Tag Archives: Media

Instagram will alert parents if teens repeatedly search for suicide or self-harm content

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Instagram is adding a new alert for the parents of teen users of its social media platform. The network will alert the adult if their child repeatedly searches for terms about suicide or self-harm in a short time frame. From that notification, the parent will optionally be able to access resources for having conversations with their teen about these topics. These alerts will begin rolling out for parental supervision users in the US, UK, Australia and Canada next week, with later regions to be added in the future.

"We chose a threshold that requires a few searches within a short period of time, while still erring on the side of caution," Instagram's blog post explains. "While that means we may sometimes notify parents when there may not be real cause for concern, we feel — and experts agree — that this is the right starting point, and we’ll continue to monitor and listen to feedback to make sure we’re in the right place." 

The platform reiterated that search results for terms connected to suicide and self-harm are blocked for teen younger users, and content about those topics is not shown to them under its current policies. Instagram also noted that a similar parental alert feature is in the works for its AI tools, but news on that isn't expected until later this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-will-alert-parents-if-teens-repeatedly-search-for-suicide-or-self-harm-content-120000156.html?src=rss

March’s PS Plus Monthly Games include Monster Hunter Rise and Slime Rancher 2

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Sony just divulged the list of PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for March, and there's a little something for everybody. These will all be playable on March 3 for subscribers on any tier. After downloading, the games will stay in a player's library as long as the subscription remains active.

First up, there's Monster Hunter Rise. This was initially a Nintendo Switch exclusive before making the jump to other platforms. This is a decent Monster Hunter game with a focus on verticality. There are tools to quickly scale large cliffs and engage in aerial combat. It can be played solo or via a four-person squad. The gameplay loop is as addictive here as ever. Fight monsters. Gather materials. Upgrade weapons and armor. Rinse and repeat.

Slime Rancher 2 just hit consoles last year, after some time in early access. This sequel improves upon everything that made the first game great, which included capturing and farming various slimes. There's a fresh location to explore and an absolute boatload of new slimes to capture. Sucking up dozens of slimes at once is a simple pleasure akin to completing a level in PowerWash Simulator.

The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Gold Road is the definitive version of the game, offering access to all zones, biomes and quest arcs. This online game can be played cooperatively, but there's also a lot of PvP content. It's set 1,000 years before Skyrim, but there are many iconic locations from that game to explore.

Finally, PGA Tour 2K25 is the latest entry in 2K's long-running golf sim. This one has an expanded solo mode, in addition to a course designer tool. It's also cross-platform.

As new games enter the catalog, old titles vanish. Subscribers have until March 2 to download Undisputed, Subnautica: Below Zero, Ultros and Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/marchs-ps-plus-monthly-games-include-monster-hunter-rise-and-slime-rancher-2-182644562.html?src=rss

Spotify can reorder your playlists by BPM and key

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Spotify is rolling out a new feature that’s meant to make transitions in between tracks even smoother. If you’ll recall, the streaming service released the ability to create customized transitions within playlists in August last year. It gave people a way to create uninterrupted progressions and eliminate awkward silences between songs. Now, Premium users will be able to make sure the songs in their playlists flow seamlessly even further by reordering tracks based on their keys and BPM or beats per minute.

The new feature can rearrange playlists with one tap. All paying users have to do is tap Mix on one of their playlists and then tap the Edit button. From there, they can scroll down to find the Smart Reorder option. Tapping Smart Reorder will automatically rearrange songs according to their keys and BPM without users having to do anything else. They just have to click Save so that the change to their playlist takes effect.

Spotify says users have streamed over 220 hours of their mixed playlists since it introduced custom transitions last year. It also listed some of the most popular ones on the platform, including The Weeknd’s Wake Me Up transitioning into After Hours and Flo Rida’s Low into Rihann’s S&M.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-can-reorder-your-playlists-by-bpm-and-key-140000101.html?src=rss

Here’s the first teaser for A24’s adaptation of The Backrooms

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Three years after announcing plans to produce a film based on the viral YouTube short, The Backrooms (Found Footage) in 2023, A24 has released the first teaser for its adaptation. Backrooms, as the film is now called, is directed by the short's original creator, Kane Parsons, and will be released on May 29, 2026.

The teaser offers little to go on for anyone who hasn't watched the original short or the series of videos Parsons made after it, but it is replete with The Backrooms' hallmark: ominous liminal spaces. Layered over footage of stranger and stranger rooms (or perhaps one room becoming the platonic empty retail spaces popularized by short), the voice of Chiwetel Ejiofor tells the film's other star, Renate Reinsve, about a "place" he discovered that's full of rooms.

Parsons' original video is inspired by a creepypasta called "The Backrooms" that originated on the forum 4chan in 2019. The YouTube series expanded on the basic concept of a liminal space that exists outside reality with monsters and a mysterious company researching The Backrooms. It's unclear how much of that larger lore will be incorporated into the feature film adaptation, but since the teaser is missing the digital video filter that gave the YouTube short its distinct look, it seems possible Parsons could be going for something a bit different. Well that, and the fact the film stars two Oscar-nominated actors.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/heres-the-first-teaser-for-a24s-adaptation-of-the-backrooms-194300513.html?src=rss

Marvel’s Wolverine will hit PS5 on September 15

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As spicy as the PlayStation State of Play that took place a couple of weeks ago was overall, there was one major first-party game that was notably absent from the showcase: Marvel’s Wolverine. Insomniac Games’ latest superhero blockbuster was already slated for a fall release and now the studio has revealed exactly when you’ll be able to get your claws on it. Marvel’s Wolverine is coming to PS5 on September 15.

That’s it. That’s the announcement. There’s no new trailer to accompany the news, other than a six-second release date reveal video that popped up on YouTube. Insomniac previously said it would reveal more details about Marvel’s Wolverine this spring.

Technically, this release date means that Marvel’s Wolverine will debut in the last week of summer rather than in the fall. Still, it’s one of the relatively few blockbuster games you can expect in the tail end of this year because many major developers and publishers will be staying well clear of GTA VI.

Insomniac’s game will have a couple of months of breathing room before GTA VI soaks up all of the air in the gaming world when it arrives on November 19 — assuming Rockstar doesn’t announce another delay. However, parent company Take-Two plans to rev up its marketing machine for the game this summer, so it’s looking like GTA VI’s release date will hold this time.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/marvels-wolverine-will-hit-ps5-on-september-15-175500927.html?src=rss

For All Mankind’s latest trailer teases a war on Mars

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Apple just dropped a full trailer for the fifth season of its hit sci-fi show For All Mankind. This is the first real look at the upcoming batch of episodes, which premiere on March 27. We got an extremely short teaser trailer last month but that only showed a guy on a motorcycle riding across Mars.

This is the first real-deal trailer and it's absolutely stuffed with footage indicating where the next season will take viewers. I'm going to get into some spoilers here, so read at your own risk.

For the uninitiated, For All Mankind is an alternate history show that started with a simple premise. What if Russia landed on the moon before America? That has since ballooned into all kinds of stuff which include, as mentioned above, a potential war on Mars.

For All Mankind is a show famous for its time jumps, and season five takes us all the way to an alternate version of 2012. Many of the show's original surviving characters are still kicking around, but they are old as paste and not exactly fit for high-octane space travel. Remember, the first episode started in the 1960s. Franchise lead Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnamen) looks particularly dusty.

Much of the footage features newer characters, including the grandson of Baldwin. Season four ended with a Mars colony asserting its independence via asteroid theft. Now it looks like Earth is striking back, which could lead to a full-scale war. This is giving me The Expanse vibes, which is never a bad thing.

The show must be clocking good numbers for Apple TV+, as the streamer recently announced a spinoff called Star City. Details are scant, but it looks to cover similar events of the mainline show from Russia's perspective.

New episodes of For All Mankind air each Friday. This season will feature ten episodes and concludes on May 29.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/for-all-mankinds-latest-trailer-teases-a-war-on-mars-174822481.html?src=rss

Blizzard finally revealed its long-rumored Overwatch mobile game

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Blizzard is finally bringing Overwatch to mobile devices, but not exactly in the way you think. The company isn't making a port of the mainline game. Rather, it just announced a spinoff called Overwatch Rush, which is being described as a "top-down hero shooter designed specifically for mobile set in the Overwatch universe."

There have been rumors about an Overwatch mobile game for what seems like a lifetime. Most people assumed this would appear as a straight port, but a brand-new game is also great. It's not being developed by Team 4, the group that works on the mainline game, but is being made internally.

Overwatch Rush features many of the heroes of Overwatch battling on familiar-looking maps, according to a gameplay video. The game offers 4v4 matches, though the characters are more cartoonish and stylized than the mainline game. This is likely to accommodate smaller screens and the top-down view.

This is a mobile game, so the battles are described as "bite-sized" and the controls are touchscreen-based. Blizzard says it's still in the early stages of development but that it's going to offer "fast-paced, on-the-go play, with hero-centric combat and playstyle customization that suits both team and solo players."

Overwatch Rush will be playable soon, as part of a beta testing process. It'll be free to play and available for both Android and iOS whenever the full game is ready to go.

Blizzard says that a "new, separate, dedicated team" will be "focused exclusively" on Overwatch Rush. That's industry code for "we aren't draining resources from the main game to make the mobile spinoff." Oddly, the company recently held a series of panels to discuss the future of its franchises and didn't mention this mobile game.

This isn't the company's first foray into mobile game development. It's had a hand in stuff like Diablo Immortal and Warcraft Rumble.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-finally-revealed-its-long-rumored-overwatch-mobile-game-162938590.html?src=rss

Ryan Coogler’s X-Files reboot gets the green light at Hulu

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Good news for all Ryan Coogler fans: The Sinners director is bringing back a beloved TV show. Hulu has officially green lit a pilot of Coogler's X-Files reboot, a project three years in the making, Deadline reports. Coogler has a five-year exclusive television deal with Disney, Hulu's parent company. 

Coogler is directing and writing the pilot episode, with Jennifer Yale coming on as showrunner. She previously held the role on The Copenhagen Test. Actress Danielle Deadwyler, known for roles in Till and The Harder They Fall, has signed on as co-lead. 

The show will follow the original storyline of two FBI agents who bond as they work on cases around paranormal and unexplained phenomena. No confirmation has come over whether former stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny will have any role in the reboot. 

The news came on Sunday, the same day Coogler won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for Sinners. Coogler made history this year with a record 16 Oscar nominations for Sinners, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. Coogler also wrote and directed Creed, Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/ryan-cooglers-x-files-reboot-gets-the-green-light-at-hulu-140735536.html?src=rss

Summer Game Fest runs from June 5-8

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It's getting to be that time of year again. Summer Game Fest officially kicks off on June 5 and will go until June 8. The Live Kickoff show will once again be hosted by Geoff Keighley and takes place on June 5 at 5PM ET. This is where we'll see all of those juicy reveals and trailers.

The opening event will be streamed globally on just about every digital platform, including YouTube, Twitch, X and even Steam. Those in the Los Angeles area will be able to pick up tickets for the live show sometime in the Spring.

The kickoff event is just the beginning. There's something called Play Days, which is an expo in downtown LA produced by iam8bit. This invite-only event promises "immersive exhibits and hands-on experiences from the industry's leading publishers and developers." Coverage of this will be shared across digital and social platforms.

There is, of course, another Day of the Devs livestream scheduled for immediately after the kickoff. Day of the Devs: SGF Edition should provide us with even more trailers and reveals, this time for indie games.

Finally, there's a "thought leadership event" on June 8 that's primarily for developers and publishers. Game Business Live "brings together top industry voices on one stage for insightful discussions on key changes, challenges and opportunities shaping the global video game industry."

We'll be covering the event live and will have all of those trailers ready to go. After all, that's pretty much the main reason people watch these things.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/summer-game-fest-runs-from-june-5-8-193054418.html?src=rss

A new Evangelion series is coming from Studio Khara and Yoko Taro, creator of NieR

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Anime fans rejoice, as there's a new Neon Genesis Evangelion series on the horizon. This was announced during a 30th anniversary event held in Japan. The bad news? Franchise creator Hideaki Anno won't be writing the scripts.

However, his replacement will be Yoko Taro, the guy who created the video game NieR. He also wears a giant and rather unsettling moon mask for some reason. The NieR franchise is known for rich and complex lore, with a story spanning thousands of years that occasionally dips into a parallel universe.

It's him in a moon mask.
Wikimedia Commons

Evangelion veteran Kazuya Tsurumaki will be on hand to direct episodes, which is nice for long-time fans. He directed the Rebuild of Evangelion films and the recent Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX anime. Composer Keiichi Okabe, from the NieR franchise, is scoring the new show. The new series will be produced by Studio Khara and Cloverworks.

While we know a fair bit about who's behind the scenes of the upcoming show, we don't know anything about the plot. We don't know if it's yet another remake of the original story, a sequel or some kind of spin-off like the chibi-inspired Petit Eva: Evangelion@School. There's a trailer, but it's light on details.

With Taro on board, it could really go in any direction. It's worth remembering, after all, that NieR is actually a spin-off of a PS2 game called Drakengard. In one of the multiple endings of that game, a final boss is transported from a fantasy realm to modern-day Tokyo. Slaying this beast releases a virus that plagues humankind, which is what eventually leads to the post-apocalyptic setting of NieR. This is sort of like if the events of a Dragon Quest game somehow led to the world of Resident Evil.

If there's anyone who can breathe fresh life into the Evangelion franchise, it's Taro. Did I mention he wears a gigantic moon mask? Also, this isn't his first time penning TV scripts. He co-wrote the NieR: Automata anime spinoff.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a-new-evangelion-series-is-coming-from-studio-khara-and-yoko-taro-creator-of-nier-170916543.html?src=rss