Waterfield Magnetic Case review: The most lavish way to carry your Switch 2 around
Gamers aren't usually known for their sartorial elegance. But that doesn't mean we don't deserve nice things. So after checking out a very utilitarian carrying case for the Switch 2, I wanted to explore the other side of things with a more lavish travel bag. And while Waterfield's Magnetic case for Nintendo's latest console certainly isn't the most rugged or affordable way to lug a handheld console around, it might just be the most luxurious.
Design: Drape me in this leather
Compared to most Switch 2 travel bags that are made out of materials like plastic and polyester, Waterfield's case is an exercise in opulence. It's crafted from buttery full-grain leather that's softer than than a perfectly worn in baseball mitt or fancy Dior gloves. It really is that nice.
I've been using the white leather model as I love how clean and simple it looks while still giving you that irresistible pillowy exterior. But for the kind of folk who get excited about patina, the chocolate model features a more distressed look that isn't afraid to show off oil, scuffs and blemishes. And if the need arises, you can always hit the case with hot air from a hair dryer to reduce the appearance of scratches.
But the thing that sets Waterfield's case apart from its competition is that instead of relying on a zipper, the pouch has a series of magnets to keep everything together. And honestly, there's just something really nice about not having any sharp objects near or around the case, so there's no fear of your Switch 2 getting nicked. This enclosure system also makes it super simple to thread a cable inside, allowing you to charge Nintendo's latest handheld without it needing to leave the safety of its case. On a practical level, I've also found that because taking the console in and out is so quick and easy, I'm much better about putting things back when I'm done gaming.
The chocolate leather model is more prone to scuffs and scratches, though you can apply hot air from a hair dryer to reduce their appearance.
The inside of the case features a plush microfiber lining and two small pockets for accessories.
Waterfield's magnetic design makes it super easy to charge your Switch 2 while it remains inside the case.
1 / 3 Waterfield Magnetic Case for the Switch 2
The chocolate leather model is more prone to scuffs and scratches, though you can apply hot air from a hair dryer to reduce their appearance.
The obvious downside to this is that it's easier for stuff like sand to get inside and if you're storing tiny accessories like a microSD Express card, there's no real guarantee it won't fall out while you're in transit. Additionally, the trade-off for the case's fancy leather exterior is that it doesn't have the hard, rigid panels used in a lot of competitors, so it's not the most rugged travel companion. If you press down on the outside of the case, you can feel things like console's buttons and joysticks, so this definitely isn't something you'll want to cram into an already stuffed piece of luggage.
On the inside, Waterfield's case is lined with a plush microfiber fabric that will keep the Switch 2 nice and cozy. There are also two pockets for stashing small items like charging cables, game cartridges or Joy-Con straps. But I do mean small, because anything larger will cause the case to bulge, which may put undue stress on the console.
Optional accessories
Waterfield's card holder for the Switch and Switch 2. Sadly, it does not come included and is an optional extra.
This case doesn't come with much in the way of bundled extras. Though like a lot of luxury products (just look at the options list on a Porsche or Ferrari), you can purchase additional accessories such as cord clips, AirTag holders and more. But the most important of these are Waterfield's game card holders, which are available in several sizes (4, 10 and 20). So I went and bought a 10-slot sleeve and it really is the perfect complement to the case. Cartridges fit snug and the holder itself nestles neatly into the pouch's built-in pockets. I just wish one came included, as you're looking at an extra $10 to $30 on top of an already pricey travel protector.
Wrap-up
Starting at $90 for the nylon or waxed canvas models or $120 for the leather versions, Waterfield's Magnetic Case for the Switch 2 certainly ain't cheap. That's more expensive than Belkin's Charging Case, which comes with its own battery pack. And that's before you factor in a game card holder.
Waterfield's Magnetic Case for the Switch 2 might be the most luxurious handheld travel pouch on sale today.
But the sheer suppleness of its leather and its super soft interior might be the comfiest cocoon Nintendo's handheld will ever experience. Then you add in a magnetic enclosure system and it feels like Waterfield has managed to transform a product that might normally be an afterthought into something that's a joy to use all by itself. So for those who want a travel pouch that looks and feels just as good as the console it's protecting (if not better), this case is in a class of its own.
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Tom's Guide
19 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
I played Super Mario Party Jamboree on the Switch 2 — and it's the best reason yet to get a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera
Unlike the PS5 or the Xbox Series X, the original Switch and now the Nintendo Switch 2 is a console that's even better when played with friends and family, especially when you're all in the same room together. Whether you're racing through the latest tracks in Mario Kart World or working your way to the planet's core in co-op mode in Donkey Kong Bananza, there's something special about games with local multiplayer or couch co-op support. That's why Nintendo fans have been playing Mario Party together for over 25 years now. With the Switch 2 though, Nintendo has taken things up a notch by adding camera support to Mario Party. While Super Mario Party Jamboree was a lot of fun on the Switch, the new Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game and its Jamboree TV expansion add some unique additions to the core Mario Party gameplay. Not only can you literally put yourself in the game with the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera and even play some minigames using full-body motion controls, but you can also play other ones using Mouse Mode with the Switch 2 Joy-Cons. I got to try out Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV back in April when I first went hands-on with the Nintendo Switch 2 and I've been thinking about it ever since. This week though, I got to play the full game from the comfort of my own home — mostly at my desk since my toddler was sick all week — and it's definitely worth picking up a Switch 2 Camera for or seeing if one of the best webcams you already own will work with it. Whether you're new to Mario Party or are a seasoned player that still remembers getting Mario Party Palm back on the N64, here's why I strongly recommend plugging in a camera while playing Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV on the Switch 2. This full HD camera features a USB-C port for easy connectivity and is designed to work perfectly with your Nintendo Switch 2. It works across every Switch 2 game for GameChat and is fully integrated in some titles like Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV. The Switch 2 camera also features a privacy shutter and the included stand makes it easy to get the perfect angle. Additional retailers: Walmart, GameStop After adding my Switch 2 to the black and white desk setup I recently put together, I plugged in the Switch 2 Camera Nintendo sent over alongside Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV for me to check out. One thing that I immediately liked about this camera is that it doesn't have a hardwired cable which let me use a much shorter one for simpler cable management. I also found the included stand to be really helpful when finding the perfect angle for playing with it at my desk. With the Switch 2 Camera set up, it was time to dive into Nintendo's new Jamboree TV expansion for Super Mario Party Jamboree. Right from the start, you need to position yourself within a red circle so that your live video feed can be displayed next to your character as you play through the game. If you're worried about being too far from the camera, don't be, as you can zoom in closer using the triggers on your Joy-Cons or on the Switch 2 Pro Controller. Once you and everyone else you're playing with has their faces in the game, you're ready to start playing Mario Party. One thing that really fascinated me back when I first saw Nintendo's new Jamboree TV expansion in action is that even though you only have one camera, the game and your Switch 2 is able to zero in on each person's face. Just like in Mario Kart World when playing with the Switch 2 camera, this is a live video feed instead of a static image. In Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV, you get to see the faces of everyone you're playing with (either online or on the same couch) as you make your way across the game's various boards. I really think this is a game changer in Mario Party as when something big happens like another player getting a star or making it to the end of a board, you don't have to look over to see everyone else's reactions. Instead, you can see them right on your TV, so you're not taken out of the action. Alongside seeing your friends and family as you play, there are also several minigames that are played using full-body motion controls. From balancing Goombas on top of your head to punching question blocks to get rings, I had a lot of fun playing all of these different minigames, even when I was paired up with three strangers at the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience in New York earlier this year. Now I can't wait to play them with my friends and family once I can finally have people over again. Given that I was playing on my own instead of with a full house, I decided to work my way through Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV's various minigames. While I've played some of them before on the original Switch, this was my first time playing them on the Switch 2 with its larger Joy-Con controllers. I also tried out some of the new minigames that are only available in the Jamboree TV expansion. First off, the game runs even better on the Switch 2 and its visuals look absolutely gorgeous on the MSI QD-OLED monitor I have set up in my office. I'm sure it would look just as good on one of the best OLED TVs out in your living room though. While jumping into minigames took a bit longer in the original Super Mario Party Jamboree, they opened almost instantly on the Switch 2. I started out playing some of the minigames with motion control support as I'm a sucker for flailing my Joy-Cons around. With a Joy-Con turned sideways, I played through a few rounds of Tilt-a-Golf before moving on to the Roll with It minigame. As expected, this was a lot of fun but it was also more comfortable with the Switch 2's larger Joy-Cons in hand. From there, I wanted to test out some of the new Jamboree TV exclusive minigames, specifically the ones that use the Switch 2's Mouse Mode. Of the ones I tried, What's the Scoop? was my favorite as who doesn't like quickly putting together ice cream cones? Even on my own with a CPU-controlled Monty Mole, we still managed to make quite a few ice cream cones and even some multi-flavored, triple-decker ones. Growing up I always enjoyed playing air hockey, so the next Mouse Mode minigame I tried was Shell Hockey. It starts off slow with you and another player trying to send a turtle shell over to the other team's net. However, after a bit, multiple turtles and their subsequent shells show up on screen and things get more chaotic which was a lot of fun. I have to admit, I've only scratched the surface when it comes to all that Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV has to offer. The original game was packed with loads of boards and minigames, so if you enjoyed it, the new Jamboree TV expansion is a no-brainer. However, if you haven't played a Mario Party game on the Nintendo Switch yet, this new version of Super Mario Party Jamboree is easy to recommend, especially if your board game nights have turned into mini LAN parties. If you aren't fully sold on the Switch 2 yet or you haven't managed to get one yet even after following our Nintendo Switch 2 restocks live blog, a game like this is the perfect example of what Nintendo's follow-up to its first hybrid console offers. Sure, there are definitely similar experiences to what was possible on the original Switch. However, there are also plenty of new ones like Mouse Mode, Game Chat and games like Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV with Switch 2 Camera integrations. This is just the start though and I can almost guarantee that Nintendo is likely cooking up new ways to use the Switch 2 Camera. What impressed me the most back when I first played this game was that even though we were just using a standard webcam, myself and those strangers I played Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV with were getting a Kinect-like experience. When I jumped up and punched question blocks for coins, I really had that feeling as if I was actually in the game and not just playing it. The same was true when we were on a TV show hosted by Bowser and what I was doing in real life — like moving my head, laughing or even talking to the other players — showed up in the game even though I was just another person in the crowd since it wasn't my turn. I'm definitely going to try out Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV with some supported webcams besides the official Switch 2 Camera but at $54, it's a reasonably priced accessory that can add a lot to your Switch 2 experience right now and I'm betting even more as the new console matures.
Digital Trends
19 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV review: a few too many barriers for a decent afterparty
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV MSRP $79.99 Score Details 'Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV keeps the party going, but puts up a few too many roadblocks.' Pros Core game is still a blast and looks and runs better Some excellent new minigames New modes add fun new twists Cons Camera minigames fall flat Bowser Live and Carnival Coaster have little replay value Recommended Videos Last year, Nintendo wrapped up its trilogy of Mario Party games with its most ambitious title yet in Super Mario Party Jamboree. With more minigames, boards, and modes than any entry before it, it was bordering on losing its focus on the core board game gameplay that makes it such a popular and approachable series. That makes it a natural choice for a proper Switch 2 Edition to bring us back for a little afterparty to show off some new tricks. Despite the seemingly obvious potential for DLC, no Mario Party game has gotten any meaningful expansion before now. Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is the perfect opportunity to break that tradition by taking advantage of the new features found on the Switch 2 to add creative new games and modes. It mostly makes good on that promise, but the way they are integrated into the existing experience only exacerbates the main issues the core game had. With so much tacked on to it now, it has started to lose its appeal as a casual party game experience. Jamboree TV isn't as bloated and cumbersome as its full title, but it flies dangerously close. There are some standout new additions that take full advantage of the Switch 2 hardware, but those that miss the mark fall very flat, and there are simply too many barriers between you and the fun to make this an instant RSVP. Menu madness Jamboree TV presents itself as an entirely new menu option from the home screen, doubling down on the segmented structure of the original. The base game already felt oddly divided with its various modes locking certain games and features from the core game, and this only further complicates what should be a simple pick-up-and-play party experience rather than unifying the experience. The fact that there are now two ways to engage in the core Mario Party mode, but I can only select the new rules if I engage it from within the new Jamboree TV package, or transition over to the Rhythm Kitchen or Bowser Challenges from the original Super Mario Party menu, is needlessly convoluted. It's like hosting a party and having the drinks in the kitchen and snacks in the shed out back. swapping between the new Jamboree TV and classic modes is as much of a momentum killer as swapping between different games The original experience was already the most segmented Mario Party yet, with its various islands housing unique modes and minigames. Jamboree TV adds even more of these smaller, supplemental ways to play to complement the main game, but cordons them off in a way that kills off any desire to swap between them once I started playing. Whether it is with friends locally or online, swapping between the new Jamboree TV and classic modes is as much of a momentum killer as swapping between different games. That might not sound like a big deal, but for a game built around the idea of a group of friends picking up some controllers and having a good time, these barriers throw a major wrench in the gears. That core game is still just as solid as ever. There are no new boards here, but playing the classic Mario Party mode (so long as you select it from within Jamboree TV) does incorporate the new slate of mouse-control games to spice up the selection. Also exclusive to the Jamboree TV version is the camera integration. None of the camera-specific minigames will show up in Mario Party, but each player's face will appear beside their character moving around the board, during minigames, and in a few other cute ways. I was ready to brush this inclusion off as a gimmick, but seeing myself and my friend's reactions during play encouraged a level of silliness that felt right at home. It's all in the wrist Everything inside the regular Super Mario Party Jamboree menu of the game is just as you left it on the Switch, only with mildly improved visuals and performance. Loading up Jamboree TV sets up the new gameshow-esque framing for the new slate of options. Tag Team Rules is the standout mode I will keep coming back to Jamboree TV for Mario Party mode sees two new rules that are easily the most exciting additions. Frenzy Rules offers a quick and chaotic way to jump right to the most exciting parts of the game by starting the game in the Homestretch. With only five turns remaining, each player starts with 50 coins, a Double Dice item, and one Star, plus all the Homestretch modifiers to the board in play. While it does lose a lot of the emotional payoff you get when reaching the end of a 20 or 30 round game, it is a fun way to get a quick hit when you don't want to invest an hour or more in a full game. Tag Team Rules is the standout mode I will keep coming back to Jamboree TV for. This mode pairs players up into teams of two that essentially function as Jamboree Buddies for one another. Teams share coins, items, and Stars, but still operate independently on the board. However, the new Together Dice can be used by one team member to summon and roll with their partner to move together. Just like a Jamboree Buddy, everything is doubled while a team is moving together, from coins and items earned to the number of Stars that can be purchased. Having a dedicated partner to coordinate with and strategize with nails that balance of adding a new layer to the core game without veering into gimmick territory. This was where I spent most of my time and the mode that I see being included in my regular rotation. Tag Team is also the best way to get a taste of the new mouse control minigames since they can only be played in 2 vs. 2, 4-player, or Battle Mode configurations. That restriction makes sense for a few of these games, but I saw no benefit for the majority to not be playable in a traditional free-for-all style. Very few rely on any direct teamwork or coordination between players to justify locking them to those less-common playlists. the majority of games feel like a nice appetizer for what a Switch 2 exclusive Mario Party could look like With a few exceptions, the majority of these new mouse minigames are fun and creative hits. Some like the air hockey equivalent or letter sorting game are borderline copies of older minigames, but work so much better using a mouse that I can forgive them being recycled. Pull-Back Attack, which has teams racing in opposite directions across a bridge with pull-back cars, might be my new favorite game in the entire package. It takes only a second to learn, even if you've never played with the toy in real life, and the HD rumble from the Joy-Con felt while pulling the mouse back fully communicates how much power you are giving. Another standout revolves around dragging a Toad through a maze without touching the edges. There are a few same-y feeling games that revolve around flicking objects from one side of the screen to the other with the mouse, but the majority of games feel like a nice appetizer for what a Switch 2 exclusive Mario Party could look like. Not ready for a closeup Carnival Coaster is almost exactly on par with something like Paratroopa Flight School. That is to say, I had a good time playing through each course once, but have no reason to revisit it unless a friend wanted to give it a shot. This mode is a literal rail shooter with minigame breaks scattered throughout. While riding the coaster, players use the mouse to aim and fire at enemies along the course to extend the timer. Whenever the coaster makes a drop, you can also raise your hands up in the air to add more time, which turned out to be a slightly more interesting twist since I found myself scrambling to get my Joy-Con back down and aiming again when enemies appeared right after a drop. This mode exclusively uses mouse control minigames in a team format, playing against the clock. The faster you and your team can complete the minigame (or the higher the score you can get, depending on the game), the more bonus time you get for the next leg of the coaster. Each course lasts no more than 10 minutes, minigames included, and offers no real incentive to go back aside from setting high scores. The actual rail-shooting is functional, but the courses and enemy patterns aren't exactly thrilling or challenging. Aside from seeing yourself alongside your character in Mario Party mode or Carnival Coaster, Bowser Live is the only mode where the camera and microphone take center stage. It is also the most throwaway mode in the game. After picking between either camera or microphone games, which are mutually exclusive for some reason, two teams of two compete in three games that take all of about 3 minutes total. I say three games, but the last one is always the same, so it is effectively only two. I can see the camera games being fun for younger kids since they involve jumping, squatting, and tilting, but there are so few and they are over so fast that I can't imagine them holding anyone's attention for long. There's also a distinct lack of creativity in the camera games for how much potential there is for Nintendo to mine. They all play things very safe, perhaps due to the camera's inconsistent tracking. The microphone games had some better ideas behind them besides just being loud. Clapping to the beat or using your voice to control a Flappy Bird-like game works better than I expected, until the other people in the room realized how easily it was to sabotage the team playing. You'll have to hope your group is willing to play fair in these games. Or not. That's the Mario Party way, right? Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is a microcosm of the base game in every way. It adds some meaningful new ways to play the core board game experience that has never been better, plus some additional bonus modes that offer a nice, if shallow, distraction. Jamboree TV just makes navigating and accessing what you want even more of a chore by relegating everything behind multiple menus and loading screens. But the biggest sin is how few big swings Nintendo took here. It once again feels more like a testing ground than a full commitment. This isn't so much a bigger, better party but an invitation to a party with all the same people across town. There's fun to be had, but sitting through traffic between sure does kill the vibes. Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV was tested on the Switch 2.
Engadget
14 hours ago
- Engadget
Video Games Weekly: Censorship, shrinkage and a Subnautica scandal
Welcome to Video Games Weekly on Engadget. Expect a new story every Monday or Tuesday, broken into two parts. The first is a space for short essays and ramblings about video game trends and related topics from me, Jess Conditt, a reporter who's covered the industry for more than 13 years. The second contains the video game stories from the past week that you need to know about, including some headlines from outside of Engadget. Please enjoy — and I'll see you next week. This week, I'm fried. Maybe it's the plodding and ever-present crumbling of society and human decency, or maybe it's because Love Island USA just ended so I'm feeling extra listless. It's a familiar summer sensation, but this year everything is exaggerated and extra tense, the stakes of every action seem higher, and instead of melting into the warmth of the season with a popsicle and a smile, I often find myself frozen and numb. I am the popsicle, coo coo ca choo. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to convey here, but I think it's clear that I shouldn't be writing anything too serious at the moment. I'm working on a few reports and trying to keep my composure amid the chaos, and all the while, the video game headlines keep rolling on. I've included a few more than usual this week, as penance for my popsicle state. The news UK studio The Chinese Room, creator of Still Wakes the Deep and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, is independent once again. The Chinese Room leaders completed a management buyout with help from VC firm Hiro Capital to fully split the studio from Tencent subsidiary Sumo Digital, which acquired it in 2018. A number of people were laid off as part of the transition and the studio is left with a total of 55 employees. The Chinese Room is still working on Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 for Paradox Interactive, and it also has original projects in development. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Still Wakes the Deep was one of my absolute favorite games of 2024. Whether you're a fan of beautiful paranormal horror or you're just really into oil rigs, give it a go. Vice's owner, Savage Ventures, doesn't want you to read this story . Or this one . Vice removed two articles about Steam's new ban on certain 'adult-only' content and the organization that pushed for the change, Collective Shout, which has the support of prominent anti-pornography groups with conservative religious foundations. The stories were written by contributor Ana Valens, who said the removals were 'due to concerns about the controversial subject matter — not journalistic complaints.' Valens has vowed to never write for Vice again and a handful of reporters there have resigned in solidarity . Censoring stories about censorship is certainly a choice, Vice. The home of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, Supermassive Games, is laying off 36 people, restructuring its team and delaying one of its projects into 2026. A statement from the studio says the decisions were in response to the video game industry's 'challenging and ever-evolving environment.' It's estimated that Supermassive had more than 300 employees before the layoffs. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Directive 8020, the fifth installment in the Dark Pictures Anthology, is now due to come out in the first half of 2026, rather than this fall. Honestly, I'm not surprised to hear Supermassive needs more time to work on Directive 8020. I watched Engadget UK bureau chief Mat Smith play the demo at Summer Game Fest in June, and while it looked great, we were both surprised by how short and non-interactive the segment was. He summed up this feeling in his preview with the line, 'Finally, I got to play (but only for a few minutes).' Supermassive is also working on Little Nightmares III, a series that it took over from Tarsier Studios. Tarsier created Little Nightmares and its sequel, but lost the rights to the IP when the team was acquired by a subsidiary of Embracer Group in 2019. Series publisher Bandai Namco kept the Little Nightmares brand and commissioned Supermassive to build the third game, while Tarsier is working on its own project, Reanimal . It makes sense that Supermassive would prioritize Little Nightmares III in order to fulfill its obligations with Bandai. The game has already been delayed once, and it's set to hit PC and consoles on October 10. I still have high hopes for FBC: Firebreak to be the Left 4 Dead revival we've always wanted, but fact is, it's not quite there yet . Remedy Entertainment is aware of this hard truth and has a plan to fix it. The studio laid out its pipeline for making FBC: Firebreak easier to jump into, more fun to play and less confusing overall, with most major changes coming in an update this winter. PCGamesN published an interview with Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le, who left Valve years ago to try out independent development. One sentiment stuck out to me. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement 'They didn't force me out or anything,' Le told PCGamesN. 'But a part of me kind of regrets it. Looking back, my decision to leave Valve was, financially, kind of a poor decision. If I had stayed with Valve, I would have been able to retire by now.' It's not presented as an indictment of Valve, but I find it notable that Le describes the studio as a place to retire, rather than a space to innovate and create the next generation of video games. At this rate, Valve will never outrun its reputation as the studio where talented game developers go to die (professionally speaking). But, hey, at least they're not getting laid off en masse. Which, unfortunately, brings us to the next headline. Cyberpunk 2077, Sea of Thieves and Dune: Awakening support studio Virtuos is laying off 270 developers, which is about seven percent of its staff. Virtuos is currently best known as the studio behind The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered alongside Bethesda, and it has more than 4,000 employees across Asia, Europe and North America. The cuts affect developers in Asia and Europe, with 'fewer than 10' in France, where work on Oblivion Remastered was headquartered. Make sure to pin this one on your calendar. Saber Interactive is making Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, a first-person, action-survival horror game that features actor Doug Bradley as Pinhead for the first time in nearly 20 years. Barker himself provided input on the story, too. It's coming to PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S, with no release date yet. "The Hellraiser universe is defined by its unflinching exploration of pain, pleasure, and the thin and terrifying line that separates the two," a description from Saber Interactive reads. "That essence is at the heart of our game." Game Developer reporter Chris Kerr spoke with a number of employees at Zenimax who are still reeling from the layoffs that Microsoft enacted in early July . The vibes there sound pretty terrible. 'This carcass of workers that remains is somehow supposed to keep shipping award-winning games," one senior QA tester told Kerr. The developer continued, 'Microsoft just took everything that could have been great about the culture and collaboration and decimated it. Morale is terrible. It's grotesque. People are stressed. They're crying.' When Xbox isn't firing thousands of employees in one blow, it's quietly laying the groundwork for the future of video game distribution. An update for Xbox Insiders this week introduces cross-platform cloud support, bringing your cloud library and play history to the Xbox PC app. This means you can access cloud activity on an Xbox console, PC or Windows handheld, and seamlessly play cloud games across devices. This is just how video games are going to work in the coming decades, and it's interesting to watch our future slowly roll out in blog posts and software updates. Did you miss all of the mess around Subnautica 2 last week? Or, more accurately, this past month? To quickly summarize, Subnautica publisher Krafton is being sued by the series creators after it fired them and then delayed their game, allegedly sabotaging a $250 million bonus payout due to developers. To not-quickly summarize, see my complete breakdown of the drama . I don't know who else needs a little levity in their life right now, but I certainly do. Thankfully, the stop-motion show My Melody & Kuromi is coming to Netflix on July 24, and there's already an adorable tie-in music video by LE SSERAFIM to enjoy. Zen out, watch all of the Sanrio sweetness and finally settle the debate: Are you more of a Kuromi or a My Melody? Additional reading Have a tip for Jessica? You can reach her by email, Bluesky or send a message to @jesscon.96 to chat confidentially on Signal.
