Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming service recently added Flight Simulator, allowing you to play the game on Xbox One, phones, tablets and web browsers via the cloud. But unlike the PC version of the title, you can’t use a keyboard and mouse to control your plane. However, that’s about to change, according to Flight Simulator head Jorg Neumann.

In a developer Q&A spotted by Windows Central, Neumann said Microsoft is working on adding platform-level support for the feature, suggesting most games on Xbox Cloud Gaming could eventually include the input method. “So the platform team is working on this. I know I can't give a date because it's the platform team. I don't know their dates, but it's coming," he said. “I’m hoping it will be done by June or so, but I can’t ever tell.”

Responding to The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the company was working on the feature but declined to provide a release date. “At launch, Microsoft Flight Simulator supports standard controller inputs for cloud gaming,” they said. “The team is experimenting with touch/gyro and is excited to embrace M&K once it’s available on the platform but we have no specific announcements or timing to share at this time.”

Keyboard and mouse support would be a useful addition to Xbox Cloud Gaming for a couple of reasons. For one, it would allow PC and Mac owners to play games like Halo Infinite without buying a gamepad. Instead, they could use the peripherals they already have on hand. Secondly, it would make it easier for Microsoft to bring PC exclusives like Age of Empires IV to the service.

Console generations are generally thought to last about half a decade, which is what makes today’s Switch anniversary so momentous. Nintendo’s hybrid home-handheld console turns five today, and it shows no signs of slowing down: Though rumors persist, there’s no announced plans for a new console on the horizon. The most we’ve gotten are two redesigns — the Switch Lite and the OLED Switch — and the expansion of Nintendo Switch Online to include more classic console games. But while it’s certainly fun to revisit old favorites like Super Mario Bros., Kirby's Adventure and Earthbound, it’s the games made for the Switch that have captured the hearts of the Engadget crew, along with a few other titles that made their debuts elsewhere but really shined on Nintendo’s portable system.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Regular Engadget readers know there’s no way I would let a “favorite Switch games” post pass without even one Animal Crossing: New Horizons mention. I’ve been a huge fan since the game launched way back in March 2020, and the big update from last fall really rejuvenated my love for it by introducing a boatload of new features — enough for an entirely new game, if Nintendo has decided to go that route. But no, this was entirely free and new players are sure to get more than their money's worth as they work through it all.

The game certainly benefited from launching at the start of the pandemic, leaving millions stuck indoors with nothing to do. Animal Crossing’s bright colors and relaxed pace were exactly what people needed in stressful times. But in another reality, would New Horizons still have been a big hit? I’d say yes: The series has always been a big seller and New Horizons was a huge, accessible improvement on previous installments. Once I achieve the basic in-game goals I always tended in drift off in previous Animal Crossing titles, but New Horizons is interesting enough that I still play it regularly two years after its release. — Kris Naudus, Commerce Writer

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Three Houses is an almost-perfect Fire Emblem game.

I'd been a fan of the series since its English-language debut on the Game Boy Advance, but like many, it was the 3DS games that really made it a firm favorite. 2013's Awakening was more accessible than anything that came before, softening the sometimes brutal difficulty curve, and expanding the support/ship system in clever ways. Fates in 2016 was a truly massive game that attempted to expand on everything Awakening did, but in doing so made the general experience weaker. There was a sense that the developers had ambitions that just couldn't be achieved on the 3DS.

Through the 3DS era, there was a growing schism inside the Fire Emblem series where the various mechanics and tones didn't quite gel. The move to the Switch for Fire Emblem: Three Houses restructures the game for the better. Centering things around "castle life" integrates relationship building, recruitment and battling in a way that just feels natural. And the way the game's multiple plot paths are handled is so, so, so much better than in Fates.

The battles themselves are probably the area with the most room for improvement. Generally there are only a handful of maps that require you to carefully think about your approach, and the difficulty is only softened by the ability to rewind moves if you mess up. It's rare that you actually encounter the series' signature permadeath mechanic, which on one hand means you really love all the characters by the time one of them dies, but on the other takes away a lot of the tension.

But yet, I pumped 215 hours into this game through 2019, driven by the cast of characters and the genuinely divergent story paths you can take. My final playthrough also introduced me to my favorite map in the game — the different paths actually have some genuinely different levels. At this point I think I've experienced everything the game has to offer, but after replaying Awakening and Fates during the various coronavirus lockdowns, just writing this has made me realize it's time to start Three Houses all over again. — Aaron Souppouris, Executive Editor

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

Playing DS back in the early 2000s was probably my peak gaming era, not just because I was working at a gaming company (Pokémon) but also because it was around then that I was introduced to various franchises and genres that would become lifetime interests for me. One was Animal Crossing, another was the Ace Attorney series. The DS wasn’t where the series first appeared, but it is where it was first released in the United States. I’ve played every installment since and am now a big fan of visual novels as a genre. However, I was disappointed when I heard the prequel series, Dai Gyakuten Saiban, was unlikely to get an American release due to the difficulty of localization.

Well, until last year when they went and released it anyway as The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. And, while it doesn’t feature familiar faces and some gameplay techniques introduced in the previous titles, it still has plenty of new tricks and charm to offer both new and returning players. Instead of hiding the game’s Japanese origins, Great Ace Attorney embraces them fully, and the resulting experience is as rich as it is fulfilling. The story somehow has even more twists and turns than previous installments, and I like how everything weaves together into a cohesive whole by the end. I only wish I had time to play it last year so I could have included it among Engadget’s favorite games list of 2021. — K.N.

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight wasn't a Switch exclusive, but after spending dozens of hours exploring the murky depths of Hollownest, I'll always feel like it's inextricably tied to Nintendo's handheld. It stands out from the crowded field of Metroidvanias (and the subset with Dark Souls elements), with its elegantly atmospheric aesthetic, gorgeous sprites and a soundtrack that evokes the melancholy of exploring a lost kingdom. It's tough, but unlike the Souls games, it never feels overtly punishing. (Can't beat a boss? Try exploring another corner of the map, collect some charms and upgrade your trusty Nail.)

What truly hooked me, though, was being able to take the experience of Hollow Knight anywhere. I played it on my couch when I should have been working, during flights across the world and while I was stuck with a newborn sleeping in my arms (a fun balancing act, for sure). While I could have played Hollow Knight earlier on my computer, or on vastly more powerful systems, the Switch ended up giving me a level of freedom I didn’t know I wanted. — Devindra Hardawar, Senior Reporter

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It’s worth acknowledging that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild didn’t invent the open world genre. But, it did bring the format to a series that was beginning to get too reliant on its formula of “explore a dungeon, use this item to beat dungeon boss, repeat.” Breath of the Wild instead offers players the ability to explore literally any corner of the world they can see in any order they choose. Even the short intro section on Hyrule’s Great Plateau offers very little in the way of guidance.

Zelda games have always encouraged exploration, despite the linear dungeon-based format, but Breath of the Wild took this to new heights. Hyrule is positively massive, on a scale unlike any prior game in the series, and the lack of traditional guidance means every player will have an entirely different experience with the game. I poured dozens of hours into Breath of the Wild when it came out and eventually beat the game’s main goal, but I’ve gone back to it on and off in the years since to keep finding more dungeons and challenges. I don’t think I’ll ever be done exploring this exquisitely rendered version of Hyrule. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor

Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread faced a tall order when it launched in late 2021. It was the first all-new Metroid game since 2010’s disappointing Metroid: Other M, and the first new mainline, side-scrolling game in the series since Metroid Fusion way back in 2002. Fortunately for Metroid fans, Nintendo pulled it off. Dread works just as well whether you’ve played all of Samus Aran’s earlier adventures or if it’s your first time giving the series a shot.

Developer MercurySteam kept the familiar Metroid loop of exploration that leads to new weapons that opens up new areas that were previously inaccessible, but it also added a major stealth element this time out. Some areas you explore are populated by an E.M.M.I. robot that you’ll need to avoid until you find the appropriate power-up to defeat it, and those robots can kill you in one hit. So sneaking around is key, but the game mercifully gives you plenty of opportunities to retreat to safe ground and reconsider your strategy. It adds a whole new wrinkle to Metroid Dread — but the game’s focus isn’t solely on stealth. There are plenty of monsters to battle, caverns to explore and huge bosses to take down. It’s the complete Metroid package, whether you’re new to the series or not. — N.I.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Super Mario Odyssey may be the Mario title that got the most attention in the last five years — but don’t sleep on the awkwardly titled New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. If, like me, you grew up worshiping at the altar of Super Mario World, U Deluxe is the best side-scrolling Mario game Nintendo has released in decades. It’s right up there with all-time greats World and Super Mario Bros. 3.

The game was originally released for the Wii U, a system that got no traction in sales, so plenty of Switch owners had never experienced its joys when the game was released in 2019. And, while it’ll feel familiar if you’ve played any side-scrolling Mario game before, the level designs are fresh, the challenges are just the right amount of hard and the world looks just gorgeous. It doesn’t exactly break new ground, but New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe shows that the original Mario format still has a place in 2022. — N.I.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

Sayonara Wild Hearts was once described as "Give Carly Rae Jepsen a Sword: the Game." If that alone doesn't sell you on this gem, I don't know what will. It's an ultra-stylish fever dream of an arcade game tied to a killer pop soundtrack.

It should take just over an hour to propel through the 23 levels, which are packed with slick visuals and clever gameplay ideas that'll keep you on your toes. There's so much to take in that, if you're anything like me, you'll replay the whole thing at least a few times over (especially if you want to complete the Zodiac Riddle objectives).

There are some tricky sections, but Sayonara Wild Hearts is a forgiving game with a ton of checkpoints and an option to skip parts you might struggle with. The developers are determined to help you reach the emotional finale and find out whether the protagonist can repair her broken heart. It's absolutely a worthwhile journey. — Kris Holt, Contributing Reporter

Super Mario Maker 2

Super Mario Maker 2 did what Breath of the Wild couldn't. It convinced me to buy a Switch. As a lifelong Mario fan who didn't buy a Wii U to play the original Super Mario Maker, I wasn't going to miss out this time around.

I love knowing that, at any moment, I can pick up my Switch and play a Mario level I've never seen before. I might even be the first person (other than the creator) to try it. Sure, there are a ton of garbage stages filled with too many Bowsers, but it doesn't usually take long before I play one that puts a smile on my face.

I've dabbled in making levels, though there's only one I liked enough to share. It's a puzzle stage inspired by, of all things Marie Kondo. That's kind of fitting, given how many times Super Mario Maker 2 has sparked joy for me. — K.H.

Stardew Valley

Of all the Switch games I’ve played, Stardew Valley is one of the very few that I continuously go back to — particularly when I need some “me” time. Growing up, I spent a lot of time playing games like Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, so Stardew fills that hole for me now as an adult. I love the repetitive humdrum of building my farm up from nothing, cultivating a pleasant little green space where my character and all their chickens, rabbits, cows and goats can flourish. Harvesting pumpkins, strawberries and corn has never been more satisfying, and I’m always eager for the change of seasons when I can kick the dirt up on all of my plots and start fresh with a plethora of new veggie and fruit seeds.

There are a ton of side storylines and quests to complete, and I love that I can do them on my own time, or not at all. Maybe I spent too much time tending to my cows and sheep and missed the deadline to deliver a bunch of leeks to Evelyn. It’s OK, she won’t hold it against me… too much. And when I feel the urge to get a little dangerous, there are plenty of mine levels to explore with treasure to discover, monsters to defeat and prismatic shards to desperately search for. However, Stardew doesn’t have the highest of stakes, and sometimes I’m in the mood for tougher battles and the possibility of death (preferably by Lynels). But nothing beats going back to the farm that you built from scratch and picking up where you left off once again. After all, there’s always something more to do. — Valentina Palladino, Commerce Editor

Tango Gameworks and Bethesda think they have a way to draw you into Ghostwire: Tokyo's universe before you even start playing: give away the prequel story. The two have released a free visual novel for PS4 and PS5, Ghostwire: Tokyo - Prelude, that sets the stage for the supernatural action adventure. The novel follows detective KK as he investigates strange events half a year before the main game.

The title has a purposefully "relaxed atmosphere" compared to the game, Scenario Writer Takahiro Kaji said. This is more about showing another side of KK before you see him in the game. You are encouraged to play through more than once, though, as it promises to reveal more sides of KK's team and Tokyo.

The PC version of Prelude will be available on March 8th, or just over two weeks before Ghostwire: Tokyo itself launches on March 25th. Yes, this novel ultimately a bid to sell more copies of the game, but it might be appreciated if you want more backstory for games than a simple text prologue or video trailer.

Microsoft has revealed a solid list of titles that are coming to Game Pass this month. Starting today, you’ll be able to play Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox One, phones, tablets and web browsers via the cloud (fittingly enough). It was already on Xbox Games Pass and PC Game Pass, but now it’s available on the service formerly known as xCloud, more folks might be tempted to try the game. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who normally play on PC might be swayed if they don’t have a rig that can get the most out ofFlight Simulator.

Also hitting Game Pass today on console, PC and cloud is Far: Changing Tides, in which you’ll explore a flooded, post-apocalyptic landscape and search for a new home. On March 3rd, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII comes to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.

March 10th is shaping up to be a busy day for Game Pass. Subscribers will be able to play Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy via console, PC and the cloud at no extra cost. Square Enix Montreal offered a different spin on the quintet of superheroes than the Marvel movies. It dropped them into a surprisingly enjoyable adventure that bursts at the seams with jokes.

The other additions to Game Pass next Friday are Kentucky Route Zero, the Xbox One version of Lawn Mowing Simulator and a new brawler-RPG hybrid called Young Souls. Meanwhile, a few games will be leaving the lineup on March 15th: Nier: Automata, Phogs!, Torchlight III and The Surge 2.

Microsoft also noted the Xbox app for PC has been updated with a few features it started testing a few months ago. Players can now choose which folder they want to install games to, while they'll have the ability to mod more games.

The Xbox Game Pass rival that Sony is cooking up for the PlayStation will have three tiers that cost $10, $13 and $16 a month, according to VentureBeat's GamesBeat. Bloomberg first reported about the all-in-one game subscription service codenamed Spartacus back in December. Based on the documents the publication saw, Spartacus would merge the perks offered by PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus and would likely be available for the PS4 and the PS5. This new report gives us more details about the service and what each tier will get you. 

Sony is reportedly calling the Spartacus tiers Essential, Extra and Premium, with the first one being PlayStation Plus in its current form. It will still cost $10, and it will give you access to games every month that you can add to your library. Meanwhile, the Extra tier will cost $13 and will include access to those monthly games, as well as to a game catalogue with hundreds of older games that you can download. That catalogue could possibly be the same as PS Now's. 

Finally, the Premium tier will set you back $16 a month and will include all the aforementioned perks, along with access to PS Now's streaming capabilities and a library of classic games. In addition, it will give you access to a feature called "game trials" that will let you download and start playing new PS games before their release. If it's similar to EA's game trials, then you can only play a title before its official launch for a set number of hours. 

At this point, it's still unclear if Sony will add new first-party exclusives to the service when it becomes available. Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan previously said that it wasn't sustainable to put new releases that cost hundreds of millions to develop in a subscription service. However, Microsoft has purchased Bethesda since then and has also recently started the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard. The tech giant is adding both developers' titles to the Xbox Game Pass, so Sony will have to think of ways to make Spartacus a more enticing option. 

Spartacus is reportedly entering the testing phase in the coming weeks. GamesBeat says Microsoft could also officially reveal the details of the subscription service in March. 

You might be waiting a while for the next big Call of Duty game after this year. Bloomberg sources claim Activision is delaying the 2023 Call of Duty release after Vanguard "failed to meet" sales targets. Executives reportedly fear they're releasing games in the franchise too quickly, and that Black Ops Cold War may have eaten some demand for the newer title. The free-to-play Warzone might also have affected sales of the paid releases.

Activision is said to be working on projects that would cover the absence, including a new free-to-play online game as well as a slew of extra content for the flagship Call of Duty game arriving in late 2022. Treyarch is believed to be working on the delayed game and would help with the free-to-play offering. The delay isn't connected to Microsoft's purchase of Activision, according to the tipsters. That deal isn't expected to close until 2023.

The publisher didn't confirm or deny the delay in a statement to Bloomberg. Instead, the spokesman promised an "exciting slate" of paid and free Call of Duty "experiences" for 2022, 2023 and the years ahead. Activision would share more when the "time is right," according to the representative. The company had already revealed that this year's release is an Infinity Ward-developed sequel to the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot.

The rumored delay comes as Ubisoft is said to be converting an Assassin's Creed Valhalla expansion into DLC as it looks to fill a void between Valhalla itself and the online-oriented Infinity. While the circumstances behind the shifting schedules are different, there's a common element: both major publishers are struggling to maintain the annual release schedules for their signature franchises. There's no guarantee the companies will slow their releases from this day forward, but they might not be quite as predictable as in years past.

The much-lauded action-RPG NieR: Automata is being developed into an anime series, Square Enix has announced. A teaser trailer shows a potential glimpse of how it will look (and not much else), and the developers also tweeted an image of the lead character 2B and her Pod companion robot. 

It appears that the story will closely follow the plot of the original game. "The stage is a distant future in which human beings are routing to the moon in front of the overwhelming force of 'machine life forms' that aliens unleash," according to the developer's blog post. "The '2B' belonging to the newly organized android unit 'Yorha' will put himself into a fierce battle to recapture the Earth."

The first game didn't make money, according to director Yoko Taro, but the follow up was a hit that received general praise for the stunning, trippy graphics, frenzied gameplay and highly original ideas. In other words, it seems like a perfect game to get the anime treatment. It will be produced by Square Enix and Aniplex, the studio behind Fullmetal Alchemist and Sword Art Online, but there's no other information to speak of. Given that Sony owns Aniplex, though, it's reasonable to assume it might appear on Crunchyroll or Funimation. 

We got our first look at Dune: Spice Wars at the 2021 Game Awards, and now developer Shiro Games is giving fans of Frank Herbert’s seminal novels a better look at the project. In a gameplay trailer the studio shared on Tuesday, we see how a game of Spice Wars plays out. Unlike most 4X games, including Civilization VI and Humankind, Spice Wars is part real-time strategy game. That means you won’t have hundreds of turns where you can agonize over every possible move to decide how to lead your faction. That should make decisions like where to send your troops, what settlements to invade and how to engage in diplomacy more impactful.

Of course, each time you move your troops or fight in combat out in the open desert of Arrakis, you’ll need to keep in mind a Sandworm may come to snack on your units. Judging from the trailer, you’ll also have access to agents you can send to organizations like the Spacing Guild, CHOAM and even the Landsraad. When it arrives on Steam Early Access later this year, Spice Wars will feature four playable factions. Naturally, the noble House Atredies and fearsome House Harkonnen are among the groups you can lead.

That the first Dune game in two decades should include RTS elements is fitting. In 1992, Westwood Studios helped established the formula for the genre with the excellent Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty. While the popularity of RTS games has waned in recent years, Dune II’s legacy and influence persist. You wouldn’t have MOBAs like League of Legends if not for the work Westwood Studios and Blizzard did in the early ‘90s.

Expect a big shake-up to Warzone in tandem with the next Call of Duty game. Activision has shared early details of its Call of Duty releases for 2022, and it's promising a "massive evolution" of Warzone designed in sync with the core CoD title. They'll both sport a new game engine, and Warzone will include both an "all-new playspace" and a familiar-sounding sandbox mode. The main game, meanwhile, is a sequel to 2019's Modern Warfare reboot.

Infinity Ward is leading development of both the new Call of Duty and Warzone. That's not surprising when the studio handled both the Modern Warfare revival and the current Warzone. It's not clear to what degree series veterans Raven, Sledgehammer or Treyarch will be involved, but they certainly won't take a leading role. Sledgehammer was responsible for 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard, while Raven and Treyarch worked on 2020's Black Ops Cold War.

The teaser may be welcome if you're eager to see a franchise refresh. Even so, it's coming at a less-than-ideal moment for Activision. Raven staff have been pushing for unionization, and Microsoft's purchase of Activision briefly raised questions about the future of Call of Duty on PlayStation. That's not including the effects of the ongoing misconduct scandal at the publisher. Like it or not, the corporate turmoil might overshadowing the Call of Duty team's efforts at moments like this.

Nintendo will release Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp on April 8th, the company announced today during its first Direct of 2022. The remake bundles together "reimagined" versions of Advance Wars and Advance Wars: Black Hole Rising. The two games first came out on the Game Boy Advance in 2001 and 2003. Nintendo had originally planned to release the game on December 3rd, 2021, but delayed the title in October to give the game's development team more time to polish the experience.