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12.12.2024 16:10 There are way too many online services and subscriptions to keep track of these days, but the flip side is there’s a tool for just about everything. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite digital gifts and subscriptions, including time-tested music, video and gaming services as well as tools to clear your mental space and learn new skills. There are also a few subscriptions here that provide ongoing, IRL deliveries, if you think your giftee will appreciate the nostalgic charm of a physical object. Gaming subscriptions Game consoles are certainly among the most popular gift ideas this time of year. If you know someone who’s been so good that they’re getting a new Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S, one of these subscriptions will make their shiny toy immediately playable out of the box. A $20/month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription offers hundreds of games from all periods of Xbox history that can be played on the Xbox or PC; many of them can be streamed to phones and tablets as well. It also includes EA Play, which opens up access to even more games. Perhaps the best part of Xbox Game Pass, though, is that it offers access to first-party Xbox Game Studios titles the day they're released, like Starfield, Forza Motorsport and the just-released Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Nintendo has two tiers of its Switch Online plan. The basic $20 / year plan unlocks online play, more than 100 Game Boy, NES and Super NES games and cloud backups of your saved games as well as the occasional special offers. The $50 “expansion pack” adds a collection of N64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis games as well as some DLC for games like Mario Kart 8, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Splatoon 2. Finally, Sony’s PlayStation Plus plan comes in three tiers, but the middle “Extra” plan is probably best for most gamers. In addition to cloud storage for saves, online multiplayer support and a couple of free games for your library every month, you get access to the PlayStation Plus catalog, which includes more than 400 PS4 and PS5 games. There are a number of heavy hitters here, including The Last of Us Part I, Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, Resident Evil 3 Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Returnal as well as lower-profile hits and indie games like Dave the Diver, Animal Well, Return to Monkey Island and Humanity. If you know someone who loves older games though, the “Premium” tier adds a bunch of titles from the PS1, PS2 and PS3 catalogs as well as perks like game trials and PS5 game streaming from the cloud. Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-subscription-gifts-to-send-your-friends-and-family-141830878.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 16:10 After a particularly lean week for tech news, yesterday exploded. We’ve got Google’s next-generation AI model, Gemini 2.0, a barrage of games to intrigue us in 2025, MasterClass is going AI and, finally, Apple’s most headline-grabbing AI tricks and features broke cover, built into the latest iOS update. That’s what I want to kick off with. A lot of features in iOS 18.2 are only for the iPhone 15 Pro, 16 and 16 Pro, which pack the necessary chip smarts to run Apple Intelligence. Image Playground, available as a standalone app and through Messages, can generate image suggestions based on your text prompts or contents of your conversations. You can use a photo from your iPhone’s camera roll as a starting point. Note Image Playground can’t produce photorealistic images of people. That’s by design. Then there’s Genmoji, to make your own custom emoji. Tap the new Genmoji button and enter a description of the character you want to make. You can even type the name of a contact, and contextually, it’ll ask if you want to use photos of that person to generate the emoji. Both Siri and Writing Tools can now call on ChatGPT for assistance, although devices will always ask permission before doing so. Anyway, back to creating an entire library of Genmoji, featuring... me. — Mat Smith The biggest tech stories you missed Apple finally launches its multi-track recording tool for Voice Memos The Pokémon Company is teaming up with Wallace and Gromit studio Aardman on a mystery project Astro Bot is getting a free holiday-themed bonus level Judge rejects The Onion’s bid for Infowars Get this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! Gemini 2.0 is Google’s most capable AI model yet and available to preview today Try the lightweight Flash version in the Gemini web app. Almost exactly a week after OpenAI made its o1 model available to the public, Google is offering a preview of its next-gen Gemini 2.0 model. The company says 2.0 can offer native support for image and audio output. Rather than starting today’s preview by offering its most advanced version of the model, Gemini 2.0 Pro, the search giant is instead kicking things off with 2.0 Flash. As of today, the more efficient model is available to all Gemini users. If you want to try it yourself, you can enable Gemini 2.0 from the dropdown menu in the Gemini web client. Alongside today’s announcement of Gemini 2.0, the company also announced Deep Research, a new tool that uses Gemini 1.5 Pro’s long-context capabilities to write reports on complicated subjects. Continue reading. Xbox previews cloud streaming of games you own on consoles It’s a beta test for now. Microsoft has started a beta test to finally bring cloud streaming to Xbox consoles. Participants in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha tiers of the Xbox Insiders program can start using this feature now on their Xbox Series X|S and even Xbox One consoles. There are still some caveats on the feature. First, it’s limited to Game Pass Ultimate members. Second, the game needs to support cloud streaming. There’s a shortlist of titles in the program for now, but it includes Baldur’s Gate 3, Balatro, Cyberpunk 2077, Animal Well, Stray and the first six Final Fantasy games. Continue reading. MasterClass On Call gives you access to AI copies of its experts Ramseybot, engage. MasterClass MasterClass is expanding beyond prerecorded video lessons to offer on-demand mentorship from some of its most popular celebrity instructors. And if you’re wondering how the company has gotten some of the busiest people on the planet to field your questions, surprise! It’s AI. On Call is limited to two personas at launch: former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss and University of Berkeley neuroscientist Dr. Matt Walker. In the future, MasterClass says it will offer many more personas, like Gordon Ramsay, Mark Cuban, Bill Nye and LeVar Burton. Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121531673.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 Make your holiday plans now, because Sony has announced which games will be joining the Playstation Plus Game Catalog starting in December. The biggest highlight for PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra subscribers is Forspoken, a parkour and magic-filled RPG released by Square Enix in 2023. We didn’t think the PS5 game fully matched the eye-popping visuals of other games like Horizon Forbidden West when we reviewed it, but a holiday vacation seems like the perfect time to bop around and experiment with some spells. For a different take on open-world running and jumping, Sonic Frontiers is also joining the catalog. The game fuses high-speed platforming with a Breath of the Wild-inspired open world full of enemies and collectables. If you miss more of the traditional Sonic experience, there are bespoke challenge levels inspired by past Sonic games to run through too. Both those games should hopefully be rewarding time sinks, but the two additions that most caught my eye were A Space for the Unbound and Coffee Talk. I’ve basically heard nothing but good things about A Space for the Unbound since it came out in 2023, primarily because of its unique setting in “late ‘90s rural Indonesia.” It’s “a slice-of-life adventure game,” according to Sony, but with some supernatural elements for added drama. Coffee Talk has been kicking around since 2020, and has some shared cultural DNA since its developer, Toge Productions, published Unbound and is based in Indonesia. Coffee Talk is a visual novel about running a coffee shop where you talk to patrons about their problems and make them drinks, a delightfully pleasant premise for a game. Toge Productions Rounding out the new additions to the catalog are a grab bag of sequels, racing games, multiplayer puzzle games, and more than one title where you play as a rabbit: Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus Butterfly, Rabbids: Party of Legends, WRC Generations, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow, Jurassic World Evolution 2, PHOGS and Biped. If you’re a PlayStation Plus Premium subscriber, and like me, you’re looking to blow the dust off your PSVR 2, Sony is also throwing in Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge. It’s a virtual reality experience that gives you a sampling platter of Star Wars things to do in “immersive” first-person, like training to be a Jedi, blasting enemies, and palling around with droids. It's much more cost effective to “live” Star Wars than going to Disneyland. Premium members will also get to stream a few new games in the Classics Catalog, with the shared theme of PlayStation mascot duos: Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves, Sly Cooper 3: Honor Among Thieves, and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. I’m more of a Ratchet Clank fan myself, but this is a great opportunity to play the very first Jak and Daxter game. PS Plus Premium and Extra subscribers will be able to play these games starting December 17. If you’re a Premium subscriber with a PlayStation Portal, you’ll be able to stream some of them directly to your handheld as part of Sony’s cloud streaming beta test, too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/playstation-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-december-include-forspoken-sonic-frontiers-and-vr-star-wars-232621272.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 Meta apps and services like Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Messenger are still experience issues over two hours after a major outage prevented users from logging in or even loading the company's websites. Staff at Engadget and users across X and Bluesky have reported problems loading and using Meta’s apps. For a while even Meta’s company site was displaying the text “This page isn’t available right now.” There were over 90,000 reports of issues for Facebook.com alone on Downdetector, and the site is still showing some outage reports for Whatsapp, Threads, and Messenger. The issue is clearly not concentrated on a single Meta app or service, either. The company's own status page for enterprise customers shows "major disruptions" across nearly all of Meta's APIs and ad tools, too. When Engadget reached Meta for comment the company pointed to a brief statement on X acknowledging the issue. We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.— Meta December 11, 2024 Meta last dealt with a major outage in March 2024 that prevented users from accessing its apps and services for two hours. The last outage was attributed to a "technical issue" by Meta communications director Andy Stone, which is the same explanation Meta has offered so far today, but it's not clear when the issue will be fully resolved.Update, Dec 11 2024, 4:50PM ET: Added more details on outage length and impact on Meta enterprise tools.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagram-threads-whatsapp-and-more-down-as-part-of-meta-outage-184608535.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 MasterClass is expanding beyond pre-recorded video lessons to offer on-demand mentorship from some of its most popular celebrity instructors. And if you’re wondering how the company has gotten some of the busiest people on the planet to field your questions, guess what? The answer is generative AI. On Wednesday, MasterClass debuted On Call, a new web and iOS app that allows people to talk with AI versions of its instructors. As of today, On Call is limited to two personas representing the expertise of former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss and University of Berkeley neuroscientist Dr. Matt Walker. In the future, MasterClass says it will offer many more personas, with Gordon Ramsay, Mark Cuban, Bill Nye and LeVar Burton among some of the more notable experts sharing their voices and knowledge in this way. “This isn’t just another generic AI chatbot pulling data from the internet,” David Rogier, the CEO of MasterClass, said on X. “We’ve built this with our experts — training the AI on proprietary data sets .” Per Inc., MasterClass signed deals with each On Call instructor to license their voice and expertise. Judging from the sample voice clips MasterClass has up on its website, the interactions aren’t as polished as the one shown in the ad the company shared on social media. In particular, the “voice” of Chris Voss sounds robotic and not natural at all. On Call is also a standalone product with a separate subscription from the company’s regular offering. To use On Call, users will need to pay $10 per month or $84 annually.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/masterclass-on-call-gives-you-on-demand-access-to-ai-facsimiles-of-its-experts-215022938.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 The US Supreme Court dismissed an NVIDIA case it previously agreed to hear as “improvidently granted.” In other words: “Oops, we never should’ve taken this one.” The decision lets most of the lawsuit, brought by shareholders against the chip maker, proceed. An investment firm and a pension fund brought the case against NVIDIA, claiming the company misled investors about its reliance on the crypto-mining industry. The suit claims NVIDIA concealed its dependence on the market before a 2018 crash that sunk the chip maker’s stock prices. The court’s unanimous dismissal reflected its apparent aversion to hearing the case’s complex technical details. “The writ of certiorari is dismissed as improvidently granted” is all the decision said. That language was identical to a remarkably similar dismissal in a case SCOTUS heard last month against Meta, which also accused it of deceiving investors. The Washington Post reports that the justices offered hints at the NVIDIA dismissal when they heard arguments in mid-November. “It becomes less and less clear why we took this case … and … why you should win it,” Justice Elena Kagan reportedly said. The New York Times says court members across the ideological spectrum sounded frustrated with the arguments. “This is a highly technical subject,” Justice Samuel Alito said at one point. “It just seems to me that you’re asking us to engage in a kind of analysis that we are not very good at and weren’t expecting to when we took this case,” Kagan said. As AI’s thorny and ultra-high-stakes legal and ethical questions loom, we can take comfort in the fact that the highest court in the world’s most powerful nation sounds… utterly uninterested in diving into Big Tech’s often head-spinning technical details. At least the stakes are much lower in this case, only affecting the finances of a crazy-rich corporation and a group of Wall Street investors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-supreme-court-bails-on-nvidia-case-allowing-a-shareholder-lawsuit-to-proceed-214001377.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 Microsoft has started a beta test that will finally bring cloud streaming to Xbox consoles. Participants in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha tiers of the Xbox Insiders program can start using this feature now on their Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles. This news is an extension of the "stream your own game" feature that Microsoft announced in November. That initial launch allowed Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to stream select games they've digitally purchased to their televisions, Meta Quest VR headsets and to some supported browser setups. The company said at the time that it planned to also bring streaming to Xbox consoles and to the Windows Xbox app in 2025. While this update is a welcome addition to the "stream your own game" hardware, there are still some caveats on the feature. First, it's limited to Game Pass Ultimate members. Second, the game needs to support cloud streaming. There's a short list of titles included in the program for now, but several of them are excellent ones that are well worth a look: Baldur's Gate 3, Balatro, Cyberpunk 2077, Animal Well, Stray and the first six Final Fantasy games, to name a few highlights. Once this goes live to the whole Xbox audience, it should be a useful way to streamline game downloads and to access your whole library without needing to shell out for external storage. In related Microsoft news, the Windows Xbox app is getting a couple updates. The new Home screen for the app will highlight curated game collections and suggested titles, as well as recent game news, releases and sales.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-previews-cloud-streaming-of-games-you-own-on-consoles-211008822.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 The advent of Bluetooth trackers has made it a lot easier to find your bag or keys when they’re lost, but it has also put inconspicuous tracking tools in the hands of people who might misuse them. Apple and Google have both implemented tracker alerts to let you know if there’s an unknown Bluetooth tracker nearby, and now as part of a new update, Google is letting Android users actually locate those trackers, too. The feature is one of two new tools Google is adding to Find My Device-compatible trackers. The first, “Temporarily Pause Location” is what you’re supposed to enable when you first receive an unknown tracker notification. It blocks your phone from updating its location with trackers for 24 hours. The second, “Find Nearby,” helps you pinpoint where the tracker is if you can’t see it or easily hear it. By clicking on an unknown tracker notification you’ll be able to see a map of where the tracker was last spotted moving with you. From there, you can play a sound to see if you can locate it . If you can’t find it, Find Nearby will connect your phone to the tracker over Bluetooth and display a shape that fills in the closer you get to it. Google / Engadget The tool is identical to what Google offers for locating trackers and devices you actually own, but importantly, you don’t need to use Find My Device or have your own tracker to benefit. Like Google’s original notifications feature, any device running Android 6.0 and up can deal with unknown Bluetooth trackers safely. Expanding Find Nearby seems like the final step Google needed to take to tamp down Bluetooth tracker misuse, something Apple already does with its Precision Finding tool for AirTags. The companies released a shared standard for spotting unknown Bluetooth trackers regardless of whether you use Android or iOS in May 2024, following the launch of Google’s Find My Device network in April. Both Google and Apple offered their own methods of dealing with unknown trackers before then to prevent trackers from being used for everything from robbery to stalking.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/android-will-let-you-find-unknown-bluetooth-trackers-instead-of-just-warning-you-about-them-204707655.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 Apple’s Voice Memos app just got the promised layering functionality that was shown off back in September at the iPhone event. This allows people to layer another track on top of a pre-existing track, which turns the app into an extremely-limited, though still useful, recording tool. This update is part of iOS 18.2, which also brings more AI tomfoolery like a custom emoji maker. There’s one major caveat here. The Voice Memos software tweak is only available for the iPhone 16 Pro and the Pro Max. This is a bummer, given that track layering isn’t exactly rocket science, but the company says there’s a good reason to exclude other models. The software lets people add that second layer without wearing headphones, which is possible thanks to some algorithmic wizardry, the A18 Pro chip and those new “studio-quality” microphones that come with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. That’s a pretty neat trick but, you know, not exactly necessary. I don’t mind wearing headphones for a minute. The update can also split the voice memo into its two composite tracks, for use later with legitimate recording software. That’s another neat little trick and sort of similar to what The Beatles did for their latest song. Singer Michael Bublé and country star Carly Pearce used the Voice Memos app to make a little Christmas song, as seen below. As with all things recorded with Voice Memos, the files will be synced across devices thanks to Apple iCloud. These multi-layered tracks will also be available on Mac computers to drag-and-drop into a session with Logic Pro.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/apple-finally-launches-its-multi-track-recording-tool-for-voice-memos-194623218.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 The Academy Awards ceremony is streaming live for the very first time in its 97-year history. The Oscars will stream on Hulu at the same time as it airs on traditional network TV via ABC. The ceremony starts on March 2 at 7PM ET, though there’s a live red carpet show that kicks off a half hour before that. It’s very strange that it took this long but, whatever, I’ll take it. I don’t even have regular TV, so Hulu will be the only way I’ll be able to watch the telecast live, aside from picking up a shady stream somewhere. It’s likely the same for many of you reading this. To that end, the Hulu stream could lead to a serious uptick in ratings, with some industry experts saying that the telecast will hit 30 million live viewers. The Oscars haven’t gotten that many eyeballs since 2017 when Moonlight famously snatched victory from the jaws of La La Land defeat. The 2024 ceremony drew 21.5 million viewers, but this was a huge uptick from the COVID years. This year’s broadcast is being hosted by the king of hot wings himself, Conan O’Brien. The awards nominees won’t be announced until January 17 and there are plenty of flicks that could end up in the top spot. These include Wicked, The Brutalist, Anora and I Saw the TV Glow, among many others.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-oscars-will-stream-live-for-the-very-first-time-on-hulu-191638415.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 Earlier today, Google debuted Gemini 2.0. The company says its new machine learning model won’t just enhance its existing products and services. It will also power entirely new experiences. To that point, Google previewed Project Mariner, an AI agent that can navigate within a web browser. Mariner is an experimental Chrome extension that is currently available to select “trusted testers.” As you can see from the video Google shared, the pitch for Mariner is a tool that can automate certain rote tasks. In the demo, Mariner assists Google’s Jaclyn Konzelmann with finding the contact information of four outdoor companies. Clearly, there’s more work Google needs to do before the software is ready for public use. Notice that Konzelmann is very specific when prompting Mariner, instructing the agent to “memorize” and “remember” parts of her instructions. It also takes Mariner close to 12 minutes to complete the task given to it. “As a research prototype, it’s able to understand and reason across information in your browser screen, including pixels and web elements like text, code, images and forms,” Google says of Mariner. If Project Mariner sounds familiar, it’s because The Information reported in October that Google was working on something called Project Jarvis. The publication described it as a “computer-using agent” that Google designed to assist with tasks like booking flights. In November, an early version of Jarvis was briefly available on the Chrome Web Store. A Google spokesperson told Engadget Jarvis and Mariner are the same project. The confirmation of Mariner’s existence comes after Anthropic introduced a similar but more expansive feature for its Claude AI, which the company says can “use a wide range of standard tools and software programs designed for people.” That tool is currently available in public beta.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/jarvis-googles-web-browsing-ai-is-now-officially-known-as-project-mariner-191603929.html?src=rss

12.12.2024 01:10 Sony’s PlayStation 2024 Wrap-Up has a slight problem: It isn’t working. The site for accessing your year-end PlayStation stats and achievements has been down for maintenance since it launched nearly 24 hours ago. Push Square reports that, although some folks could briefly access their summaries, it quickly began showing errors to many before eventually collapsing. It now displays the “We’ll be back soon” message in the above image. Oops! The year-end replay is similar to Spotify Wrapped and other year-end summaries. Assuming Sony eventually gets it back up and running, it will show stats like your most played games, achievements, monthly gaming breakdowns, personal gaming style and more. For the first time this year, Sony added historical data like the number of games played since creating your account and reflections on trophies you’ve earned. The 2024 edition includes a nod to PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, with a retro PlayStation aesthetic and graphics that pay tribute to the brand’s history. The year-end rewind will be continually updated until the end of the year, so , you’ll still have a chance to change it with some furious December marathon sessions. When Wrap Up returns, you can find it here. However, there are several requirements to be eligible. You’ll need to be 18 or older with an active PlayStation Network account in your region and have played at least 10 hours on a PS4 or PS5 in the 2024 calendar year. Another point to consider is that you’ll have to opt in to share “Full Data” from your PS5 console. So, if you’re cautious about big corporations hoovering up your data, consider whether a few moments of profiled nostalgia justify that cost.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/playstations-2024-wrap-up-has-been-mostly-out-of-commission-for-24-hours-190522062.html?src=rss

11.12.2024 20:00 Meta apps and services like Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Messenger are down as part of an apparent outage. Staff at Engadget and users across X and Bluesky have reported issues loading Meta’s websites and logging in. Even Meta’s company site is currently displaying the text “This page isn’t available right now.” There were over 90,000 reports of issues for Facebook.com alone on Downdetector, and the site is also showing outage reports for Whatsapp, Threads, and Messenger too. The issue is clearly not concentrated on a single Meta app or service. Engadget has reached out to Meta for more information on the outage and will update this post once we learn more. The company noted that people have been experience issues on X and said a fix is in the works. We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.— Meta December 11, 2024 Meta last dealt with a major outage in March 2024 that prevented users from accessing its apps and services for two hours. The last outage was attributed to a "technical issue" by Meta communications director Andy Stone, which is the same explanation Meta has offered so far today, but it's not clear when the issue will be resolved.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-threads-whatsapp-and-more-down-as-part-of-meta-outage-184608535.html?src=rss

11.12.2024 20:00 The latest Day of the Devs showcase has come and gone, but the stream placed a spotlight on a whole bunch of promising indie games. The event is curated by Double Fine and iam8bit and this digital showcase highlighted dozens of in-progress titles to keep an eye on. The virtual show included some world premieres and release date announcements, along with a bunch of new trailers about games we already knew about. We winnowed down the list to our 14 favorites, so it’s a baker's dozen plus one. These are all vastly different titles, with their own publishers, genres, budgets and visual styles. They have just one thing in common. These are indie games, in the truest sense of the word. New games Neon Abyss 2 The hit run-and-gun roguelite is getting a sequel, and it looks like an improvement over the original in every major way. There’s an updated weapons system and plenty of new melee and long-distance weapons to choose from, including a gun that quite literally shoots out a giant dragon. Item synergies are back, and are even crazier this time around. The sequel also includes many of the random elements from the original, like slot machines and claw games. There are brand-new minigames, such as a nifty-looking match-three puzzler. The graphics look similar to the original, but that’s not a bad thing. I put like 80 hours into the first one on my Steam Deck, so this is definitely going on my wishlist. We don’t even have long to wait, as the game hits Steam early access on January 14. Recur This goofy-looking puzzle platformer tasks players with controlling a postal worker that can manipulate time. Is a pack of angry dogs harassing you on the beat? Rewind time and put them behind a locked gate. There look to be all kinds of unique puzzles that take advantage of the overlaying game mechanic. The graphics look gorgeous, with a cartoony art design, and the world looks both silly and dangerous. It’s being published by Astra Logical, who released the well-received Rebots and Star Stuff. We don’t have a release window for this one, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on. PBJ - The Musical As the name suggests, this is a musical game that stars peanut butter and jelly. The handcrafted art style is breathtaking, calling to mind stuff like the recent Yoshi games. The title chronicles the invention of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so it follows a peanut and a strawberry on their journey to get grinded up, salted, sugared and spread between two slices of bread. We don’t know exactly how this game will play, though I spied some quick-time events in the trailer, but the music sounds great and the child-like mangling of Shakespearean dialogue is super-cute. Read the full story here. Tankhead This is a third-person action game in which players control flying drones that can connect to robots and vehicles, allowing for unique vehicular combat scenarios. The title Tankhead is quite literal, as the drone typically sits atop the head of a tank. The trailer shows other bizarre combinations, like some kind of nightmare hybrid between a building and a horse. Customization seems to be the name of the game here, with a myriad of chassis and weapon combos available. Want some good news? Tankhead is available right now on the Epic Games Store. Blippo+ Here’s something really interesting from Panic, the publisher behind Untitled Goose Game and the creator of the adorable portable console Playdate. Blippo+ looks less like a game and more like those interdimensional cable episodes of Rick and Morty. The FMV title is a portal to an entire cable platform of made-up TV shows, complete with a directory of what’s airing and more oddities than you can shake a stick at. It's being developed by YACHT and Telefantasy Studios, and seems to have a similar vibe to the latter company's archive, drag performer included. We aren’t sure what the actual game will be, or if there even is one beneath the layer of public access grime, but the trailer sure has us intrigued. It’ll be available for PC via Steam in the near future. Release date announcement Hyper Light Breaker Can you believe it? The successor to the surprise hit Hyper Light Drifter is nearly here, as the game releases as an early access title on Steam on January 14. Notice I said “successor” and not “sequel.” Hyper Light Breaker drops the retro 2D Zelda aesthetic in favor of an all-new 3D engine, while the story itself is positioned more as a prequel. It’s also no longer a single-player affair, as this game places an emphasis on co-op play. One thing that hasn’t changed? The action is still relentless and there will still be waves of enemies to slash through. This follow-up has faced some delays, so it’s good to see we are only a month out from giving it a go. Read the full story on Hyper Light Breaker here. Other stuff that looks dope Kingmakers Have you ever wanted to change the course of history by going back in time with a few machine guns and laying waste to hordes of medieval-era bozos? That’s the basic premise of Kingmakers. The game asks players to “grab a gun and lead an army of thousands into massive, real-time simulated battles.” It’s a blend of action and strategy, like many medieval real-time strategy games, but with an exceptionally strong hook. Also, everything is destructible and can be blown up, which is always a nice touch. The game can be played solo or in a co-op mode with up to four players. It comes out sometime next year as an early access title. Bionic Bay This nifty-looking title takes its inspiration from games like Gravity Rush and Limbo. It’s a side-scrolling platformer with a gorgeous aesthetic, just like the aforementioned Limbo, but the protagonist has the ability to control time and gravity. He can also teleport objects. This leads to all manner of precision-based platforming and plenty of unique puzzles, all set across an ancient biomechanical world. Publisher Kepler Interactive, who released the incredible Pacific Drive, are calling it “a platformer like no other.” It comes out on March 13 for PS5 and PC via Steam. It’s available for wishlisting right now. Faraway Looking for something simple, yet hopelessly addictive? Faraway is a one-button affair that tasks folks with exploring the furthest reaches of space. This is done by drawing constellations and connecting stars together. It’s a puzzle game, complete with various modes, a high-score counter and multipliers. The maps are procedurally generated and the graphics look appropriately minimal. This one has the Annapurna pedigree, so it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on. We could all use a new iconic puzzle game. Faraway will be released for PC sometime in 2025. Read the full story on Faraway here. Sleight of Hand This is a third-person hybrid game that combines stealth action with deckbuilding, all set in a magical noir-tinged city. It’s extremely easy on the eyes, with a darkened color palette and a cast of oddballs. Players control an occult detective pulled out of retirement to do one last job. You know the drill. It’s noir. As for gameplay, the developer’s say it’s like Metal Gear Solid, only with the guns and tools replaced by cards. These cards dictate what moves and powers are available. The protagonist can disappear in a puff of smoke or set a bunch of nameless thugs on fire, so long as the deck is right. It looks fun! Sleight of Hand is available to wishlist right now and will be released for Xbox consoles and PC via Steam. It’ll also be available on Game Pass when it launches. Read the full story on Sleight of Hand here. Blue Prince This game is described as a “roguelike Gone Home mixed with a board game.” From the trailer, that doesn’t sound so far off. The game tasks players with exploring a large estate that changes every day, due to an ever-shifting blueprint There are plenty of family mysteries to unravel and a strategy component that allows for purposeful rejiggering of the aforementioned blueprint. The vibe is appropriately eerie and, well, who doesn’t like exploring a creepy old mansion? Blue Prince is a PC title that launches in the early part of next year. Read the full story on Blue Prince here. Feltopia This “hand-felted stop motion” game looks absolutely stunning and it was developed by a pair of twin siblings. The felt. The fabric. It all looks so real. Feltopia is, basically, a shmup, but with some unique mechanics that set it apart from rival shooters. First of all, there will be no killing of enemies. Instead, players shoot positive vibes that transform monsters into friends. The developers are calling it a “cute-em-up” instead of a shoot-em-up. Also, every single sprite in the game has been needle-felted by hand. That’s some dedication. You can wishlist this one on Steam right now, but it doesn’t actually come out until 2026. All of that fabric work takes time. Read the full story on Feltopia here. Incolatus: Don't Stop, Girlypop! Here’s something I’ve never seen before. Incolatus: Don't Stop, Girlypop! is a first-person shooter inspired by early 2000s girly pop. The soundtrack is pumping, everything is pink and players communicate via a Nokia-style flip phone. There’s another twist, beyond those retro-soaked vibes. The game encourages people to never stand still, like the early 2000s action flick Crank. Constant movement will reward players with bonus damage and healing. Finally, there’s a dress up minigame that’s inspired by CD ROM titles from the 1990s and early 2000s. Inject this game into my Y2K-loving veins please. It’s available to wishlist on Steam right now and will be released “soon.” Read the full story on Incolatus here. LOK Digital As the name suggests, this is a digital version of a pre-existing puzzle book. It may look like a traditional word search puzzle, but players are dropped in without any guidance. We'll have to figure out the rules on our own, which can be deduced by working through the 90 puzzles. There’s a legitimate story and an entire made-up language. That’s right. The words that comprise each puzzle grid will not be in English, or in any recognizable language. Every time a player unlocks a new word, it provides a unique power up. The whole point is to use these power ups to black out the entire grid. It looks pretty fun and, guess what, it’s available right now on PC. The devs say it’ll be released for mobile devices next year. This does seem like the perfect tablet game. If those 14 games aren't enough, check out the whole Day of the Devs stream here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/here-are-the-14-most-interesting-titles-from-the-day-of-the-devs-game-awards-stream-183001600.html?src=rss

11.12.2024 20:00  There's been a bit of a resurgence of stop-motion games in recent years. For one thing, The Spirit of the Samurai is set to arrive on Thursday and it looks pretty compelling . During the Day of the Devs showcase, we got a look at another intriguing stop-motion game that's a bit further out. This one's animated entirely with felt. Feltopia is the first project from creative director Andrea Love and her team at Wooly Games. Love has long used needle-felted wool to create stop-motion animations for commercials, short films and social media, but hadn't seen the medium being used in a game before. "We realized there was a gap in the market for this type of aesthetic, and decided to fill it," Love said. Love describes Feltopia, a cozy spin on the side-scrolling shoot 'em up genre, as a "cute 'em up." You play as a sheep herder named Skyrider who uses magical powers to purge the world of an encroaching smog and save their Rainbow Flock. You're not killing enemies here. Instead, you're restoring infected creatures and bosses to their true forms. Wooly Games "Wool lends itself really well to the natural world, so I knew I wanted to create a game with sweeping landscapes and lots of elemental effects," Love said. "The classic side scroller mechanics mixed with our hand-felted, stop-motion techniques gives Feltopia both a novel and nostalgic feeling, which is a balance I like to hit with my animation work. Our goal is to take a typically violent genre and invert it so it is about transformation and healing rather than destruction and death.” Feltopia looks charming as heck. It's immediately apparent that Love and her team have infused a ton of personality into their first game, and this could be one worth keeping your eye on. Wooly Games, which started work on Feltopia last year, is aiming to release the game in mid-2026. It'll hit Steam first and arrive on other platforms later.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/feltopia-is-a-side-scrolling-shoot-em-up-animated-in-felt-182353538.html?src=rss