Lights, camera… War!
Donald Trump’s ongoing tariff war has just claimed another blameless victim: film. Specifically, those films that are produced outside of the United States will now be forced to foot 100% tariff hikes the President has just introduced, all in the name of resurrecting American cinema, which is supposedly dying “a very fast death.”
“Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”
Trump added that he had imposed a 100% tariff “on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands”. This is even though most of the film industry comprises American-made releases. Still, this has shifted slightly in recent years. A bigger focus is being put on foreign filmmakers, with directors like Bong Joon-Ho and Hayao Miyazaki being celebrated in countries like South Africa.
The shift is a slow one, however, and certainly doesn’t detract from the attention Western films still garner. It is still unclear how this tariff will affect movies that have yet to be released, like the latest Mission: Impossible, which features scenes both filmed in the US and outside it. We can safely assume it’ll lead to fewer scenes filmed practically, and more shot in front of a greenscreen in some warehouse in the US. Yay.
WH-1000XM6 on the horizon?
There’s no denying that Sony’s WH-1000XM5s are some of the best cans around, but in the nearly three years since their release, the battle for the top is contentious. Sony hopes to reclaim that spot with the release of the WH-1000XM6, reportedly set to release this year with a bigger price tag and a refreshed design.
That’s according to The Walkman Blog, which reckons we could see an announcement for the new headphones as soon as this week or next, though customers will have to wait until mid-June before adding them to their cart. When it does turn up, it’s believed to feature three colours (black, silver, and midnight blue) and go back to a foldable design – something the obnoxiously rigid XM5 left behind.
There’s also talk of improved Bluetooth functionality, a stronger hinge, and a redesigned headband, though the cups will be the same as in the XM5s. This all equates to a nasty price hike of around $70, bringing the total sale price to $470. The Walkman Blog notes, however, that this is a converted price from another region, and the US price may turn out to be lower. Still, expect to pay for Sony’s superiority.
Nintendo’s gonna Nintendo
There was once a time when the Nintendo Switch 2 wasn’t a certainty, even as early as the beginning of this year, and fans were eager to cling to any crumb of news of the then-unannounced console. Genki was the first to deliver those crumbs in the form of a 3D-printed mockup of the console, which it then decided to show off at CES 2025 for all, including Nintendo, to see.
That was back in January, just days before Nintendo gave us the first glimpse of the console in a short teaser trailer, but the damage was done. We thought it was over for Genki, considering Nintendo’s notoriously ruthless legal team. But nothing happened, and it seemed Genki had got off scot-free. As it turns out, Nintendo was amassing a vigorous legal suit, which it has now slapped Genki with.
Nintendo has officially accused the accessory-maker of trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising. It argues that it “embarked upon a strategic campaign intended to capitalize on the public interest surrounding Nintendo’s next-generation console,” which is technically true. It continues by saying that Genki marketed Switch 2 accessories without having access to the console, and used the Switch 2 logo to do so.
“Genki has always been an independent company focused on building innovative gaming accessories for the community we love. We’re proud of the work we’ve done, and we stand by the quality and originality of our products,” the company said in a post on X/Twitter, noting that it was taking the suit seriously, and that it couldn’t delve into deeper detail yet.
The end of an era for the Louvre
The times, they are a-changin’. For more than a decade, visitors to one of the biggest attractions France has to offer were led around the museum by a Nintendo 3DS console, assuming they paid the €6 rental fee. That will no longer be the case, with the Louvre’s website stating that the “Nintendo 3DS console audio guides will go out of operation in September 2025.”
It will instead be replaced by a ‘new system’, though the Louvre doesn’t go into detail about what that might be. A custom Nintendo Switch 2, perhaps? Or maybe Sony’s long-forgotten PS Vita system? Whatever it is, it’ll have to match Nintendo’s system, which offered guides in a variety of languages, hi-res images of the paintings on the walls, and even 3D models of the statues on display.
