Hasta La Gadget!

The Expanse—both the beloved Prime Video series, and the beloved book series by James S.A. Corey (authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck)—may be over, but the story lives on in new video game The Expanse: A Telltale Series. Its story focuses on fan-favorite character Camina Drummer, and Telltale has just released a fun…

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The unconventional sports sim What the Golf is officially coming to PS4 and PS5 consoles later this year. The release is set to include all current updates, which is always nice, and has been optimized for Sony consoles. This includes haptic-based DualSense support so you can really feel the impact of striking a ball, a cat or an entire planet toward a hole (it’s a weird and funny game.)

What the Golf takes the basic notions of a golf sim and upends them entirely. There are plenty of ludicrous golf-adjacent minigames and the rules change on a dime, leading to hilarious multiplayer matchups. Some levels take you to space, while others transform the golf ball into an office chair, among many other objects. The absurdity on display has made the game a hit, even among those who have little interest in golf.

The game originally released on Apple Arcade, but was eventually ported to the Nintendo Switch. To that end, the Switch version is getting a beefy update tomorrow, August 3rd, that features a crossover with murder/snitch simulator Among Us. The update includes a new overworld and 35 new levels. These levels already launched for Apple Arcade back in April, but this is the first time they’ll be available on a dedicated gaming console. The PC version is also getting some Among Us love.

Developer Triband has also announced seasonal updates dropping over the course of the next year. These will include new stages and other surprises, coinciding with holidays like Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. All versions of the game will have access to these free updates, including Switch, PC, PS4 and PS5. It all starts with the Halloween-themed Beware of the Bogeyman, which is available from October 23rd until November 5th.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile-hit-what-the-golf-is-coming-to-playstation-soon-175141459.html?src=rss

Does your smartphone feel like it’s too smart for you? Try Nokia. The company unveiled two new phones Wednesday, and they aren’t less worthy for their lack of apps. The fact that they’re so light on distractions might be what entices you to one. They’re also great as a secondary phone if you have two numbers but want…

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Elon Musk says he plans to ask Tim Cook to adjust the App Store fees X pays on subscriptions as part of a plan to boost creators earnings on the platform that was, until recently, known as Twitter. The remarks are the latest example of Musk calling out the “App Store tax” Apple takes from in-app purchases.

Musk framed the ask as part of a broader effort to help creators get paid more for paying subscribers. “While we had previously said that 𝕏 would keep nothing for the [first] 12 months, then 10%, we are amending that policy to 𝕏 keeps nothing forever, until payout exceeds $100k, then 10%,” he tweeted. “Apple does take 30%, but I will speak with @tim_cook and see if that can be adjusted to be just 30% of what 𝕏 keeps in order to maximize what creators receive.”

It’s unclear if Musk’s request has any chance of success. Cook seems unlikely to make such a concession, as he’s long ducked criticism from numerous other developers about the App Store’s fees and the policies surrounding them. Apple and X didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

However, it’s not the first time Musk has publicly called out Apple’s App Store policies. He previously complained about Apple’s “secret 30% tax” on in-app purchases, and reportedly delayed the launch of Twitter Blue to avoid the fees. He’s also accused the iPhone maker of threatening “to withhold” Twitter’s from the App Store, though he later said that was a “misunderstanding” after a private meeting with Cook.

Regardless, Musk and X would greatly benefit from a boost in paying subscribers, which seems to be the motivation for Musk again calling attention to the issue. The company’s ad revenue is down more than 50 percent as many advertisers have yet to return to spending at the same level as before he took over Twitter. Generating more subscribers— via creators and Twitter Blue — could help the company become less reliant on ad revenue, though the company would need tens of millions of subscribers, if not more, to make up the deficit.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-says-hell-ask-tim-cook-to-lower-app-store-fees-for-x-subscriptions-223952210.html?src=rss

Agricultural officials in California placed parts of Los Angeles County under a produce quarantine last week after several invasive Tau fruit flies were discovered.

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