Tech
Daily Deals: Mario Day Sales Keep Rolling, Atari LEGO Kit On Sale, and More – IGN
In today’s daily deals, we’re keeping the Mario Day party going into the weekend. Check out deals on some of Mario’s best Nintendo Switch games, including Super Mario Odyssey, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and more. Plus, deals on Mario-themed Switch consoles, Super Mario amiibo, and more.
Beyond Nintendo’s mascot, we’ve got deals on Hunter x Hunter and Dragon Ball for anime and manga fans, discounts on games like Marvel’s Midnight Suns and Red Dead Redemption 2, and a lot more. Check out these deals and more below.
Mario Day Deal: Buy a Nintendo Switch Console with Mario Red Controllers, Get Free Game of Your Choice
Mario Day may have come and gone, but the deals are still here! With this bundle, not only do you get the Nintendo Switch console with the rare Mario Red Joy-Con controllers, you also get to choose one game among these three: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, or Super Mario Bros U Deluxe. This is a more tempting deal than what we saw on Black Friday, which was a Switch with Neon controllers and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the same price.
Super Mario amiibo Reprints Are Still In Stock
The Mario Day celebrations just keep on rolling, this time with a restock of select figures from the Super Mario Bros. line of amiibo. Right now, you can grab Bowser, Mario, Peach, or Donkey Kong amiibo figures at Amazon. These originally released way back in 2015, and this reprint marks one of their only returns to shelves in the years since. Once they’re gone, there’s no guarantee they’ll ever be back at this price, so you’ll want to act now.
Mar10 (Mario) Day Sale Nintendo Switch Games
Several Nintendo Switch games have been discounted as part of the Mario Day Sale. Best Buy has discounted several AAA Nintendo games from $59.99 to $39.99. These include several must-have games like Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Odyssey, and more. Best Buy offers free shipping on all of these video games.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Is 50% Off
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope somehow seemed to fly under the radar last fall despite its strong critical reception. Fortunately, it’s not too late to grab the sequel to Nintendo and Ubisoft’s XCOM-style game, as Sparks of Hope is 50% off today. If you’re still feeling that hype from Mar10 Day, this is technically Mario’s most recent outing on Switch, making it a great time to jump on board.
Get Red Dead Redemption 2 for $21.99
What more is there to say about Red Dead Redemption 2? The game is a masterpiece, and if you somehow still haven’t checked it out in the last four years, you can grab a physical version on PS4 today for cheap. The game still looks amazing, and it feels great to explore the wild west as Arthur Morgan.
Nintendo Switch Sports Is 20% Off
The physical version of Nintendo Switch Sports is usually $10 more expensive than the digital version due to the included leg strap, but today, the prices are one and the same. You can grab the physical bundle for $39.99 and enjoy everything Nintendo Switch Sports has to offer, including golf, tennis, soccer, badminton, volleyball, swordplay, and of course, bowling.
Grab Marvel’s Midnight Suns Enhanced Edition for 43% Off on PS5
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a solid XCOM-like game starring Marvel superheroes, and the PS5 version is on a big discount today. You can grab the PlayStation 5 enhanced edition for $39.99, a whopping $30 of the original price.
LEGO Icons Atari 2600 for 12% Off
LEGO has been making some great sets for gamers lately. From the Nintendo NES and TV set, to the Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck, there’s never been a better time to be a video game and LEGO fan. One set you shouldn’t overlook is the LEGO Icons Atari 2600, which recreates one of gaming’s most vintage consoles in LEGO form. In addition to the console and joystick, it comes with three replicas of classic Atari games, including Centipede, Asteroids, and Adventure.
Dragon Ball Complete Box Set for 41% Off
It was an exciting week for Dragon Ball fans, as we learned that a new Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi game is in development. However, some fans really wanted a prequel to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, telling the original story of Dragon Ball in video game form. It seems like we’re not getting that for the time being, so for now, you can relive young Goku’s original adventures with the complete Dragon Ball box set. Containing 16 volumes, this set shows Goku’s initial training, and introduces classic characters from the Dragon Ball Z anime at their earliest.
Hunter x Hunter: The Complete Series for 28% Off
Hunter x Hunter is a classic anime, and you can own the entire series for yourself for 29% off today. Hunter x Hunter: The Complete Series includes all 148 episodes in one box set across 24 Blu-ray discs. The set includes English and Japanese audio, so you’ve covered whether you like the sub or dub. There are also a handful of special features, like cast interviews, art galleries, and more.
Get Hyrule Historia and Other Zelda Books for Cheap
Breath of the Wild: Creating a Champion is an amazing book with concept art, development details, and a lot more about Nintendo’s open world masterpiece. It’s an absolute steal at under $30, and something any Zelda fan should have. And that’s not the only Zelda hardback book on sale today. You can also get great prices on Art and Artifacts, the Zelda Encyclopedia, and Hyrule Historia, which contains the much-debated Zelda timeline.
More Deals from This Week
10% Off PS5 God of War: Ragnarok Console Bundle
Use code: “ZIPPIDY10” and Zip Checkout
So far we haven’t seen any discount on the PlayStation 5 console from an authorized reseller. That means any discount is worth mentioning, even if it requires a little bit extra legwork. Today, Newegg is offering 10% off the PS5 Disc Edition God of War: Ragnarok console bundle, or $503.99, after applying code: ZIPPIDY10 and checking out with Zip.
10% Off Xbox Series X Forza Horizon 5 Console Bundle
Use code: “ZIPPIDY10” and Zip Checkout
Newegg is offering a similar deal on an Xbox Series X bundle. Again, you’ll need to use Zip Checkout to take advantage of this deal. With the coupon code applied, you’re essentially getting Forza Horizon 5 and the Hot Wheels expansion pack for free.
LEGO Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck for $75.99
The LEGO Tallneck is a really fun build because unlike some of the other newer LEGO sets, this model consists of a good variety of bricks in shape, size, and color. It’s also impressively sized at 15″ height. The 1,222 brick count means this build won’t take a huge chunk out of your time. At this price you’re only paying 6 cents a brick, which is an excellent deal as far as LEGO themed sets go. This discount doesn’t come around very often (it’s the first time in 2023) so don’t hesitate. We built this model ourselves and loved it.
1TB PS5 SSD for Only $63.99
This is definitely the best price we’ve seen for a PS5-compatible 1TB SSD. A PS5 “compatible” SSD is a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a rated 5,500MB/s read speed to match the PS5’s internal drive. That means, for better or for worse, picking a top-shelf SSD. Note that Sony recommends a heatsink attached to your SSD. The Acer Predator has a thick graphene thermal pad attached on top. You could probably use it as is but if you want a beefier solution, you can peel off the thermal pad and install your own heatsink (we recommend this one for $10).
2021 Apple iPad 10.2″ 64GB for $269
Today Amazon has the 2021 Apple iPad 10.2″ Wi-Fi 64GB tablet for only $269.00, and 18% price drop from its $329 MSRP. Among all the iPad models, the 10.2″ iPad is the lowest priced. Even at MSRP, it’s $170 cheaper than the iPad Mini, $270 cheaper than the iPad Air, and $470 cheaper than the iPad Pro. Despite its low price tag, this is a capable and fully featured tablet. The Apple A13 Bionic chip offers very good CPU and GPU performance and the large 10.2-inch Retina display is bright and crisp. It’s a great option for school, work, or simply relaxing with your favorite movie, book, or streaming service. iPad also features both a front-facing camera for voice chat, and rear camera for taking photos and videos.
Dell G16 16″ Intel Core i9-12900H Alder Lake RTX 3070 Gaming Laptop for $1399.99
Dell is offering a Dell G16 16″ gaming laptop equipped with a 12th generation Intel Core i9 Alder Lake CPU and GeForce RTX 3070 GPU for only $1399.99 after $400 in instant savings. Dell’s G-series gaming laptops offer specs similar to Alienware laptops but without the higher Alienware price point.
HP OMEN 17″ RTX 4080 Gaming Laptop for $2399
HP is offering an HP ENVY 17″ gaming laptop equipped with an RTX 4080 GPU for only $2399.99. If you’re looking for an absolute monster of a gaming laptop, then the RTX 4080 or 4090 is the way to go. HP’s price is among the lowest you’ll find for an RTX 4080 laptop. RTX 4090 laptops are currenty selling for over $4000.
The RTX 4080 mobile GPU performs about 20%-35% faster than the RTX 3080 Ti mobile. Compared to desktop variants, the mobile RTX 4080 approaches a performance level similar to the desktop RTX 3070 Ti. It’s definitely more than enough power to run games on the native 1440p display at near maximum settings depending on the title.
HP ENVY RTX 3070 Gaming PC for $1229.99
Here’s a pretty nice deal on an excellent gaming PC for around $1200. This HP ENVY PC features a 12th gen Intel Core i9-12900 16-core Alder Lake CPU, GeForce RTX 3070 GPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD. The Intel Core i9-12900 is one of the best CPUs available… you’d need to get an Intel Raptor Lake or AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPU to get anything as good or better. The RTX 3070 is a very solid video card for this price level; it will easily get you 60fps+ at up to 1440p gaming.
New Release: Gigabyte G5 15″ Intel Core i5-12500H RTX 4060 Gaming Laptop for $1099
The new generation of laptops is here! The Gigabyte G5 gaming laptop equipped with the new GeForce RTX 4060 GPU starts at an unbeatable price of $1099. That’s about the same price you’ll find an RTX 3060 equipped laptop, and this one is way faster. The RTX 4060 laptops are so new that there aren’t many reviews yet, but the first leaks show it performing better than a mobile RTX 3070, plus there’s the benefit of DLSS 3.0. This GPU should be able to run most games at 144fps on the native 1080p display. Note that there’s only 8GB of RAM included, which might be enough for you. If it isn’t, the RAM is user upgradeable.
The GeForce RTX 4090 GPU Is Finally Down to MSRP
The GeForce RTX 4090 GPU is still a difficult card to find without a price markup. There’s a good reason for it, though. Despite the considerably higher price tag, the RTX 4090 is a beast of a card that dominates every other GPU out there, including the 4080. Amazon has steadily lowered the price of certain 4090 models over the past month and today, finally, there’s an RTX 4080 as the base stock price of $1599.99.
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion for $24.49
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is Celopahir Games’ followup release to the hugely successful Gloomhaven board game. It offers a similar gameplay experience to the original and far more daunting Gloomhaven but it’s been condensed to make the game more accessible to casual players; that means a simpler rule set, a more developed tutorial, and fewer overall pieces on the board. You’re still playing a cooperative campaign that emphasizes tactical combat and RPG-stye character building.
Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PS5 SSD for PS5 for $131.99
Constantly going in and out of stock
Crucial’s newest M.2 SSD meets all the requirements for your PS5 SSD upgrade. It supports transfer speeds of up to 6,660MB/s which is well above the 5,500MB/s minimum threshold. Yes there are faster SSDs out there, but if your intention is to put this in your PS5, then that extra speed is worthless because you’re bottlenecked by the original PS5 SSD. If you’re worried about opening up your PS5 case, don’t worry it’s very easy. Crucial has an official YouTube PS5 SSD install guide to see you through the process.
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Shimano looks to be following SRAM with a direct-mount derailleur design
The patent drawing shows a clamp design with the derailleur fitting directly onto the rear dropout, removing the need for a derailleur hanger, and held in place by the thru-axle.
The patent application hints at Shimano moving to a design similar to SRAM’s direct-mount T-Type rear derailleur.
However, as with any patent application, concrete details are limited. It does, however, provide another hint as to where the future of high-end drivetrains may lie.
Here’s what we know so far.
What is SRAM T-Type?
Before, we look at Shimano’s patent, let’s quickly cast an eye back at SRAM’s new T-Type Eagle Transmission, launched only last week.
In one of the most significant developments in drivetrain design in a number of years, T-Type Eagle combines SRAM’s existing Universal Derailleur Hanger standard with a new, direct-mount rear derailleur.
The new derailleur has no B-tension or limit screw adjustment, and doesn’t need a derailleur hanger. Instead, it mounts directly to the bike’s frame at the dropout.
The derailleur has user-replaceable components and, all told, SRAM says the new T-Type Transmission is intended to increase drivetrain robustness and reliability, improve shifting under load and offer easier setup. (How does it perform? Read our SRAM T-Type Eagle review).
So what about Shimano?
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What has Shimano patented?
Shimano’s patent drawing shows a design for the mounting of a derailleur “coaxially” to the rear wheel of a bike.
Shimano says the purpose of the patent is “to provide a rear derailleur with improved usability”.
Key to this is what Shimano describes as an “‘angular position structure”. This looks similar to a B-gap screw on the rear of the mount and will likely be used for the initial setup of the rear derailleur.
This could also suggest that Shimano’s design is intended to work with different cassette sizes. By comparison, SRAM’s T-Type derailleur forgoes the B-gap screw as it is designed to specifically work with a 10-52t cassette.
Shimano says the B-gap screw improves usability because it “allows for easy adjustment of the angular position of the rear derailleur relative to the frame of the bicycle”.
The patent application shows the setup tool needed. This measures the number of teeth on the cassette to help line up the derailleur correctly.
The patent document also specifies the thickness of the two arms that fit around the dropout. It says these arms will have a radial thickness of at least 2mm to increase the rigidity of the rear derailleur.
How does Shimano’s patent compare to SRAM T-Type?
Shimano’s patent depicts a similar-looking design to SRAM’s T-Type rear derailleur.
Notably, Shimano’s drawing shows two arms sandwiching the rear dropout.
As with the T-Type mount, Shimano’s patent drawing shows the rear axle screwing into a thread used to mount the derailleur, centring the derailleur around a constant point of reference.
Ahead of launching the T-Type Eagle Transmission, SRAM introduced the Universal Derailleur Hanger dropout standard in 2019.
A bike must use UDH in order to be compatible with SRAM T-Type’s Hangerless Interface and, in turn, accept the T-Type rear derailleur.
Shimano’s drawings hint at a similar design, though at this stage we’re unable to comment on how it might influence frame design and, significantly, any cross-compatibility with SRAM’s UDH standard.
Will Shimano go direct-mount?
This patent application suggests Shimano may add a true direct-mount option to its mountain bike range.
On the one hand, Shimano appears to be following SRAM, but this would not be Shimano’s first foray into direct-mount derailleurs – at least in name.
Shimano’s Direct-Mount Rear Derailleur (DRD) standard, which debuted in 2012, replaced the upper link of traditional hangers, connecting the frame to the upper pivot of compatible derailleurs.
However, this still sees the derailleur mounted below the dropout.
Shimano’s latest patent shows the first design from the Japanese firm whereby the derailleur is mounted directly to the axle/dropout.
Will we see Shimano’s patent come to life?
Well, we’ll have to wait and see on that one. A patent application doesn’t guarantee an end product and, while Shimano’s application was published in June 2022, we have no way of knowing whether anything has progressed since then.
But, given SRAM’s recent move with the public launch of T-Type, a direct-mount counter-punch from Shimano seems more likely than not.
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For those who turn to tech stock leader Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and its Teams app for getting together with colleagues, today was a big day. Microsoft rolled out a new version and, with it, detailed monthly average users (MAUs) for the tool. Investors, however, weren’t particularly pleased, as Microsoft slipped slightly in Monday’s trading.
First off, the big score: Microsoft revealed that 280 million users a month are actively putting Teams to work. That figure is up from 270 million back in January and up from 250 million in July 2021. It’s also said to be about 14 times the users that Salesforce’s (NASDAQ:CRM) Slack boasts. Either way, that’s a lot of workers, but Microsoft didn’t stop there. It also noted that it was “…reimagining Teams from the ground up” to ultimately produce a newer, better Teams. The improved version would require fewer resources to run and also work better overall.
The new version of Teams is not only twice as fast as the previous versions, but it also requires just half the computing resources to run. Thus, those who keep Teams running in the background while working on documents, spreadsheets, or whatever will see better performance while they work. It also uses 70% less disc space, allowing more documents and spreadsheets on your local drives.
Overall, Microsoft stock is considered a Strong Buy by analyst consensus based on 26 Buy recommendations against four Holds and one Sell recommendation. Further, with an average price target of $292.48, Microsoft stock comes with 5.83% upside potential.
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MultiVersus, the online competitive platform fighting game from Warner Bros. and Player First Games will be temporarily closing its doors on 25 June 2023. The title, which features a number of characters from Warner Bros.-owned properties like Looney Tunes, DC Comics, Game of Thrones, Scooby-Doo, and several others, will be pulled offline with an aim to relaunch in early 2024, according to a statement from the company.
The news has come as a surprise to many, as the free-to-play game had been operating continuously since July 2022, with the ability to purchase virtual currencies, cosmetic items, and pricey ‘Founders Packs’ that offered a bounty of items and character unlocks. New characters were introduced somewhat regularly, and two seasons of Battle Pass content were offered.
When Multiversus closes in June 2023, it will have been in operation for almost a full year.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that this opening phase was framed as an ‘open beta’, and Player First Games appears to have no qualms in treating it as such. The game went through a closed beta stage in early 2022, before the ‘open beta’ began in July 2022.
Though the game saw particularly high player uptake when the open beta first launched – over 20 million players – by the end of 2022 it feels as if the player population – as well as new content – had dwindled.
In a statement, Multiversus director Tony Huynh said that the studio knows ‘there’s still a lot of work to do’ on the game.
‘We have a clearer view of what we need to focus on, specifically the content cadence of new characters, maps, and modes to give you more ways to enjoy the game, along with updated netcode and more matchmaking improvements. We’ll also be reworking the progression system based on your feedback and looking at new ways for you to connect with your friends in the game.
After 25 June 2023, all online functionality in Multiversus will be unavailable, although offline training room and local multiplayer match functionality will still be available, along with access to any characters and cosmetic items that players have already unlocked.
Huynh assured that any and all progress that players have already unlocked in Multiversus would be carried over when the game relaunched next year.
A variety of ‘new content, features, and modes’ were promised for the 2024 relaunch.
We found Multiversus to be an entertaining take on the platform fighting genre, with some clever and interesting design choices that separated it from its competitors, and made for a more aggressive, dynamic game. Its focus on catering to high-level competitive play, despite the game’s clear intention to pull a broad, general audience with its characters, was much appreciated and seemingly well-received.
Though the temporary closure of the game is disappointing, given the dwindling playerbase, perhaps it’s what Multiversus needs to try and build in the longevity it needs to survive in a genre and community so heavily fixated on Nintendo‘s Super Smash Bros. series.
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Is Shimano about to ditch derailleur hangers? Patent reveals direct-mount derailleur design
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