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Hardware, storefront and ecosystem news for Amazon.
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Resident Evil Requiem on PS5 Drops to a New Low Price at Amazon and Best Buy of $54
Resident Evil Village for PlayStation 5 is currently available at a new low price of $53.99 on Amazon and Best Buy. This sale price is even lower than its previous Prime Day offering.
Amazon Plans to Fly Prime Air Drones Over Almost 500 US Towns by Year’s End
Amazon plans to significantly expand its Prime Air drone delivery service, aiming to cover nearly 500 cities and towns across the United States by the end of the year. This expansion will increase the service's coverage area sixfold, adding new metro areas like Chicago, Syracuse, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Boise to its existing operations. The service currently handles packages weighing 5 pounds or less, with most deliveries promised within an hour, though concerns about safety and public acceptance remain.
Amazon is bringing drone deliveries to the Chicago and Atlanta metro areas as part of a major expansion
Amazon is expanding its Prime Air drone delivery service to include the Chicago and Atlanta metro areas. The company plans to serve nearly 500 towns and cities across the United States with drone deliveries by the end of the year.
Amazon's Alexa+ AI assistant is now free for anyone with a Fire TV device
Amazon has made its Alexa+ AI assistant available for free to all users with a Fire TV device in the US. This update allows users to access the enhanced AI features without additional cost on their existing Fire TV hardware.
Game Subscriptions You Might Secretly Already Have
This article explores how consumers might already have access to game subscriptions through services they already use, beyond typical gaming platforms like Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus. It highlights offerings from Netflix, The New York Times, Rockstar's GTA+, Amazon Luna, and Epic Games Store's free weekly titles, detailing the types of games available through each.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 576: Peering into the future of MMOs
The Massively OP Podcast episode 576 features hosts Justin and Bree discussing the future of MMORPGs, including Star Wars: The Old Republic's update plans, World of Warcraft's latest patch, and delays for Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty due to Amazon's exit from publishing. They also cover Q2 MMO financials and introduce a new 'spotlight of the week' segment.
A Hidden AirTag Followed Rare Books to an Amazon Warehouse — and to the Shredder
An investigation revealed that Amazon and Anthropic are acquiring and destroying rare books to use their content for training artificial intelligence models. This practice involves slicing off book spines for faster scanning, effectively rendering the physical copies irretrievable. A court ruling found similar scanning practices by Anthropic to be fair use, partly because the original books were destroyed.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Hits New Low Price of $35 on Switch 2 at Amazon
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is available for a new low price of $34.99 on the Nintendo Switch 2 at Amazon. The deal includes an exclusive MTG Zack Fair promo card.
Woot's Summer of Gaming Sale only runs for another 15 hours but includes record-breaking discounts across PS5,…
Woot's Summer of Gaming Sale is offering significant discounts on gaming accessories for platforms like PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, with an additional 20% off using the promo code GAMER20. The sale includes record-breaking prices on controllers and headsets, but is limited to one use per customer and a maximum saving of $40. The sale ends in 15 hours or when stock runs out.
MMO Week in Review: Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty are going home
Amazon has announced it will cease publishing duties for the MMORPGs Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty, returning them to their respective studios, Smilegate and NCsoft. The article also touches on updates and developments for other MMOs including EverQuest Legends, World of Warcraft, Ashes of Creation, and Star Wars The Old Republic.
AI-Written Books Are Swamping Amazon — and Human Authors’ Earnings Are Paying the Price
An analysis reveals that AI-generated books are flooding Amazon's self-publishing catalog, leading to a significant dilution of earnings for human authors. Despite AI books capturing a smaller percentage of sales and revenue individually, their sheer volume is impacting the overall market, with revenue per book declining across most genres for human-written titles. The study also highlights concerns about language overlap with existing copyrighted works and the lack of transparency from Amazon regarding AI disclosure.
The bigwigs who want AI-generated NPCs and writing think you're too dumb to appreciate a good…
This article argues that the push for AI-generated NPCs and dialogue in video games misunderstands the value of handcrafted details in creating immersive worlds and compelling narratives. The author contends that while AI might offer efficiency, it cannot replicate the creativity and nuance that human writers bring to background chatter, environmental storytelling, and characterization, ultimately leading to shallower game experiences. The piece criticizes industry figures who believe players won't notice or care about the difference, asserting that true game design relies on thoughtful, human-driven content.
How I’m dealing with my video game backlog of 48 titles - Reader's Feature
A reader details their strategy for tackling a personal backlog of 48 video games, categorizing titles and discussing their purchasing habits. They highlight challenges with game length, difficulty, and digital ownership, while also reflecting on completed games and those they've abandoned.
Throne & Liberty delays the Colossus Vegamor update into September ahead of the transition back to NCsoft
Throne & Liberty's Colossus Vegamor update, originally planned for August, has been delayed to September to ensure a smooth transition of publishing duties from Amazon back to NCsoft. This delay aims to allow both teams to focus on the service transition while also delivering a more polished experience for the world boss update.
Where to buy Palword TCG, Dawn of Palpagos stock wiped after launch
The Palworld Trading Card Game, specifically the Dawn of Palpagos set, is experiencing significant stock shortages at major retailers like Walmart and Magic Madhouse. While Amazon is expected to restock, current availability is limited and often at inflated prices. The second set, Legends Awaken, is also facing pre-order sell-outs.
Scabby versus Sharma, Twitch's GenAI admission, and Netflix shutters more studios - Patch Notes #65
Netflix has closed two more internal game studios, Night School Studio and Moonloot Games, despite recent success with its cloud gaming launches. Meanwhile, Twitch confirmed it will use user data to train Amazon's generative AI models by default. In other news, union workers protested Xbox's layoffs with a large inflatable rat and red flags, while the game 'Big Walk' surpassed one million sales and a game preservation project regained funding after previous cuts.
Pokémon TCG: Pitch Black Elite Trainer Boxes Are Back in Stock at Amazon
Amazon has restocked the Pokémon Trading Card Game Pitch Black Elite Trainer Boxes and Booster Bundles. These items are available at prices below TCGplayer market value and are expected to sell out quickly.
Magic: The Gathering's The Hobbit Booster Boxes Secure a New Price Cut on Launch Day
Amazon has discounted Magic: The Gathering's The Hobbit booster boxes on launch day. The article highlights where to find the deal and discusses the most valuable cards within the set.
Evening Reading - August 13, 2026
This edition of Shacknews Evening Reading covers various game reviews including Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. It also notes that Pokemon Bank will end service in February 2027 and discusses potential AI training on Twitch VODs. Additionally, Crimson Desert's Switch 2 port is rumored for early 2027.
Twitch Chief Product Officer isn't sure if Amazon AI was training on VODs prior to opt-out option
Twitch Chief Product Officer Mike Minton stated that the company is unsure if Amazon AI models were training on Video on Demand content prior to the implementation of an opt-out option. The new policy allows users to opt out of having their past and future content used for AI training. Minton admitted that Twitch did not believe users would voluntarily opt in for AI training, leading to the opt-out approach.
