The PlayStation 5 is the fastest-selling console in U.S. history by dollar sales, but the second best-selling hardware platform in February 2021, with Nintendo Switch continuing to lead the market. The NPD Group released its monthly report covering best-selling consoles, video games, and more for February 2021 in the U.S. and the Nintendo Switch leads the charge as the best-selling console for the month, with the PS5 behind it in second. However, the PS5 did overtake a record previously held by the Switch when it became the fastest-selling console in U.S. history after the NPD Group tracked "total dollar sales after four months in market." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] The Switch's unit and dollar sales last month were the highest of any hardware platform in a February since the Nintendo Wii back in February of 2009. Lifetime dollar sales of the Switch passed those of the Nintendo DS last month too, which makes the Switch the second best-selling Nintendo console in U.S. tracked history after the Wii, and the seventh best-selling overall. Elsewhere in video game numbers, consumer spending is up in a big way. "February 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories reached a February record $4.6 billion, 35% higher when compared to a year ago," the NPD Group's report reads. "Year-to-date spending totaled $9.3 billion, 39% higher than the same period in 2020." Monthly sales of hardware increased by 121% this February compared to last February for a total of $406 million, which is the highest total since February 2011 when video game spending reached $468 million. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/12/super-mario-3d-world-bowsers-fury-launch-trailer"] On the software side of things, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury took first place as the best-selling game for February 2021 in the U.S., and it's also the second best-selling game of 2021, despite a lack digital sales tracking for Nintendo games, according to the NPD Group. Little Nightmares II, which debuted in February, was the sixth best-selling game of the month, fifth best-selling game on Xbox platforms, and 10th best-selling game on PlayStation platforms. Video game accessory spending reached $195 million in February 2021 in the U.S., which is 41% higher than last February and the PS5 DualSense controller was the accessory with the most dollar sales for the month. Catch up on last month's NPD numbers and then read about how the Switch was the number one console in the U.S. last year. Check out this story about a new Switch with a larger screen and 4K output reportedly in the works after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

The PlayStation 5 is the fastest-selling console in U.S. history by dollar sales, but the second best-selling hardware platform in February 2021, with Nintendo Switch continuing to lead the market. The NPD Group released its monthly report covering best-selling consoles, video games, and more for February 2021 in the U.S. and the Nintendo Switch leads the charge as the best-selling console for the month, with the PS5 behind it in second. However, the PS5 did overtake a record previously held by the Switch when it became the fastest-selling console in U.S. history after the NPD Group tracked "total dollar sales after four months in market." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-ps5-games&captions=true"] The Switch's unit and dollar sales last month were the highest of any hardware platform in a February since the Nintendo Wii back in February of 2009. Lifetime dollar sales of the Switch passed those of the Nintendo DS last month too, which makes the Switch the second best-selling Nintendo console in U.S. tracked history after the Wii, and the seventh best-selling overall. Elsewhere in video game numbers, consumer spending is up in a big way. "February 2021 consumer spending across video game hardware, content, and accessories reached a February record $4.6 billion, 35% higher when compared to a year ago," the NPD Group's report reads. "Year-to-date spending totaled $9.3 billion, 39% higher than the same period in 2020." Monthly sales of hardware increased by 121% this February compared to last February for a total of $406 million, which is the highest total since February 2011 when video game spending reached $468 million. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/02/12/super-mario-3d-world-bowsers-fury-launch-trailer"] On the software side of things, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury took first place as the best-selling game for February 2021 in the U.S., and it's also the second best-selling game of 2021, despite a lack digital sales tracking for Nintendo games, according to the NPD Group. Little Nightmares II, which debuted in February, was the sixth best-selling game of the month, fifth best-selling game on Xbox platforms, and 10th best-selling game on PlayStation platforms. Video game accessory spending reached $195 million in February 2021 in the U.S., which is 41% higher than last February and the PS5 DualSense controller was the accessory with the most dollar sales for the month. Catch up on last month's NPD numbers and then read about how the Switch was the number one console in the U.S. last year. Check out this story about a new Switch with a larger screen and 4K output reportedly in the works after that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Halo Infinite won't feature some of the series' past features, such as dual-wielding or playable Elites, but it will include a very new feature – you can knock enemies off of the edge of the Halo ring itself. Developer 343 Industries held a fan Q&A, in which a number of questions were answered by members of the team. The most unexpected answer definitely came in the form of a response to whether enemies could be knocked off the new Zeta Halo setting. "The answer is yes," replied Troy Mashburn, gameplay director, who went on to offer an anecdote about just that: "I can tell you just recently I was playing in space, and I happened to be driving in with a Scorpion tank. I came around the corner and was face-to-face with a Wraith [tank], and just out of pure luck, pure coincidence, I managed to push the Wraith over the edge and just watched it slowly tilt back and just fall into the abyss, which was amazing, unexpected, and just such a cool moment that happened... So absolutely, you can push things off the edge. It's going to be difficult, but if you manage to time it just right, you're going to see it." As community manager John Junyszek made clear, this is a brand new idea for a Halo game, and feels in-line with its aspirations to be a more sandbox-y, open experience than previous games. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/engineer-explains-how-halo-infinite-is-being-optimized-for-more-devices-beyond-xbox-one-ign-news"] The answers also covered the facts that the game will have a day-night cycle (which affects the enemies you run into), dynamic weather, multiple biomes and sub-biomes, audio logs to discover, and cutscenes will reflect the equipment you're carrying, and the time of day you're in when they begin. However, while Halo Infinite clearly brings a lot of new features, some older ones won't be making a return. Dual-wielding weapons, for instance, has not made it in. Quinn Delhoyo, lead sandbox designer, explained why: "That's not on the cards right now... Whenever you set out to make a game the size of Halo Infinite there's just so many things you can do. I think we have a very talented team where we can do anything, but we can't do everything. So we wanted to really focus down on the gunplay, grenades, melee - and where we wanted to put that bet this time was on bringing equipment back." Delhoyo was also asked about another older feature - playable Elites, who were available in previous Halo campaigns and multiplayer modes. They also won't make a return: "Similar to the last answer, no we're not currently planning on supporting Elites as a playable character - and the reason is that this is a Master Chief story, and a Spartan story, especially in multiplayer. We want to make sure that we focus on how Spartans battle against each other, and that it feels fair, and it's competitive, it's balanced. We love Elites – never say never, maybe we'll see that one day – but right now the current plan is you're going to be playing Spartans." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/halo-infinite-team-to-provide-monthly-updates-on-development-starting-this-week-ign-news"] For those interested in Infinite, it's well worth watching the full Q&A – 343 has a lot to say about its upcoming Halo game, and it's a great look into the design ideas behind the game, and how it's improved since its infamous delay last year. The game is now planned for release in Fall 2021, and its multiplayer mode will be free-to-play. If you cannot wait for more Halo, there's a way of... tasting the series right now - Pringles has released a flavour that tastes like an extinct animal from Halo: Reach. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Halo Infinite won't feature some of the series' past features, such as dual-wielding or playable Elites, but it will include a very new feature – you can knock enemies off of the edge of the Halo ring itself. Developer 343 Industries held a fan Q&A, in which a number of questions were answered by members of the team. The most unexpected answer definitely came in the form of a response to whether enemies could be knocked off the new Zeta Halo setting. "The answer is yes," replied Troy Mashburn, gameplay director, who went on to offer an anecdote about just that: "I can tell you just recently I was playing in space, and I happened to be driving in with a Scorpion tank. I came around the corner and was face-to-face with a Wraith [tank], and just out of pure luck, pure coincidence, I managed to push the Wraith over the edge and just watched it slowly tilt back and just fall into the abyss, which was amazing, unexpected, and just such a cool moment that happened... So absolutely, you can push things off the edge. It's going to be difficult, but if you manage to time it just right, you're going to see it." As community manager John Junyszek made clear, this is a brand new idea for a Halo game, and feels in-line with its aspirations to be a more sandbox-y, open experience than previous games. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/engineer-explains-how-halo-infinite-is-being-optimized-for-more-devices-beyond-xbox-one-ign-news"] The answers also covered the facts that the game will have a day-night cycle (which affects the enemies you run into), dynamic weather, multiple biomes and sub-biomes, audio logs to discover, and cutscenes will reflect the equipment you're carrying, and the time of day you're in when they begin. However, while Halo Infinite clearly brings a lot of new features, some older ones won't be making a return. Dual-wielding weapons, for instance, has not made it in. Quinn Delhoyo, lead sandbox designer, explained why: "That's not on the cards right now... Whenever you set out to make a game the size of Halo Infinite there's just so many things you can do. I think we have a very talented team where we can do anything, but we can't do everything. So we wanted to really focus down on the gunplay, grenades, melee - and where we wanted to put that bet this time was on bringing equipment back." Delhoyo was also asked about another older feature - playable Elites, who were available in previous Halo campaigns and multiplayer modes. They also won't make a return: "Similar to the last answer, no we're not currently planning on supporting Elites as a playable character - and the reason is that this is a Master Chief story, and a Spartan story, especially in multiplayer. We want to make sure that we focus on how Spartans battle against each other, and that it feels fair, and it's competitive, it's balanced. We love Elites – never say never, maybe we'll see that one day – but right now the current plan is you're going to be playing Spartans." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/halo-infinite-team-to-provide-monthly-updates-on-development-starting-this-week-ign-news"] For those interested in Infinite, it's well worth watching the full Q&A – 343 has a lot to say about its upcoming Halo game, and it's a great look into the design ideas behind the game, and how it's improved since its infamous delay last year. The game is now planned for release in Fall 2021, and its multiplayer mode will be free-to-play. If you cannot wait for more Halo, there's a way of... tasting the series right now - Pringles has released a flavour that tastes like an extinct animal from Halo: Reach. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

A JPG file made by a digital artist known as Beeple sold for a record $69.3 million on Thursday at Christie's auction house. According to The New York Times, the artwork, a digital collage titled "Everydays — The First Five Thousand Days," became the most expensive ever non-fungible token (an asset that uses blockchain technology to allow definitive ownership of digital commodities) when it went under the hammer this week, with the winning bidder using Ethereum cryptocurrency to pay for the file. Despite being listed for $100 at the start of the two-week auction, the file received more than 180 bids in the final hour. The uptake in interest ultimately pushed the price up from under $30 million to over $60 million in the two-minute extension granted by the auction house. As a result, Beeple's digital asset became the third-most-expensive piece of artwork to be sold by a living artist at auction. [caption id="attachment_2485535" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Image credit: Mike Winkelmann/Beeple (via Christie's)[/caption] The JPG file created by Beeple — real name Mike Winkelmann — was billed by the auction house as "a unique work in the history of digital art." The collection consists of a colorful collage of images that the artist has posted online each day since 2007, resulting in 5,000 individual images from 5,000 different days (hence the name of the art piece). "Artists have been using hardware and software to create artwork and distribute it on the internet for the last 20 plus years but there was never a real way to truly own and collect it," Beeple said in a statement after the historic auction sale, per NPR. "I believe we are witnessing the beginning of the next chapter in art history, digital art." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-6-most-popular-cryptocurrencies-right-now&captions=true"] In related news, CNBC reported that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is in the process of selling his first-ever tweet as a non-fungible token in a timed charity auction. As of Friday morning, the highest offer for the digital asset was $2.5 million, according to the listing. After the auction closes, Dorsey has said he will convert the funds to bitcoin and donate the proceeds to Give Directly's Africa Response fund. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

A JPG file made by a digital artist known as Beeple sold for a record $69.3 million on Thursday at Christie's auction house. According to The New York Times, the artwork, a digital collage titled "Everydays — The First Five Thousand Days," became the most expensive ever non-fungible token (an asset that uses blockchain technology to allow definitive ownership of digital commodities) when it went under the hammer this week, with the winning bidder using Ethereum cryptocurrency to pay for the file. Despite being listed for $100 at the start of the two-week auction, the file received more than 180 bids in the final hour. The uptake in interest ultimately pushed the price up from under $30 million to over $60 million in the two-minute extension granted by the auction house. As a result, Beeple's digital asset became the third-most-expensive piece of artwork to be sold by a living artist at auction. [caption id="attachment_2485535" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Image credit: Mike Winkelmann/Beeple (via Christie's)[/caption] The JPG file created by Beeple — real name Mike Winkelmann — was billed by the auction house as "a unique work in the history of digital art." The collection consists of a colorful collage of images that the artist has posted online each day since 2007, resulting in 5,000 individual images from 5,000 different days (hence the name of the art piece). "Artists have been using hardware and software to create artwork and distribute it on the internet for the last 20 plus years but there was never a real way to truly own and collect it," Beeple said in a statement after the historic auction sale, per NPR. "I believe we are witnessing the beginning of the next chapter in art history, digital art." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-6-most-popular-cryptocurrencies-right-now&captions=true"] In related news, CNBC reported that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is in the process of selling his first-ever tweet as a non-fungible token in a timed charity auction. As of Friday morning, the highest offer for the digital asset was $2.5 million, according to the listing. After the auction closes, Dorsey has said he will convert the funds to bitcoin and donate the proceeds to Give Directly's Africa Response fund. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Zombies arrived in Call of Duty: Warzone just last month, and they've now begun migrating across the battle royale's map, and taken up residence in Verdansk's Prison. As teased in an 'in-universe' blog post, the zombies that washed ashore with the addition of a ghost ship to Verdansk's northern shore have now been found in the Prison Complex area nearby. Similarly to the ship, a terminal has been added to the Prison, which allows players to kick off a zombie-killing event, offering extra loot when 40 undead shamblers are dispatched. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/call-of-duty-updates-may-exceed-storage-capacity-of-base-playstation-4-ign-news"] The move could presage major changes for Verdansk, with some believing they'll slowly take over multiple areas, before the game's slowly-added nukes are deployed, triggering a radical change to the map. That's an idea supported by a leak that seems to point to a zombie-themed event called Plague in which the area can be nuked. The aformentioned blogpost also includes a header image that says 5% - possibly pointing to how much of the map is now affected by zombies. All of these additions may make those on older hardware nervous, especially as a 500GB PS4 may no longer be able to fit Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. Want to earn yourself a victory in Warzone? We have a Call of Duty: Warzone wiki for you. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he's furious at this change, because Prison is one of the only places he feels like he's safe in during Warzone matches. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Zombies arrived in Call of Duty: Warzone just last month, and they've now begun migrating across the battle royale's map, and taken up residence in Verdansk's Prison. As teased in an 'in-universe' blog post, the zombies that washed ashore with the addition of a ghost ship to Verdansk's northern shore have now been found in the Prison Complex area nearby. Similarly to the ship, a terminal has been added to the Prison, which allows players to kick off a zombie-killing event, offering extra loot when 40 undead shamblers are dispatched. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/call-of-duty-updates-may-exceed-storage-capacity-of-base-playstation-4-ign-news"] The move could presage major changes for Verdansk, with some believing they'll slowly take over multiple areas, before the game's slowly-added nukes are deployed, triggering a radical change to the map. That's an idea supported by a leak that seems to point to a zombie-themed event called Plague in which the area can be nuked. The aformentioned blogpost also includes a header image that says 5% - possibly pointing to how much of the map is now affected by zombies. All of these additions may make those on older hardware nervous, especially as a 500GB PS4 may no longer be able to fit Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. Want to earn yourself a victory in Warzone? We have a Call of Duty: Warzone wiki for you. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News, and he's furious at this change, because Prison is one of the only places he feels like he's safe in during Warzone matches. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Netflix has announced that Resident Evil 2 Remake actors Stephanie Panisello and Nick Apostolides will be returning to voice series stalwarts Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy in the upcoming CGI-animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/resident-evil-netflix-show-announced-ign-now] The news was confirmed alongside an initial synopsis of the series, which describes a reunion between the pair at The White House.

“In 2006, there were traces of improper access to secret Presidential files found in the White House’s network. American federal agent Leon S. Kennedy is among the group invited to the White House to investigate this incident, but when the lights suddenly go out, Leon and the SWAT team are forced to take down a horde of mysterious zombies.

Meanwhile, TerraSave staff member Claire Redfield encounters a mysterious image drawn by a youth in a country she visited, while providing support to refugees. Haunted by this drawing, which appears to be of a victim of viral infection, Claire starts her own investigation. The next morning, Claire visits the White House to request the construction of a welfare facility. There, she has a chance reunion with Leon and uses the opportunity to show him the boy’s drawing. Leon seems to realize some sort of connection between the zombie outbreak at the White House and the strange drawing, but he tells Claire that there is no relation and leaves.

In time, these two zombie outbreaks in distant countries lead to events that shake the nation to its very core.”

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness was officially revealed back in September 2020, during Capcom’s TGS Live 2020 stream. It’s been confirmed Infinite Darkness is set in the canon of the game franchise. The future is bright for Resident Evil fans, with Netflix also currently working on a live-action series adaptation of Resident Evil, and a separate, new origin movie project underway at Constantin Film featuring Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield, and Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy. Additionally, Resident Evil Village arrives on PC and consoles on May 7. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=resident-evil-origin-movie-cast-comparison&captions=true"]

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Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.

Netflix has announced that Resident Evil 2 Remake actors Stephanie Panisello and Nick Apostolides will be returning to voice series stalwarts Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy in the upcoming CGI-animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/resident-evil-netflix-show-announced-ign-now] The news was confirmed alongside an initial synopsis of the series, which describes a reunion between the pair at The White House.

“In 2006, there were traces of improper access to secret Presidential files found in the White House’s network. American federal agent Leon S. Kennedy is among the group invited to the White House to investigate this incident, but when the lights suddenly go out, Leon and the SWAT team are forced to take down a horde of mysterious zombies.

Meanwhile, TerraSave staff member Claire Redfield encounters a mysterious image drawn by a youth in a country she visited, while providing support to refugees. Haunted by this drawing, which appears to be of a victim of viral infection, Claire starts her own investigation. The next morning, Claire visits the White House to request the construction of a welfare facility. There, she has a chance reunion with Leon and uses the opportunity to show him the boy’s drawing. Leon seems to realize some sort of connection between the zombie outbreak at the White House and the strange drawing, but he tells Claire that there is no relation and leaves.

In time, these two zombie outbreaks in distant countries lead to events that shake the nation to its very core.”

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness was officially revealed back in September 2020, during Capcom’s TGS Live 2020 stream. It’s been confirmed Infinite Darkness is set in the canon of the game franchise. The future is bright for Resident Evil fans, with Netflix also currently working on a live-action series adaptation of Resident Evil, and a separate, new origin movie project underway at Constantin Film featuring Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield, Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, Robbie Amell as Chris Redfield, and Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy. Additionally, Resident Evil Village arrives on PC and consoles on May 7. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=resident-evil-origin-movie-cast-comparison&captions=true"]

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Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.