Logitech has unveiled the G Pro X 60, its latest mechanical gaming keyboard. Similar to the peripheral maker's G Pro X TKL from last year, this is a wireless model aimed at competitive-minded gamers first and foremost. Unlike that device, it has a smaller 60 percent layout, which means it lacks a dedicated function row, number pad, arrow keys and nav cluster but takes up much less space on a desk. This can be a boon for games because it leaves more room to flick a mouse around while retaining the most common action keys. Naturally, it’s also more portable.

The G Pro X 60 is up for pre-order today for $179 in the US or €229 in Europe. It’s available in three colors (black, white or pink) with either the linear or tactile version of Logitech’s GX Optical switches. The company says it’ll be available at major retailers in “late April.”

I’ve had the keyboard on hand for a few days prior to today’s announcement and have mostly been impressed, though I’d have a hard time calling it a great value.

Let’s start with the good: This thing is well-built. Its aluminum top plate is surrounded by a plastic frame, but it all feels sturdy, with no real flex or give when you press down. Its doubleshot PBT keycaps are pleasingly crisp and should avoid any of the shininess that'd develop with cheaper ABS plastic over time. The legends on the keycaps are neatly printed and transparent, so any RGB backlight effects you set will come through cleanly. All the keys are angled comfortably, and there’s a set of flip-out feet on the back.

Logitech

I’m not crazy about the side-mounted volume roller — once you’ve blessed your keyboard with a full-on rotary knob, it’s hard to give up — but it’s easy to reach with your pinky, so you can adjust volume without having to lift your other fingers during the heat of a game. There’s also a dedicated switch for flipping on Logitech’s “game mode,” which deactivates keys you might otherwise hit by accident; those include the Windows and Fn keys by default, but you can add others through Logitech’s G Hub software. 

The keyboard can connect over a detachable USB-C cable, Bluetooth or a 2.4GHz wireless dongle. Per usual with Logitech gear, the latter’s connection is rock solid; I’ve had none of the hiccups or stuttering I’ve seen with some wireless keyboards from less established brands, particularly when waking the device from sleep. There are buttons to swap between Bluetooth or the 2.4GHz connection built into the board, as well as a handy compartment for stashing the adapter itself. You can also connect the G Pro X 60 and certain Logitech mice simultaneously using one dongle. Logitech rates the battery life at up to 65 hours; that sounds about right based on my testing so far, but the exact amount will fluctuate based on how bright you set the RGB backlight.

The best thing about the G Pro X 60 might have nothing to do with the keyboard at all — it’s the fact that Logitech includes a hard carrying case in the box. More companies should do this! It makes the device much easier to transport.

Alas, this probably isn't a keyboard you’d want to take to the office. The linear GX Optical switches in my test unit feel totally pleasant: They’re fast enough for gaming, and they come pre-lubricated, so each press goes down smoothly. Since they’re optical, and thus not reliant on any physical contact points, they should also prove durable over time.

Logitech

But they aren’t exactly quiet. Logitech has fit a couple layers of silicone rubber inside the board, but there isn’t the wealth of sound-dampening foam you'd find in some other options in this price range. To peel back the curtain a bit: I received the G Pro X 60 just after testing a bunch of mechanical keyboards for an upcoming buying guide, so I’m a little spoiled on this point. Some people may like the obvious clack of each press here, too. I can’t imagine their coworkers or roommates being as thrilled, though, and some modifier and nav keys like Alt, Ctrl and Tab sound hollower than others.

Besides that, my issues with the G Pro X 60 are more about what's missing than anything the keyboard does wrong. For one, its switches aren’t hot-swappable, so you can’t easily remove and replace them without desoldering. Yes, this is a niche thing, but so are $180 gaming keyboards as a whole. Being able to pop in new switches isn’t just a plus for long-term repairability; it’s half the fun for some keyboard enthusiasts in the first place. Swapping keycaps is straightforward, though. 

Taking a step back, a growing number of the G Pro X 60’s peers have some sort of analog functionality, which means they can respond to varying levels of pressure. The top pick in our gaming keyboard buyer’s guide, the Wooting 60HE+, is a good example: Its magnetic Hall effect sensors let you set custom actuation points, so you can make each key extra sensitive while playing a fast FPS, then make them feel heavier and more deliberate while typing. They also enable a “rapid trigger” feature that lets you repeat inputs faster, which can be helpful for, say, strafing back and forth during an in-game shootout. Other models from Razer and SteelSeries provide similar functionality. But the G Pro X 60 lacks any sort of adjustable actuation or rapid trigger mode. That’s probably not a dealbreaker for most people, but the people who would use those features are the kind of hardcore gamers Logitech is targeting with this device.

Logitech

What is here is a new remapping system called “Keycontrol.” Through G Hub, this allows you to assign several different commands or macros to each key, with three separate control layers. This is a convenient way to get around some of the design’s missing keys: I made it so holding Alt temporarily turns WASD into arrow keys, for example. But it also lets you base different actions on whether you press, hold or release a key, so you could tie complementary actions in a game — casting a couple of buffs in an RPG, perhaps — to one press. Some of the analog keyboards noted above can work like this, too, and you need to have G Hub open for some bindings to stay active. Still, it’s better to have this sort of flexibility than not. Logitech says more of its keyboards will receive Keycontrol support in the future but declined to give more specific details.

All of this makes for a keyboard that’s solid in a vacuum but faces some stiff competition. Rival gaming keyboards like the Wooting 60HE+ and SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini Wireless are a little richer with performance-focused features, while a slightly larger option like the ASUS ROG Azoth sounds better and offers more customizable hardware for keyboard geeks. There are plenty of great non-gaming keyboards that cost much less, too. But the G Pro X 60 isn’t a bad choice if you want something compact and wireless, so it might be worthwhile during a sale.

If you want a solid but small portable game console to play as you travel around (or comfortably sit in bed), then you're in luck as our pick for best handheld gaming console for commuting is currently on sale. The Nintendo Switch Lite is discounted to $179, down from $200 — and it comes with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This sale at Walmart brings the bundle to a record-low price.

The Nintendo Switch Lite came out in 2019, and we gave it a 90 in our review. As the name suggests, it's lightweight and more comfortable to hold than the bulkier Switch. The Switch Lite has a 5.5-inch screen, compared to the regular Switch's 6.2-inch, and both have a 720p display. It also offers four hours and 15 minutes of continual use before the battery life runs out.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is all about creating a new civilization right on a deserted island. You can make your own "island paradise" and slowly build a relaxed world for yourself. Plus, the Switch Lite has a Timmy and Tommy Aloha theme to go with the game. A new Switch is rumored to drop in 2025, but this sale is a good opportunity if you've yet to pick one up or need a good gift for someone.

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Crypt of the Necrodancer just won’t die — and that’s a good thing. The nearly decade-old roguelike rhythm game received new content on Thursday, bringing virtual pop star Hatsune Miku into the fold as a playable character.

Developer Brace Yourself Games says Hatsune Miku is one of the more challenging characters in the game. She can move in all eight directions and takes out foes by boogying her way through groups of enemies. The developer’s press release explains, “She doesn’t have a shovel like most characters, so she must use her dance-like dash attack to break through walls instead.” Hell yeah.

She has a “Sing!” ability — entirely new to the game — that charms nearby enemies. When one of these charmed foes strikes Miku, she heals instead of losing her health. Brace Yourself Games says it even reskinned all of the game’s armors as official Miku outfits, so you can put on new threads as you shimmy and groove your way through legions of ghosts and skeletons.

Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget

If you aren’t familiar, Hatsune Miku is one of the world’s biggest virtual pop stars. She’s a perpetual 16-year-old because she’s the personification of a “Vocaloid,” software that synthesizes pre-recorded vocals to simulate human singing. The avatar has sold out 14,000-seat arenas, collaborated with Pharrell Williams and opened for Lady Gaga. She wasn’t the first digital celebrity, but she may be the most famous.

The Hatsune Miku DLC for Crypt of the Necrodancer is available now for $1.99 on the PlayStation Store and PC via Steam. The content arrives a little later on Switch — on April 13. Check out her moves in the trailer below.

Amazon is offering another decent batch of games to Prime members at no extra cost for the month of April. Leading the bunch is Fallout 76, a multiplayer take on the post-apocalyptic franchise. There’s also the hack and slash adventure Chivalry 2 and around a dozen more.

Fallout 76 is just the latest title in the series to hit Prime Gaming, likely to coincide with this month’s premiere of the Fallout TV show. It experienced mixed reviews upon release, with many complaining about an overall lack of purpose in the gameplay and a blandness in the design. Other people simply enjoyed wandering around a post-apocalyptic West Virginia with their buddies.

The game’s available for PC and, interestingly, Xbox consoles. People can download it from GOG for PC and Amazon will hand out a code to Prime members for an Xbox download. Fallout 76 will be available on April 11, the same exact day all eight episodes of the show drop. 

Chivalry 2, on the other hand, is available right now. This is a modern take on the hack and slash genre, with a first-person POV, multiplayer matches with up to 64 players at once and a grimy medieval setting. There’s also crossplay for every available platform. Prime members can download it at the Epic Games Store.

Other titles coming this month include Black Desert, Demon’s Tilt, Rose Riddle: The Fairy Tale Detective Collector’s Edition and many more. Click the link above for the full list. Additionally, Prime Members in the US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK can access some new games on Luna at no extra charge. These include LEGO Fortnite, Earthworm Jim 2 and Trackmania, among others.

Ubisoft has revealed when its next major showcase will take place. The latest edition of Ubisoft Forward is set for June 10 in Los Angeles. That's at the tailend of the main slate of Summer Game Fest festivities, and on the same day as Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote.

While Ubisoft hasn't revealed specifically what it plans to show off at Forward, it's promising updates and news on upcoming releases. During its most recent earnings report, Ubisoft said it would shed more light on some upcoming projects in May, but it seems Forward is now the more likely venue for that.

At Forward, we'll probably find out more details about what's next for Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft's flagship franchise. The feudal Japan-set Assassin's Creed Codename Red is slated to arrive within the next year, while we've long been awaiting more info on Assassin's Creed Infinity, which is set to tie the series together,

It's a safe bet that Star Wars Outlaws will get some shine at Forward, since that game is scheduled for release in 2024. With XDefiant being delayed indefinitely (it was supposed to arrive by the end of March) amid reports of a troubled development process, perhaps we'll find out more about that game at Forward too. Mobile games The Division Resurgence and Rainbow Six Mobile were also slated to come under the spotlight in May, so we could see those at Forward as well. Just don't expect any sea shanties this time.

April’s new Xbox Game Pass arrivals give you Lego racing, Lara Croft and a Lil Gator. Subscribers can play the Mario Kart-like Lego 2K Drive starting on Wednesday, the trilogy-wrapping Shadow of the Tomb Raider on April 11 and the charming stop-motion adventure game Harold Halibut on April 16.

Lego 2K Drive, launched in May 2023, lets developer Vision Concepts (known for the NBA 2K and WWE 2K series) take the reins from Travelers’ Tales to create its first Lego game. We were quickly pulled in by its charming vehicle transformations and quirky fun in a game that draws equally from Mario Kart and Forza Horizon 5.

Our gripes (no quick way to restart races and a suspicious nudge toward microtransactions) will be easier to see past when you can download it for free with your Game Pass subscription. Lego 2K Drive will be available to Game Pass members on April 3 for cloud and Xbox consoles.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition wraps up Lara Croft’s Survivor Trilogy origin story, which rebooted the series as an Uncharted-esque cinematic epic. Help Croft traverse jungles, caverns and ruins (with tombs!) as she battles the mysterious and all-powerful organization Trinity and completes her transformation into the character known and loved from previous iterations. You can play it on April 11 on cloud, Xbox consoles and PCs.

Slow Bros.

Harold Halibut is a quirky adventure game made in the spirit of old-school Sierra or LucasArts games — with a unique visual twist. Harold works as a lab assistant in a sunken spaceship trapped underwater 250 years after fleeing a doomed Earth. But the game’s stop-motion digital animation steals the show, appropriately illustrating the story’s captivatingly gloomy sci-fi premise.

Developer Slow Bros. created handmade characters, environments and objects, which were scanned and animated digitally, leading to a stand-out old-school motif. Harold Halibut will be available on April 16 on cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S.

Also available for Game Pass members in April are the time-slowing action-puzzler Superhot: Mind Control Delete (available Tuesday for cloud, console and PC), the innocently family-friendly open-world adventure Lil Gator Game (April 4: cloud / console / PC), EA Sports PGA Tour (April 4: cloud / PC / Xbox Series X/S) and surreal detective game Kona (April 9: cloud / console).

Leaving Xbox Game Pass this month are Amnesia Collection, Amnesia: Rebirth, Back 4 Blood, Phantom Abyss, Research and Destroy and Soma. They’re available until April 15.

Dave the Diver is joining the PlayStation Plus catalog on April 16. If you’ve been on the fence about the ocean-faring adventure/restaurant sim, this is a good chance to check it out without spending any extra money, assuming your PS Plus membership hasn’t lapsed.

For those living under a coral reef, Dave the Diver is a wickedly addictive game that wears many hats. The gameplay splits into two primary components. During the day, you explore an ever-changing ocean, with fish to hunt, sharks to fight and mysteries to solve. The deeper you go, the weirder things get.

Once night falls, the action shifts to a sushi restaurant. You hire the staff, plan the menu and serve the guests. This is one part management sim and one part arcade game, with a hectic pace that recalls the coin-op classic Tapper.

The two gameplay mechanics shouldn’t mesh well, being so wildly different, but somehow they do. It’s like, uh, ocean-exploring peanut butter and sushi-making jelly. Dave the Diver is also surprisingly funny, with a large cast of oddballs both over and under the sea. Let me put it this way. You can hire an off-brand Jason Voorhees, a velociraptor and a ninja to be your waiters and sous chefs. There’s a reason why it made our list of the best games of 2023.

PS5 players are getting some slight improvements to suit the console, including haptic feedback that makes use of the adaptive triggers of the DualSense controllers. There’s also Godzilla-based DLC coming in May, which promises “even more enormous threats lurking in the depths.” The game’s already available for the Nintendo Switch and PC, though it remains absent from the Xbox catalog.

In addition to Dave the Diver, PS Plus members will soon be getting another treat. Sony just announced that the action-adventure title Tales of Kenzera: Zau will be a day one exclusive to PlayStation Plus on April 23.

More major changes are afoot on the business side of the video game world, as a notable name is changing hands once again. Take-Two Interactive (the parent company of Grand Theft Auto publisher Rockstar and others) has agreed to buy Gearbox Entertainment from the embattled Embracer Group. The deal is worth $460 million in stock and is expected to close by June 30. It had been rumored for several months that Embracer was planning to sell off Gearbox.

Take-Two is acquiring three studios: Gearbox Software, Gearbox Montréal and Gearbox Studio Quebec. It will fully own the Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem franchises, along with “Gearbox’s future pipeline.” Gearbox will operate under the umbrella of 2K, which already publishes Borderlands and Tiny Tina games. Gearbox founder and CEO Randy Pitchford will remain at the helm.

Embracer is hanging onto Gearbox Publishing San Francisco, which will be renamed. That holds the publishing rights for the Remnant series, Hyper Light Breaker and unannounced games. Embracer will also keep Cryptic Studios (Neverwinter Online and Star Trek Online), Lost Boys Interactive and Captured Dimensions.

Take-Two notes that Gearbox has “six key interactive entertainment projects in various stages of development.” Those include five sequels, among them Homeworld 3 and the next Borderlands game.

Embracer bought Gearbox in 2021 for an initial $363 million. If Gearbox met certain targets, the deal would have been worth just over an extra $1 billion over six years.

Since it bought Gearbox, Embracer has gone through rough times. Last year, it announced a major restructuring after a $2 billion investment deal (said to be from a group backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) fell apart. Since then, Embracer has has closed several studios and sold off others. It laid off 1,387 people in the second half of last year and canceled 29 unannounced games over a six-month period in 2023.

Elsewhere in the business of video games, Sega has sold Relic Entertainment (Warhammer 40,000 and Company of Heroes), which is now an independent studio thanks to the help of a mystery investor. Sega is also cutting around 240 jobs in Europe, adding to the extensive video game layoffs so far this year. Sega Europe, Creative Assembly (Total War) and Hardlight Studios (Two Point Hospital) are said to have been impacted.

Classic JRPGs are sort of having a moment. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has brought new life and a new generation of gamers to one of the most iconic franchises around. More recently Unicorn Overlord has given us a spiritual sequel to Ogre Battle that’s so good even series creator Yasumi Matsuno (and director of Final Fantasy Tactics) has been telling people to play it. And later this summer, Square Enix has challenged itself with reimagining one of the most beloved SNES titles of all time after more than 15 years. But now I’ve had the chance to play a preview of Visions of Mana, it feels like the developers have retained the spirit of the franchise but in a game that feels much more at home in 2024.

One of the biggest challenges for Visions is the transition from classic 2D sprites to a much richer and more expansive 3D world. And while there are some visual similarities to recent Dragon Quest games, I think Square Enix has done a wonderful job of maintaining the franchise’s identity. The game’s color palette is bright and energetic, recreating many of the pastel hues seen in previous games. Character designs skew more towards cute and adorable unlike some of its darker and edgier rivals, which gives the title a playful vibe, just like Secret of Mana did more than two decades ago.

Square Enix

Another thing that has translated quite well is its gameplay. Back in 1993, Secret of Mana’s ring menu was lauded for making it easy to switch between weapons and items (or even characters) without making combat feel stilted or clunky. And with the Mana franchise having made the jump to action-orientated gameplay (instead of turn-based) way before mainline Final Fantasy games did, Visions’ assortment of speedy combo-based attacks, spells and class strikes (which are sort of like limit breaks) are a great fit. You can even launch enemies in the sky and rain down blows while they’re suspended, which is a real treat as I’m a sucker for any game with air juggles.

Each of the four main characters (Val, Hinna, Careena and Morley) also have distinct classes like Rune Knight or Oracle, so they all have a unique style and feel in combat. I found myself gravitating towards the thief/catdude Morley, whose katana felt extremely fast and fluid. My only small complaint is that with Square also bringing back the concept of three-person parties, things can get kind of hectic when you’re trying to keep tabs on people performing multi-hit combos against large groups of foes.

Square Enix

The most important addition to Visions is the introduction of Elemental Vessels, which give you new abilities both in and out of combat. When you’re simply running around the map, similar to items like the hookshot in Legend of Zelda, vessels provide important traversal abilities. For example, the Sylphid Bommering allows you to create floating platforms so you can cross valleys and chasms or summon gusts of wind so you can jump to a faraway ledge. Meanwhile in battle, you can use the boomerang to trap enemies in the air, deal damage and blow away surrounding foes that might want to interrupt your attack. So while it’s not a groundbreaking feature, I appreciate how Visions is using new mechanics to add an extra layer of depth to multiple facets of the game.

Unfortunately, one trait of previous Mana games that hasn’t carried over to Visions is the use of a big roster with branching storylines. For longtime fans, this might be a bit of a bummer, but when asked about this change, Visions of Mana producer Masaru Oyamada told me (via an interpreter) that one of the team’s goals for this installment was a more focused story. So while I couldn’t glean much about the game’s plot during my one-hour demo, there’s still hope that Visions will still deliver an engaging narrative.

Square Enix

But my biggest takeaway from the preview is how Oyamada is trying to respect the legacy of such a storied franchise while also delivering fresh and exciting experiences for new and old players alike. Oyamada said “I really thought about the elements that I loved when I was a child, so I leaned into those feelings in order to drive decision making for the latest installment in this series.”

On top of that, I like how mechanics like the Ring menu are pulling double duty in this game. Oyamada told me that not only does this system act as a nod toward players familiar with the franchise, it also serves as an important accessibility tool that makes it easy to switch items and plan your attacks in the heat of battle. Meanwhile, to help the series grow and evolve, Oyamada said “We thought about the elemental aspect as something that was kind of under-utilized and under-appreciated in previous Mana games.”

Square Enix

And with Oyamada having been in charge of the remasters for Secret of Mana, Trials of Mana (AKA Seiken Densetsu 3) and others in recent years, even though much of the original development team for the series has moved on, it’s clear Square Enix has preserved a lot of the DNA that made previous Mana games so great all those years ago.

In some ways, I wish this game was called Spirit of Mana, as that feels like a more appropriate title for a series whose last entry was released in 1995. Regardless, I can’t wait to play more when Visions of Mana officially goes on sale sometime this summer.

One final note is that Visions of Mana is slated to be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X and PC. Currently, Square Enix says that while "We are looking to support Steam Deck compatibility, we cannot confirm at this time as we are still optimizing the game."

Sony unveiled April’s PlayStation Plus monthly games on Wednesday. The batch includes Immortals of Aveum, Minecraft Legends, Skul: The Hero Slayer and an Overwatch 2 skins-and-skips bundle. Subscribers on PS Plus’ Essential, Extra and Premium tiers can claim the titles starting Tuesday, April 2.

Immortals of Aveum (PS5) showed promise, but its “first-person shooter with magic instead of guns” formula didn’t fare incredibly well commercially. The EA-published game was met with mixed reviews, and its release date — competing against the likes of Baldur’s Gate III, Armored Core VI and Starfield — likely didn’t help. That led to indie developer Ascendant Studios laying off nearly half its staff a few weeks after launch. Still, despite its suspiciously smooth mechanics and too-sparse crowds, we liked its cinematics and satisfyingly powerful magical attacks, so it could be worth checking out risk-free with your subscription.

Minecraft Legends (PS5 / PS4) takes the best-selling game of all time and spins it off into a real-time action-strategy game. In the franchise's blocky style, players form alliances to defeat invading piglins from the Nether dimension. The game includes a single-player story mode and multiplayer for up to eight players.

Skul: The Hero Slayer (PS4) is a retro 2D side-scrolling roguelike. You play as a skeleton who can swap skulls — and, in turn, abilities — with his slain enemies. (Convenient!) The game lets you select two ability types and encourages quick-switching during combat.

In addition to those three games, all PlayStation Plus subscribers can snag an exclusive Overwatch 2 Mega Bundle in April. The pack includes nine skins and five Battle Pass Tier Skips. You’ll first need to download Overwatch 2 from the PlayStation Store, and the bundle should show up in-game immediately (whether you’re a new or returning player).