In 2018, Mark Zuckerberg waltzed into the halls of Congress for the most high-profile moment of his career. He was pale and glass-eyed, his tie wrapped loosely around his neck, and his hair cropped high and thin in a bizarre homage to Augustus Caesar. His speech was practiced and robotic, and while his performance…
As expected, the PlayStation State of Play today featured our first look at the latest from famed developer Hideo Kojima, in the form of an exceedingly creepy and cinematic preview of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Sam, played by Norman Reedus, is back in a trailer that makes very little sense if you haven’t played the first game — and even if you did, the contents of this preview might not make a ton of sense. Rest assured, you’ll still be running around wildly impressive landscapes with your giant yellow backpack.
But it sounds like you won’t actually have to run around delivering things, because bots are able to do that in this world. The real surprise is when Sam gets captured and runs across his brother, played by the ubiquitous Troy Baker… who pulls out a guitar/gun and starts shredding to take on some enemies? Sure. It’ll still be a bit before we see what this all amounts to, as it doesn’t arrive until sometime in 2025.
At the end of the stream, though, Kojima teased an all-new project in the works, though it won’t be entering full production until after Death Stranding 2 is complete.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/death-stranding-2-on-the-beach-looks-even-more-baffling-than-the-original-game-224806034.html?src=rss
Starlab Space’s forthcoming space station is so big and heavy that only the formidable SpaceX Starship megarocket can launch it into orbit, but the one-time delivery option comes with distinct benefits.
Palworld, the viral “Pokémon with guns” game that launched in Early Access to mixed reviews, has already sold 19 million copies. Developer Pocketpair says it’s sold 12 million copies on Steam and seven million on Xbox since its January 19 launch (after selling over a million in its first eight hours). Microsoft says the tongue-in-cheek Pokémon satire is the biggest third-party launch on Game Pass.
“The response from fans has been tremendous and it’s incredible to see the millions of players around the world enjoying Palworld,” Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe told Xbox Wire. “This is just the beginning for us and Palworld, and the feedback we’re gathering while in Game Preview will allow us to continue to improve the experience for Pal Tamers across all platforms.”
In addition to being the biggest third-party Game Pass launch ever, Palworld had the largest third-party day-one launch on Xbox Cloud Gaming (included with Game Pass Ultimate). The game’s highest peak since launch was nearly three million daily active users on Xbox. Microsoft says it was the most-played game on Xbox platforms during that period.
Palworld uses Pokémon-esque characters and themes — enough to catch the attention of Nintendo’s lawyers. It has battles with monsters similar to those in the creature-collecting series, including the ability to capture them inside a sphere after winning.
But Palworld also includes biting social commentary and incorporates themes you’d never see in Pokémon — like labor exploitation. “Don’t worry, there are no labor laws for Pals,” a game FAQ reads. One of the title’s trailers showed a player circling hard-at-work Pals with an assault rifle. “Creating a productive base like this is the secret to living a comfortable life in Palworld,” the narration reads.
Microsoft emphasized that the developer is still hard at work on the Early Access title. “There’s much more to come as Pocketpair refine the experience ahead of a full 1.0 release,” Xbox Wire’s Joe Skrebels wrote. He says Pocketpair is listening to player feedback and applying what they’ve learned. He added that cross-play, one of the most requested features, is coming.
🎉Total number of players exceeds 19 million🎉
It’s been less than two weeks since #Palworld was released, thank you!
・Steam: 12 million~ copies
・Xbox: 7 million~ playersWe will continue to prioritize fixing bugs!
Thank you for your continued support of #Pocketpair! pic.twitter.com/twgAeYVL07— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) January 31, 2024
Even if early impressions of the game’s fun and polish are hit-or-miss (at best), having Microsoft in its corner could help the developer tighten up Palworld significantly. The Windows maker says it’s supporting the game by enabling dedicated servers and offering engineering resources to help optimize GPU and memory workload. Palworld posted on X it will “continue to prioritize fixing bugs.”
Palworld is available in Early Access for $30 (and included in Game Pass) on Xbox and PC (including Steam).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-says-palworld-is-the-biggest-ever-third-party-game-pass-launch-212835294.html?src=rss
Universal Music Group is expected to remove its entire library of songs from TikTok on Wednesday night, according to Reuters, as the record label has failed to renew its contract with the social media platform. The label condemns TikTok for unfairly paying artists and doing little to protect them from AI, in an open…
Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro AR/VR headset will have a bunch of dedicated Microsoft 365 apps at launch on February 2, including Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Loop. Apple has long described the Vision Pro as primarily a productivity device, so the addition of Microsoft products should make users, well, more productive.
These aren’t just slapdash remakes of correlating iPads apps, as many have built-in tools that take advantage of the headset. For instance, PowerPoint features a custom immersive environment that allows users to practice delivering a presentation to an actual audience. Excel will let users quickly move documents to other apps by using the headset’s pinch and drag functionality.
Microsoft Word will include a focus mode that blocks distractions so you can actually finish that novel you’ve been talking about for 15 years. Teams will take advantage of the headset’s persona feature, so your digital avatar can attend work meetings and creep everyone else out via the magic of the uncanny valley. The Zoom app on Apple Vision Pro will also include this feature.
Headset owners will also be able to access Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot service. In other words, you’ll be able to use natural conversation to instruct the digital assistant to create drafts, summarize documents and even generate PowerPoint presentations.
Each of these apps will be available via the official App Store as soon as you unbox your expensive new gadget. There has been plenty of chatter about what software won’t be available at launch, like Netflix and YouTube, so it’s good to see that early adopters won’t be forced to exclusively use Apple-branded apps.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-vision-pro-will-have-microsoft-teams-word-excel-and-other-365-apps-at-launch-195237957.html?src=rss
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is a particularly feature-packed release from the South Korean tech giant, and—yes—most of them surround all the newfangled (and,for the moment, free) Galaxy AI. Sure, there’s the Ultra’s titanium, but you’reinterested in just what the new phone is capable of compared to previous generations.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 is a particularly feature-packed release from the South Korean tech giant, and—yes—most of them surround all the newfangled (and,for the moment, free) Galaxy AI. Sure, there’s the Ultra’s titanium, but you’reinterested in just what the new phone is capable of compared to previous generations.
The Xbox Design Lab is neat in that you can customize the colors of your controller pretty much however you like. Microsoft is offering players more customization options for their Xbox controller with the Vapor series. These six top case options have swirling color patterns that will provide your peripheral with your ideal look if you’re aiming for that bowling ball aesthetic.
The variants include Nocturnal Vapor, which blends dark green and grey; the bold pink and purple Cyber Vapor; and the red and orange Fire Vapor. You’ll still be able to customize the button colors and swap in metallic triggers and D-pads, and rubberized side and back grips. Players can add a personalized engraving to the case too.
Those who don’t feel like fiddling around in the Design Lab but still want a controller with this kind of vibe can pick up the latest Xbox special edition controller, the Dream Vapor. While it uses the pink and purple top case from the Vapor collection, Xbox has included unique, matching purple rubberized side grips and soft pink ABXY buttons with purple accents. Snap up the $70 controller and you’ll also get an exclusive dynamic background for your Xbox Series X/S.
It’s not exactly the first time Xbox has embraced this vibe. The Stormcloud Vapor controller has been around for a while. But the fact Microsoft is wading further into these swirly waters has us suspecting there’s perhaps a really big Pete Weber fan on the Xbox team.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-latest-xbox-controllers-feature-a-nifty-bowling-ball-aesthetic-194233908.html?src=rss
We knew 2024 was going to be a landmark year in spaceflight, and judging by the wide range of developments in just the first month, we’re in for an extraordinary ride throughout the rest of the year.
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