Offline News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Nintendo has announced that they will be shutting down almost all online services for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U in April 2024, ending all online features that include online multiplayer and co-op play, internet rankings and data and content sharing between users. A specific date will be shared closer to that point.

The end is nigh for the Nintendo 3DS & Wii U’s online functionality, but does that mean Pokemon Bank will go offline alongside them? Pokemon Bank is the app that’s most likely to still see action long into the future, as it allows you to bring Pokemon forward all the way from the Gen 3 era.

Starbreeze Studios has said that it will be making changes to Payday 3's progression system following player criticism, despite previously stating otherwise.

It’s a tradition that as hardware ages, companies will stop supporting it with new releases, and eventually online services shut down. It has been a slow death for the 3DS and the Wii U which had their eShops shut down this year. The next step in phasing out these devices will come in April 2024 when Nintendo shuts down online services for software on the platforms.

Nintendo has announced that they will be shutting down almost all online services for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U in April 2024, ending all online features that include online multiplayer and co-op play, internet rankings and data and content sharing between users. A specific date will be shared closer to that point.

Nintendo has announced that online play and functionality for the Wii U and 3DS consoles will shut down in April 2024, just over one year after the eShop for both systems closed down. 

After the closure of the Wii U and 3DS digital storefronts in March this year, Nintendo is preparing to turn out the lights for online gaming on both systems. The platform holder has announced that online services for 3DS and Wii U software will be discontinued in early April 2024.

Nintendo has announced it is ending online play services for both the 3DS and Wii U. These services will be terminated «as of early April 2024,» the company wrote in an update earlier today.

Nintendo is shutting down Nintendo Wii U and 3DS online play in early 2024, the company has today announced.

Nintendo has announced that online play for the 3DS and Wii U will end “in early April 2024”.

By Richard Lawler, a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget.

Payday 3 makers Starbreeze have promised that the matchmaking woes of its launch are at an end following multiple rounds of maintenance to the co-op shooter’s servers.

By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku.

Starbreeze Studios has said that the issues that have been disrupting Payday 3 since the game launched have now been fixed.

A Chromebook is not necessarily just a Chromebook anymore. Google, in concert with four of the major system OEMs, is introducing a new, special tier of the web-centric laptops today.

Gran Turismo Sport's online servers will go dark on 31st January 2024.

In this technology-driven era, we are using multiple AI chatbots every day, especially after OpenAI's ChatGPT first caught the spotlight. After the introduction of ChatGPT, various tech titans like Microsoft, Google, and Meta Platforms have started introducing their own AI chatbots. Do know that every Chatbot comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses and therefore, when it comes to picking one or the other, it depends on the users and their needs. One common concern with many AI chatbots is their dependence on the internet and the data policies of the companies that operate them. This is where FreedomGPT, launched by Age of AI, LLC, comes into play. FreedomGPT is a 100% uncensored and private AI chatbot designed to put individual freedom at the forefront.

Sony and Polyphony Digital have announced plans to shut down online servers for PS4 exclusive racing sim, Gran Turismo Sport. The game, which has largely been superseded by Gran Turismo 7, will have its online functionality unplugged from 31st January, 2024.

Google Trends data has a registered a 277 per cent increase in “delete PlayStation account” searches following an alleged data breach earlier this week. A ransomware group claimed to have “successfully compromised all of Sony’s systems”, with the stolen data purportedly up for sale. The Japanese giant has responded by insisting it’s investigating the situation.

After a surprise announcement earlier this year, Valve surprised players once again by suddenly releasing Counter-Strike 2 as an update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on Wednesday after a long beta period. Along with several new gameplay aspects, Counter-Strike 2 brings a few major changes, like weapon refunds and overhauled graphics, to the model that helped its predecessor become one of the most-played Steam games of all time.

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Polyphony Digital announced Gran Turismo Sport is going offline on January 31, 2024. After that date, the game's online services (and accompanying features or items) will no longer be playable. 

Gran Turismo Sport servers will be shutdown on January 31st, 2024, Sony and Polyphony Digital have confirmed today. From December 1st all purchasable downloadable content will be removed too, so if you do not get them before then you will miss out on that DLC forever. The server shutdown will mean no more online play and no more access to custom liveries, as well as some trophies not being obtainable anymore.

In-game purchasable item distribution ends in December.

GT Sport Online Services will end on January 31, 2024, Sony and developer Polyphony Digital have today announced.

References to the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake have been taken offline by some of PlayStation’s primary social media accounts, amid a report of troubled development.

Twitter has reportedly removed an option to report election misinformation.

Multiplayer heist sim PAYDAY 3's launch has been anything but smooth, with massive numbers of players unable to access the game. Plagued by server and matchmaking issues, the always online nature of the title is exacerbating the situation still further.

Heist shooter threequel, PAYDAY 3, has had a very rocky launch. Developer Starbreeze has been putting out fires since launch day, as matchmaking issues and other server-related problems have stopped an eager player base from, well, playing. The game's always-online requirement means it's even affecting those looking to play solo. As the studio works to stabilise the game, it appears it's looking into creating ways to play it offline.

Google Podcasts will soon take its leave after staying in the market for a short period of time. Google has officially released a statement that it will be going away with Podcasts next year. YouTube Music will thereafter, be the the podcast centre. It is also reported that the YouTube podcast version will have new updates and features for podcast listeners. Know all about the announcement here.

Sony announced today it’s launching an investigation into a ransomware attack that allegedly occurred yesterday. It’s not disclosing the details of the investigation, save that it’s happening, but the group responsible is reportedly trying to sell the information. Given Sony’s history with data breaches, such as the one in 2011, having more data breaches would be a blow to the company.

A short forever as only 6 years after being launched, players are now receiving a SEGA Forever End of Service announcement! Back in June of 2017, SEGA announced their inventive idea of SEGA Forever, bringing the iconic classic games you grew up with to your mobile. The app launched with 5 games faithful to their original predecessor, with new releases trickling in every few weeks.

Sony has launched an investigation after a ransomware group claimed to have breached the Japanese company’s systems.

Like most people, I had assumed EA shut down Anthem soon after dashing BioWare's hopes to overhaul and revive the sci-fi looter-shooter. I was surprised to see Anthem on Game Pass while poking around checking out space games which are not Starfield. It did shut down, didn't it? Surely it did. So why's it on Game Pass? If an 80GB download is the price I pay for a ha-ha-hilarious joke post where I review a spinning loading ball or server error message, so be it. Let's go. Wait. Hang on. I'm playing this. This is a game. This is still a game!

After a report claimed a ransomware group had breached all of Sony's systems, the company is now investigating.

Payday 3 players can't believe what they're seeing after scanning the in-game QR codes scattered around the FPS. 

Payday 3 developer Starbreeze Studios has confirmed that it’s looking towards making the new heist shooter “less dependent on online services”, following the constant server issues and matchmaking problems encountered by players from launch. 

You may have read that always-online crime caper Payday 3 has had a disastrous launch, with players forced into long queues for the privilege of playing by themselves. The chaos continues this week, as developer Starbreeze has now elected to take the game wholly offline for several hours at a time across Tuesday 26th and Friday 28th September, while exploring ways to minimise the game's reliance on internet access.

Sony has apparently had all of its data stolen in a ransomware attack, but is refusing to pay to stop the data being sold.

Payday 3 is being taken offline twice this week for improved server and matchmaking stability.

Payday 3 developer Starbreeze addressed the game's ongoing launch issues in a livestream earlier today, assuring fans that while "we have not confirmed an offline mode," the studio is "evaluating every possibility" going forward.

The launch of heist-shooter Payday 3 last week has not gone well. Persistent server problems have frustrated players, and the game's always-online requirement means that even people who want to play solo are having trouble getting into the game. The net result: A disastrous «mostly negative» user rating on Steam, where 68% of the nearly 25,000 user reviews are now thumbs down.

After a rough weekend of server instability and matchmaking problems, Payday 3 publisher Starbreeze Entertainment has issued a public statement about what went wrong that might just cheer players up a bit. In an apparent attempt to staunch the flow of blood from the near-mortal wounds inflicted by server issues, Starbreeze has done what any right-minded company would do and implied that it was somebody else’s fault.

A ransomware group has claimed to have hacked Sony, and is now trying to sell data stolen from the company.

Ransomware group Ransomed.vc claims to have successfully breached Sony Group and is threatening to sell a cache of data stolen from the Japanese company.

Payday 3 launched four days ago, but you'll be lucky if you've played a handful of heists thanks to all the server issues. Granted, the game has bots, so you can at least play by yourself, right? Unfortunately, no. Payday 3 is always online, so if the servers are down, you're completely locked out of the game.

After being removed earlier this year, MultiVersus has reappeared on the PlayStation Store, just as the game's director teases that it has been a "good day".

Payday 3 launched earlier this week. As reported back in July, it requires players to connect to a server even if they're playing solo or with a few friends in a private match.

Sea of Thieves is lining things up for the launch of its 10th season next month, with a multi-month rollout of new features including guilds, a new world event type and a way to play without being attacked by other players.

As Microsoft marches toward a new deadline for its planned acquisition of Activision, the company stumbled into an unexpected setback of its own making.

Some good news from RazerCon 2023: everyone's favorite snake-themed hardware company announced a new software suite, including a new and improved Razer Synapse. The company promises that its hardware configuration software will be «Faster, smoother, smarter» than ever. 

Five and a half years and endless requests from the community later, Rare has announced it'll finally be adding private servers to Sea of Thieves — meaning a single crew of up to four players can explore the world without fear of PvP encounters — starting this December, as part of the multiplayer pirate adventure's Season 10.

The developer behind Party Animals has clarified the confusion around its seemingly absent offline mode.

It’s the end of an era — the original Call of Duty: Warzone (which was relaunched and renamed to Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera last year) is being shut down permanently today (September 21). 

Party Animals, previously one of the most wishlisted games on Steam, has come under fire since its release earlier this week, with scores of players calling out developer Recreate Games for what they say was false advertising.

Baldur's Gate 3patch 3 has received a short delay and will now be released on September 22.

Activision will shut down the original Call of Duty Warzone this Thursday, September 21.

Activision will shut down the original Call of Duty Warzone this Wednesday, September 21.

The recently-launched chaotic co-op game Party Animals already has a lot of concurrent players on Steam, but that hasn't stopped it from getting 'Mostly Negative' reviews. 

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Earlier today, a massive amount of information was leaked through documents surrounding the Microsoft-FTC case. Now, Xbox head Phil Spencer has issued a response.

Smart devices maker HTech will target major cities of Uttar Pradesh in the first phase to market its smartphone, HONOR 90 5G, which it launched in the state on Monday.

It is that time of the year! All football fans are looking forward to the launch of the EA Sports FC 24. If the name struck you as strange, that is because this is the first year when the game will be released without the FIFA tag. Although the name has changed, the game is the same and millions of people play it every year counting both the offline and online versions. This year again, the game will be available in two different editions — Standard and Ultimate. So, let us take a look at what's new in this year's game, the prices for different editions, and the release date and time.

Larian Studios has suggested that anyone experiencing "sudden crashes" while playing Baldur's Gate 3 on PS5 take their consoles offline as a workaround while it investigates the root cause of the error, which appears to be tied to the PlayStation Network.

Baldur's Gate 3 players on PS5 are reporting crashes and some save files not loading altogether, as an apparent issue with PSN seems to be interfering with the game. Until this is fixed, Larian Studios recommends that players turn the Wi-Fi connection off on their consoles, playing offline for the time being.

Looking for all Fatalities and how to do them in Mortal Kombat 1? Fatalities are the grisly finishing moves in NetherRealm Studios' fighting franchise, and performing them either online or offline is a huge part of uber-popular property's appeal. On this page, as part of our Mortal Kombat 1 guide, we're going to list all Fatalities and how to do them.

Don’t worry, Cult of the Lamb isn’t getting deleted. Massive Monster, which developed the game, jokingly posted to X last week that it’s taking the game offline on Jan. 1, when Unity’s new, wildly unpopular install-based fees are set to launch. Even Unity itself was seemingly concerned: It replied on X that it was “working to clarify specifics.”

The CBSE CTET Answer Key 2023 will soon be available on the official website, ctet.nic.in. You can check and download it from there. Additionally, the CBSE will likely provide the candidates' response sheets. You can also challenge or raise objections against the answer key through a special window on the website within a specific time frame.

This morning, Unity Technologies announced an update to its pricing plans and fees that sparked a bit of an outcry among developers. Unity says that, starting on January 1 of 2024, the company will introduce a new runtime fee based on game installs for any game that passes certain thresholds.

A cyberattack against MGM Resorts International has caused an outage across numerous hotels in Las Vegas that’s preventing some guests from entering their rooms with digital keys. 

I didn’t need to play much of Mario Kart Tour to find out it’s not for me: but even if you’re still enjoying it, the race is coming to an end in the near future. According to a new in-game notification straight from Nintendo (via OatmealDome), new content for Mario Kart Tour will cease to come out from October 4, 2023 onward.

A GTA 6 leaker just suffered the might of a Rockstar copyright claim, but the developer apparently forgot to take down one screenshot.

The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell is starting the registration process for the third round of Maharashtra NEET UG Counselling 2023 on September 9. If you want to take part in this round for the National Eligibility Entrance Test for Undergraduate courses in Maharashtra, you can register on the official website at cetcell.net.in.

In a recent case of online job scam, a young engineering graduate named K Harshavardhan from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, lost a staggering Rs. 20 lakh while searching for employment. Harshavardhan had just completed his engineering degree and was eager to kickstart his career. He turned to the internet for job opportunities and joined a Telegram group called "Developer Professionals" on the advice of his friend Krishna Chaitanya Reddy. This group claimed to help young people find software jobs.

Toyota was forced to stop production at 12 car assembly plants late last month because a server ran out of disk space.

Jagex and Flying Wild Hog have announced that the online title Space Punks will be sunsetting on November 6.

New and returning Disney Plus subscribers in the U.S. can get three months of the ad-supported version of Disney Plus, also known as <a href=«https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/482924/564546/9358?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F%3Fcid%3DDSS-Search-Google-71700000070655584-%26s_kwcid%3DAL%218468%213%21610598193342%21e%21%21g%21%21disney%2520plus%26gclid%3DCjwKCAjwo9unBhBTEiwAipC113T0vAoZcs1K2rL1fOoQToYAEAsuRDuBvNk1y_y1Fj-KliPLSob1PhoCbaQQAvD_BwE%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds&sharedid=polygon.com» rel=«sponsored nofollow noopener» target="_blank" has-subtag=«true» data-cdata='{«rewritten_url»:«https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/482924/564546/9358?subId2=[]pl[p]23624409[m]m-placeholder[s]s-placeholder[t]w[c]c-placeholder[r]r-placeholder[d]d-placeholder\u0026u=https://www.disneyplus.com/?cid=DSS-Search-Google-71700000070655584-\u0026s_kwcid=AL!8468!3!610598193342!e!!g!!disney%20plus\u0026gclid=CjwKCAjwo9unBhBTEiwAipC113T0vAoZcs1K2rL1fOoQToYAEAsuRDuBvNk1y_y1Fj-KliPLSob1PhoCbaQQAvD_BwE\u0026gclsrc=aw.ds\u0026sharedid=polygon.com»,«subtag_max_length»:99,«subtag_delim_length»:2,«subtag_key»:«subId2»,«subtag_data»:{«subId2»:"[]pl[p]23624409[m]m-placeholder[s]s-placeholder[t]w[c]c-placeholder[r]r-placeholder[d]d-placeholder",«u»:«https://www.disneyplus.com/?cid=DSS-Search-Google-71700000070655584-\u0026s_kwcid=AL!8468!3!610598193342!e!!g!!disney%20plus\u0026gclid=CjwKCAjwo9unBhBTEiwAipC113T0vAoZcs1K2rL1fOoQToYAEAsuRDuBvNk1y_y1Fj-KliPLSob1PhoCbaQQAvD_BwE\u0026gclsrc=' https:>Disney Plus Basic

If you want to extend your PS Plus membership to any one of the service's three tiers (Essential, Extra, Premium), then today is your last chance to do so before Sony's controversial price increase comes into effect. 12-month subscriptions are increasing by as much as £20 / $40 tomorrow, making today the last opportunity to stack your subscription to cover the years ahead.