Hasta La Gadget!

When it goes live, iOS 18.4 will allow some users to set a default navigation app other than Apple Maps. The software of choice can be set from the Settings app by going to Apps, then to Default Apps, then to Navigation. This way, users can opt for a program like Google Maps or Waze to be automatically opened when you’re getting directions.

This sounds like a useful update that lots of iPhone owners would appreciate. But not all of them will be able to take advantage. Default navigation choice will only be available in the EU. The change was previously noted by Apple earlier in the month as part of its broader response to the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.

There are some preferences iPhone owners in the US can set for default programs. Currently, Americans get options for setting the to-go apps for email, messaging, calling, call filtering, browser, passwords and codes, contactless and keyboards. And they’ve been thrown a bone in iOS 18.4, with the added choice to set a default translation app.

Across the Atlantic, however European users can make more impactful choices around their Apple use. Most notably, they can use alternative app stores. Some features that were sparked by compliance with the Digital Markets Act have been rolled out in other markets, such as third-party access to the near-field communication that powers functions like tap-to-pay. Having an international consumer base will often lead to situations where different laws and regulations create different user experiences around the world. But at the rate EU users are getting a better experience, either initially or permanently, over Apple’s home market, these instances are feeling more like an accepted strategy rather than edge cases.

iOS 18.4 is still in beta; the final version is expected to release in April.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/ios-184-introduces-a-new-default-navigation-app-choice-but-only-in-europe-223408294.html?src=rss

Straining the limits of wall space and most reasonable people’s budgets, Samsung is now selling a March Madness bundle of eight “premium Samsung TVs” that you can get for $10,000, a savings of more than $6,000. Samsung suggests the new “Buzzer Beater” bundle will let you dedicate a TV to each channel March Madness games will air on so that you don’t have to fiddle with Multi View or keep your remote handy to stay on top of your favorite college basketball teams.

If you decide to go all-in, the Buzzer Beater bundle includes a 98-inch Crystal UHD 4K TV, a 65-inch Neo QLED 8K TV, three 65-inch Neo QLED 4K TVs and three 55-inch QLED 4K TVs. The image in Samsung’s press release somehow imagines all of the TVs will fit on one giant wall, but however you arrange them, you’ll want to be quick. Samsung is offering the deal while supplies last, and you’ll want to find a way to get them all installed by March 18, when the first March Madness matches actually start.

Samsung

Samsung’s bundle gets you a sampler platter of the company’s display technology, but if you’re looking for a less expensive way to get a new TV, Samsung has several normal deals available, too, including on its Neo QLED TVs, which use Mini LEDs to offer and overall brighter and more contrast-y look. You can get a 43-inch Neo QLED TV for as low as $900, $600 off their usual $1,500 starting price. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsungs-new-march-madness-tv-bundle-pushes-the-boundaries-of-reason–and-walls-212310298.html?src=rss

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the centerpiece of March’s PlayStation Plus game catalog entries. The critically acclaimed metroidvania title is accompanied by Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, UFC 5, Arcade Paradise and the, uh, unforgettably titled Bang-on Balls: Chronicles. Meanwhile, you’ll need a PS Plus Premium subscription to play the return of glorious PS1-era Mech-piloting action in the first three Armored Core games. This month’s arrivals will all be available from March 18.

Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is, by all accounts, a terrific game. It has all the series’ elements like tight parkour controls, swordplay and challenging platforming (with a healthy share of magical secrets). Throw in its striking visual style with a rich color palette, and you have something special. Engadget’s Lawrence Bonk found it to be “a fantastic metroidvania that could easily sit next to some of the classics of the genre, like Hollow Knight and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.”

FromSoftware

It even has a handy “memory shards” feature that other metroidvania titles would do well to copy: Capture a screenshot of an area you want to return to later and pin it to your map. Lest the neat mechanic make things too easy (something the genre rarely has to worry about), you only get a limited number of memory shard slots.

Despite receiving rave reviews across the board, The Lost Crown reportedly only sold around 300,000 copies during its first few weeks after launch, so Ubisoft did its Ubisoft thing and disbanded the team that made it. (Sigh.) Although that means we almost certainly won’t see more DLC or a sequel, at least most of its developers are still working at Ubisoft on other projects. And hey, there’s another Prince of Persia game to look forward to as early as next year.

Bandai Namco

Other highlights for Extra and Premium members include Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, which gives fast-paced arcade soccer a striking visual makeover (and a storyline!), and the nostalgic management sim (with bonus mini-games) Arcade Paradise.

You’ll also get the indie platformer Bang-On Balls: Chronicles, which is a bit like taking a 3D Kirby game, cutting most of the transformations and adding quirky, slapstick humor (like optional flatulence). There’s also UFC 5 if you’re into EA Sports’ take on bare-knuckle brawling.

FromSoftware

Basking in the glow of the acclaimed 2024 entry Armored Core: Fires of Rubicon, Sony is turning back the clock to the series’ roots. PS Plus Premium subscribers can play Armored Core (1997), Armored Core: Project Phantasma (1997) and Armored Core: Master of Arena (1999) for the first time on their modern PlayStation consoles (PS5 and PS4).

The innovative (and highly customizable!) mech series laid the groundwork for the 2024 entry, which Engadget’s Igor Bonifacic praised as “an incredible achievement in game design and thematic cohesion, and, I think, a promise of what we can expect from FromSoftware’s next generation of talent.”

This month’s PS Plus games will be available from March 18. You can read the full list of entries on the PlayStation blog.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-highlights-marchs-ps-plus-lineup-194545416.html?src=rss

Niantic Labs just announced that it has found a buyer for its game division after putting out feelers back in February. The Saudi Arabia-owned company Scopely has agreed to purchase the division for $3.5 billion. Scopely was founded in Los Angeles but was purchased using money from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, otherwise called the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The agreement includes most of Niantic’s portfolio of AR games, including Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now and Pikmin Bloom, among several others. It also includes the company’s social companion apps for Pokémon Go, Campfire and Wayfarer. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions.

Scopely says it will receive “Niantic’s entire team of exceptional gamemakers and category-leading games.” There are a couple of titles, however, missing from this purchase. Niantic Labs will retain the AR gaming titles Peridot and Ingress.

Scopely is a major player in the mobile games industry. It’s the company behind games like Star Trek Fleet Command, Marvel Strike Force and Monopoly Go!, to name a few.

As for Niantic’s games division, it’s a shadow of its former self. Pokémon Go engaged more than 500 million players in its first year, but the game’s staying power has waned in recent times. At its peak, the mobile monster battler attracted over 230 million players each month. Nowadays, that number has shrunk to around 80 million.

The company has also struggled to replicate the Pikachu-shaped lightning in a bottle with other titles. It tried to reskin the Pokémon Go formula onto other franchises like Harry Potter and NBA basketball, but nothing stuck. The Monster Hunter and Pikmin projects, however, are still active.

This led Niantic to cancel multiple games and lay off hundreds of employees. Niantic’s valuation has taken several hits and the company’s long-promised “real-world metaverse” has yet to materialize. If the sale goes through, the company will focus on building out its standalone entity Niantic Spatial. This group builds real-world 3D maps and is led by company CEO John Hanke.

The Saudi PIF has become a major player in the games industry in recent years. It not only owns Scopely and its parent company Savvy Games Group, but has financial stakes in organizations like Nintendo, EA and Activision Blizzard.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/pokemon-go-maker-niantic-sells-its-game-division-to-saudi-owned-scopely-160905447.html?src=rss

Apple and Metallica have teamed up to bring a free, immersive experience from one of the band’s concerts to Apple Vision Pro. Starting on March 14, owners of the headset will be able to watch live performances of “Whiplash,” “One” and, of course, “Enter Sandman” filmed at a stop on Metallica’s M72 World Tour last year. An EP recorded at the show, titled M72 World Tour: Mexico City, will hit Apple Music this Friday and be available with spatial audio.

To capture the set in 180-degree video and spatial audio, Apple constructed a custom stage setup with 14 Apple Immersive Video cameras. Some cameras were suspended on cables and on remote-controlled dolly systems.

The immersive set will likely be a fun experience for those in the Venn diagram overlap of Metallica enjoyers and those who have splashed out $3,500 on an Apple Vision Pro (you’ll be able to check it out by booking a free demo at an Apple Store too). But will it be as cool as the time lightning struck the skies while Metallica played “Master of Puppets” at an outdoor show last year? Probably not.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/apple-vision-pro-users-can-check-out-a-short-immersive-metallica-concert-film-this-week-162611039.html?src=rss