earrings, and the Wind-Up Zidane minion were listed as items added to the game with the latest content update.

A Pokemon fan artist took to social media to post some artwork of the Ghost Pokemon Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar in the style of rubberhose cartoons from the 1930s, each having distinct features that are different from their normal styles. The Pokemon fan artist received compliments from other trainers for their efforts and creativity in making each Pokemon design stand out.

After weeks of anticipation, World of Warcraft pulled back the curtain on Patch 10.2.6, titled Plunderstorm, which was highlighted by a new battle royale game mode that players can try out. The new game mode was kept under wraps by the World of Warcraft development team and is considered a limited-time event in which players can earn cosmetic pirate-themed rewards including outfits and more.

Amid a busy March, Final Fantasy 14 released the patch notes for its 6.58 content update, which covered some bug fixes and adjustments to a few Job actions in PVP. Final Fantasy 14 also confirmed that Patch 6.58 would allow players to gain rewards faster from the Thaleia alliance raid and The Abyssal Fracture (Extreme) trial.

As Final Fantasy 14 prepares to launch on Xbox Series X/S, Square Enix has revealed that Xbox console players will need to use a new currency called the «FFXIV Coin» to pay for services and optional items. Square Enix then stated the new currency is exclusive to Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox consoles, but did not state all the services it would be used for.

Following the end of the Charizard Tera Raids,Pokemon Scarlet and Violet revealed that the upcoming Tera raid event will feature Iron Hands and Brute Bonnet in Five-star battles in their respective versions. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players will have a chance to catch a Paradox Pokemon with a random Tera type and farm some rewards for their efforts.

A gamer invoked some memories as they shared a 20-year-old receipt from when they purchased a PS2 console from a store. They posted a picture of the lengthy receipt on social media, dated a few years after the launch of the PS2 console, and some PlayStation fans chimed in with memories they have of when they purchased the PS2 console.

A Pokemon fan designed a new female-only evolution concept for the critter called Kirlia and shared a picture of their creation, as well as a few traits, on social media. The Pokemon fan artist was complimented by some fans for their effort, while other users chimed in with their thoughts on Kirlia's current evolution line.

Soon, Final Fantasy 14 will test Cross-region Data Center Travel in a limited fashion. Starting on March 24 and ending just before server maintenance for the Dawntrail expansion, Final Fantasy 14 players in Japan, Europe, and North America will be able to travel to and from the Materia Data Center in the Oceanic region as part of a limited global test to see how viable cross-region travel will be in the future.

With March midway through, World of Warcraft pulled back the curtain on Patch 10.2.6 and revealed that the anticipated «Pirate Patch» would arrive on Tuesday, March 19. Though little remains known about the next World of Warcraft update, Blizzard stated that 10.2.6 would feature a limited-time event for players to try out.

With the launch of Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox Series X/S just days away, Microsoft and Square Enix revealed a custom Xbox Series X console and controller as part of a giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a new Xbox hardware bundle, the Final Fantasy 14 Complete Collector's Edition, and a year-long Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership.

A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player crafted a strategy they used to take down the Seven-Star Tera raid boss Charizard the Unrivaled, with the Pokemon Sylveon as the focal point of their plan. The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player also shared their steps to make Sylveon easy to use in solo and group Tera raids, and other players provided feedback on their plan.

With the launch of Patch 10.2.6 approaching, Blizzard posted some changes to dungeons in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Season 4, which will up the difficulty and rewards for Heroic and Mythic dungeons. The changes will make Heroic and low-rank Mythic Dungeons in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight more relevant for the remainder of the expansion and into The War Within.

In a recent interview, Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida expressed his intent to make the critically acclaimed MMORPG more challenging in the future but stopped short of saying what he would exactly do. While Final Fantasy 14 developed a reputation as a stress-free experience during Endwalker, Yoshida stated that he and the developers had gone a bit far in that regard, and wanted to dial it back.

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida gave fans waiting for the game's PC port some good news, as he stated in an interview that the port is in the «final optimization stages» of development. Yoshida also stated that the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 may release a demo before launch, but did not disclose exact dates for the demo or the game.

In the days that followed after the launch of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, some of the staff at Square Enix talked about the challenges that went into creating a massive project that could live up to players' expectations. Despite Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth releasing nearly four years after Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the developers expressed the concerns they had about putting it together.

A Palworld player took to social media to show off an overpowered Depresso they bred and demonstrated their steps to power it up and how much damage the Pal unleashed on various bosses. Following their video post, other Palworld players complimented the Depresso breeder, while others gave context to the processes they used.

Several Final Fantasy 14 players took to the streets of Ul'dah to pay respects to the late Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, with campfire vigils and outfits based on characters that Toriyama drew over his career. These vigils in Final Fantasy 14 are ongoing at the time of writing and are being held across several data centers, such as Aether and Crystal in North America.

In the coming days, Final Fantasy 14 will host the annual Little Ladies' Day and Hatching-Tide holidays as a special, combined event for players to participate in. Though March will be a busy time for Final Fantasy 14 players, those who complete a limited-time quest as part of these holidays will receive a new mount for their effort.