The latest instalment in the legendary Contra series is coming to more countries including the US. ContraReturns —a free-to-play mobile gamejointly created by Konami and Tencent's TiMi Studios back in 2017 — is heading to North America on July 26th along with the UK, Europe and Latin America. The shooter sees the series' iconic heroes back to fight an alien enemy as part of a new side-scrolling adventure.
The mobile entry also features new storylines and over 200 total levels, along with updated graphics. New and returning characters include grizzled commandos Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, Sheena from Contra 4, Lucia from Contra: Shattered Soldier, a bear and a werewolf named Brad Fang.
To give you a taster of the mayhem that awaits, Konami has released a live-action trailer that's equal parts apocalyptic destruction, sweaty machismo and gun fetishism. There's also plenty of camo and slo-mo strutting thrown in for good measure. Basically, all the ingredients you'd expect from a fan-made Contra movie. At the end of the clip, there's a snippet of the frenetic, industrial shooter gameplay.
Contra Returns originally launched in China back in 2017. Its success led to a Taiwanese release and an English-language version for Southeast Asia. TiMi, which recently struck a gaming partnership with Xbox, previously tweeted that it was planning a wider rollout for the game. Since the mobile title's initial launch, there have been a couple of Contra games for PCs and consoles including 2019's Contra Anniversary Collection and the run-and-gun shooter Contra: Rogue Corps.
You can currently pre-register for the new mobile game on iOS and Android to gain special awards when it drops.
from https://ift.tt/1tUdcCk https://ift.tt/3xZUPEw
Amazon is giving you free access to Disney+ if you pay for its music streaming service, perhaps in hopes of luring you away from Spotify and Apple Music. If you're in the US and Canada, you'll get six free months of Disney+ with a new Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, which will set you back at least $8 a month as a Prime member or $10 as a non-Prime user. You'll still get three free months of Disney+ as a current Music Unlimited subscriber, but you can't get the free months if you already have an existing Disney+ subscription.
While it's unfortunate that you won't be able to take advantage of the promo if you already have Disney+, it's a great way to try the video streaming service. Disney+ doesn't have a trial period anymore, and its current offerings include Marvel's The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, as well as Loki, which had the most watched premiere episode on the platform.
The first and the last time Amazon reported growth metrics for Music Unlimited back in January 2020, it said the service has reached over 55 million subscribers worldwide. It's unclear how much the service has grown since then, but it still probably has a long way to go before it can catch up to Spotify, which recently reported having 158 million paying subscribers. It might be nearer to Apple Music in size: Apple revealed that its Music streaming service had 60 million paying subscribers back in mid-2019, but it hasn't reported new numbers since then.
To redeem the promo, you can head over to its official page and sign up for an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription from there.
from https://ift.tt/1tUdcCk https://ift.tt/2U9zxWH
PlayStation Studios has announced its acquisition of Returnal developer Housemarque, and unofficially, Bluepoint Games as well. Confused? We’ll explain.
A little while ago, PlayStation Studios boss Herman Hulst took to the PlayStation Blog to announce that Housemarque has joined the PlayStation family. The news was shared by various official PlayStation Twitter profiles, including PlayStation Japan. However, the latter accidentally uploaded an image announcing Bluepoint’s acquisition instead, and then promptly deleted it. Screenshots of the deleted tweet were picked up by Twitter users and shared on various forums. Internet sleuths noticed that the image uploaded by PlayStation Japan included a photo of Bluepoint’s Demon’s Souls Remake, which is missing in the official Housemarque announcement, so it doesn’t look like a simple mistake.
..so apparently PlayStation Japan uploaded the wrong image with their first tweet on Housemarque’s acquisition, and it actually mentions a Bluepoint acquisition pic.twitter.com/yQBHtLbG5c
For now, let’s welcome Housemarque to the PlayStation family!
“We are so excited to finally join the PlayStation Studios family!” said Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen. “This gives our studio a clear future and a stable opportunity to continue delivering on gameplay centric approaches, while still experimenting with new methods of narrative delivery and pushing the boundaries of this modern artform.”
As for Bluepoint, the rumors have only been swirling forever, so it looks like it’s just a matter of time now.
Knowing where you can fly your drone is the most important rule you have to get acquainted with before taking to the skies. Alongside the FAA's dedicated B4UFLY app, Alphabet's Wing also boasts a dedicated drone safety and navigation app that's now available in the US following its debut in Australia.
Once downloaded, you can fire it up to check airspace restrictions that will dictate where you can and can't fly. No-go areas include stadiums and sporting events; airports; security sensitive locations such as military airbases, national landmarks and critical infrastructure like nuclear power plants; and even temporarily restricted sites that may be out of bounds because of an emergency (such as a wildfire). Having an app in your pocket that gives you that info in real-time is obviously an important resource.
With a green light from the FAA, Wing says you can also use OpenSky to quickly request authorization to fly in controlled airspace, including areas surrounding US airports. This is otherwise known as a Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability and is typically used by emergency response crews, commercial surveyors, or filmmakers and photographers.
OpenSky
Wing says the reason it's expanding the app is to enable people to fly more safely and boost compliance to ensure greater adoption of drones. Of course, the service collects plenty of data — including info about your device and its location and a connected drone's serial number, model details and flight plan — which should help Wing to build out its navigational systems and maybe even feed into its UAV deliveries.
Microsoft's Xbox Series X and Series S consoles both support 4K Dolby Vision at 120 Hz, but there's a problem: so far, no TVs have supported all of those things things at once. Now, LG has announced that it's rolling out a firmware update that unlocks Dolby Vision HDR at 4K 120Hz on its latest 2021 C1 and G1 series OLED models.
We knew that LG's high-end G1 and mainstream C1 series should be capable of 120 Hz 4K gaming with Dolby Vision, as HDTV Test's Vincent Teoh pointed out recently. However, Xbox Series X owners have been reporting that those models weren't working, with an error message that "your TV setup doesn't support Dolby Vision at 4K 120 Hz."
LG told Teoh at the time that it was testing the functionality and working to bring it to market, and now it has done so with the firmware version 03.15.27. That makes the C1 and G1 series OLED TV models "the first in the world capable of supporting Dolby Vision HDR at 4K 120Hz on compatible platforms," the company said.
LG
In addition, it's testing the feature on other 2021 models including the OLED Z1 series, QNED Mini LED QNED99 series and NanoCell NANO99 series, all slated to receive the update in July. "Additional 2021 and 2020 TV models are also being tested for Dolby Vision gaming in either 60Hz or 120Hz," the company added. There's no word on whether its 2019 OLED models, some of which also support both 4K 120Hz and Dolby Vision, will be updated.
Now, if you have an Xbox Series X or S console and 2021 LG G1 or S1 series TV, you'll be able to make the error message go away. However, you still won't be able to play any 4K 120Hz Dolby Vision games, because none exist at the moment. When they do eventually arrive, you should see not only more fluid playback, but brighter images, improved contrast and more vibrant, saturated colors — much as you do on Dolby Vision-encoded films and TV series.
Along with that feature, the new firmware also introduces the Game Dashboard (shown above), a floating menu that helps LG owners optimize settings. It works on any any 2021 LG TV with Game Optimizer, letting users switch between genres (standard, FPS, RPG or RTS). You'll also be able to see the status of modes like black stabilizer, low latency and variable refresh rate. The new update is now rolling out, so if you own a supported set, you should gain access to all of those features soon.
from https://ift.tt/1tUdcCk https://ift.tt/3A8i9lB
How can Samsung make its smartwatches as successful as the Apple Watch? Returning to the Google fold — or at least collaborating on wearable software — is a start. Samsung has already helped develop the latest edition of Wear OS, apparently improving responsiveness and battery performance. Now we have a glimpse of a more unified software experience between your Samsung watch and phone, called One UI Watch. According to the company’s MWC showcase, you’ll be able to adjust settings across both devices, while the menus on the watch will also mimic what you’re already probably used to on Galaxy phones.
A few years ago, when Samsung developed its own mobile OS, Tizen, for both phones and wearables, it struggled to muster up third-party app support. With the new Wear OS inside, the One UI Watch will offer Google Play Store access, including apps from Adidas, Calm and MyFitnessPal, as well as core Google services, from Maps to Messages to YouTube Music. This will be crucial in helping Samsung turn a corner with its smartwatches. According to the latest figures from IDC, it remains a contender, but the Apple Watch still dominates the wrists of smartwatch buyers.
A new 4K Plus plan adds at least $10 to your YouTube TV subscription.
Finally, starting today, YouTube TV will have a new add-on called 4K Plus. As the name suggests, it'll enable 4K streaming, assuming you have a compatible TV and streaming device. The 4K Plus add-on also includes the ability to download recordings from your DVR to a phone or tablet, too.
4K Plus also lets you stream YouTube TV from "unlimited" devices when you're at home. The basic YouTube TV package can stream on three devices simultaneously. Unfortunately, this all comes at a fairly steep cost. The 4K Plus add-on costs $19.99 per month, on top of whatever your existing YouTube TV plan costs. (Right now, the basic YouTube TV plan starts at $64.99 a month.) That said, if you act quickly, you can get a price deal on 4K Plus — YouTube is offering a one-month free trial to new users, after which you can sign up for $9.99 per month, a pretty good deal over the standard price. Continue reading.
If you've been waiting impatiently to see Denis Villeneuve's much-anticipated take on Dune, you'll have to keep on waiting. After being delayed to October 1st, 2021, from its original December 18, 2020, release date, Dune has been pushed back a further three weeks to October 22nd. Warner Bros. announced last year that its entire 2021 movie lineup, including Dune, would be released simultaneously on HBO Max. That move didn't sit well with director Villeneuve, who railed against the decision online. Continue reading.
Microsoft has begun rolling out the first preview for Windows Insiders. The build will show off the operating system's centered taskbar and redesigned Start menu, as well as its improved window management. But you'll have to wait a bit for some of the more advanced features, like the integrated Microsoft Teams chat and Android app compatibility. Check your PC meets the Windows 11 minimum hardware requirements before you get too excited, though. Continue reading.
Amazon is targeting newbie record collectors with its latest subscription. If you sign up to the Vinyl of the Month Club, you’ll receive a new record for your collection every 30 days or so.
You won’t know what records you’ll receive as part of the $25 plan until they show up at your door, but they’ll be classics from the “Golden Era of Vinyl” — the 1960s and ‘70s — chosen by curators at Amazon Music. Expect releases from Pink Floyd, Aretha Franklin and ABBA, so if your tastes fall outside of the mainstream of the mainstream, this might not be for you. At least the spirit of Columbia House lives on. Continue reading.
Honda finally has a name for its first electric SUV. The Prologue is coming in 2024, so there’s a little time to wait. You should also see the Acura SUV sometime in 2024, but that vaguer promise suggests this model will come later than its more mainstream counterpart.
Honda hasn’t offered much detail about what the Prologue will entail, although it reminded us that both the Prologue and its Acura counterpart will run on GM's Ultium batteries. Honda is still hard at work on its own electric car architecture. Continue reading.
