A lot later than originally expected, earlier this week Nintendo of America finally unveiled the details of Nintendo Switch Online, the paid online service for their popular Nintendo Switch console.

In case you missed it, a little background. Around the time Nintendo launched the Nintendo Switch console, it was announced that the console would receive a paid online service which would enable online play in supported games, as well as voice chat and a slew of other features. Nintendo had originally suggested this service would be ready within the first year of the console’s life; and pledged that Switch owners would be able to play online for free until the service launched. Things obviously took a lot longer, however; but now, thanks to the official Switch page on Nintendo of America’s website, we have all the details for the planned service, which launches in September 2018

First of all, remember the special version of Street Fighter II Nintendo launched for the Switch, which was modified to include support for Online Play? Turns out, that’s not a one-off. As part of the upcoming Nintendo Switch Online service, Nintendo has announced Nintendo Entertainment System™ – Nintendo Switch Online, a special perk for paid subscribers which promises a selection of “20 NES games with added online play for the first time ever, and more games added regularly.” These launch titles include:

• Soccer
• Tennis
• Donkey Kong™
• Mario Bros.™
• Super Mario Bros.™
• Balloon Fight™
• Ice Climber™
• Dr. Mario™
• The Legend of Zelda™
• Super Mario Bros.™ 3
• …And more to be revealed!

With online play added to every classic game, you can compete (or cooperate) online with friends, share your screen, or pass the controller, depending on the game. With the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app, you can also voice chat during your play sessions.

— Nintendo

Another piece of news that will likely delight Switch owners: Nintendo is finally planning to implement Save Data Cloud Backups to the Switch – though again, this will be a subscriber-only feature. Though Nintendo has yet to reveal exact details, the website promises more details will be made available “before the paid service launches in September.”

Of course, the real point of online services on a modern console is modern online play; and here’s where the disappointing news begins. As Nintendo had already announced, while Online Play will remain free for now, once Nintendo Switch Online launches in September, paid subscriptions will be required to play online in many first- and second-party Nintendo Switch titles – with a confirmed list so far of Splatoon™ 2, ARMS™, Mario Kart™ 8 Deluxe, Mario Tennis™ Aces, and Sushi Striker™: The Way of Sushido. To their credit, Nintendo do state that the service may not apply to all Switch games – third-party developers are free to choose how they wish to implement their online features. Also going behind Nintendo’s paywall is the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app, which will also be required for voice chat.

Nintendo have been careful to state, however, that not subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online will not cripple the capabilities of your Switch console. Non-subscribers will still receive console and software updates as usual; and will also retain access to the Nintendo eShop, Friends List (including registering and managing friends), and Parental Controls; and will still be able to share in-game screenshots to their social media.

So what’s the cost? Nintendo have unveiled four pricing tiers for the Nintendo Online Service, which you will be able to purchase through their website, in-console via the Nintendo eShop, or through select retailers once the service launches. The first three cover individuals. Each Nintendo Account holder can purchase a month of Individual membership to the Nintendo Online Service for $3.99 USD; or lengthen their subscriptions to 3 or 12 months for the reduced prices of $7.99 USD or $19.99 USD respectively. Each Individual membership is valid for one account only.

The other option, called “Family membership”, is tailored specifically for larger families with individual accounts for each person. For $34.99 USD, a household can purchase a 12-month subscription for a maximum of eight Nintendo Network accounts, by first activating the subscription on one account and then inviting the others to a family group.

There’s one last perk that might swing a few of you still on the fence about purchasing Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo have promised that subscribers will also be entitled to future special offers from Nintendo that will not be available to non-subcribers, with details “to be revealed”. It remains to be seen how tempting these offers will be, but it’s fair to say – Nintendo is really trying hard to make paid online attractive to as many Switch owners as it can.

While Apple Inc may be gaining plaudits for the audio quality of its new HomePod speakers, some users with wooden furniture are finding themselves less than thrilled with their new purchase, due to a surprising issue that has cropped up.

Numerous reports have surfaced online from disgruntled Apple customers that the HomePod's silicone base is leaving pale rings when placed on wooden surfaces. Though tests by Bloomberg News failed to replicate the issue, nor does it seem to be replicable with other materials such as glass, several other websites have backed up the wood discolouration claims.

Although Apple did not originally respond to requests for comment on the issue, it later informed Wirecutter that the company believes the issue is temporary and removing the speaker from the surface should restore the wood colour "within several days". In the event the marks remain, Apple suggested customers “try cleaning the surface with the manufacturer’s suggested oiling method.”

This article first appeared on Technically Motivated

Developer Relic Entertainment has pulled resources from Dawn of War 3, in order to dedicate them to other projects.

The move effectively freezes the Warhammer 40,000-universe RTS/MOBA hybrid as it is now. In a statement to Eurogamer, Relic Entertainment said: “While Dawn of War 3 has a dedicated player base, it didn’t hit the targets we were expecting at launch, and it hasn’t performed the way we had hoped since. When a game underperforms, plans need to change. With Dawn of War 3, we simply don’t have the foundation we need to produce major content. We’re working in close partnership with Sega and Games Workshop to determine the best course of action, while shifting focus to other projects within our portfolio.”

While that statement stops far short of saying that Relic is abandoning Dawn of War 3, it’s clear that will not be any further races, or indeed content of any sort added to the game. Dawn of War 3 may have been the victim of falling between two stools, with existing Dawn of War fans put off by its MOBA elements, and those MOBA elements failing to appeal to new players.

But the move at least allows Relic Entertainment to dedicate further resources to the new Age of Empires game it is developing for Microsoft.

It is a real shame though, I personally really enjoyed Dawn of War 3 and you can check out my gameplay at release last year below

You can also find Dawn of War 3 on STEAM here – http://store.steampowered.com/app/285190/Warhammer_40000_Dawn_of_War_III/

Following rumours earlier today that Microsoft is said to have an interest in acquiring several gaming-related businesses, Polygon has asserted that a “Reliable source close to Microsoft” believes that the Xbox One platform-holder is actually genuinely considering one such acquisition.

Earlier today, Twitter was awash in rumours suggesting Microsoft, perhaps fuelled by the fact that the Xbox One has found itself lacking in console exclusives, was potentially considering making purchase offers to three companies: Valve, PUBG Corp (the people behind Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds), and Electronic Arts – commonly known as EA. Polygon’s sources believe that the EA rumour is indeed true – that Microsoft is definitely in serious thought about the move, with the other two suggestions also being “whispered”.

Although Xbox One owners can anticipate exclusive releases this year in the form of Sea of Thieves (currently in a closed beta phase), Crackdown 3 and State of Decay 2, this small amount of confirmed titles pales in comparison to major rival Sony’s Playstation 4 line-up, which alongside a remake of Shadow of the Colossus, currently also lists exclusive such as Days Gone, Death Stranding, Detroit: Become Human, God of War, Spider-man and The Last of Us Part II. An aquisition of EA would bring many important franchises to the XBox One – although many of the bigger franchises, such as FIFA, Battlefield and the upcoming Anthem, are currently cross-console and Microsoft is likely to cause uproar were they to change the status quo.

The lack of exclusive content for the XBox One, however, is very likely to be weighing on Microsoft’s mind. Sony’s Playstation 4 has so far dominated this generation of console sales, with over 73 million sold to date; Microsoft, meanwhile, is believed to have only shifted around half this number of XBox Ones although the company refuses to disclose actual sales figures.

Further fuelling the rumours is Phil Spencer’s apparent appetite for an acquisition. Spencer, who was promoted to Executive Vice-President of Gaming late last year, is on record as having stated the following in an interview with Bloomberg:

“Our ability to go create content has to be one of our strengths. We haven’t always invested at the same level. We’ve gone through ups and downs in the investment.”

So what do you think? Do you think a potential acquisition offer is on the cards? Let us know in the comments!

Alongside claims that the service now attracts 10m users per month, Microsoft has announced a number of familiar-sounding features it plans to introduce to Mixer – its streaming service and rival to Twitch.

In order to allow videogame streamers to monetise their channels, Microsoft has announced plans to add direct tipping, so that viewers can donate to their favourite streamers as they watch directly through Mixer, without the need of external services.

For streamers who are playing games that are available through the Microsoft Store (for Windows 10 or XBox One), viewers will soon also be able to quickly buy a digital download of the game, or any DLC being played, with Microsoft planning to introduce new “Direct purchase” options.

While Microsoft is no doubt playing catch-up with Twitch, the service is quickly gaining popularity – helped, no doubt, by Microsoft baking support for the platform into both Windows 10 and XBox One (where it can be found directly on the console’s Dashboard). Even though the upcoming new additions may strike as copycatting, making it easier for viewers to both start playing games they like and donate to their favourite streamers may prove to be an important move in growing that audience even further.