Holding out for an update to the entry-level AirPods this year? You might be out of luck – as it's unlikely you'll see an update until 2021.

That's according to Ming-Chi Kuo, often-cited and often-correct Apple analyst. The third generation AirPods, aka the AirPods 3, are likely to enter mass-production in the first half of 2021, according to his sources.

As for new AirPods Pro? Any AirPods Pro 2 aren't going to see the light of day until the fourth quarter of 2021 – at the earliest – with an early 2022 launch more likely.

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No surprises

The new release estimates seem reasonable. It's been a little while now since the AirPods revision of 2019 occurred, and it's far too soon for the recently-released AirPods Pro to get a look in. With the world on lockdown, it's arguable that on-the-go headphones are a less necessary purchase at the moment, let alone an upgrade.

According to Kuo, you'd be looking at a refinement of the designs rather than an overhaul, with a movement towards system-in-package internal tech rather than standard circuit boards. This could in theory leave more space for battery enhancements.

What's perhaps most interesting is Kuo cleans up rumors around fitness focussed AirPods X and AirPods Pro Lite rumours – it seems more likely by his estimates that these rumors are referring to upcoming Beats launches instead.

• Looking to go wire-free? Here's our list of the best true wireless earbuds

You've been listening to its speakers for years – now you'll be able to listen to Sonos's own curated streaming service too, as today marks the launch of Sonos Radio.

Free to owners of Sonos speaker systems, such as the Sonos Move, Sonos Radio is an ad-supported addition to the Sonos app. It's somewhere like a halfway house between Spotify's radio stations, and the more heavily curated (and also free) Beats 1 station from Apple Music.

Sonos Radio is split up into the following four sections:

• Artists Stations: The most interesting of the bunch, and the part that most closely resembles Apple's offering. Artists stations will be shows curated by music creators themselves, letting you get an insight into their inspiration. It kick off today (April 21) with Thom Yorke of Radiohead, and will be followed by Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, David Byrne of Talking Heads, and Third Man Records in the coming weeks. It's an ad-free part of the offering.
• Sonos Sound System: Another ad-free part of the Sonos Radio service, this is curated and hosted by Sonos itself, and will feature "new and well-known music, behind-the-scenes stories, and guest artist radio hours". 
• Global Stations: A more traditional web radio service, letting you tap into over 60,000 broadcast stations from around the world.
• Sonos Stations: 30 stations based on genre or mood, supported by adverts.

According to Sonos, its users spend about half of all time listening on the speakers to radio stations. So with Sonos already supporting all the other money-making streaming services under the sun, it makes sense for it to offer its own ad-cash-taking money spinner.

In a statement accompanying the news, Thom Yorke had this to say of his involvement with the service – note the unusual formatting here is his own (the kook) so we've retained it for your difficult-to-scan pleasure:

"here 

in a new form 

is that

ever rolling compilation / office chart habit of mine 

of putting together what i have found recently that fascinates or moves me, what obsesses me, challenges me, opens new doors, reminds me of what i might have forgotten, is insanely complex or elegantly simple, violent, funny, messy, heavy or light. whatever has hit me over the head basically . 

it may be new or old or just dug up again. 

 

with all

this time we have behind doors i hope this provides a welcome connection and escape .. and perhaps stops the walls closing in quite so quick."

Thanks for that, Thom.

Sonos Radio rolls out from April 21 as an over the air update to all Sonos speaker owners.

• Best Sonos speakers: which connected sound system is right for you?

Ever find Alexa sounds a bit stiff when speaking anything but short responses to your requests? The voice-activated smart assistant should start to loosen up in the future, as Amazon is releasing a new speaking style for Alexa.

Designed to make Alexa's voice for narrating news, podcasts and stories sound more natural, developers will be able to switch on the new voice style in their skills.

Using a deep-learning model, Alexa will take longer pauses between paragraphs, and  when changing characters in spoken dialogue.

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• Read our Apple HomePod review

It's a subtle but welcome change – listen to some samples of the new voice in action here.

Amazon first mentioned the introduction of new voices at the end of 2019, with an aim to make the Echo speakers' go-to voice better suited to reading back ebooks and long-form news pieces.

For now, the new voice option is exclusive to the US, but we'd expect the feature will roll out to worldwide languages and Alexa accents before too long.

• The problem with Alexa: what's the solution to sexist voice assistants?

With the Xbox Series X launch on the horizon, it’s worth noting just how far Microsoft has come in its gaming division since the troubled launch of the Xbox One back in 2013.

Here was a company riding high on the success of the generation-defeating Xbox 360, looking to extend its lead against Sony’s PlayStation range after a lackluster PS3 lifespan. But the Xbox One couldn’t have got off to a worse start had Microsoft plugged a controller into a cornflakes box with Bill Gates’ face painted on it. From its pricing to its ill-judged focus on acting as a home entertainment hub, Sony quickly gained the lead in the current generation with the PS4’s gamers-first focus and more affordable price point. It was a gap that Microsoft couldn’t make up this generation.

Early scepticism around the Xbox One grew in large part thanks to confusion around Microsoft’s game sharing policy. Initially, it appeared as if those who had bought a physical copy of a game would not be able to share them with friends or trade them, with titles locked to an individual console by copy protection. There was an uproar, and Microsoft backtracked.

But fast-forward to 2020, and this concern seems not only archaic, but so far removed from the current gaming landscape that an Xbox Series X All-Digital edition not only seems likely, but attractive.

Digital dalliances

Microsoft was forward thinking in 2013 – just a bit too much so for gamers to be comfortable with at the time, and a step ahead of the services Microsoft needed to abate any fears. Microsoft was right – this was the always-on generation of consoles, seeing an exponential rise in digital downloads, the concept of games-as-a-service, and the blooming of game streaming. From free games added to sweeten Xbox Live Gold and PS Plus subscription offers, to deep discounts offered by regular digital sales, we’re now happy to buy a digital title whether we can share it and sell it or not.

You can point to a few things that have greased the wheels over the past decade to make this shift in consumer practices possible. Firstly, there’s the improvements in download speeds and the lower cost of hard drive storage – we can now, for the most part, affordably download large games at high speeds and store them in capacious drives without breaking the bank. The digital-only nature of smartphone and tablet apps has strong-armed us into become accepting of applications and licenses we’ll never be able to share, swap or even truly own, while the switch-on-and-play convenience of Netflix has shifted attitudes in media towards instant gratification over long-term ownership of the entertainment we love.

Spotting these trends, Microsoft has slowly made its Xbox family a powerful match for the attitudes of the times we live in – attitudes it predicted going mainstream a few years too early at the Xbox One launch.

Xbox Game Pass, for instance, has proved revelatory. It’s the best deal in gaming, by miles – for a reasonable monthly fee, you get access to a 100+ gaming title library, ready to download at your pleasure to your console. This includes triple AAA titles worth individually five times the monthly fee, and day-and-date release onto the service of Microsoft’s in-house developed games (the likes of Gears of War and Halo, some of the biggest franchises on Xbox any way). Yes, aside from the first-party games, this is a rotating catalogue, meaning you’ll eventually have to buy the games you love – but many sit on the service for months, giving a player easily enough time to finish a game. If not, Microsoft has a captive audience to offer a digital purchase to, with games featured on Game Pass offered up at a discount for those looking to purchase them outright. All without a disc in sight, and with the option to extend the subscription to a PC gaming library, too.

Then there’s Project xCloud. Though it’s still in its infancy, it’s among the most promising of all game streaming services. Without the need for installation, and with very little impact on gameplay in the way of lag (providing your internet connection is stable enough), you can stream AAA titles to low-powered devices such as a phone or budget laptop. Microsoft’s extensive networking expertise comes to the fore with a seamless experience that we’re greatly anticipating ahead of it becoming a fully-fledged service.

By comparison, Sony’s PlayStation Now game streaming option feels weak, not only in terms of its so-so catalogue, but by its network performance which rarely feels of a standard suited to anything more than casual play. Sony’s Share Play initiative, allowing for ‘virtual’ couch co-op sessions with friends or streaming to second screen devices like tablets and the ill-fated PS Vita, is laudable, but undercooked – a great idea lacking the polish to make it used regularly.

And so Microsoft goes into the next generation better prepared than Sony in terms of its streaming and games-as-a-service propositions.

Going digital

Of course, Microsoft has already dabbled in discless consoles. The Xbox One generation was capped off with the Xbox One S All-Digital, sold without a disc drive and encouraging players to make digital purchases and subscribe to Game Pass instead. It was a cheap entry point for gamers, while offering Microsoft the all-but-guaranteed monthly drip of subscription fees into its coffers.

And so the next-generation, the Xbox Series console line, seems now certain to have a digital-only variant, backed up by these robust digital services. Rumor of this being the ‘Project Lockhart’ machine shows no signs of quieting. And, in a generation that  at this stage seems set to be defined by the high-end internal hardware of the consoles (almost definitely resulting in high price tags for the machines), may come as a welcome respite by cash-strapped gamers looking to get onboard in an affordable manner.

Indeed, Microsoft already offers a payment plan for those unable to buy a console outright. Xbox All Access offers a console, a Game Pass subscription and an Xbox Live Gold online play subscription for one monthly fee. Crucially, it also now offers the opportunity to upgrade to an Xbox Series X console once available and once a gamer has fulfilled 18 monthly payments on the Xbox One generation offer. It’d be a safe bet to imagine that, before long, that upgrade offer will be to an as-yet-unannounced, discless Xbox Series X All-Digital console. And by our reckoning, gamers will lap it up.

• Xbox Series X: everything you need to know

Was Star Wars Episode I the only film in history where it's tie-in games were better than the movie itself? On the strength of N64 classic Star Wars Episode I: Racer, that might be true. Good news then! It's getting a Nintendo Switch and PS4 remaster.

Originally release back on Nintendo's console and the PC in 1999, the racing game (based on the actually-very-good podracing centerpiece sequence of the first Star Wars prequel) will be making its way to modern consoles on May 12.

The port comes courtesy of Aspyr, who have previously worked on the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ports and Jedi Academy.

• The best Star Wars games of all time
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According to Elizabeth Howard, Aspyr's VP of publishing:

“The beloved game has been modernized for the most optimal gaming experience on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Star Wars fans should get ready to steer their racer to victory and leave their opponents in the dust.”

Very positive there, then.

Not to be confused with the PS2 title Star Wars Racer Revenge, the port offers 25 playable characters, a tonne of clever tracks across the Star Wars universe, split screen races, a hearty campaign mode and a really fun podracer upgrade system that sees you visiting Watto the junk merchant's shop with the winnings from your races. It all holds up very well today.

You're looking at $15 (about £12 / AU$24) when it launches.

• PS5 controller: here's our first look at the next-gen controller

Can't get enough of Disney+ exclusive The Mandalorian? Good news! There's more to come from the show while you wait for The Mandalorian Season 2.

To mark the annual May the Fourth unofficial Star Wars celebration day, Disney is releasing a new eight part documentary series on May 4, called Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian.

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It'll give a behind the scenes look at the show, from how the first live-action Star Wars series went from idea to screen, and an insight into whatever unicorn blood had to be drank in order to make Baby Yoda so damn cute.

"'Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian’ is an opportunity for fans of the show to take a look inside and get to see a different perspective, and perhaps a greater understanding, of how The Mandalorian came together and some of the incredibly talented contributors throughout Season 1,” said showrunner Jon Favreau. 

“We had a great experience making the show and we’re looking forward to sharing it with you.”

The Clone Wars conclusion

May 4 will also see the long awaited conclusion to Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated TV series.

After a long wait for a final, seventh series of the TV show, the last ever episode of the CGI spin-off will air. It's been a fan-favorite series for years, with many believing its character arc for Anakin Skywalker is the most satisfying thing to come out of the much-maligned prequel trilogy.

Watch the final trailer below:

From Animal Crossing bundles to Diablo 3, the Nintendo Switch has already seen plenty of special edition console styles. But if you want a different color for your Joy-Cons, you've been limited to buying separate pairs of the controllers.

New Nintendo Switch owners in Japan have been given a new option, however. Nintendo is letting people choose made-to-order Switch bundles with Joy-Cons in colors of your choosing.

Not only that, but Nintendo is also letting you pair the Joy-Cons with straps in a number of colors.

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Color options

New buyers will get 10 color options for the Joy-Cons and seven for the straps, as well as being offered options to have a microSD card, pre-loaded games and Pro controllers packed up as part of the offer. Everything you need, right out of the box basically.

Nintendo is still also selling the first wave of Switch consoles in Japan, though without improved battery life, offering a ¥3,000 voucher (about $30 / £25) for those that take the older machine.

Will Nintendo eventually offer this elsewhere? At present, it's hard to get any Nintendo Switch stock outside of Japan – here's our tips on where to buy a Nintendo Switch console today.

• New games 2020: the titles we're looking forward to this year

How does this happen? How can we have gone from writing a letter to Santa to top up our two-games-a-year allowance to causally splashing out the cash on new games every other day?

Whether it was the allure of cheap-as-chips Steam sales, the bite-sized pricing of attractive indies, or the ever growing library of ‘free’ PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold subscription titles, it’s not unheard of for gamers to have dozens of games they’ve never even played, let alone finished.

And so the so-called ‘Gaming Pile of Shame’ was christened online – that stack of guilt-inducing games that seem like a great purchase at the time that now stare back pleadingly at you from your shelf every time your finger hovers over that ‘buy’ button.

So, with most of the world in isolation, has there ever been a better time to tackle that pile? To vanquish the last boss on the road to gaming redemption? To allow you to buy a brand new game with the clear conscience of a fully defeated library?

Let’s face it – it’s now or never. Here’s our top tips to beat your gaming pile of shame.

Gaming Pile of Shame: how to knock it down to size

Step 1: Stop buying new games!

It’s the obvious first step. Just stop. Put that wallet away and cleanse your mind of your credit card numbers. Your gaming pile of shame will just keep growing if you keep adding more titles to it, and you’ll be even worse than when it started. 

If a sale kicks off, ask yourself: do I really want this game, and might it become even cheaper by the time I get around to playing it anyway? You may save yourself some money in the long run, though exceptions can be made in the case of games that may be heavily spoiler-filled. As a compromise, work a ‘one-in, one-out’ operation – you can’t buy a new game unless you finish an old one first.

Step 2: Use HowLongToBeat.com

This is a great resource if you’re not sure where to start with that pile. HowLongToBeat.com is a crowd-sourced list of game lengths – players submit their completion times on ‘main story’ playthroughs, ‘main story + extras’ and ‘completionist’ runs, as well as giving an average on them all. It’ll give you an idea of what to expect on the length of a game before you start, though of course it’s not an exact art – everyone plays a game slightly differently. You can import your Steam PC gaming library list to automatically get a rundown on your entire catalogue, and there’s an unofficial mobile app for the site, too.

Step 3. Start on the shorter ones

Once you’ve been through HowLongToBeat and assessed your library, we’d recommend picking out a few of the shorter ones and hitting them first. There’s a sense of achievement knocking out a game like Firewatch or To The Moon in a few hours. You’ll be ticking a few easy ones off the list if you keep to walking simulators and the like, and you’ll be able to get some momentum going.

Step 4. Dial back the multiplayer matches

For many, the Gaming Pile of Shame refers to single-player games with campaign or story modes. Multiplayer-focused titles can be mastered, but never really finished, so they’re OK to dip in and out of without too much guilt attached. If you’re trying to get through that guilt pile, dial back your multiplayer allowance – as you’ve only got a finite amount of play time to work with, and a good multiplayer game will always be there to revisit when the pile of shame has been worked through.

Step 5. Recruit a co-op buddy

Playing a game with a co-op campaign mode? If it’s felt like a bit of a slog in single-player, why not recruit a friend who also has the game? You’ll feel some comradeship, crack some jokes, and feel obligated to help them reach the end too. Everything’s always more fun with a pal.

Step 6. Kill your darlings

You bought it. You played it for five minutes. You didn’t like it. Yes, it got 5-star reviews from all your favorite gaming publications. Yes, it’s the latest entry into a series you’ve long loved. Yes, your friends herald it as the second coming. But if it isn’t for you, don’t force it – there’s no shame in admitting that you just didn’t like a game, rather than suffering through it. Get through your other games, then swap it for something you might like instead. That’s another one off the list, too.

Step 7. Don’t fear the ‘Easy’ option

Unless you’re a Dark Souls masochist, most games have some sort of easy difficulty level option. If you’re struggling with a tough part of a game, or are looking forward to a title solely for its storytelling, consider dialling the difficulty level down. It’s better to see all a game has to offer at a more leisurely pace than getting stuck in the first few hours of it.

Step 8. Give up on achievement chasing

100% beating a game is a rare and wondrous achievement. But many games’ achievement lists are ludicrous. Beat a game on every difficulty level? Pull off 100,000 perfect dodges? Blow up a million zombies with your bare hands? Don’t bother – just do the bits of the game you enjoy, get to the end credits, and tick it off your list.

Step 9. Commit to two titles (and an on-the-go game)

Committing to games on your list is the key to finishing them. Jumping between two dozen won’t see you beating any of them. But variety is the spice of life, and different games can suit many different moods, scenarios and play session lengths. Rather than burning yourself out on just one game, pick two from very different genres that you can jump between as respite from the other, and a portable or mobile game for when you’re in bed or on-the-go. You’ll have a game for all seasons then.

Step 10. Have fun!

It goes without saying, this one, but you play games for fun! Don’t look down upon your pile of shame like some mountain to be conquered, but a box of chocolates to be enjoyed. This is one of those rare occasions where the saying “it’s the taking part that counts” isn’t just an empty platitude. Whether you beat your pile or just give up entirely, that stack of discs and downloads will have hours of great memories waiting to be unlocked. Get stuck in!

• The best games of 2020 so far

As their touted ‘holiday 2020’ release windows draw closer, we’re learning more and more about the PS5 and Xbox Series X - and this week we're seeing exactly why we can't believe 'leaked' PS5 prices.

As new console hype starts to build, gamers tend to look to their wallets next. However, despite a solid understanding of the consoles internal specs (if not the external design, in the case of the PS5), one vital factor still eludes us: the PS5 price.

The internet is rife with armchair economists doing the maths on what all these components will cost, and web-crawling sleuths spotting any sign of a pre-order page on retailers, and spouting the price tag as a coded message from the Sony and Microsoft gods on high. 

But they can’t be trusted – and this week we've seen perfect evidence that retailers 'leaking' prices just should never be believed until Sony itself announces the cost.

• Sony PS5: everything we know so far
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• PS5 vs Xbox Series X: all the info to compare the next-gen consoles

The latest PS5 price rumors

Two leaks this week in particular have had the fanboys and fangirls in a frenzy over the PS5’s potential price – and both could not be more distant from each other.

First, a look at Danish retailer føtex. It’s listing the PlayStation 5 for a pre-order price of 6,989 Danish krone, which converts to around $1043/ £837. That’s an eye-watering price – especially compared to the PS4’s launch cost of $399 / £349.

Next up is Canadian retailer Play N Trade Vancouver Island, which has kicked off pre-orders for the PS5 at CA$559.99. That’s roughly US$396 or £318. Which by comparison to even the PS4 is an absolute steal. And as such, just as much of a shot in the dark as the Danish price tag. 

Guesswork and estimations for guaranteed custom

It’s an obvious point, but the fact is that, until Sony (and for that matter, Microsoft) give an official word on the next-gen console pricing, we’ll be no surer of the price than if we’d asked the ‘psychic’ octopus that predicts sports scores.

The year 2020, as it progresses, is turning into one of the most difficult of all time to make economic predictions. 

Though both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are said to be on course for their intended release dates, the Covid-19 pandemic is decimating workforces across the globe, and disrupting supply chains required to create any sort of gadgetry. 

The knock-on effect to component prices, and potential shortages, is yet to be felt – and as such, yet to be reflected in a price tag. 

Both Sony and Microsoft will likely wait until the very last minute to finalise pricing as a result, as they assess the most accurate projections on the margins they will achieve on their hardware sales. 

It’s telling that there’s still yet to be a reveal of the PS5’s exterior design – and the coronavirus outbreak has almost undoubtedly disrupted plans to do so there, too.

As for the retailers, they’re just as eager for news as the gaming fans themselves, but for very different reasons. The sooner they can start listing a price, the sooner they can start saving money to allow for it. 

They’ll be aware that the first run of stock for a new console often falls short of demand, and that gamers will be happy to stump up the cash early in order to guarantee a day-one machine. 

Whether the price is higher or lower than the final RRP makes little difference – there will be T&Cs, in most cases, that keep both retailer and customer safe in the event of any huge discrepancy in cost. Retailers can tweak what they're demanding in terms of pricing to stay competitive once a set price is revealed, and gamers are unlikely to withdraw an order once placed for fear of missing out on inevitably low stock if they do so. 

And so wildly varying pre-order price tags will remain the norm until Sony shows its true hand.

For now then, relax. We’ve got our own price estimations over at our PS5 news and rumors hub guide – and we’d be remiss if not to suggest that you take even our carefully-researched estimations with a pinch of salt.

The world may be coming to terms with new social isolation orders to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but some companies are taking to it like ducks to water – iPhone maker Apple among them.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple employees, despite now working remotely, are going full steam ahead to get the company's 2020 slate of products into the hands of consumers, despite the disruption to their usual working practices.

From new iPhones to iPads, new iMac to new MacBooks, the perennials are all accounted for. But perhaps more interestingly, the report suggests that 2020 will see the debut of a HomePod 2 smart speaker and a new Apple TV set-top box – the oft-overlooked members of the Apple hardware family.

• Best smart speakers: from HomePod to Amazon Alexa
• HomePod 2: everything we know about Apple's next smart speaker
• New Apple TV: what we want to see

Soon to be revealed?

While the details of each product of course remain shrouded in secrecy, the report states that all remain intended for 2020 release dates.

It seems that Apple is having to relax certain elements of its standard working practices in order to achieve this, too. Ever since a prototype iPhone 4 was lost in a bar by an Apple employee back in 2010, it's had strict rules on how its new devices can be used out in the real world.

But according to the report, Apple has "started allowing engineers to take home early versions of future devices to continue work during the lockdown period. Previously, the company allowed select employees to take home nearly compete devices such as iPhones for real world testing."

• Apple HomePod review: here's how the first generation shapes up

It’s a wild world out there at the moment – grocery shopping has become a lawless pursuit of multipacks of toilet roll and pasta, and even stepping outside your door is an exercise in caution. It’s almost like we all need a little practice in how to survive in this brave new world.

Enter the best survival games! Designed to test your endurance, your ingenuity and, in many cases, your capacity for scares. Collecting resources, taking on – and hiding from – enemies, all while trying to protect your base of operations, they can be brutal, and brutally addictive.

Here’s our pick of the best survival games you should be playing.

• The best Steam games
• The best PC games
• Best gaming PC: the best machines for your survival fix

The best survival games

Don’t Starve
(PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android)

From it’s lovely Tim Burton-esque art style to its deep and engrossing crafting system, Don’t Starve is like a nightmare as conducted by Roald Dahl. Exploring its creepy world is never jump-out-of-your-seat frightening, but you’ll be terrified if you lose all your progress being killed by a marauding spider thing. If you’re stuck indoors, consider picking up the Don’t Starve Together add-on too, which introduces four player co-operative play into the mix.

No Man’s Sky
(PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)

There’s a part of us that feels that, after the release and subsequent polishing of No Man’s Sky, all other games should just go home. What’s the point in playing something else when No Man’s Sky offers an entire universe for you to explore? A phenomenal technical achievement, and sci-fi nerds dream, it’s also a great survival sim, as you’ve got to collect resources, craft new gear, upgrade ships and defend against a menagerie of environmental hazards and intergalactic nasties.

Ark: Survival Evolved
(PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android)

There’s never really been a good Jurassic Park game, and while it’s not officially licensed, Ark: Survival Evolved might be as good as we’ll get. Waking up on a deserted beach with just your wits and a loincloth, it’s up to you to find shelter, craft tools and weaponry and forge alliances with fellow players on an island teeming with giant aggressive dinosaur inhabitants. It’s a bit rough around the edges, and very unforgiving for newcomers, but getting to the point where you’ve tamed your own ferocious T-Rex still takes some beating.

Conan Exiles
(PC, PS4, Xbox One)

You know what survival games need even more of? Dongs! More dongs! And this time, with a dong-size slider in the character creation screen. Yep – build-your-own dong. And that’s before the game has even properly started. Obviously not one for the kids then, but this barbarian-themed survival game does Arnie proud with brutal combat, lush environments to explore and giant settlements to create. And massive dongs.

Minecraft
(PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android)

Perhaps the most famous survival game of them all – although for many that side of Minecraft has slid into obscurity. While many now dive into the friendly build modes, at the heart of Minecraft remains an engrossing survival adventure, seeing you collect resources, build a shelter, and heading into the heart of the Earth to take on the increasingly aggressive inhabitants while hunting for rare treasures.

Subnautica
(PC, PS4, Xbox One)

Taking the survival genre from terra firma to 20,000 leagues under the sea, Subnautica mixes sci-fi scares with underwater thrills. It’s one of the most polished survival games out there, with a unique world to explore and a great loop of resource gathering, enemy battling and base improvements.

DayZ
(PC, PS4, Xbox One)

The survival daddy in many respects, DayZ started life as a mod before blowing up in such a huge way that it became its own game. Based on military sim Arma 3, it adds that ol’ faithful of videogames, zombies, into the survival mix. However, it’s not the undead you need to be most afraid of, but other players – they roam the maps in makeshift gangs, preying on the weak and stealing your hard earned gear.

The Forest
(PC, PS4)

This one’s great for horror fans – it’s the most out-and-out scary on the list. As a survivor of plane crash landing in that titular forest, The Forest has you evading the wandering mutant cannibals lurking among the trees, while building a fortress up in the branches. A toughie, and most enjoyable with a gang of pals.

Terraria 
(PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android)

Like a 16-bit Minecraft, the pixel-art Terraria is one of the most popular survival games out there. Colorful and vast, Terraria lets you take on lots of monstrous foes, digging deep into endless caverns before returning to your home to construct gigantic bases to hone your skills in. It’s a great game, with a cutesy art style that belies its complexity.

Starbound
(PC)

Starbound has a very similar artstyle – and playstyle – to Terraria, but takes the endeavour up to the outer reaches of space. It has the same side-scrolling open world exploration, but has a bit more of a quest system than some of the more free-form entries into this list. A great one for Terraria fans.

Honourable Mention: Battle Royale Games
(Various)

From Fortnite to Apex Legends, you could make a good argument for including the battle royale genre as a whole to this list of survival games. PUBG was born from an Arma mod in the same way Day Z was, and from its success comes Fortnite, Apex Legends and the rest of the pretenders. From collecting your gear to aiming to be the last person standing and, in some cases, some quick fire shelter building too, the heritage is clear. 

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War, war never changes. But it does get remastered, if it's in game form, and it seems next on the list of shooters to get a fresh lick of paint is 2009's ace Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

Dataminers have dug through the latest patch for previous entry in the series, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and have found what they believe is cover art and banner promotional images for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered". It looks like publisher Activision is looking to promote a new title within the existing game.

The image shows the iconic cover character from the 2009 original, as well as suggesting there may be some benefit to those that have owned the previous remaster, too.

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A sure thing

While it's short of an official announcement, we'd say that a remaster of the second Modern Warfare title was a sure thing as soon as the first one was announced. It was a huge success upon its original release, and there are many fans chomping at the bit to go back to their old haunt in a spruced up fashion.

As we said in our full Call of Duty: Modern Warfare review, we very much enjoyed the most recent full entry in the series, even if its moral view of war may be questioned.

But all eyes are now on Call of Duty: Warzone, a fast-paced battle royale title that's taking the best of Call of Duty shooting and adding it into the frenetic action that's popularised the likes of Fortnite. It's well worth a play.

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Kids up and down the country are, when not worrying about the end of the world, enjoying the good life, feet up at home because of the coronavirus pandemic when they would otherwise be at school.

But it shouldn't be all fun and games! Sky TV wants to help parents struggling to bring some classroom focus home by putting a bunch of educational content up for streaming through its 'Sky Kids' programming selection.

The 'Learning From Home' collection is now available across three curriculum key stage age groups: 

Foundation: Early Years – under 5s
Featured content includes Numberblocks which focuses on numeracy, Labuntina for educational songs, alongside shows such as Ryan’s Mystery Playdate, Rusty Rivets and Octonauts. 

Key Stage 1 – 5-7 year-olds
Featured content includes natural history and science programming such as Ocean Rescue: Dive In & Do It and Maddie’s Do You Know? alongside dance tutorials from Kidz Bop and Sky Sports’ Kids Fit in 5.

Key Stage 2 – 8-11 year-olds  
Featured content includes current affairs and factual shows such as Braydon Meets plus Horrible Histories and Operation Ouch.  A special episode of weekly news show FYI focusing on Coronavirus will be available from 28 March.

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...and there's fun stuff too

When the kids have got on and done some work, Sky is also expanding the amount of content for keeping kids entertained too.

The Adventures of Paddington is headed to Nick Jr, while DreamWorks Animation’s Where’s Wally? will have kids testing their skills of perception too.  All-new episodes of Moominvalley will be ready in time for Easter, as well as a new Sky original, Bad Nature, a humorous look at the less pleasant side of the animal kingdom. 

Sky Kids is already made up of 11 kids’ channels and offers around 5,000 episodes of on demand content for children under the age of 12, featuring favorites like Mr Bean, Peppa Pig, Henry Danger and Morph.  There's also a Kids app which features an interactive art studio and more than 80 educational games to play, too.

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Marshall's range of voice-activated smart speakers have long been a great choice for those that want to add a little bit of rock 'n roll style to their tunes. But they've never been particularly compact – especially if you've been looking for an Amazon Echo Dot equivalent.

Enter the Marshall Uxbridge Voice, an Alexa-packing smart speaker that squeezes the Marshall look – and sound – into a smaller package.

Offering the full suite of Alexa compatibility, meaning it'll control your smart home devices via voice commands, as well as playing your music wirelessly and answering questions, it also supports Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 and Spotify playback.

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Marshalling the multi room

The Marshall Uxbridge Voice can also be made to work as part of a multi-room set up, working alongside other Alexa speakers (including Echo devices) or AirPlay 2 speakers to beam different tunes around your home.

Available in white or black color schemes, with a design that continues to take influence from the classic Marshall guitar amps, Marshall says that in the Uxbridge Voice "high-end components come together to produce screaming highs and hard-hitting lows for a brilliantly balanced sound."

We'll know if that's the case by April 8, when the Marshall Uxbridge Voice hits stores for $199 / $169.99. A version with the Google Assistant built in will follow on June 11.

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Excelsior! If you’re looking for the best comic book apps, those services that take your much loved trade paperbacks and story arcs and present them in all their digitised finery, then you’ve come to the right place.

While there’s lots to be said for the purists’ traditional paperbacks, reading comics in the digital age makes them more accessible than ever. With full library back catalogues at your fingertips, curated reading lists and rare runs made easy to find, comic book apps offer everyone, whether a seasoned reader or comic newcomer, a great way to read some classic stories from across the decades.

From all-you-can-read subscription services to apps that let your organise your personal libraries, these are our top picks.

Devices for reading comics on

Anything with a screen and web connectivity these days can usually be found to have some sort of comic book reading app, but for the best experience, you’re going to want a handheld mobile device, be that a tablet or smartphone.

While the apps listed below will work on the majority of Android and iOS devices, these are our top tablet devices for both operating systems which we’d recommend for reading on if you’re after the best big-screen experience. And, if you want to take your comics in your pocket, we’ve listed our favorite smartphone below, too:

Best comic book apps:

Marvel Unlimited ($9.99 / £7.99 a month)

(iOS, Android)

If you’re looking for the adventures of the Avengers, X-Men and many more of the most famous superheroes in comic books, look no further than Marvel Unlimited. For a monthly subscription cost, you get access to more than 13,000 Marvel comics, stretching right back to its earliest days and titles as new as 12 months old.

It’s a fantastic reading experience, letting you save as many as 12 issues for offline reading on each and any device you use it with, and you’ll bag a discount if you subscribe for a year, too. It’s perfect for gobbling up entire runs, and its curation is particularly well-considered, with often well-timed introductions to characters as they make their silver screen debuts or returns.

You’ll also enjoy the option of scrolling panel-by-panel through stories, great for reading on smaller smartphone screens, that helps to show just why these tales have translated to cinema so effortlessly.

Read our full Marvel Unlimited review

DC Universe ($7.99 a month)

(iOS, Android)

Another all-you-can-eat service, but this one is for fans of the DC Universe – so that’s heroes like Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman and friends.

Slightly cheaper than Marvel Unlimited, it actually also provides a more diverse offering than just comics. Along with its reads, DC Universe also gives its subscribers access to a rotating selection of DC TV shows and movies. That’s for the good reason however – it’s comic collection pales in comparison to its Marvel competition. But as a reading experience, it’s just as good, with well-reproduced artwork and an easily navigable UI.

DC Universe is currently only available in the US.

ComiXology (Free, with subscription option)

(iOS, Android)

The Amazon-owned ComiXology is a great choice if you want to read beyond the confines of the Marvel and DC universes, featuring manga, independent publishers and graphic novels from all sorts of creators.

Comics can be bought on a per-issue basis, or you can subscribe to individual titles. It also features a panel-by-panel viewing option that makes it easier to read on smaller screens, and has a good selection of free comics to try out too – they’ll get you hooked, and you’ll be paying for more in now time.

If you’d rather an all-you-can-read experience, ComiXology offers a subscription service to US readers too, priced at $5.99 a month. Sadly, that feature is not available globally.

Chunky Comic Reader (Free)

(iPad iOS)

If you’ve got your own library of digital comics ready to go, own an iPad, and aren’t looking to subscribe or buy more, then you owe it to yourself to get Chunky Comic Reader. 

An incredible free app, it supports CBR, CBZ and PDF formats, supports cloud imports from services like Dropbox and Google Drive, and even has smart AI features that can upscale poor scans, and adjust faded contrast and discoloured pages.

It feels like the work of a super-villain that this one is being offered up for free, so take advantage.

Astonishing Comic Reader (Free)

(Android)

This one is the Android answer to Chunky and, unlike the iPad rival, can be found on Android smartphones as well as tablets.

Also free, it too automatically organises your CBR, CBZ and PDF files, and has built-in support to grab your libraries stored on cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive. It’s perhaps the most customisable of all readers on this list thanks to Android’s open nature, letting you set hardware controls for page turns, as well as other welcome options for onscreen navigation.

The fact that it’s free only sweetens the deal.

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