Original Nintendo Switch Model Is Getting An Update, Apparently

There have been numerous reports over the past few months that Nintendo has been working on new iterations of its Switch console, including a handheld-focused model that would turn out to be the newly announced Switch Lite. That’s not all; it looks like the standard Switch will also be getting some new components.

As reported by The Verge, Nintendo has filed a Class II Permission Change request with the Federal Communications Commission to make changes to the existing Switch. According to the filing, the company is swapping the console’s system-on-chip, NAND memory type, and CPU board. The filing doesn’t go into more specifics than that, so it’s unclear if these changes will have a noticeable impact on the system’s performance.

As previously mentioned, Nintendo has announced a smaller, more affordable version of the Switch called the Switch Lite. The system will launch this September and is optimized for handheld use, meaning it doesn’t feature detachable Joy-Con controllers and can’t be docked and played on a television. It is also missing a kickstand, HD rumble, and an IR sensor, but it still supports Amiibo figures and has an estimated 20-30% better battery life than the base model. Another advantage it has over the standard Switch is a proper D-pad.

The Switch Lite launches around the world on September 20, the same day The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake arrives. The system will be available in three colors at launch–yellow, turquoise, and grey–with a special edition Pokemon model following in November ahead of Pokemon Sword and Shield. In the US, the Switch Lite will retail for $200 USD.

There have also been reports that Nintendo is working on a more powerful iteration of the Switch; however, the company has said there will be no other new Switch hardware this year besides the Lite. You can read more about the system in our roundup of everything we know about the Switch Lite. We also answer some of the most common questions about the console in our Switch Lite FAQ. Be sure to also check out our Switch Lite pre-order guide.

Marvel Reportedly Casts Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown in The Eternals

Millie Bobby Brown — who plays “Eleven” on Netflix’s Stranger Things and recently starred in Godzilla: King of the Monsters — has reportedly been cast in Marvel’s The Eternals.

According to Variety, Brown will join Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Richard Madden in the cosmic comic book movie. (Disney had not responded to IGN’s request for comment at time of publish.)

Keanu Reeves and Salma Hayek are also reportedly up for roles in the Disney film, which will be directed by Chloé Zhao.

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IGN Readers’ Game of the Year 2019 (so Far…)

While there are several heavy hitters with release dates in the latter half of 2019, there were a whole lot of amazing games from the first half of 2019 that could go the distance as Game of the Year contenders.

IGN ran a poll on our front page asking readers what their Game of the Year for 2019 is (so far), and with over 35,000 votes, we have some pretty clear frontrunners.

Check out the final results of the poll below.

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Invisible Woman’s New Series Needs a Stronger Hook

If there’s any Fantastic Four creative team that can rival the greatness of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it’s Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo. Sadly, we’ll never get another Waid/Wieringo reunion, but the prospect of Waid writing another FF project is appealing enough in its own right. That being said, don’t expect Invisible Woman to immediately recapture the charm of Waid’s original FF run. This is a very different type of story, which ends up being both a positive and a negative.

This miniseries spins loosely out of the events of the current Fantastic Four comic, as all the members of the Richards family re-acclimate to life on their home planet. The series is more directly tied to Waid’s SHIELD run, however, which revealed that Sue Storm once moonlighted as a secret agent when she wasn’t playing superhero and den mother. And now, that past is coming back to haunt her.

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Psychonauts 2 Delayed To 2020

Psychonauts 2 will not release in 2019 as planned. Developer Double Fine, which was recently acquired by Microsoft, has announced that the adventure game is shifting to 2020.

The news was announced in a post to Fig, the crowdfunding website where the game raised $3.9 million in funding back in 2016. In the post, Double Fine said the delay–while it’s tough–is the right thing to do to make Psychonauts 2 a better game.

“We’re now targeting next year for release. We know it’s always disappointing when you have to wait a bit longer, but we also know that you are an amazing, supportive bunch, who–just like us –want the game to be as good as possible. So we’re hopeful you’ll understand,” Double Fine said.

Double Fine also confirmed in the blog post that, despite being bought by Microsoft, the studio will still honor Psychonauts 2’s release on every promised platform. That means the game will still come to PlayStation 4; it’s also coming to Xbox One and PC.

While you have to wait until 2020 to play Psychonauts 2, Double Fine’s next game–the 3D action rogue-like game called Rad–will release on August 20 for console and PC. That game is published by Bandai Namco.

Batman Bounces Back Once Again

One of the nice things about Batman is that even when the series stumbles, as it did in last month’s Batman #73, it never loses momentum for long. Case in point – Batman #74 manages to deftly put the book back on track after its thin, unsatisfying predecessor. This issue does far more to explore the unusual relationship between Bruce Wayne and his alternate universe father.

Issue #74 accomplishes two main goals. First, it helps further illuminate Thomas Wayne’s motivations. Alternate timelines notwithstanding, why would a father align himself with a man wholly committed to destroying that father’s son? The previous issue offered some insight, but this latter half of “The Fall and the Fallen” goes deeper. In the process, it ties back to an earlier chapter of the series and a twisted children’s book from Bruce’s past that continues to haunt him in the present. By the end, the reader will have a better sense of what fuels Thomas and why he thinks he’s working in Bruce’s best interests by depriving him of love, hope and willpower.

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The Art of Self-Defense Review

It’s apparent from the get-go that The Art of Self-Defense isn’t trying to put a spotlight on the real world as we see it. Writer-director Riley Stearns, for his second feature, channels the likes of Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite) and Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche, New York) in terms of tone, but he’s really telling a story one would find in the martial arts films of old. The twist, however, is that it’s set in contemporary, non-glamorous America (the film was shot in Kentucky).

The story follows Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), a meek accountant who, after a brutal mugging by a motorcycle gang, takes up karate classes with the unnamed local Sensei (Alessandro Nivola). The classes are intense not so much because of their content, but because of the instructor who seems picked right out of a Bruce Lee film. Casey lets it go to his head, wearing his small ascension to yellow belt proudly, and slowly falling under his Sensei’s spell thanks to the minor amount of power and gratification the classes give him.

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