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Source: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / Getty / / Microsoft / Xbox
Welp, it’s going to cost you more if you’re still in the market for an actual Xbox Series X or Series S console.
Xbox announced today that it is raising the prices of the Xbox Series S and Series X consoles globally, except for accessories, which will see their prices increase in the US and Canada. First-party titles are expected to reach the $80 threshold by the holiday season.
The price hike will take effect beginning May 1. You can peep them below:
Xbox Series S 512 – $379.99 (up from $299.99)
Xbox Series S 1TB – $429.99 (up from $349.99)
Xbox Series X Digital – $549.99 (up from $449.99)
Xbox Series X – $599.99 (up from $499.99)
Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition $729.99 (up from $599.99)
Xbox Wireless Controller (Core) – $64.99
Xbox Wireless Controller (Color) – $69.99
Xbox Wireless Controller – Special Edition – $79.99
Xbox Wireless Controller – Limited Edition – $89.99 (up from $79.99)
Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Core) – $149.99 (up from $139.99)
Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Full) – $199.99 (up from $179.99)
Xbox Stereo Headset -$64.99
Xbox Wireless Headset – $119.99 (up from $109.99)
Here’s what Xbox had to say about the price hikes in an official statement:
We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development. Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players.
A History of Price Hikes
This marks the first time the Series S has seen a price hike since its 2020 release. Xbox committed to the console’s current prices in 2022, following PlayStation’s price increase for the PS5 due to inflation.
The Xbox Series X experienced a price increase in 2023 in most countries, except the US, and Xbox Game Pass underwent multiple price hikes globally.
These new Xbox price increases should not come as a surprise, as PlayStation announced price hikes for the PS5 in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand three weeks ago.
Nintendo recently faced criticism after revealing that the Nintendo Switch 2 would cost $450, one $80 game (Mario Kart World), and price hikes for Switch 2 accessories following Donald Trump’s misuse of tariffs.
Somehow This Is Nintendo’s Fault
Speaking of Nintendo, gamers, of course, are BIG MAD about the price hikes and already pointing fingers at someone. Gamers should blame Donald Trump and his misguided trade policies, as well as his misuse of tariffs. Still, somehow, Nintendo is being blamed for what Xbox’s decision, with “Thanks, Nintendo” immediately trending after the news broke.
While we understand that Nintendo is not at fault for Microsoft’s or even a potential decision from PlayStation, we acknowledge gamers’ frustration with having to spend more money at a time when prices are increasing. There doesn’t seem to be enough money to cover these expenses.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
5. Lol, this is crazy
7. A thread
After Sleepy Hallow‘s “2055” went triple platinum four years ago, Sony Music’s gaming-and-music team noticed something about the Jamaican-American rapper’s fans: They were gamers. And not just gamers, but Fortnite players.
According to the label’s internal research, Sleepy Hallow fans are 2.5 times more likely to play Fortnite than the national average and twice as likely to play games overall. “It stuck out,” says Alex Ciccimarro, vp of marketing for Sony-owned RCA Records. “Since then, every campaign we’ve worked on with Sleepy, we’ve tried to incorporate gamers.”
The latest project on this front is “The Hallow Heist,” an April 18 virtual-concert event on Fortnite in which a world designed by Sleepy Hallow with his team, employing Epic Games’ user tools known as Unreal Engine for Fortnite, led players to a new music video for “Girls Like Girls.” Hallow, 25, is a longtime Fortnite player who “came in with a bunch of ideas,” Ciccimarro says. The rapper built “The Hallow Heist” with help from his Winner’s Circle Entertainment managers, plus RCA and Sony Immersive Music Studios.
Trending on Billboard
Since the pandemic, a hit Fortnite experience can help an artist build a massive audience. Travis Scott‘s performance drew more than 12 million players in 2020, and 14.3 million experienced last December’s Remix: The Finale event starring Snoop Dogg, Juice WRLD, Eminem and Ice Spice. The user bases of Fortnite, Roblox and other gaming platforms are so potent for artists that one content producer told Billboard last year: “Just the way every artist has an Instagram account and a TikTok, eventually everyone’s going to have a Roblox presence.” Sony’s team has been especially aggressive in this space, including by arranging a virtual concert last October for British singer-songwriter Myles Smith.
“That intersection of gaming and music is a young-consumer-led trend — which obviously is super-important for us, because they’re so influential in breaking new artists,” says Dennis Kooker, Sony Music’s president of global digital business. “We’ve had a lot of young artists that have grown up playing games and know the space really well and have great creative ideas.”
Brad Spahr, senior vp/general manager of Sony Immersive Music Studios, says the Hallow world-creation team focused on a singular question: “What would Sleepy’s brain look like?” Very purple, as it turns out. In “The Hallow Heist,” the rapper’s avatar wears a puffy purple coat as evil robots armed with lasers put him to sleep, while the rest of the game involves players floating, jumping, zip-lining and racing cars through a futuristic purple cityscape. When they finally succeed, Hallow declares, “What a trip. I’ve got this song stuck in my head. Yep, studio time.” The game ends with a trip to a recording studio, where Hallow debuted his new single “Girls Like Girls.” A music video for the track subsequently came out on April 24 and landed 108,000 YouTube views in the first five days of its release. The track has streamed 1.2 million times overall, according to Luminate.
“He was involved the whole way,” says Spahr, whose Culver City, Calif.-based Sony Music team initially emphasized virtual reality when it started nearly 10 years ago, but now emphasizes Fortnite and Roblox in addition to other projects. “He gave us a lot of reference material — things we could work with to build the framework of a creative concept.”
As with all of the Sony team’s projects, Hallow’s Fortnite activation entailed a complex technology design but a simple idea: Reach gamers where they are. “It’s an ‘If you build it, they will come’ situation,” RCA’s Ciccimarro says. “The community wants to be there, and we just gave them something to do.”
Skaters who have dreamed of nosebone kickflipping the curb in front of the El Rey Theater or landing a 360 Varial McTwist under the venue’s iconic marquee can now live out that dream on Tony Hawk‘s Pro Skater 3 + 4. Both games are set to drop on July 11, according to game maker Activision Publishing, Inc. […]
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Getty Images / Elon Musk / Diablo IV
Elon Musk has once again been trolled for video gaming skills, or lack thereof.
Musk, who recently claimed he was cutting back his time with DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) because his company, Tesla, is flopping due to his involvement in ruining people’s lives, decided to share another video of himself playing Diablo IV.
The billionaire is still desperate to prove that he is the ultimate gamer, but in the process, he only invited trolls to clown him once again. Musk’s skills came under scrutiny when he was accused by gamers, including the popular problematic streamer Asmongold, of paying someone to play Path of Exile 2 for him or “fraudmaxing.”
Being the petulant manchild he is, Musk unfollowed Asmongold, stripped him of his verified status, and shared the DMs they exchanged with each other.
Musk would eventually admit to cheating in both Diablo IV and Path of Exile 2, but his lame behavior hasn’t stopped. He shared another stream of himself playing Diablo IV on his X account, but this time he disabled his comments, only allowing his closest friends to reply to the post, because people were once again clowning his skills.
This latest moment also follows Musk’s “rage quitting” when trolls took over his comment section during a test of his Starling service on his private plane, which United Airlines allegedly wants to use on its fleet of commercial aircraft.
Elon Musk’s Gaming History
Musk takes his gaming very seriously; he is so into it that he had a gaming rig installed in his DOGE office to get in some gaming time between laying off hard-working Americans.
It doesn’t sound very efficient, if you ask us; in fact, that sounds like a complete waste of government time and money.
Well, we hope Musk continues to get trolled; he deserves every bit of it.
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Source: Nintendo / Nintendo Switch 2
After a delay, primarily due to Donald Trump’s blatant abuse of tariffs, Nintendo was forced to postpone pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 for fans in the US. After some waiting, the day has arrived for gamers stateside to secure Nintendo’s new console, and as expected, things did not go smoothly.
Although people have been complaining about the Switch 2’s price, demand is still strong. Gamers had a frustrating time trying to secure a Nintendo Switch 2 due to several sites offering pre-orders crashing under the high volume of traffic.
Best Buy, Target, and Walmart all experienced issues with their websites on Thursday morning once pre-orders for the Switch 2 went live, according to Downdetector.
For about 45 minutes, starting around midnight, following the announcement that pre-orders for the Switch 2 went live, more than 2,000 customers reported experiencing issues while trying to connect to Target’s website.
Best Buy wasn’t any better. Even though they required customers to have an account on the website, a tactic to combat scalping, customers began encountering issues around 9 PM on Wednesday, which persisted until 2 AM on Thursday.
GameStop, remember them? Kicked off their Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders on Thursday at 11 AM; spoiler alert, it was also a hot mess.
Still, some were able to secure their Nintendo Switch 2 consoles, even though it required some searching. To those people, congratulations on your major accomplishment.
The Buzz & Discourse Around The Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to launch on June 5, a date Nintendo says will hold firm. Since its announcement, there has been considerable excitement, as well as considerable discourse, particularly regarding the costs of its games.
Mario Kart World, one of the console’s launch titles, will cost $80, and that is not sitting well with some gamers.
Many were worried that Nintendo would raise the price of the console in response to Trump’s tariffs, but the company has recently announced that the console’s price will remain unchanged. However, they did raise the price on accessories.
Welp.
You can see more reactions to the Switch 2 pre-order situation in the gallery below.
1. Felt this
3. Gotta kill time somehow
8. Nature is healing
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Source: Liane Hentscher/HBO / The Last of Us / Pedro Pascal
Gamers have already experienced this controversial moment in video game history. Still, watching it unfold in HBO’s hit television adaptation of the iconic video game, The Last of Us, has hit even harder, leaving fans stunned.
Like watching the Titanic barrel towards a massive iceberg, fans of The Last of Us video game knew this day was coming and eagerly anticipated seeing how casual viewers would handle this moment that sparked plenty of discourse in the video game world when The Last of Us Part II was released in 2020.
*Spoilers Ahead*
Okay, if you moved past the spoiler warning, you no longer care about what is about to be said.
How Joel’s Time Came To An End In The Last of Us Season 2
At the end of season 1, we saw Pedro Pascal’s Joel slaughter a bunch of members of the Fireflies and including doctors who were about perform a fatal surgery on Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in hopes of turning her immunity to the fungal plague into a cure to end the Cordyceps brain infection that ravaged the entire globe, basically bringing civilization to a crashing halt.
Joel’s decision to save his surrogate daughter comes back to haunt him in season 2 with the introduction of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who just happens to be the daughter of the head surgeon he killed in season 1, and yes, she wants revenge, and she gets it brutally.
After Joel saves her from a horde of infected, she quickly realizes he is the man she has been searching for. She shoots in the knee with a shotgun before brutally beating Joel with a golf club, delivering the fatal blow in front of Ellie for a gutwrenching scene as she screams for surrogate dad to get up, before dragging herself over to his lifeless body.
We knew it was coming, but man, it still hit like a ton of bricks.
Showrunners Craig Mazin & Neil Druckmann Didn’t Want To Torment Fans
The Last of Us television show is a rare gem, as it has rich source material to draw from in the game; for the most part, it perfectly mirrors the game with some slight changes made to the story.
Like in this season, Abby is not muscular like she is in the game, much to the chagrin of some purists, but Dever still plays the role with the same anger, and Joel’s death in the show was more brutal than it was in the game, and this was done on purpose.
In an interview with Variety, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann explained why they wasted no time when handling Joel’s death in the show.
They admitted they had thought of every possible scenario. Still, Druckmann explained from a storytelling perspective that Joel’s death happening early made sense “because this is the inciting incident for this story.”
Mazin and Druckmann also wanted to address the elephant in the room, Joel’s death, because it has been looming over the show since season 1, and they felt they had an obligation to spare fans from any more torment.
“There’s a danger of tormenting people,” Mazin told Variety. “It’s not what we want to do. If people know it’s coming, they will start to feel tormented. And people who don’t know it’s coming are going to find out it’s coming because people are going to talk about the fact that it hasn’t shown up yet.
“Our instinct was to make sure that when we did it, that it felt natural in the story and was not some meta-function of us wanting to upset people.”
Social Media Reactions To The Last of Season 2’s Heartbreaking Moment
As expected, the reactions to Joel’s gruesome death were those of shock, and mostly people who knew it was coming were still left reeling after watching Pedro Pascal take a golf club and plenty of punches to the face.
We’re not sure if those people who were tuning in to watch Pedro Pascal will stick around, but if this one post on X, formerly Twitter, is an indicator, HBO and The Last of Us might be in trouble.
But we don’t think last night’s episode will be the last time we see Pascal’s Joel. Remember, we got a whole five years of time we need to catch up on.
Damn Joel, we hate it had to be you.
You can see more reactons to the episode in the gallery below.
1. If you hate her, that means she’s doing a phenomenal job
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Play Company / 2K
Play Company and 2K are partnering to give NBA 2K players another way to take on each other and back up all the trash-talking using a new dedicated tournament system.
The new, groundbreaking multi-year partnership announced last week allows NBA 2K players to win monetary prizes through online tournaments, giving them the ability to truly put their money where their mouth is, if they are as skilled in NBA 2K as they claim to be.
The new tournament system, called Play NBA 2K, will be integrated within The Play Company’s flagship product, Play OS. The deal also makes Play OS the official tournament platform for the game. It will introduce a dedicated menu button in the NBA 2K25 Play Now section for eligible players, allowing them to learn how to gain access to NBA 2K tournaments.
Through Play NBA 2K, players can participate in free-to-enter tournaments and entry-fee-based tournaments, providing NBA 2K fans with even more opportunities to compete in the basketball video game.
“Unlocking the ability for NBA 2K players to earn real cash prizes through competitive play marks a major milestone for us and the industry. We’re incredibly grateful to the team at 2K for helping make this transformative partnership a reality,” said The Play Company CEO, Brandon Pitts.
“2K’s partnership with The Play Company will further expand the ways that we are trying to build engagement and connect with our players,” said 2 K’s head of lifestyle and content marketing Ronnie “Ronnie 2K” Singh. “For us the deal with The Play Company serves as yet another way to quench the thirst of our competitive 2K community,” Singh said.
The service will go live with Play Now and MyTEAM tournaments. Additional tournament formats will be rolling out in the months ahead. Gamers can join Tournaments by downloading the Play OS mobile app on iOS or visiting this website.
NBA 2K Continues To Find Ways To Keep Players Engaged
NBA 2K remains at the forefront, allowing its players to enhance their gameplay experience and earn money. There the NBA 2K League that partners with the NBA, allowing those who are exceptionally good at the game to make a living playing 2K and be treated like actual athletes and there was the players only tournament that took place during the pandemic featuring some the league’s biggest stars who are also good at NBA 2K.
We are intrigued to see how successful this new partnership will be.
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Nintendo / Nintendo Switch 2
Mark your calendars, U.S. Nintendo fans, you can now officially preorder your Switch 2 on April 24.
Nintendo announced the new preorder date for U.S. customers and revealed that the price for the Switch will also remain at $449.99 for the base console and $499.99 for the Mario Kart World bundle.
Prices for both physical and digital versions of Mario Kart World ($79.99) and Donkey Kong Bananza ($69.99) will remain unchanged.
However, there is some bad news: the price of Nintendo Switch 2 accessories is going up. The Switch 2 Joy-Con, Switch 2 Pro Controller, and Switch 2 Camera are seeing price bumps.
The Joy-Con 2, originally priced at $89.99, will now be priced at $94.99. The Pro Controller increased from $79.99 to $84.99, and the Nintendo Switch 2 Camera rose from $49.99 to $54.99.
Gamers who usually use video games as an escape from politics are now seeing how politics can invade their space.
All of these moves by Nintendo are a direct result of Donald Trump’s abuse of tariffs. Originally, preorders for the Switch 2 were supposed to begin on April 9, but were delayed after Orange Mussolini announced his tariffs, which would affect everyone, including an island inhabited by penguins and seals.
In response to his boneheaded actions, Nintendo said it was delaying Switch 2 preorders in the U.S. “to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions,” but also stated that the June 5 release date remains unchanged.
How We Got Here
On April 8, Nintendo also delayed preorders for the Switch 2 in Canada “in order to align with the timing of preorders to be determined in the US.”
After watching the global economy tank and the U.S. stock market nosedive for a few days, Trump issued a 90-day pause on some of the tariffs, but kept the 145 percent tariff on China in place.
Then, news broke that the Trump administration had announced exemptions for smartphones, computers, and chips. Unfortunately, gaming consoles were not on the list, but then Trump said that “no one is getting off the hook.”
In anticipation of Trump’s tariffs, Nintendo began stockpiling the Switch 2 in the United States and shifted most of its non-Chinese production there.
The Switch 2’s announcement has been a clusterf***, with some issues being on Nintendo’s part, but mainly due to the company trying to navigate Trump’s erratic behavior with the tariffs.
Let’s hope this date stands firm, and people won’t have to choose between putting food on the table or getting a Switch 2 at this point.
A TikTok user who says she created the viral “Apple dance” to a Charli XCX song is suing Roblox over allegations that the company violated copyright law by selling her dance moves as an “emote.”
In a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles federal court, Kelley Heyer says the online game platform used the dance – a viral sensation set to Charli’s “Apple” that was emulated by scores of celebrities and influencers – in a version of its “Dress To Impress” game that featured the singer Brat singer.
Though Roblox allegedly reached out to negotiate a license, Heyer says the talks never led to a deal – and that the company simply used her dance moves without permission.
Trending on Billboard
“Roblox proudly advertises that its platform allows creators to ‘create, scale and monetize,’” her lawyers write. “Yet, it has prevented Ms. Heyer from the crucial monetization of her work on the Roblox platform.”
Charli XCX is not named in the lawsuit nor accused of any wrongdoing.
Numerous copyright lawsuits have been filed in recent years over viral dance moves featured in online video games. Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, sued Fortnite owner Epic Games over the use of his heavily-memed “Carlton dance” as an emote, as did the mother of Russell Horning, the so-called Backpack Kid who helped popularize the viral “Floss” dance.
For years, those cases faced skeptical judges who questioned whether simple dance moves were covered by copyright law. In 2020, a federal judge sided with Epic and tossed out a case filed by two former college basketball players over their “running man” dance. But in 2023 a federal appeals court issued a first-of-its-kind ruling reviving such a lawsuit against Epic Games, in which a panel of judges said they “see no reason to treat choreography differently” from longer dance routines.
In her lawsuit, Heyer says her dance was clearly protected by copyright law – and that Epic and Netflix have both struck licensing deals with her to use it. She says Roblox earned $123,000 in sales from selling the dance to users, but has refused to pay her any of it.
“Roblox has substantially benefitted and profited from its unlawful infringement of Ms. Heyer’s copyright and other uninvited misappropriations of Ms. Heyer’s intellectual property and proprietary rights in the Apple Dance,” her lawyers write.
In a statement responding to the lawsuit, Roblox denied any wrongdoing: “Roblox takes the protection of intellectual property very seriously and is committed to protecting intellectual property rights of independent developers and creators to brands and artists both on and off the platform,” the company said. “Roblox is confident in its position and the propriety of its dealings in this matter and looks forward to responding in court.”
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Source: Sprayground / Destiny 2
Sprayground, the popular brand best known for its collectible backpacks and luggage, is back with another fire collaboration. Fans of Bungie’s shooter, Destiny 2, definitely need this in their collection.
The limited Destiny 2 collection from Sprayground will feature two eye-catching backpacks that have become a staple among street style enthusiasts and young kids.
This latest collection celebrates Guardians, Ghosts, and lunar frontiers, all found in Destiny 2, with two amazing backpacks.
“Destiny has cultivated a passionate global community, and we wanted to craft something that truly resonates with the players,” said David BenDavid, Founder and Chief Creative Director of Sprayground. “These backpacks are more than just accessories – they’re a tribute to the game’s lore, visuals, and those who embrace the adventure.”
Source: Sprayground / Destiny 2
The first backpack is inspired by the Guardians’ floating companions, the Ghosts, which also guide the Lightbearers on their mission to protect the Last City and the solar system from the Witness, Fallen, Hive, Vex, Cabal, Taken, and various other threats.
Dubbed the Destiny Ghost Buddy Backpack ($120), it features a plush Ghost on the backpack along with other intricate detailing to help it truly stand out from other backpacks.
Source: Sprayground / Destiny 2
Next, the Destiny First Light Backpack ($90) draws inspiration from the First Light Lunar Installation, one of the first locations the Guardians explored in the Destiny franchise.
It incorporates the facility’s distinctive logo with 曙光 (shǔguāng), meaning “Dawn” or “First Light,” delivering fans another magnificent backpack that is a must-have.
Source: Sprayground / Destiny 2
How To Get One of The Destiny 2 Backpacks
Both backpacks are currently on sale via Spraygrounds’ website and select retailers, featuring staple features such as a spacious laptop compartment, a plush velour pouch for valuables, and Sprayground’s signature hidden pockets.
Hit the gallery below for more photos.
1. Sprayground x Destiny 2
Source:Destiny 2
Sprayground x Destiny 2 destiny 2,sprayground
2. Sprayground x Destiny 2
Source:Destiny 2
Sprayground x Destiny 2 destiny 2,sprayground
3. Sprayground x Destiny 2
Source:Destiny 2
Sprayground x Destiny 2 destiny 2,sprayground
4. Sprayground x Destiny 2
Source:Destiny 2
Sprayground x Destiny 2 destiny 2,sprayground
5. Sprayground x Destiny 2
Source:Destiny 2
Sprayground x Destiny 2 destiny 2,sprayground
6. Sprayground x Destiny 2
Source:Destiny 2
Sprayground x Destiny 2 destiny 2,sprayground
7. Sprayground x Destiny 2
Source:Destiny 2
Sprayground x Destiny 2 destiny 2,sprayground