Nintendo Wii U, 3DS News & Features

Jupiter, the studio behind the beloved Picross series, announced that it will host a summer sale from the 8th to the 21st August! Jupiter titles on the Nintendo Switch store will be 20% off for customers in America, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and Korea.

Be sure to check out this fantastic sale and prepare for some truly challenging puzzles!

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A European Union petition has launched with the aim of ensuring online video games remain in a playable state after publisher support ends.

Following multiple worldwide governmental petitions and action being driven at the Stop Killing Games website, the current European Union petition looks like it could be a major stepping stone for possible regulation in the future.

The high profile shutdown of Ubisoft's online-only racing game The Crew has been one of the prime reasons for starting the initiative, driven by YouTuber Accursed Farms.

With live service games being shutdown and inaccessible more frequently, the petition aims to find legal ways in which games going forward must allow for paying customers to still be able to play their games in some shape or form. Previously suggested examples include allowing for public servers or the implementation of an offline mode. It doesn't mean developers must continue to provide support and patches for games after the shutdown.

Outside of many live service games seemingly not needing to be online only, like the aforementioned The Crew, part of the issue with such games is that there is no way of knowing when their access will end after purchase. A game making it far clearer to the customer when its access will be terminated upon purchase may be a positive outcome, although the petition aims to achieve more than just that, and instead hopes that this will lead to publishers being prevented from destroying video games in the long run.

The European Union petition is only able to be signed by citizens of countries within the EU, but it is likely that any possible success could lead to worldwide change. The petition requires one million signatures and has one year to achieve this goal, with an end date of 31st July, 2025. Should the petition reach this threshold, it can then be discussed with the European Commission, with the hope of regulation following on from that.

After a week of the petition being online, it has already amassed almost 20% of its goal, approaching 200,000 signatures, so it is off to a strong start.

If you are a citizen of a European Union country, head over to the petition's page to register your support.

Stop Destroying Video Games European Union Petition: https://eci.ec.europa.eu/045/public/#/screen/home

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Also known as the man who died on the job and was resurrected to go back to work: The Game.

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This Curiosity Box features a variety of items, so it makes sense to go through it one at a time. The most interesting part of this box must be the Martian Soil. Well, in all fairness, this is actually a tub of Martian Global Simulant 1 (MGS-1), which means that while chemically it is exactly like a soil sample taken from Mars, it was made with components found on earth. Still, it is pretty cool. It indeed looks red, which is interesting, and the added information that can be found in the booklet explains what it is made up of and what it is used for. The booklet even encourages using it to grow a plant!

The next curiosity is both a gadget and a puzzle. After all, who doesn't like fridge magnets? Furthermore, who doesn't like alphabet fridge magnets? However, it is not that easy, because this is a shadow alphabet puzzle! Instead of full letters, these magnets are simply part of the shadows of letters, and because our brains love to complete things, it's possible to see full letters if the puzzle is solved correctly. This is harder than it seems, and on top of that, once solved one has to be careful to not jumble it all up again, because the letters don't stay as one. So, it becomes a nice little puzzle that can be solved again and again. It is a good way to exemplify how human brains perceive things and complete pictures even if they aren't fully there - also often talked about as optical illusions.

Moving on to the next gadget included: a handful of disks to create assisted art. These bear resemblance to stencils often used by children to draw certain shapes, but these disks are a bit more complicated than that! This way of creating art is definitely a fun thing to try out. The history behind it is explained in the booklet and is incredibly fascinating. However, ultimately this item seems to be targeting a younger demographic as it is not as useful as a magnet or out of this world like Mars' soil.

The next part of this box, on the other hand, is an incredibly interesting book about knots. A small rope is included to try out knots while reading, and there is some truly fascinating information in there. It is a perfect little read for anyone with a vested interest in all things knots like Scouts or seafaring, but those that simply always wanted to know a bit more about knots will also find the book compelling. Finally, there is a t-shirt that picks up on the knot theme by donning the only known 15-crossing amphicheiral knot! What does this mean? All this is explained in the box's booklet!

This Curiosity Box holds information, some truly interesting gadgets, and things to do and solve, which is fantastic. Some items seem to be aimed at very specific interests and others perhaps at a younger audience, whereas some definitely need adult support. It is, overall, definitely full of items to discuss, talk about and learn more from, and well worth the price for anyone interested in science!

To buy your own subscription go to the curiosity box website and use code Cubed3 to get 50% off of your first box

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A beloved PS2-era adventure returns with more than a hint that the series may yet continue.

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Conventions are a great opportunity to showcase our love for popular media, and more often than not, this includes dressing up as favourite characters from TV, anime or video games. While this is a good way to meet others with similar interests, cosplaying in itself is a specific art form that deserves recognition, and with it becoming more and more popular, more people are interested in trying it.

Cosplaying can be difficult however - sourcing materials and props to become someone else is not always easy, and so, it is even more important to become part of the community to share knowledge and ideas with one another. Perhaps this was why Laura came up with the idea of organising a convention whose focus is purely on cosplay. With that, the very first Cosplay Con Scotland took place on the 13th July in Glasgow, and Cubed3 was right there to report back!

The event was held at the Double Tree by Hilton Glasgow Central, which is a fantastic venue to choose, as it is easily accessible from the main train or bus stations and offers a variety of rooms to use. Early bird ticket holders were able to enter at 11 o'clock, but day tickets were also available from 12 o'clock onwards. Those who purchased their tickets way in advance received a special envelope upon entry, with stickers, raffle tickets and a chance to win prizes - a fantastic idea! The cloakroom, which was free of charge, enabled visitors to leave their belongings in a safe place so they could enjoy the convention without lugging around those pesky things like jackets, bags or coats.

Being the very first con of its kind in Scotland, it was very small but still incredibly impressive and fun to attend! It was clear that the organiser went all out to try and get anyone and anything connected to cosplay involved. A small number of workshops were organised for visitors to attend, all centred around how to make cosplays or how to edit cosplay photography. These are specific skills that are difficult to learn, and in such a niche community it can be tricky to find information. Additionally, the workshops also offered an opportunity to network with other professionals in Scotland.

One of the main highlights was definitely the professional photography setup by Nightmare Fuel. The team, consisting of photographer Drew Cunningham, SFX make-up artist Sophie Wilson and Max the Dog (which was not present but has to be mentioned!), was all prepared and ready to take some truly professional shots of cosplayers, and this was included in the ticket price!

Particularly exciting was that the team took their time for every cosplayer, providing props and make-up, and made everyone feel special for a few minutes that day. We definitely had a fantastic time posing for photographs with Nightmare Fuel's professional guidance!

Other highlights of the event included the merchant space and the stage, which were in the same area but still sufficiently separated to not impose on one another. While performances by idol groups entertained some visitors on the main stage, others were busy perusing the stalls in the market hall. From handmade soaps shaped like Blathers or Evee to handcrafted plushies, there was a lot to see! This also included groups advertising costume making courses, prop-makers and re-enactment groups, which doubled as great photography opportunities, as well. It was a little quiet, and it would have been great to see some bigger companies there to show support for the cosplay community. This is to say that, while the organisers contacted a lot of retailers and organisations, sadly only a handful decided to attend. 

What would a cosplay con be without a cosplay competition? Cosplayers were asked to sign up on the day, and the prejudging of cosplays happened before the actual cosplay contest. While only handmade cosplays were allowed to enter the competition for prizes, the masquerade was open to everyone brave enough to show off their cosplay on stage! Starting with the under 18s, there was a truly huge amount of cosplayers walking the stage, each and everyone donning fantastic outfits! After the masquerade, the competitive part began. Here, some truly marvellous outfits were presented to audience and judges - it can't have been easy to decide on the winners!

Particularly clever was the inclusion of a relaxed area, which allowed anyone to take a well deserved break. Tables and chairs were available for sitting down, and a handful of boardgames were available for entertainment. There was water and cups so anyone could stay safe and hydrated - overall, this room was a fantastic idea and should be available at every convention.

Speaking of safety, safetyspacescot was available with free snacks and drinks to ensure cosplayers were able to stay safe and hydrated. This little and brand-new organisation made it its mission to support cosplayers at cons to ensure safety for everyone, something which can only be encouraged! In general, it was clear that accessibility was an important aspect of Cosplay Con Scotland, which was really great to see. It allowed more cosplayers to attend and show off their skills, which was fantastic!

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An adventure platformer that isn't terra-ble.

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Dancing with delight.

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The launch of the new Skullcandy Dime Evo True Wireless Earbuds is here! Skullcandy promises a magnificent sound experience with these Bluetooth earbuds, with features such as preset and custom EQ modes and adjustable Stay-Aware mode. The onboard call and media controls, as well as the Clear Voice Smart Mic, allow for easy access to media control and calls. With up to 36 hours battery life and being IPX4 sweat and waterproof, these seem to be perfect for any adventure!

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A blast from the past!

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Are you ready for Pac-Man-Cross?

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Can Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition bring the buzz of competitive Nintendo to the living room?

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