Nintendo launches Nintendo Labo to interactive make, play more fun

Chris Hare
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Nintendo launches Nintendo Labo to interactive make, play more fun

Nintendo Labo, a new line of interactive make, play and discover experience designed to inspire creative minds and playful hearts alike, available across Europe now.

Together with the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Labo kits provide the tools and technology to make fun DIY creations, play games with your creations, and discover how Nintendo Switch technology shapes ideas into reality.

With each Nintendo Labo kit, building and discovery are designed to be just as much fun as playing, which is why the experience is categorised into three key pillars: Make, Play and Discover:

  • Make: Transform modular sheets of cardboard into interactive creations called Toy-Con – from a 13-key piano to a motorbike, a robot suit and more.
  • Play: After they are built, combine the Toy-Con creations with the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con controllers in creative ways to enjoy a variety of gameplay experiences.
  • Discover: Learn how Nintendo Switch technology works together with each Toy-Con project. With Toy-Con Garage mode – a feature included with the software in each Nintendo Labo kit – you can design new ways to play with your Toy-Con projects, such as steering the RC Car with the Fishing Rod or using the Motorbike as an instrument. It’s even possible to invent your own Toy-Con creations using common materials from around the house. When you’re finished building, you can personalise your Toy-Con projects with your own stickers, markers and more.

“Our goal is to put smiles on the faces of everyone Nintendo touches,” said Satoru Shibata, Nintendo of Europe’s President. “Nintendo Labo invites anyone with a creative mind and a playful heart to make, play and discover in new ways with Nintendo Switch. I personally hope to see many people enjoying making kits with their family members, with big smiles on their faces.”

With Nintendo Labo, making and discovering is just as much fun as playing. Every Toy-Con creation presents exciting challenges and varying degrees of complexity, so each one is a unique experience. Making Toy-Con is especially fun with family and friends, as you collaborate and share each other’s Nintendo Labo experiences. Once built, those with a creative touch can customise their Toy-Con creations with their own colouring pens, stickers and paint to give them a personal feel – the only limit is their imagination. A special Customisation Set that includes fun stencils, stickers and coloured tape is also available to purchase.

Nintendo Labo is available as two kits: the Variety Kit and the Robot Kit. Both kits include everything you need to bring your Toy-Con to life, including the building materials and relevant Nintendo Switch software.

Variety Kit

With the Variety Kit, you can create many different Toy-Con, including Toy-Con RC Car, Toy-Con Fishing Rod, Toy-Con House, Toy-Con Motorbike and Toy-Con Piano.

  • Toy-Con RC Car: The RC Car is powered by vibrations in the Joy-Con controllers and can follow a path of reflective tape by using the IR motion camera in the right Joy-Con – it even works in the dark. Materials to build two RC Cars are included, so two players can race or battle each other.
  • Toy-Con Fishing Rod: Build a working rod and reel, and then go fishing on the screen of your Nintendo Switch console to catch a variety of exotic fish. You can also enter Aquarium mode – accessed via Toy-Con Piano – to view all the fish you’ve caught or even design your own colourful fish.
  • Toy-Con House: By inserting various assembled blocks into openings in the sides and bottom of the House, you can interact, feed and play games with a cute creature on the front-facing Nintendo Switch screen. Each differently shaped block is detected by the IR Motion Camera on the Right Joy-Con inserted on top of the House.
  • Toy-Con Motorbike: Rev the throttle of your Motorbike by twisting the right handle, just like the real thing. You can even create and race on tracks you design.
  • Toy-Con Piano: After assembling a beautifully crafted 13-key piano and inserting the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con, you can create your own music by pressing different keys. You can even insert different assembled knobs to create new sound effects and tones.

Robot Kit

  • Toy-Con Robot: Create a wearable robot suit, including a backpack and visor, which allows you to assume control of a huge on-screen robot. Smash buildings and UFOs in Robot Mode, make sound effects using your Toy-Con Robot in Robo Studio or customise your in-game robot in the Hangar. With an additional Nintendo Labo Robot Kit and set of Joy-Con, you can even battle against a friend in multiplayer mode using just one Nintendo Switch

Fight Cancer In your Sleep With New App from Vodafone Foundation/Imperial College London

Chris Hare
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Fight Cancer In your Sleep With New App from Vodafone Foundation/Imperial College London

The Vodafone Foundation and researchers at Imperial College London (Imperial) have teamed up to recruit smartphone users to help in the fight against cancer via an app that crowdsources the processing power of mobile phones overnight.

The DreamLab app, developed by the Vodafone Foundation, uses the collective processing power of smartphones to help analyse huge volumes of data. As part of the project, called DRUGS (Drug Repositioning Using Grids of Smartphones), a team led by Dr Kirill Veselkov from Imperial’s Department of Surgery & Cancer, has designed an algorithm that breaks down enormous datasets into small chunks. Through DreamLab, these small data chunks will be analysed by a network of smartphones to find links between datasets which could help identify more effective combinations of existing drugs to treat cancer. While traditional cancer treatment methods are dictated by the type of cancer tissue a patient has, this research aims to use genetic profiles to find the best cancer treatment for individuals.

Using this mobile cloud-based processing approach aims to reduce drastically the time taken to analyse the vast amount of data that exists. A desktop computer with an eight-core processor running 24-hours a day would take 300 years to process the data. But a network of 100,000 smartphones running six hours a night could do the job in just three months.

As an indication, a new device can run up to 60 calculations, solving up to 24,000 problems in six hours if fully charged and plugged in.

Researchers believe that in the long run this work could speed up access to effective drugs and enable tailored treatments for patients.

Andrew Dunnett, Director of the Vodafone Foundation, said: “DreamLab is a great example of the transformative power of connectivity and technology. This innovative app gives everyone the chance to play a part in the fight against cancer while they sleep. We hope DreamLab will significantly increase the speed at which Imperial College and other researchers are able to make breakthroughs in cancer research, ultimately saving lives”.

Dr Kirill Veselkov, said: “We are currently generating huge volumes of health data around the world every day, but just a fraction of this is being put to use. By harnessing the processing power of thousands of smartphones, we can tap into this invaluable resource and look for clues in the datasets. Ultimately, this could help us to make better use of existing drugs and find more effective combinations of drugs tailored to patients, thereby improving treatments.”

Professor David Gann CBE, Vice President (Innovation) at Imperial College London, said: “Through harnessing distributed computing power, DreamLab is helping to make personalised medicine a reality. This project demonstrates how Imperial’s innovative research partnerships with corporate partners and members of the public are working together to tackle some of the biggest problems we face today, generating real societal impact.”
The app is free to download and free to use for Vodafone customers, meaning it does not eat into monthly data allowances. The app can also be used across other networks, with users choosing how much data they wish to donate, or connecting via Wi-Fi.

To download the app please search for DreamLab in the App store for iOS or Play Store for Android.

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War is biggest Superhero weekend ever

Andrew Edney
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Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War is biggest Superhero weekend ever

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War opened in UK and Irish cinemas on Thursday and has grossed an out of this world £21.75m in its first three days. Saturday’s result (£9.2m) sees the latest release from Marvel Studios break the box office record for the biggest Saturday ever at the UK box office, as 78% of cinema going audiences chose to see their favourite Marvel characters unite in the biggest ensemble cast film ever. The film, which is being called out as the cinematic event of the century, is on course to take an estimated £29M during its four day opening weekend which will mark the 3rd biggest weekend of all time, and Disney’s second behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

Globally the film has already achieved over $630M, with box office records also broken in the USA as the film became the highest global opening weekend of all time with $250m. It is one of only six films to have ever achieved more than $200M during their opening weekend.

These results, which mark the biggest Marvel Studios opening day ever (£6.2m), have smashed the record for 2018’s biggest opening to-date, posted by Marvel Studios’ own Black Panther, and have already taken Infinity War past the total grosses of previous MCU titles Iron Man 1 & 2, Thor 1 & 2, Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: Winter Soldier.

Additionally, Marvel Studios’ cultural phenomenon, Black Panther, itself passed £50m at the UK & Ireland box office earlier this week having remained in the top ten for 11 weeks since opening in February.

 

An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” brings to the screen the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

A Closer Look at the Marvel Avengers: Infinity War Nerf Iron Man Assembler Gear from Hasbro

Andrew Edney
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0
A Closer Look at the Marvel Avengers: Infinity War Nerf Iron Man Assembler Gear from Hasbro

To coincide with the cinema release of Avengers: Infinity War, Hasbro have a number of new toys out, we take a closer look at the Marvel Avengers: Infinity War Nerf Iron Man Assembler Gear.

Get ready to build and blast like the Armored Avenger with Iron Man Assembler Gear!

Collect, combine, and customize! With Avengers Assembler Gear featuring Nerf technology, kids can assemble their ultimate blaster and imagine taking down the bad guys!

Each Assembler Gear set features different blaster combinations and can be combined with other Assembler Gear sets (each set sold separately) to build customizable blasters and get ready to blast into action!

With over 100 combinations of blasters with multiple sets (each set sold separately), the only question is: what will YOU assemble?

  • Includes gauntlet, 2 connectors, 3 darts, and instructions.
  • Different blaster combinations
  • Iron Man-inspired design
  • Connect pieces to build & blast
  • Launch included Nerf darts into action

For ages 5 and up, Marvel Avengers: Infinity War Nerf Iron Man Assembler Gear from Hasbro is available now priced around £19.95 and there are five different gear sets to collect!

A Closer Look at the Marvel Mighty Muggs Spider-Man from Hasbro

Andrew Edney
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0
A Closer Look at the Marvel Mighty Muggs Spider-Man from Hasbro

To coincide with the cinema release of Avengers: Infinity War, Hasbro have a number of new toys out, we take a closer look at the Marvel Mighty Muggs Spider-Man.

Call it a moodswing, or call it a moodSPIN, with Marvel Mighty Muggs, heads are going to turn…literally. This Spider-Man Mighty Muggs figure features a push-and-turn mechanism so that when kids and fans continue pressing the button, they’ll send Spidey’s head spinning! With 3 different expressions and a classic character design that’ll have collectors doing a triple take, Marvel Mighty Muggs send moodswings on the upswing.

There are three different Spider-Man facial expressions and you press down on his head to change his face.

Each Mighty Mugg is a 3.75-inch collectible figure with it’s own display case package.

For ages 6 and up, the Mighty Muggs range from Hasbro is available now priced around £9.95 and there are 13 to collect!

Who is your favourite?

Watch the new trailer of Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Chris Hare
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Watch the new trailer of Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, Lara will be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be.

In Rise of the Tomb Raider, Camilla Luddington, makes her return as Lara Croft with yet another stunning performance in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

“Thanks to their incredible expertise, knowledge of the franchise and outstanding creativity, Eidos-Montréal, in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, is delivering a powerful experience with Shadow of the Tomb Raider,” said Yosuke Matsuda, president and representative director of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. “Shadow of the Tomb Raider will take the series to new heights and Lara Croft to new depths.”

 

“Shadow of the Tomb Raider will challenge Lara Croft in new and unexpected ways,” said David Anfossi, Head of Studio at Eidos-Montréal. “Our team has created a diverse set of skills, combat techniques and equipment for players to master, and they’ll certainly need them if they hope to survive the deadly jungle environments and tombs.”

Last night, Square Enix welcomed fans, community leaders, press, and industry influencers to events in Montreal, London, and Los Angeles so they could experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider.

Tomb Raider developers at Eidos-Montréal, in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics, the game will be available on September 14, 2018 for the Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One X, PlayStation 4  and Windows PC/Steam.

Welcome the new JOBY GorillaPod Mobile Rig

Chris Hare
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Welcome the new JOBY GorillaPod Mobile Rig

The new JOBY GorillaPod Mobile Rig is the perfect smartphone accessory for the creation of pro-grade videos, vlogs and YouTube content.

Taking design feedback from the active JOBY community of content creators, the GorillaPod Mobile Rig builds on the original patented GorillaPod design, with flexible arms for more versatility. Its secure mount works with any smartphone and up to three additional devices like mics, lights and GoPro cameras.

This product supports the rapidly growing trend for video content on social media platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Periscope. The GorillaPod Mobile Rig is flexible, portable and easy to use, making it the essential tool for any content creator, vlogger or journalist creating a pro-grade video.

Advanced features include adjustable tilt for selfies, and landscape or portrait shooting modes for standard horizontal formats like YouTube as well as vertical video for platforms like Instagram and Periscope. This versatility, combined with the ability to add up to three additional devices like mics, lights and action cameras via the standard ¼”-20 tripod connections, gives you the perfect mobile video rig.

The GorillaPod Mobile Rig for any smartphone is lightweight (362g/12.8oz) and leverages the patented GorillaPod ball and socket design with rubberised grips to provide endless flexibility and quick adjustability. The GorillaPod Mobile Rig securely mounts to any smartphone with a pro-grade, locking GripTight mount.

The flexible legs on the GorillaPod Mobile Rig can be used as a handle, wrapped around objects such as trees or polls for unique videos and images, or used as a tripod. The two 6-socket GorillaPod arms with the standard ¼”-20 tripod connections, two Cold Shoe mounts and one GoPro mount provides content creators with the ability to add up to three devices at one time.

Huawei P20 Pro has broken all previous records in Western Europe

Chris Hare
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Huawei P20 Pro has broken all previous records in Western Europe

Huawei, has today announced that the Huawei P20 Pro has broken all previous records for flagship device sales in Western Europe.

The new handset, featuring the world’s first Leica triple camera and unprecedented advancements in AI, was launched in Paris, France on Tuesday 27th March and was offered for pre-sale to European consumers before the commercial launch. After only four weeks of being on public sale, the P20 Pro has overtaken last year’s P10 Plus, outselling its predecessor by 316% to become the most successful device ever sold by Huawei in Western Europe.

Huawei P20 Pro

“The incredible reaction to the new P20 Pro is testament to consumers’ demand for a beautifully-designed smartphone with purposeful, advanced technology that provides real benefits,” said Walter Ji, President of Huawei Western Europe, Consumer Business Group. “As soon as the Huawei P20 Pro became available to buy we have seen an unprecedented demand for the new device. The revolutionary new camera technology and AI capabilities bring to life a ground-breaking smartphone experience, and people all over Europe are choosing to embrace this exciting and empowering technology.”

 

The Huawei P20 Pro has been available in major markets in Western Europe since its announcement to media on March 27th, 2018.

The P20 Pro is available to purchase from all UK carriers and retail partners including Carphone Warehouse, EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 and is priced at £799.

The device is available in two striking colours, Midnight Blue and Black.

Zoopa now shipping the All-New Phoenix HD Drone

Chris Hare
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Zoopa now shipping the All-New Phoenix HD Drone

Zoopa, a snakebyte group has announced today the shipping of the Phoenix HD, a new high-performance drone engineered in Germany and now shipping worldwide.

Featuring a truly impressive specification, the Phoenix HD has been designed to offer enthusiasts a rich feature set and the latest camera stabilisation technology, previously unheard of for a drone at this price point and setting a new standard for value.

The Phoenix HD features integrated 2-axis camera stabilization (gimbal) technology, capable of capturing silky-smooth images and HD video, delivering rich, vibrant truly professional videography even under difficult flying conditions. The Phoenix HD proves ideal for seasoned enthusiasts and those new to drone ownership, including features such as ‘auto-land’ and ‘auto take off’ which take the difficulty and stress out of complex manoeuvres while retaining all the fun of flight for the user. At a touch of a button, the Phoenix HD will hover in a fixed position (great for capturing that perfect shot) and even return to its original takeoff position when ordered!

In addition, the Phoenix HD allows users to link their drone directly to their iOS or Android smartphone, and view their photography in real time, sending images direct to their smartphone thanks to onboard Wi-Fi video technology.

“As drone ownership continues to grow, more and more people are embracing this hobby and discovering the fun of flight. The cost of drone ownership continues to remain expensive where quality and features are important to the consumer, and Zoopa is determined to disrupt the sector through German engineered product at a price point which sets it apart from the competition,” said Nick Repenning, CEO for snakebyte USA. “Ideal for all levels of skill and ability, the Phoenix HD pushes the envelope of performance and value, and we believe consumers will love the features and value we offer.”

The Phoenix HD retails for an MSRP of $179.99 and is available now.

Vodafone has become a Premium Partner of ESL

Chris Hare
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Vodafone has become a Premium Partner of ESL

Vodafone has become a Premium Partner of ESL, the world’s largest esports company, and will sponsor ESL’s flagship event series:  Intel Extreme Masters, ESL One and ESL Pro League.

 

Esports is one of the fastest-growing international sports, with ESL tournaments taking place in arenas around the globe as the world’s best players and teams battle it out in front of a live audience and millions of fans watching online.

The collaboration with ESL highlights how Vodafone’s international network brings together gamers and fans from 25 countries where Vodafone has more than 500 million mobile connections – including 104 million on high-speed 4G – and 19 million fixed broadband connections. It will also provide a showcase for the development of new 5G technologies set to transform gaming.

Vodafone will also work with ESL to support a series of initiatives that promote diversity and female participation in historically male-dominated esports activities. Vodafone will become a Premium Partner of the female esports challenge held during the IEM Sydney event in May 2018, and will collaborate with the world’s top female esports personalities to highlight the opportunities for women to participate professionally in esports or pursue a career in the esports industry.

Serpil Timuray, Chief Operations & Strategy Officer, Vodafone Group said: “We are delighted to launch this partnership with ESL and create one of the biggest international networks for esports at a time when audiences are growing rapidly and new technologies are poised to deliver better experiences.  I look forward to joining our customers across 25 countries in viewing ESL’s exciting esports tournaments, both at home and on their mobile devices.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Vodafone as our new telecommunication partner for various events,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO at ESL. “Together with Vodafone we are looking forward to connect even more people and create diversity in esports by ensuring better technological conditions for professional players, fans and ESL employees, fostering corporate responsibility projects and creating awareness around the esports industry to a broader audience. Vodafone is committed to support ESL with all their knowledge and strength and we could not be happier about that.”

Vodafone will be Premium Partner for the following live global events, with further dates to be announced in due course:

·         IEM Sydney – May 2018, Australia

·         ESL One Birmingham – May 2018, UK

·         ESL One Cologne – July 2018, Germany

OnePlus 6 global launch coming to London on the 16th May

Chris Hare
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OnePlus 6 global launch coming to London on the 16th May

Today OnePlus has announced invites to discover “The Speed You Need” at the OnePlus 6 global launch event in London at 5pm BST on 16th May 2018.

Over the past four years, OnePlus has been built and shaped around its Community. To celebrate the announcement of the OnePlus 6, the company will host the biggest ever Community event in its history. The Speed You Need will see over 1,000 tickets available via http://onepl.us/e9 from 8am BST on Wednesday 25th April.

The OnePlus Community at the event will be the first in the world to try out the OnePlus 6, across a range of experience zones combining style with power.

In addition, being the first in the world to use a OnePlus 6, attendees will receive a swag bag filled to the brim with exclusive The Speed You Need event items, as well as enjoying a OnePlus party, and will receive a mystery gift when they buy a OnePlus 6.

While this is OnePlus’ biggest Community event ever and everyone is invited, the reason for putting tickets on sales is due to the limited number of seats available. To ensure no-one misses out, OnePlus is asking people to buy a ticket in advance. As with the OnePlus 5T launch event, the value of the swag bag collected at the launch event far exceeds the price of the ticket.

Ticket prices:

Tickets GBP USD EUR CAD DKK
Early Bird 16 21 18 28 135
Standard Ticket 30 41 34 54 255
Plus One Tickets per ticket 20 27 23 36 170
Plus One Tickets 2 tickets 40 54 46 72 340

 

Early Bird tickets cost just £16 / €18 each and are available until 8pm BST Friday 27th April. Regular tickets are then available from 8.01pm BST Friday 27th April and are £30 / €34. Buy a ‘Plus One’ ticket (minimum order of two tickets) for just £20 / €23 per ticket.

People around the world who won’t be able to make it to London will be able to tune into the livestream to see the news as it happens. To make sure to not miss out on the most anticipated launch of the year don’t forget to sign-up for the livestream here: http://onepl.us/ea 

Microsoft and Discord Team Up to Connect Gamers Across Xbox Live and Discord

Chris Hare
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Microsoft and Discord Team Up to Connect Gamers Across Xbox Live and Discord

Today Xbox has announced a new collaboration between Xbox and Discord. In the coming weeks, this collaboration will make it easier for gamers to connect and see what friends are playing across console and PC. This is part of the work we are doing to provide gamers with more choice, allowing them to play how and where they want to.

You will now have the option to link your Discord account to your Xbox account, making it easier than ever to see what your friends are playing.

If you are playing Sea of Thieves on your Xbox, you can now choose to give your Discord friends the ability to see that and decide whether they want to hop on their Xbox and join you.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole now out for the Nintendo Switch

Chris Hare
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South Park: The Fractured But Whole now out for the Nintendo Switch

Ubisoft and South Park Digital Studios has announced that South Park: The Fractured But Whole is available now on Nintendo Switch. Created, written and directed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Ubisoft San Francisco, South Park: The Fractured But Whole is an outrageously offensive superhero adventure that players can now experience anywhere, anytime on the Nintendo Switch. South Park: The Fractured But Whole.

In addition to the base game, the first two pieces of add-on content, “Danger Deck” and “From Dusk Till Casa Bonita”, will be available for purchase either separately or as part of the season pass. The third piece of add-on content, “Bring the Crunch”, will also come to the Nintendo Switch when it releases this summer.

In The Fractured But Whole, crime is on the rise in South Park, and the streets have never been more dangerous. As the sun sets on the quiet Colorado town, terror, havoc, and chaos are unleashed as the seedy underbelly of the city comes alive. The town needs new heroes to come to the rescue. Eric Cartman seizes the opportunity to save the town and create the best superhero franchise ever, his own Coon and Friends, with himself, The Coon, as the leader.

In Danger Deck, players will be teleported to never-before-seen locations throughout South Park to fight enemy encounters custom-crafted by the Freedom Pals. These increasingly difficult encounters will test and push the limits of any superhero.

 

In From Dusk Till Casa Bonita, Mysterion’s sister is in trouble. She’s fallen in with the Vamp Kids of South Park, who have descended upon Cartman’s favourite restaurant, Casa Bonita. Players will need to fight darkness with darkness and embrace the new Netherborn class, which offers four new occult powers. Enter the battle alongside a new buddy, Henrietta the Goth.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus | Release Date + Gameplay Trailer

Chris Hare
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0
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus | Release Date + Gameplay Trailer

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus launches Friday, June 29 on the Nintendo Switch. Spearheaded by veteran studio Panic Button with guidance from MachineGames, Wolfenstein II on Nintendo Switch includes the complete, uncensored.

As BJ Blazkowicz, experience an unforgettable action-packed story brought to life by extraordinary characters. Reunite with your friends and fellow freedom fighters as you take on the evil Frau Engel and her Nazi army. Wage the second American Revolution your way – at home or on the go. And, for the perfect blend of immersion and accuracy, utilize the Nintendo Switch’s unique motion controls to stop the Nazi threat.

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