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Black Myth: Wukong breaks Steam’s concurrent single-player record within hours of launch

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Black Myth: Wukong, considered China’s first true AAA game, has broken Steam’s concurrent players record for a single-player title, passing Cyberpunk 2077 for the single-player record. In addition, it’s now the game with the second-most all-time concurrent players to date (including multiplayer), moving past Palworld. Based on the 16th-century novel Journey to the West, the souls-like action-adventure epic peaked at 2,223,179 players.

Industry analyst Simon Carless of GameDiscoverCo posted on X (Twitter) early on Tuesday an estimate that Black Myth: Wukong’s regional breakdown heavily favored its home country. The agency’s pie graph showed China claiming 88 percent of the game’s players. (In second place was the US at a mere three percent.) Although some interpreted that as potentially showing inflated numbers, the game launched in the middle of the night in the western hemisphere, and Carless’ stats were posted around 5AM ET.

The title’s records come against a backdrop of misogyny and censorship accusations aimed at developer Game Science. Streamers who were granted early access keys were given a (non-legally-binding) document that raised some eyebrows.

Screen from Black Myth: Wukong. The hero, a monkey man, chugs a jug of something as an enemy lurks in the background. Snowy environment.
Game Science / Sony

The document included a list of banned topics the streamers were to avoid discussing while broadcasting gameplay. The New York Times reported that the off-limits subjects included politics, “feminist propaganda,” COVID-19, China’s gaming industry, and anything else that “instigates negative discourse.” (While streamers were given the list, reviewers weren’t.)

Of course, the COVID mention is easily tied to the nation’s “zero-COVID” restrictions.

As for the “feminist propaganda” restriction for Black Myth: Wukong’s streamers, you can easily draw a straight line from widespread accusations of misogyny from developer Game Science and individuals working there, including some of its cofounders. Among the many instances (summarized in a 2023 IGN story) were Game Science recruitment posters from 2015, one of which implied friends with benefits were an office perk and another featuring a dumbbell with the text (translated) “fatties should fuck off.” (Yikes.) The accusations go on from there.

Screenshot of Black Myth: Wukong, featuring the hero battling a flaming boss.
Game Science / Valve

Game Science has ties to the Chinese government, which is no stranger to accusations of misogyny and censorship. To cite only a few examples, the #MeToo hashtag was censored or blocked on Chinese social platforms during the height of the movement, posts from feminist and LGBTQ+ groups and voices are routinely blocked or deleted on the country’s social media, feminist perspectives are frequently restricted or censored in China’s academic institutions and activists are no strangers to harassment, surveillance or arrests.

Tencent Holdings, a five-percent stakeholder according to The NY Times, has direct ties to Xi’s government. Meanwhile, the game’s publisher, Zhejiang Publishing & Media, is majority-owned by the Zhejiang provincial government. Finally, Hero Games, the company that sent out the streamer keys on Game Science’s behalf, has financial ties to “several state-owned enterprises,” according to The NYT. Hero Games owns around 20 percent of Game Science.

Some streamers supplied with keys (and the attached red tape) decided not to cover the game. “I have never seen anything that shameful in my 15 years doing this job. This is very clearly a document which explains that we must censor ourselves,” the prominent French streamer Benoit Reinier said (translated) in a YouTube video.

In Engadget’s preview of Black Myth: Wukong from earlier this summer (which didn’t include provisions about censored topics like streamers received), Mat Smith found the game visually stunning. We found the demo “elevated by how good the environment looks, the bizarre monster design and the quiet, unsettling soundtrack.” The game is available now on PC and PS5.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/black-myth-wukong-breaks-steams-concurrent-single-player-record-within-hours-of-launch-184559634.html?src=rss

King of Meat preview: A monstrous mash-up of a co-op platformer

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What do you get when you make a game influenced by movies like The Running Man and Labyrinth, toss in a bit of flair from professional wrestling (the kind with squared rings, not circular mats) and then throw all that on top of a co-op 3D platformer with user-generated dungeon building? To be honest, I’m not quite sure, but that’s sort of what Amazon Games and developer Glowmade are going for with its next title: King of Meat.

Trying to balance elements from that many properties seems like an impossible task. But after I got a chance to play an early build prior to Gamescom, King of Meat’s world and presentation might be the best thing about it. The game is centered around the Komstruck Koliseum, which is a Battle Royale-esque arena that also serves as the stage for an in-world TV show. Your job is to fight through various stages while helping out your friends and keeping the audience entertained.

King of Meat is a bonkers co-op 3D platformer from Amazon Games and developer Glowmade.
Amazon/Glowmade

This is where the WWE inspiration factors in because the audience isn’t simply there for the ambiance, it’s an actual game mechanic. Grabbing gems and beating up foes increases your multiplier, allowing you to earn more points and get higher ranks (like bronze, silver and gold). The better you do and the more bounties you complete (like killing a certain number of specific enemies), the more currency you get, which you can then spend on new weapons, costumes and special attacks called Glory Moves. There’s even an in-game announcer to help keep the hype up.

Stylistically, King of Meat feels like a mix between Fortnite and Castle Crashers (another inspiration for the title), but with a more outlandish and sinister bent. Weapon skins include Cthulhu-like tentacle swords or jagged 8-bit facsimiles while Glory Moves range from silly to shocking, like calling down a giant hoof from the sky or birthing a massive belch to blow enemies away. And behind this over-the-top, energy-drink-fueled facade, there’s a bit of evil lurking in the corners, hinting that the fictional megacorps such as KOMSTRUCT may not be what they seem.

Komstruct Koliseum is King of Meat's central hub where you buy new costumes and skills, select levels and more.
Amazon/Glowmade

As for the gameplay itself, it’s a pretty typical hack-and-slash platformer. You have basic melee attacks using weapons like swords and hammers, a heavier charge-up move, specials and a handy long-ranged sidearm (I used a crossbow, but there’s much more to choose from). You also get a double jump and while there’s some light comboing between moves, from what I saw the game stops short of letting you do more complex things like air juggles. Sadly, this is one of my concerns with the game, because while I only had a chance to play a handful of early levels, it feels like the game’s combat and pacing underdelivers, at least when compared to its over-the-top presentation and visual design.

When playing co-op with four people, there were several times when I just had to stand around while waiting for more enemies to arrive. Jumping across platforms also didn’t feel as tight or responsive compared to a lot of other 3D platformers. And even in the heat of battle, I didn’t get the sense that switching between attacks was much more effective than simply mashing buttons. I also ran into a few bugs where I got stuck in a wall or an enemy disappeared, which prevented our squad from moving on to the next section. That said, this was far from a final build, so hopefully Glowmade can polish things up before release.

A screenshot of the dungeon building tools in King of Meat.
Amazon/Glowmade

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to try out any dungeon building, which was a bummer since that’s meant to be a huge draw of the game. Out of the box, there will be a number of pre-made stages and a story campaign. But, similar to titles like Super Mario Maker, Glowmade is counting on users to create even more levels, with some of the lead developers saying “We want to reward players for being interesting.” Glowmade says first-party dungeons are built using the same tools players will get access to. This sort of reminds me of the Trackmania community, where even if you’re not the best racer, you can still make major contributions by creating fun courses, or in this case, dungeons. Cross-platform gameplay and dungeon building will also be supported, so you’ll have plenty of options for co-op.

Developer Glowmade says King of Meat was inspired by games like Castle Crashers, Little Big Planet and more.
Amazon/Glowmade

I still haven’t fully decided how I feel about King of Meat. It’s got an interesting premise and during my preview session, there were certainly moments where it felt like it was delivering on the spectacle while also scratching the grab-and-smash itch you tend to search for in hack-and-slash platformers. But at the same time, I wasn’t totally hooked either, possibly due to not being able to experience dungeon-building myself or not having a bigger arsenal of weapons and attacks to play around with. That said, since Glowmade’s founders previously worked at studios including Lionhead and Media Molecule and franchises like Fable and Little Big Planet, it feels like they should have the pedigree needed to properly bring King of Meat into the spotlight.

King of Meat will be available on PC, PS5, Xbox X/S and the Nintendo Switch, though Amazon and Glowmade have yet to set an official release date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/king-of-meat-preview-a-monstrous-mash-up-of-a-co-op-platformer-183015893.html?src=rss

An Amazon Echo Pop and smart light bulb bundle is just $23

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One of the main reasons to have a smart speaker is to help you control various smart home devices. Light bulbs are among the most common products used for that purpose, so it only makes sense to bundle one of those with a smart speaker. As part of a back to school sale on Amazon devices and bundles, a combo of the Echo Pop and a Sengled smart bulb is available for just $23. That's 61 percent or $37 off the regular price, and only $3 more than it was selling for during Prime Day last month.

Amazon introduced the Echo Pop last year as an entry-level Alexa-powered speaker. The semi-spherical device can handle some machine learning tasks locally and it can work with Eero mesh routers to extend the range of a home network.

Meanwhile, Sengled makes solid smart light bulbs that are a more budget-friendly alternative to name brand models like Philips Hue. The main drawbacks are that the colors aren't as nuanced as pricier options, while the mobile app isn't totally refined (though that's maybe less of a concern if you're using your voice to control the bulb anyway).

Amazon is also offering the bulb as part of other discounted bundles. You can snag an Echo Show 5 and Sengled smart light bulb for $60, down from $110. If an Echo Spot is of more interest, you can pick up one of those and a bulb for $55. The bundle usually costs $100.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/an-amazon-echo-pop-and-smart-light-bulb-bundle-is-just-23-170035540.html?src=rss

A24’s ‘Y2K’ has teens battling old-school computers and bloodthirsty Tamagotchis

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Once upon a time in the tail-end of the last century, there was something called the Y2K bug. This bit of computer code was supposed to herald a global robot apocalypse at the stroke of midnight when 1999 became the year 2000 because of, uh, clock dates or something. Anyways, nothing happened. Or did it?

That’s the premise behind A24’s new horror comedy, the appropriately-named Y2K. The film imagines a New Year’s Eve of 1999 in which the computers really did turn on humanity. It’s written and directed by SNL alum Kyle Mooney, who made the fantastic and underrated Brigsby Bear.

As you can see from the trailer, it’s a 1990s teen party comedy, like Can’t Hardly Wait, but also an apocalyptic horror film. This particular hodgepodge brings to mind This is the End, in which Seth Rogen and other celebrities fight off a demonic horde.

However, instead of a demonic horde, these teens will be fighting for their lives against VCRs, old-school computers and, of course, murderous Tamagotchis. Also, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst is somehow involved. The cast is composed primarily of unknown teenagers, but the adults are played by Tim Heidecker, Alicia Silverstone and Mooney himself. The movie hits theaters on December 6.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a24s-y2k-has-teens-battling-old-school-computers-and-bloodthirsty-tamagotchis-164537560.html?src=rss

Valve bans Razer and Wooting keyboard automation in Counter-Strike 2

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Earlier this week Valve started kicking Counter-Strike 2 players who used a feature called Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions (SOCD). It’s available on some of Razer and Wooting’s keyboards, and you'll be kicked from matches if you play Counter-Strike 2 and the game detects you using it. Fortunately, Valve isn’t planning to ban Steam accounts right now.

The Verge tested Valve’s ruling and confirmed the game kicks you from matches if you play with SOCD. We still don’t recommend challenging Valve’s leniency, as the admins still have every right to ban accounts from playing the game. Don’t come crying if they do, thanks.

Razer calls the feature Snap Tap, while Wooting prefers the cuter term Snappy Tappy. Valve’s post says that those who own these keyboards must disable the features to “avoid any interruption to your matches.”

SOCD allows players to automate strafing, which means they can move in two directions without releasing the first key. This entails that you can always peek out of cover and get back out of harm’s way as fast as the game’s limitations allow. For example, as you move left with the A key, pressing the D key without letting the A key go enables you to go right instantly. Additionally, your reticule widens while moving, so coming to a stop sooner helps with your aim. SOCD lets you stop almost instantly, which can improve your head-clicking rate.

Both Razer and Wooting have made posts on X accepting Valve’s decision. Wooting, in particular, called for SOCD keyboard owners to disable the feature while playing Counter-Strike 2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/valve-bans-razer-and-wooting-keyboard-automation-in-counter-strike-2-160502376.html?src=rss

Anova will charge customers to use its sous vide app, because everything must be a subscription

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Anova will soon start charging customers a monthly or yearly fee to use the “smart” features of its well-regarded sous vide cooking appliances. The subscription costs kick in on August 21 and apply to the proprietary app, which controls wireless functionality. In other words, you won’t be able to remotely control the device without paying the piper.

The subscription price isn’t exactly exorbitant, at $2 per month or $10 per year, but it’s the principle of the thing. In the old days, we’d buy an object and then use that object. End of story. Now everything’s a dang subscription. Yes. I wrote those previous sentences in a cartoonish old man's voice, but the point stands.

Anova says that the subscription fee will only apply to new users. If you already own an Anova cooker and use the app, the company will grandfather you in for free. However, it’s now mandatory to create an account. Before this change, it was optional. If you use an Anova cooker in guest mode, get that account made pronto. 

These cookers can be used without the app, but that turns them into bare-bones sous vide machines (not that there’s anything wrong with that.) The app allows for remote adjustments, access to status updates, the perusal of recipes and more.

“Our community has literally cooked 100s of millions of times with our app. Unfortunately, each connected cook costs us money,” company CEO Stephen Svajian wrote in a blog post. Svajian didn't go into detail as to how using simple Bluetooth features costs the company money, but whatever. 

The bad news doesn’t stop there. Anova is stripping its first-gen products of all smart features. This applies to the Bluetooth and Bluetooth + Wi-Fi models of the original Anova Precision Cooker. Not even a subscription will save these devices, though the change doesn’t go into effect until 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/anova-will-charge-customers-to-use-its-sous-vide-app-because-everything-must-be-a-subscription-151906912.html?src=rss

Apple’s 13-inch iPad Air M2 drops to a record-low price

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It's back to school season, which means many students and/or their parents are on the lookout for a laptop on which they can get schoolwork done. Depending on your needs, though, a tablet may do the trick (but you'll likely still want a keyboard attachment for extended typing sessions). Tablets offer flexibility in terms of study and play, and it's pretty hard to go wrong with a recent iPad.

As luck would have it, the 13-inch iPad Air M2 has dropped to its lowest price since Apple released it in May. The blue and space gray models are available for $729. That's $70 off the regular price.

While it's not the most powerful iPad around — the latest iPad Pro is the first device to use Apple's M4 chips — the M2 iPad Air is a great option. It's our recommendation for the best iPad for most people and we gave it a score of 91 in our review.

The M2 iPad Air delivers a great balance of performance, features and price. The 13-inch model has a brighter screen than its 11-inch sibling, and more screen real estate to get things done on. However, the 60Hz refresh rate is not as smooth as the 120Hz OLED panel on the latest iPad Pro.

The 8GB of included RAM and 128GB of base storage should be enough for basic tasks. The iPad Air will run for up to 10 hours on a single charge too.

There are cheaper and less-powerful iPads, but you'll be futureproofed to a certain degree with this one. AI-driven Apple Intelligence features will be available on the M2 iPad Air when Apple rolls those out later this year, and you can play some modern games such as Death Stranding and the Resident Evil 4 remake on the tablet (there's always the option to stream games from the cloud or local hardware too). One other feature we appreciate about this model is that Apple finally moved the front-facing camera to the horizontal edge, which makes much more sense for FaceTime or video calls in landscape mode.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-13-inch-ipad-air-m2-drops-to-a-record-low-price-143504371.html?src=rss

Waymo director says the company’s cars won’t honk at each other anymore

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Waymo’s self-driving cars no longer honk when near each other, Waymo’s Director of Product and Operations Vishay Nihalani said yesterday when he appeared on software engineer Sophia Tung’s livestream. The vehicles were spotted honking at each other a few weeks ago, prompting Waymo to issue a software patch.

As reported by NBC Bay Area, residents living near the parking lot full of Waymo taxis reported that despite the patch going live, the taxis still honked at each other. Tung, who lived near the idling taxis, set up her live stream to capture the cacophony of honking vehicles.

No good stream is complete without a soundtrack, and Tung’s stream included lo-fi music in the vein of the ubiquitous “LoFi Girl" on YouTube. The title, “Self Driving Taxi Depot Shenanigans To Relax/Study To,” was an obvious tribute to the LoFi Girl channel. (And yes, she had permission to use the music.) Despite a fix being pushed out, the stream captured the cars continuing to honk at 4AM this past Saturday.

Nihalani joined the stream to speak to Tung about the ongoing honking. According to the director, the cars’ honking was an intentional feature for taxis cruising on public roads to avoid collisions, but honking at each other while idling in the parking lot was never intentional. The taxis have now all been updated to solve the issue.

The Waymo service is available for those living in San Francisco, Phoenix, and 79 square miles of Los Angeles, stretching from Santa Monica to Downtown. In May, the company announced that its taxis were making 50,000 paid trips per week. Back in San Francisco, though, you can still tune in to Tung’s chill livestream of a parking lot — just without the honking.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymo-director-says-the-companys-cars-wont-honk-at-each-other-anymore-132812747.html?src=rss

NVIDIA’s ACE virtual human tech is making its way into an actual game

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A game developer called Amazing Seasun Games is demonstrating NVIDIA's Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE) technology through its upcoming multiplayer mecha game Mecha BREAK at Gamescom this year. NVIDIA unveiled ACE at Computer 2023, presenting it as a "custom AI model foundry service" that developers can use to make their games more interactive. Specifically, it will allow players to interact with NPCs without the constraints of pre-programmed conversations and will be able to give them appropriate responses. 

When NVIDIA launched the technology, it showed a player talking to an NPC called Jin at a ramen shop. The player asked how the character was, and Jin was able to respond naturally to tell them about his worries about his city's rising crime rates. NVIDIA said the developer will use its technology to bring Mecha BREAK's "characters to life and provide a more dynamic and immersive gameplay experience on GeForce RTX AI PCs."

The chipmaker also said that more developers are incorporating ACE into their creations. Perfect World Games, a Chinese developer, is using the technology to power its demo for Legends. In that game, or at least the demo of it, a character is able to identify people and objects in the real world through the computer's camera, thanks to ChatGPT-4o. 

In addition to the ACE demo in Mecha BREAK, NVIDIA has also announced that PC Game Pass access on GeForce NOW will become seamless starting on August 22. Players will only have to link their Xbox profile once to be able to easily stream Game Pass titles in the future. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nvidias-ace-virtual-human-tech-is-making-its-way-into-an-actual-game-130055827.html?src=rss

This 1mm ‘fan on a chip’ could put active cooling inside ultra-thin gadgets

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What if you could take the benefits of solid-state speaker drivers — specifically, their extreme thinness and lack of moving parts — and bring them to cooling fans? That's what xMEMS aims to do with its new XMC-2400 µCooling (microcooling) chip. It's a 1mm-tall solid-state fan on a chip that can actively cool extremely thin devices like smartphones and tablets. Based on the same MEMS (Micro-electromechanical systems) technology as the company's upcoming ultrasonic driver inside headphones, the micro-cooling chip could lead to slim devices that are less prone to overheating and capable of better sustained performance.

Consider this real-world example: If my fan-less M2 MacBook Air had xMEMS' XMC-2400 chips installed, it wouldn't have died on me while I was working in the sun at Apple's WWDC last year. It's not hard to imagine other potential solutions: Headphones that can cool down your ears; gaming controllers that can keep your paws from getting sweaty; tablets that can eke out even more speed from their hardware.

xMEMS micro-cooling chip
xMEMS

In earbuds like Creative's Aurvana Ace, xMEMS' solid-state drivers excelled at reproducing mid- and high-range, but they were paired together with a traditional bass driver to handle low-end frequencies. xMEMS' next-generation solid-state driver, dubbed Cypress, holds its own across all frequencies—-and it's that same air-pushing power that the new micro-cooling chip relies on.

According to Mike Housholder, xMEMS VP Marketing and Business Development, the XMC-2400 µCooling chip uses ultrasonic modulation to create pressure pulses for air movement. It weighs less than 150 milligrams and can move "up to 39 cubic centimeters of air per second with 1,000 Pascals of back pressure," xMEMS says. Since it's a solid-state device, there aren't any moving parts like rotors or fins to fail, and its thin design means it can be placed directly atop heat-generating components like APUs and GPUs. It's also resistant to dust and water damage with an IP58 rating.

xMEMS isn't the only company pursuing ultra-thin, solid-state cooling. Frore's AirJet Mini and Mini Slim can both generate 1,750 Pascals of back pressure, but they're also larger and thicker than the XMC-2400, measuring 2.8mm and 2.5mm thick, respectively. Frore showed off its technology by hacking it into a MacBook Air, and according to The Verge, it pushed out heat and led to improved sustained performance.

xMEMS micro-cooling chip alongside iPhone
xMEMS

As Housholder puts it, xMEMS' technology is more flexible since its far thinner, and manufacturers can also choose from side- and top-venting options. He expects the XMC-2400 to cost under $10 per chip, and that "four to five" existing partners will get their hands on it by the end of the year. Other manufacturers can snag it in the first quarter of 2025. xMEMS' fabrication partners, TSMC and Bosch, can easily switch from building its speakers today to constructing micro-cooling chips tomorrow, Housholder says. There's no need to change equipment or production lines. 

As devices like the iPad Pro juggle extreme thinness with powerful performance, the need for some sort of ultra-thin active cooling solution is clear. We can't escape physics, after all—that's something I learned when my MacBook Air died on Apple's own campus. While we still need to see the xMEMS micro-cooling chip in action to form any sort of judgment, theoretically, it could end up being indispensable in the future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/this-1mm-fan-on-a-chip-could-put-active-cooling-inside-ultra-thin-gadgets-130014002.html?src=rss