Technology

• Experts say Microsoft Teams and Zoom are perfect for hiding Ghost Calls
• Attackers can obtain temporary TURN credentials and create a tunnel
• Vendors must implement safeguards, because there are no vulnerabilities in sight

Researchers from Praetorian have shed the light on Ghost Calls, a post-exploitation command-and-control evasion technique which send attacker traffic through legitimate Traversal Using Relays around NAT (TURN) servers used by the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams, to evade detection.

The attack works by hijacking the temporary TURN credentials that conferencing calls receive when they join a meeting, and then establishing a tunnel between the compromised host and the attacker's machine.

Because all the traffic is routed through trusted Zoom/Teams IPs and domains, which are typically whitelisted inside enterprises, these types of hijacking attacks can fly under the radar.

Teams and Zoom susceptible to attacks

Praetorian explained that because the attack leverages infrastructure already allowed through corporate firewall,s proxies and TLS inspection, Ghost Calls can easily evade traditional defenses.

Blending traffic with normal, low-latency video meeting traffic patterns also helps the cybercriminals, who can eliminate the exposure of attacker-controlled domains and servers

Praetorian explains in the first of its two blog posts that video conferencing platforms "are designed to function even in environments with relatively strict egress controls," so if an attacker can crack into these systems, they could have a higher chance of data exfiltration.

"Additionally, this traffic is often end-to-end encrypted using AES or other strong encryption. This means the traffic is naturally heavily obfuscated and impossible to analyze in depth which makes it a perfect place to hide as an attacker," the researchers added.

TURN credentials typically expire after two to three days, so tunnels are short-lived, but alarmingly, Praetorian explains that there isn't necessarily a vulnerability for vendors to patch, adding that they must instead focus on introducing further safeguards to prevent against Ghost Call attacks.

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Prime Video is one of the best streaming services out there, but it's also not the cheapest, which is why it's great to see that its 30-day free trial is still up for grabs.

That’s a huge draw for entertainment junkies, giving potential new subscribers an entire month to catch award-winning Amazon Originals, live sports and whole host of movies, including recent Oscar winners like Anora, for free.

• Prime Video free trial: sign up to get it now!

Signing up is easy, there’s tons to watch, and a paid membership doesn’t have to break the bank once the Prime Video free trial has come to an end. Indeed, there's so much to uncover – just look at our best Prime Video shows and best Prime Video movies roundups for the biggest and best titles.

I've really been enjoying Prime Video, especially since the streamer adapted my favorite video game series, Fallout, for the small screen. With Fallout season 2 and other great Prime Video Originals like The Wheel of Time and The Rings of Power impressing audiences, it's worth sticking around beyond your free trial.

Steps for how to get an Prime Video free trial

If you’re new to Amazon Prime, or it’s been over twelve months since you were a Prime member, then the 30-day Prime Video free trial is available. It’s even better for students, who are entitled to an incredible 6 months of free streaming.

Signing up is easy, just follow the bullet points below:

• Go to Prime Video
• Select ‘Try Prime’
• Sign in to your Amazon account
• Follow the on-screen instructions if prompted

Your Amazon account will need a current, valid credit card linked to it. But, as long as you cancel your membership before the free trial period expires, you won't be charged.

In the US, Amazon Channels often provide a seven-day trial too, letting you explore a la carte options like Cinemax. But you need to be a fully-fledged, Amazon Prime subscription member to get those.

Step by step guide for how to get a Prime Video free trialVisit the Prime Video app or site

(Image credit: Prime Video)

To get started, head to the Prime Video site or download the app on your tablet or phone. If you're a new customer, you'll be prompted to "start your 30-day free trial", which you can click on to navigate to the next step.

Sign in to Amazon or create a new account

(Image credit: Amazon)

If you already have an Amazon account but you've never used Prime Video, you can sign in to continue to your free trial. If you're a new customer, you'll be prompted to sign up for an Amazon account where you'll provide details like your email, shipping address, and preferred billing card details. You will also complete a small captcha puzzle to verify you are human.

Sign up for your 30-day free trial

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Finally, you'll be taken to this screen which prompts you to add a billing card for when your 30-day free trial ends. Once you've done this, you'll be redirected to start your trial. Remember to cancel before your 30-day period is up if you don't want to get charged!

Prime Video free trial: What to watch

Don't miss the critically-acclaimed Fallout on Prime Video. (Image credit: JoJo Whilden/Prime Video)

There’s plenty to feast your eyes on with thousands of movies and TV series. It has classic Hollywood fare licensing movies like It’s A Wonderful Life, brooding modern thrillers – like You Were Never Really Here and Zodiac, for example – and plenty of comedies and feel-good indie flicks.

Prime Video is packed with great Prime Video Originals too, including Hunters, Fleabag and The Boys to name only a few. Then there’s a slew of hugely anticipated releases like the Gen V, as well as Mr. and Mrs.Smith.

Meanwhile, sports fans can enjoy live matches and docuseries like All or Nothing. And, if some of your favorite programming is missing, chances are you’ll find it via Amazon Channels. There are more than 100 you can subscribe to, such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Shudder, which often provide their own 7-day free trial.

Much like Netflix, the content available does vary from country to country. So the best way to see exactly what's on offer where you are is to head to Amazon and grab that 30-day free trial.

Prime Video free trial: FAQsHow much does Prime Video cost?

Amazon Prime – which bundles together Prime Video, unlimited music, free delivery, and more – typically costs $14.99 a month in the US and £8.99 in the UK, AU$9.99 in Australia and €8.99 in Europe.

If you pay for a full annual membership, you can save a decent chunk of change, all the while getting lightning-fast delivery and multi-media entertainment all year round.

Plan

Monthly

Annually

Standard

$14.99 / £8.99 / AU$9.99 per month

$139 / £95 / AU$79 annually

Ad-free

$17.98 / £11.98 / AU$12.98

$174.88 / £130.88 / AU$114.88

Which countries is Prime Video available in?

Prime Video can be watched in over 200 countries and territories, giving access to both Amazon Prime or Prime Video subscriptions to anyone with a compatible device.

The only places it's not available is Mainland China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Russia, Belarus, Syria, and Vietnam. 

Can I get a Prime Video free trial as a student?

Yes, in the US you can sign up for Prime for Young Adults, a six month free trial which gives you access to free shipping, access to Prime Video and Amazon Music.

You are eligible for this deal if you are a currently enrolled student, or between the ages of 18-24. It lasts until you turn 25, or graduate. After that sixth month trial, Prime for Young Adults members are charged a monthly payment of $7.49 unless cancelled.

In the UK, you can sign up for a similar subscription called Prime Student which entitles you to the same benefits, and entitles you to a six month free trial. You’ll need to be enrolled at a UK university with a .ac.uk email address to be eligible, and after the trial you'll pay £4.49 a month.

How do I cancel my Prime Video free trial?

1. Go to Amazon.com
2. Go to Account & Settings, then select the Your Account tab.
3. If it's a Prime Video-only subscription, select End Subscription.
4. To cancel your whole Amazon Prime subscription, go to Prime Membership Settings, Manage Subscription, then choose to End Subscription.

Has Prime Video had any price hikes?

When Prime Video launched back in 2016, it cost $8.99 /  £7.99 / AU$8.99 per month, and it has gone up since then thanks to the addition of a new tier.

In 2024, Prime Video did see a price hike as the streaming service introduced a new ad-supported tier. This meant that those wanting to watch without ads would have to pay an additional $2.99 / £2.99 / AU$2.99 per month.

The new large language model is rolling out to all ChatGPT users.

• Microsoft's AI helper for gaming has debuted in Windows 11
• Gaming Copilot is in the Game Bar, but it's only in beta testing for now
• Gaming handheld owners may worry about performance, but Microsoft says it's optimizing the feature for these devices

As Microsoft promised earlier this year, Gaming Copilot - the AI helper for gamers - is now on PCs (after previously debuting in testing on smartphones in the Xbox mobile app).

Neowin highlighted a blog post from Microsoft announcing that Gaming Copilot (previously called Copilot for Gaming) is now in the Game Bar for Windows 11 PCs, although the functionality is still in beta testing.

This means that Xbox Insiders (testers) will get an icon for Gaming Copilot in the Game Bar - just click that to fire up the assistant in Windows 11 on your gaming PC (or perhaps handheld).

The AI understands what game you’re currently playing, and is designed to help you when you get stuck in a game, and to do so seamlessly - in the Game Bar overlay - without having to switch away to a web browser window to look for tips and so forth.

Microsoft also points out that for added convenience, there's a Voice Mode, so - assuming you have a microphone - you can talk to Copilot to ask for help. The AI will also use screenshots of the game that's running to understand what you're asking about, and hopefully provide more relevant info and guidance as a result.

As noted, this feature is now available on the Game Bar, but only to those who are in the Xbox Insider program - you'll also need to ensure the Xbox app on your PC is updated to the latest version.

Note that Microsoft has only deployed this feature to the US and certain other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore. Notably, the UK and Europe aren't getting Gaming Copilot yet, which is unusual and likely bound up in data regulations.

Analysis: Concerns about in-game handholding on handhelds - and more besides

(Image credit: Microsoft)

This looks to be a useful feature, despite the cries of 'no, not more AI jammed into Windows 11'. I get that sentiment, but in fairness, if you're not interested - or worried about privacy in some way (with the AI 'watching' your gaming) - just don't use Gaming Copilot.

As to how useful this AI assistant will be, I haven't tried it personally, but it does look like a neat time-saver. There is a worry when it comes to Windows 11 gaming handhelds, namely that it's going to hit performance (and battery life). After all, this is an extra task going on in-game (which is the mentioned convenience) - so how might that affect frame rates?

Microsoft acknowledges this concern in its blog post and notes that right now, the feature is limited on handhelds. The company advises: "While Gaming Copilot (Beta) is also available now for Xbox Insiders to try on Windows handhelds with limited functionality, further optimizations are underway for handhelds as we approach the launch of the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X."

Of course, if you have your smartphone handy, you can always use Gaming Copilot on that second screen - via the Xbox mobile app - and swerve any performance concerns (albeit that's hardly a seamless way of working).

Perhaps there's another potential worry here, too, and that's related to the convenience of having hints and help on tap in such an easy fashion. Are AI-powered abilities like this going to encourage more laziness in gaming, with people reaching for help after only being stuck for a very short time, rather than trying to figure things out themselves?

I guess that's a broader, more philosophical concern about gaming, and the choice to enlist the help of AI seamlessly, at the drop of a hat, could have more of an impact than we might imagine in the future. Although the bigger worry will doubtless be with AI snaking its helpful tentacles into competitive games, and Microsoft is already talking about how Gaming Copilot will offer 'proactive coaching' and 'richer game assistance' in general.

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• Sony's chief financial officer Lin Tao has admitted that its current live-service strategy "is not entirely going smoothly"
• Tao said, despite Concord's shutdown and Marathon's delay, she still believes in Sony's strategy but will learn from its mistakes
• Live-service games accounted for 40% of Sony's first-party software revenue in Q1, but "for the full year it's a little less, probably between 20-30%"

Sony has admitted that its current live-service strategy "is not entirely going smoothly" following the disastrous launch of Concord, but says it will continue with its plan and learn from its mistakes.

During a recent Q&A session after the company's latest financial results (via VGC), one caller asked the panel of executives for an update on PlayStation's live-service strategy amid the delay of Marathon and following the shutdown of Concord.

In response, Sony's chief financial officer Lin Tao said that she still believes in live-service games, despite recent negativity, explaining that other games like Helldivers 2 and Destiny 2 have managed to produce a steady revenue stream that didn't exist five years ago.

"Last year Concord [shut down], and this year Marathon was postponed, so somewhat negative news has been coming out," said Tao (via an interpreter).

"But if we look at the past five years, five years ago live service games were almost non-existent for PlayStation Studios. We [now] have Helldivers 2, MLB The Show, and Gran Turismo 7, and Bungie’s Destiny 2, so we have these four live services contributing to sales and profits in a stable manner."

During the presentation, it was revealed that live service games accounted for 40% of first-party software revenue for Q1 and "for the full year it's a little less, probably between 20-30%".

"So in terms of the transformation, it’s not entirely going smoothly, but from a longer-term perspective, if you look at the changes over five years, you see that there’s definitely been a change," Tao added.

"Of course, we recognise that there are still many issues, so we should learn the lessons from mistakes and make sure that we introduce live service content where there’s less waste and it’s more smooth."

Concord was shut down just two weeks after its launch due to poor sales and a low player count.

At the time, game director Ryan Ellis said Firewalk Studios was exploring options, had ceased the sale of Concord, and offered refunds to all PS5 and PC players.

While this live-service game overwhelmingly underperformed, PlayStation's Helldivers 2 was a massive success, selling 12 million copies in its first 12 weeks on sale. The game was so popular at release that Arrowhead was forced to increase its concurrent player cap to 700,000 after it breezed past 450,000.

Developer Arrowhead Game Studios also recently announced that the Sony-published game will launch on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on August 26, 2025.

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• NordVPN just launched 'Is it down?,' a service that checks whether popular websites and services are working correctly
• The tool relies on user reports to function; if users report problems, 'Is it down?' reflects that
• This isn't the only service to check website outages available on the market

NordVPN is the brand behind the best VPN service according to our extensive ranking, but today's announcement is about something slightly different. The company announced the arrival of "Is it down?," a new website checker.

The checker works much the way you'd expect. Users can report outages for some of the most popular services, including Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. If enough users report an outage, NordVPN's service will show it.

This is a great way to calm those "is it my internet, or is it this specific website" fears that we're no strangers to. However, NordVPN's new feature is entering a saturated market, as it isn't the first service to check website outages.

How does 'Is it down?' work?

(Image credit: Nord Security)

Much like similar services, NordVPN's "Is it down?" is simple and, most importantly, completely free to use. If you're having trouble loading a specific website or app, you can visit NordVPN's website and select the service that's currently acting up.

Once you're there, simply click on "Report" and confirm that you're a real person experiencing issues with said service. You can also leave a comment for other users to see if you scroll down the page.

"By providing crowdsourced visibility into service health, we aim to empower users with first-hand information," said NordVPN's CTO, Marijus Briedis.

Beyond the basic reporting function, NordVPN's new tool also lets you see outages that took place over the last 24 hours, as well as short descriptions of past issues.

For instance, on the YouTube page, everything looks like smooth sailing, with the last reported outages noted in 2021, 2020, and 2018. This comes from external sources – NordVPN wasn't monitoring these websites back then.

(Image credit: Nord Security)

To determine whether a website is down or not, NordVPN recalculates the status of each service once every 30 minutes. This is based on user reports submitted during a 24-hour window.

The company says that as long as the number of reports doesn't cross the 50% baseline, the service is deemed to be online. Between 50% and 75%, NordVPN reports a partial outage. If the number of reports crosses 75% of the baseline, the service is deemed to be fully down.

NordVPN lets you look up the status of a few different services, including:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Reddit
• Yahoo
• Discord
• Cox
• Xbox Network
• X (Twitter)
• PlayStation Network

We reached out to NordVPN to ask about its plans for the new feature. A representative for the company confirmed that it’s planning to add more websites and services to ‘Is it down?’ sometime in the future.

Other options exist, but NordVPN could succeed

NordVPN's new feature could certainly come in handy. Many of us wonder whether there's something wrong with our internet when a website won't load – this should fix the problem. However, NordVPN enters a fairly saturated market.

Similar services already exist, in fact, including DownForEveryoneOrJustMe and IsItDownRightNow.

The advantage these have over NordVPN is that they're not limited to a handful of websites; you can type in an address and check whether it works. They ping the server themselves as well as allow user reports, which makes them a little more standalone than the NordVPN alternative.

However, NordVPN could very well succeed in this field. It's a well-known brand, globally recognized for excellent VPN solutions. This could make it easier for users to find the new service and adopt it as their go-to option during website outages.

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• Google has confirmed suffering a data breach
• The attack was carried out by ShinyHunters, once again hijacking systems
• The group apparently snuck into a Salesforce instance

Cybercriminals known as ShinyHunters (UNC6040) recently broke into Google and stole business customer information from one of its corporate Salesforce instances, the company has confirmed.

In a blog post breaking down ShinyHunters’ modus operandi, the company somewhat played down the importance of the incident, noting the miscreants didn’t really grab anything sensitive, or of particular value.

“In June, one of Google’s corporate Salesforce instances was impacted by similar UNC6040 activity described in this post,” the company said, “the data retrieved by the threat actor was confined to basic and largely publicly available business information, such as business names and contact details.”

"Publicly available business information"

ShinyHunters is a threat actor that targets corporate Salesforce instances, by impersonating company staff and calling IT support on the phone.

During the call, they tell the IT technician that they lost access to their work platform and manage to convince them to change the login credentials.

Although it might sound trivial, the technique seems to be working rather well, as multiple organizations have recently reported losing sensitive data to the same group, in the same manner.

Google did not say how many companies were affected by the breach, and declined commenting further. We don’t know if ShinyHunters reached out with a ransom demand in exchange for destroying the stolen files.

Currently, ShinyHunters is one of the most active threat actors, and probably among the most successful ones.

In recent weeks, the group managed to break into both Pandora and insurance giant Allianz Life, and has also taken credit for breaches at AT&T, Santander, Ticketmaster, and many others.

The group does not deploy an encryptor, and is rather just focused on data exfiltration, making it one of several ransomware groups which have recently pivoted away from encrypting files, a process that is apparently expensive and time-consuming.

Via TechCrunch

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• Experts warn Akira is using SonicWall VPNs to deploy two drivers
• One is a legitimate, vulnerable driver that allows the other one to be executed
• The other one disables antivirus and endpoint protection tools

Akira ransomware has dominated the headlines recently due to its abuse of SonicWall SSL VPNs to gain initial access and deploy an encryptor.

However, while initial access is important, it is still not enough to infect a device, especially if it’s protected by an antivirus, or an endpoint protection and response solution (EDR).

Now, security researchers from Guidepoint Security believe they have seen exactly how Akira disables security solutions, which allows them to drop the ransomware.

A handful of targets

In a recent report, researchers from Guidepoint outlined how Akira is engaged in a bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver (BYOD) attack, using the initial access to drop two drivers, one of which is legitimate.

“The first driver, rwdrv.sys, is a legitimate driver for ThrottleStop. This Windows-based performance tuning and monitoring utility is primarily designed for Intel CPUs,” the researchers explained. “It is often used to override CPU throttling mechanisms, improve performance, and monitor processor behavior in real time.”

The second driver, hlpdrv.sys is registered as a service but when executed, it modifies the DisableAntiSpyware settings of Windows Defender within the system registry.

“We assess that the legitimate rwdrv.sys driver may be used to enable the execution of the malicious hlpdrv.sys driver, though we have been unable to reproduce the exact mechanism of action at this time," the experts said.

Multiple researchers have observed attacks coming from SonicWall SSL VPN’s, and since some of the instances were fully patched, they have speculated the threat actors could be exploiting a zero-day vulnerability.

However, in a statement shared with TechRadar Pro, SonicWall said that the criminals were actually exploiting an n-day vulnerability.

“Based on current findings, we have high confidence that this activity is related to CVE-2024-40766, which was previously disclosed and documented in our public advisory SNWLID-2024-0015, not a new zero-day or unknown vulnerability,” the company said.

“The affected population is small, fewer than 40 confirmed cases, and appears to be linked to legacy credential use during migrations from Gen 6 to Gen 7 firewalls. We’ve issued updated guidance, including steps to change credentials and upgrade to SonicOS 7.3.0, which includes enhanced MFA protections.”

Via BleepingComputer

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• Over 86% of Iranians now rely on VPNs to access blocked content, according to the latest Tehran E-Commerce Association's report
• The report also ranks Iran as 97th out of 100 countries for internet quality
• Iran outlawed the use of "unauthorized" VPNs in February 2024, de facto banning their usage without a legal permit

Nearly 90% of internet users in Iran rely on VPN services to navigate widespread internet disruptions, according to the latest report from the Tehran E-Commerce Association published on Sunday, August 3.

The report, which ranks Iran as 97th out of 100 countries for internet quality, also criticizes Iranian authorities for failing to address calls to improve national connectivity, the Iran International reported.

The use of the best VPN services and other circumvention tools, like Starlink, keeps rising despite a law enforced in February 2024 outlawing their usage without a legal permit.

Iran's internet crisis

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

"Our findings show that 93% of youth and 86% of the general public use VPNs," said Pouya Pirhosseinlou, head of the Internet and Infrastructure Committee of the Tehran E-Commerce Association, the Iran International reported.

Despite easing some internet restrictions like those against WhatsApp back in January, many websites remain filtered in Iran at the time of writing, forcing Iranians to find alternative ways to stay connected.

"Today, around 700,000 small businesses operate on Instagram. At least one million jobs are tied to that platform alone. Disruptions here directly hit people’s livelihoods," explains Pirhosseinlou.

Yet, via a reliable virtual private network (VPN), people in Iran can trick their local internet service provider and gain access to Instagram and other restricted platforms within seconds.

This surge in VPN usage may also contribute to worsening the precarious connectivity level of Iran's internet. Citizens' traffic is forced "through distant, inefficient routes and lowering speed," Pirhosseinlou explains, adding: "Even on unfiltered websites, users keep VPNs on –further degrading national internet performance."

This isn't the first time that the Tehran Electronic Commerce Association – an independent body that monitors and evaluates the internet situation in Iran – has placed Iran's internet among the worst worldwide. In another report dated January 2024, experts precisely blamed the President and Iranian officials' lack of knowledge for this "self-inflicted" situation.

Commenting on the latest findings, Pirhosseinlou said: "Even if we had America’s infrastructure, Iran’s internet would still be full of disruptions because of the current filtering.[..] Filtering equipment is inherently disruptive. It causes serious malfunctions across many emerging protocols and websites."

Using a VPN in Iran – all you need to know

Despite being increasingly a necessity, authorities have been actively working to prevent the use of Iranian VPN over the years.

For example, in 2023, Iran was second only to China for VPN censorship. This also occurred in 2024, when Iran topped the VPN censoring list across the country's official app stores.

Not only VPN-targeted blocking, though. The regime has even challenged the legality of using a VPN in the first place. In February 2024, Iran outlawed "unauthorized" VPNs, de facto banning their usage without a legal permit. Three months later, the government also resurrected an internet bill that could put VPN usage at risk even more.

Cybersecurity experts have also recently found a new spyware campaign mainly targeting Iranian Android VPN users via infected fake VPN apps.

For all these reasons, it is very important to choose a reliable, secure, and private service. I recommend checking TechRadar's up-to-date guide of the best free VPN on the market to download only the most secure freebie out there – Windscribe Free and Proton VPN Free are today's top picks.

TechRadar's reviewers also rank NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and Proton VPN as the best overall (in order) at the time of writing, but you'll have to pay for a subscription in order to use these services.

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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The Nintendo Indie World Showcase for August has officially wrapped, and those 15 minutes were jam-packed full of announcements for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

While we didn't see the long-awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong, there were plenty of other indies to get excited for, including several metroidvania-style games, a new debut project featuring Celeste's pixel artist, and multiple titles that are available starting today.

In case you missed it, here's everything that was announced during the latest Indie World Showcase.

Mina the Hollower

(Image credit: Yacht Club Games)

From the developers of Shovel Knight, Mina the Hollower is coming to Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on October 31, 2025.

In this game, you play as Mina, a renowned Hollower, on a quest to save a cursed island. It's an action-adventure experience that shares the same pixel art style and music as Yacht Club Games' previous games, featuring environmental hazards, monsters, and a customizable gear set.

A demo is available today.

Well Dweller

(Image credit: Kyle Thompson)

Well Dweller is a dark fairytale, metroidvania-style game from the creator of Crypt Custodian and Islets, featuring 2D platforming, sidescrolling mechanics, and scary-looking boss fights.

Announced for Nintendo Switch and releasing in 2026, you play as Glimmer, a tiny bird armed with a matchstick, who must burn the wicked queen to save his family before they become part of her royal gown.

On your journey, you'll meet new characters and reunite all your sheltered siblings, snatched from the nest one night in a turn of events that lead to the coming of an unlikely, little hero.

Neverway

(Image credit: Coldblood Inc)

Neverway is a debut game developed by Coldblood Inc., a studio co-founded by the pixel artist behind the award-winning Celeste and TowerFall, and featuring an original soundtrack by Disasterpeace.

"After quitting her dead-end job, Fiona starts over on a farm and becomes the immortal herald of a dead god," the game description reads. "Make friends, fight through horrors, and pay off your debt in Neverway, a nightmarish life sim RPG."

The game is coming to Nintendo Switch in 2026.

Herdling

(Image credit: Okomotive)

Herdling is a brand new game from Okomotive, the creators of the acclaimed FAR games and the publishers of Firewatch.

In this adventure, you set out on a grand alpine expedition with a herd of mysterious beasts called Calicorns. As you ascend the mountain path, you'll encounter eerie dangers, obstacles, and beautiful views.

It's your mission to guide and protect the Calicorns while avoiding dangers and solving environmental puzzles.

Described as "an emotional, wordless tale of trust, survival, and companionship during a great crossing through a fallen world", Herdling is heading to the Nintendo Switch and PC on August 21, 2025.

Is This Seat Taken?

(Image credit: Wholesome Games Presents)

Available on Nintendo Switch today, Is This Seat Taken? is a cozy puzzle game where you must play seating matchmaking with multiple characters in social situations.

"Your mission is to organize groups of people according to their preferences," the trailer description reads. "Whether it’s the cinema, a crowded bus, a wedding reception, or a cramped taxicab, every setting introduces new characters with specific tastes.

"A party guest with a sensitive nose won’t be happy sitting next to a stranger who’s wearing too much cologne. A sleepy passenger won’t be happy trying to nap on the bus next to someone listening to loud music. It’s all about reading the room to find the perfect placement!"

Little Kitty, Big City

(Image credit: Double Dagger Studio)

Little Kitty, Big City was released last year for Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, but today's announcement comes in the form of The Picture Purrfect update, which is arriving later this year.

With this free content update, a cat customizer has been added, along with new areas to explore, new and familiar friends to meet, and additional photo mode options.

Content Warning

(Image credit: Landfall)

After first releasing on PC and taking the livestreaming space by storm in 2024, Content Warning is officially heading to Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.

This online co-operative hit combines action roguelike mechanics with horror, tasking you with filming "scary stuff" with friends to try and go viral on SpöökTube.

Every run in the Old World lasts for three days; the more scary the stuff you film, the more you go viral. Ad revenue from your SpöökTube videos also allows you and your teammates to upgrade your gear to film better videos and survive more easily.

Ball x Pit

(Image credit: Kenny Sun)

Ball x Pitt is a brick-breaking, ball-fusing, base-building survival roguelite, inspired by games like Vampire Survivors. Featuring a low-poly, pixel art style, there'll be over 60 randomized balls to equip that can be used by ricocheting them off hordes of enemies.

Each level will offer new challenges and boss fights, characters to meet, and riches to earn that can be used to expand your homestead.

Ball x Pitt launches on October 15, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. It's also coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in Fall 2025.

A free demo is available now.

Ultimate Sheep Racoon

(Image credit: Clever Endeavor Games)

Ultimate Sheep Raccoon is an adorable eight-player, bike-racing party game where you and your friends build courses and race against obstacles and dangerous traps.

It's coming to Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 in Winter 2025.

Glaciered

(Image credit: Studio Snowblind)

Glaciered is an action-adventure game developed by Japanese indie studio Studio Snowblind.

Set 65 million years in the future, the world has frozen over, caused by the Everwinter, and the oceans have been sealed under a thick layer of ice. New species dwell under the glacier-covered seas called Tuai, descended from birds and successors of the dinosaurs.

You play as a Tuai who explores the underwater world, fighting marine creatures with real-time, dynamic combat to protect the new Ice Age.

Glacieredis launches on Nintendo Switch 2 as a timed console exclusive this winter. The game is coming to Steam, with a "Q3 2025" release window.

Winter Burrow

(Image credit: Pine Creek Games)

This cozy woodland game from Pine Creek Games will find you surviving the harsh winter and rebuilding your childhood burrow as a mouse. Gather, craft, bake, meet the locals, and try to stay warm.

Winter Burrow launches on Nintendo Switch this winter.

Undusted: Letters of the Past

(Image credit: Toge Productions)

In Undusted: Letters of the Past, you play as Adora, who returns to her childhood home after her mother’s passing. While tidying the abandoned house, she uncovers and restores old mementos, and fragments of a forgotten past slowly come back together.

"Leave no item undusted, and awaken memories long buried in dust to find meaning in the present."

The game launches on Nintendo Switch in October 2025. A PC release is also planned.

Tiny Bookshop

(Image credit: Neoludic Games)

Tiny Bookshop is a cozy, narrative management game where you must stock and run your tiny second-hand bookshop with different books and items, and set up shop in scenic locations.

You can customize your shop with collectible items like plants and candles, recommend the right book to the right customer, befriend Bookstonbury's quirky cast of characters and help them out, stock your shelves, and more.

Tiny Bookshop rolls onto Nintendo Switch and PC today.

Caves of Qud

(Image credit: Freehold Games)

The award-winning Caves of Qud is officially heading to Nintendo Switch in late 2025.

The game, which originally released on PC in 2024, is a science fantasy roguelike where players must chisel through thousands of years of civilizations, all while surviving a deeply simulated world of sentient plants, mutant kindred, and retrofuturist cataclysm.

Strange Antiquities

(Image credit: Bad Viking)

In Strange Antiquities, you play as the custodian of a store dealing in occult antiquities. It's up to you to find and identify arcane artefacts and use them to aid fellow townsfolk.

The cozy simulation game arrives on September 17, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and PC.

OPUS: Prism Peak

(Image credit: SIGONO)

OPUS: Prism Peak is a narrative-driven adventure game that finds you in the shoes of a weary, middle-aged photojournalist who has left behind city life, only to find yourself stranded in an ethereal mountain inhabited by spirits.

You encounter a spirit girl who has no memory of who she is. As their journey unfolds, her presence offers a different angle that helps him see the world more clearly.

"To uncover the secrets of this mystical world and find your way back home, you must gather clues and unravel its secrets—with nothing but an old camera in hand.

"Tweak your camera’s aperture, shutter, and focus to capture what each spirit longs to see. Offer your photos to the sacred flame, and they will answer with guidance."

The game launches on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC this Fall.

Go-Go Town!

(Image credit: Prideful Sloth)

Go-Go Town! is currently an early access game on Steam and also offers a demo.

In this sandbox city builder, you landed the job of mayor of a crumbling city. Like similar city builders, you must build and manage everything in your town, assign workers, plot out zoning, and more until it's thriving.

You can play solo, but there's also an option for co-op.

The game is heading to Nintendo Switch in Spring 2026.

UFO 50

(Image credit: Moss Mouth)

In UFO 50, you can play a collection of 50 single and multiplayer games that span a variety of genres, including platformers, shoot 'em ups, puzzle games, roguelites, and role-playing games (RPGs).

"As you journey through the library, make connections and learn more about UFO Soft, the fictional 80s company behind the games, as well as their expansive shared universe that includes sequels and recurring characters," developer Moss Mouth said.

The indie was released on PC in 2024, but is now available on Nintendo Switch.

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Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 is now less than 24 hours away. Blade will be added alongside a massive update that refreshes ranked play and tweaks Hero balancing. Here's TechRadar Gaming's live coverage of the launch, including info on the build-up to downtime.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 key info

Start time
Downtime
Blade info
Hero Balancing
Ranked Changes

Now that NetEase has revealed the full details for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5, we know that there's not long to wait before we get a whole host of new additions to the game. There's even a full roadmap for Season 3.5, detailing upcoming events, skins, and new maps and modes. It's regular updates like these that have kept Marvel Rivals ranked highly in our best PC games list since it launched.

I've now played hundreds of hours of Marvel Rivals and even got early access to the upcoming season. As such, I've played as Blade, testing out his unique abilities at the Practice Range. He's a powerful Duelist, and I could see him becoming a true contender in the coming days.

Here's everything you need to know about the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. I'll detail what's been announced as we move towards downtime. After that, you can follow my live impressions of the new season once Marvel Rivals is back online.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 start time

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 will arrive after downtime expected to last 2-3 hours. As such, I've estimated the season's start time below:

• East Coast (US): 7AM ET (August 8)
• West Coast (US): 4AM PT (August 8)
• United Kingdom: 12AM BST (August 8)
• Europe (Central): 1PM CEST (August 8)
• Japan (Tokyo): 8PM JST (August 8)
• Australia (Sydney): 9PM AEST (August 8)

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 downtime

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 downtime kicks off at the times below:

• East Coast (US): 5AM ET (August 8)
• West Coast (US): 2AM PT (August 8)
• United Kingdom: 10AM BST (August 8)
• Europe (Central): 11AM CEST (August 8)
• Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST (August 8)
• Australia (Sydney): 7PM AEST (August 8)

Downtime is estimated to be 2-3 hours according to NetEase, and the last two seasons have followed that guidance. Hopefully, things go according to plan, though I'll be updating this page live on the day with any news of potential delays.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Blade

(Image credit: NetEase)

Blade will release on August 8, 2025, in Marvel Rivals. He's the new Hero that's being added as part of Season 3.5. As a new Duelist, Blade primarily focuses on damage output. He has a block that reduces incoming damage, a dash strike ability, a shotgun ranged attack, and a katana for close range.

Interestingly, Blade is able to unleash his Ultimate using Dracula's Sword. This deals massive damage to foes in a small area, and can even be used on flying enemies. Blade is also being added to the Moon Knight and Cloak & Dagger Team, so he will be able to cloak himself and reposition while staying invisible to opponents.

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 Hero balancing

(Image credit: NetEase)

A bunch of Heroes are being tweaked for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. Below, you'll find a summary of who's being nerfed and who's receiving a buff. For the full details on each character, head to this Marvel Rivals blog post.

• Hero balancing (buffs): Star Lord, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Dr Strange, Groot, Thor, Adam Warlock,
• Hero Balancing (nerfs): Black Panther, Wolverine, Magneto, Mantis, Cloak & Dagger

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 ranked changes

(Image credit: NetEase)

Ranked Mode is changing quite a bit for Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. Here are the key points:

• New Rewards: Blade- Emerald Blade costume (Gold), new frames for Diamond and Platinum, Crests (Grandmaster, Eternal, Celestial, Top 500)
• Matchmaking: Players in Bronze, Silver, and Gold can queue for Competitive in any team size except 5-player teams. Players in Platinum, Diamond, and Grandmaster can queue for Competitive in teams of up to 3 players. Players in Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All can queue for Competitive in teams of up to 2 players
• Surrender Trigger: In the first round, if a player disconnects and does not reconnect within 90 seconds, their team may vote to surrender. The required votes pass with 1 less than the current team members. (E.g., if 4 remain, 3 votes are needed.)
• Disconnect Penalty and Compensation: If any player disconnects during loading, ban/pick phase, hero select, or within the first 70 seconds of a match, the match is deemed invalid. Point adjustments and compensations vary depending on the situation. See the table above.
• Misc: Rank reward Nameplate Frames can now be displayed in more areas

Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 live coverage as it happensHello and welcome!

(Image credit: NetEase)

We’re now just under 24 hours away from the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 3.5. We’ll get a whole new Duelist to try out, as well as a new event that features skins for Hela, The Thing and Black Widow as rewards. Join me as I break down the new season in the live build up to downtime.

When does downtime start?

Let’s kick things off by taking a look at when Marvel Rivals will be taken offline for maintenance. Downtime begins in Marvel Rivals at the following times:

• East Coast (US): 5AM ET (August 8)
• West Coast (US): 2AM PT (August 8)
• United Kingdom: 10AM BST (August 8)
• Europe (Central): 11AM CEST (August 8)
• Japan (Tokyo): 6PM JST (August 8)
• Australia (Sydney): 7PM AEST (August 8)

The Queen’s Codex event launches with the new season

(Image credit: NetEase)

The Queen’s Codex event will arrive with Season 3.5, and there’s free and premium rewards to earn. Over on the free side, The Thing finally gets a symbiote skin. You’ll need to purchase the Premium Pass to get the Queen in Black skin for Hela, and there’s an awesome Phoenix-themed Black Widow skin too.

New skins in the store

(Image credit: NetEase)

The following skins will be available to purchase in the store once the new season launches:

• Blade - Polarity Edge Bundle
• Blade - Emoji Bundle
• Blade Dynamic Mood Bundle

Twitch Drops for Season 3.5

New Twitch Drops are on the horizon, Rivals!Watch your favorite streamers live to get a spray, nameplate, emote, and the cosmic and otherworldly "Will of Galacta" Mantis costume!Event Time:Starts: August 8, 12:00 PM UTC / 5:00 AM PT / 8:00 AM ETEnds: September 5, 9:00 AM… pic.twitter.com/TZ7nL35onUAugust 6, 2025

There’s a Mantis skin to earn in Season 3.5 through Twitch Drops. Watch 4 hours of eligible streamers on Twitch to get ahold of the Will of Galacta skin for Mantis. There’s other rewards to earn as well.

Blade joins the battle

(Image credit: NetEase)

Blade arrives as a new Hero in Marvel Rivals. He’s a Duelist that uses a katana and a shotgun, and can summon the blade of Dracula to trigger a devastating Ultimate. He can block incoming damage, and then dash towards enemies to get in close for the kill.

Doctor Strange gets a buff

(Image credit: NetEase)

Doctor Strange is finally getting a buff, hopefully bringing him back into contention against Emma Frost and Magneto. Here’s what’s changing:

• Increase Daggers of Denak projectile charges from 8 to 10.
• Reduce Cloak of Levitation cooldown from 15s to 12s.

New Team Up for Adam Warlock and Luna Snow

(Image credit: NetEase)

Luna Snow and Adam Warlock Team Up with Duality Dance. Luna Snow will get healing as she damages enemies. This adds a new level of self-healing for Luna, who would previously have to wait for her Ice Shards to gain health.

• Principal photography will begin on the next Batman movie in early 2026
• It's got nothing to do with the superhero's eventual debut in the DC Universe
• Cameras will start rolling on the long-gestating sequel to The Batman instead

It's been three and a half years since The Batman was released in theaters – and after numerous setbacks and delays, there's light at the end of the tunnel for its long-awaited sequel.

Today (August 7), Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) confirmed filming will finally get underway on The Batman Part II in early 2026. The entertainment giant confirmed the news in a shareholder letter that accompanied its Q2 2025 earnings report.

The reveal is the second piece of good news that's arrived recently. In late June, Matt Reeves, co-creator of the DC comic book franchise known more widely as The Batman Epic Crime Saga, announced the film's script had been completed. At the time, Reeves, who directed The Batman and who'll helm its follow-up, took to Instagram to post an image of the finished screenplay alongside co-writer Mattson Tomlin.

Before this pair of relief-inducing announcements, fans had grown increasingly concerned about the fate of Reeves' next Batman film. There were reasons why the superhero flick was trapped in development hell, including issues that had impacted Reeves' private life.

A post shared by Matt Reeves (@mattreevesla)

A photo posted by on

However, while many fans sympathized with Reeves over said personal problems, others were growing increasingly frustrated with the amount of time it was taking to get The Batman 2 off the ground. It was left to James Gunn to placate those individuals in mid-June, with DC Studios' co-CEO telling fans that The Batman Part II hadn't been canceled and that they should "let him [Reeves] do this thing" – aka, give him space to finish co-penning its script.

Thankfully, The Batman 2's troubled road appears to be coming to an end. Indeed, with the film not set to hit theaters until October 2027 – its revised launch date was one of six big stories that broke over the 2024 holiday season – there's plenty enough time for Reeves and company to shoot the DC Universe (DCU) adjacent movie, and complete its likely lengthy post-production phase.

Speaking of the DCU, Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted cinematic universe got a major update in February, which included news on whether The Batman Epic Crime Saga would be folded into it. There's been some movement on The Brave and the Bold, the Batman film that was announced as part of the DCU Chapter One line-up in January 2023, too. For the latest on that big-screen offering, check out my DCU Chapter One guide.

For more on Reeves' next project starring the world's greatest detective, read my dedicated guide on The Batman Part II. Oh, and remind yourself what happened in The Penguin – aka The Batman's first spin-off – and how it might set up the sequel film's story by reading my ending explainer on The Penguin.

The Batman and The Penguin are available to stream on HBO Max (US and Australia), Sky/Now TV (UK), and more of the world's best streaming services where you live.

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Apple's deal with the South Korean company means that Sony won't be sole image sensor maker for the iPhone 18.

• Microsoft finds high-severity flaw in hybrid Exchange instances
• Both Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019 are affected, and so is Microsoft Exchange Server Subscription Edition
• A hotfix is available, so users should update now

Microsoft has urged its customers to be on high alert after discovering a dangerous vulnerability in hybrid Exchange deployments.

Microsoft describes the issue as an “improper authentication” bug, tracked as CVE-2025-53786 with a severity score of 8.0/10 (high). Threat actors with admin access to an on-prem Exchange Server can use the vulnerability to escalate privileges into the connected Exchange Online environment due to trust flaws in shared service principal configurations.

Matters could be even worse as activity from on-prem Exchange doesn’t always generate logs associated with malicious behavior in Microsoft 365, which could result in cyberattacks not being spotted via cloud-based auditing.

"Publicly available business information"

A hybrid Microsoft Exchange deployment combines on-premises Exchange servers with Exchange Online in Microsoft 365, allowing them to work together as one system. It lets organizations support seamless email, calendar, and contact sharing across both environments.

"In an Exchange hybrid deployment, an attacker who first gains administrative access to an on-premises Exchange server could potentially escalate privileges within the organization's connected cloud environment without leaving easily detectable and auditable trace," Microsoft said.

Both Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019 are affected, and so is Microsoft Exchange Server Subscription Edition.

Even though there is no evidence of abuse in the wild yet, Microsoft has urged its customers to apply April 2025 hotfixes, transition to the dedicated Exchange Hybrid app, and reset the shared service principal’s credentials to mitigate the risk.

At the same time, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) also issued an advisory, urging IT teams to, besides the hotfix, review Microsoft's Service Principal Clean-Up Mode and then run the Microsoft Exchange Health Checker.

Failing to do so could result in “hybrid cloud and on-premises total domain compromise," CISA warned.

Via BleepingComputer

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After spending some time with the impressive Taycan, its range and charging speed impressed me more than its speed and performance handling.

I've spent some time sat in the Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo, and it's a gorgeous car.

• Reports claim DJI’s first 360 drone will weigh under 250g
• It's allegedly based on similar 8K camera tech to the Osmo 360
• The launch is tipped before the end of 2025

DJI is widely expected to release one new ultra-lightweight drone this year, with the hotly-anticipated DJI Mini 5 Pro seemingly gearing up for a 2025 launch. But if recent online rumblings are to be believed, though, the company might actually be announcing two models by the end of the year – with one being an entirely new type of drone based around a 360 camera.

We’ve already had official confirmation that Antigravity is prepping its own lightweight 360 drone powered by Insta360 camera technology – although just via a teaser, with specifics remaining unknown for now. And, if a report at Notebookcheck is accurate, it’ll have a competitor right off the bat.

The report details rumors coming out of China that claim DJI is working on a similarly lightweight drone (under 250g, to ensure it stays in the regulation-dodging sweet spot) that will also offer 8K 360 video recording, using a mechanical three-axis gimbal to hold its camera.

The camera, apparently, will built on similar foundations to the hardware inside the recently-released DJI Osmo 360, the company’s first 360 action camera.

A flying Osmo 360?

The DJI Osmo 360 proves that DJI knows how to make a superb 360-degree camera (Image credit: DJI)

The Osmo 360 is an excellent 360 camera (I know because I’ve tested it for our DJI Osmo 360 review), using two 1/1.1-inch sensors married to two ultra-wide fisheye lenses and a gaggle of clever software tricks to create panoramic 8K videos with a minimum of effort.

These videos can then be reframed in DJI’s companion apps (either the DJI Mimo mobile app or the DJI Studio desktop app) before being exported for sharing or use in other editing programs.

A flying version of the Osmo 360 that manages to remain under 250g sounds almost too good to be true, particularly if it’s going to have two large sensors on board. I suspect we may see smaller sensors on the drone, in order to keep weight below that key 250g mark.

If the reports are correct, DJI seems to have a busy few months ahead. The company is also tipped to be releasing the DJI Mic 3, a new model in its popular wireless microphone range, as well as the DJI Osmo Nano, a small modular action camera, and the DJI Romo, the company’s first ever robotic vacuum cleaner.

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The latest Nintendo Indie World Showcase has been and gone. August 7's Indie World Showcase, as confirmed by Nintendo's socials, lasted roughly 15 minutes and featured game announcements for both Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Nintendo Switch.

Sadly, Hollow Knight: Silksong didn't appear, but its absence certainly didn't invalidate all the other excellent-looking titles we saw, and after all, Silksong is likely launching soon, so there was no reason to lose heart when it didn't show up in this stream.

We covered the event live, and you can see exactly how at the bottom of this page. Directly beneath this chat, however, is a list of everything announced, just in case you were after a quick list for convenience.

August Nintendo Indie World Showcase: everything announced and shown

Mina The Hollower

• New game from Shovel Knight studio
• Launches 10/31/2025 for Switch and Switch 2
• Demo available today

Well Dweller

• Metroidvania-style game with side scrolling mechanics
• Boss fights
• Coming to Switch in 2026

Nerverway

• Coldblood studio
• Same pixel artist as Celeste
• Pixel action game
• Meet a variety of characters with stories to follow
• Unlockable combat abilities
• Fast-paced combat
• Available 2026
• Nintendo Switch release

Heardling

• From the publisher of Firewatch
• Escort a herd of mysterious creatures
• Puzzle solving
• Nintendo Switch release
• August 21, 2025, release
• Pre-orders open now

Is This Seat Taken?

• Play seating matchmaking with characters in social situations
• Puzzle solving and scenarios to be figured out
• Available today on Switch

Little Kitty, Big City

• Free update
• Cat customizer to give your cat a new look
• Explore new areas and visit familiar friends
• Additional photo mode features with stickers
• Available this year on Switch

Content Warning

• The PC online co-op hit is coming to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in 2026

Ball x Pit

• Low-poly pixel art style
• From Devolver Digital
• Over 60 randomized balls to equip
• Collect resources to rebuild your city
• Each level has challenges and boss fights
• Other treasure hunters to meet along the way
• Use their abilities in your own kit
• Coming to Switch and Switch 2 on October 15, 2025

Ultimate Sheep Racoon

• 8-player co-op
• Switch and Switch 2 release
• Winter 2025

Glaciered

• JRPG-action style
• Set 65 million years in the future
• Explore the underwater world as an evolved dinosaur (????)
• Timed console Switch exclusive
• Coming Winter 2025

Ending montage featuring...

• Winter Burrow - Switch, Winter 2025 release
• Undusted: Letters of the Past - Switch, October 2025
• Tiny Bookshop - Available today Switch
• Caves of Qud - Winter 2025 on Switch
• Strange Antiquities - Switch release, September 17. Pre-order now
• Opus: Prism Peak - Fall 2025 for Switch and Switch 2
• Go-Go Town! - Spring 2026 on Switch
• UFO 50 - Switch release later today

August Nintendo Indie World Showcase start time

This Nintendo Indie World Showcase went live on August 7 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST.

August Nintendo Indie World Showcase: how to watch

Nintendo's 15-minute August 2025 Indie World Showcase was broadcast live on its regional YouTube channels. You could also catch it over at Nintendo's official Twitch page.

Well met travellers!

Greetings and welcome to our live coverage of today's Nintendo Indie World Showcase! We're going to be giving you all the pertinent and crucial information regarding how to catch the stream, while also sharing some of our thoughts, hopes, and predictions along the way!

Strap in, and let's hope we see some absolute bangers!

Indie World start time

Let's start off with the really simple, but really crucial stuff: when the showcase will start.

Nintendo confirmed that the Indie World Showcase will begin at the usual time of 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST.

It's going to run for only about 15 minutes, so you won't have to block off loads of time to catch this stream.

How to watch the Nintendo Indie World Showcase

Next, here's how to watch it, and the best stream to use.

Below is the Nintendo of America placeholder YouTube link, which will go live with the show at start time. You'll also be able to watch it on Twitch if you prefer.

The Silksong question...

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This probably won't be the last time we speak about Silksong, but the big question today is: will we see Silksong in the Indie World Showcase?

Here at TechRadar Gaming, we're split on it. Some of us think that it's just too close to Gamescom now, where it's been confirmed that the game will be playable - and likely shown off during a showcase of some sort.

While others on our team think a snippet or brief look will be enough to keep that hype train going at full speed.

I don't think we'll see a huge amount of the game if it is present today, but something would be excellent.

What else might we see?

Away from the potential Silksong-shaped-elephant in the room, what else could we see? Well, we've done some brainstorming here and have a few ideas about what might appear, but also what we hope to appear...

Hope: Blue Prince to Switch?

(Image credit: Dogubomb)

One indie-shaped announcement we're hoping for is to see Blue Prince make the jump over to Switch and/or Switch 2.

The puzzle adventure game took the world by storm earlier this year and is one of the highlights of 2025 so far. It's a perfect game for the handheld nature of the Switch consoles, and we can't imagine it being a drain on even the older console's hardware either.

What an absolutely welcome addition to the Switch library this would be.

45 minutes to go!

We've got less than 45 minutes to wait now! This is your 45 (ish) minute warning klaxon!

25 minute warning!

Less than half an hour to go now! Only 25 minutes

Hope: Maybe a Hades 2 full release date for Switch 2

Another thing we've been wondering about is whether we might get a full release Hades 2 release date...

it's not a bad shout, and the Hades games absolutely bang on Switch console.

I've been joined by my Nintendo-fan pal Josie who's an expert in the field of all things Nintendo, so she will likely guide you through the show itself, while myself (Rob) and another colleague watch along, grab some snaps, and fill out this live blog with other information.

10 minutes to go!

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, wherever you are! Josie here, ready to give you the downlow on all things Indie World. I'm excited to see what's in store, with just 10 minutes to go!

It's go-time!

(Image credit: Nintendo UK (YouTube))

And we're about to go live! Let's see what Nintendo has in store for us...

Mina the Hollower

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Starting us strong, we have Mina the Hollower.

Featuring an adorable mousey main character, Mina the Hollower comes from the creators of Hollow Knight. It looks fun, but we've not got much to go off here!

Neverway is made by the pixel artist of Celeste

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Neverway, made by the pixel artist from Celeste, looks like a darker, slightly post-apocalyptic Stardew Valley.

There's even a mention of "paying off debt", so I hope Tom Nook knows he's got some competition there.

Herdling

Ever dreamed of herding yak-like creatures? Well, Calicorns fit the bill, and in Herdling your job is to ascend to the summit of a mountain range. It looks gorgeous, and I can't wait to see how it runs on the Switch 2!

Little Kitty, Big City

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This is one I've been waiting for for quite some time; Little Kitty, Big City is like a cozier, more uplifting version of Stray, where you adventure around a suitably big city as, you guessed it, a little kitty. Now with a free update, there's some fun-looking customization features and a new camera mode I can't wait to try out!

Ball x PIT

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This arcarde-style rogue-like block breaker sees you restore New Ball-bylon, but to me looks more like sensory overload waiting to happen. With tonnes of unlockability, hopefully the mechanics won't age too quickly.

Glaciered

Play as an evolved alien species evolved from dinosaurs in Glaciered, an underwater adventure with real-time combat mechanics and ample explorability around Everwinters oceans.

Release date: This year's holiday season

It's montage time!

Here's all the games we just saw in the whistle-stop montage tour:

Winter Burrow
Undusted: Letters from the past
Cozy bookshop
Caves of Qud
Strange antiquities
OPUS: Prism Peak
Go-Go town
UFO 50

And it's over already!

Short and sweet, as promised, that's all we get this time round! As we feared, there's no Silksong nor Hades II, but there's a good amount to be excited for in there nonetheless. We'll be going over some of those games anounced in more detail shortly!

Is this seat taken?

This simple and sweet puzzler sees you matching seats in various environments to the needs of cute little shape-people. It's not overly complex, but it's a fun addition to your library if you like portable play!

Content warning

The PC online co-op hit will be coming to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in 2026. In this horror-comedy hit, you'll dive head-first into spooky scenarios all for the love of clout, filming the scares you experience all in a desperate plea to go viral.

We've updated this page to feature a list of everything announced and shown in the Indie World Showcase, by the way, if you're looking for a one-stop shop of information.

There were some solid announcements today, though perhaps not the crowdpleasers we'd hoped for, but my top picks are definitely Little Kitty, Big City, Herdling and Neverway.

Let's start with Little Kitty, Big City. As I mentioned earlier, this is one I've had my eyes on since the earliest teasers appeared on X (back in the days of yore when it was still Twitter). I adored Stray, and I've always found it puzzling how the fascinating, mysterious lives of our feline friends aren't more often documented in games. I reckon I'll love the more light-hearted alternative Little Kitty, Big City offers.

My top 3: Herdling

(Image credit: Okomotive)

Next up on my personal hit-list is Herdling, which gives me the vibe of Shadow of the Colossus meets Journey in its tone and art style.

While the post-apocalyptic setting can be a little samey, I love the concept of the game, and from what we've seen in this trailer, there's a lot more to it than just walking around a barren world.

My top 3: Neverway

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Lastly, I've got to touch on Neverway from Coldblood studio. My first non-first-party Switch game was Celeste, which made a profound impact on me at the time, due in large part to its gorgeous art style.

This pixel action game-come-farming sim looks gorgeous, even with the slightly bleak art style. It's packed with a variety of richly detailed characters, unlockable combat abilities and punchy fight sequences, making for an excellent title that'll feel right at home on my Switch 2.

Ultimate Sheep Racoon

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Here's one I missed earlier: Ultimate Sheep Racoon. Probably because I just assumed it was a random collection of words, but can you blame me?

Offering up to 8-player co-op, this whacky racer looks like Happy Wheels-come-Party Animals, coming to Switch and Switch 2 in Winter 2025.

What did you think?

We thought it was a pretty good Indie World Showcase; neither ground breaking, nor really underwhelming.

The lack of Silksong might disappoint some folks, but in reality I'm not that surprised.

We're wrapping up our coverage shortly but we'll keep this page up for posterity and so that you can use it as a resource.

That's all from us!

Now that the dust has settled, we're going to be leaving our live coverage here. Shortly this page will revert to showing our live coverage as it happened from start to finish so you can revisit what was shown in the stream, and we'll keep all the pertinent details at the top of this page so you can get all the info at a glance.

Thanks for joining us, and see you soon!

• Audioengine's new HD3 speakers are out now for $359 (about £267 / AU$550)
• Bookshelf / desktop speakers with Bluetooth and USB-C for Hi-Res Audio
• 60W Class AB amplification and a high-output headphone amp

Audioengine's highly rated HD3 desktop speakers have been out for a while now: the first generation launched in 2016, and both speaker technology and audio formats have evolved a bit since then. Last year, Audioengine upgraded its bigger HD4 models to take advantage of some of the most recent developments, and now it's done the same with the more compact HD3.

Like the previous model, the new Audioengine HD3 Next Gen (2025) speakers are once again designed to sit on a desk or bookshelf, and they're particularly well suited to near-field listening with laptop and desktop computers.

But now they have built-in Bluetooth with aptX HD, as well as a powerful headphone amp. And they've been given an important Hi-Res Audio upgrade too.

(Image credit: Audioengine)Audioengine HD3 Next Gen (2025): key features and pricing

The new Audioengine HD3 Next Gen (2025) speakers have an upgraded DAC, which is 24-bit rather than 16-bit, and they also have USB-C input lossless audio – so they can connect straight to the USB-C port of your machine and pull in the highest-quality sound that the best music streaming services have to offer.

The headphone amp is a high-output OPA2134 amplifier outputting up to 380mW into 32 ohms.

Frequency response is 65Hz to 22kHz (the larger HD4s go lower in the bass) which should be fine for close listening without requiring extra low-end thump, and near-field listening is of course what these speakers have been designed for. If you do want a sub, Audioengine's S6 six-inch subwoofer goes down to a more subterranean 33Hz.

The integrated amplifier is an analog Class AB amp with 30W peak per channel, rather than the more traditional Class D amplification you expect here – this has the potential to make them more dynamic and sharper in details.

The speakers are a 2.75-inch woofer and a 0.75-inch tweeter per speaker. The cabinets are real wood, not MDF, and there are improved finishes in high-gloss Piano White, Real Walnut Veneer and Satin Black.

Given their small size and some great spec decisions, these look like interesting potential candidates for our list of the best stereo speakers when it comes to something compact and active. We look forward to giving them a test.

The Audioengine HD3 Next Gen is available in the US for $359 and the S6 sub is $299. UK and other pricing and availability haven't been announced just yet but the HD3 price works out pre-tax as £267 / AU$550.

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For many businesses, 2020 was a fundamental year, marking the shift to a cloud-first mentality as companies around the globe embraced public cloud solutions. At the time, the cloud appeared to be an obvious choice, offering reduced infrastructure costs, scalability, and unmatched flexibility.

However, as is often the case with rapidly evolving technologies, the wider implications of such a significant shift only became apparent over time. Many companies weren’t fully prepared for the long-term consequences of migrating their data, especially regarding how vital that data truly was. In recent years, as regulations have tightened and the value of data has become more apparent, organizations are reassessing their strategies.

Today, businesses are facing a mix of pressures that are forcing them to reconsider their reliance on public cloud infrastructure. Surging cloud costs, mounting regulatory demands (both local and international), issues around data sovereignty, and geopolitical concerns regarding dependency on a few U.S.-based cloud providers are all prompting organizations to explore alternatives. As a result, the idea of "cloud repatriation", or more broadly, "data repatriation" is gaining traction.

The movement towards repatriation: it's already happening

There’s clear evidence that the trend of moving data back from the cloud is well underway. A 2024 CIO survey from Barclays revealed that 83% of enterprises are planning to move workloads from public cloud to private or on-premises solutions, up from just 43% in 2021. Additionally, 94% of IT leaders have already engaged in some form of cloud repatriation project, and 25% of organizations in the UK have migrated at least half of their workloads back on-premises. Within our own client base, we've seen a growing number of cloud-native companies realize that remaining in the cloud is no longer economically sustainable for their long-term success.

Shifting back to private cloud, on-premises, or colocation solutions offers several advantages: more predictable pricing compared to fluctuating cloud bills, lower latency from being closer to end-users, and greater business resilience due to a more diversified set of infrastructure providers.

Additionally, with some large cloud providers admitting they can’t guarantee data stays within a specific jurisdiction during transfer, these alternative infrastructure options help businesses stay compliant with data protection laws, such as those in the UK and EU, while avoiding financial penalties and reputational harm.

Maximizing the potential of private data

There’s also a growing realization that many organizations have underutilized the value of their private data. Studies show that private data vastly outnumbers public data, with a ratio of 9 to 1. This is especially concerning as AI and digital business processes continue to expand. By reclaiming ownership of their data through repatriation, businesses can have greater control, unlock more cost-effective opportunities, and customize how they use that data, ultimately extracting more value from it.

For example, while public cloud tools like Co-Pilot and ChatGPT are not private, companies using colocation and private infrastructure to build their own AI models can retain ownership of intellectual property, benefiting from cutting-edge technologies while protecting their sensitive data.

The threat of data tariffs: a changing economic landscape?

While the benefits of data repatriation are clear, there are potential hurdles ahead. As more companies consider moving their data, cloud economics could face a shift toward data tariffs. The recent introduction of tariffs, like those imposed during the Trump administration, has highlighted the global implications of trade policy. While industries like manufacturing have felt the immediate effects, the service-based economies of the UK, where data plays a central role, may be next in line.

If tariffs are applied to data transfers from U.S. cloud providers to the UK, the cost of data repatriation could rise significantly. This makes it all the more critical for companies to weigh the financial and operational risks of continuing to rely on foreign cloud providers. Beyond the direct financial impact, businesses also need to consider the potential political leverage these providers could have over their operations.

In today’s world, where data is increasingly viewed as an economic asset, companies need to carefully consider the implications of allowing foreign entities to manage their most sensitive information. The rapid shifts in global politics over the past few years show just how quickly international relations can change, and the potential economic consequences of those changes. Ensuring control over their own data will help businesses better shield themselves from external disruptions.

2025: a turning point for IT strategy

All signs point to 2025 being a crucial year for businesses reevaluating their cloud strategies. However, companies looking to move away from public cloud solutions need to be fully informed about the viable alternatives. UK-based cloud providers, for instance, may offer clear advantages, such as data sovereignty, compliance with regulations, and reduced latency, making them a compelling option for businesses.

Public cloud services, while still important, are not a one-size-fits-all solution. The future of enterprise IT will rely on making strategic decisions that account for more than just cost, embracing a mix of cloud solutions, private infrastructure, and on-premises resources that are tailored to a company’s specific needs and workloads.

Rather than a wholesale departure from public cloud, businesses are likely to adopt a hybrid model that blends public, private, and on-prem infrastructure. This approach will enable organizations to optimize performance and costs while building long-term resilience in an ever-evolving digital world.

We've featured the best cloud database.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro