PlayStation Store ‘Blockbuster Promotion’ Includes Cyberpunk 2077, The Last of Us II, and More

Starting today, the PlayStation Store will be running its “Blockbuster Promotion,” which – as the name suggests – offers discounts on major games and franchises. For the next two weeks, you can take advantage of price cuts across a variety of titles including Cyberpunk 2077 and The Last of Us Part II.

Get the highlights below. Make sure to log into your regional store for local prices as well as the complete list.

• 9 Monkeys of Shaolin
• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – Season Pass
• Ash of Gods: Redemption
• Assassin’s Creed III Remastered
• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered
• Assassin’s Creed Triple Pack: Black Flag, Unity, Syndicate
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Gold PS4 & PS5
• Batman: Return to Arkham
• Battlefield V
• Bloodborne: Game of the Year Edition
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Gold Edition
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Edition
• Call of Duty: Ghosts – Gold Edition
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
• Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®
• CarX Drift Racing Online
• Catherine: Full Body
• Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled – Nitros Oxide Edition
• Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled + Spyro Game Bundle
• Cuphead
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Days Gone – Digital Deluxe Edition
• DE – PS5 Standard Edition Takeover
• Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
• Dishonored® Definitive Edition
• Dishonored®: Death of the Outsider
• Dishonored®: Death of the Outsider – Deluxe Bundle
• DOOM Eternal: Year One Pass (Add-On)
• Dreams
• Farming Simulator 19
• Farming Simulator 19 – Platinum Expansion
• Farming Simulator 19 – Season Pass
• Five Nights at Freddy’s
• Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
• Gang Beasts
• Gods Will Fall
• Gods Will Fall – Valiant Edition
• Gold Rush: The Game
• Green Hell
• Hunt: Showdown – Gold Edition
• Jagged Alliance: Rage!
• Job Simulator
• Just Dance 2021
• King of Seas
• Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack
• Knockout City
• Knockout City Deluxe Edition
• L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 – Season Pass
• Let’s Sing 2020
• Little Nightmares II PS4 & PS5
• Masquerade Skin Pack
• Metro Exodus: Gold Edition
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War
• Middle-earth: Shadow of War – Expansion Pass
• Mortal Kombat 11
• Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Pack 2
• Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Pack
• Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath Expansion
• Need for Speed Heat: Deluxe Edition
• Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered
• New Gundam Breaker
• Nioh
• Nioh: Complete Edition
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4
• OUTRIDERS PS4 & PS5
• Overcooked! 2 – Gourmet Edition
• Overcooked! Gourmet Edition
• Project CARS 3
• Rayman Legends
• Resident Evil 3
• Returnal
• Returnal Digital Deluxe Edition
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure Digital Deluxe Edition PS4 & PS5
• Sackboy: A Big Adventure PS4 & PS5
• Shao Kahn
• Shenmue III
• Shenmue III – Complete DLC Collection
• Shenmue III – Story Quest Pack
• SnowRunner
• SnowRunner – Season Pass
• SnowRunner – Year 2 Pass
• South Park: The Fractured but Whole – Gold Edition
• SRX: The Game
• STAR WARS: Squadrons
• Subnautica: Below Zero PS4 & PS5
• TESO: NEW PS5 Base Edition
• The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Blackwood
• The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Blackwood CE
• The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood CE Upgrade
• The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood Upgrade
• The Escapists 2: Game of the Year Edition
• The Last of Us Part II
• The Sims 4 – Cats & Dogs Plus My First Pet Stuff Bundle
• The Sims 4 – City Living
• The Sims 4 – Discover University
• The Sims 4 – EP11
• The Sims 4 – Get Famous
• The Sims 4 – Get to Work
• The Sims 4 – Get Together
• The Sims 4 – Island Living
• The Sims 4 – Seasons
• The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle
• The Sims 4 Snowy Escape Expansion Pack
• The Survivalists – Deluxe Edition
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Standard Edition
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Tourist Edition
• Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Standard Edition
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Ultimate Edition
• Tribes of Midgard
• Tribes of Midgard Digital Deluxe
• Two Point Hospital: JUMBO Edition
• Watch Dogs
• Yooka-Laylee – Buddy Duo Bundle

The promotion will end on October 13th.

[Source: PS Blog]

The post PlayStation Store ‘Blockbuster Promotion’ Includes Cyberpunk 2077, The Last of Us II, and More appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

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Valve is reportedly working on a standalone VR headset

Brad Lynch, a YouTube host who reports on virtual reality, has found evidence from patent applications and other sources that Valve is currently working on a standalone VR headset codenamed "Deckard." Ars Technica has independently confirmed that the company is indeed developing a device with that codename.  

Lynch found references to multiple iterations of Deckard, including a "proof of concept" in June. Valve is apparently planning to give it the ability to bring up two SteamVR menu options: prism and standalone system layer. The latter, as you may have guessed, implies that the device could work on its own without the need to be tethered to a PC. If you'll recall, Valve's Index VR headset released in 2019 has to be attached to a computer to work. The YouTube host also discovered a mention of Deckard in a SteamVR Linux ARM binary. That particular evidence hints at processing power built into a Valve VR headset, further solidifying the possibility that it's a standalone device. 

According to Ars Technica's sources, Valve was developing two design concepts for a virtual reality headset. One of them ended up resembling the Index in that it needs to connect to a PC and to SteamVR Tracking Boxes. The other ended up being designed around a built-in processor with inside-out tracking like the Oculus Quest. Those sources also hinted that Valve had to bring in an outside firm to develop inside-out tracking that could match what the Quest can do. 

Whether the standalone VR headset will ever be released remains to be seen. As the publication notes, Valve is already preparing to start shipping the Steam Deck in December. With the current chip shortage affecting the tech and auto industries today, we may have to wait quite a bit for Deckard if Valve decides to release it at all.

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The Morning After: Amazon reveals its periscope-equipped Alexa robot

Amazon’s annual barrage of new Echo hardware didn’t disappoint, ranging from role-playing games to nutrition tracking, drones and videocall devices for kids. I think the new 15-inch Echo Show, a smart screen to mount on your wall, was the most intriguing reveal.

Amazon

Amazon has redesigned its home screen to make the most of all that extra display space, and you can customize it so part of the screen scrolls through ambient content, like headlines and weather updates. Aimed at families, the Echo Show 15 also has a new visual ID feature that can recognize your face and show you personalized information, like calendar appointments, reminders and notes.

Amazon and Google dominate the smart displays space, and I might be the rare exception of having not a single Alexa-powered device in my home. So far, Amazon’s devices haven’t offered anything particularly compelling for me. I have a Google smart display, which smoothly integrates with Google Calendar, Google Maps and the rest. It’s hard for me to generate much enthusiasm for the Echo range.

Now, having said that, let me contradict myself entirely.

If you like your Alexa devices on wheels and with precarious extendable, periscope cameras, then perhaps Amazon’s Astro robot might get you excited. (Or worried.) Amazon plans to sell its first robot in limited quantities later this year. It will eventually cost $1,450, but as part of its Day 1 Editions program, the company will sell the robot at an introductory price of $1,000.

— Mat Smith

All the big Amazon news

Amazon's Blink unveils a no-frills $50 video doorbell

Amazon's Alexa-enabled Smart Thermostat only costs $60

Amazon takes on Apple with fitness and nutrition services for Halo devices

Everything Amazon announced at its September hardware event

Amazon Glow is a kid-focused video call device with interactive activities

IKEA’s new customizable Sonos speaker lamp launches October 12th

Starting from $169, depending on the shade.

IKEA

IKEA and Sonos’ new, more customizable version of their Symfonisk speaker lamp arrives on October 12th. The furniture giant will sell the new model's lamp base and shade separately, so you can mix and match parts to ensure the final product fits the vibe of your home.

IKEA’s Stjepan Begic said they decided to make the base smaller after finding out a lot of people use the Symfonisk lamp on their nightstand. You’ll be able to choose between two types of shades: textile or glass, while the lamps themselves come in black or white. The new model also supports a wider range of bulbs, thanks to a different E26/E27 socket.

Continue reading.

You can now sign up to test Ring’s home security drone

The invitation-only program will help refine the technology.

Ring says its Always Home Cam, its first home security drone, will soon arrive in select households. Users will be able to sign up to join an invite-only testing program to help refine the hardware before it hits shelves. In the US, at least, Ring owners can sign up to help develop what its makers are calling a “very ambitious device.”

Continue reading.

Microsoft CEO: TikTok negotiation 'strangest thing I've ever worked on'

I doubt any of us are surprised.

This time last year, ByteDance was trying to save its TikTok app in the US and elsewhere after Donald Trump's administration threatened to ban it. One potential savior was Microsoft.

It was a mess. It all started when Trump threatened to force Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US owner, citing privacy and security concerns. Microsoft stepped in as a potential buyer, though the company, in the end, struck a deal with Oracle and Walmart, which President Joe Biden's administration scrapped in February 2021.

Microsoft was in the middle of negotiations with ByteDance when Trump told reporters he'd rather ban the app than allow it to be sold to a US company. That "threw into disarray the careful negotiations we had pursued with ByteDance” to buy TikTok’s business in the US and the three other countries, CEO Satya Nadella wrote. Trump only relented and allowed a deal to happen after Nadella called him personally.

After Oracle's winning bid, ByteDance said Trump had "ghosted" the site, effectively going silent after ordering the company to divest its US TikTok assets.

Continue reading

Amazon's 'New World' MMORPG is finally here

It’s very, very important for Amazon Game Studios.

After four delays spanning nearly a year and a half of missed release dates, New World is finally here, available to Steam and Amazon’s own marketplace, starting at $40. The MMORPG will be crucial to Amazon Game Studios’ future. After the very public failure of Crucible, which it terminated not too long after its launch, the company needs to prove it can deliver compelling games — and keep them going. Hopefully, all those delays have ensured New World arrives with its best foot forward.

Continue reading.

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Apple beefs up Keynote, Pages and Numbers with new features

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Amazon's biggest innovation is being cheap.

As Amazon’s executives took the stage one after another yesterday to introduce the world to the company’s “next big leaps forward,” a sense of deja vu crept up on me. It only grew stronger as the event progressed, with many new Amazon products seeming incredibly familiar. The company has been criticized in the past for borrowing designs of popular goods and selling them for a lot cheaper.

That’s not an uncommon practice of course — massive retailers all over America like Walmart and Costco have offered lower-cost store-brand lines forever. But none of them stage flashy keynotes to tout their products as “innovations.” While Amazon has indeed brought certain unique technologies to the world in the past, this year the company’s “innovations” seemed to be more of it doing what it does best: undercutting the rest.

Halo View: Twinning with Fitbit

With the Halo View, Amazon is essentially adding a display to its existing screenless health-tracking band. But the View’s shape and style are so similar to Fitbit’s Charge series it’s hard to differentiate the two. Sure, there are only so many ways you can stick a rectangular display on a wristband, but Amazon’s mimicry doesn’t stop there. It also introduced new Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition services today that will offer guides on working out and eating better. 

Amazon

That’s basically Fitbit Premium, which offers guides on working out and eating better. Oh and Fitbit’s $10-a-month service also provides tips on meditating and sleep. Amazon’s subscription costs just $4 per month after a trial period, though, and the $80 Halo View is $100 cheaper than the new Charge 5. The View probably won’t do as much as Fitbit’s trackers, which are quite sophisticated. Still, considering the price, Amazon will likely sell a lot of them.

Amazon Smart Thermostat: Lose the frills for a fraction of the price

Amazon teamed up with existing thermostat brand Honeywell to make a Smart Thermostat that will work with most existing 24V HVACs (most common for residential HVAC systems). You can control it with a separate Alexa-enabled device and set custom routines for heating and cooling. The company hasn’t released much more information about its thermostat yet, but from what we can see, the device has the rounded-rectangle shape of an ecobee smart thermostat with the color scheme of a Google Nest product.

Lots of existing smart thermostats by brands like ecobee, Sensibo and Google’s Nest do more things, but Amazon is seriously undercutting the competition by selling its version for just $60. The Nest Thermostat that was launched last year costs $130, while an ecobee 3 Lite goes for $170.

Blink cameras: Competing with Google for much cheaper

Competition in the security camera space is pretty stiff, so it isn’t very surprising that Amazon and Google both borrow a lot from each other. Amazon unveiled a new $50 Blink video doorbell camera today, alongside a set of outdoor cameras. One of these is the $40 floodlight camera mount that calls to mind Google’s Nest Cam with integrated floodlight. To be fair, though, Google did only introduce a wireless, battery-powered doorbell camera after Blink, so it appears the borrowing is mutual here.

The difference, however, is once again in pricing. Blink’s video doorbell is less than a third of the price of the $180 Nest Doorbell. Google’s floodlight-cum-security camera is $280, while Amazon’s mount (with a camera) is half that at $140.

But at what cost?

It’s no secret that Amazon’s business model has a lot to do with knowing what people want and changing their prices accordingly. But how can it make things so cheap? In addition to pure economies of scale and multiple reports of questionable (at best) labor practices, the company also offers goods at reduced prices in exchange for sticking ads on your devices. The ad-supported versions of Kindles and Fire tablets often go for $20 to $30 less than their stock counterparts.

With the breadth of devices Amazon offers, too, the sheer amount of data it could collect purely for the sake of selling you stuff is huge. With the smart thermostat, it could detect a dip in temperature in your region and suggest you buy from its in-house brand of winter wear. Or maybe your child’s been reading a book on a Kindle, and the company later serves ads for collectibles from that title on its new kid-centric Glow video-calling device. Or how about a subsidized version of the Astro robot that roams your house or follows you around with an ad on its face? Amazon also talked about a “vision of ambient intelligence” — which sounds very similar to the concept of “ambient computing” expounded by Google for years. But because Amazon’s products are so much cheaper, it could succeed at stuffing Alexa in so many more places in our lives.

Plus, with all the data it’s gathering from your shopping habits, whether it’s on one of its devices or the Amazon app, the company can afford to sell you something at a lower profit margin. The company said in its privacy notice that it’s “not in the business of selling our customers' personal information to others.” But it’s presumably using that data to understand the types of things you’re more likely to buy and put that stuff in front of you. It’ll probably make more off of you in the long run if you’re using the cheap Fire tablet to browse its store.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that everything Amazon unveiled today was a cutrate version of something else. We got an update on the Ring Always Home Cam, which was first announced last year. You’ll soon be able to sign up to test it out. The home security device is a little drone that can fly around your property at your command to see if anything’s amiss. No mainstream tech giant has launched something similar yet, though, so Amazon isn’t undercutting anyone on this.

Still, it seems like the company’s strategy for its flagship products is similar to that of its Basics line: Take a good idea, tweak it and sell it for loads cheaper. It’s not terrible; We could always use affordable, reliable devices. But Amazon is not innovating: It’s the Costco of consumer tech.

Follow all of the news from Amazon’s fall hardware event right here!

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The 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie skyrockets up Amazon’s video charts

Open the door, get on the floor… In a strange but delightful bit of the news, 1993’s dreadful Super Mario...

The post The 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie skyrockets up Amazon’s video charts appeared first on Destructoid.

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Takao Saito, Creator Of Golgo 13, Dies At 84

On Wednesday, the editorial department of Big Comic announced that Takao Saito passed away on September 24 from pancreatic cancer. He was 84.

Read more...

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SanDisk memory cards are discounted for today only on Amazon

Amazon's Deal of the Day is all about storage products today, with particularly good prices for SD cards. Do you need a giant boost in storage for your smartphone, drone other other device that uses a MicroSD memory card? Amazon is selling SanDisk's 1TB Ultra MicroSDXC UHS-1 cards with adapter at just $110 for today only. That's a hefty 52 percent discount compared to the regular $230 selling price. 

Buy SanDisk 1TB MicroSD card at Amazon - $110

Samsung pioneered 1TB MicroSD memory cards and was first to both launch and sell them. The model in question provides up to 120MB/s speeds, essentially the max available in the UHS-I format. With A1 application class performance, it delivers fewer IOPS (input-output access per second) than A2 class cards, but sustained sequential read speeds are the same. It has a high 4.8 out of 5 consumer rating on Amazon with 89,144 global reviews. 

Amazon

Amazon also has a great deal today on another type of memory card that's difficult to find discounted. It's offering the SanDisk Extreme Pro 256GB CFexpress Type B memory card at $260, which is $140 off the regular $400 price. These cards are used in cameras like Canon's EOS R5, Nikon's Z6 II, Z7 II, D6 and 1DX Mark III, Panasonic's S1, S1R and S1H models, and the Blackmagic Design BMPCC 6K and 6K Pro. (Note that Sony's A1 and A7S III use smaller CFexpress Type A cards.) 

Buy 256GB SanDisk CFexpress Card at Amazon - $260

Switching to SanDisk's CFexpress cards boosts speeds from 300 MB/s up to 1,700 MB/s max over UHS II. That will allow you to capture 8K video on Canon's R3, for example, or shoot sustained photo bursts more reliably and for a longer duration. Again, this SanDisk model is highly rated by users, but the deal ends today. 

Amazon is also offering other memory and storage deals on WD and SanDisk products for today only, including NVMe drives, portable G-drives, USB keys and internal hard disks. For more, check out its Deal of the Day page. 

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