Author: David Smith

David Smith is the former games and technology editor at The AU Review. He has previously written for PC World Australia. You can find him on Twitter at @RhunWords.

GTW 270 Hybrid

EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Earbuds Review: Wireless Audio for the Nintendo Switch

With the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid earbuds, EPOS is showing serious interest in trying something new. Many have tried to create gaming earbuds but none have ever had the punch of a decent set of cans. EPOS is a partner brand of audio maker Sennheiser. They are tinkerers and inventors, they like to throw ideas…

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Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf brings new Essentials Range of home lighting to Australia

Nanoleaf is bringing its Essentials Range of RGB smart lights to Australian retailers. The Essentials Range includes the 2m long Lightstrip and the A19 light bulb. Just the essentials The 2m Lightstrip sports four white LEDs per LED set, and a total of 21 LED sets per metre. That translates to 7 sets per 33cm…

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Bravely Default 2

Bravely Default 2 Review: Default by name and by nature

Bravely Default 2 is a long, bland parade of JRPG cliches, presenting one after another for 50 consecutive hours. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before From the moment its protagonist awakens on an unfamiliar beach, suffering amnesia, the groans and eye rolls began in earnest. Things do not improve from there. You are…

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New Nintendo Switch

Report suggests turbo-charged new Nintendo Switch to launch this year

Nintendo is allegedly preparing to reveal a new model of its Nintendo Switch hardware. The new Nintendo Switch will feature a larger Samsung OLED display capable of outputting 4K ultra-high definition visuals when docked. The news comes from a new Bloomberg report which claims Nintendo is looking to reveal the new model, banking on the…

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PSA: Ratchet & Clank is free for everyone on PS4 & PS5 right now!

As we announced last week, Sony’s #PlayAtHome initiative returns this month, and kicking things off is the 2016 release Ratchet & Clank. If you remember #PlayAtHome from last year, this means the game is completely free for everyone! And it’s available right now. You don’t need a subscription to Playstation Plus to enjoy this free…

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Fornite Lazarbeam

Fortnite‘s Lazarbeam skin puts the humble Aussie tradie in the spotlight

Fortnite adds cool new skins every other day, but the Lazarbeam skin is especially cool. The newest in the Icon Series line features Australian YouTuber Lannan “Lazarbeam” Eacott in quintessential tradie garb. When real-world Fortnite players like fellow Aussies Loserfruit and Lachlan have their likenesses recreated in-game, they opt for a fashionable look. Cool clothes,…

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Fall Guys

Epic Games acquires Fall Guys developer Mediatonic

Epic Games has formally acquired Tonic Games Group, the company behind Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. News of the acquisition came via Epic’s official blog, with a promise to players that “your gameplay isn’t changing and Epic will continue to invest in making the game a great experience for players across platforms.” To wit, the current…

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PlayStation Play At Home

PlayStation Play At Home returns, drops free games over four months

PlayStation has confirmed that its Play At Home initiative will continue in 2021. At the height of lockdown delirium in 2020, PlayStation launched the program by giving Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey away for free for two consecutive months. This time around, the program will run from March to June and will give…

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PlayStation VR PS5

Sony announces next-gen PlayStation VR headset coming to PS5

Most were not expecting Sony to announce a PS5 iteration of its PlayStation VR headset. Announce it they did though, via the official PlayStation blog. Sony confirmed that work is underway on a next-gen PlayStation VR headset for the PS5. The headset promises significant performance improvements on the current model. One of the most significant…

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State of Play

Where to see tomorrow’s State of Play in Australian times

The latest PlayStation State of Play broadcast kicks off on Friday, February 26. But what time can you expect to see in your neck of the woods? See below for when you can see the new State of Play in Australian times.   NSW, VIC, TAS 9AM AEDT Viewers in NSW, VIC and TAS will…

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State of Play

First PlayStation State of Play broadcast of 2021 set for Friday

The first PlayStation State of Play broadcast of 2021 will stream on Friday morning, February 26. News of the broadcast came among a raft of PlayStation news yesterday. First, a brand new PlayStation VR headset underway at the hardware maker. Then, the next stage of its PlayStation At Home initiative was announced. Finally, the news…

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Henry Cavill Mass Effect

Henry Cavill teases Mass Effect involvement

Henry Cavill, the Man of Steel, the White Wolf himself, appears to be working on a project related to the Mass Effect universe. Cavill shared a picture of himself on Instagram earlier today with the caption “Secret project? Or just a handful of paper with random words on it… Guess you’ll have to wait and…

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Anthem

Anthem development to end, BioWare focused on Dragon Age 4

It’s been over a year since Bioware announced they planned to beat Anthem into shape. Today, that lofty dream is over. BioWare and EA have announced that development on the beleaguered 2019 online shooter will cease. The Anthem team will join the Dragon Age 4 staff. The announcement came via the official BioWare blog, and was…

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Burning Crusade

World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic coming in 2021

In response to overwhelming fan demand, World of Warcraft Classic will add the beloved Burning Crusade expansion to its roster. The Burning Crusade was the first major expansion to World of Warcraft and made numerous changes to gameplay and mechanics. For players that have exhausted all of WOW Classic‘s content, you will be able to…

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World of Warcraft: Shadowlands

World of Warcraft Shadowlands unleashes the Chains of Domination

The first major content upgrade to World of Warcraft Shadowlands, Chains of Dominion, makes some dramatic changes to the Shadowlands post-game story. The Jailer’s power grows. Anduin is held in the thrall of the Lich King. Baston has fallen. Sylvanas questions her own brutal crusade. Chains of Domination is the same Patch 9.1 that leaked…

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Diablo 2 Resurrected

Diablo 2 Resurrected brings an RPG masterpiece back to life

Blizzard Entertainment has formally unveiled its latest HD remaster, Diablo 2 Resurrected. The package contains the original Diablo 2 and its expansion, Lord of Destruction. The remaster doesn’t simply uprez the game existing game and add a few new monitor resolutions either. This is a ground-up remake that reconstructs the original in 3D with new…

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Diablo 4 trailer

Diablo 4 trailer reveals brand new Rogue class

A new Diablo 4 trailer has debuted at BlizzConline 2021, Blizzard Entertainment’s fully online fan convention. It’s been over a year since Blizzard first announced Diablo 4 to a hungry community. Following the game’s announcement, news became quite scarce. The team put its collective head down and went to work. Anticipation for Diablo 4 is…

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Test your might against the red band Mortal Kombat trailer

Warner Bros has dropped its first major Mortal Kombat trailer. The long-in-development reboot promises a film that revels in its violence every bit as much as the video games it’s based on. The Mortal Kombat trailer runs through a laundry list of popular MK characters — Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Kung Lao, Jax,…

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Mario Golf Super Rush

Mario Golf Super Rush will kiss that egg in July

Mario Golf Super Rush will be the next title in the long-running Mario Golf series. Announced during today’s Nintendo Direct broadcast, the game updates the series with all-new courses, powers, and characters. Like the best of Nintendo’s party-based games, Super Rush will be the perfect game to play with friends once the threat of Covid…

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The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD arrives in July

A remaster of The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword was not the Zelda news most hoped for from today’s Nintendo Direct. Indeed, it could be considered one of the great trolls in video game history. When series producer Eiji Aonuma appeared on screen, many thought it was finally time. After more than a year of…

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Smash Bros Pyra

Super Smash Bros Ultimate adds Xenoblade‘s Pyra and Mythra to roster

Today’s Nintendo Direct opened with a new Smash Bros fighter, Pyra, from the Xenoblade Chronicles series of JRPGs. Also Mythra from the same series, who will be her shadow fighter. Smash Bros fans have long lamented the game’s growing reliance on sword-based characters, and Pyra and Mythra won’t help that situation. That said, their move…

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Xbox Wireless Headset

The Xbox Wireless Headset is coming to Australia in March

Modelled on its popular line of Surface Headphones, Microsoft has unveiled the Xbox Wireless Headset. Given that Microsoft wants to compete with PlayStation’s own branded cans, it’s no surprise that these cans sit in the mid-Premium tier. Indeed, at $149.95 AUD, they may be a bit cheaper than their sleek design might have indicated. Let’s…

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Nintendo Direct in Australian times

Here’s when you can watch tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct in Australian times

A massive hour-long Nintendo Direct broadcast drops tomorrow, but when can you see it in Australian times? Don’t worry — no matter which state you’re in, we’ve got you covered.   Where can I see the new Direct? You can watch it live on the official Nintendo YouTube channel, or on Nintendo’s official Twitch channel….

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Nintendo Direct

Hour-long Nintendo Direct to drop tomorrow morning, this is not a drill

Nintendo has announced a Nintendo Direct broadcast for tomorrow, February 18, at 9am AEDT. The broadcast will feature “roughly 50 minutes of information focused on available games like Super Smash Bros Ultimate and games coming to Nintendo Switch in the first half of 2021.” The broadcast will be the first “full size” Nintendo Direct since…

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Destruction AllStars

Destruction AllStars Review: Return of the weekend rental

In a year like 2021, I think Destruction AllStars is the video game vibe we may all be looking for. Last year, Animal Crossing: New Horizons gave us solace, somewhere peaceful to retreat to as the world fell apart. Among Us would later change that vibe to something more aggressive. It allowed us to reconnect through…

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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launching in June, drops brand new trailer

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has a release date. Insomniac’s latest will arrive June 11, 2021, according to a new post on the official PlayStation Blog. “When the evil Dr. Nefarious uses a device that can access alternate dimensions to find a galaxy where he always wins, Ratchet and Clank are separated,” the post reads….

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Hearthstone

Hearthstone adds its own new WOW Classic-style format

Hearthstone fans are celebrating the announcement of a new Classic Format game mode that mimics what the game was like at launch. Classic Format uses only the original 240 cards that Hearthstone launched with. Any changes made to these cards since launch are rolled back. Warsong Commander will once again grant all your minions Charge….

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Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Mass Effect Legendary Edition will launch in May

The long-awaited Mass Effect Legendary Edition will launch on May 14, 2020. Mass Effect Legendary Edition will include content from all three mainline Mass Effect games, remastered and running at 4K60FPS HDR. All three games have received a visual facelift, with “remastered character models and tens of thousands of up-rezzed textures. Improvements to shaders and…

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The Medium

The Medium Review: Paranormal parallels

I wish I liked The Medium more than I do. Polish studio Bloober Team have attempted to parlay their talent for horror, glacially-paced exploration, and strong writing into a single title. The result is a game with a great hook, caught somewhere between a Silent Hill throwback and a walking simulator.  Sadly, despite its detailed…

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