SAG-AFTRA has called a strike against the video game League of Legends. Under this action, any union voice actors must cease working on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union said it has also filed a charge of unfair labor practice against Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for League, with the National Labor Relations Board.
Formosa Interactive was one of several high-profile video game companies named in a strike by voice acting talent earlier this year. SAG-AFTRA is working to negotiate with those developers for protections against AI replicas of its members, including those who perform in games.
Today, the union alleged that Formosa attempted to “cancel” a game that was included in the strike. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for “non-union” talent only," according to the press statement. "SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law – that employers cannot interfere with performers’ rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers."
League of Legends is just one of the titles where Formosa Interactive provides services. In addition to voiceover work, Formosa Interactive also offers services such as facial capture, sound design and mixing. It has credits on games including God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Riot Games has issued the following statement about the strike: "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA’s press release. We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise. In addition, we’ve never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we’ve registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRA’s press release relating to canceling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games."
Update, September 24, 2024, 5:47PM ET: Updated to include statement from Riot Games.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sag-aftra-strikes-against-league-of-legends-over-voiceover-company-actions-212839780.html?src=rss
SAG-AFTRA has called a strike against the video game League of Legends. Under this action, any union voice actors must cease working on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union said it has also filed a charge of unfair labor practice against Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for League, with the National Labor Relations Board.
Formosa Interactive was one of several high-profile video game companies named in a strike by voice acting talent earlier this year. SAG-AFTRA is working to negotiate with those developers for protections against AI replicas of its members, including those who perform in games.
Today, the union alleged that Formosa attempted to “cancel” a game that was included in the strike. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for “non-union” talent only," according to the press statement. "SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law – that employers cannot interfere with performers’ rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers."
League of Legends is just one of the titles where Formosa Interactive provides services. In addition to voiceover work, Formosa Interactive also offers services such as facial capture, sound design and mixing. It has credits on games including God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Riot Games has issued the following statement about the strike: "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA’s press release. We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise. In addition, we’ve never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we’ve registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRA’s press release relating to canceling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games."
Update, September 24, 2024, 5:47PM ET: Updated to include statement from Riot Games.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sag-aftra-strikes-against-league-of-legends-over-voiceover-company-actions-212839780.html?src=rss
Monitor makers today compete with each other to create the best esports-worthy displays that are fit for competition use. Sony is no exception, as it introduced its Inzone headsets and displays in 2022, beginning with the M3 and M9. Today, the company is introducing the new Inzone M9 II and M10S gaming monitors to solidify its place in the competitive display space.
The Inzone M9 II (pictured above) is an upgraded version of its predecessor, the M9. It shares many features but improves upon some weaknesses the older model had. This 27-inch 4K IPS display has a 160Hz refresh rate compared to the M9’s 144Hz. The response time remains the same at 1ms GtG, but the maximum brightness is now 750 nits (up from 600 nits). In addition, the monitor has VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, which means it can play HDR content at 600 nits of brightness. It also has full-array local dimming and backlight scanning technology for better motion clarity.
The M9 gaming monitor suffered from having a tripod that didn’t allow for much adjustment. For the M9 II, Sony has replaced the tripod with a small disc stand with 180 degrees of rotation. This new stand doesn’t require much desk room and allows for height, tilt and swivel changes.
PS5 consoles can automatically recognize Inzone gaming monitors, which swap from Game Mode to Cinema Mode if users halt their gaming sessions and pop a movie in. Those who enjoyed the M9 will hopefully find the M9 II a significant improvement, something that could be especially true for PS5 owners.
But the star of Sony's show is the Inzone M10S. This new powerhouse of a gaming monitor features a 27-inch 1440p OLED panel. The refresh rate of 480Hz is impressive (though there aren’t exactly a ton of games that support it), and the 0.03ms GtG response time is nothing to scoff at. Moreover, the HDR peak brightness of 1,300 nits and DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification are two cherries on top of this monitor cake.
Sony brought Fnatic’s Valorant esports team in as consultants on the Inzone M10S (pictured below), asking them to provide feedback. Their expertise contributed to the creation of the FPS Pro+ and FPS Pro picture modes. The former mode highlights enemies with an outline color, while the latter simulates LCD monitors for those who are more used to older esports LCD monitors. In other words, FPS Pro mode is a solution for esports athletes who want to use new gear but are too accustomed to older equipment characteristics.
Sony
Another feature the M10S has is a new heat sink design. It’s made up of a multilayer passive cooling system consisting of multiple aluminum plates and thermal pads. This heat removal system is designed to reduce burn-in.
Both 27-inch monitors feature a 24.5-inch display mode that slightly reduces the resolution, though the refresh rates and response times remain the same. The mode is intended to replicate the feel of using a TN 24.5-inch 1080p monitor and enjoy fast speeds and improved picture quality.
The M9 II is available now on the official Sony website and from authorized dealers for $800, which is $100 cheaper than the M9’s launch price. As for the M10S, you can get it for $1,100.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/sonys-latest-inzone-monitors-are-made-for-fps-and-ps5-gamers-160045831.html?src=rss
With Apple’s popular personal music player, the company shipped its first set of earbuds. Sure, they were wired and very basic, but the accessory laid the groundwork for what would eventually become AirPods. Along the way, the EarPods would be bundled with the iPhone in 2007, and a 2012 redesign produced something more akin to what would eventually become the first-gen AirPods in 2016. The work the company did to improve the fit of EarPods continues to pay off as Apple prepares to ship the noise-canceling AirPods 4.
“We had started trying to learn a bit about human physiology and what shapes would fit better in people's ears,” Apple’s Vice President of Hardware Engineering Kate Bergeron told me about those early days. “We started doing some MRI scans and trying to figure out how to gather data, but we didn't have a sense of how many scans we'd be looking for, or how many different kinds of ears we needed.”
Over the years, Apple has developed more efficient methods for gathering data, so it was able to build out its database of ear shapes quicker than in the early days of EarPods. Bergeron explained that she expects the company to be “continuing that journey” forever when it comes to developing new versions of AirPods.
Billy Steele for Engadget
During what Bergeron described as “the dark days of COVID,” a small group from the AirPods team was trying to solve a dilemma. They wanted to bring effective active noise cancellation (ANC) to the open design of the “regular” AirPods. The crew had already successfully done so on two models of the AirPods Pro and on the AirPods Max headphones. But this time around, it was essential that the open nature of the AirPods remain while also providing the technology to block out distractions.
So in 2021, over the course of several days, Bergeron and AirPods marketing director Eric Treski met up at one of Apple’s acoustic labs for a demo. At that point, the team was unsure if they had anything viable, but they wanted the executive’s feedback on it nonetheless.
“We were just blown away,” Bergeron recalled. “We said ‘we absolutely have something here, we need to go after this and we’ve got to make it happen.’” Acoustic and computational work that was required for an effective ANC algorithm was happening simultaneously with iterations on improving the fit and overall comfort for the AirPods 4.
After testing the AirPods 4, I can say that the fit and comfort have improved since the third-gen model. But Apple also expanded the earbuds’ capabilities with the H2 chip and microphones from the AirPods Pro 2. This combination of advanced tech enables Apple to continuously monitor fit in a user’s ear, updating the ANC algorithm in real time so that the noise blocking is still effective even as the AirPods move around.
“It’s even computationally more intense in many ways than it is with the AirPods Pro,” Bergeron said. “The ear tip gives you a fit that’s pretty consistent.”
Apple’s journey with ANC began with the development of the first-generation AirPods Pro that debuted in 2019. Effective active noise cancellation was usually more common on over-ear headphones, with a few exceptions, but Apple realized that making a distraction-free listening experience “pocketable” was attractive to its users. Of course, the company would follow up with its own headphones, the AirPods Max, before the powerful second-gen AirPods Pro.
Treski explained that the ANC setup, or the third generation of Adaptive EQ as he described it, is constantly managing and adjusting any equalizers for both active noise cancellation and audio quality at the same time – and in real time. So in addition to the revised shape, the acoustic architecture of the AirPods 4 is also instrumental in providing effective ANC on the open earbuds.
“It’s really, really hard to create this great ANC quality in a non-ear-tip product,” he said. “The power of the H2 allows that, so we’re actually doing a lot with the H2 chip to manage ANC quality and listen from the mics for environmental noise to make sure we’re canceling as much as possible.”
Billy Steele for Engadget
The lack of an ear tip on the AirPods 4 also creates a challenge for transparency mode. Treski noted that it’s “arguably even harder” than mastering ANC on open earbuds since you’re having to blend ambient sound from the microphones with what you’re hearing naturally through your unplugged ears. There’s a perfect mix that will seem real to your brain, but also it has to all be done with extremely low latency so the automatic adjustments don’t lead to any delays in what comes through the AirPods.
The new shape for the AirPods 4 also provided an opportunity to improve overall sound quality on the earbuds. The front end of the buds, which Bergeron revealed the team calls the “snorkel,” is very different from the AirPods 3. Since the previous model was more open, she said, the engineers had more freedom to operate. With the new version, the driver had to be adjusted so that it didn’t reflect sound to the internal microphone that monitors noise inside your ear. That’s why the drivers are now pointed down your ear canal, and why they’re slightly recessed.
“In order to get the improved fit, that necessitated adjusting the driver and the front of the product,” she said. “The mechanical engineers are doing the packaging of the entire product, trying to fit everything in. Acoustic engineers are saying, ‘okay, based on those constraints, this is the best place that we can put the driver.’”
The design overhaul on the AirPods 4 extends to the case as well. Apple was able to slim down the accessory while also simplifying how you interact with it. The end result is “the same magic experience,” Bergeron noted, but the lack of a button allowed engineers to eliminate overall thickness and rely on an accelerometer. Removing the button also gets rid of one place where liquid could potentially get in, so the case has the same IP54 rating as the new AirPods.
“We get a double win there for sure,” Bergeron said.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/weve-got-to-make-it-happen-how-apple-designed-airpods-4-for-effective-anc-130008844.html?src=rss
During Netflix's Geeked Week event, some more details about Monument Valley 3 emerged. Developer Ustwo Games says the long-awaited sequel builds on its predecessors in several ways, especially in terms of the gameplay, art style and story.
Perhaps the biggest change in Monument Valley 3 is the introduction of sailing. You'll be able to move the boat in almost any direction and, as such, "the game is no longer restricted to geometric spaces," game director Jennifer Estaris said during a call with reporters. Along with unfolding cubes that shift new protagonist Noor onto different planes, Monument Valley 3 is in large part about "deconstructing what we know," Estaris said.
Naturally, those changes allow for fresh puzzles and visuals as players navigate impossible-looking, MC Escher-style architectural spaces. Aligned with that, Ustwo has evolved the art style with softer and more abstract shapes (you are going to be navigating rivers after all). The result is something that looks very familiar, but like a hazy memory. Meanwhile, the soundtrack from an 18-piece orchestra might just stir up some emotions.
While the original game was about forgiveness and its sequel was a coming-of-age tale, Monument Valley 3 focuses on the themes of hope, togetherness and resilience. Noor is a lighthouse keeper's apprentice who is tasked with searching for a new source of power before light fades away from the world forever. It's the "most ambitious story" to date for a Monument Valley game, according to Ustwo marketing manager Jamie Wotton.
All three Monument Valley games are standalone titles with their own stories. That means you'll be able to glide right into Monument Valley 3 without playing the previous two entries. But there's plenty of time to check those out first (or revisit them). You won't have to pay extra for those mobile gaming classics if you have a Netflix subscription. There are no ads or in-app purchases in the company's games.
Monument Valley is available to Netflix subscribers on iOS and Android starting today, and its sequel will arrive on the service on October 29. Monument Valley 3 will then debut as a Netflix mobile exclusive on December 10.
Netflix revealed some other mobile gaming news during Geeked Week. Its multiplayer take on Battleship(which includes special weapons and ranked modes) will drop on September 24. Subscribers will soon be able to play Civilization IV and Street Fighter IV CE on their mobile devices at no extra cost — the Netflix version of the latter will offer cross-play between iOS and Android.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/monument-valley-3-breaks-the-series-old-boundaries-by-adding-a-sailboat-013638578.html?src=rss
The ripples from Concord’s seismic implosion are still fanning out since Sony decided to take the game offline earlier this month. Now, the game’s director has reportedly decided to bow out gracefully. Kotaku reported that game director Ryan Ellis of Firewalk Studios told staff members that he’s stepping down from his position. Ellis, who cofounded Firewalk after a stint as the creative director of Destiny 2, will remain with the studio but only in a support role.
Meanwhile, the staff at Firewalk are still waiting to hear what Sony plans to do with their underperforming game. Just two weeks after Concord’s release, Sony pulled the team shooter offline on September 6 and issued refunds to everyone who bought the game for the PlayStation 5 or PC from Steam and the Epic Games Store. Sony said in a statement that it pulled the game in order to “explore options, including those that will better reach our players.” Naturally, Kotaku reports that a lot of Firewalk’s staffers are worried about the status of their jobs in the wake of Concord’s disappointing release.
The extremely poor sales of Concord make it one of the biggest bombs in industry history. Analysts estimate that it only sold 25,000 copies on Steam and for PS5 in its first six days.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/concords-disastrous-launch-reportedly-leads-to-its-directors-self-demotion-215515013.html?src=rss
The long-awaited PC port of God of War: Ragnarok is out. This comes nearly two years after the game was released for PS4 and PS5 to positive reviews. This is a pretty big deal on its own, but the port has a feature that not even the original console release had. Players can finally tell Kratos’ son Atreus to shut the heck up, as first reported by Kotaku.
In the original release, Atreus was like Ocarina of Time’s Navi on Adderall. He was, in a word, talkative. Even worse? He tended to ruin puzzle solutions by offering up hints unprompted. Many players complained that this happened even when they weren’t attempting a puzzle.
In any event, the settings tab includes an option to reduce puzzle hints. This applies to the babbling Atreus, but also other companions throughout the game. I’m no game designer, but adding a mute button to some characters doesn’t seem like a difficult fix. In other words, bring this to the console versions Sony. Digital children should be seen and not heard.
The PC port also brings some other features to the table. There are now audio descriptions for the game’s cinematics and a set of streamer gifs to use on Twitch or YouTube. Of course, the port integrates with both NVIDIA and AMD’s upscaling tools, with support for ultrawide monitors. Let’s hear it for playing games as nature intended, with a ridiculous aspect ratio of 32:9.
The port needs a massive amount of hard drive space, anywhere from 175GB to 190GB, so start the install early in the morning for an afternoon play session. It’s available now via Steam and the Epic Games Store. As a bit of bad news, the PC specs required to play this game are on the beefy side, so performance on the Steam Deck will likely be underwhelming. Redditors are saying that it runs, but is only playable in 30FPS on the lowest settings.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/god-of-war-ragnaroks-pc-port-is-out-and-it-fixes-one-of-the-games-most-annoying-quirks-185925455.html?src=rss
The original PlayStation console, otherwise called the PS1, came out in Japan in late 1994. So we are quickly coming up on the console’s 30th birthday. To commemorate the occasion, Sony just revealed nostalgia-tinged redesigns of both the PS5 and the forthcoming PS5 Pro. They look like the original PlayStation, with that classic gray colorway and the old-school logo. Gamers of a certain age will have a hard time resisting these things. Sony did something similar in 2014 with the PS4 for the console line’s 20th anniversary.
This isn’t a quick and dirty redesign. There was legitimate thought put into this. The updated DualSense controller doesn’t quite match the original design, but does mesh with the overall aesthetic. Sony’s throwing in a retro-looking cable connector housing, PlayStation-shaped cable ties and a themed vertical stand. The box even looks like it came from a Toys "R" Us in the 1990s.
There are two bundles to choose from. The PS5 bundle ships with the digital version of the console (so no disc drive,) a standard DualSense controller, the aforementioned accessories and additional goodies like a sticker, a poster and, uh, a PlayStation paperclip.
The PS5 Pro bundle includes everything mentioned above, but includes both a standard controller and the DualSense Edge. It also includes a retro cover for the optional disc drive and the charging stand. It’s easy to dunk on that costly PS5 Pro when it looks basically the same as a regular PS5. It’s much harder to do when it looks like it stepped out of a 1995 fever dream.
Sony
Even the bizarre pseudo-portable PlayStation Portal is getting a themed refresh, which features the iconic gray exterior. Sony fans can even pick up redesigned controllers without springing for an entire console.
Preorders start on September 26 at participating retailers and via the company itself. These items will be released on November 21. That’s just a couple of weeks after the PS5 Pro launches. To that end, Sony’s only making 12,300 of the PS5 Pro retro consoles, so we recommend getting that preorder in early. The company hasn’t released pricing information, unfortunately, and it’s likely that the PS5 Pro bundle will absolutely obliterate bank accounts. We reached out to ask about pricing and will update this post when we hear back.
While we wait for the pre-orders to start, Senior reporter Jessica Conditt got a brief glimpse of the 30th anniversary edition PS5 Pro and DualSense controllers, which you can see below:
Photo by Jessica Conditt / Engadget
Photo by Jessica Conditt / Engadget
Photo by Jessica Conditt / Engadget
Update, September 20 2024, 2:00PM ET: This story has been updated with photos of the 30th-anniversary PlayStation 5 Pro console and its controller.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/playstations-30th-anniversary-ps5-and-ps5-pro-consoles-are-so-very-pretty-170713396.html?src=rss
Folks who like to escape to the block-filled, creeper-infested universe of Minecraft in virtual reality soon won’t be able to do that on PlayStation VR. Developer Mojang is winding down support on that platform.
“Our ability to support PlayStation VR has come to an end, and will no longer be in updates after March of 2025,” Mojang said in the latest Minecraft patch notes, as spotted by Eurogamer. “You will no longer be able to use your PlayStation VR with Minecraft as it will no longer be supported in the latest updates.”
Mojang added PSVR support in 2020 as an update to the PS4 version of Minecraft — there hasn’t been an equivalent update for PS5 and PS VR2 as yet. The studio says it will continue to update Minecraft on PS4. “From this point on you can keep building in your worlds, and your Marketplace purchases (including Tokens) will continue to be available,” the Microsoft-owned studio said. Still, if you really want to keep playing Minecraft on PSVR, you can use the headset to display PS4 games on a virtual 2D screen.
It's not all that unusual for games that are constantly updated to wind down support on older platforms that players have drifted away from. It's typically not sustainable for studios to keep updating titles for the benefit of a dwindling audience. But the end of Minecraft on PSVR is still notable, not least because it's the best-selling game of all time. That said, you'll soon have a brand new way to experience the Minecraft universe, as a movie based on the game is coming in April.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/minecraft-will-no-longer-work-on-psvr-after-march-144038123.html?src=rss
If you grew up in the age of the NES and SNES consoles, you might be positively giddy to learn that one of the greatest video game crossovers since Marvel vs Capcom is available on the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo announced the addition of four new SNES titles to its Switch Online service including the 1993 beat ‘em up Battletoads/Double Dragon. This rare meeting of mayhem between the fly-gulping trio and the martial arts duo Billy and Jimmy Lee takes players through both games’ universes as they plow through unique waves of fist-flinging enemies.
The crossover begins when the Evil Queen from the Battletoads’ universe cuts a deal with the Shadow Boss from the Double Dragon universe on Earth. She sends a massive ship called the Colossus to take over our planet so Zitz, Rash and Pimple pick up the Double Dragons with the Battlecopter and intercept the ship to stop it from reaching Earth. The game features seven levels that take place on the Colossus and on Earth as the Battletoads and Double Dragons smash, kick and ram enemies and bosses from both video game franchises.
The latest Switch Online game update also brings three more SNES games to the Nintendo Switch. The update includes the Tetris-inspired Cosmo Gang The Puzzle, the Jaleco rally racer Big Run and the Super Famicon port of Kunio-kun no Dodgeball da yo Zen'in Shūgō! (It's Kunio's Dodgeball, Assemble Everyone!).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/battletoadsdouble-dragon-headbutts-its-way-onto-nintendos-switch-online-library-193034766.html?src=rss