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USB connectors are the universal standard not just for computer peripherals, but for charging most phones, tablets, and small devices. It's hard to remember a world without USB, which debuted almost exactly 25 years ago, on January 15, 1996.

The reminder comes courtesy of How-To Geek, which has published an in-depth feature on the history of the USB and its development. It's a reminder of how complicated, difficult to set up, and even expensive computer ports could be before the USB, or Universal Series Bus, became the standard for connecting a mouse, keyboard, game controller, or any number of computer peripherals that adopted the technology.

USB was a truly universal effort, emerging as a collaboration between multiple big tech names: Intel, Microsoft, IBM, Compaq, Digital Equipment Corporation, NEC, and Northern Telecom. Adoption of the tech wasn't immediate, and many attribute its eventual success to Apple's release of the iMac in 1998, which was the first PC to ditch legacy ports and only support USB.

A lawsuit filed in 2019 by Niantic Inc has reached a settlement, with hacking group Global++ agreeing to pay out $5 million to the Pokemon Go developer. As reported by Polygon, the rogue developers created and sold hacked versions of Pokémon Go, Ingress, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite that gave players the ability to spoof their GPS locations and use features like "auto-walk."

After ignoring a number of cease and desist letters, Global++ had a lawsuit filed against it in mid-2019, after which a number of its social media and online presences went dark. In the original filing, Niantic alleged that the hacker group had made millions by selling "hundreds of thousands of subscriptions" to apps based on Niantic's original code.

In the settlement details, Global++ was found to have accessed and used Niantic's map data, and profited from the process by selling access to its programs through a subscription model. The defendants admitted to a number of breaches of federal law, including copyright infringement and violations of California's Computer Data Access and Fraud Act.

Cyberpunk 2077 is available now and, if you can get the game to run on your system, it tells a complete story. However, CD Projekt Red has DLC planned for the open-world RPG, and earlier said this content was planned for early this year. With the game's troubled launch, which even included it being pulled from the PlayStation Store, that timetable now looks unlikely. But just when will we get Cyberpunk 2077 DLC?

When will Cyberpunk 2077 DLC release?

In a post on the game's official website in January 2020, CD Projekt Red outlined a new roadmap for Cyberpunk 2077 in 2021. This roadmap still has free DLC releasing in 2021, but the studio says it wants to address the most pressing issues with Cyberpunk 2077 before it moves onto this content. More information is going to be shared "in the coming months," but there isn't a firm timetable for a release date.

The post also lists the free next-gen updates on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 as coming out after this DLC. If you're waiting for those versions before you play Cyberpunk 2077 at all, that should at least mean all the free DLC will be available by the time those versions are out.

Cyberpunk 2077 has been available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC since December 2020, offering the full single-player Night City experience with Keanu Reeves, tons of side missions, and nearly as many bugs. Despite the game's rough edges, it's a fascinating look at the future, and CD Projekt Red has promised there will also be a Cyberpunk multiplayer experience eventually. But just when will we be able to play this, and what will it include?

When is Cyberpunk 2077 getting multiplayer?

If you were hoping to play a Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer experience soon, then we have some bad news for you: The experience likely isn't going to release until at least 2022. Though it's already playable at CD Projekt Red, significant development time remains on the project and it's being developed separately from the main game. Despite this, it will be available for free to anyone who bought Cyberpunk 2077.

Prior to Cyberpunk 2077's release, CD Projekt Red said that news on the multiplayer component would come in the first quarter of 2021. Given the problems the game has had since launch and the development timeline for other elements, such as post-launch DLC, this could also be the case for any announcements. With all eyes on the studio, it won't want to look like it's already thinking about future content if what's already there isn't working properly.

The Persona train isn't stopping anytime soon with the upcoming Persona 5 Strikers launching next month. After getting hands-on with the game, I'm mostly impressed with its shift to Warriors-style action combat and happy to be with its familiar cast of characters again for a new journey. In my Persona 5 Strikers preview, I detailed the new storyline, quirks of the revamped battle system, and the ways in which it's a lighter approach to the original game.

However, I still need room to highlight the little things that I love about the game so far--from the incredible music and flashy menus to great subtle characterizations and cutscenes. These elements have helped elevate the experience beyond a mere hack-and-slash adaptation thus far, and also remind us why we love the original game to begin with. If you want a detailed breakdown of the game’s early-goings, be sure to watch our in-depth discussion below.

New Music Worthy Of Praise

I feel like I've written about Persona soundtracks and the work of Atlus' sound team many times already, but Persona 5 Strikers gives me plenty of reasons to do it again. With folks like Atsushi Kitajoh and Gota Masuoka working with the acid jazz and hard rock foundation set by Shoji Meguro, we have more songs to jam out to.

The Nintendo Switch remains an extremely hot console--figuratively, of course--nearly four years after its launch, and this is especially true in Japan. The console appears to have accounted for a remarkable 87% of all consoles sold in the country during 2020, even with the launch of two newer systems at the end of the year.

According to Famitsu and shared via GamesIndustry.biz, about 6.85 million consoles were sold in Japan during the year--that's all game consoles put together. Of those, 5.9 million were either the Nintendo Switch or the Switch Lite, while the PS4 and PS5 combined to sell about 798,000 units. This leaves very little room for other consoles to reach that 6.85 million number, and with the Xbox brand not having much weight in Japan, that's to be expected.

Of course, new systems have been extremely limited due to supply shortages and the effects of the pandemic, as well. As they become more widely available in 2021, the Nintendo dominance in Japan would get slightly less ridiculous.

Update: IO Interactive now says PC players who own Hitman and Hitman 2 will indeed be able to access the games' content for free in Hitman 3. However, in Hitman 2's case, it won't be ready quite yet, with the developer saying it will happen in "the coming weeks."

Original story follows ...

Hitman 3 is offering players the chance to play the entire "World of Assassination" trilogy within one game client, with levels from the first two games available for import. This content is free to those who bought the console games, but it's going to cost you if you plan to play on PC. Luckily, that cost isn't that high.

In the wake of the tumultuous launch of Cyberpunk 2077, several CD Projekt Red employees have spoken out about the game's development and how it could have been released in such a rough, unfinished state. The problems appear to stem not only from unrealistic development expectations, but also a marketing campaign that seemed destined to over-promise on the final product.

Speaking to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, an anonymous member of the Cyberpunk 2077 development team said a major issue stemmed from the game's engine being created simultaneously with the game. They likened it to putting down tracks in front of a moving train to keep it from crashing, instead of building the track first. The game's development didn't begin in earnest until around 2016, despite being announced several years earlier, as most of CD Projekt Red continued work on The Witcher 3. The Witcher 3 is also getting a free next-gen upgrade for those who own the game on Xbox One and PS4, potentially pulling developers away from Cyberpunk.

A gaming chair is one of the best investments you can make when it comes to your setup. Gaming chairs are specifically made for comfort, with an ergonomic shape designed to help reduce stress on your body while sitting for long durations. While there are plenty of gaming chairs out there across a huge range of price points, the best gaming chair will feature a great blend of comfort, looks, and durability. We've compiled a list of the best gaming chairs that fit these requirements, from PC gaming chairs to office chairs and more.

After toiling in development for over seven years, the self-proclaimed "largest modification ever released for Fallout: New Vegas" is now live on PC, and it adds a bevy of new content.

Titled The Frontier, the community-created mod brings over 150 new weapons, three main quest lines (each totaling about 15 hours in length), and additional game mechanics such as driving, all set against the snowy backdrop of Portland, Oregon's ruins. The mod and all it's content is available for free for everyone who owns the base Fallout: New Vegas and its DLC.

In addition to the three new quests, the creators of The Frontier said that the mod also packages The New California Republic mission. While it's unclear if this quest is part of the three new missions or an additional one (making four new quests total for Fallout: New Vegas), the developers did confirm that The New California Republic sits at about 35 hours long.

We thought winter sales were over for PC games, but it looks like Humble isn't quite ready to say goodbye to the season of savings. The PC game retailer has kicked off the latest Humble Winter Sale, discounting hundreds of PC games up to 90% from now until January 28. The sale includes deals on various publisher catalogs, including the likes of Rockstar, 2K, and Sega.

Sega has a number of great discounts that you'll want to take advantage of if you're an RPG fan. Last year's excellent Yakuza: Like A Dragon is only $45. It was one of GameSpot's best games of 2020 and is well worth your time and money. Additionally, beloved JRPG Persona 4 Golden has been cut to $16.

After the wave of sexual harassment allegations that swept through the fighting game community last summer, the FGC has established a new code of conduct to create a more inclusive community for all current and prospective members.

The FGC doesn't have a governing document binding the disparate tournaments together. This new code of conduct, signed by video game attorney and prominent FGC member David "UltraDavid" Graham, is the first to attempt to meet that standard. And the community is encouraging all tournament goers and organizers to adopt the newly written code of conduct.

The guidelines are straightforward, with most violations focused on consent between individuals. Anyone who engages in abusive behavior--such as physical, verbal, emotional, suggested (i.e. making threats or using demeaning language), and the like--will be disciplined, likely in the form of temporary of permanent bans from online and in-person tournaments.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was undoubtedly one of the biggest game launches of last year, and its popularity isn't slowing down in 2021. To the joy of makeup-wearing Animal Crossing fans everywhere, Nintendo has announced an Animal Crossing: New Horizons collaboration with cosmetics brand ColourPop, and the collection looks as adorable as you'd expect. The Animal Crossing x ColourPop collection launches Thursday, January 28 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, and you can sign up to be notified at ColourPop.

The Animal Crossing ColourPop collection appears to include four different eyeshadow palettes, each with four different shades inspired by characters from the game. There's an Isabelle palette with warm pink and yellow shades; a cool purple palette inspired by the Able sisters; a silvery green palette featuring the Nooks; and a brown neutrals palette that's a nod to Blathers and Celeste. The shade names are all references to the game as well, like "Resident Rep," "Meteor Shower," and "Water Landing."

Respawn has snuck Kings Canyon back into Apex Legends for a limited time. And that's not all either, Apex Legends' original map seems to be the new home for The Mirage Voyage, which has parked in the empty crater where Skull Town used to be. If you want to see for yourself, you'll have to act fast--Kings Canyon will only remain in the rotation until January 21.

Kings Canyon was removed from Apex Legends' map rotation at the start of Season 7: Ascension, replaced by the battle royale's third map, Olympus. Season 7 saw the removal of The Mirage Voyage from World's Edge as well, the first town takeover to seemingly be removed from the game. Now we know better--it wasn't removed, it was just moved.

Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has provided an update on the status of the highly anticipated and long-in-development first-person horror survival title STALKER 2.

According to GSC Game World, STALKER 2 development is "progressing smoothy" on PC and Xbox Series X|S. While a release date has not been nailed down yet, the studio reiterated that STALKER 2 will hit Xbox Game Pass the same day it launches on both platforms.

GSC Game World's public relations specialist Zakhar Bocharov said the studio is "pleased to see" how well STALKER 2 is progressing and is confident about the experience being created.

In response to an increase in COVID-19 cases, Capcom has decided to cancel its flagship fighting game series, the Capcom Cup. However, the event is living on, in a way, through an online season of the Capcom Pro Tour to be held in February.

The Capcom Cup and the Street Fighter League World Championship were scheduled to take place in person February 19-21, but Capcom has canceled both events due to the health crisis.

"While we strongly believe that we could have executed a great event with limited risk to players, staff, and crew, we have reevaluated as the situation has evolved and the state of the global pandemic has heightened," Capcom said in its announcement.

Another weekend has arrived in Destiny 2, and so the Trials of Osiris are back for players who want to take on the game's toughest multiplayer challenge. As always, the rewards are great if you take on the Trials--this week, you can snag a bunch of different weapons and armor you can get anywhere else, particularly if you go Flawless.

Here's the Crucible map you'll face in Trials, plus all the rewards you can earn in this rotation. Trials ends with the weekly reset on January 19, so get your matches in or you'll have to wait for another weekend to roll around.

Trials of Osiris Map And Rewards (January 15-19)

• Map: Pacifica
• 3 wins -- Tomorrow's Answer, Void rocket launcher
• 5 wins -- Exile's Curse, Arc fusion rifle
• 7 wins -- Astral Horizon, Kinetic shotgun Flawless run -- Hunter, Warlock, or Titan Helmet: Hood, Cover, or Helm of the Exile
  • Adept Mod: Projectile Speed

For those who have never braved the Trials of Osiris and are unfamiliar with how it works, the multiplayer tournament only shows up on weekends and puts you into some of the Crucible's most challenging PvP battles. In the Trials, the challenge isn't just to win, but to go on winning streaks. Notch seven victorious matches without losing a single one and you'll earn what's known as a "Flawless" run. That gets you a trip to the Lighthouse--a special social space only accessible to players who go Flawless--and exclusive rewards and recognition. In the Beyond Light expansion, opening the Flawless chest earns you an "Adept" item, which comes with extra stat boosts unavailable on any other loot in the game, as well as powerful Adept mods that are likewise unavailable anywhere else.

Nintendo gave fans another look at New Pokemon Snap this week. In addition to announcing the game's release date, the company has shared a few more details about the title on its website, including its file size.

According to Nintendo's product page, New Pokemon Snap will weigh in at 6.8 GB. For comparison, Pokemon Sword and Shield each take up 11.3 GB of space on Switch, while the upcoming Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury only takes up 2.9 GB.

The product page also confirms that New Pokemon Snap is a single-player game. Despite this, it appears there will be some kind of online component; the page mentions that New Pokemon Snap supports Nintendo Switch Online and features "online play," although no other details were shared beyond that.

Microsoft is addressing a new Windows 10 exploit that can corrupt your hard drive with extreme ease, which could make it a nightmare for IT administrators globally. The exploit allows attackers to hide a single line of text in a file as innocent as a shortcut or zip file. What makes it so dangerous is that the file in question doesn't need to be explicitly interacted with--a user can simply open a folder with a compromised shortcut inside it for the exploit to be enacted.

The loophole was discovered by Security researcher Jonas L earlier in the week, before being corroborated by Will Dormann, a vulnerability analyst at the CERT Coordination Center. Dormann explained that the exploit has existed within Windows 10 for years already, citing other potential NTFS flaws that Microsoft has yet to address.

Thankfully, the exploit does sometimes trigger Windows' automatic chkdsk process, which will automatically repair the drive after a restart. The recovery process is far more complicated if this solution fails, which has been reported to be possible, meaning the attack is still very concerning for Microsoft.

A custom-made Xbox controller pokes a bit of self-deprecating fun at America's northern neighbor, Canada. The official Xbox Canada account shared an image of the controller clad in all denim, calling it the "Canadian Tuxedo."

The tweet says it's one-of-a-kind, so don't expect to buy this controller anytime soon. Still, it's a fun and cheeky look for the standard Xbox Series X controller, and even includes tiny little denim pockets for holding, presumably, strategic poutine reserves.

The "Canadian Tuxedo" is North American slang referring to a denim jacket with denim blue jeans. Those of us outside of Canada are only allowed to say it because the Xbox account said it first, so we're not technically making fun.

2021 has kicked off in earnest so the GameSpot After Dark crew are back with those sweet, sweet podcast you love so much. This week, Jake, Lucy, and Tamoor are joined by Gav Murphy of RKG fame. If you're not familiar with RKG, you should check out their superb work on YouTube and, if you're into it, support them on Patreon.

Lucy, Tamoor, and Gav go way back, so expect a fair bit of going off the rails as they catch up and have a good time chatting about whatever nonsense pops into their head, while Jake attempts to keep the conversation on track--bless him. They also talk about Bethesda's Indiana Jones game, as well as Ubisoft's newly announced Star Wars title.

Of course, there's also the regular listener question section. This week we talk about how we approach coverage of mobile games, and how the industry treats them as a whole, as well as Welsh video game characters.

Two months after the Xbox Series X and Series S launched, Microsoft's naming conventions for this console generation are still confusing for those outside the know or unfamiliar with the industry. But even prominent developers have a hard time wrapping their heads around Microsoft's new Xbox names, and Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares is one of them.

In an interview with IGN discussing Fares' ambitions and Hazelight's games, Fares delivered some choice words about the Xbox Series X|S, calling the names a "total f**king mess."

"That's a f**king confusing name," Fares said. "What the f**k's going on with Microsoft? They're losing it, man. What the f**k is going on? Like Series S, X, Mex, Next. I mean, who knows this? Come on. Madness. Call it the Microsoft Box and that's it. I don't know. It's a total f**king mess. Trust me, even them, they're confused in their offices. What is this X, S... I don't know, what the f**k."

The Last of Us and Uncharted developer Naughty Dog is apparently ramping up hiring for a new game, which is a project that executive Neil Druckmann is particularly excited about.

Druckmann said, "Come work with us! We're making something very cool!" He included the lips-sealed emoji with his message, referencing how he cannot share any more information.

Naughty Dog, which is based in Santa Monica, California, has more than two-dozen open positions across a variety of disciplines, including animation, art, game design, and production.

Only a couple of weeks remain in Destiny 2's Season of the Hunt, so if you're looking to wrap up your adventures on Europa or finish off the Wrathborn and the High Celebrant, you need to get on it. Xur's back in the solar system for the weekend and can help, providing a fresh stock of Exotic weapons and armor for your collection. Head to The EDZ, to the Winding Cove area, to find Xur this week. For his weapon, Xur is offering Arbalest. Hunters can pick up the Oathkeeper gauntlets; for Titans, there's the ACD/0 Feedback Fence gauntlets; and for Warlocks, Xur has The Stag helmet.

Xur Location

Spawn in at the Tower's central transmat zone to find Xur this week. When you load in, turn left and head down the stairs to the Hangar area. When you enter it, turn left and walk to the north end of the area, then take the stairs up to the catwalk. Xur is hanging out near the edge of the area, overlooking the Last City.

An upcoming update for Destiny 2 will be revamping the rewards system, which means a lot of changes to loot to make it more worthwhile to visit the Moon and the Dreaming City. As part of the changes, though, Bungie will be changing Crucible tokens, so be sure to cash those in while you can.

In a This Week At Bungie blog post, the studio detailed the changes to the reward progression, including Crucible tokens. Tucked away near the bottom of the explanation is a warning to use them or lose them before the new season begins, expected in February.

"Due to this automated progression, Crucible Tokens and Crucible Token Gifts are no longer needed and will be deprecated into junk that will delete as a full stack starting in Season 13," the blog notes. "So, cash those tokens in before the end of the Season, and get ready to earn some Masterwork materials!"

EA's Star Wars: Battlefront II is the latest free game on the Epic Games Store. The game's release has proven to be extremely popular, it seems, as EA has needed to introduce additional server capacity to accomodate the huge influx in players.

This has also led to some error messages. People booting up the game may have encountered the 623 or 918 errors, and EA is working to improve the stability of Battlefront II. "An incredible number of players have joined us during our Epic Games Store free week, and we're scaling up new servers to welcome you all to the Battlefront," EA said.

Separately, EA's community manager for the game apologized for the issues. "Apologies for the error messages," he wrote. "We've been working to scale up our capacity and are seeing some healthy recovery. We'll keep increasing and look forward to seeing you!"

The NPD Group has released its report for US video game sales for December 2020 and the full year, shining a light on which games, consoles, and accessories sold the best.

As predicted, Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was the top-selling game of 2020 during a banner year for games. Total spending on video games in the US--spanning games, consoles, accessories, and more--reached $56.9 billion, up 27% compared to 2019 and representing a new all-time high for spending in a year. December 2020 alone posted $7.7 billion in sales, which is up 25% compared to December 2019.

In terms of hardware, the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console in terms of units and dollar sales for December 2020 and the full year. The Switch's annual dollar sales in 2020 were the second highest for any platform in US history, only trailing 2008 when the sales of the Wii were higher.

The developers of the enduring MMO The Lord of the Rings Online have announced a variety of sales and discounts for the multiplayer game that are available for a limited time.

Now through January 21, players can save 20% on expansions, XP supply, skirmishes, and more. Here is a rundown of what's on sale during the promotional period:

• Expansions and Expansion Quests (In-Game Only)
• Enhanced XP Supply and Hornberg Token
• Skirmishes and Instances
• 100% Mark Acquisition Boosts

The Lord of the Rings Online was released in 2007 and it has received steady support over the years with numerous paid expansions and free updates. The game switched from a subscription model to free-to-play in 2010 and development on the game shifted from Turbine to Standing Stone Games, which is the current developer of the MMO.

It's the end of an era, at least formally. After having left the Halo series a decade ago to focus on Destiny, Bungie has now finally opted to close the Halo section of its website. When that happens, the stats and files you've accumulated across Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach will be lost to time unless you save them yourself.

The Halo section of Bungie.net will officially be taken offline for good on February 9, but the forums and articles posted before are now on the current version of the website and won't be taken offline. Current Halo games' stats are also available on the current Halo website, Halo Waypoint.

The news comes just a month after 343 Industries announced it would be ending Xbox 360 game services for Halo games at the end of 2021. This applies to Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 4, Halo: Reach, Halo: Spartan Assault, and Halo Wars. All of these games are playable on Xbox One via dedicated versions, so they'll still be available online, and the majority of them are included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Almost six years after its launch, Axiom Verge is getting its first piece of post-launch content--and it's free! The new content is a Randomizer Mode, which is currently live in beta for the PC version of the game. The mode will be released for consoles (also for free) at a later date.

Originally existing as an unofficial mod, Randomizer Mode has been worked on by Axiom Verge speedrunners NoReset Games, Chris Couture (aka VideoGameRoulette), Dimitrios Lianopoulos (GVirus), Mark Rawls (Willow), Lars Lehmann (Leemyy), and CrowdControl's Matthew Jakubowski (Jaku)--as well as the mod's creator, Pozzum, for years. Now, the mod is being officially implemented into the game.

"They spent years working on this and refused any compensation I offered," Axiom Verge developer Thomas Happ wrote in a blog post. "It was a labor of love, and I'm hugely grateful to all of them."

Gearbox Software has released the full patch notes for the latest update for Borderlands 3, now live in the game. The update adds a new limited-time mini-event called Supercharged Crystals and makes a few in-game quality-of-life adjustments.

Supercharged Crystals ensures that all the crystals in the Takedown of the Guardian Breach, an optional endgame mission, do not lose their charge after you move away from them. Normally, these crystals lose their charge when no one is charging them--only maintaining their charge once you've capped them off--and if any become completely empty, then you have to restart from a checkpoint.

So basically, this mini-event ensures you can't be wiped during the crystal charging parts of this Takedown, allowing you to more easily reach the next phase. For folks who haven't managed to beat Takedown of the Guardian Breach, this mini-event is the ideal time to try again. Supercharged Crystals ends on January 21 at 9AM PT / 12PM ET.

With the release of the Beyond Light expansion, Bungie removed several of Destiny 2's destinations. One of the major issues the game has faced since then, however, is that some of its remaining destinations aren't really worth visiting thanks to changes to its weapons system. Luckily, the next season of Destiny 2 will see that changed, with Bungie reworking its loot system to make the Dreaming City and the Moon into places you're going to want to go to shoot aliens.

Bungie ran down a bunch of changes to its loot system in its This Week at Bungie blog, detailing the changes it'll make to two of its destinations, and the high-level activities you can complete there. As it stands right now, weapons and armor earned from the Dreaming City and the Moon have caps placed on their Power levels, the numbers that determine how strong those pieces of gear can be (and, when averaged with the rest of your gear, how strong your character is overall). Not too long ago, Bungie instituted a time-based system to cap the Power levels of weapons and armor, so that it can slowly phase out old gear in favor of new stuff. Since the loot from the Dreaming City is from the Forsaken expansion and the Moon loot is from the Shadowkeep expansion, it's all old enough that it has reached its cap, thus making it effectively obsolete.

In its next content season, Bungie is tweaking rewards from those locations to make them viable again. Armor sets from the Dreaming City and the Moon are getting reissued, along with four guns from both locations. One of those guns at each location will only be accessible through dungeons, the Pit of Heresy and the Shattered Throne. Here's the rundown of loot changes:

The PS5 hasn't stayed on store shelves long, with stock depleting almost as quickly as it goes up. However, if you're a Sony Rewards member, you have another opportunity to snag the new console soon. Starting tomorrow, a limited number of PS5 units will be made available through the Sony Rewards website. The Sony Rewards Twitter account says it'll tweet out the direct link tomorrow, and we'll be sure to update this story when that happens.

It's free to sign up for Sony Rewards, though if you're a new user, you won't be able to get one of the consoles tomorrow. Every product on the Sony Rewards site is exchanged with points, meaning you'll need to have built up enough to claim one. To earn points, there are a number of things you can do. The first is make purchases with your Sony or PlayStation Visa credit card. You can also earn points by registering specific DVD and Blu-ray discs and uploading select movie tickets through the Sony Rewards app.

Blizzard is launching a major update for Battle.net, representing the biggest front-facing upgrade to the PC platform in years, according to the developer.

The upgrades, which have been available to beta testers for some time already, include things like an improved layout and navigation tools. Specifically, you can now "favorite" games and select how you want them to appear in your library.

The Battle.net 2.0 update also includes a "much more expansive layout" to help you catch up with news about your games more easily. The social plane has also been updated for greater visibility, while there are a number of accessibility improvements so you can quickly access many things on Battle.net with just the keyboard. The color contrast has been improved as well, as screen support has been updated, Blizzard said.

As of January 12, the online servers for the open-world action-RPG Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor have shut down, publisher WB Games confirmed on the game's support page.

WB Games cited "changes with our network" as the reason for Shadow of Mordor's servers to have gone offline. As a result, several online features, like Nemesis Forge and Vendetta missions, are no longer available on PC (via Steam), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Players familiar with the game's sequel, 2017's Middle-earth: Shadow of War, may recall the Nemesis Forge. A featured added to Shadow of Mordor shortly before Shadow of War launched, Nemesis Forge allowed players to import their most-hated nemesis and most-loyal ally from Mordor into War. This feature is offline now that the servers have shut down.

Looking for something new to play but don't want to spend any money? Microsoft has announced the latest additions to the Free Play Days promotion, and they include some big-name titles.

Now through Sunday, January 17, Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate members can play Star Wars: Squadrons, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Yooka-Laylee for the low, low price of $0.00.

To get started, you can queue up a download of each game through the Xbox website. You can also download the games on your Xbox by visiting the Subscriptions tab of the Xbox Store and then navigate to the Gold member area to find the Free Play Days library.

Nintendo has added a couple of new physical rewards to its My Nintendo loyalty program. My Nintendo members can now spend their points on a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate greeting card set or a Splatoon 2 keychain set.

The Smash Bros. greeting card set costs 400 Platinum points and is designed to resemble the series' signature invitation letter. The Splatoon 2 keychain set, meanwhile, costs 350 Platinum points and comes with keychains of the Super Mushroom and Super Star, the two Mario power-ups featured during this weekend's Mario-themed Splatfest.

Fans of real time strategy games can pick up Bomber Crew, a game about managing the inner workings of a World War 2 bomber, for free by subscribing to the Humble Bundle newsletter. The offer is only around for the next three days, so players will need to act quickly if they want to grab this freebie.

Visit Humble Bundle's official website, click on the banner on top, create an account, and enter your email in order to receive a copy of Bomber Crew. This offer will end on January 17, 2021 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.

Bomber Crew puts you in charge of various crews flying missions at the height of World War 2. You'll act as their invisible leader, giving engineers, gunners, and other crewmate's orders. The graphics may look charming, but there is a real challenge hidden behind Bomber Crew's colorful visuals.

A notoriously tricky "ultra-shortcut" in Mario Kart Wii has been performed by a human, after years of attempts. The shortcut is on the final track, Rainbow Road, and though players have known about its theoretical existence for almost five years, no one has been able to pull it off.

As noted on Reddit, streamer @ArthuurrrP is the first person to have performed the shortcut. You can see it in the streamed video below: The racer stops and turns their kart just after the starting line, then rides the railing and hops over to a piece of the track, bypassing most of Rainbow Road and going straight to the finish line. Total lap time: 22.5 seconds. Doing this successfully is said to have taken thousands of hours.

This is one of the "ultra-shortcuts" in Mario Kart Wii, and a 2018 video from Summoning Salt explains what makes it so rare and tricky. Mario Kart Wii uses a series of checkpoints to load in and make sure you've finished the entire track in sequence, so if you find a shortcut, you need to trip those markers or it won't count your progress. This particular shortcut was discovered in March 2016, and had been recreated with bots, but there wasn't yet a record of a person actually performing it.

Developer Respawn Entertainment has rolled out a new patch for Apex Legends on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S that stabilizes the game.

The patch comes after numerous players reported errors while playing the game on all platforms. Specifically, players were getting caught in infinite loops that freeze the game or the game would crash entirely. Respawn said that while it couldn't replicate whatever's causing the hiccups, the new patch "improves stability and (hopefully) fixes the freezing issues."

In addition to trying to address technical issues on the server side, the latest patch for Apex Legends fixes a variety of other problems. This includes issues with Fight Night event skins like Haute Drop and Gold Standard getting in the way of the reticle when aiming down sights, errors with selecting the Steam Friends list, and other problems related to clubs and text chat.