COST News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Two years on from its release, we'll all have the chance to revisit Elden Ring this summer when its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC drops. Presumably a bulky expansion based on FromSoftware's prior offerings and its $40 price tag. Until then, we can keep traversing The Lands Between in weird and wonderful ways. Oh, and we can pretend to be a Tarnished in the real world by picking up this scale replica of Elden Ring's Dark Moon Greatsword.

Valve is currently in the middle of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit against small indie developer Wolfire, which was originally filed way back in 2021 due to Steam's control over game prices and attempts to such out rivals. Despite Valve's best efforts to have the lawsuit dismissed, it actually went ahead in 2022, and the whole situation is now getting spicy as internal documents and previously private email exchanges are making their way to the public eye.

At the end of February, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Demonology Warlock guide writer, Not, offers an early review of the Diablolist Warlock Hero Talents that riffs on Doom, a spell that has proc'd larger demons in the past. Despite Diabolist taking that concept to the next level, it struggles to amplify the gameplay of Demonology.

Game development is no longer just a one-man show – or even a one-studio spectacle. The seismic size of games these days means that the crafting of fantastical, virtual realms is easily a multi-team endeavour.

Samsung's latest additions to its Galaxy A series, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G and Samsung Galaxy A35 5G, made their grand entrance into the Indian market earlier this week. Initially shrouded in mystery regarding their pricing, Samsung has now lifted the veil, revealing enticing offers and detailed specifications within just three days of their official launch. Here's everything you need to know about these sleek new smartphones.

As if I wasn’t already looking forward to Black Myth: Wukong enough, Nvidia just announced that the game is getting the full RTX treatment when it launches on August 20. We see new games with ray tracing and Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) all the time, but Black Myth: Wukong is joining a very small list of titles that currently leverage the full suite of features Nvidia has available.

Helldivers 2’s new Cutting Edge premium Warbond is live now, adding new weapons, gear, and armor to the smash hit PC and PlayStation 5 co-op shooter.

PlayStation Plus is getting a whole load of games from across a wide variety of genres this March. The updated catalog will include NBA 2K24, Resident Evil 3, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and more. These games (and others) will become accessible to subscribers starting March 19.

Cerebras Systems has unveiled its third generation wafer scale engine chip, the WSE-3, which offers 900,000 AI-optimized cores built to train up to 24 trillion parameters.

Apple enthusiasts rejoice as the Apple iPhone 13 has received a substantial price cut of 12% on Amazon, bringing its cost down to Rs. 52,499 from the original M.R.P. of Rs. 59,900. This enticing offer allows consumers to own this iPhone model at a more affordable price, making it an opportune moment for those eyeing an upgrade or planning to switch to an Apple iPhone.

Microsoft has officially released a new feature for DirectX 12 which should help the best PC games run faster by allowing the graphics card to take some of the load away from the processor (in very basic terms).

Garena Free Fire Redeem Codes for March 13: Do you like playing battlegrounds games with a variety of weapons? Garena Free Fire game is all about picking the right weapon, learning how to use it and then eliminating enemies with ease. Getting hold of a weapon takes time as different guns have different shooting and damage rates. Therefore, you must wisely select your weapon for the game so you can win the match with a maximum number of eliminations. If you are someone who likes to make their weapon stylish with attractive skins then check out how you can grab the MP40 – Chromasonic weapon.

Looking to snag some of the coolest skins and emotes in Fortnite? Then you'll need to drop real cash and purchase V-Bucks – a premium currency used to buy in-game items through the Fortnite Item Shop. However, many of the most exciting cosmetics require thousands of V-Bucks, and with 1,000 V-Bucks costing $9, your bank will take a serious hit if you want to purchase a whole new wardrobe for your character. However, you'll be glad to know that there's a way to get free V-Bucks in Fortnite. Well, sort of.

AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X CPU has become a popular mining option, earning more profits than the fastest GPUs, as the crypto craze once again picks up.

In addition to Mythic+ changes announced in Blizzard's Dungeon Level Squish blog post, it looks like there will be another +39 item level increase between Dragonflight Season 3 and Season 4! Using these numbers, we can extrapolate that Normal Fated raids should be item level 493-502, Heroic between 506-515, and Mythic from 519-528.

Blizzard has confirmed that based off player feedback, there will be an increase in discounted shop items in Diablo 4 coming in the future.

For whatever reason, romance and marriage have become one of the most essential parts of tactics games such as Unicorn Overlord. Just like combat, however, each game handles the relationship system a little bit differently. It might seem straightforward here, but there is an extra step or two needed to fully commit and marry one of your companions. Aside from just building a strong bond with your favorite character, there are a lot of benefits to improving your relationships. Here’s a full tactical rundown of how romance works here so you can form an everlasting bond.

TopSpin 2K25 will release in April, publisher 2K has announced, and will include over 24 playable pro tennis stars.

Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for March 12: In the last few weeks, several events have been introduced in Garena Free Fire MAX. These events offer players an exciting opportunity to get their hands on exclusive in-game items. While these items are not likely to give any boost to your character's stats, they can help you customize the look with weapon skins and clothing items, and make you stand out from the rest of Garena Free Fire MAX players. So, if this is your wish, then check out the details of the latest event in Garena Free Fire MAX called the Parafal Royale.

Bungie’s latest Destiny 2 pop culture crossover is nearly here. But this time it isn’t skins or armor sets from another video game, it’s items from an upcoming movie — Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, to be precise.

Almost one year after being taken from storefronts, MultiVersus is finally coming back in just a couple of months, along with a bunch of new improvements such as rollback netcode, a new engine, and potentially a new character or two. Director Tony Huynh explained in developer Player First's announcement video that the team has been working on making improvements based on feedback, and one of the community's biggest issues with the beta has been addressed as a result.

Lego has revealed three new Lego Super Mario sets coming this year and confirmed that Lego Super Mario: Mario Kart is in the works for 2025.

Lego has three new Super Mario sets launching on Aug. 1, and it teased Mario Kart sets coming in 2025. While it only showed a silhouette of Mario’s signature kart, it’s pretty exciting nevertheless. As for 2024 releases, Lego dropped a bunch of details on new sets as part of Nintendo’s annual Mario Day celebration. With every release, it seems like the possibility for antics multiplies. Case in point: Roy, King Boo, and Bowser star in these upcoming sets.

The so-called Expansion Pass for Persona 3 Reload is now available to pre-order in regions where it's the 12th March — which means that we now know how much it's going to cost. In New Zealand, for example, it's priced at $56.95, which roughly equates to £30 in the UK and $35 in the US.

Apple is on the fast track to introducing an entry-level version of the Apple Vision Pro headset, potentially slicing off a whopping $2,000 from its original price tag. While the wait for a second-generation release may extend into 2025 or 2026, Apple is far from idling in its pursuit of a more budget-friendly mixed reality headset.

introduces a new mini-game called Queen's Blood, a collectible card game that is featured heavily throughout the game's many locales. Completionists wanting to collect every Queen's Blood card will need to collect 145 cards total, a daunting, but not impossible task. Collecting as many cards as possible will make winning rank-up matches easier, which will be necessary to obtain certain cards.

Samsung Galaxy S23 5G is now available on Amazon at a discounted price of Rs. 64,999, marking a significant price cut of 28% from its original M.R.P. of Rs. 89,999. This exciting offer is inclusive of all taxes, making it even more appealing to potential buyers.

If you've been eyeing the iPhone 14, but hesitated because of the price, now is the time to make your move. The Apple iPhone 14 has received a significant price cut on Amazon, making it more accessible to a wider range of customers. Let's take a closer look at this exciting offer and what the iPhone 14 has to offer.

There’s a huge amount of chatter about exclusivity in the aftermath of Microsoft’s decision to port select titles to PlayStation and choppy waters in the industry at large. This year alone has seen thousands of game developers laid off, as the industry attempts to course correct following over investment during the coronavirus pandemic.

After recovering from a near-death experience during the most recent crypto winter, Bitcoin miners are back in survival mode — spending billions of dollars on equipment and drawing energy at a record pace ahead of an update in the digital currency's code that threatens revenue streams. 

A recently conducted survey has revealed that a large chunk of AI professionals are looking to switch from NVIDIA to AMD Instinct MI300X GPUs.

Love crossword puzzles but don’t have all day to sit and solve a full-sized puzzle in your daily newspaper? That’s what The Mini is for!

Apple fans rejoice as the Apple iPhone 15 is now available on Amazon at a reduced price. This flagship smartphone, known for its cutting-edge features and performance, is now more affordable than ever, making it an attractive option for those looking to upgrade their devices.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5G AI smartphone is now more accessible than ever with a significant price cut on Amazon, making it an attractive option for tech enthusiasts. Originally priced at Rs. 1,44,999, the smartphone is now available at a discounted rate of Rs. 1,39,999, offering customers substantial savings on this cutting-edge device.

There was a slight chance that Samsung would have partnered with MediaTek to bring its Dimensity 9000 to its flagship Galaxy S series in the past. Given that the Taiwanese company took the premium Android SoC market by surprise with this release, competitors started taking note of MediaTek and where it could be headed. Unfortunately, the deal between the two firms could not materialize, with a tipster sharing that there was a scarce supply of the chipset, amongst other reasons.

It seems like the gaming industry, at least the traditional console-driven industry, is rapidly approaching some sort of inflection point. Xbox is bringing more of their games to other platforms, amid consistent speculation they may be stepping back from the console business, and PlayStation is hinting they may pursue a more aggressive PC release schedule even as PS5 sales continue to outpace the PS4. Meanwhile, one publisher after another announces deep layoffs and cancellations.

This past week, Blizzard revealed 8 new Hero Talent Trees in a sneak peek at the new system coming with the The War Within expansion. Our Warlock guide writer, Kalamazi, offers an early review of the Diabolist Warlock Hero Talents for Destruction which despite its heavier Demonology feel still has a lot of firepower baked in for Destruction.

A new The Witcher 3 mod released online a few days back improves ray-traced ambient occlusion by fixing a known issue.

Persona 3 Reload's producer, Kazuhisa Wada, has finally put a pin in the possibility of Persona 3 Portable's highly-requested FeMC, Kotone Shiomi, being added to the game as DLC.

With a substantial price reduction of 33%, the iQOO 11 5G has become even more appealing to consumers, now available at just Rs. 44,999 on Amazon. The marked-down price from the original Rs. 66,999 makes this high-performance smartphone a compelling option for those looking to upgrade without needing to empty their pockets.

In a pleasant surprise for smartphone enthusiasts, Amazon has announced a significant price cut on the Apple iPhone 13, making it even more accessible to consumers. With a 13 percent reduction in price, the iPhone 13 is now available at Rs. 52,090, down from its previous M.R.P. of Rs. 59,900. This price cut offers a fantastic opportunity for users to upgrade to one of Apple's latest and most advanced smartphones.

Helldivers 2 is getting its first new battle pass since launch on March 14, and it’s sure to come in handy with the upcoming mech invasion. Arrowhead Game Studios announced on the PlayStation Blog Thursday that the new “Warbond,” as the battle pass is called in Helldivers 2, will focus on electric and energy-based weaponry and “ultra-futuristic armor.”

As revealed ahead of time by dataminers, new weapons, armour and equipment are coming to Helldivers 2 as part of the new Warbond, Cutting Edge — and we can spill all the beans on the details and release date.

Trading card games aren’t just popular with players. They’re also incredibly popular with executives, as they can be lucrative for publishers and distributors alike. Magic: The Gathering became a $1 billion brand for Hasbro in 2023, which went quite a long way to improving its bottom line, if we’re being honest. As the company increases its Universes Beyond offerings, incredibly powerful tools for selling cards to people not yet comfortable playing a game of Magic, how can other TCGs hope to compete? What must new games like Disney Lorcana, Star Wars: Unlimited, Altered, and the more established Flesh and Blood do to thrive? A few possible answers may lie in the story of the 1990s-era Dune: Collectible Card Game.

As more Palworld players reach the end of the survival game, more of them are getting stung by its steep repair costs.

Rumours about the Google Pixel 8a in terms of expected design, features and other metrics have been surfacing for quite a while now. Now, a new leak has emerged which highlights the expected price of the upcoming Google Pixel 8a. As of now, no launch date has been officially announced. That said, previous leaks have given us a glimpse of what the smartphone could offer and what it could look like. If you're curious about the Google Pixel 8a price, then check out what the current leaks say about the pricing.

Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for March 7: Want to get your hands on exciting weapon skins? The new Evo Vault is live in Garena Free Fire MAX, offering menacing weapon skins that players can use to tweak their character's look. It is just one of the many events introduced by the developers of Garena Free Fire MAX in recent weeks, alongside the Booyah Pass, Lucky Wheel and others! Check out the details of the Evo Vault in Garena Free Fire MAX below.

Now that Dragon's Dogma 2 is right around the corner, we're starting to get a much better picture of what the game will include. From all the pre-release footage we've seen so far, we've been given brief glimpses at some terrifying monsters and impressive spell-slinging, but one thing that has stood out among all of that is the game's visually stunning cooking cutscenes.

If your main method for playing games is on your iPhone, chances are good that you’ve heard about the Backbone One controller. If not, it’s the best one out there, with a clever design that can pull open to wrap its controls around the sides of your iPhone. It’s comfortable to use, it supports passthrough charging to keep your device charged. Better yet, it gives your iPhone its long, lost 3.5mm port, in case you want to plug in with wired headphones as you game.

What are the best character builds in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth? In this Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth guide, we're going to cover all of the game's playable characters, explaining their key roles during combat, along with recommendations on Materia, weapon abilities, and weapon skills.

The affordable variant of the Apple Vision Pro is not expected until 2025, but that does not mean that the company is not aggressively pursuing its launch through some consistent R&D. According to one report, one objective of this launch is reducing the cost of the display, with recent estimates claiming that the component price can drop by as much as 50 percent.

The Nintendo Switch is probably one of the most popular handheld consoles right now, if not one of the most popular consoles altogether. So if you’re considering grabbing yourself a Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, or Nintendo Switch OLED, you might want to take advantage of the deals below. On the other hand, if you already have one, we’ve gone out and scoured retailers for accessories and game deals you can snag to expand your library and gear. Of course, we don’t know how long these deals will last, so be sure to pick up something you like as soon as you can. There’s a bit of a Switch-famine right now, so deals are few and far between.

Big Blue Sky Games, a new studio of industry veterans, has revealed its debut game, Merchants of Rosewall. The project, set to launch sometime this year, is described as a story-driven, online shop-management game where the climate of its world impacts the availability and cost of resources.

Sony has today confirmed around 900 PlayStation employees — or around eight per cent of its workforce — are being laid off in order to «future ready ourselves to set the business up for what lies ahead». As a result of the downsizing, PlayStation's own London Studio is being closed completely and Firesprite will be reduced in size. The staff reductions will also hit Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and Guerrilla Games. Some unannounced games have been cancelled.

PlayStation is in a precarious position. It’s imperative we don’t overreact: the global economy is, for want of a better word, in the gutter right now – and it’s sad to see layoffs occurring across a spectrum of industries, not just gaming. But in the aftermath of a disappointing earnings report and an enormous downsizing operation earlier this week, we must take stock of the situation as it stands.

You could be forgiven for thinking the video game industry is collapsing, and you may be wondering why. Last week, PlayStation announced it was laying off over 900 employees and shutting its long-running London Studio, and it’s not alone. There have been thousands upon thousands of jobs cut across the entire industry, and virtually every major publisher and platform holder has been affected. So, why is it happening and what does it all mean?

A new update for Tekken 8 has dropped, bringing cosmetic DLC to the title via an in-game store. In truth, we think it's a bit cheeky of Bandai Namco to add something like this when all of the reviews have long been posted, but it's worth noting that Tekken 8 does have full character customisation and a range of alternate costumes by default. Still, it's a tad underhanded.

Tekken 8's upcoming Tekken Shop will include both paid and free content, Bandai Namco has confirmed, with the premium stuff using a currency called (creatively) Tekken Coins. The Tekken Shop will be refreshed monthly, and the developer insists the move is more about keeping the competitive fighter fresh with customisation items than for grubby monetary reasons. Still, there's no reason why it can't be both.

We've been hard at work datamining all the new changes for Diablo 4's Patch 1.3.3! Take a look at the raw data we've gathered below.Editor's Note: this datamined information comes directly from the Diablo 4 client. While some of it may differ to what was described in patch notes, this is the current information live in Patch 1.3.3. These changes may have already entered the game due to the nature of Blizzard's release process — while the items aren't necessarily new to this specific patch release, they are new to the latest comparison of patch changes. Here are the datamined changes for build 1.3.3.50570, compared to 1.3.2.49764.

The Fallout hype train is working overtime to get everyone excited for the April 12 launch of the Fallout TV Show on Prime Video. In addition to the announcement of Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Anthology of games that you can pre-order, and Prime Gaming even offering some PC titles for free for Prime subscribers, Xbox has just announced a new Fallout-themed customization option joining the Xbox Design Lab.

If bopping along and timing button presses to perfection in rhythm action games like Hi-Fi Rush and Metal: Hellsinger is your type of thing, then the news that Melatonin will soon land on PS5 will be music to your ears.

Game Pass subscribers will get another chance to revisit Remedy Entertainment’s 2019 masterpiece Control in March, and this time, they’re getting the game’s Ultimate Edition. That version includes the main game and two expansions, The Foundation and AWE, which are worth returning to before or after you play Alan Wake 2.

Microsoft and Nickelodeon are teaming up to make an Xbox Series X that looks like SpongeBob Squarepants, an inspired merging of right angles. And unlike other limited edition Xbox consoles and controllers that have been restricted to giveaways, you can actually buy this one, provided you have disposable income in the range of $699.

Mounts are always a popular item in Final Fantasy XIV, whether they are rewarded for in-game content or purchased for real money in the Online Store. The latest addition to the store, the Crescent Moon Mount, is a particularly awaited one. 

Apple iPhone 14 Plus (128 GB) - Starlight, a flagship smartphone known for its cutting-edge features, has received a significant price cut on Amazon, making it more accessible to consumers. With a 25% reduction in price, this premium device now offers exceptional value for money. Just check out all the offers that Amazon has rolled out.

Materia is the backbone of spell casting and stat improvement in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, adding tons of customizability and strategy to your characters’ loadouts. Adding even another layer to the process, though, is link slots on your weapons and armor. These slots are merged together to allow you to combine the effects of two types of materia for a variety of unique and powerful outcomes. Here are our choices for some of the best materia to link together.

Apple iPhone 14 Plus (128 GB) (Product) RED variant is now available at a discounted price on Amazon. With this notable price cut, coupled with attractive offers and discounts, this premium smartphone offers an irresistible deal for those looking to upgrade their mobile devices.

Helldivers 2 players are perplexed to be losing a planet, despite well over 350,000 soldiers attempting to liberate it.

Blizzard has announced upcoming Season of Discovery Class Tuning on the Weekly Reset!

Patch 1.3.3 is bringing various changes to the Sorcerer class, including buffs to Conjuration Skills,, and underused Passives and Paragon Glyphs! Diablo 4 Patch Notes: Patch 1.3.3 Sorcerer Class Overview

Blizzard has announced upcoming Season of Discovery Class Tuning on the Weekly Reset!

Blizzard has just released the patch notes for Diablo 4 Patch 1.3.3 which includes The Gauntlet, leaderboards, class changes, Vampiric Powers returning, and more! The patch will be released on March 5. The Gauntlet and Leaderboards Guide Vampiric Powers Returning

Apple’s iron grip on the ARM notebook and desktop space might be coming to an end, starting with Qualcomm and its Snapdragon X Elite. However, one rumor claims that Huawei is another player to enter this space, and there are claims that the former Chinese giant has already developed a competitor to the M1. Then again, the company might have obtained dependency from a slew of foreign companies in a bid to jumpstart its smartphone business, starting with the Kirin 9000S, but that does not mean that there are no other hurdles that need to be scaled.

Cooler Master just launched the MK770, a highly customizable mechanical keyboard with a unique sense of style. The MK770 should appeal to both casual users and enthusiasts, as it focuses on comfort without sacrificing high-end features, such as hot-swappable switches and per-key lighting.

Samsung enthusiasts have a reason to rejoice as the tech giant's flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S24 5G, is now available at a discounted price on Amazon. The device, known for its cutting-edge features and sleek design, has received a remarkable price cut, making it even more appealing to prospective buyers.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second reimagined remake of Square Enix’s 1997 PlayStation RPG, is finally out. It’s available exclusively on PlayStation 5 for $69.99 from most retailers, except at QVC. The online seller has copies of the game, and is willing to part with them for $20 off if you happen to be a new shopper.

It’s common to see install sizes and updates for modern games coming in at over 50 to 100 GB per title. That’s just the way it is these days, and it’s not likely to change. Instead of constantly deleting games to make room for these hard drive hogs, maybe it’s time get more storage for your desktop, laptop, PS5, or Steam Deck. Thankfully, our collection of the best SSD deals will help you add more SSD real estate without breaking the bank. There are hundreds of SSDs out there, but we’ll be focusing on products that are good performers, reliable, and not too expensive.

It’s been a minute since we’ve had a solid discount on the PlayStation 5, but Best Buy has the first big deal of the year. Right now you can pick up the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 bundle for just $449.99 (was $499.99). This bundle includes a copy of the game and the newer, slim version of the disc-based PlayStation 5. At its regular price, this bundle already saves you the $69.99 cost of buying the game on its own. And, with Best Buy’s $50 off sale on top of that, it’s effectively paying you to play Spider-Man 2.

This week sees the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. It’s a lavish but bloated release that expands the middle section of a 27-year-old role-playing game into a giant open-world adventure in its own right, complete with minigames for every conceivable activity from parade-marching to mushroom-picking.