Why the Nintendo Switch Lite Has a True D-Pad and Why It’s Such a Big Deal

The Nintendo Switch Lite was announced today, and it features a true, honest-to-goodness D-Pad. The fact that the original Switch's Joy-Con controllers do not has been point of contention for fans since its launch in 2017, as the four separate directional buttons aren't as ideal as a true D-Pad for 2D games, retro games, and much more.

The Switch Lite will be released on September 20, 2019, for $199.99 USD and is designed specifically for handheld play. That means no kickstand, no dock, and no support for video output to TV whatsoever. While the addition of a D-pad is a boon to many fans, some may find themselves wondering “why now?” or “why hasn’t the Switch added them yet?”

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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker New Sith Trooper Revealed

Disney and Lucasfilm have revealed the Sith Trooper from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a new trooper that features a "modern and more menacing look befitting its namesake."

At San Diego Comic-Con 2019 from July 18-21, Lucasfilm will be celebrating the history and future of stormtrooper design with an exhibit that includes nine screen-used costumes of an Imperial stormtrooper, TIE pilot, death trooper, shoretrooper, biker scout, First Order stormtrooper, First Order TIE pilot, Captain Phasma, and the brand-new Sith Trooper.

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The 16 Comic-Con Panels We’re Most Excited For

This year's Comic-Con International: San Diego is next week, kicking off on Wednesday, July 17, with preview night and continuing throughout the weekend. And as with every year, SDCC 2019 promises to be crammed full of geeky goodness, from collectibles to cosplay to panels focused on all sorts of upcoming comic book, TV, movie and video game projects.

If you need help planning your Comic-Con schedule, or if you're going to be following along at home, here's a breakdown of the most exciting panels at the show this year. From screenings of new DC shows to glimpses of movies like IT Chapter Two and Terminator: Dark Fate to the long-awaited reveal of what's next for the MCU, these are the panels you'll want to keep tabs on at the con.

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Keanu Reeves Brings the Legend Back to Life in Metal Gear Solid 5 Mod

The year of Keanu continues with this fantastic Keanu Reeves Metal Gear Solid 5 mod by JinMarr. The mod replaces the character model of Snake with a shockingly accurate recreation of Keanu Reeves, with a choice of either using his John Wick look, or his more recent Johnny Silverhand look from Cyberpunk 2077.

It's especially fun because there's actually some parallels in both Snake and John Wick, with both characters being legends returning to their own respective fields of battle. So when Ocelot is speaking of bringing the legend back to life, it feels like it still works with Keanu Reeves on screen!

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Opinions Are Split on Nintendo Switch Lite

Early this morning, Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch Lite: a smaller, cheaper, handheld-only version of their highly-popular Nintendo Switch hybrid handheld/console. Naturally, the Internet has opinions on the matter and, unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees on if the Switch Lite is what they want from Nintendo.

Some who almost exclusively play Nintendo Switch in handheld mode are largely excited by the announcement, parents and thrifty consumers are similarly intrigued, and a lot of fans are excited to get some colorful new hardware to play Nintendo Switch games on.

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Star Trek: Picard Series Releases First Poster

CBS All-Access has released a new poster for the upcoming series Star Trek: Picard. This new image offers an early look at Patrick Stewart's aged Jean-Luc Picard as he embarks on his last and most important mission. More importantly, it turns out Picard has a pet dog.

Check out the first poster below:

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This new poster follows the debut of the series' first poster and teaser trailer in May. As with the original, the new poster emphasizes Picard's family vineyard while teasing a return to space for the retired former captain of the USS Enterprise.

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Report: Facebook Looks to Acquire a Game Studio, Splinter Cell VR in Development

Sam Fisher could be coming to VR. That’s according to a new report that says Facebook has already signed deals to bring some of Ubisoft’s biggest IP, like Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, to the Oculus VR headset. This is part of a bigger push by Facebook into gaming which could also see the social media company acquire video game studios for itself.

A new report from The Information says Facebook is looking seriously into beefing up its gaming business. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is apparently personally involved with Facebook’s strategy to get big video game franchises on the Oculus VR platform and make it more attractive to customers.

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Nintendo Has ‘No Plans’ to Add D-Pad to Switch Joy-Cons

Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch Lite this morning and it has a true D-pad, which is a change from the set of four separate directional buttons that are featured on the original Switch's Joy-Cons. According to Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, Nintendo has no plans to of adding this new D-pad to the existing Joy-Cons.

As reported by CNET, Bowser quickly quieted any thoughts of a revised Joy-Con that would include this updated D-pad that many in the past have wished for.

"There are no plans, or nothing to announce, in terms of further variation of Joy-Con," Bowser said.

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Watch: DC’s Jim Lee Teaches US Troops How to Draw Batman

DC has been pulling out all the stops this year to celebrate Batman’s 80th anniversary from publishing an oversized Detective Comics #1000 to honoring Batman with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but their latest effort was centered on a way to give back to the real heroes. Iconic comic artist and DC CCO/Co-Publisher Jim Lee was among a group of DC talent who joined forces with The United Service Organizations (USO) to bring the gift of Batman to the nearly 12,000 U.S. military members stationed in Kuwait. While on the trip, Lee recorded a personal vlog of his experiences with the troops, which you can watch in the video player above exclusively here on IGN.

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