Author Archives: Lawrence Bonk

The Bioshock movie is still happening but with a reduced budget

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We haven't had an update on Netflix’s Bioshock movie in a couple of years, leading some to wonder if it was quietly canned. The good news? The movie’s still coming. The (potential) bad news? The budget has been slashed, according to reporting by Variety.

This comes from producer Roy Lee, who was one of the people behind The Lego Movie. He announced the reduced budget during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con. He didn’t put out any numbers, but did say that the movie is currently being “reconfigured” to be a “more personal” film. Director Francis Lawrence is still helming the picture. He has directed four of the five Hunger Games movies, along with I Am Legend and the original Constantine.

The Bioshock film was first announced back in 2022, but since that time Netflix has experienced something of a regime change on the executive level. Dan Lin replaced Scott Stuber as the streamer’s film chief and Lin has tightened the purse strings away from stuff like Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon.

“The new regime has lowered the budgets,” Lee said at Comic-Con. “So we’re doing a much smaller version.”

In addition to budget cuts, Lee noted that Netflix has changed its compensation strategy with regard to movies. It’s shifting to a more traditional model that relies on bonuses tied to actual viewership numbers.

This could actually be good news. In my opinion, personal stories tend to work better than constant CGI battles with hordes of faceless baddies. Bioshock is also, at its heart, a personal story about family, with the fantastical Rapture setting being window dressing.

I guess it ultimately depends on how much of that budget was cut. There’s a big difference between a slightly reduced budget and a massive cut that turns all of the footage into darkened corridor scenes filmed in a series of Toronto or Atlanta warehouses. The release date hasn’t been announced and, honestly, it could still be a ways off. Director Lawrence has a lot on his plate right now, including an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk and yet another Hunger Games movie.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-bioshock-movie-is-still-happening-but-with-a-reduced-budget-184524214.html?src=rss

The 65-inch LG C3 OLED TV is nearly half off for today only

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The 65-inch LG C3 OLED TV is 48 percent off via Woot, which brings the price down to $1,298. That’s a savings of around $1,200 on the well-regarded OLED panel. There’s one major caveat. This deal is for today only, or until the stock runs out. To that end, there’s a limit of one per customer, but that’s probably not a huge deal unless you’re in the process of furnishing a mansion or something.

The LG C3 OLED is considered one of the best TVs for gaming, and with good reason. We loved this television’s high contrast and the deep blacks on offer. We also praised the low input lag, increased motion response and wide array of appropriate viewing angles. It follows HDR guidelines, works with all the major VRR formats and has four HDMI 2.1 ports that are capable of outputting 4K 120Hz with a gaming console or PC.

It supports all the major HDR standards, including Dolby Vision. This TV is available in sizes up to 83-inches, but the larger models aren’t on sale. I use a 65-inch OLED, though not this one, and it’s plenty big enough for TV and gaming.

Despite being a dang good value, this isn’t a perfect television. The WOLED panel doesn’t get quite as bright as a QD-OLED like the Samsung S90C. Also, it doesn’t support a 144Hz refresh rate, which could be a dealbreaker to picky PC gamers. Still, the price is definitely right. Just make sure you pick this up sooner rather than later.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-65-inch-lg-c3-oled-tv-is-nearly-half-off-for-today-only-152153420.html?src=rss

Sonos apologized for messing up its app and has offered a roadmap for fixing everything

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Sonos seriously stepped in it a couple of months back when it released an overhauled first-party mobile app that shipped with a number of missing features. These included core functions like sleep timers and alarms. Many of the company’s speakers would not appear as a pairing option and it became extremely difficult to precisely adjust the volume level of a paired speaker.Additionally, music search and playback were both negatively impacted by the change, leading to numerous customer complaints. 

Now, the company has apologized for releasing the half-baked app. CEO Patrick Spence whipped up a blog post to address the “significant problems” with the new software. 

“There isn’t an employee at Sonos who isn’t pained by having let you down, and I assure you that fixing the app for all of our customers and partners has been and continues to be our number one priority,” he wrote.

Spence also wrote that the company had planned to quickly incorporate the missing features and patch up any errors, but these fixes were delayed by a “number of issues” that were unique to the update. He did confirm that Sonos has been actively pushing out patches approximately every two weeks to address a wide variety of concerns.

Additionally, he outlined the company’s future roadmap for getting the app into proper working order. Upcoming fixes include increased stability when pairing new products and enhancing configuration options with regard to the music library. Volume responsiveness is also getting a refresh, as is the alarm clock. As a matter of fact, the entire user interface is getting a complete overhaul that is “based on customer feedback.”

All of these changes will be released via a number of app updates from now until October. Spence says he knows the company has work to do to “earn back” the trust of loyal Sonos customers. In better news, it did just release some nifty headphones.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonos-apologized-for-messing-up-its-app-and-has-offered-a-roadmap-for-fixing-everything-191528422.html?src=rss

Stalker 2 has been delayed (again) until November 20

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The long-anticipated Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been delayed yet again, this time until November 20. It was supposed to come out on September 5. This is just the latest delay in a development cycle that stretches all the way back to 2010. That’s 14 years. The longest delay in gaming history is Duke Nukem Forever, at 15 years.

What’s taking so long? At first, it was funding issues. Developer GSC Game World nearly shut down, but managed to weather the storm. Next, the makers spent a whole lot of time perfecting various mechanics and features, including a new way to render human teeth.

Real world events intervened to continue the delay. Russia invaded Ukraine and GSC was based in Kyiv. The game was put on hold as the staff relocated to Prague, eventually picking back up on development in 2022. After that, the game was supposed to (finally) release in December of last year.

However, there were some kinks to work out, so the launch was pushed to September 5, 2024. It looks like the bugs are still popping up, because now it’s set for November.

“We know you might be tired of waiting, and we truly appreciate your patience. These two additional months will give us the chance to fix more ‘unexpected anomalies’ (or simply ‘bugs’ as you call them),” wrote Yevhen Grygorovych, Game Director at GSC Game World, in a press release. “We’re just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself.”

Who knows if it’ll actually come out this November, but it’s looking more and more likely. GSC also announced the pending release of a deep-dive video that will offer “the most comprehensive look yet into the game," with a premiere date of August 12. This video will include developer interviews, new in-game footage and a full walkthrough of a story quest.

For the uninitiated, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a sequel to the hit 2007 FPS. The forthcoming follow-up brings some survival horror mechanics into the mix, which should be fun. There are plenty of trailers to check out which, you know, tends to happen when a game has been in development for 14 years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/stalker-2-has-been-delayed-again-until-november-20-173259981.html?src=rss

That Disney+, Hulu and Max streaming bundle is now available

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We knew it was coming and now it’s here. Disney has entered into a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to offer an ad-free streaming bundle that includes Disney+, Hulu and Max. The combo pack costs $30 per month, which is a savings of $6 per month when you add it all up. A Disney+ and Hulu bundle costs $20 per month and ad-free Max costs $16 per month, so this is a pretty good deal.

If you want to save even more money and don’t mind lengthy ad breaks interrupting prestige dramas that weren’t made with advertisements in mind, there’s an ad-filled version of this bundle available for $17 per month. You still get access to all of the content from the three streamers. You also get a bunch of ads. This is likely the most budget-friendly way to get your eyeballs on Game of Thrones and Star Wars content.

Speaking of, Disney+ is the home to all things Star Wars, including The Acolyte, which has proven to be a pretty big hit for the platform and a great showcase for laser sword tomfoolery. The platform is also Marvel HQ, with Agatha All Along and that new Daredevil show premiering in the near future.

In my humble opinion, Disney+ would be well-served by developing some decent shows outside of its two tentpole franchises, but that’s where Hulu comes in. This streamer is home to a little global phenomenon called The Bear, in addition to the cringefest Pen15, the cartoon Solar Opposites and much more. Hulu also streams TV shows the day after they air from networks like FX and ABC. That means you can use it to watch both Shōgun and Abbott Elementary.

As for Max, you know the drill. It’s HBO that for some reason has been rebranded to suit some corporate mandate nobody quite understands. That means access to the iconic cable network’s entire catalog, including The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Wire and so much more. It also streams new shows like House of the Dragon and The Regime.

Disney also owns ESPN, which is currently prepping a new streaming sports service by teaming up with Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Sports. This joint operation will stream events from the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA when it launches later this year. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/that-disney-hulu-and-max-streaming-bundle-is-now-available-152015788.html?src=rss

Modders made a tiny Nintendo Wii that doubles as a keychain

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The Nintendo Wii was a bona-fide cultural juggernaut, with over 100 million consoles sold during its lifespan. It was never the biggest console in the world, with a size approximating a paperback book. Modders, however, have managed to shrink the Wii’s footprint way down. They made a functional console that’s no bigger than a keychain, as reported by Time Extension. As a matter of fact, it actually doubles as a keychain.

The appropriately-named Nintendo Kawaii is a teensy-weensy Wii that lacks some of the bells and whistles of the original, but it works and can run games from that generation. It’s also quite fetching, with a CNC’d aluminum metal unibody. There are magnetic pogo pin connectors for power, AV support and controllers. There’s also a custom dock that offers support for four Gamecube controllers, which is a must for certain fighting games that rhyme with Shmooper Smash Bros.

The makers of this minuscule wonder say the project began as a challenge to make “the smallest functional Wii ever made.” It looks like they got the job done. As for excess heat, the whole thing is passively cooled and doesn’t include an internal fan.

It’s way too small to actually accept Wii discs, so this is a digital-only affair. Also, there’s the specter of Wiimotes. It doesn’t look like this offers Bluetooth connectivity of any kind, so you won’t be able to use traditional Wiimotes. You can, however, plug in any USB-C controller and the aforementioned Gamecube gamepads. Being as how it doesn’t work with Wii remotes, there’s no sensor bar or anything like that. This is for playing the console’s many controller-based games, with no waggle allowed. Wii Sports and Skyward Sword fans will have to look elsewhere. The OS looks to be open-source, so it may be able to emulate other stuff. We'll update this post when we find out more. 

The makers of this machine put an initial run of 30 units up for sale at $55. It sold out almost immediately, but that was just to test the waters. It’s highly possible orders will open back up again in the near future.

This isn’t the first time modders have hit the Wii with a shrink ray. Earlier this year, a hardware modder made a Wii that was the size of a deck of cards. That now seems gargantuan compared to the Kawaii.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/modders-made-a-tiny-nintendo-wii-that-doubles-as-a-keychain-185347707.html?src=rss

MultiVersus leak suggests Barbie and Mad Max tie-ins are on the way

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MultiVersus, the platform fighter that pulls from Warner Bros. properties, could be getting a whole bunch of new stages and characters, according to a report by Kotaku. This includes content from the film Barbie and the Mad Max universe, in addition to more Adventure Land stuff and a potential tie-in with the forthcoming Beetlejuice sequel. WB owns a whole bunch of stuff, so this could get interesting.

The reporting is sourced from a fairly reputable dataminer on X, who published receipts in the form of screengrabs and the like. These images include an early version of a potential Barbie Land stage, complete with palm trees and, of course, a bright pink color palette. 

There’s also a picture that allegedly depicts a stage based on Quidditch, the broom-based sport from Harry Potter that makes absolutely zero sense. Other leaked stages include the wastelands from Mad Max, a background inspired by Powerpuff Girls and one pulled from the cartoon Samurai Jack.

Speaking of those last two, both the Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack will be showing up as playable characters. Samurai Jack makes for an interesting addition, being as how fighting is basically his whole thing. The dataminer has also indicated that Beetlejuice will soon be a playable character, likely coinciding with the September 6 release date of the sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. This has been confirmed by the developer, as has Samurai Jack. Adventure Time’s resident vampire bassist Marceline could also be joining the roster.

It’s worth noting that this information isn’t set in stone. Many of the stages suggested by the X user look to be extremely early in development and the same goes for some of the playable characters. It’s entirely possible, and likely, that WB and Ready Player Games are always tinkering with new stages and characters and not all of them make it to the final game. To that end, it was reported back in 2022 that Ted Lasso would be a playable character and, well, that hasn’t happened.

Warner Bros. did just buy the game’s developer, so it’s definitely serious about keeping the ball rolling on this whole branded platform fighter thing. WB has a ridiculously deep bench of IPs, including DC Comics, Harry Potter, HBO shows, Dune, Mad Max, Barbie, Looney Tunes and so many more. MultiVersus will never knock Super Smash Bros. from the throne, but it’s definitely proven itself to have a longer shelf life than, say, Sony’s PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/multiversus-leak-suggests-barbie-and-mad-max-tie-ins-are-on-the-way-162251960.html?src=rss

Google is updating the Play Store with AI-powered app reviews and curated spaces

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Google just announced a suite of updates to the Play Store in an attempt to make it more fun to use. This is part of a larger move by the company to turn its online marketplace into "an end-to-end experience that’s more than a store.” You read that right. They want us to hang out on Google Play.

Here’s what the company has planned. The update brings AI-generated review summaries that pull from user reviews to develop a consensus. You’ve likely already encountered this type of thing on Facebook and while using Google search. The company first announced this feature at this year’s I/O event.

This AI-adjacent approach will also apply to auto-generated FAQs about each app that are powered by Gemini models. Additionally, there will be AI-generated highlights that offer a quick summarization of a particular app. Google showed off a still image of this for a photo editing app in which the highlights included the number of filters and layouts available, in addition to tools and sharing options. This AI approach will also let users quickly compare apps in similar categories.

Google’s also rolling out shared spaces on the Play Store. These aren’t communities or mini social networks, like Reddit or something, but rather splash pages for various topics of interest. The company started this project with a pilot involving cricket. The shared space gave users in India the ability to “explore all their cricket content from across various channels in one, convenient spot.” This included relevant videos, around 100 curated cricket-related apps and some simple user polls. The next curated space will be about Japanese manga. There has been no word as to when this feature will expand into multiple categories available to global users.

The entire “shopping for a new game to play” experience is also getting an upgrade, focused primarily on discovery. Google promises “enriched game details” pages, complete with YouTube videos from developers and clearly-marked promotions, which reminds me of Steam. This even extends to the post-purchase experience, as return users will see updated developer notes and a section for tips and tricks. The program is in early access and currently only available to English language users. There are also some new games coming to Google’s oft-overlooked Play Pass, like Asphalt Legends Unite and Candy Crush Saga, and a feature that lets users play multiple games at once on PC. 

Finally, there’s some personalization stuff in this update. The new Collections feature provides custom categories based on previously-purchased apps. This means that each Google Play homescreen will be different for each user, offering an easy way to continue binging a show or finishing a video game.

Many of these upgrades begin rolling out today, though some are still in the early access stage. Others, like the shared spaces feature, still have some kinks to work out.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-is-updating-the-play-store-with-ai-powered-app-reviews-and-curated-spaces-130036843.html?src=rss

Lego’s first Fortnite sets are here

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Lego just announced its first sets inspired by the gaming phenomenon Fortnite. These kits draw from iconic characters and vehicles from both the original game and the brick-based spinoff Lego Fortnite, like an ouroboros of corporate synergy.

The baddest of the bunch looks to be the 954-piece Battle Bus kit, which costs $100. This is a brick-based replica of the iconic hot-air balloon on wheels, complete with a removable roof and characters like Meowscles, Raven and Cuddle Team Leader, among others.

A Lego Peely Bone.
Lego

The 1,414-piece Peely Bone set looks to appeal to collectors more than kids. It builds into a giant version of the rare Fortnite character, who is one-half banana and one-half skeleton. The kit comes with accessories like a pickaxe and paint launcher. This set also costs $100.

The game’s beloved Supply Llama is also getting a kit. This 691-piece set allows fans to build the iconic character and it comes with a whole bunch of themed accessories, including a grappler, Slurp Juice, Slap Juice and more. This set costs $40, which isn’t too bad given the number of pieces involved.

A Lego set and a kid.
Lego

Finally, there’s a teensy Durrr Burger kit, which is aimed squarely at kids. This 193-piece set builds into the aforementioned Fortnite landmark (it’s a restaurant in the game.) It even comes with an olive on a toothpick. The kit costs just $15.

All of these sets are available for preorder right now straight from Lego, but we have to wait a little bit before they ship. The kits don’t officially release until October 1. In the meantime, there’s a nifty Jaws-inspired set coming out in August and a massive 2,500-piece set based on The Legend of Zelda that ships on September 1.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/legos-first-fortnite-sets-are-here-153451343.html?src=rss

Warner Bros. has bought the developer behind its MultiVersus brawler

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Warner Bros. just announced the acquisition of Player First Games, the developer behind the popular free-to-play platform fighter MultiVersus. This makes a whole lot of sense as the hit Smash Bros-esque brawler pulls its entire roster from WB properties. The game includes characters like Batman, Bugs Bunny, Agent Smith from The Matrix and, of course, both Rick and Morty.

It doesn’t look like much will change with regard to the day-to-day workings of Player First Games. Co-founders Tony Huynh and Chris White will still lead the company, though the pair will report to Carlos Barbosa, Vice President and Studio Head of Warner Bros. Games.

Huynh says the team is excited about the acquisition and that it should “be great for MultiVersus overall.” There has been no announcement as to what comes next for the fighting game. However, Player First regularly drops new characters into the roster, so this will likely continue. I for one would like to beat up Tom and Jerry as Tony Soprano. Make it happen WB.

MultiVersus is available now on just about every platform out there, including PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Even better? There’s crossplay between platforms. The game isn’t available for the Nintendo Switch just yet, but maybe that’ll change whenever the Switch 2 makes its grand entrance.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/warner-bros-has-bought-the-developer-behind-its-multiversus-brawler-180355445.html?src=rss