Earlier this week, Nintendo revealed it would be rolling out its first major update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons before the game was even released. This update – which is now available to download – will give you access to online multiplayer features and much more. There are also a few surprises in Version 1.1.0.

To thank users for downloading the update, Nintendo is giving out a free in-game Switch. When you press it, you’ll get the familiar boot-up screen and clicking sound. If you happen to have bought an Animal Crossing themed Switch, you’ll receive this same model in the game. This update adds a special Nook Inc. rug as well, which can be purchased with Nook Miles.

Apart from this, the first update prepares players for the Bunny Day festivities, which take place between 1st April – 12th April. When the date reaches 1st April (in real-time), a patch (Version 1.1.0a) will be rolled out to activate the event. In order to experience Easter, you’ll need to make sure you’ve linked a Nintendo account.

Last, of all, this update adds support for the NookLink app. This service (located within the Nintendo Switch Online application) will launch on 20th March, at 13:00 JST. NookLink, as previously detailed, allows you to scan in patterns with QR Codes and communicate with friends via text and voice messaging.

Have you updated your to Version 1.1.0 yet? Leave a comment below.

From the way our industry tackles cyber threats, to the language we have developed to describe these attacks, I’ve long been a proponent to challenging traditional schools of thought—traditional cyber-norms—and encouraging our industry to get outside its comfort zones. It’s important to expand our thinking in how we address the evolving threat landscape. That’s why I’m not a big fan of stereotypes; looking at someone and saying they “fit the mold.” Looking at my CV, one would think I wanted to study law, or politics, not become a cybersecurity professional. These biases and unconscious biases shackle our progression. The scale of our industry challenges is too great, and if we don’t push boundaries, we miss out on the insights that differences in race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, neurology, ability, and degrees can bring.

As we seek to diversify the talent pool, a key focus needs to be on nurturing female talent. Microsoft has hired many women in security, and we will always focus on keeping a diverse workforce. That’s why as we celebrate Women in Cybersecurity Month and International Women’s Day, the security blog will feature a few women cybersecurity leaders who have been implementing some of their great ideas for how to increase the number of women in this critical field. I’ll kick off the series with some thoughts on how we can build strong mentoring relationships and networks that encourage women to pursue careers in cybersecurity.

There are many women at Microsoft who lead our security efforts. I’m incredibly proud to be among these women, like Joy Chik, Corporate Vice President of Identity, who is pushing the boundaries on how the tech industry is thinking about going passwordless, and Valecia Maclin, General Manager of Security Engineering, who is challenging us to think outside the box when it comes to our security solutions. On my own team, I think of the many accomplishments of  Ping Look, who co-founded Black Hat and now leads our Detection and Response Team (DART), Sian John, MBE, who was recently recognized as one of the top 50 influencers in cybersecurity in the U.K., and Diana Kelley, Microsoft CTO, who tirelessly travels to the globe to share how we are empowering our customers through cybersecurity—just to name a few. It’s important we continue to highlight women like these, including our female cybersecurity professionals at Microsoft who made the Top 100 Cybersecurity list in 2019. The inspiration from their accomplishments goes far beyond our Microsoft campus. These women represent the many Microsoft women in our talented security team. This month, you’ll also hear from some of them in subsequent blog posts on how to keep the diverse talent you already have employed. And to conclude the month, Theresa Payton, CEO at Fortalice Solutions, LLC., and the host of our CISO Spotlight series will share tips from her successful experience recruiting talented women into IT and cybersecurity.

Our cyber teams must be as diverse as the problems we are trying to solve

You’ve heard me say this many times, and I truly believe this: As an industry, we’ve already acknowledged the power of diversity—in artificial intelligence (AI). We have clear evidence that a variety of data across multiple sources and platforms enhances and improves AI and machine learning models. Why wouldn’t we apply that same advantage to our teams? This is one of several reasons why we need to take diversity and inclusion seriously:

• Diverse teams make better and faster decisions 87 percent of the time compared with all male teams, yet the actual number of women in our field fluctuates between 10 and 20 percent. What ideas have we missed by not including more women?
• With an estimated shortfall of 3.5 million security professionals by 2021, the current tech talent pipeline needs to expand—urgently.
• Cyber criminals will continue to exploit the unconscious bias inherent in the industry by understanding and circumventing the homogeneity of our methods. If we are to win the cyber wars through the element of surprise, we need to make our strategy less predictable.

Mentoring networks must start early

Mentorship can be a powerful tool for increasing the number of women in cybersecurity. People select careers that they can imagine themselves doing. This process starts young. Recently a colleague’s pre-teen daughter signed up for an after-school robotics class. When she showed up at the class, only two other girls were in the room. Girls are opting out of STEM before they can (legally) opt into a PG-13 movie. But we can change this. By exposing girls to technology earlier, we can reduce the intimidation factor and get them excited. One group that is doing this is the Security Advisor Alliance. Get involved in organizations like this to reach girls and other underrepresented groups before they decide cybersecurity is not for them.

Building a strong network

Mentoring young people is important, but to solve the diversity challenges, we also need to bring in people who started on a different career path or who don’t have STEM degrees. You simply won’t find the talent you need through the anemic pipeline of college-polished STEM graduates. I recently spoke with Mari Galloway, a senior security architect in the gaming industry and CEO of the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu (WSC) about this very topic in my podcast. She agreed on the importance of finding a mentor, and being a mentee.

Those seeking to get into cybersecurity need a network that provides the encouragement and constructive feedback that will help them grow. I have mentored several non-technical women who have gone on to have successful roles in cybersecurity. These relationships have been very rewarding for me and my mentees, which is why I advocate that everybody should become a mentor and a mentee.

If you haven’t broken into cybersecurity yet, or if you are in the field and want to grow your career, here are a few tips:

• Close the skills gap through training and certificate programs offered by organizations like Sans Institute and ISC2. I am especially excited about Girls Go Cyberstart, a program for young people that Microsoft is working on with Sans Institute.
• Build up your advocate bench with the following types of mentors:
  
  • Career advocate: Someone who helps you with your career inside your company or the one you want to enter.
  • Coach: Someone outside your organization who brings a different perspective to troubleshooting day-to-day problems.
  • Senior advisor: Someone inside or outside your organization who looks out for the next step in your career.
• Use social media to engage in online forums, find local events, and reach experts. Several of my mentees use LinkedIn to start the conversation.
• When you introduce yourself to someone online be clear that you are interested in their cumulative experience not just their job status.

For those already in cybersecurity, be open to those from the outside seeking guidance, especially if they don’t align with traditional expectations of who a cybersecurity professional is.

Mentorship relationships that yield results

A mentorship is only going to be effective if the mentee gets valuable feedback and direction from the relationship. This requires courageous conversations. It’s easy to celebrate a mentee’s visible wins. However, those moments are the result of unseen trench work that consists of course correcting and holding each other accountable to agreed upon actions. Be prepared to give and receive constructive, actionable feedback.

Creating inclusive cultures

More women and diverse talent should be hired in security not only because it is the right thing to do, but because gaining the advantage in fighting cybercrime depends on it. ​Mentorship is one strategy to include girls before they opt out of tech, and to recruit people from non-STEM backgrounds.

What’s next

Watch for Diana Kelley’s blog about how to create a culture that keeps women in the field.

Learn more about Girls Go Cyberstart.

Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us at @MSFTSecurity for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity. Or reach out to me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Update [Wed 18th Mar, 2020]: Well, that was unexpected. The adorable Japanese white PC Engine Mini is now available to order from Play Asia. We’re not sure how much stock the online retailer has, so you’d better act fast!

Please note that some links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

Update [Fri 6th Mar, 2020 12:05 GMT]: Konami has issued an updated statement on the official PC Engine Mini site and via its Twitter account stating that the release of all PC Engine Mini stock has been “delayed until further notice”, meaning the console will completely miss its proposed March 19th release date, irrespective of when orders were placed.

Here’s the statement:

Regarding the PC Engine Core Grafx mini console and its peripheral accessories, the manufacturing and shipping facilities in China have encountered an unavoidable suspension due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As a result, the delivery of all PC Engine Core Grafx mini products, which was originally scheduled for March 19th, 2020, will be delayed until further notice.

We deeply apologize to our customers for the significant inconvenience, and we humbly ask for your understanding and patience while we keep our close attention on the situation. We are investing all of our efforts to deliver the PC Engine Core Grafx mini as soon as possible, and will provide further details on the deliver timing once confirmed.

Original Story [Fri 6th Mar, 2020 09:05 GMT]: Konami has revealed that the release of its PC Engine Mini range has been delayed slightly due to the Coronavirus infection impacting production and shipment.

The system – which will be released in PC Engine (Japan), PC Engine Core Grafx (Europe) and TurboGrafx-16 (North America) forms – was due to launch worldwide on March 19th. Konami has now issued a statement that says those who pre-ordered their console before March 5th should still get their machine in time for launch, but there will be an unspecified delay on pre-orders placed after that date.

Here’s the full statement:

Thank you for your continued patronage of KONAMI’s products and services.

Due to the effects of the new coronavirus infection that is currently occurring, the game consoles “PC Engine mini”, “TurboGrafx-16 mini”, “PC Engine Core Grafx mini” and peripheral devices scheduled to be released on March 19, 2020 in China Production and shipping delays are inevitable.

For those who pre-ordered “PC Engine mini” by March 5, 2020, the product will be delivered on March 19, 2020. If you purchased TurboGrafx-16 mini, PC Engine Core Grafx mini, and peripheral devices Turbo Pad for PC Engine mini, Multi-Tap for PC Engine mini, or Multi-Tap for PC Engine mini, For those who pre-ordered “PC Engine mini” on or after March 6, 2020, it will be delivered on or after March 20, 2020. Stay tuned for more information, as we will share more details.

We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers, but we will work hard to deliver the products as soon as possible while keeping a close watch on the situation. We appreciate your understanding.

There comes a time when even the most diehard of armchair Generals feels the urge to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. On such occasions, there is no better way to get the juices flowing than a good old-fashioned shoot-em-up. The original Aces of the Luftwaffe was released some seven years ago and flew under the radar without so much as a murmur.

Now, those dastardly German flying aces are back and this time they have their eyes set on a juicy Big Apple. Yes, the Luftwaffe is about to embark on an audacious invasion of the USA –“Not nice people,” as the president may exclaim. Only the plucky pilots of the allied squadron stand in their way. However, every story has two sides and this extended edition includes a second campaign that allows you to play as the German Nebelgeschwader, or fog squadron, who from their base within the Bermuda Triangle, embark on their very own secret mission. Both campaigns are suitably madcap, with elements of old war films and sci-fi, complete with giant Nazi flying saucers and steampunk-style flying trains. Don’t be surprised if you see ghosts and mutant crows also entering the fray.

With the bewildering lack of support for physical controllers, the big issue is always going to be how well the touch controls work. There are two different control schemes to choose from. The default allows you to drag your finger around the screen to guide your squadron, whilst the alternative uses a floating joystick. A set of fixed buttons, which can be positioned on the left or right side of the screen, control your guns and power-ups. Auto-fire is engaged by simply holding the fire button down. Neither method is going to replace the responsiveness of a proper controller and both take some getting used to, but they work as well as can be expected.

Thankfully, the difficulty has been tailored accordingly, the action is rather slow-paced and the number of enemies and bullets on screen never reaches the crazy levels of more hardcore shooters. The leisurely speed also helps combat the unusual screen aspect. It feels strange for a mobile vertically-scrolling arcade game to adapt a landscape view rather than the much more traditional portrait aspect. This odd choice means that you have less time to react to enemy attack. On the plus side, your plane can take a considerable amount of damage, represented rather neatly by bullet holes and cracks appearing on the screen. You have a final ace (or four) up your sleeve in the guise of support from your wingmen, because, instead of controlling a single plane, you control a squadron of four.

Your pilots will earn medals and eventually they will be in a position to learn new skills. They each have a unique skill tree of new abilities, which tend to specialise in a particular field. For instance, Malissa Munro and her German counterpart Robert Schulz are particularly good at defence and repair. Your wingmen are in constant radio contact, sometimes you may wish they weren’t since their corny comments (even the allies seem to have dodgy German accents) do begin to grate.

Anyone who has ever played Starfox will know what to expect but they can prove useful, warning you of imminent attack and their state of mind. This matters because each of the eight pilots (four for each campaign) have their own hang-ups. John King is prone to fits of rage, causing him to storm off into battle alone, attacking both friends and foe with impunity. Conversely, Melissa often has to skip out of the action because she suffers from acrophobia, yes, a pilot scared of heights, that’s as ridiculous as a certain German dictator being afraid of cats.

At times, Aces of the Luftwaffe feels supremely satisfying. Especially when your newly earned skills kick in and enemy planes spin out of control, billowing smoke as they plummet earthwards. Things become even more chaotic when you collect supply crates that contain the likes of rotating lasers, sonic waves and Big Bad Bullets™, along with a range of other upgrades. When the screen gets very busy there is a little slowdown but nothing too drastic. The music is rousing, the sound effects exciting and the missions are quite varied. One moment you will be blowing up key targets, the next stealthily avoiding searchlights. Each assignment also has a separate side mission that adds some replayability and there is a diverse assortment of twelve end-of-level baddies that require attention.

It is when you encounter these boss battles that the touch controls really begin to creak under the strain. The impreciseness of manoeuvring around the screen begins to seriously hamper progress and send blood-pressure soaring. Thumbs slip off fire buttons and fingers obscure your view of the action. If your trigger finger has seen better days, then I’m afraid that the only option is to revisit earlier levels to gain more experience to spend on skills.

With a total of 50 levels to battle through, the amount of content is hard to argue with. It is just a pity that the additional Nebelgeschwader campaign doesn’t introduce anything significantly new. It is fun to play through the game from a different perspective but, ultimately, both campaigns feel disappointingly similar. The PC version had a crazy four-player co-op mode that unquestionably turned up the fun quota. Here, you are forced to rely on your computer-controlled wingmen. Wingmen can be given limited commands to determine their thresholds for triggering special powers and the effort has been made to instil each pilot with their own personality. Unfortunately, it is never going to capture the feeling of playing with real people.

Aces of the Luftwaffe is an admirable attempt to offer more than your standard arcade shooter. It is a game that doesn’t take itself seriously, with a pulpy storyline and over the top characters. Nevertheless, the upgradable skill trees and squadron-based gameplay ensures that there is a serious challenge lurking beneath the light-hearted exterior.

The backlog is a dangerous beast, one that haunts players far and wide. You can see all of the new games upon the horizon that you’re itching to get your hands on, like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Doom Eternal and someday even Metroid Prime 4. But what about the pile of games waiting for you at home? You know, those digital titles you had to buy because they were on sale for less than a burrito at Taco Bell? What about that game your buddy loaned you for the SNES almost two years ago that he can’t stop ranting and raving about? Oh, you’re too lazy to find the cords for your system and hook it up? What’s that? Tom Nook called and he’s demanding your rent? We doubt it, Tom Nook never calls to collect.

But fear not, while the backlog may a relentless, undying entity, we feel it can be tamed. We here at Nintendo Life towers have come together and brainstormed a list of steps you can take to get your backlog back in order.

1) Assess Your Games And Make A List

Your first step to getting your backlog in order should be to assess your backlog. Take a look at your games and figure out what you actually care to play in the near future and which ones you have just to fill space on your shelf. Not everything has to be considered backlog worthy material.

Once you have that figured out, go ahead and make yourself a list. You can make a note on your phone, use pen and paper or even use a website to help keep track of your list. We personally really like to use the website HowLongToBeat.com as it allows you to log specifics on when you beat a game, how much time you’ve spent on a game and how much of the game you actually played. Then you can take all that information and compare it to others online to see how long it took them. They even have a specific backlog tab, playing tab and completed tab that you can sort your games into as well. A list like this can come in handy when and if you ever decide to look back at your year and decide what your favourites were.

If most of the games on your backlog are physical, try making a stack of your games somewhere near your play area to help illustrate the challenge you have in front of you. Then as you complete them, put them on their own separate shelf and think of them as your own physical achievement system.

If you’re playing digital games on anything besides a Switch, try making a folder for the games you want to play and a folder for the ones you’ve beaten. It can feel nice to look at the list of games you’ve beaten and might help push you to finish more.

2) Schedule A Time To Play

It can be hard to squeeze in time to play games when work, school and other things are sort of ruling your life, but try to think of your game time as a scheduled event, like if you were in a sports league or had choir practice. For many of us, gaming is a hobby and we should all have time for our hobbies.

Figure out a time that works best for you each week and set up a plan. Maybe you’ll play each Tuesday and Thursday after your kids go to bed, or when you’re finished with work on the weekends. If your schedule is inconsistent, try to frame game time around a certain activity or maybe even just sneak in some time before bed.

And when life gets in the way of your scheduled “game time” don’t let it deter you. Try to find more time to play later in the week to make up for the time you missed out on. Much like any goal, just try to make a plan that works for you and stick to it

3) Keep Distractions Away

In this digital/modern era that we’re currently in, distractions are at an all-time high. Whether you’re at work, watching Netflix, or even spending time with friends or family, your phone will usually be there trying to bother you, and it most likely has some of your attention when you’re playing games too. So try to keep it out of arms reach if you can. Maybe plug it in and leave it on the shelf away from you. Give the characters in your game your undivided attention. Then when you’re done with a session, you’re likely to remember a lot more of it’s finer details since you were entirely present for its events.

If you’re using your phone for an online walkthrough, try setting it to do not disturb mode. And if you still catch yourself accidentally browsing Instagram and the like, try using a different device like a tablet or laptop (one that doesn’t have a million tabs open and all your contacts saved.) If that doesn’t do the trick, see if you can get your hands on an old fashioned strategy guide. It’ll definitely help you stay disconnected and it can be a lot more fun to flip through an actual book than to have your eyes glued to another screen.

4) Stop Unnecessarily Buying Games

Seriously, the deals aren’t helping you.

Unless you’re collecting games, try to not add more games to your “I’ll play it eventually” stack. You can always make a list of games you want to purchase as you start to knock a few out.

Oh, and try to ignore the sales, too. We know it’s especially hard when it feels like every publisher under the sun has a hot deal for the weekend. Unless there is a game you’ve been extremely excited about and it goes on sale for the low price of “I absolutely cannot ignore this deal or I’ll be ashamed of myself for paying a higher price later,” you probably can do without adding more to your stack.

5) Stick With One Game, But Leave Yourself Options

Just like juggling multiple TV shows or books, jumping back and forth between multiple video games isn’t always a good idea. It can be easy to forget character names, lose track of the narrative and or current progress if you spend too much time away from one game, and you’ll be more focused and dedicated if you stick to just one.

However, don’t be afraid to give yourself some options. If your current game is a 50-to-100 hour RPG, try keeping a few shorter games of other genres in your back pocket. The last thing you want to do is burn yourself out on a game you’re really enjoying, only to set it down and never pick it back up.

6) Consider Your ‘Live Service’ Game Time

Live Service games like Fortnite and most of Nintendo’s mobile offerings are designed to reward you for logging in and knocking out your daily tasks and the more time you spend playing, the more content you’re treated to. Games like these can heavily get in the way of your story based ventures as by design, they’re easy to get sucked into.

Limiting yourself to one could give you back a real chunk of free time and it may be worth putting down Warframe or Rocket League for a season or so to see how much you can accomplish with that time off.

7) Know When It’s Time To Move On

Once you’ve started a game and made a few hours in (at least,) if you’ve realized it just isn’t clicking with you, don’t force yourself to push through it. You can always come back to it if you ever feel like giving it another shot. If you’re worried about getting back the return you invested into the game, maybe you can try selling it or trading it with a friend for something else you’re interested in. Your friend may absolutely love the Dark Souls series for its difficulty level, but maybe you don’t have time to commit to learning its mechanics or you just find it drab and too unforgiving. Not every game is going to be your cup of tea, and that’s quite alright.

If you happen to get stuck and have searched every nook and cranny or are having trouble taking down a major boss encounter. Don’t feel ashamed to look up a walkthrough online or even reach out to a friend who you know has also played the game. That little bit of help could propel you all the way to the final chapter! Speaking of friends…

8) Enlist A Friend

A major factor almost anyone can blame for the size of their backlog is that we’re all partially influenced by the games other people are playing and the games our friends are talking about. So with that, there’s a good chance that your friends have some of the same games on their backlog as you do.

So why not try and hit up a friend (internet friends count too) to see if you can agree on a game to play together in your own separate time. Then you two can chat about your experiences, your struggles and share the crazy moments throughout the weeks it takes to complete.

This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to schedule a time or place to meet to chat, but it could help make your game a bit more fun and might encourage you to play more efficiently knowing that you have someone else playing along with you. Then if this goes well, maybe you can invite more friends into your group for the next game and before you know it, you’ll have your own private video game club.

Have any methods that have helped you catch up on your seemingly neverending to-do list of games? What are some of the games you’d say are still on your backlog? Drop your thoughts down below!