Tag Archives: author_name|Kris Holt

Concord is going offline two weeks after its PS5 and PC launch

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Sony's new team shooter Concord is not going to be playable for much longer. Developer Firewalk Studios says it will take the game offline on September 6, just two weeks after its release, to "explore options, including those that will better reach our players." 

You can no longer buy Concord digitally and Sony will refund everyone who bought the $40 game on PlayStation 5, Steam and the Epic Games Store. Those who bought a physical copy can return it to the point of purchase to get their money back. 

"While many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended," game director Ryan Ellis wrote on the PlayStation Blog. 

While Sony hasn't disclosed sales figures, all indications suggested that Concord was a flop out of the gate. The game debuted to middling reviews. It never had more than 700 concurrent players on Steam after its official launch, which is an abysmal result for a fairly high-profile game. Some analysts estimate that it sold just 25,000 copies across Steam and PS5 in its first six days — nowhere near enough to make it sustainable as a live-service game. 

It's very uncommon for a major publisher to pull a game offline so soon after its debut. The most recent one that springs to mind is Amazon's Crucible back in 2020.

There are lots of reasons why Concord didn't take off, from its so-so gameplay and lack of captivating characters to heavyweight competition from other free-to-play team shooters including Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone and Sony's own Destiny 2. Firewalk (which Sony bought last year) may well try to retool Concord as a free-to-play game, but this is nothing short of a major failure for Sony as things stand.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/concord-is-going-offline-two-weeks-after-its-ps5-and-pc-launch-163134728.html?src=rss

Amazon’s Kindle is back on sale at its Prime Day price

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While you can do pretty much anything on your phone or tablet, sometimes having a dedicated device is the way to go. Opting for an ereader can help reduce eye strain compared with looking at a smartphone screen for hours on end. The battery will last longer too, and you won't have notifications popping up to distract you. So if you're someone who reads digital books and hasn't picked up an ereader yet (or you're tired of lugging around bulky paperbacks), it's worth considering Amazon's entry-level Kindle.

The Kindle has dropped from $100 to $85. While that's not an all-time-low price, it matches the offer that we saw during Amazon's Prime Day sale in July.

The standard Kindle is our pick for the best budget ereader. With its six-inch, 300dpi E Ink display, it's the lightest and most compact model in Amazon's lineup at the moment.

The Kindle comes with 16GB of storage, which makes it handy for audiobooks. When you buy both an ebook and an audiobook from Amazon, you can swap between the two easily enough on your Kindle. Thanks to the Whispersync feature, you can read for a bit in a park then continue where you left off with the narrated version while you're on your way back home.

You can customize the reading experience by adjusting factors like the margins, font and text size, and even save your preferences as a theme or preset. While page turns are speedy, we felt that the touchscreen gestures didn't always consistently carry out the intended action. It's also worth bearing in mind that unlike other Kindles, this one has no waterproof rating, so you'll want to be careful with it at the beach or pool.

Meanwhile, there's one other thing worth noting here. This model debuted in 2022 and Amazon is expected to host its annual fall hardware event in the coming weeks. The Kindle is due for a refresh so we may see an updated model there. That said, if you're just looking for a relatively inexpensive ereader, this is a solid deal.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-kindle-is-back-on-sale-at-its-prime-day-price-145649848.html?src=rss

The UK government will investigate Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing model after Oasis chaos

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It's not only Taylor Swift fans and the US government who aren't happy about Ticketmaster. The UK government is set to look into the company's dynamic pricing model after millions of Oasis fans scrambled for tickets to the band's reunion tour over the weekend.

Once fans got through hours-long queues to make their purchase, some found that the price of a standing ticket was suddenly 2.5 times more expensive — in one case, going up from £135 to £337.50 ($177 to $444). Ticketmaster often gives customers just seconds to decide whether to complete a purchase once tickets are in their cart, so they don't have much time to determine whether such a hefty price increase is worth it.

Many fans didn't manage to buy Oasis tickets before they sold out on Ticketmaster. So, if they really want to see Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage together for the first time in 16 years, they may have to resort to resale sites where some touts are trying to sell tickets for nearly $8,000 each.

The chaos and complaints about the dynamic pricing model caught the attention of Lisa Nandy, the UK's culture secretary. Nandy said it was "depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having a chance of enjoying their favorite band live," according to The Guardian.

“This government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of music. So we will include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queueing systems which incentivise it, in our forthcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales," Nandy said. "Working with artists, industry and fans, we can create a fairer system that ends the scourge of touts, rip-off resales and ensures tickets at fair prices.”

Before the Labour Party won July's general election, leader Sir Keir Starmer vowed to cap resale ticket prices for music and sports events. The government announced it would hold a consultation into the secondary-ticket market this fall and the issue of dynamic pricing will now be factored in.

Ticketmaster doesn't set prices itself. The company said that's a decision for event organizers. In other words, the promoters. But artists have a say as well. Swift, Ed Sheeran and The Cure are among the big names who have opted not to use dynamic pricing on recent tours. However, Bruce Springsteen caused a stir in 2022 when he said he'd use the model.

Meanwhile, Ticketmaster is in hot water Stateside. In May, the Justice Department and dozens of state and district attorneys general filed an antitrust suit in an attempt to break up Ticketmaster owner Live Nation, claiming it held an unlawful monopoly over the live entertainment industry.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-uk-government-will-investigate-ticketmasters-dynamic-pricing-model-after-oasis-chaos-195446622.html?src=rss

Elon Musk’s Starlink will comply with the Brazil X ban after all

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Update, September 3, 5:15PM ET: Starlink has reversed course on its decision to not comply with Brazil’s block of X. In a statement posted to X, the company said:

“To our customers in Brazil (who may not be able to read this as a result of X being blocked by @alexandre):

The Starlink team is doing everything possible to keep you connected.

Following last week’s order from @alexandre that froze Starlink’s finances and prevents Starlink from conducting financial transactions in Brazil, we immediately initiated legal proceedings in the Brazilian Supreme Court explaining the gross illegality of this order and asking the Court to unfreeze our assets. Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing of our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil.

We continue to pursue all legal avenues, as are others who agree that @alexandre’s recent orders violate the Brazilian constitution.”

The original story, "Starlink is refusing to comply with Brazil's X ban," as published on September 2, continues below unedited.

After the country’s Supreme Court ordered internet service providers to block access to X, the platform was largely unavailable in the country by Sunday night. The only ways to access X since then have been through VPNs (for those willing to risk huge fines) and Starlink, the satellite internet service that’s also run by X owner Elon Musk.

The president of Brazil’s telecom agency, Anatel, said that Starlink refused to comply with the court order until officials released its frozen assets, The New York Times reports. Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice who has been on the warpath against X, also blocked the local bank accounts of Starlink, which is a SpaceX subsidiary. Moraes, who has accused X of disseminating hate speech and disinformation, is said to have done so with the aim of collecting $3 million in fines levied against X for ignoring his orders to block certain accounts.

Starlink petitioned the court to unblock its assets but the court dismissed the request. Musk called the Starlink account freeze "illegal," arguing that SpaceX and X are separate entities while claiming he owns 40 percent of the former.

There are around 250,000 Starlink customers in Brazil. The service has proven popular there in rural areas and among Indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Starlink pledged to provide free internet access to its Brazilian customers while its accounts in the country remain blocked.

If Starlink maintains its stance on X, Brazil could revoke the internet service’s license. If it continues to operate after that, officials could seize equipment from 23 ground stations. The gear helps Starlink improve the quality of its satellite connections.

Meanwhile, a majority of a Supreme Court panel upheld the X ban, which Moraes issued after Musk defied several of his orders, at a trial on Monday. X will have the right to appeal the decision. The panel also approved an order by Moraes to fine anyone caught using a VPN to access X in Brazil a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (around $8,900).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/elon-musks-starlink-will-comply-with-the-brazil-x-ban-after-all-181144471.html?src=rss

Resident Evil mobile ports now require an online check-in before you can play

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Capcom has updated the mobile ports of several Resident Evil games to now require an internet connection when the apps are opened. As noted by Eurogamer, patch notes for the latest Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village updates read, "Due to changes to the startup process, an internet connection is now required when starting this app."

It's unclear why Capcom added this requirement, but it stinks. It prevents anyone taking a flight without Wi-Fi or those hoping to sneak in a little game time while camping in the middle of nowhere from playing any of these games on their phone or tablet. It mitigates the notion that mobile games can be played anywhere, but you can avoid the issue if you already have the games you want to play on your device and automatic updates are off.

Several commenters on a Reddit thread that flagged the change said they'd be asking for a refund. However, Capcom may not have to be too worried about having to pay back a ton of players. There are reports that the mobile versions of the three games haven't been very successful. For instance, data suggests that just 2,000 people had paid for the iOS port of Resident Evil 7 in its first two weeks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/resident-evil-mobile-ports-now-require-an-online-check-in-before-you-can-play-161156065.html?src=rss

NYT Connections bot uses AI to highlight each day’s top mistakes

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Connections, the daily word game from The New York Times, isn’t exactly easy. In fact, the solve rate dips below 50 percent some days. To help highlight where players are going wrong, a new bot is employing AI to guess the thought process they’re using for the most common mistakes every day.

For the uninitiated, Connections is a word/logic game that the paper of record debuted last year. Every day, you're presented with a grid of 16 words that you have to split into four categories. There’s only one solution and after four mistakes, the game is over. However, there’s some trickiness afoot. There are often red herrings galore and frequently at least five viable answers for a group.

I’m hooked and I’ve played every day since last July. It’s one of our favorite games of 2023 overall (though it’s perhaps not entirely original).

After you win or lose each day’s game, you can saunter over to the Connections Bot. As with the bot for Wordle, you’ll see how well you did compared with other players and receive a skill score out of 99. This is primarily based on how few mistakes you make, but you’ll get extra credit for solving the more difficult purple and blue categories first.

After you see the skill score and other details (such as whether a red herring caught you out), the AI feature comes into play. This will highlight the most common incorrect guesses from that day. It will also try to guess a description for the group that players had in mind. So, for a failed guess of gutter, bowl, alley and lane, the bot might believe you were looking for a list of bowling-related terms. This is a real example from a recent game in which I made that exact mistake. Alley and lane were actually types of streets.

NYT Connections mistakes
New York Times

Your own failed guesses might not show up in the bot, though. That’s because there are around 2.6 million different ways to group each grid together. Bear in mind that while you don’t need a Times account to play Connections, you’ll need to be logged into one to use the bot and track your scores.

One other interesting thing about the bot is that it marks the first time that the Times’ newsroom will regularly publish AI-generated English text. Before publication, the paper’s editors will review all AI-generated responses and may edit them for style and clarity. That said, the Times notes that “there’s no way to use math or even artificial intelligence to reliably solve the game,” so you can’t really use the likes of ChatGPT to cheat at it quite yet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nyt-connections-bot-uses-ai-to-highlight-each-days-top-mistakes-145242525.html?src=rss

Zelda can wield a sword in Echoes of Wisdom after all

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Nintendo has provided a fresh look at The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the upcoming Switch game that makes the titular princess the playable protagonist for the very first time. Like many folks, I've been looking forward to this one, but one key question remained unanswered until this preview: where the heck is Zelda's sword? Earlier gameplay videos focused on her ability to create "echoes" — i.e. copy objects and enemies — to use in combat.

Fret not, fans of adorable murder: Zelda will have a sword after all. The latest video revealed her swordfighter form, meaning that, yes, she can battle her foes head on. There is a bit of a catch, though. The swordfighter form is on a meter, so you can only use it for a little while each time. That makes it just one of several weapons at Zelda's disposal, meaning you'll need to be strategic in combat. 

Zelda can use the sword she finds in the trailer to pull off the classic charge-up spin attack. You'll refill the gauge by finding a resource simply called energy. For what it's worth, it looks like the meter can be leveled up, so perhaps you'll get to stay in the swordfighter form for longer later in the game. Still, I have to wonder if you'll eventually obtain a Master Sword that you can use as much as you like.

The video reveals more details about gameplay and combat. Zelda will be able to enter the dimensional rifts like the ones that Link and the King of Hyrule were sucked into as she attempts to find them. On the other side is something called The Still World, in which people, objects and parts of the landscape that were swallowed up float in a void. It's not yet clear why this void doesn't seem to affect Zelda. You'll need to traverse floating platforms and create echoes to help you do so.

There are also dungeons for Zelda to battle through in The Still World. These, of course, include boss fights where you can put your sword to use. Alternatively, as the video shows, you can create an echo of a bed and simply take a nap (this would be my approach tbh).

Automatons are another type of weapon you'll have at your disposal. These are wind-up mechanical devices that can "release powerful effects," so they should complement your sword and echoes. The automatons are created for you by an engineer named Dampé. They're one of several friendly NPCs you'll encounter, alongside a cat and a Zelda staple, the Great Fairy.

The latest gameplay video should help to drive up anticipation for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom even more. Thankfully, it's less than a month away. It will land on the Switch on September 26.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/zelda-can-wield-a-sword-in-echoes-of-wisdom-after-all-143049937.html?src=rss

The Alan Wake and Control universe may expand to film and TV

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The Oldest House could be coming to a big screen near you. TV and film adaptations of Control and Alan Wake may be on the way after Remedy Entertainment struck a deal with Annapurna Pictures. Annapurna is stumping up half of the development budget for Control 2 and in return it snapped up the rights to adapt the two franchises. 

Remedy fully owns the intellectual property of both after it bought the rights to Control from 505 Games earlier this year. The two franchises exist in an MCU-style shared universe, and they're both highly cinematic. Expanding them into audiovisual mediums makes a lot of sense.

Remedy will take the lion's share of Control 2 game revenue after both sides have recouped their investments. Annapurna will keep most of the proceeds of any TV and film projects. No specifics have been revealed about how it may adapt Control and Alan Wake.

The studio is behind movies such as Zero Dark Thirty, Her and Nimona, which turned out to be a surprise hit on Netflix. It's starting to turn games published by its excellent Annapurna Interactive division into films as well. An animated Stray movie is on the way.

"Annapurna’s expertise across film, TV and video games makes them an ideal partner for us," Remedy CEO Tero Virtala said. "This agreement will ensure we can develop Control 2 into the best game possible, allow us to move into self-publishing for selected titles and expand our franchises to other mediums."

The agreement should alleviate some financial pressure on Remedy. Control 2 had an initial budget of 50 million euros ($55.4 million), but that number could end up rising. Moving into TV and film will give Remedy a fresh revenue stream too.

Remedy's operating profit nosedived over the last couple of years. It had 19 million euros ($21.1 million) in net cash at the end of June, down from 31.7 million euros a year earlier. Its games have been critically acclaimed. However, Alan Wake 2, which Remedy said in February was its fastest-selling game to date, had only "recouped most of its development and marketing expenses" as of earlier this month.

Control 2 is not yet in full production, so it will still be at least a few years away. Remedy has two other games in the works: a multiplayer Control project and a remake of the first two Max Payne titles. A co-op shooter Remedy was developing with Tencent was scrapped earlier this year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-alan-wake-and-control-universe-may-expand-to-film-and-tv-175949089.html?src=rss

EU officials believe Telegram lied about user numbers to skirt regulation

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Not only is Telegram CEO Pavel Durov facing criminal charges in France, the company he founded could be in hot water with the European Union as well. EU officials are looking into whether the platform lied about its user numbers to avoid being regulated under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The Joint Research Centre — a department of the European Commission, the EU's executive branch — is conducting a technical investigation in an attempt to determine Telegram's true user numbers in the bloc. Officials are also discussing the matter with Telegram, according to the Financial Times. “We have a way through our own systems and calculations to determine how accurate the user data is,” said Thomas Regnier, the EC's spokesperson for digital issues, said.

Earlier this year, Telegram claimed to have 41 million users in the bloc. While it was supposed to provide an updated figure this month, it said only that it had “significantly fewer than 45 million average monthly active recipients in the EU.” Officials claim Telegram's failure to disclose the actual number is itself a breach of the DSA, while they believe that the investigation will reveal that more than 45 million residents are using it.

That figure is significant because services that have more than 45 million users (10 percent of the EU's population) there are designated as “very large online platforms.” Those are subject to stricter rules under the DSA, violations of which can lead to a fine of up to six percent of a company's annual revenue. Platforms with the designation have to meet higher compliance and content moderation standards, and share data with the EC. Third-party auditing is also a factor.

Telegram is said to be on the cusp of cracking 1 billion users in total. Other than China, the user base is “roughly proportionate to the population of each market [or] continent," Durov told the FT earlier this year.

On Wednesday, French prosecutors formally charged Durov amid an ongoing investigation. Among other things, he has been accused of “complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software” and “refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity" on Telegram, which is an encrypted messaging service.

Durov, who was arrested at an airport near Paris over the weekend, was released from custody after posting bail of €5 million. The Telegram CEO, who obtained French citizenship a few years ago, is required to stay in France and check in at a police station twice weekly until the investigation is concluded. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-officials-believe-telegram-lied-about-user-numbers-to-skirt-regulation-165538148.html?src=rss

Netflix’s Wallace and Gromit movie features a ‘smart gnome’ robot in a teaser clip

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Netflix and the BBC have released an all-too-brief look at Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. A clip from the stop-motion animated movie features Wallace proudly revealing his latest invention, a “smart gnome” called Norbot. The robot aggressively shakes Gromit’s paw while introducing itself to the pooch, hinting at trouble ahead.

It’s a very short clip, but it’s full of charm and wit. The concept of a smart gnome as a riff on the smart home is funny by itself and it perfectly matches the type of humor the Wallace and Gromit series is known for. Wallace encouraging Gromit to put the voice-activated Norbot through its paces is a great touch too, considering that the beagle is famously silent.

There’s something not quite right about Norbot — the robot has a creepy design and an all-too-chipper attitude (the great Reece Shearsmith voices it). According to the Radio Times, the smart gnome is designed to perform any gardening task or “gnome improvement” (heh). It proves a hit with Wallace and Gromit’s neighbors, at least until things start to go wrong in what may well be cinema’s most terrifying instance of AI running amok yet. Wallace and Gromit will have even more problems on their plate, as the film includes the return of franchise villain Feathers McGraw.

“We are delighted to introduce Norbot, a ‘Nifty Odd-jobbing Robot’ gnome, designed to help Gromit with his gardening chores,” directors Nick Park (the series’ creator) and Merlin Crossingham said in a statement. “Norbot is Wallace’s most proud achievement to date and, according to Wallace, his ‘best invention ever!’ Garden gnomes have long been a part of Wallace and Gromit’s world, but this is no cute patio ornament… We’re so excited to see Wallace unleashing his latest invention, Norbot, into the world. However, his long-suffering pooch, Gromit, may be a little less sure…”

It’s almost hard to believe that Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is just the second full-length film in the franchise’s long and Oscar-laden history. It will arrive almost two decades after The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Netflix announced a deal with Aardman a couple of years ago to bring new Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit films to its platform. Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will arrive on the streaming service later this year everywhere except the UK, where it will premiere on the BBC.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/netflixs-wallace-and-gromit-movie-features-a-smart-gnome-robot-in-a-teaser-clip-143224865.html?src=rss