2DS XL portable is the new Nintendo console to be announced this July

It is completely out of the blue, but Nintendo has announced a brand new console – in the form of a bigger version of the 2DS handheld.

And they say it’s always impossible to predict what Nintendo will do next, and we’re pretty sure nobody expected any new console announcements this year. But that’s just what’s happened with the New 2DS XL, sort of.

But in reality it’s just another version of their existing line of portables, all of which run the same games. The original 2DS was a stripped-down version of the 3DS, without the 3D effect or the clamshell design.

The New 2DS XL does have a clamshell design, so it’s much closer to just being a New 3DS XL without the 3D. (The ‘New’ prefix is important as that identifies the New 3DS XL as the slightly more powerful version with a second analogue nub controller and extra shoulder buttons.)

This new 2DS XL will be released on July 28th with two different colour versions: ‘Black + Turquoise’ and ‘White + Orange’.

The original 2DS was aimed primarily at children, but the three games being promoted alongside the New 2DS XL are 2D adventure Hey! Pikimin (which is released the same day), Tomodachi Life follow-up Miitopia, and Dr Kawashima’s Devilish Brain Training.

Despite speculation that the Nintendo Switch would lead to the phasing out of the 3DS, Nintendo has insisted that they will continue to support the format. Although the games above, and the others currently announced, are notably more minor releases than during the portable’s heyday.

Newest avocado chocolate looks creamily delicious

Avocados are delicious. On toast. In burritos. On their own with a splash of lemon juice. They’re refreshing, delicious and creamy.

That is why one chocolate company has decided to put together two of the world’s greatest foods to create avocado chocolate.

They are LA-based chocolatier Compartes has just created a brand new California Avocado white chocolate bar and it looks unimaginably creamy.

Light green in colour, it’s made from fresh California avocados – all of which are locally sourced from farmer’s markets to ensure their organic and sustainable status. At $10 a pop, it’s not cheap but then again, neither is an avocado habit.

These avo-late mash-up just the latest in Compartes‘ range of off-the-wall, highly Instagrammable chocolate creations.

Other new mad flavours include vegan kale, birthday cake, potato chip crisp and roses and rose chocolate bars.

Fall Out Boy to release their newest single 'Young and Menace'

The full album will be on 15 September – but fans can enjoy the new track until the rest of the music is revealed.

They have said that fans can expect many surprises before Mania is out – and they will be embarking on a tour of the US in the autumn.

And the Mania tour will begin in the US on 20 October, with $1 from every ticket sold going to the Fall Out Boy Fund – which benefits charities throughout Chicago.

Preorder M A N I A in our webstore by Sunday night to get a presale code to buy tickets/VIP before anyone elsehttps://t.co/4qlYTecZco pic.twitter.com/HJalArMgdx

— Fall Out Boy (@falloutboy) April 27, 2017

. M A N I A arrives in full Sept. 15th + expect many surprises before then. The M A N I A Tour begins on Oct. 20th pic.twitter.com/9hPLksaqcl

— Fall Out Boy (@falloutboy) April 27, 2017

Welcome to M A N I A – a Fall Out Boy LPpic.twitter.com/IGrNESldQv

— Fall Out Boy (@falloutboy) April 27, 2017

Fall Out Boy had been teasing fans on social media, by revealing they had an announcement to make on 28 April.

 april 27th pic.twitter.com/ut7OsTR5NW

— Fall Out Boy (@falloutboy) April 22, 2017

Various purple-themed hints were dropped on Facebook and Instagram – then bassist and backing vocalist Pete Wentz tweeted that they were going to speed things up.

I think we can move this whole operation up a day 

— yung menace (@petewentz) April 22, 2017

PURPLE begins a̶p̶r̶i̶l̶ ̶2̶8̶t̶h̶ april 27th

— yung menace (@petewentz) April 22, 2017

Today is also singer and guitarist Patrick Stump’s birthday.

Happy birthday @PatrickStump thanks for being the guy.

— yung menace (@petewentz) April 27, 2017

To listen to Fall Out Boy’s new track, check out the video below.

Top 10 best tracks of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

The newest Mario Kart is out today on Nintendo Switch and we’ve already given it a 10/10 score in our review. We also named it the best game in the series, not to mention one of the best multiplayer games ever made. But with so many tracks to choose from which are the best? Everyone will have their own opinion but these are out top 10 picks, along with a look at the eight new Battle arenas that are exclusive to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

10. Dolphin Shoals

The idea of your kart being able to drive underwater is a relatively new invention for the series, and one not every fan is always happy about. But Dolphin Shoals totally sells the idea, and the fact that most of it is spent underwater works really well. Especially when you emerge from sea towards the end and you suddenly realise the music has been muffled the whole time – only to blare into life as you snake through the final third and glide down to the tense final stretch where you’re dangerously exposed to everyone else racing for the finish line.

9. Baby Park

Most fans consider the GameCube’s Mario Kart: Double Dash!! to be the worst game in the series, but at least one good thing came of it: Baby Park. Unusually, you have to complete seven circuits of this course and it’s just a simple oval. A really short oval. One where it’s almost impossible not to get hit by someone else, and where starting to lap the backmarkers almost becomes as dangerous as dealing with your more serious rivals. It all ends up a glorious disaster of shouts and recriminations, and is easily the best track to play with other people in the same room.

8. Super Bell Subway

One track that almost made this top 10 is the Mario Kart 64 course Toad’s Turnpike, where you have to race through traffic on a motorway. This one seems to be very much inspired by that old classic, except you’re racing against tube trains instead of other cars. Obviously that’s not a fight you’re going to win if you hit one, so you have to constantly keep in mind where they are and which of the multiple routes you’re going to take through each section of the course. It’s also one of only three tracks (the others are Excitebike and Animal Crossing) that don’t have any anti-gravity sections.

7. Mute City

Unlike previous games, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features a lot of characters, tracks, and vehicles inspired by other Nintendo titles. That includes two based on futuristic racer F-Zero, which hasn’t had a new game in over a decade but has two race tracks in Mario Kart 8. This is the best one: a stunning looking sci-fi city where the rules of the game are adapted slightly so that you collect coins by driving over special strips, instead of picking them up individually. The real F-Zero is famous for its blistering speed and playing this at 200cc is as close to the real thing as we’re ever likely to get again.

6. Ribbon Road

Our favourite of the new DLC tracks, the course design itself isn’t very complicated but the setting of a kid’s bedroom means either they’re giants or you’ve been shrunk down – creating one of the most unique-looking tracks in the whole game. What really makes it though is that the track is literally a ribbon, and not only is the road texture subtly different but parts of it are constantly undulating up and down. If you’re really good you can get a little speed boost from cresting each bump, so a last minute win is never out of the question.

5. Toad Harbour

Over the years, as the graphics have got more realistic, there’s been more and more Mario Kart tracks that have been based in something that looks more like the real world. This one is pretty obviously inspired by San Francisco, with the steep hills and tram cars getting in the way. Although it does feature more driving on walls than is usual for the city. But that mixture works perfect in the game, with a complicated start as you zip past the docks and then through the city streets and down a final stretch filled with turbo boost pads and an alternative route you’re never sure is quicker or not.

4. Mount Wario

Not every track in Mario Kart 8 is a three-lap race. There’s also a few that are just one long course with a beginning and end, and this is the best of them. It starts off with a little micro-cut scene of everyone jumping out of an aircraft onto the snowy slopes below. All of this is accompanied by a very James Bond-esque soundtrack, that gets even more epic as you race through a dam, a thick forest, and then finally onto a ski slalom course. Trying to keep your position as you tear down that last straight, terrified you’re going to get hit by a shell at the last moment, is Mario Kart at its most thrilling.

3. Moo Moo Meadows

Our highest-rated retro course. It’s a revamped version of a course from Mario Kart Wii, which in turn was a remake of Moo Moo Farm from Mario Kart 64. There’s good reason why the course has been around for over 20 years, and the winding bends that open up to wide fields filled with tunnelling moles is just as much fun to race through now as it’s ever been; especially with the wonderfully upbeat soundtrack. The best bit though is all the cows, which get more and more in the way every lap and make you feel horribly guilty if you hit them with a shell.

2. Cloudtop Cruise

The Switch might not be the most powerful console around but somehow all the courses in Mario Kart 8 manage to look stunning anyway, especially this one. It even has the best soundtrack as well, inspired by a similar-looking level in Super Mario Galaxy. The track starts off in the clouds, as you race along a giant beanstalk, one of Bowser’s airships, and then onto a giant metal strip that, quite understandably, keeps getting hit by lightning. There’s a shortcut across the beanstalk’s leaves towards the end, but mess the jump up and you can find victory snatched away from you right at the last moment.

1. Sunshine Airport

Although it’s almost impossible to pick just one Mario Kart track as the best, this wins simply because it manages to turn the most boring, miserable location imaginable into a kaleidoscope of colour and movement. It helps that it’s a really well-designed track too, as you squeeze past the baggage machines, race across the wings of an aircraft, and fly through the air to the finishing line. It’s easily the most fun you can have an airport, and literally so if you actually take your Switch to one and play from there.

Battle mode courses

Battle mode is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s biggest new feature

All of the racing tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe were in the original Wii U version and its DLC, but the major new addition in Deluxe is the revamped Battle mode. Here you’re not trying to beat anyone to the finishing line but fight them in arenas using your power-up items. The eight arenas are all new for Mario Kart 8, although three of them are loosely based on ones from previous games.

Battle Stadium
Although it’s set in the same opening stadium from the main game this is actually quite a complex course, with lots of criss-crossing tracks and little screens to hide behind. It is one of the best courses but maybe not the ideal one to start on.

Sweet Sweet Kingdom
Another course that’s very easy to get lost in, with lots of small buildings (well, giant cakes) getting in the way and an elevated area you can jump down from. It’s also not necessarily the best starting arena for new players, but perfect for stalking victims when you get the hang of it.

Dragon Palace
This is a good place (or rather palace) to start, in that it’s a much more open map – or at least it is once you realise you can smash through the screen doors and get outside. The second floor is reached via two long, sloping ramps which leave you very vulnerable if someone’s chasing after you.

Lunar Colony
Another relatively simple open-plan arena, with only a few covered areas at the edges. The snag is the craters though, which can block your line of sight when trying to aim. They can be a benefit too though, if you remember to press the right shoulder pad as you clear them and get a little free turbo boost.

Wuhu Town
Based on a 3DS battle map, that was in turn inspired by the town from Wii Sports Resort, the layout here is all right angles, as you drive between the streets laid out in something close to an American grid system. Don’t forget you can take a shortcut through the basketball court though, which many people don’t notice.

Luigi’s Mansion
The most complicated course and definitely not for beginners. It takes place on three separate levels and is very easy to get lost in if you don’t know where you’re going. Cowards should bear in mind that many players forget to go to the top level, so that’s a good place to camp out.

Battle Course 1
This map is based on an original Super Mario Kart course from way back in 1992. That makes it a good place to learn the ropes, as there are no stairs or multiple levels – just a few short ramps. That makes it’s very hard to find anywhere to hide though, so just make sure you keep on the move.

Urchin Underpass
Based on the Splatoon map of the same name, although it seems complicated at first the two sides are actually mirror images of each other and lead to a large open area in the middle. The whole arena is covered with patches of coloured ink on the floor, so be careful as one will slow you down slightly and one will give you a small speed boost.

Energy drink can trigger potentially ‘life-threatening’ effects

A research study showed that drinking 32ozs of a commercially available energy drink resulted in more ‘profound changes’ in the heart’s electrical activity and blood pressure than drinking the same amount of a control drink containing the same amount of caffeine.

People who have high blood pressure, underlying cardiac conditions or other health issues might want to avoid energy drinks until more is known about their impact on heart health.

The researcher said that while the US Food and Drug Administration generally considers caffeine in daily doses of less than 400mg as safe, energy drinks often consist of a host of other ingredients.

But with more than 500 types of energy drinks on the market, there has been an increase in energy-drink-associated A&E visits and even deaths, prompting questions about their safety.

Doctor Emily Fletcher led the study, deputy pharmacy flight commander from David Grant USAF Medical Centre at Travis Air Force Base in California.

Dr said: ‘We decided to study energy drinks’ potential heart health impact because previous research has shown 75 per cent of the base’s military personnel have consumed an energy drink. And nearly 15 per cent of military personnel, in general, drink three cans a day when deployed, which is more than we studied here,’

Published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, 18 young participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first group received 32ozs of a commercially-available energy drink containing 108g of sugar, 320mg of caffeine, and various other compounds. The second group was given a control drink containing 320mg of caffeine, 40ml of lime juice and 140ml of cherry syrup in carbonated water. After a six-day washout period, participants switched drinks.

They have measured the electrical activity of the volunteers’ hearts by electrocardiogram. They also measured their peripheral and central blood pressures at the study’s start and at one, two, four, six and 24 hours after drink consumption.

Dr said: ‘Peripheral blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure in an outlying artery, typically an upper arm. Central blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure in the aorta near the heart. Blood pressures at each location are not always affected equally when a substance is introduced, such as medications. Central blood pressure is an emerging and potentially superior method to assess health outcomes related to elevated blood pressure.’

The researcher's findings was, when compared to the caffeine group, those in the energy drink group had a corrected QT interval 10-milliseconds higher at two hours.

Dr said: ‘The QT interval is the measurement of the time it takes ventricles in the heart, the lower chambers, to repolarise, or prepare to generate a beat again. It’s the pause from the end of the electrical impulse generating the heart to beat to the next impulse. If this time interval, which is measured in milliseconds, is either too short or too long, it can cause the heart to beat abnormally. The resulting arrhythmia can be life threatening.’

She also said, to put the 10-millisecond difference in perspective, there are medications that affect the corrected QT interval by six milliseconds and have warnings about the effect on product labels.

While both the energy drink and caffeine-only groups had similar increases in systolic blood pressure, systolic pressures in the caffeine group had almost returned to their original readings after six hours.

Dr said: ‘On the other hand, those who consumed the energy drinks still had a mildly elevated blood pressure after six hours. This suggests that ingredients other than caffeine may have some blood pressure altering effects, but this needs further evaluation.’

She said, based on this preliminary evidence in young, healthy adults, people who have high blood pressure, underlying cardiac conditions or other health issues might want to avoid or use caution when consuming energy drinks until more is known about their impact on heart health.

Dr added: ‘This is a small study and further studies are needed to confirm these results.’

Psychic stabs himself to death as he tried to prove his immortality

He had been performing the traditional spirit dance in front of spectators in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, yesterday afternoon when the accident occurred.

And folk ritual is believed to honour the ghosts of ancestors and in previous shows the blade of the sword broke when it was pressed against his chest. But on this occasion the act went wrong and the weapon failed to snap causing the 25-year-old to stab himself in the chest.

It was published by Sanook. and English-language website Coconuts, which both reported that the medium was pronounced dead in hospital.

A resident called Noom Udorn, Mr Palee had provided readings for several years to local people. ‘This is a tradition that happens every year. The sword normally breaks but this time it went inside him,’ he said.

‘The medium has been respected for many years. People love him. He is one of people’s favourites.’

Deputy Police Inspector Chaiwat Phan said officers arrived at the San Kamphaeng district of the province at 3pm on April 24 and found the medium bleeding. He said: ‘We were informed that a man armed with a knife had stabbed himself. We are coordinating with the hospital while an autopsy is performed.

‘There were people at the scene helping Mr Palee but he died later in hospital. He had a stab wound to the chest.’

Android users have been warned for malware infecting over 2 million devices

The said malware was hidden inside 45 game guides on Google’s official Play store for up to five months between 2016 and early this year, with several reaching 50,000 installs.

And the app enables hackers to take ‘remote control’ of devices, and can’t be deleted  – and has been used to display bogus, illegal adverts in user’s devices, security researchers Check Point say.

FalseGuide malware could be used to control infected phones as a ‘botnet’ – using them to perform hack attacks against websites and networks. Check Point says, ‘Depending on the attackers’ objectives, these modules can contain highly malicious code intended to root the device, conduct a DDoS attack, or even penetrate private networks.’

They have notified Google of the malware, and the infected apps have since been removed from the store.

Check Point also said – as with many dodgy apps – the telltale sign is the permissions the app requests as it is installed.

They have, ‘FalseGuide requests an unusual permission on installation – device admin permission. The malware uses the admin permission to avoid being deleted by the user, an action which normally suggests a malicious intention.