If you miss Driver games, you’ll soon get to revisit the classic open-world franchise — but not in a playable form. GamesIndustry.bizreports Ubisoft is producing a live-action Driver TV show that will premiere solely on Binge, a free gaming-oriented streaming service due to launch in 2022. The duo didn’t detail the plot or cast, but it won’t be surprising if the series revolves around racer-turned-undercover-agent John Tanner.
It’s unclear when the show will arrive. It’s not guaranteed to launch alongside Binge itself.
For many, the larger question may be whether or not there’s a large audience for the show. Like with the rumored Splinter Cell series, Ubisoft hasn’t touched the originating game brand in a while. The last Driver game was a 2014 free-to-play mobile title, Driver:Speedboat Paradise, and the last truly big release was 2011’s Driver: San Francisco. This also isn’t quite a timeless classic. Apart from the very first Driver and San Francisco, most games in the series have received middling reviews and the sales to match.
The series does have a premise virtually tailor-made for TV, though, with its Bullitt-inspired premise and real-world setting. And look at it this way: we wouldn’t be surprised if the show presaged the development of a new Driver game, even if it was just a show tie-in.
When Moog debuted its Sound Studio bundles earlier this year, the company paired two analog synths with a mixer, cables and everything else you need for a starter kit. Of course, these are for slightly more advanced users given the investment. The only problem is you have to make a decision. The bundles include the three Mother synthesizers, but you have to decide between the Mother-32 and DFAM or DFAM and Subharmonicon. Those are the two combinations available starting $1,399. However, Moog is going a step further with its latest offer: all three Mother synths with the extra gear for $1,999.
Like the previous bundles, this three-synth option comes with everything you need to get started. That includes a dust cover, audio mixer/power distribution hub, rack kit, cables, cable organizer, learning materials and even those adorable cardboard cutouts. As a refresher, the Mother-32 is a production synthesizer with a step sequencer and 64 slots of memory. It offers a classic Moog voice for raw analog tone combined with the company’s deep bass. The DFAM is a drum synth for all of your rhythm and percussion needs while the Subharmonicon is designed for experimentation.
Moog
For this three-synth bundle, Moog created a card game to foster collaboration and experimentation. Inspired by the gaming community in the company’s home city of Asheville, North Carolina, Circuitous Connections allows you to explore analog synthesis at your own pace. The game helps you discover new sounds and learn patching techniques along the way. The company says this “happy accident generator” will allow you to play repeatedly without patching the same thing twice. Moog also explains that you can have just as much fun playing solo as you can with others.
Like it did with the initial Sound Studio packages, Moog is releasing another EP alongside this new offering. Explorations in Analog Synthesis, Volume II includes work from Boy Harsher, Hannah Peel, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Galcher Lustwerk, Ya Tseen, Tygapaw and Paula Temple. And like the first edition, this collection is also available to stream for free on SoundCloud.
Arturia’s V Collection consists of a staggering 28 virtual instruments at this point, covering everything from analog classics, to acoustic pianos to forgotten digital keyboards. At some point, you’d think the company would run out of interesting synths to emulate, but not just yet. The newest addition to the Arturia family is the SQ80 V, a recreation of the Ensoniq SQ-80.
The SQ-80 was a bit of a strange beast. It was released in 1987 and combined 8-bit digital wavetables with analog filters. It’s quirky, crunchy and seriously fun. It combines crunch lo-fi digital samples with analog warmth for something pretty unique. Also, at a time when many synth makers were stripping down their interfaces while stuffing in every feature they could imagine (looking at you DX7), the SQ-80 was surprisingly easy to program. It was also one of the earliest keyboards with polyphonic aftertouch, which is captured here thanks to MPE support.
Arturia normally takes great pains to recreate the physical appearance and controls of a synth they’re emulating, but the company simplified things a bit for the SQ80 V. You can change the oscillator waves and tweak the filter, but many of the controls, like the three LFOs and four envelopes are all on a separate synthesis tab that’s a little more mouse friendly.
Arturia also went all out with the sound sources. It includes the original 75 waveforms, as well as the “hidden” waves from the SQ-80 and it’s predecessor the ESQ-1, plus a selection of transient waveforms. The company greatly expanded on the sound design possibilities of the SQ80 V without really straying from the heart and character of the original.
This is pretty par for the course, though. Arturia has been at this long enough, meticulously emulating classic synths while adding some modern conveniences, that it’ be more surprising if it missed the mark at this point.
The one thing this means though, is that the company is filling increasingly small niches in its arsenal of instruments. The SQ80 V is a digital synthesizer, with a lo-fi character built around sampled waveforms and an analog filter. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the same broad description also applies to the E-MU Emulator II which Arturia recreated for V Collection 8 in December.
Terrence O’Brien / Engadget
While both are definitely crunchy and digital they have identities all their own. The Emulator II is more of a straightforward sampler, and the SQ-80 is closer to a traditional synthesizer. While I quite enjoyed the lo-fi bit-crushed keys of the Emulator, I dig the SQ80 V more. It’s more approachable to someone coming from the world of synthesizers. Plus, it’s a little warmer and more timeless sounding. Not that you can’t get cheesy 80s sounds out of the SQ80 V, it’s just easier to coax modern sound out of than the Emulator which can be a touch too cold and brittle for my tastes.
While there are some analog style sounds in the SQ80 V, its bread and butter is crushed digital sounds. Harsh industrial hits, dusty keys and ambient pads. There are two sound packs being released alongside it that lean into those strengths: Dust Factory and Raw Machinery.
But even if you skip the sound packs, you should be able to easily find sounds that you like either in the included presets or by designing your own. And building your own patches is pretty simple. The three digital oscillators have dropdown menus for selecting waveforms, the envelopes and LFOs all have their own tabs, and the filter can be shaped with the mouse. The whole interface is clean, charmingly retro and easy to navigate. It’s especially impressive considering how much power there is to manipulate things. Most parameters can be modulated by a number of different sources — and many can be modulated by two sources at the same time.
Terrence O’Brien / Engadget
My one minor complaint UI-wise is that the tiny dials next to the various modulation destinations could be a little clearer. It might not be immediately obvious to everyone that, if you want LFO two to change the filter cutoff you have to hover over the darkened circle underneath it then click on the even tinier plus sign that pops up to select a modulation source. Then you click and drag on the circle to set the modulation amount.
Minor quibble with that aside, Arturia does deserve credit for putting a lot of effort into creating thorough and clear tutorials for all its instruments over the last couple of years and SQ80 V is no different.
Arturia’s V Collection is stuffed with great instruments and great sounds, but the SQ80 V is quickly becoming one of my favorites (though, it is technically not part of the V Collection — yet). It’s available now as a standalone instrument for an introductory price of $99 until October 5 at which point it will go up to $199. It can also be bundled with V Collection 8 at a discount, though the final price will depend on your status as an Arturia customer.
Companies are starting to take console gaming more seriously, building headsets and controllers designed explicitly for Xbox and PlayStation systems. Razer’s been at the forefront of the pack for a few years now thanks to its line of Wolverine controllers, which gains a new member of the family today, the Wolverine v2 Chroma.
Razer
While the name would seem to suggest it’s just a color upgrade, it’s not just the addition of Razer Chroma RGB lighting that makes this a step up from last year’s V2. It keeps the two multifunction buttons at the top but now they’re joined by four triggers on the back of the gamepad. They’re not paddles like the ones you’d find on Microsoft’s Elite or Scuf’s line of controllers, but they are equipped with 2-stage stop-switches that let you choose between a short and long pull distance depending on what type of game you’re playing.
Razer
Also new to the V2 Chroma are interchangeable thumb stick caps. The default sticks on pretty much any gamepad you can buy are short and concave, and Razer still includes a pair of those in the box. But the package also lets you swap in a tall, concave cap for sniping or a short, convex one for running-and-gunning. You don’t need special tools to swap them out either, just give either thumb stick a good tug.
Razer
If you’re thinking that all these improvements don’t come cheap, you’d be correct, with the Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma going for $150, a $50 increase over the regular V2. But then again, competing options from Microsoft and Scuf will run you $170 to $200, and none of them have snazzy lighting.
The possibility of covid-19 booster shots for all is looking less and less likely to happen in the U.S., at least for the time being. Scientists in the U.S. and elsewhere have argued that the general public does not need boosters currently, given the continued protection that vaccines appear to provide against…
There’s blood in the water in Texas. No, I’m not being metaphorical or quoting a country song. I mean that Austin funeral homes have been pouring human blood from corpses down the drain along with toxic embalming fluids.
While trying to source a new Xbox Series S/X is still a bit tricky, Razer’s new Wolverine V2 Chroma controller is designed to offer superior responsiveness regardless of whether you’re playing on Xbox or PC.
Today’s the day, folks. At long last, after months and months of rumors, we’ll finally get to see the iPhone 13 lineup. As always, the event kicks off at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ETT, and we’ve got you covered if you’re looking for ways to tune in.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
