If you keep dying in Elden Ring’s new Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, we’ve got a tip that may help make you more resilient against the dangers of the Land of Shadow. We’ve also got a primer on how to explain the whole Dr Disrespect situation to the normal people in your life, explainers for Shin Megami Tensei V:…
Toys ‘R’ Us—or, more accurately, the brand’s reanimated corpse—made waves this week with the release of an AI-generated ad that inadvertently reveals so much about this era of widespread “enshittification.” Our piece on that, as well as a lament for the way expiring licenses are killing Forza Horizon 4, a celebration…
NASA and Boeing plan to spend the next few weeks conducting tests on the ground in order to better understand issues with the Starliner spacecraft’s thrusters before giving its crew the go-ahead to fly back to Earth. But, officials insisted in a press conference Friday afternoon, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are not “stranded” on the International Space Station. “We’re not in a rush to come home,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Starliner has been docked with the ISS since June 6 for what was meant to be a 10-day flight test all in all. During its approach of the orbiting lab, however, the craft experienced problems with five of its thrusters, and a known helium leak appeared to worsen. NASA and Boeing have been working together to evaluate the issues ever since. On Friday, representatives for the two said they aren’t yet setting a date for the return flight, and will instead wait until the ground tests have been completed and all analyses run. The first thruster tests, which will be conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, are expected to begin as soon as Tuesday.
It was initially stated that Starliner could only stay docked at the ISS for a maximum of 45 days due to limitations with its batteries, but Stich said during the conference that these batteries are being recharged by the space station, so this can be extended. “I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” Stich said. “Our plan is to continue to return them on Starliner and return them home at the right time.”
Starliner is performing well while docked, and the craft could still be used as a lifeboat to bring the astronauts home if necessary in the case of an emergency, the officials said. Mark Nappi, VP and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, reiterated Stich’s comments, saying, “We’re not stuck on the ISS, the crew is not in any danger, and there’s no increased risk when we decide to bring Suni and Butch back to Earth.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/IkJCnRbWhile people who own and sell cryptocurrency have always had to pay taxes on their earnings, a new rule finalized by the US Treasury Department can ensure that they're paying the proper amount on their sales. The new rule will require cryptocurrency platforms like exchanges and payment processors to report their users' transactions to the Internal Revenue Service. According to The Wall Street Journal, authorities are hoping that the measure can deter tax evasion, seeing as the IRS would know exactly how much a taxpayer owes.
At the same time, the rule will make it much easier for people for declare their earnings because their brokers will now have to provide them with a 1099 form. The IRS released a draft form of 1099-DA (Digital Asset Proceeds From Broker Transaction) made especially to track crypto transactions last year and will make the final version available soon. To note, the rule sets a threshold of $10,000 to report on transactions involving stablecoin, which are cryptocurrencies that track fiat money like the US dollar.
"[I]nvestors in digital assets and the IRS will have better access to the documentation they need to easily file and review tax returns,” Aviva Aron-Dine, the Treasury’s acting assistant secretary for tax policy, said in a statement. “By implementing the law’s reporting requirements, these final regulations will help taxpayers more easily pay taxes owed under current law, while reducing tax evasion by wealthy investors.”
The new rule will only apply to platforms that take possession of digital assets, such as Coinbase or Binance. It doesn't cover decentralized ones, which will have to comply with a separate rule that's expected to be finalized later this year. Brokers will have to start reporting sales proceeds on digital assets in 2026 for all transactions accomplished in 2025, which means crypto traders are still on their own for 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/vC1ERMu
This week’s top stories centered around Herschel “Dr Disrespect” Beahm, as Midnight Society, a gaming studio he co-founded, cut ties with him, YouTube cut off monetization on his channels, and he admitted that he had sent “inappropriate” messages to a minor, resulting in his ban from Twitch in 2020. Read on for our…
Samsung's latest Unpacked event will kick off on July 10th. The company has already released its latest flagship phones this year, unveiling the S24 family. But now it’s time for its spinoff smartphones: the foldables. That and the long-teased Galaxy Ring. The tiny wearable is slated to arrive “in or around August,” so it would be more of a surprise if the device didn’t appear at Unpacked. The ring will measure heart rate, movement and breathing to help track your sleep.
I’m expecting the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 to appear, although with minor tweaks that might not warrant an upgrade from last year’s foldables. That said, rumors suggest that Samsung might use the same 50MP camera as the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 in the Flip 6, which has traditionally had less-powerful cameras than the other Samsung flagships.
On top of all that, Samsung is likely to offer refreshed smartwatches and possibly an update to its wireless buds. (Yes, there have been leaks.) Samsung is set to mimic Apple’s AirPods by adopting a stem design on its buds. That’s funny, because when Samsung revealed the Galaxy Buds Live in 2020, it trumpeted the lack of an “awkward stem.”
— Mat Smith
Please don’t get your news from AI chatbots
Bluesky starter packs help new users find their way
Amazon is giving away 15 free video games ahead of Prime Day 2024
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A Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket will apparently appear alongside the movie, featuring the yellow Wolverine’s head, with a mouthful of popcorn. And people have opinions. Movie people.
“I’m not saying I don’t like the bucket,” Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve said. “I’m just saying it was difficult to beat the Dune bucket. It was like one of a kind.” Until it came out. Theaters and studios produced special buckets for other movies, like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s ghost trap and ECTO-1 buckets, Wonka’s hat bucket and Inside Out 2’s core memory receptacle bucket.
Ubisoft boss, Yves Guillemot, revealed in an interview on the company’s website that Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works. In the remakes, the company could revisit and modernize older AC worlds — something the first three games could benefit from hugely. I’m up for prettier raytraced Renaissance Italy.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag may be one of those remakes. This entry introduced naval battles, which were spun out (and mired in development hell) in Skull and Bones. Fun fact: I watched a demo of the pirate sim in 2017, played a demo in 2018 but the game didn’t come out till 2023.
Valve has added a list of the 100 most-played titles on the Steam Deck. You can sort information by the past week, month or year, and it will update daily. The top 5: Elden Ring holds the top spot after the recent DLC launch. Then, Stardew Valley and my new favorite deck-builder, Balatro. Intriguingly, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX is in fifth, beating out Fallout 4.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/3B7csMd
FromSoftware’s epic RPG goes from strength to strength as Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree hits a staggering sales figure in just a few days.
Bandai Namco and FromSoftware announced that Shadow of the Erdtree had sold five million units within its first three days of release.
This comes after the Elden Ring expansion became the highest-rated DLC of all time on Metacritic. Elden Ring alone was doing some fantastic numbers, but the chunky expansion is clearly bringing plenty back to the Lands Between.
Not that it’s all been sweetness and light for the expansion. Earlier this week, FromSoftware released Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC update 1.12.2 for “balance” and “calibration” following widespread complaints about the expansion’s difficulty. An official statement also addresses visual issues on PC after the expansion ended up being review bombed on Steam for its performance and difficulty spike.
FromSoftware is also working on further balance adjustments and bug fixes, which will be rolled out in a future patch. Release window will be shared in due course.
The post Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Has Already Hit a Staggering Sales Milestone appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Twelve years on, Microsoft has finally made an Arm-powered Surface tablet that doesn’t send our reviewers into a rage. The 2024 Surface Pro, or the Surface Pro Copilot+, is the fastest and most efficient Microsoft tablet we’ve seen, especially when paired with its Flex keyboard. The new OLED screen is great, and its NPU allows for powerful AI features.
However, those much-hyped AI features are far less compelling than the one-two punch of speed and solid battery life. (Take note: That’s most of what we want, laptop/tablet makers.) You can use Cocreator in Paint to generate AI images alongside text prompts and doodles, and the device can translate 40-plus languages into English using Windows 11’s Live Captions feature. The controversial Recall capability, meant to help you find anything you were doing on your computer through a natural conversation, is nowhere to be seen. There are security concerns other accounts could get into your Recall data.
A shame the keyboards are sold separately, though. Check out the full review right here.
— Mat Smith
Rabbit R1 security issue allegedly leaves sensitive user data accessible to anybody
Even FromSoftware agrees Elden Ring’s DLC was too difficult
Amazon Prime Day 2024: The best early Prime Day deals
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A team of scientists from the University of Tokyo and Harvard University is investigating how to create humanoid robots with skin that feels real. The process includes creating partly terrifying and partly adorable experimental machines with skin, like this smiley face. Broadly, the process tries to attach the skin to a layer beneath it, like real skin. The technique is called perforation-type anchors.
Of course, AI nonsense will be connected to this year’s Olympics. “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” will let you choose your favorite sports and highlight types for the 2024 Summer Olympics, and an AI-generated Michaels will read a 10-minute customized recap of the previous day’s events based on your preferences. In fairness, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the AI-generated speech from Michaels’ real voice.
Amazon may be working hard on a new chatbot called Metis. The company is using a different generation model, called retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). RAG “redirects the LLM to retrieve relevant information from authoritative, predetermined knowledge sources.” This means the model can tap into data that can be updated separately without retraining and could allow it to access up-to-date information. According to a Business Insider report, the model would be for consumers, not businesses, where it’s already offering its Amazon Q AI model.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/PDWAc5jThe Oversight Board has published its latest annual report looking at its influence on Meta and ability to shift the policies that govern Facebook and Instagram. The board says that in 2023 it received 398,597 appeals, the vast majority of which came from Facebook users. But it took on only a tiny fraction of those cases, issuing a total of 53 decisions.
The board suggests, however, that the cases it selects can have an outsize impact on Meta’s users. For example, it credits its work for influencing improvements to Meta’s strike system and the “account status” feature that helps users check if their posts have violated any of the company’s rules.
Sussing out the board’s overall influence, though, is more complicated. The group says that between January of 2021 and May of 2024, it has sent a total of 266 recommendations to Meta. Of those, the company has fully or partially implemented 75, and reported “progress” on 81. The rest have been declined, “omitted or reframed,” or else Meta has claimed some level of implementation but hasn’t offered proof to the board. (There are five recommendations currently awaiting a response.) Those numbers raise some questions about how much Meta is willing to change in response to the board it created.
Notably, the report has no criticism for Meta and offers no analysis of Meta’s efforts (or lack thereof) to comply with its recommendations. The report calls out a case in which it recommended that Meta suspend the former prime minister of Cambodia for six months, noting that it overturned the company’s decision to leave up a video that could have incited violence. But the report makes no mention of the fact that Meta declined to suspend the former prime minister’s account and declined to further clarify its rules for public figures.
The report also hints at thorny topics the board may take on in the coming months. It mentions that it wants to look at content “demotion,” or what some Facebook and Instagram users may call “shadowbans” (the term is a loaded one for Meta, which has repeatedly denied that its algorithms intentionally punish users for no reason). “One area we are interested in exploring is demoted content, where a platform limits a post’s visibility without telling the user,” the Oversight Board writes.
For now, it’s not clear exactly how the group could tackle the issue. The board’s purview currently allows it to weigh in on specific pieces of content that Meta has removed or left up after a user appeal. But it’s possible the board could find another way into the issue. A spokesperson for the Oversight Board notes that the group expressed concern about demoted content in its opinion on content related to the Israel-Hamas war. “This is something the board would like to further explore as Meta’s decisions around demotion are pretty opaque,” the spokesperson said.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/mc8lnwfThe team behind Rabbitude, the community-formed reverse engineering project for the Rabbit R1, has revealed finding a security issue with the company's code that leaves users' sensitive information accessible to everyone. In an update posted on the Rabbitude website, the team said it gained access to the Rabbit codebase on May 16 and found "several critical hardcoded API keys." Those keys allow anybody to read every single response the R1 AI device has ever given, including those containing the users' personal information. They could also be used to brick R1 devices, alter R1's responses and replace the device's voice.
The API keys they found authenticate users' access to ElevenLabs' text-to-speech service, Azure's speech-to-text system, Yelp (for review lookups) and Google Maps (for location lookups) on the R1 AI device. In a tweet, one of Rabbitude's members said that the company has known about the issue for the past month and "did nothing to fix it." After they posted, they said Rabbit revoked Elevenlabs' API key, though the update broke R1 devices for a bit.
In a statement sent to Engadget, Rabbit said it was only made aware of an "alleged data breach" on June 25. "Our security team immediately began investigating it," the company continued. "As of right now, we are not aware of any customer data being leaked or any compromise to our systems. If we learn of any other relevant information, we will provide an update once we have more details." It didn't say if it revoked the keys the Rabbitude team said it found in the company's code.
Rabbit's R1 is a standalone AI assistant device designed by Teenage Engineering. It's meant to help users accomplish certain tasks, like placing food delivery orders, as well as to quickly look up information like the weather. We gave it a pretty low score in our review, because we found that its AI functionality often didn't work. Further, users can simply use their phone instead of having to spend an extra $199 to buy the device.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/UGFr2OfNearly a year after the European Commission opened its investigation into Microsoft, the European Union’s executive body’s preliminary findings say the company violated antitrust laws by tying Microsoft Teams to its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 business suites. (Microsoft pulled Teams for users in the EU back in October.)
This all kicked off in 2020 when Slack — rival work chat software similar to Teams — filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft, claiming it broke the EU’s competition rules in bundling Teams.
The European Commission said Microsoft “may have granted Teams a distribution advantage by not giving customers the choice whether or not to acquire access to Teams when they subscribe to their SaaS productivity applications.”
If you think you’ve heard similar EU-versus-tech very recently, you’d be right: Apple could face a similar fine for its App Store. I wrote about that only yesterday.
— Mat Smith
Julian Assange pleads guilty to espionage but defends himself in court
UE’s Everboom speaker is a smaller, floatable version of its Epicboom
Tesla’s Cybertruck has been recalled again
Samsung’s next Unpacked event is set for July 10
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Just like last year, Motorola’s foldable Razr line has two devices: the flagship Razr+, which starts at $1,000, and a more affordable foldable from $700. Both feature a 6.9-inch flexible OLED interior display, with a 165Hz refresh rate for the Razr+ and a 120Hz panel on the cheaper version. Both have an expansive front screen with cut-out spaces for the cameras. Now, you can open basically any app on the Razrs’ front display, with the only exceptions being apps that require more pixels and space. Both the Razr and Razr+ will be available for pre-order from July 10, with official sales slated for July 24. Oh, and the company unveiled its own Bluetooth tracker too.
A 13-year-old boy with severe epilepsy has become the first person in the world to receive a brain implant that keeps seizures under control. In the United Kingdom, Oran Knowlson had a Picostim neurostimulator fitted into his brain to address Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare treatment-resistant form of epilepsy. Since receiving the implant, Oran’s daytime seizures have been reduced by 80 percent. Previously, his seizures were so severe he required constant care and, after some attacks, often needed resuscitating.
Toys ‘R’ Us’s current owner — the original company went bankrupt a few years ago — WHP Global, worked with the Emmy-nominated creative agency Native Foreign to create a short brand film called The Origin of Toys ‘R’ Us using OpenAI’s text-to-video creator Sora. It hits the rough beats of an earnest child dreaming, while surrounded by bikes and a tiny toy giraffe. The film premiered at Cannes, somehow.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/1MZHn3R
FromSoftware has released Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC update 1.12.2 for “balance” and “calibration” following widespread complaints about the expansion’s difficulty. An official statement also addresses visual issues on PC after the expansion ended up being review bombed on Steam for its performance and difficulty spike.
Patch notes for today’s Elden Ring DLC update are as follows:
FromSoftware is also working on further balance adjustments and bug fixes, which will be rolled out in a future patch. Release window will be shared in due course.
The post Elden Ring DLC Gets ‘Calibration’ Update Following Difficulty Complaints appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
The European Union isn’t entirely happy with Apple’s approach to its Digital Markets Act and there could be financial consequences. In preliminary findings of its investigation, the European Commission says the company breached Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules by failing to let App Store developers freely tell users about alternate payment options outside of Apple’s ecosystem, what it calls anti-steering rules.
It has been investigating Apple’s behavior since March. Regulators added that although Apple is entitled to receive a payment for helping developers find new customers through the App Store, “the fees charged by Apple go beyond what is strictly necessary for such remuneration.”
Apple told Engadget in a statement, “We are confident our plan complies with the law and estimate more than 99 percent of developers would pay the same or less in fees to Apple under the new business terms we created.”
There are wider repercussions: Apple is reportedly planning to withhold those intriguing new AI features in Europe due to regulations and the possibility that they could affect privacy rules.
— Mat Smith
Paramount+ is raising prices again for all of the Tulsa King fans out there
Google is reportedly building AI chatbots based on celebrities and influencers
Uber is locking New York drivers out of its apps and blaming a city pay rule
New difficulty mod in Stardew Valley will purge your saves if you use a guide
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The US government has issued a warning to employees with Pixel phones, mandating a security update by July 4. It’s a high-severity firmware vulnerability in the Android operating system that could open up devices to “limited, targeted exploitation.” Government employees who do not install the security update by July 4 must “discontinue use of the product.” However, patch notes and comments aren’t specific about how it works.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released from prison and has agreed to plead guilty to violating the Espionage Act. According to a letter from the US Department of Justice obtained by The Washington Post, Assange is specifically pleading guilty to “conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information relating to the national defense of the United States.”
He will return to Australia, his country of citizenship, right after the proceedings. The Justice Department prosecutors are reportedly recommending a sentence of 62 months, and as Assange already spent more than five years in a UK prison, he won’t be spending any time behind bars in the US.
Elden Ring’s giant Shadow of the Erdtree expansion dropped on Friday, and the first big bad you’ll face is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, a fearsome creature that uses wind, lightning and ice attacks. But it’s not really a lion. It’s two giants in a costume, a la traditional Chinese dance lions. That information, however, probably won’t help you beat it. The DLC is even more punishing than the base game.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/gwp5BeG
Capcom Development Studio 1 has celebrated the success of the Resident Evil 2 remake belatedly after it became the best-selling game in the series.
The developers were unable to celebrate Resident Evil 2 remake passing the 10 million milestone in 2022. However, recent financial reports revealed that the game has edged ahead of Resident Evil 7 and hit a whopping 13.9 million copies sold as of March 2024.
”Resident Evil RE:2 surpassed 10 million copies sold in July 2022, and is currently the highest-selling game in the series, having sold over 13.9 million copies!
At the time, we were staying at home, so we weren’t able to celebrate, but we were finally able to do so ?
The positive feedback from everyone who has played the game is encouraging to all of our staff!”
The franchise revival that began with Resident Evil 7 has seen a real shift in the best-sellers list. Resident Evil 5 and 6 were the top sellers for some time, but since 2017, Resident Evil 7, 2 remake, and Village have all come into the converstation. Resident Evil 3 and 4 remakes are also not too far behind, with 8.7 and 7 million units sold, respectively.
The sales of the remake dwarf that of the original. The 1998 title has sold just under 5 million copies to date.
The post Resident Evil 2 Remake Developers Celebrate Game Being the Franchise King appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Former Sony Interactive Entertainment executive Shawn Layden reckons that it’s time for PlayStation vs Xbox debates to end. His proposal: “one standard home console technology.” Layden believes that the differences between both platforms are negligible, which was not the case in the past.
Speaking to IGN Live 2024 (via GamesRadar), Layden said that Sony and Microsoft used to manufacture their consoles with very different architectures, making the differences between them noticeable. However, that is no longer the case, with both companies producing very similar hardware using the same type of technology from manufacturers like AMD.
Layden said that things like “ray tracing differentials” aren’t very noticeable, especially since most players don’t have high-end displays. “Xbox, PlayStation, high-end PC — that’s almost at a plateau where all things being equal, they’re pretty much the same,” Layden remarked. “We’d be in a better world if we could get down to one standard home console technology that we could come together, and get this platform war thing out of the way”
Layden’s suggestion hasn’t been well received by players who believe that both Sony and Microsoft should have competition in the market.
The post Ex PlayStation Boss Thinks We Should Have One Standard Console in Future appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
FromSoftware might have finally broken players’ resolve with Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC‘s difficulty level. The usual “git gud” brigade is having such a hard time with the content that the DLC has continuously been review bombed on Steam since its launch, with many complaining about a significant spike in difficulty level.
Elden Ring DLC reviews on Steam range from negative to mixed, which is in stark contrast to critic reviews. This is particularly amusing because critics often come under fire for complaining about unfair difficulty spikes, giving birth to silly internet phrases like “game journo difficulty.” Well, the tables have turned and neither Bandai Namco nor FromSoftware have any plans to dial the challenge down.
Over on X, Bandai Namco called out folks complaining about difficulty:
In a new interview with The Guardian, FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki said that dialling down Elden Ring’s difficulty would “break the game.” “Had we taken that approach, I don’t think the game would have done what it did, because the sense of achievement that players gain from overcoming these hurdles is such a fundamental part of the experience,” Miyazaki explained.
Elden Ring DLC’s difficulty is here to stay. Players will just have to “git gud.”
The post Elden Ring DLC Difficulty Results in Controversy and Negative Player Reviews appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Rumor has it that Sony is attempting to bring “select” PS3 games to PS5 via backwards compatibility. PS3 games are currently only available on modern consoles via PS Plus Premium‘s streaming service, which isn’t available in a large number of regions due to lack of appropriate infrastructure.
The rumor in question comes from XboxEra’s Nick “Spheshal_Nick” Baker, who has somewhat of a mixed reputation when it comes to leaks. However, as of late, Baker has been spot on with nearly all of his leaks, so we’re not dismissing this one right away.
According to Baker, if Sony’s efforts bear fruit, select PS3 games will run on PS5 (and possibly also PS4) natively and no streaming will be required. If true, this means that PS Plus Deluxe (alternative to Premium in non-streaming regions) may finally get PS3 classics as part of the catalog.
Full PS3 backwards compatibility and emulation remains a pipe dream. It has often been theorized that PS3’s complicated infrastructure is to blame for the lack of cross-gen support. But with Sony finally starting to bring PS2 games to modern consoles, it’s speculated that first-party PS3 games might get the same treatment.
The post Sony Working on PS3 Backwards Compatibility for ‘Select’ Games – Report appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Sony has once again acknowledged the ongoing PS Stars outage as Days of Play 2024 campaign comes to an end with no resolution in sight. Players are still locked out of redeeming their points and it’s unclear if they’re earning points for their purchases while the loyalty program is down.
In addition to being locked out of points, PS Stars members have also been temporarily denied the Days of Play Community Celebration Digital Collectible. Sony says it’ll share more information on the status of PS Stars and when players can redeem said collectible, but in the meantime, use the regional codes below to unlock four Astro Bot avatars (pictured above) for free:
“We’re aware of an issue with PlayStation Stars and are actively working on a solution,” reads an official statement on the PlayStation website. “We’ll share more information on redeeming the Days of Play Community Celebration Digital Collectible as soon as we have it. In the meantime, we’re giving four Astro avatars to the community to say thank you for taking part.”
It’s not a lot, but it’s something!
The freebie is only available until July 11, 2024, so grab it before it’s gone.
The post Sony Offers Free Astro Avatars in Lieu of PS Stars as Days of Play Ends appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
This week, we’ve got tips for helping you get started on the right foot in Shadow of the Erdtree. We’ll also help you determine just which of the many swords Cloud finds in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the best, and how to use Starfield’s robust new settings to tailor the game to your liking.
This past week gave us no shortage of things to talk about, from just how strong the final year of the Nintendo Switch is looking to just how absurd the latest Acolyte controversy is. We’ve also got a hands-on with the gorgeous Dragon Quest 3 remake and impressions of the great mafia-themed immersive sim, Fallen Aces.…
PS2’s Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus has instantly become PS Plus Premium‘s most popular game thus far. Launched as part of the classics lineup, Sucker Punch Productions’ 2002 outing has surpassed previous record-holder, The Legend of Dragoon, according to data obtained by TrueTrophies.
In partnership with data tracker Game Insights, TrueTrophies analyzed gameplay data from over 3.1 million active PSN accounts to find that Sly Cooper beat The Legend of Dragoon with a 2.5% higher player count at launch.
Taking into account both PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium lineups — not just classics — Sly Cooper is now the eighth biggest PS Plus game of 2024 thus far (not counting Essential games).
PS2 classics have long been demanded by PS Plus Premium members. Emulation roadblocks previously prevented Sony from releasing PS2 games on the PS4 and PS5, and all Premium players got were PS1 and PSP classics. Sony has since reportedly partnered with an external emulation company to bring beloved PS2 classics to modern consoles — a move unanimously welcomed by members.
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus came to PS Plus Premium complete with a trophy set, and is also available for standalone purchase.
The post PS2’s Sly Cooper Is PS Plus Premium’s Biggest Hit Thus Far appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Palworld‘s PS5 release is being teased by none other than Pocketpair’s global community manager, Bucky. The game was expected on Sony‘s console eventually as Pocketpair confirmed it was in talks to bring Palworld to more platforms and had previously hinted at a potential PS5 version.
Taking to X over the weekend, Bucky posted the not-so-cryptic tweet below, teasing Palworld’s PS5 version:
In case it isn’t obvious, the blue heart likely represents PlayStation platforms.
Palworld is currently in early access on the Xbox One and Series X|S as well as PC. A MacOS version has also been confirmed for 2024. Considering the game is available on the Xbox One, it’ll likely hit the PS4 as well.
As for when Palworld will leave early access, that’s anybody’s guess right now. The early access went live in January, so it’s been speculated that the game may have been a timed Xbox exclusive for six months.
Regardless of its release status, Palworld has been a huge success since launch, but not without controversy. The game was accused of plagiarism given its resemblance to Pokemon, but Nintendo hasn’t shown any interest in taking action against Pocketpair.
The post Palworld PS5 Release Seemingly Teased appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Nintendo’s big June Direct showcase delivered the biggest headlines of the week, with its reveal of Echoes of Wisdom, a new Zelda game in which you actually play as the titular princess, as well as a new Mario & Luigi RPG and, yes, Metroid Prime 4. Read on for all the reveals from that event as well as some of the…
Sony and Nintendo are both set to skip Gamescom 2024 once again as Microsoft plans to show up with its “biggest” Xbox booth yet. The PlayStation maker hasn’t attended Europe’s biggest gaming event since 2019, marking this year’s absence its fifth in a row.
The days of PlayStation Experience (PSX) and PlayStation booths at events like E3 and Gamescom feel like eons ago. Sony has since settled for the PlayStation Blog and digital events like PlayStation Showcase and State of Play, save for some announcements at The Game Awards.
Sony didn’t say why it’s skipping Gamescom 2024, choosing instead to share a standard statement with multiple outlets confirming that it has no plans to attend.
Meanwhile, Microsoft took to X to announce its “biggest booth yet.” Xbox recently held a solid digital showcase. That the company is heading back to a major event has certainly pleased its fans.
As for Nintendo, the company told Eurogamer back in April that “after careful consideration from all perspectives, we’ve made the decision not to be present at gamescom 2024.” Nintendo recently held a widely praised digital showcase, and is expected to announce a successor to the Switch within the fiscal year.
The post Sony Absent From Gamescom Yet Again as Microsoft Announces Big Booth appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Did you know Meta has a customer services department? If you have a problem with Facebook, Instagram and the rest, you might find it hard to get some of that service. Instead, people have been taking Meta to small claims court to get some kind of response to their complaints. Engadget spoke with five individuals who have sued Meta in small claims court over the last two years. In three cases, the plaintiffs were able to restore access to at least one lost account, but all eventually got the attention of Meta’s legal team.
The company has argued that it is not liable for more than $100 in damages according to its terms of service. However, some plaintiffs were awarded thousands of dollars — which still might pale compared to lost earnings for those whose businesses revolve around their Facebook or Instagram presence. We chart the mixed results of these users and Meta’s logic in giving them so much attention.
— Mat Smith
Apple reportedly has plans for a thinner iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Apple Watch
More than 1,000 students pledge not to work at Google and Amazon due to Project Nimbus
Netflix House will open two locations in Texas and Pennsylvania in 2025
The Webb Telescope’s dazzling nebula image supports a long-held theory
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You may have already noticed, but Amazon says it's reduced its use of plastic airbags included with its packages, shifting to compostable paper filler in most cases. It plans to eliminate using them by the end of the year. It’s a move in the right direction: In 2021, the nonprofit ocean conservation group Oceana estimated that the waste produced from plastic air pillows alone “would circle the Earth more than 600 times.”
Ubisoft has released a trailer for its remake of the cult classic game Beyond Good and Evil, adding that it will launch on June 25. The understated cult hit has been upgraded to 4K and 60FPS – it was initially released on the PS2, so you’ll see the difference. It will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with physical copies going on sale next month, too. What about the sequel that has been revealed, teased, promised, and… seen (by me!)? No word.
The Biden administration has taken sweeping action to ban Kaspersky Labs from selling its antivirus products to US customers. A source told Reuters that the company's connections to the Russian government made it a security risk. In a statement included in the report, Kaspersky added that its activities did not threaten national security and that it would pursue legal options. The FCC put Kaspersky on its list of companies posing unacceptable security risks in 2022, while back in 2017, federal agencies in the US banned Kaspersky products. The company cannot sell to new customers starting in July.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/BfEYh4A
Limited Run Games and Square-Enix have revealed a first-ever port of the PS One gem Fear Effect for release in its 25th anniversary year.
First released on PS One back in 2000, Fear Effect has been largely lost to time despite attempts to reboot it. Now, it will receive a digital and physical release in 2025
Watch the announcement trailer for the game’s Limited Run release below.
Kronos Digital Entertainment developed Fear Effect as a futuristic shooter that pushed technical boundaries even if it stumbled on the mechanical side. Its cel-shaded characters and rolling FMV backgrounds made it a stunning game to watch in action.
The story saw three playable mercenaries on the hunt for the missing daughter of a powerful Hong Kong Triad boss. Things take a strange turn and soon enough there’s ritual sacrifice and undead villagers on the menu.
The game went on to review pretty well despite concerns over its muddled controls and inconsistent difficulty. A prequel was released the following year, but a third entry wouldn’t arrive until 2018 with the release of Fear Effect Sedna.
There was an attempt to remake the original game. However, six years after it was announced, the project was confirmed as being canceled in September 2023.
The post Fear Effect: Flawed PS One Gem Returns for PS4 & PS5 in 2025 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Aeternum Games Studios has revealed its side-scrolling cyberpunk-infused platformer Eden Genesis will hit PlayStation this summer.
Eden Genesis will be released on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S, and Steam on August 6, 2024. A Nintendo Switch release will follow in September.
Eden Genesis is a platform game focused on fast-paced trials, quick reflexes, and a rich story in a cyberpunk world dominated by neon lights and corporations. Take control of Leah, a young cyborg lady, and overcome challenging trials to liberate her corrupted mind.
In the not-so-distant future, corporations rule the world providing ways of increasing the physical and intellectual capabilities of the common folk, at a high price…
Those who wear cybernetic implants are doomed. Their lifetime is coming to an end in a matter of time, but luckily for them, there may still be hope. The biggest tech conglomerate just announced a promising solution for this terrible disease!
You play as Leah, a young cyborg. She joins this experimental treatment to find a cure for what is killing augmented people. Overcome the trials to unlock your full mind potential. Then eliminate the corruption born from the implants that are destroying your neurons.
The post Cyberpunk Platformer Eden Genesis Gets Ps4 & PS5 Release Date appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
If your iPhone is digitally bulging at the seams from all those photos on it, Proton has a new way to back them up with Photo Backup for iOS. Photo Backup has been available for Android users since December and it officially migrated to Apple devices.
The Swiss company isn’t just offering another way to automatically upload your photos to a new online storage space. Proton also promises they will be securely stored with secure end-to-end encryption so no else can see or access them.
Proton also promises seamless integration with your iPhone and photo library. The feature can automatically upload and sync your photo and video collection, and provides simultaneous access on the web and mobile devices. There’s also an “Available offline” mode so you can keep your access to certain photos and videos without internet access while maintaining its encrypted safety status.
Proton’s Photo Backup offers free storage up to 5 GB and a $4/month plan for 200 GB of storage space. The Proton Unlimited plan offers 500GB of storage space for $10 per month and access to other Proton services such as Proton Mail and Proton VPN.
Proton started in 2014 as Proton Mail, an encrypted email service funded by a successful IndieGoGo campaign that raised over $550,000 from more than 10,000 backers. Since then, the Swiss company added new encrypted services such as a VPN, cloud storage and a calendar and rebranded itself simply as Proton. The company reinvented itself against on Monday by announcing it would transition to a non-profit model because “a Swiss non-profit structure provides additional security, which a corporation alone cannot achieve,” according to a company blog post. Specifically, the company says that it has no venture capital investors and also noted that Swiss foundations don’t have shareholders, so setting itself up in this new model could be beneficial for the company to stay afloat in a world where Google, Microsoft and Apple’s offerings are dominant.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/oLCTJyeNintendo sidestepped sharing the spotlight with all the other gaming companies at Summer Game Fest last week, promising its own Direct later in June. And that happened yesterday, teasing a lot of new games with Nintendo favorites. Mario games, yes. Zelda games, yes, and even a new Metroid game, confirmed. (More on that below the fold).
The funny thing is the new Zelda game is all about… Zelda. You play as the princess in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It opens where most Zelda games finish, with Link defeating Ganon. But just as he frees Princess Zelda, our usual hero is sucked into an alternate dimension. The game is played top-down and borrows the art style of the Link’s Awakening remake. However, Zelda’s main weapon and tool is the trirod. With this, she can copy many items and use these “echoes” to navigate the world. You can even create echoes of monsters to fight for Zelda.
Nintendo’s 40-minute update also included release dates for the forthcoming Dragon Quest remake, a new Mario Party title and news that feline adventure Stray is coming to Switch.
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Here are all of the just-announced Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X chips
Black Myth: Wukong is pretty, intriguing and as challenging as it looks
The Solo Buds cover the basics, but that’s about it. Audio quality is flat, unless you’re listening to Dolby Atmos content in Apple Music, but at least the earbuds are comfy with long battery life. Then again, they only cost 80 bucks.
Fisker has officially declared bankruptcy. The US-based startup filed for Chapter 11 protections and plans to restructure its debt and sell its assets. This means the Alaska EV with a designated cowboy hat space — not a joke — will likely never happen. Fisker revealed in a recent report that it had produced 10,193 units of its sole EV available, the Ocean SUV, in 2023, but only delivered 4,929 vehicles.
Habbo Hotel: Origins, on Mac today, revives the 2005 PC game in all its nostalgic glory. If you never played Habbo Hotel 20 years ago, the game is an online community, in the format of, well, a hotel. Your avatar can chat with your friends in the virtual hotel lobby and spend in-game credits on furniture and accessories.
After 18 years and a complete reboot, Samus Aran will return in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, next year. We got our first glimpse of the game too, with Samus duking it out with aliens in typical Metroid style. The teaser ends with the reveal of a new big bad. It’s wearing a suit like our hero but is flanked by two floating metroids. Ominous? Yes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/Nmyv2xa