Say what you will about the performance issues with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (PSV), it can’t take away from some of the Pokédex entries. While it’s so easy to just glaze straight past the in-game descriptions as you send another new Pokémon’s book spinning to the virtual shelf, it’s often worth pausing to take a…
Final Fantasy 16 will have much darker themes than previously thought with hate crimes, drugs, and prostitution all listed among the content that has caused the game’s rating in Brazil that clarifies it’s not suitable for children under 16 years of age. While actual details were few and far between, the world of Valisthea does not sound very pleasant.
The latest Final Fantasy game will have “sex scenes not fully shown” and “violent content attenuated by scenes’ direction” according to the full description of the game’s rating on the Brazilian Ministério da Justiça site (thanks Reddit). These are the main factors behind the 16+ age rating, although there are plenty of aggravating circumstances too. The latter includes “violence with weapons, blood, intentional deaths, torture and victims suffering. Drugs, prostitution, sexual content both shown and talked about. Hate crimes”.
The rating does not go into any further detail, so it’s impossible to glean any further story details from the description. However, the rating’s existence has prompted more rumors of a release date reveal at some point in December, with many hoping to see the game at The Game Awards on December 8. For now, the game is due to be released in 2023.
The post Final Fantasy 16 Has Hate Crimes, Drugs, and Prostitution According to Age Rating appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
It's already started. Time to recap 2022. Apple revealed that social media newcomer BeReal was one of the biggest winners in its annual App Store Awards. It won iPhone App of the Year for giving people what Apple called, “an authentic glimpse into their friend's and family's everyday lives.” If you’re unaware, BeReal users can share a selfie of themselves with a photo of their environment during a two-minute window the app randomly selects for them every day, sidestepping the production values, planning and filters that are often part of Instagram, TikTok and other apps. And in BeReal's case, the fact that rival social media apps have introduced or are testing similar features is a clear testament to the "impact" it's had. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?
In gaming, Apex Legends Mobile was the top title for iPhone, while puzzle game Moncage and card battler Inscryption won best games for the iPad and the Mac, respectively. The fantastic El Hijo also got a nod for best game for Apple TV.
– Mat Smith
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Twitter’s former head of safety says the platform is less safe under Elon Musk
The second 'Super Mario Bros.' trailer reveals Donkey Kong and Rainbow Road
Overwatch 2's season two trailer teases a new game mode and the latest map
PlayStation brings its eSports tournaments to PS5 with easy-to-join events
Amazon’s Create With Alexa generates unique animated children’s stories
NASA has shared a photo taken by the Artemis I vehicle on Monday showing both Earth and the Moon in the background. Orion took the snapshot at its maximum distance from Earth of 268,563 miles. That's the farthest any human-oriented spacecraft has traveled, beating even Apollo 13's 1970 record of 248,655 miles. What a great photo.
Sony has a new project, and it’s called Mocopi, comprising six motion-tracking bands to wear on your hands, feet, back and head, with a price of 49,500 yen (about $358). Its aim is to track your body to create videos or operate avatars in real-time with metaverse apps, like VRChat. It's an ambitious product for people with a general interest in the metaverse as well as animation professionals and filmmakers – though it assumes a degree of technical knowledge. Sony says you can use existing VRM avatars and export recorded videos in the MP4 format, provided you have an up-to-date smartphone.
Twitter has quietly updated its transparency site to reveal it stopped enforcing its COVID-19 misinformation policy on November 23rd. The company won't suspend further users or delete content including falsehoods about the coronavirus or vaccines, but it's not clear if the company will, as part of Elon Musk's planned amnesty, restore any accounts banned for sharing misinformation.
Google is unlikely to announce the next entry in its Pixel A series until I/O 2023. That’s half a year away, but the rumor mill is already spinning. Steve Hemmerstoffer of OnLeaks fame has shared early renders of the upcoming Pixel 7a. Unsurprisingly, the images suggest the Pixel 7a will look a lot like its predecessor and Google’s other Pixel 7 devices. There aren’t many spec surprises, but it appears the next phone will get the same metallic camera trim as the more expensive models.
Exactly 50 years ago yesterday, Atari released Pong, and the early video game industry was born. Released in 1972, Atari sold more than 8,000 Pong arcade cabinets. A few years later, the home version became an instant success, with Sears selling about 150,000 units of the console you needed to play the game. If not for Pong, Nintendo would not exist, and a young Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak may not have created Apple.
Someone at Ubisoft pulled the trigger early and ended up launching the final Assassin’s Creed Valhalla update, which adds a surprise crossover mission with upcoming Assassin’s Creed Mirage. New free content includes The Last Chapter – a conclusion to Valhalla’s story, the option of keeping the hood always on, weekly free item, and rewards from previous festivals at merchant stores.
The surprise mission, called Shared History, introduces players to Roshan. Roshan is Basim’s mentor in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which will release in 2023. Patch notes for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla update 1.6.2 are as follows:
BUG FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS
TOMBS OF THE FALLEN
Addressed:
THE FORGOTTEN SAGA
Addressed:
MASTERY CHALLENGE
Addressed:
DAWN OF RAGNAROK
Addressed:
CROSSOVER STORIES
Addressed:
RIVER RAIDS
Addressed:
THE SIEGE OF PARIS
Addressed:
WRATH OF THE DRUIDS
Addressed:
ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA
MAIN QUESTS, WORLD EVENTS, AND SIDE ACTIVITIES
Addressed:
WORLD
Addressed:
ARMORY & INVENTORY
Addressed:
MISCELLANEOUS
Addressed:
UI / HUD
Addressed:
The post Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Final Update 1.6.2 Adds Surprise Mission appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
A week ago, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) petitioned the Board of Supervisors for permission to deploy robots that can kill suspects under specific circumstances. Now, the board has approved the petition with a vote of 8 vs. 3 despite strong opposition from civil liberties groups. Under the new policy, robots can be used "as a deadly force option when risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent and outweigh any other force option available to the SFPD."
The city's police force has over a dozen robots at the moment, which are equipped with the capability to provide video reconnaissance and to diffuse bombs. None of them have weapons and live ammunition, the SFPD says, and there are no plans to fit them with any. However, they can now be deployed with explosives attached "to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspect," an SFPD spokesperson said. "Robots equipped in this manner would only be used in extreme circumstances to save or prevent further loss of innocent lives," they added.
As NPR notes, SF officials have to define the authorized uses of its robots and other military-grade equipment due to a California law that went into effect this year. Aaron Peskin, a Board of Supervisor member, added a line to the SFPD's original draft policy that said: "Robots shall not be used as a Use of Force against any person." But the SFPD amended the proposal to allow the use of robots as "a deadly force option." The board approved that version of the policy with additional amendments, stating that officials can only use robots with explosive charges after they had exhausted all alternative force or de-escalation tactics. Also, only a limited number of high-ranking officials will be able authorize the use of robots as a deadly force option.
Among all of San Francisco's supervisors, only Shamann Walton, Dean Preston and Hillary Ronen voted "no" on approving the policy. Preston called allowing the SFPD to use robots to kill people "deeply disturbing" and a "sad moment" for the city. In his full statement, he said that giving the police the power to arm remote-controlled robots will "place Black and brown people in disproportionate danger of harm or death." Meanwhile, Rafael Mandelman, who supported the use of robots as a deadly force from the beginning, defended his vote and said that the final version of the policy "lays out reasonable restrictions on the use of robots" despite "the hyperbole expressed by many who oppose" it.
Mandelman also told Fox KTVU that it would be irresponsible not to make plans to use robots in life-threatening situations. Matthew Guariglia of the Electronic Frontier Foundation told the news organization, however, that by equipping robots, "[w]e are going to lessen the burden of using deadly force from having to pull a gun and pull the trigger to a button on a remote control."
UPDATE: @sfgov supes vote 8-3 w/amendments to let @SFPD use existing robots that in extreme circumstances could be used to deliver deadly force via explosive charges, per @RafaelMandelman. @shamannwalton@DeanPreston@HillaryRonen vote no. @SFPD must evaluate & try alternatives pic.twitter.com/zYezjRlFBv
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) November 30, 2022
The Callisto Protocol size on PS5 has been revealed, thanks to known PSN backend data scraper PlayStation Game Size. According to Sony’s database, the game weighs 42.794 GB for version 1.003.000, indicating that the previously-confirmed day-one patch is included in this download. It’s unclear how big the download will be for those who purchase the game on disc.
Due to some changes Sony made to PSN, it’s no longer possible to find game sizes for all PS4 games prior to release. However, expect The Callisto Protocol’s PS4 size to be bigger despite not being as graphically-intensive as its PS5 counterpart. PS5 downloads are smaller than PS4 games due to the console’s compression technology.
The Callisto Protocol’s pre-load will begin on November 30th and the game will launch worldwide (minus Japan) on December 2nd. Do note that the opening hours of the game have been leaked online so if you don’t want anything spoiled for you, mute The Callisto Protocol on social media.
As far as the day-one update is concerned, we still don’t have patch notes. However, Striking Distance boss Glen Schofield has confirmed that the patch will address some performance issues that have been reported by those who have access to the game.
[Source: PlayStation Game Size]
The post The Callisto Protocol Is About 43 GB on PS5 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Logitech's Litra Glow has been a big success since it launched early this year, giving streamers an easy way to create soft and flattering illumination for their faces. It's already quite affordable at $60, but now it has dropped back to an all-time low price of $50 on Amazon.
Buy Logitech Litra Glow at Amazon - $50The Litra Glow promises to be safe on the eyes for all-day streaming, while providing a "natural, radiant look across skin tones." You also get cinematic color accuracy via Logitech's TrueSoft technology, regardless of skin tone. It's ready to use out of the box thanks to the five presets with different brightness levels and color temperatures, or you can create custom options using the G HUB software. As a bonus, any presets you create can be assigned to the G Keys on a Logitech G keyboard or mouse.
It's now on sale for $50, matching its all-time low price. You can find other soft- and ring-style lights from Elgato and others, but most from any recognizable name brand are considerably more expensive. The Litra Glow is already a great buy with Logitech's promised color accuracy, and now Amazon's discount makes it even more affordable.
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Sony has launched an interesting product called Mocopi, consisting of six motion-tracking bands worn on your hands, feet, back and head, with a price of 49,500 yen (about $358). The aim is to let you track your body to create videos or operate avatars in real time with metaverse apps like VRChat. It even offers an SDK that lets you import motion data into 3D animation apps.
Apparently a play on the term "mocap," (motion capture) Mocopi's six color-coded, lightweight motion sensors use "proprietary technology and a smartphone" with a dedicated app, according to Sony. "Normally, video production using motion capture requires dedicated equipment and operators," Sony wrote. "By utilizing our proprietary algorithm, 'Mocopi' realizes highly accurate motion measurement with a small number of sensors, freeing VTubers [virtual YouTubers] and creators involved in movie and animation production from time and place constraints."
On December 15th, Sony will provide a software development kit (SDK) that links the motion capture data with metaverse services, along with the real-time development platform Unity and Autodesk's animation/mocap app MotionBuilder. "This SDK expands the use of motion data for activities such as full-body tracking, thereby facilitating the development of new services in areas such as the metaverse and fitness."
In a how-to video (below), Sony shows how you can pair the sensors with the app, strap them to your body and calibrate them. From there, you can start dancing or do other movements and see the in-app avatars ape your actions. A second video showcasing some avatar animations (above) looks good, but does reveal typical motion capture issues like jitter and foot sliding.
It's an ambitious product aimed at not only people interested in the metaverse, but animation professionals and filmmakers as well. Sony notes that you can use existing VRM avatars and export recorded videos in the MP4 format, provided you have a device with iOS 15.7.1 or Android 11. Reservations are set to start in mid-December 2022 and it will go on sale in late January 2023, but there's no word yet on North American availability.
Elon Musk claims that Apple has “threatened to withhold” Twitter from its app store. According to Musk, the company “won’t tell us why” it has issues with the social network’s app. In subsequent tweets, he railed against Apple’s 30 percent “tax” on in-app purchases and claimed the App Store owner has “censored” other developers. He also said Apple “has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter.” Apple hasn’t yet responded to a request for comment. Musk also hasn’t specified if the company is holding updates to the service or threatening to remove the app from its store altogether.
Apple has strict, if often unevenly enforced, rules that govern the content in apps in its store. You might remember Parler, a “free speech” rival to Twitter, which was removed from the App Store for its lax content moderation rules. The app returned after it rolled out an AI-based moderation system.
– Mat Smith
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As confirmed by TechCrunch, a new feature called Message Yourself is now being rolled out globally to iOS and Android users in the next few weeks. Once you get the update, you'll be able to see yourself at the top of the contacts list when creating new messages. Once you click on that, you'll be able to send yourself notes and reminders. Until now, you could only message yourself by creating a group with just you as a member or by using the apps click to chat feature. Or open your notes app.
Earlier this year, Twitter confirmed an API vulnerability allowed the theft of 5.4 million users’ private user data, but the company said it had "no evidence" it was exploited. Now, all those accounts are exposed on a hacker forum. An additional 1.4 million Twitter profiles for suspended users were reportedly shared privately, and an even larger data dump with the data of "tens of millions" of other users may have come from the same vulnerability. If you're thinking about using two-factor authentication, now would be a good time.
Hush Outdoors and Apple have released Oceanic+, effectively giving Ultra owners a recreation-oriented dive computer. The software tracks fundamentals like depth, no-decompression time (a figure used to set duration limits for given depths) and water temperature. The app works without the touchscreen, and you can set compass headings using the action button. Developers have even cranked up the haptic feedback, so you can feel it through a wetsuit.
The Federal Trade Commission and seven states have sued Google and iHeartMedia for running allegedly "deceptive" Pixel 4 ads. Promo ads aired between 2019 and 2020 featured influencers extolling the virtues of phones they reportedly didn't own — Google didn't even supply Pixels before most of the ads were recorded. The FTC wants to bar Google and iHeartMedia from making any future misleading claims about ownership.
Sony has revealed a mobile motion capture kit called Mocopi and this will let anyone create their own VR avatars for use in apps like VRChat. The kit, which will be available for 49,500 yen (approximately $360), uses six easy-to-wear sensors that will be able to capture data both outdoors and indoors.
Mocopi uses six small and lightweight motion sensors for the head, hip, both wrists, and both ankles that can be attached using velcro bands. These capture real-time motion input and the data is then sent to a dedicated mobile app where Sony’s proprietary algorithm does all of the hard work. The aim of the kit is to allow anyone to create basic motion capture without being restricted to a dedicated studio and software.
The data can be used to make avatars move in real time with compatible services like VRChat. An additional dev kit will be released on December 15 that will then allow this data to also be used with Metaverse services and other 3D development software like Unity and MotionBuilder. Alternatively, avatar motion videos can be created within the app to be exported as mp4 files.
Mocopi is due to be released in Japan at the end of January 2023 but only through dedicated Sony Stores. Pre-orders will begin in mid-December. There is no word on when the equipment will be available in other regions, or whether it will be compatible with PSVR 2 at the time of writing.
The post Sony Reveals Mocopi Motion Capture Kit That Lets Anyone Create VR Avatars appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Players will once again have an opportunity to buy PSVR 2 starting December 6th, Sony has announced. Well, “announced” is one way to put it considering this information is tucked into PlayStation Direct’s PSVR 2 pre-order page, and we’re assuming that players will get a heads up just ahead of time. Fret not, we’re giving you advance notice.
Go to your regional PlayStation Direct store page and simply register with your PlayStation Network information for an exclusive invite. Do note, however, that this does not guarantee that you’ll receive a purchase invite and much like Sony’s PS5 invite-only purchase system, you’ll basically be entered into some kind of lottery. Nevertheless, this is the way to buy PSVR 2 so go on, register, and wait for an invite. Then queue up on Tuesday, December 6th.
The fine print: players can only purchase one version of PSVR 2 – standalone or the Horizon Call of the Mountain bundle.
At the time of this writing, the aforementioned notice about the next batch of invites only appears on the U.S. PS Direct page. It’s unclear when the second round will go live in other countries. Make sure to keep an eye on your regional store page.
The post Next Batch of PSVR 2 Purchase Invites Going Out in December appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
The PS Store End of Year Deals begin today, November 28, and the promotion includes discounts on more than 700 games and DLC. The Black Friday deals may not have ended yet, but that hasn’t stopped Sony from adding another huge list of sales that even includes recent games like Gotham Knights and Sonic Frontiers.
The End of Year Deals promotion offers up to 80% off a total of 710 games and DLC items. The sale has already begun in all regions after starting at 00.00 am local time, and the discounts will run until 23.59 pm local time on December 21. Some of the more notable and recent releases to be included are the aforementioned Gotham Knights and Sonic Frontiers, as well as New Tales from the Borderlands and PGA Tour 2K23. There are also plenty of older Call of Duty games, including Vanguard, for those who are yet to jump into the latest title. Here is the full list of games and DLC included in the sale, and you can visit the PlayStation Store in your region for the exact prices.
– Standard Edition Bundle: Arkham Knight Season Pass 1 V The Old Hunters: Game of the Year Edition Chapter & PS5 & PS5 & PS5 & PS5 & PS5 & PS5 & PS5 PS4 & PS5 & PS5 & PS5 & PS5 & PS5 – Deluxe Bundle: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition: Inquisition DLC Bundle TRIPLE BUNDLE & PS5 HD YEAR 1 : HEROES BUNDLE: Dimensions Evolved Digital Deluxe Edition Complete Edition: The Frozen Wilds First Light:The Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition PS4 & PS5 3 2 Remastered Remastered: Andromeda – Standard Recruit Edition: Shadow of Mordor21 Deluxe Edition Heat Deluxe Edition Payback – Deluxe Edition & PS5 II: Revenant Kingdom – The Prince’s Edition Garden Warfare 2 Definitive Edition Reignited Trilogy 2 Standard Edition: The Nathan Drake CollectionThe Black Friday deals are due to end today and include discounts on PlayStation Plus subscriptions. Those wanting to stack several years of subscription can even make use of the $100 cap to reduce the cost even further, although those dropping from Premium to Extra are excluded from the deal.
The post PS Store End of Year Deals Include Discounts on Over 700 Games and DLC appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
