Online News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Nearly two years after the rumor shared by Jason Schreier, developer Hangar 13 (Mafia III, Mafia Definitive Edition) is almost ready to release Top Spin 2K25, the first new entry in the beloved tennis franchise since 2011's Top Spin 4.

Standing Stone Gamesreleased a new update for The Lord of the Rings Online’s earlier this week and unlocked tier 4 of The Depths of Mâkhda Khorbo raid.

GTA 5 continues to captivate gamers worldwide, with its vast world offering more than meets the eye. Amidst the hustle and bustle of San Andreas, there lie secret spots waiting to be explored.

At this point, most of us have some kind of VPN installed on our home PCs. Once the sole preserve of the nerdiest and most paranoid internet users, VPNs are now entirely commonplace. 

A professional Call of Duty player has been permanently banned for using game-breaking tools to unlock camos and skins on their account. Player Abuzah revealed the news of the ban online, admitting to using illegal tools to unlock items in the game. This news comes as Activision and Call of Duty developers turn up the heat on cheaters and boosters.

Earlier this week, the servers supporting online services for all 3DS and Wii U games met their end. Although it's a sad time for anyone who has a place in their heart for the games affected, the community efforts that have followed since are so wholesome that it almost makes the whole thing worth it. Tributes have been flooding in to honor the fallen online modes, and a dedicated subsection of fans are somehow still holding on as the last survivors of the official servers.

This GeForce NOW Thursday is headlined by the addition of Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, which celebrate the release of the TV series adaptation (available now for streaming on Prime Video).

Star Wars Outlaws players will need to have an online connection to install the physical version of the game.

Epic Games has made some changes to Fortnite, removing the game's item rarity system.

While the final days of the Nintendo 3DS might have been a long time coming, that doesn’t take away the sting that comes with the final step of ending a generation of consoles.

The Nintendo Wii U and 3DS stores have recently closed just earlier this week. It was a sad day for many as these consoles were the beginning of an amazing era of video gaming and now it is time to let it go and we begin a new. With the Nintendo Switch, it is one of the biggest and most popular consoles from Nintendo, which has led the company to so many cool things, it is still sad to watch older consoles die.

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle edition is the definitive way to experience the essential kart racer, as you’ll get the base game and all of its post-launch Booster Course Pack racers and tracks in a single package. Normally available for $84.98, this bundle is currently on sale for just $64.98 at Amazon and Walmart. That’s just $5 more than what you’d normally pay for the base game.

Wizard of Legend 2, a follow-up to one of my favorite roguelikes of 2018 which is in the works at a new dev collaborating with the original creators, was one of the high points of today's Triple-I indie showcase. We got a fresh look at the sequel's updated 3D art style and co-op, and so far it looks like a solid homage to what made the first game great.

Folks, we thought this day may never come, but it's here. The official Helldivers 2 freestyle rap, which was tragically cut from the full version of the game, has surfaced online thanks to a behind-the-scenes video from Goodbye Kansas Studios – the team behind the shooter's iconic opening cinematic.

The DCU's upcoming Superman movie has got a new logo – and while it's not been officially rolled out online yet, it was seen by CinemaCon attendees during the movie's presentation.

Yesterday saw Nintendo shutdown their online servers for the Wii U and 3DS consoles, cutting off any and all games from any kind of online functionality. But now Pretendo, the community-created replacement network, has announced a new hackless way of getting back online. No Wii U hacking, no Wii U homebrew, no Wii U custom firmware, just some DNS tweaks to the network settings.

Earlier this week, we saw what was essentially the death of two beloved consoles, as Nintendo finally shut down the online services for both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, leaving several games either obsolete or without online multiplayer. Games such as the first Splatoon, Mario Maker, Mario Kart, and plenty more were left practically unplayable, or were severely impacted by the shutdown, but it turns out there may be a glimmer of hope for those wanting to jump into a game.

The Pretendo Network, an open-source Nintendo Network alternative, no longer requires a hacked Wii U console. With Nintendo’s servers for the obsolete console shutting down on Monday, the Pretendo Network shared a new workaround that provides (limited) access to its homebrew servers without jailbreaking your dusty old console.

Yesterday was a sad day for 3DS and Wii U players as the online services went down for both of them. This is something that sadly happens with each console as they get older and age, especially with Nintendo – it just seems to always happen way too soon. With the Nintendo Switch already almost a decade old, we knew we’d watch the other consoles fall before a new one could go live, hopefully in 2025.

Star Wars Outlaws might be one of Ubisoft's most highly anticipated single-player games in a while, but you’ll still need an internet connection to install it.

Today, Hangar 13 shared a lot of new details on the main modes fans will find in Top Spin 2K25. Everything starts in the Top Spin Academy, where they'll be able to master core gameplay mechanics guided by the voice of John McEnroe. The tennis icon will lead players through Basic Lessons on fundamentals such as positioning, timing and shot selection, followed by Advanced Lessons focused on power serves, lob shots and more, and ending with Playstyle Lessons that show off the strengths and weaknesses of various playstyles players can chose to apply when building their custom MyPLAYER.

It’s never easy saying goodbye, but video game consoles aren’t people, animals or favourite stuffed toys, so why get upset about it? With the closure of the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS online servers overnight, Nintendo has carved another date into their respective headstones, cutting them off from multiplayer gaming and pretty much any kind of online experiences for the remainder of their usable lives. There’s a reason it hurts, but it almost certainly isn’t because you were still playing on them every day. This is the loss of childhood, the loss of communities and the loss of experiences that you still cherish. This is getting older, and let’s face it, it sucks.

EA and DICE have confirmed that Season 7 of Battlefield 2042 will be its last, with the companies looking forward to “what comes next” for the Battlefield franchise. That will no doubt be another big blockbusting online shooter, but Motive Studio will be creating a new team for Battlefield at their studio.

Co-op horror title Content Warning was the fifth biggest seller on Steam last week.

A brand-new Helldivers 2 patch has been rolled out to improve stability and add a new UI feature. 

AI roundup: With preference for online exams growing, an online assessment solutions company announced its AI-powered remote proctored exam platform to eliminate the chances of cheating. In other news, South Korea is planning to invest over $7 billion in AI to retain its name as a leading semiconductor chip provider. Know about more such AI news from today, April 9,  in our roundup. 

It's truly the end of an era for Nintendo fans, as online services for 3DS and Wii U have finally shut down. With it, we say goodbye to online multiplayer for the likes of Splatoon, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Pokemon X and Y, and Xenoblade Chronicles X, with everything shutting off for good at 5pm PT/8pm ET yesterday (or 1am GMT this morning for UK folks). 

A modded Nintendo Switch OLED can run some games at higher resolution, even 4K resolution, and better performance, as showcased by a video shared online a few days ago.

After the pandemic, our working culture and environment have changed drastically. We have shifted to a more modern or digital world where we are working in a remote or hybrid setup. Therefore, our ways of working and communicating have also changed. We have been introduced to online meeting tools through this change, but this also has its challenges, and keeping notes about each meeting is difficult with several tasks piling up at the same time. Therefore, to improve meeting productivity, Otter AI, an AI meeting assistant allows users to take meeting notes in seconds. Know more about the app and how it works. 

Online multiplayer on all Wii U and 3DS games has come to an end, as Nintendo shuts down the servers for good. This makes it impossible to use online functionality in games such as Pokemon X & Y, Splatoon, Mario Kart 8, and Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS - at least while using conventional means.

After spending over five years as a PC and Xbox exclusive, Microsoft recently announced that Rare’s well-liked online pirate game Sea of Thieves is setting sail to PlayStation 5 (along with a handful of other previously-exclusive titles). The game arrives in Sony’s harbours later this month, but those who want to try the game out early on PS5 will be able to jump into the game’s open beta this week!

Following Embracer Group’s sale of Gearbox Entertainment, Gearbox Publishing has rebranded to Arc Games. The newly minted label will handle publishing for Hyper Light Breaker when it launches, as well as other Gearbox projects.

We knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye. Nintendo shut down the online servers for both the Wii U and 3DS today. This means the end of online multiplayer gaming for both consoles, turning Mario Kart 7 for 3DS and the original Splatoon for the Wii U into single player or couch co-op experiences. The first Super Mario Maker is also effectively dead, as there’s no way to browse for and download player-created levels.

After nearly seven years of activity across PlayStation 4 and PS5, the PlayStation Tournaments platform is getting its first branded competition, and the name at the top of the screen is smothered in tomatillo-red chili salsa. The Chipotle Challenger Series featuring Tekken 8 will kick off on PS5 Tournaments with a qualifier round from April 15 to 26, open to anyone who wants to test their fighting-game skills — or just score some free snacks. All participants in the qualifier round will receive a code for free chips and guacamole from Chipotle. According to the company's official rules, the freebie must be redeemed alongside a full-priced entrée item, purchased online or in-app only. Also, the offer expires on May 31. But, hey, there's still a clear path to free chips and guac via Tekken 8 playtime here.

Following the demise of the popular Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu, several other projects based on it began development, and one of them, Sudachi, was recently updated to support the console's home menu.

There are a lot of gaming laptop deals online, but not all of them will get you a dependable device for a reasonable price. To help you narrow down your options, here’s one of the best ones we’ve come across recently — the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 at $430 off from Best Buy, which brings its price down to $1,050 from $1,480 originally. We’re not sure how much time is remaining before this bargain gets taken down though, so if you think this is the perfect gaming laptop for you, proceed with the purchase right now so that you don’t miss out on the savings.

Nintendo shut down its Wii U eShop in March 2023 and will shut down the console’s online functionality today, April 8. Originally released in 2012, Nintendo’s Switch predecessor is officially being powered off. Yes, Wii U owners can still play games offline — and participate in the active Wii U modding scene — but Nintendo will finally be wiping its hands clean of its worst-selling console ever. (Nintendo sold just over 13 million Wii U consoles, at least one of which was purchased last year.)

A new Horizon Forbidden West comparison video shared online over the weekend highlights the improvements brought by the latest version of NVIDIA DLSS.

While sharing the plans on the P series, Realme India business strategy lead, Tarini Prasad Das told reporters that in 2024, the company aims to achieve the 50 million smartphones sales cumulatively under its partnership with Flipkart.

ZeniMax Online has recently started its celebration of the 10th anniversary of Elder Scrolls Online with an event in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

A Crash Team Racing unofficial PC port is currently in the works, and its development has been confirmed to be 70% complete in a new video shared online a few days back.

Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for April 8: Online gaming is booming, especially among young people. From kids to adults, everyone's hooked on these games. Today, let's dive into one of these online adventures and explore its special codes. Garena Free Fire MAX is a thrilling multiplayer battle royale game. Here, players get to flaunt their gaming skills and take on opponents from around the globe. In the world of Free Fire MAX, players often find themselves in need of various in-game treasures like diamonds, pets, cool skins, and unique outfits.

An official Pokemon account has put together a video promoting the Nintendo 3DS, just hours before the servers are taken down. The video makes no mention of this, simply showing off a Pokemon-themed 3DS at an event this weekend, as if it isn't about to lose access to all of its online functionality.

One of Fallout's showrunners has acknowledged concerns that Amazon Prime Video is a poor fit for the series. Speaking with TheGamer, Graham Wagner says he's aware that Fallout has always had an "anti-cooperate" energy, but adds that this irony was "part of the appeal".

 In a quirky turn of events, Blinkit, the quick-commerce platform, has stirred a wave of laughter across the internet. Following their partnership with Sony for the swift delivery of PlayStation 5 (PS5) Slim editions and controllers in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru within just 10 minutes, an unexpected demand from a user caught everyone's attention, including Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa.

With eyes as round as grapes and lips too small to do anything but pout, Blythe dolls look like sullen angels. Those haunted stares work to their advantage in a crowded market; Blythes have spent the past 23 years charming a dedicated group of primarily female fans, many of whom pour thousands of dollars into customizing their toys.

Earlier this year, The Elder Scrolls Online announced that it had made more than $2 billion in customer spend, and its studio director says that figure got highlighted partly to help shine a light on that game's ongoing success.

Most people don't talk on the phone or get calls as much as they once did, but spam and unknown calls are rampant. Thankfully, Google is busy testing a new "Lookup" feature on Pixel phones, allowing users to search various apps and services to try and identify a number.

The Elder Scrolls Online tells the story of the Three Banner War, as all sides of Tamriel fight for the throne in Cyrodiil, the heart of the empire. So, the game brings us back to a good chunk of the same land we explored in Oblivion, this time in the second era.

The PS5 Slim just launched in India on April 5 and a homegrown quick-commerce service is already delivering the console to customers within just 10 minutes. The online retailer is shipping both the digital and disc variants of the PS5 Slim.

The Elder Scrolls Online is celebrating its tenth anniversary over the next year, and the game has changed a lot in that decade. One Tamriel opened up every zone to every level, making it so that you could travel the world at your leisure without ever feeling underpowered, and countless expansions have launched that introduced entirely new modes and mechanics, shifting up the meta, combat, and ways in which you can conquer the endgame.

Back in October 2023, the announcement was released that the time for the 3DS and Wii U to die is here…and it is quite sad. On Monday, April 8, 2024 Nintendo is shutting down the online servers for both the consoles as they have aged over time, leaving the Nintendo Switch as the last console to have internet connection as of right now.

If you’re into HUNTER×HUNTER and play Puzzle & Dragons, then I have some good news for you. These two are collaborating again on the global version of the game. Yes, the Puzzle & Dragons x HUNTER×HUNTER crossover kicks off today and runs until April 22nd.

Earlier this year, ZeniMax revealed Elder Scrolls Online had registered over 24 million accounts since its launch. The game is also closing in on $2 billion in customer spending. It was nominated for a BAFTA award last year, and the studio says it is the largest cross-platform RPG on consoles.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is currently embroiled in a hacker problem that has resulted in unreleased skins, seasons, and even playable characters leaking online.

The Elder Scrolls Online is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, and as the MMO approaches that milestone, its developers say they understand that a Final Fantasy 14-style technological overhaul could prove important.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf players are working together to do everything they need to before Nintendo shuts down the life sim's online servers. 

The latest Horizon Forbidden West patch brings improved CPU optimization and better performance in certain scenarios, judging from a new comparison video shared online.

Outspoken Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada has made a bold claim that is unlikely to ruffle any feathers in the broader audience: younger gamers prefer team-based games because they can blame, at least partially, any losses on their teammates rather than having to take sole responsibility for losing on themselves.

The Elder Scrolls Online is officially ten years old today. Its original PC release came on the 4th April 2014, and the PS4 version arrived just over a year later, in June 2015. As we all know, keeping a live game going for even just a couple of years can be difficult, so to reach an entire decade is incredibly impressive.

The Elder Scrolls Online's Matt Firor considers Skyrim, which launched before ESO while the MMO was still in development, "very much a virtual world game just centered around one player." I know this because he told me as much during our interview at Game Developers Conference (GDC) back in March. He also says that the launch of Skyrim had an absolutely massive effect on ESO and ultimately led to radical changes.

Monolith's scrapped Batman game that eventually became the best Lord of the Rings game has resurfaced online, 10 years later. 

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.

If you’re looking to add more to your GTA Online experience, Rockstar’s premium subscription service GTA Plus might just be for you.

Attention Gran Turismo drivers! We’re excited to announce details of the Gran Turismo World Series 2024. Gear up and get ready for another nail-biting season as we start a new format – The Nations Cup and Manufacturers Cup will feature six rounds of Online Qualifiers each.* The best players will progress to four live rounds with spectators, culminating in the World Finals

Today, NVIDIA announced that ZeniMax Online's MMORPG Elder Scrolls Online (which celebrates its 10th anniversary today and will soon release the new Gold Road Chapter) is now available to play via the GeForce NOW cloud platform, though only for Steam and Epic Games Store users. We've inquired as to whether there are plans to support the ESO Launcher, the most popular way to play Elder Scrolls Online. Anyway, Priority and Ultimate users can also take advantage of the game's built-in NVIDIA DLSS and DLAA features (the game was the first to add DLAA two and a half years ago).

Siren OTT release: Waiting to watch a thrilling and action-packed movie? The month of April has several OTT releases in store for the viewers. OTT films enable viewers to enjoy the action from the comfort of their homes. Recently, a Tamil action film named Siren made its theatrical debut on 16 February 2024, and received mixed reviews. Now, the film is set to make its  OTT debut as the release date has finally been announced. Know more about the Siren OTT release date, cast, plot, and more

The teams behind The Elder Scrolls 6 and The Elder Scrolls Online work as "equal partners" and share lore responsibilities.

Rockstar Games has revealed that GTA Online will be getting a "big" update later this year, and fans think that it's the perfect time for Michael de Santa to return.

Final Fantasy 14's eagerly anticipated crossover event with Final Fantasy 16 has begun. While there's a cool quest to complete, a Torgal mount to obtain, and more, it's one Clive Rosfield who's proving a hit with the community—his rippling biceps, to be more exact. 

If you've been playing Elden Ring, you'll know that its online multiplayer component – where you can read messages from other players and even summon them for boss battles – is a big part of the fun. But this does mean that there are Elden Ring servers that need to remain healthy in order for the game to stay online.

Premalu OTT release: Are you a fan of fun-loving romantic comedy movies and web series? If yes then, Girish A.D.'s new film named “Premalu” which will tell the tale of Sachin who is confused between two potential lovers, might be the one for you. Based on the trailer, the film will provide viewers with lots of punchy comedy lines and a hint of romance to keep you hooked till the end. The good news is that the Premalu OTT release date has been announced, which means you can watch this film from the comfort of your own home. Know more about Premalu, its cast, plot, and more.

Rockstar introduced its own subscription service in 2022, GTA Plus. Designed for dedicated players of GTA Online, GTA Plus gets subscribers monthly in-game rewards and exclusives. Rockstar also added a few older GTA games, including the remastered trilogy, which subscribers can play for no additional cost. Despite its name, that library was expanded beyond GTA alone last week as Rockstar added Red Dead Redemption. It won't be stopping there either and has now announced plans to add even more big names from its back catalog.

Helldiver's 2's latest, most relentless campaign continues as «Operation Swift Disassembly» develops. This time, the mission objective is nothing less than the complete eradication of the Automatons for good. And while the war is still far from over, lovers of liberty can sleep soundly tonight, comforted by the joyous news that Malevelon Creek is finally free of the machine menace.

Rockstar has announced its GTA+ subscription service will be further bolstered later this year with the inclusion of L.A. Noire and Bully. The £4.99 / $5.99 per month membership is primarily for GTA Online players, handing them more cash and bonus items. However, with the PS4 version of the original Red Dead Redemption recently being put on the service, Rockstar is looking to expand its offerings even further.

The US Federal Trade Commission has denied an attempt to add facial age estimation technology to the list of acceptable forms of obtaining parental consent for collecting kids' information under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

I’ve got some sad news for fans of Noah’s Heart: Archosaur Games has announced that the MMORPG will end its service on April 29, 2024. While it captured the imagination initially, it seems like the spark faded.

Rockstar has announced plans to add Bully and LA Noire to GTA+ later in 2024.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire sees the two titular kaiju go up against the Skar King, a dangerous villain with his sights set on the human world. But, there are some other monsters in the mix – and a back-up plan if one in particular couldn't return. Beware, the following will contain major spoilers for the movie, so turn away now if you're not up to date! 

World of Warcraft franchise director John Hight says Blizzard Entertainment isn't using generative AI in the massively multiplayer online game (MMO).