Some of the footage in this post includes flashing images.

We totally understand if you’re not ready to head back out into the world, but you might be missing out on a strange trend at the gigs of your favourite artists. It’s becoming more and more likely that someone, right up front, will capture a moment on their Nintendo 3DS.

It’s not clear who started the trend, but it is a trend. 3DS filming is now almost certain at gigs by extremely online artists like 100 gecs and Porter Robinson, but they’ve since been spotted at shows by the likes of Rina Sawayama, Deftones, Tyler The Creator, JPEGMAFIA and Charli XCX.

ok so who was recording the Minneapolis 100gecs concert on their 3ds pic.twitter.com/m0EksxmFG1

— weird and smelly (@kiiroi_jacket) October 20, 2021

Is the footage any good? Absolutely not. The maximum resolution of the 3DS camera is 640×480 pixels. The audio isn’t any better, with the microphone totally incapable of withstanding any level of amplified bass. It’s probably one of the worst tools to use if you want to revisit the experience of seeing the performer again in any decent fidelity. And yet it’s captured the hearts of gig-goers all the same.

As far as we’re able to tell, the emerging phenomenon started in October of last year at a show by British rock band Bring Me The Horizon (no strangers to being memed, as their song “Can You Feel My Heart” has become the backing track to the GigaChad). The trend began to really take off recently, with the likely cause being this viral tweet documenting pictures being taken on an original DS during a London show by South Korean boy band ATEEZ.

shout out to whoever was recording porter robinson on a 3DS tonight pic.twitter.com/O3Yq7j7mP0

— nath :) (@ThisIsntNath) April 23, 2022

We spoke to New York pop band Anamanaguchi, now touring internationally again for the first time since being postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic, who have also noticed the trend. DM’ing us, the band wrote:

“Yeaa it’s sick. Been happening at our shows for a while now but definitely seeing it more and more. Honestly it’s always way more hype footage than the like iPhone 15 front row super stable full set in 4K HD footage lol. Love 20 seconds of bassboosted deep fried totally shredded DS audio. The audio gets so wrecked, it always takes us a second to figure out what song of ours it is loll but it sounds and looks so good.”

It’s become such favourite fixture at gigs that the band has (possibly jokey) plans to run with the trend: “No one steal our idea but we’re thinking of putting out a ‘Live on 3DS’ album .. maybe press it to vinyl lol.”

High quality 3DS footage from tonight's @anamanaguchi concert pic.twitter.com/xcfFaYc2X6

— Twin Fantasy (Halpin to Halpin) (@biggiehalps) October 25, 2021

So, what’s the point of all this? We can only speculate on the individual motivations of people jumping on a meme that’s sprung up from nowhere (and if you are one of those people, get in touch!): It’s obviously very funny. Everyone knows that you’re going to get a low fidelity capture. It also stands out among all of the other people in the crowd recording the show on their phones. It helps that the two-screen design of the 3DS is so unique and ubiquitous that anyone who sees it immediately knows what it is.

Doing this also marks the artists among a select few where it would even make sense to try recording them this way. Doing something this strange still feels like a totally normal thing to do when seeing the notoriously eclectic 100 gecs – does it have the same tone when you do it at Michael Bublé?

It’s not happening everywhere, and maybe we’re threatening to make it uncool by documenting it, but we recommend doing a Twitter search for your favourite artist + 3DS and you might just see it. We’re interested to see how this trend continues - will we see anyone recording the show on the Game Boy Camera? Here's hoping.

if you take footage of us live with a Nintendo 3DS, you are legally obligated to send us the footage. maximum penalty will be pursued for those who refuse to comply.

— Anamanaguchi (@anamanaguchi) May 2, 2022

Mat Jones is IGN's UK Social Coordinator, and will turn back into a pumpkin at midnight.

Thumbnail credit: GamerJasonUK on Twitter.

Criterion Games has absorbed a part of fellow EA studio Codemasters to double down its development of a new Need for Speed.

Codemasters' Cheshire studio - which most recently worked on Onrush - has spent the last few months developing a "close partnership" with, and is now officially a part of, Need for Speed developer Criterion.

Announced on Codemasters' Twitter (below), the developer said the collaboration will "create the future of Need for Speed, forming one Criterion studio with two location hubs."

We can confirm Criterion Games and the development team at Codemasters Cheshire are officially coming together to create the future of @NeedforSpeed, forming one Criterion studio with two location hubs. [1/3]

— Codemasters (@Codemasters) May 12, 2022

It added: "This integration builds off the close partnership the two studios have developed over the past few months. Sharing common values and similar cultures, we strongly believe unifying the huge wealth of expertise across both teams will help us to deliver the best racing experiences we can for our players."

It appears Criterion is ready to speed up development on its untitled Need for Speed game after it was delayed to instead focus on EA's Battlefield 2042.

Very little has been said about the game since it was announced in February 2020, with EA only confirming the series would return to Criterion following a three-game stint with Ghost Games (now EA Gothenburg). Criterion developed 2012's Need for Speed: Most Wanted and is well-known for the Burnout series.

It's also unlikely the absorption of the Cheshire team will affect Codemasters' upcoming F1 22 as it still has four other studios, with the Birmingham office leading development on the Formula 1 series.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

If you happen to fall within the Venn diagram of sneaker collector and hardcore Looney Tunes fan, you've probably had your eye on Reebok's Looney Tunes collection. There's just one catch - up till now they've been a China-only release. Until now, that is.

The Reebok x Looney Tunes Collection is growing in a big way this year, with Rebook kicking off the second capsule of the collection and making this expanded lineup available in the US for the first time. Get a closer look at this impressive lineup in the slideshow gallery below:

The Looney Tunes line features a number of classic reebok designs (or "footwear silhouettes") paired with colors and shapes inspired by the classic Looney Tunes cast. The full second capsule collection will include:

• Bugs Bunny - Classic Leather Legacy AZ ($95, GW4301)
• Road Runner - Instapump Fury 95 ($200, GZ4948)
• Marvin the Martian - Instapump Fury Zone ($160, GZ4947)
• Wile E. Coyote - Hurrikaze II Low ($120, GW4299)
• Sylvester & Tweety - Nano X1 ($140, GW4303)
• Looney Tunes Props - Club C ($100, GY4779)

In addition to these sneakers, the collection also includes a number of T-shirts and other apparel items.

Preorders for the Reebok x Looney Tunes Collection will go live on Reebok's website on Monday, May 23 for members of the Reebok UNLOCKED program, with general preorders opening up on Thursday, May 26.

Will you be adding any of these sneakers to your collection? Let us know in the comments below. And for more geek-friendly shoes, check out the Xbox-themed Adidas sneakers and Puma's Animal Crossing crossover sneakers.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Dark Horse Direct continues to release new statues inspired by the ships of Blizzard's StarCraft universe. Their latest StarCraft replica depicts one of the most imposing and disgusting ships in the series - the Zerg Brood Lord.

This statue features a detailed recreation of the devastating aerial siege unit from the StarCraft games, suspended above a Zerg Swarm-themed display base. The piece is sculpted by Gentle Giant Studios.

The Zerg Brood Lord measures roughly 15 inches in width and length and stands 10 inches tall (with the ship itself measuring about 4 inches in thickness).

The Zerg Brood Lord statue is priced at $349.99 and is limited to 500 units worldwide. The statue is currently available to preorder through the Dark Horse Direct website, with an estimated release window of November 2022 to January 2023.

StarCraft isn't the only sci-fi gaming franchise receiving new collectibles from Dark Horse. The company recently unveiled a Mass Effect Reaper Sovereign ship replica, a companion to the long-sold-out Normandy statue.

Earlier this year, Dark Horse teased a new set of Cyberpunk 2077 figures due for release in September 2022.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Bethesda has announced that Starfield and Redfall have been delayed to "the first half of 2023".

Announced by Bethesda on Twitter (below), no specific reasons were given for the delays, other than to say that the teams "want to ensure that you receive the best, most polished versions of them."

The statement also promises that the first gameplay deep dives for both games will be released "soon" – and you can imagine that would come during the Xbox/Bethesda Summer Showcase on June 12.

An update on Redfall and Starfield. pic.twitter.com/pqDtx26Uu6

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 12, 2022

A follow-up from Starfield's Bethesda Game Studios simply says, "We can't wait for you to play Starfield, but we need some more time. We’re so thankful for all the support and encouragement and are excited to show you the game soon."

Arkane followed up the tweet with a message from Redfall's director, Harvey Smith. "Here at Arkane Austin, we've decided to delay the launch of Redfall," Smith explained. "The team needs more time to bring the game to life. Thank you so much for your continued support. Redfall is our most ambitious game yet, and we can’t wait to show it off soon."

Starfield previously had a release date of November 11 (an important date for Bethesda, given Skyrim was released on the same date in 2011). The Xbox console exclusive has been showing off a number of details recently, from the game's companions, to its factions, to its music – but we've never seen official gameplay.

Redfall has been ever quieter. Announced as Xbox's show closer during E3 last year, the new game from Arkane Austin was introduced as an open world co-op FPS, due for release this Summer. However, since that reveal we've seen nothing of the game, aside from some leaked images.

The lack of gameplay for both games had been seen by some as simply holding back for a major drop during the Summer, but it seems the reality is that both games simply aren't ready for release just yet. They join a long list of games delayed in 2022.

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.

LEGO has officially unveiled a Transformers Optimus Prime set and yes, it can transform without removing a single piece.

Standing at more than 35cm tall in robot mode and 15cm high as a truck, the set will be released for $169.99 USD / £149.99 on June 1 and includes 1,508 pieces (see it at LEGO Store).

Confirming previous leaks, set 10302 is based on the original, generation one Transformers cartoon from 1984 and features 19 points of articulation that allows the smooth transormation.

Optimus comes equipped with his ion blaster, Energon axe, Energon Cube, and the Autobot Matrix of Leadsership which can actually be stored in the model's chest chamber, plus a special plaque akin to the Ultimate Collector Series of LEGO models.

"Optimus Prime has become a pop culture symbol of courage, selflessness, and great leadership as well as an awesome toy that embodies the problem-solving and creativity skills that both companies value so much," senior designer at the LEGO Group Joseph Patrick Kyde said.

"It’s been a wonderful and challenging task to bring him to life using LEGO bricks, especially making sure that he can shift modes without disassembly and stay true to his signature look and style."

This Transformers collaboration is just the latest major entertainment franchise LEGO has partnered with, joining Back to the Future's DeLorean time machine as one of the more expensive sets to release recently.

It's also entered the gaming world with forays into Sonic the Hedgehog - with the Green Hill Zone set - and the Super Mario world with three separate series. PlayStation exclusive Horizon: Forbidden West even got the LEGO treatment with a Tallneck set that IGN absolutely loved building.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Sonos has launched its new voice control software that features the voice of Star Wars, Breaking Bad, and Far Cry 6 villain Giancarlo Esposito.

Best known for his roles as Gideon in The Mandalorian and Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Esposito was chosen by Sonos as a voice familiar to U.S. customers.

"With careful recording, advanced processing and mastering, the voice is natural, unobtrusive, yet confident and engaging," Sonos said in its announcement.

The voice control software will be available in all voice-capable Sonos speakers on June 1, which start at $179 before climbing into the high hundreds.

While Sonos is only launching the software in the U.S. (and France later this year), it said more voices will join Esposito's in the future, as it expands to more people and places – meaning we may see different actors to match what's popular in different countries.

The system's voice control system is apparently designed with privacy in mind, with Sonos making clear that any commands will be processed solely in the device and not transferred to the cloud or anywhere else to be listened to or analysed.

"One of the most natural ways to connect to your music is with your voice, but when we speak to our customers, we hear that privacy concerns mean many are choosing not to use voice control," said vice president of voice experience Joseph Dureau.

"Created purely for listening on Sonos and designed with privacy at its core, Sonos Voice control delivers the Sonos app experience using only your voice."

Various celebrities and characters have already arrived on Amazon's Alexa, headlined by Samuel L. Jackson but also including Shaquille O'Neal, Deadpool, and R2-D2.

Thumbnail image credit: RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

NASA is using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5 to create a virtual reality environment that will help prepare astronauts for life on Mars.

The project is still in its early stages, and while Epic Games is better known for its collaborations regarding Fortnite, the developer is teaming up with NASA (alongside the simulation's creator Buendea) to launch a competition letting developers submit Mars-themed assets and scenarios to be used in the engine.

Using NASA and Buendea's Mars XR Operations Support System, budding astronauts will be able to simulate aspects of Mars life, from building a home base, performing maintenance, exploring the planet on foot or by rover, conducting detailed scientific research, and more.

NASA is offering a prize pool of $70,000 across five categories in the competition: 'Set Up Camp', i.e. building the initial base; 'Scientific Research', such as geological surveys; 'Maintenance', which includes automated robots; 'Exploration', so tools for getting around; and 'Blow Our Minds', which is anything that NASA hasn't thought of yet.

All successful submissions will be added to the Mars XR simulation which, though still in its early stages, already has 400 square kilometres of realistic Mars terrain programmed in, with full Martian days that transition from the orange hues in the day to blue at night.

Realistic weather conditions, Martian gravity, and a handful of existing assets, such as space suits and rovers, are also already built.

Unreal Engine 5 was released in April and developers are already doing some pretty impressive stuff. Working by himself, Lorenzo Drago created an incredibly realistic scene of a Japanese train station that's almost indistinguishable from real life.

While these ones wouldn't necessarily be suitable for Mars - though maybe NASA's "blow our minds" category - a Superman-style flight experience and Spiderman demo have also shown off Unreal Engine 5's incredible graphics.

Several game studios have also confirmed they're now developing games using Unreal Engine 5, including the new Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics and the new game in the Witcher saga from CD Projekt Red.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Crimes of the Future hasn't even received a wide release yet, but director David Cronenberg is already working on his next film. The veteran filmmaker is so well-known that his name is directly associated with the body horror genre he popularized. If you're a horror fan, "Cronenberg" is whispered in hushed tones for his combination of thoughtful narrative and shocking imagery.

According to Deadline, Cronenberg's next film is called The Shrouds. The film will star Vincent Cassel, who previously worked with the director on Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method.

Cassel will play a man named Karsh, who has invented a device that allows people to view their loved ones decomposing in real-time. Karsh is a widower himself, using his invention to help connect people with their dead loved ones. When his unique and state-of-the-art cemetery is attacked, several graves are vandalized, including the grave of his wife. The story is about Karsh's responses to the attack and how it forces him to take stock of his past and future.

Producers Saïd Ben Saïd, Martin Katz, and Michel Merkt, who previously worked with Cronenberg on Maps To The Stars, are currently looking for distributors and The Shrouds is expected to start filming in 2023. "We are thrilled to be going on a journey into the newest world from the distinctive imagination of David Cronenberg. His ability to write smart and unconventional screenplays and then translate them into unique experiences on screen makes him a unique voice in film,” said Ben Saïd.

Right now, Cronenberg is at Cannes showing off Crimes of the Future, a film that's actually unrelated to his 1970 short film of the same name. The film involves a performance artist in a future where body modification is the norm. Cronenberg recently said that he expects walkouts during screenings of the film at Cannes. He joked that viewers "might be revulsed to the point that they want to leave." Crimes of the Future is getting an official release in June.

Crimes of the Future is the latest release from the 79-year-old director. Cronenberg rose to prominence with science fiction body horror, including films like Scanners, Videodrome, and The Fly. That said, he's also done more straightforward dramas and thrillers, like Crash, A History of Violence, and A Dangerous Method. His son, Brandon Cronenberg, also has a directorial career with his last film being 2020's Possessor.

Mike Williams is a freelance writer at IGN

Crimes of the Future hasn't even received a wide release yet, but director David Cronenberg is already working on his next film. The veteran filmmaker is so well-known that his name is directly associated with the body horror genre he popularized. If you're a horror fan, "Cronenberg" is whispered in hushed tones for his combination of thoughtful narrative and shocking imagery.

According to Deadline, Cronenberg's next film is called The Shrouds. The film will star Vincent Cassel, who previously worked with the director on Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method.

Cassel will play a man named Karsh, who has invented a device that allows people to view their loved ones decomposing in real-time. Karsh is a widower himself, using his invention to help connect people with their dead loved ones. When his unique and state-of-the-art cemetery is attacked, several graves are vandalized, including the grave of his wife. The story is about Karsh's responses to the attack and how it forces him to take stock of his past and future.

Producers Saïd Ben Saïd, Martin Katz, and Michel Merkt, who previously worked with Cronenberg on Maps To The Stars, are currently looking for distributors and The Shrouds is expected to start filming in 2023. "We are thrilled to be going on a journey into the newest world from the distinctive imagination of David Cronenberg. His ability to write smart and unconventional screenplays and then translate them into unique experiences on screen makes him a unique voice in film,” said Ben Saïd.

Right now, Cronenberg is at Cannes showing off Crimes of the Future, a film that's actually unrelated to his 1970 short film of the same name. The film involves a performance artist in a future where body modification is the norm. Cronenberg recently said that he expects walkouts during screenings of the film at Cannes. He joked that viewers "might be revulsed to the point that they want to leave." Crimes of the Future is getting an official release in June.

Crimes of the Future is the latest release from the 79-year-old director. Cronenberg rose to prominence with science fiction body horror, including films like Scanners, Videodrome, and The Fly. That said, he's also done more straightforward dramas and thrillers, like Crash, A History of Violence, and A Dangerous Method. His son, Brandon Cronenberg, also has a directorial career with his last film being 2020's Possessor.

Mike Williams is a freelance writer at IGN