Square-Enix’s old-meets-new reworking of Dragon Quest III arrives on November 14 on Switch. In addition, the HD-2D remake will be joined next year by reissues of its two predecessors in the trilogy, Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II, using the same innovative engine. The announcements came in Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct, which also brought news of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Metroid Prime 4 and Donkey Kong Country Returns.
The Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake trailer and screenshots showcase the game engine’s marvels, combining 16-bit-style sprites and textures with modern environmental effects. The engine stays true to vintage games’ original look and feel but uses modern touches to make them prettier. Square-Enix has already used the tech in Octopath Traveller and its sequel, along with Triangle Strategy, the Live a Live remake and the opera scene in Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster.
Square-Enix
Launching the third game in the trilogy first sounds odd, but the prequel, originally released in 1988, was the first chronologically within the game’s universe. The HD-2D remakes of the first two entries, initially available in 1986 and 1987, will arrive as one game sometime in 2025.
You can check out the nostalgic-meets-modern Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake trailer below. It launches on November 14 and will be available on Switch, PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S and PC (Steam).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-dragon-quest-3-hd-2d-remake-arrives-on-november-14-160136678.html?src=rss
It's been about a decade since Nintendo released a new game in the Donkey Kong Country series — and while there isn't a new one coming any time soon, there is a port of one you may have missed on its way. Donkey Kong Country Returns, originally released for the Wii in 2010, is hitting the Switch on January 15, 2025. It was a fine game for its time, and I'm hopeful it'll hold up well some 15 years later. At the very least, the controls should be simpler, as Nintendo won't be forcing motion controls into the mix with this remaster as they did with the Wii original.
This game joins Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze as the other modern-ish interpretation of the franchise. Tropical Freeze was first released for the Wii U in 2014 — but since no one owned that poor console, its arrival on the Switch in 2018 meant that a much larger audience got to give the game a shot. That's not exactly the case with Donkey Kong Country Returns, which sold well for the original Wii. Still, Donkey Kong Country fans are starved for a new game, so this will have to do for now. I'm sure it's been years since many people have checked it out, so hopefully it'll feel somewhat fresh.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/donkey-kong-country-returns-originally-released-for-the-wii-in-2010-is-coming-to-the-switch-153629092.html?src=rss
Exciting news for smartwatch enthusiasts: the 41mm Apple Watch Series 9 is now available at a steep discount. The price has dropped from $399 to $299 — a solid 25% off. This offer applies specifically to the (Product) RED model, available in both small to medium and medium to large wrist sizes.
The Apple Watch Series 9 stands out with features like Double Tap and Raise To Speak. Double Tap allows you to control the watch by tapping your index finger and thumb together, letting you answer calls or reply with your voice. Raise To Speak activates Siri by simply raising your wrist, and with Siri now on-device, you can use it even offline. This model boasts up to 18 hours of battery life (or 36 hours in low power mode), blood oxygen and ECG apps, and a bright 2000-nit display.
The Beurer BR10 is a compact, portable insect bite healer that provides quick relief from itching and swelling. Introduced in 2023, the BR10 is compact, featuring a practical carabiner hook for easy attachment to backpacks or belts. This ensures the device is always accessible when needed.
The BR10 uses a fast-heating ceramic hot plate to relieve itching and swelling from insect bites or stings in just 3 seconds. Its heat application neutralizes the irritants left by insects, providing quick relief. Safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin, the BR10 contains no chemical additives, making it suitable for children over 12 and pregnant women.
Using the BR10 is straightforward. Press the device against the bite area, activate the ceramic plate, and hold it for 3 seconds. The heat disrupts the proteins that cause itching and swelling, accelerating the healing process.
Building on the success of Beurer’s first mosquito bite healer, the BR60, the BR10’s upgraded design and portability make it ideal for tackling bites from mosquitoes, bees, wasps, and more. Its effectiveness in providing quick relief from insect bites makes it a valuable tool for any outdoor activity.
As summer brings more outdoor activities and increased exposure to insects, the BR10 ensures that relief from bites is always at hand. The Beurer Insect Bite Healer, BR10, is available at Amazon.com.
Phones and tablets are made for touch, whether that’s swiping through social media or typing messages. The latter, however, has become more complicated thanks to more powerful devices and more sophisticated activities. Typing up an email, posting on social, or even writing a novel on the go would require not only a keyboard but one that you can bring with you anywhere. Logitech has a wide variety of portable keyboards available, but it seems to have really gone out with its latest design. Combining powerful features, a slim body, and sustainable design, the new Keys-to-Go 2 aims to go where no mobile keyboard has gone before.
There are plenty of portable keyboards in the market today promising comfort and portability, but many of them end up sacrificing one for the other. Foldable keyboards, in particular, are notorious for really being compact when not in use, but their ergonomics and accuracy leave a lot to be desired. Truth be told, it’s not easy to strike a balance between these two seemingly opposing ideals, but the new Logitech Keys-to-Go 2 probably comes close with a few special features to boot. It’s still going to be more cramped than regular desktop keyboards, but its wider body provides a more comfortable spread of keys compared to the first Keys-to-Go.
Unlike most wireless keyboards, the Keys-to-Go 2 comes with a built-in cover to protect the important keys while inside your bag or when exposed to the elements. You flip it all the way to the bottom of the keyboard when you’re about to use it so you don’t have to worry about losing the cover. Unfortunately, it’s a missed opportunity to have the cover also function as a makeshift stand for phones and tablets, so you’ll have to pull out your own stand when working outdoors.
Logitech also takes a stronger sustainability stand with the Keys-to-Go 2, using as much as 36% (Pale Gray, Graphite colors) or 33% (Lilac color) post-consumer recycled plastics for this iteration, while also employing renewable energy when producing the keyboard’s aluminum bracket. Surprisingly, Logitech opted to go with replaceable coin cell batteries rather than the common built-in rechargeable type, promising to keep the keyboard running for up to three years and lower the carbon footprint from repeated charging.
Unlike its predecessor, the Keys-to-Go 2 supports pairing with up to three devices simultaneously, and switching between these three is as easy as pushing a button. Aside from the rare lilac color, the keyboard’s design is pretty typical of Logitech’s style, simple yet also pleasing to look at. At only $79.99, the Logitech Keys-to-Go 2 becomes a very tempting option that almost gets that balance between comfort, convenience, portability, and sustainability just right.
After 18 years and a complete reboot, Samus Aran will return in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond next year, Nintendo announced today. The company also gave us our first glimpse at the game, which sees Samus duking it out with alien hordes on distant planet. At first glance, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond could easily be mistaken for a Halo game, though there's a bit of enemy scanning and morph ball action, as you'd expect. The teaser ends with the reveal of a new big bad (wearing a suit like Samus's), flanked by two floating metroids.
It's hard to read too much into a teaser, but as someone who adored the original Metroid Prime on the Gamecube, I'm certainly excited. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is currently slated as a Switch title, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it appear on Nintendo's Switch successor as well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metroid-prime-4-beyond-lands-on-switch-in-2025-145927227.html?src=rss
Did you think Nintendo would simply only release remakes and second-tier games until the Switch's successor finally comes along? Guess again. During Tuesday's Nintendo Direct stream, the company revealed a brand-new Legend of Zelda game. Nintendo is making many fans' long-held dreams come true here, as you'll get to play as Zelda herself in a Legend of Zelda title (as opposed to something like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate).
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom opens where most Zelda games finish, with Link defeating Ganon. But just as he frees Princess Zelda, our usual hero is sucked through a rift into an alternate dimension. That flips the script, as it's now down to Zelda to rescue Hyrule (and her tunic-wearing cohort too, I suppose).
Like the best Zelda games, this one's played in a top-down perspective and it borrows the art style of the Link's Awakening remake. Series producer Eiji Aonuma said his team wanted to create a new gameplay style for a Zelda game too.
Rather than wielding a sword, Zelda's main tool is called a trirod. With this, she can copy many items and use these "echoes" to navigate the world. This brings some of the sandbox puzzle-solving elements of Tears of the Kingdom to Echoes of Wisdom. In combat, you can hurl echoed items at enemies, and even create echoes of monsters to fight for Zelda.
You won't have to wait too long to get your hands on the game and try all of this out for yourself. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is coming to the Nintendo Switch on September 26. A Hyrule-themed Nintendo Switch Lite will be available on the same day.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-legend-of-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-will-finally-let-you-play-as-zelda-herself-143612318.html?src=rss
Nintendo kicked off its latest Direct showcase with quite a surprise. The company has revived the Mario and Luigi RPG series with the first new entry in nearly nine years. The upcoming title is called Mario and Luigi: Brothership, and that title just about melted my darn heart when I saw it pop up.
The reveal trailer shows Mario Mario and Luigi Mario working together to explore islands, overcome obstacles and stomp out enemies. They'll be able to use "evolved bros moves" to take out bad guys and as in previous entries, it seems like you'll control both brothers simultaneously. It all looks extremely adorable. Mario and Luigi: Brothership is coming to Nintendo Switch on November 7.
The last entirely new entry in the series came in 2015 with Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam on the 3DS, a game that also drew inspiration from Paper Mario. Mario and Luigi: Brothership is the first game in the series made for the Switch, though Superstar Saga is available via Switch Online + Expansion Pack. It's not clear which studio is developing the latest game — Nintendo has been keeping strangely quiet about such details of its first-party games recently — but original studio AlphaDream shut down in 2019.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mario-and-luigi-brothership-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch-this-november-142509633.html?src=rss
Starting June 19, you should see a QR code come up on the PlayStation Portal after attempting to connect to a public Wi-Fi network, such as when it requires more than a password (like a sign-in screen). You can scan that on your device and use it to connect more easily. However, Sony is careful to state that it will work for "a range" of public Wi-Fi networks and that the device requires at least 5Mbps to work, but ideally at least 15Mbps.
This feature comes alongside an update to the PlayStation Portal's touchpad which provides new visual feedback. Plus, you can now display the device's battery percentage at the top right corner of your screen.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/playstation-portal-update-aims-to-make-connecting-to-public-wi-fi-easier-141304117.html?src=rss