The PS Plus Game Catalog additions for February include Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Posted on by

During its State of Play livestream on Thursday, Sony revealed the first PlayStation Plus Game Catalog addition for February and it's a doozy. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (PS5) will finally websling its way onto the Game Catalog on February 17.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was released in October 2023, and Insomniac's third Spidey game is the the best of the bunch. You can play as both Peter Parker and his protégé Miles Morales. Each Spidey has his own skill tree and moveset to master.

Traversing New York (with a lot more of it explorable than in previous entries) has never felt better thanks to the addition of the wingsuit, while the set pieces are frequently breathtaking. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 remains one of the PS5’s flagship games, and with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered and Miles Morales already on the Game Catalog, Extra and Premium subscribers can now play the whole series while they wait for Insomniac's Wolverine game to arrive later this year.

Sony later revealed the full PS Plus Game Catalog lineup for February on the PlayStation Blog. It includes Neva (PS4 and PS5), a stunning 2D platformer that's pretty much an interactive fairytale. Engadget’s Jessica Conditt opened her review of the game by saying she had "absolutely nothing negative to say" about it, which is surely about as effusive as a recommendation can get. (A paid expansion that acts as a prequel is on the way next week too.)

The other titles coming to the PS Plus Game Catalog on February 17 are:

  • Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown (PS5)

  • Season: A Letter to the Future (PS4 and PS5)

  • Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (PS4)

  • Monster Hunter Stories (PS4)

  • Venba (PS5)

  • Echoes of the End: Enhanced Edition (PS5)

  • Rugby 25 (PS4 and PS5)

PS Plus Premium members will have an extra game to play on PS4 and PS5 in the form of Disney Pixar Wall-E. This version was originally released in 2008 for the PlayStation 2.

Looking further ahead, Tekken Dark Resurrection will be available to Premium subscribers in March. Premium members will be able to play the original Time Crisis on their PS5 with gyro controls in May, which sounds fun. Also, Big Walk, a multiplayer game from Untitled Goose Game developer House House, will be available on all three PS Plus tiers when it debuts later this year.

Update February 12, 6:43PM ET: Added the full list of PS Plus Game Catalog titles for February.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-ps-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-february-include-marvels-spider-man-2-232459779.html?src=rss

The next Metal Gear Solid remaster collection arrives this summer

Posted on by

Volume two of the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection will arrive on August 27, publisher Konami announced today during Sony’s latest State of Play presentation. The bundle will feature 2008’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the HD remaster of 2010’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and a selection of bonus content, including Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, which was originally released for Game Boy Color in 2000. All told, that’s a smaller selection of games than Konami made available with Vol. 1 of the Master Collection, but Metal Gear fans will be excited nonetheless, if only for the fact it will mark the first time MGS4 will be officially playable on a platform other than the PlayStation 3.

That it has taken Konami nearly two decades to release the conclusion of Solid Snake’s story on more systems has to do with the nature of the game as a PS3 exclusive. MGS4 took extensive advantage of the console’s unique Cell architecture, a fact that made it difficult (and expensive) proposition to port to more recent x86-based systems. In recent years, it’s been possible to emulate the game on a powerful PC, but not everyone has that kind of hardware.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

Update, February 12, 6:30PM ET: This story was updated after publish to add details about Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2’s launch platforms.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-next-metal-gear-solid-remaster-collection-arrives-this-summer-231711005.html?src=rss

The first Control Resonant gameplay trailer shows Dylan defying physics in a sideways NYC

Posted on by

It’s been less than three months since we got our first look at Control Resonant, the sequel to Remedy’s mind-bending, third-person adventure that introduced us to Jesse Faden and the Federal Bureau of Control. At today’s State of Play event, we got to see the first extended bit of gameplay from Control Resonant — and the combat looks as inspired as ever, though the setting is completely new.

As we learned in December, the next Control games doesn’t focus on Jesse Faden; instead, you’ll primarily play as her brother Dylan who Jesse was trying to find for much of the first game. Dylan’s out in a warped version of New York City trying to track the game’s Resonant creatures that are responsible for whatever calamity has taken place. We knew this already, but the change of setting from the Bureau of Control building into the more open city setting should go a long way towards making this game feel fresh.

Dylan’s capabilities are also completely different than what we saw from Jesse in the original. There’s a much bigger emphasis on melee combat, as Dylan has a shapeshifting weapon called the Aberrant. You can switch from hammer to blades to other various forms, much in the way that Jesse’s firearm in the first game could morph between different types of guns.

But the thing that stood out the most to me in the brief preview was the way that NYC completely disobeyed the laws of physics. Buildings and streets would just head into the sky at 90-degree angles — and Dylan’s powers let him completely which surface is the “ground” for him.

There’s still no firm release date for Control Resonant, but that’s not unreasonable — the game was only announced a few months ago. Remedy says they’re still on target to launch in 2026. And, at the end of today’s PlayStation blog post, they promise that “things are going to get weirder.” Just what I was hoping for!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-first-control-resonant-gameplay-trailer-shows-dylan-defying-physics-in-a-sideways-nyc-224746545.html?src=rss

Mina the Hollower resurfaces with a spring 2026 release window

Posted on by

Sony’s first State of Play stream of the year included an update on Mina the Hollower, the latest title from Shovel Knight studio Yacht Club Games. It’s now slated to arrive sometime this spring. The developer initially planned to release the retro-style action-adventure platformer on Halloween last year, but delayed it to “to apply some final polish and balancing to make the game truly shine.”

While Mina the Hollower didn’t make its original Halloween release date, at least the new demo, which will be available for a limited time, is getting a eerily timed debut. It’ll hit PS5 tomorrow i.e. Friday, February 13. Y’know… Friday the 13th?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/mina-the-hollower-resurfaces-with-a-spring-2026-release-window-224327165.html?src=rss

Kena: Scars of Kosmora is coming out later this year

Posted on by

When it launched in 2021, Kena: Bridge of Spirits was an early example of the graphical power of the PS5 thanks to its Pixar-adjacent animation and over-the-top effects. Based on a surprise trailer at Sony's latest State of Play, it seems like its sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora, could up the ante when it launches later this year.

Scars of Kosmora follows spirit guide Kena to a mysterious island called Kosmora, where a powerful spirit breaks her staff and forces her to embrace a new style of spirit guiding (and presumably a collection of new game mechanics). Like the first game, Scars of Kosmora looks to be filled with lush visuals and cute Spirit Companions, but also a surprising amount of boss battles. Developer Ember Lab's new trailer heavily emphasizes the game's updated combat, which seems like it'll play a big role in the sequel.

According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, it sounds like manipulating the elements will also be a major focus. "We’ve added new elemental gameplay to bring strategy and depth when facing the threats of Kosmora," developer Ember Lab says. "These new combat skills, elemental infusions and use of your Spirit Companions will be key to overcoming challenging encounters and epic boss fights."

Kena: Scars of Kosmora is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/kena-scars-of-kosmora-is-coming-out-later-this-year-224006963.html?src=rss

Ghost of Yotei’s multiplayer expansion arrives March 10

Posted on by

Ghost of Yotei’s forthcoming Legends multiplayer expansion will arrive early next month, Sony announced today during its latest State of Play presentation. As in Ghost of Tsushima, you’ll be able to play the mode with up to three other people online. Players can each choose from one of four classes — samurai, archer, mercenary and shinobi — who excel in different combat scenarios. All four classes can wield a katana and bow, but then they also have access to special weapons and skills. For example, the samurai can wield the odachi, giving them a sweeping move set against groups of enemies. You’ll need to use teamwork and your class’s abilities to take down demonic versions of the Yotei Six.

The mode will arrive alongside the game’s 1.5 patch, and will be free for all Ghost of Yotei owners. At launch, players can look forward to three different mission types. In survival, you’ll be tasked with fighting off increasingly difficult enemies. In story mode, meanwhile, you and one other player will need to complete a series of 12 missions to unlock the expansion’s incursion mode, which will see you siege a fortress belonging to a member of Yotei Six. At first, there will be four strongholds for players to conquer, with a later April patch adding the final bosses.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ghost-of-yoteis-multiplayer-expansion-arrives-march-10-223842684.html?src=rss

This 50 sq.m. Glass House in Ukraine Has a Reed Roof 3X Its Size

Posted on by

Three small structures stand on a private estate in central Ukraine, each barely reaching 50 square meters. The Guesthouse Under the Reed Roof by Kyiv-based YOD Group challenges everything visitors expect from traditional architecture. Completed in 2026, these vacation homes take the Ukrainian mazanka and transform it into something entirely unexpected. The mazanka has defined rural Ukrainian landscapes for generations, its whitewashed walls and thatched roofs speaking to centuries of vernacular building practices.

The traditional approach relied on thick clay walls, regular plastering, and natural materials harvested from surrounding fields. Families would replaster their homes each season, an act of maintenance that doubled as a cultural ritual. The pursuit of cleanliness and light shaped every design decision. YOD Group studied these patterns and extracted their essence rather than their literal forms. The architects asked what the mazanka represented beyond its physical attributes.

Designer: YOD Group

Their answer manifests in floor-to-ceiling glass walls that replace solid clay entirely. Transparency becomes the new language of light and order. The thatched roof grows enormous, stretching beyond typical proportions to become the project’s primary statement. Its sculptural form dominates each guesthouse, creating a silhouette that recalls both traditional headwear and organic mushroom caps emerging from the earth. The roof floats above transparent walls, appearing almost detached from the structures it shelters.

Volodymyr Nepiyvoda, managing partner at YOD Group, describes their approach as terroir design. The philosophy moves past simple material selection or nostalgic references. The team decoded cultural meanings embedded in rural architecture, understanding the mazanka as a living system rather than a frozen artifact. This perspective allowed them to honor tradition while pursuing radical innovation. The glass boxes invite the Ukrainian countryside inside, erasing boundaries between domestic space and natural surroundings.

Heavy wooden doors provide entry points, grounding the ethereal glass structures with tactile weight. Interior furnishings by Noom maintain the contemporary aesthetic while supporting local design networks. Mykhailo Lukashuk photographed the guesthouses in winter, capturing how the oversized reed roofs hover above snow-covered ground. The images reveal structures in constant dialogue with their environment, changing with the weather and season.

The design team of Volodymyr Nepyivoda, Dmytro Bonesco, Natalia Tymoshenko, and Yana Rogozhinska distilled centuries of building knowledge into these compact forms. They created architecture that respects heritage without becoming trapped by it. The guesthouses prove that tradition and innovation need not oppose each other. Cultural memory can fuel contemporary expression when architects approach vernacular architecture as philosophy rather than prescription. These transparent homes wrapped in outsized thatched roofs represent a new chapter in Ukrainian design, one that looks backward and forward simultaneously.

The post This 50 sq.m. Glass House in Ukraine Has a Reed Roof 3X Its Size first appeared on Yanko Design.

A Typewriter-Inspired Calculator in Vibrant Coral Red Just Stole Our Heart

Posted on by

There’s something beautifully ironic about the fact that we carry supercomputers in our pockets, yet the humble calculator refuses to die. And if designer Mariana Bedrina has her way, maybe it shouldn’t. Her GIA calculator concept doesn’t just crunch numbers. It makes you want to crunch numbers.

At first glance, the GIA looks like it time-traveled from a 1960s Italian design studio, stopped briefly in 2026 to pick up some modern tech, and landed on your desk with a personality. The inspiration comes from Olivetti typewriters, those gorgeous mechanical machines that made office work feel like an art form. Remember when tools had character? When objects didn’t just function but made you feel something? That’s what Bedrina is tapping into here.

Designer: Mariana Bedrina

Create your own Aesthetic Render: Download KeyShot Studio Right Now!

The design plays with contrasts in the most satisfying way. Soft-touch plastic meets metal-edged keys, creating something that looks simultaneously retro and contemporary. The calculator has a folding stand that props up the display at an angle, giving it this almost laptop-like presence on your desk. But what really sells the concept is the attention to tactile pleasure. Each button press promises a rhythmic click, that same satisfying feedback that made typewriters so addictive to use. There’s a reason mechanical keyboard enthusiasts spend hundreds of dollars chasing that perfect keystroke sound.

The GIA comes in a color palette that pulls directly from Olivetti’s most vibrant era. We’re talking coral red, electric blue, and that particular shade of lime green that somehow works when it absolutely shouldn’t. These aren’t the muted, “professional” colors we’ve been conditioned to accept in office supplies. They’re joyful. They’re loud. They demand to be noticed. The display even greets you with “HELLO” in a pixelated font that adds to the charm.

But here’s what makes this concept more than just a pretty nostalgic exercise. It recognizes something we’re only now starting to articulate: digital minimalism has left us craving physical objects again. We got so efficient, so streamlined, so invisible in our technology that we forgot how much we enjoy touching things, hearing things, seeing colorful things on our desks that aren’t just glowing rectangles.

The GIA positions itself as both a functional tool and a form of self-expression. Bedrina describes it as fitting equally well in office spaces and home studies, which tracks. This isn’t trying to be invisible professional equipment. It’s trying to be a conversation starter, a mood lifter, something that makes the mundane task of calculating expenses or balancing budgets feel less soul-crushing. There’s also something refreshingly analog about committing to a single-purpose device. Your phone can calculate, sure, but it can also distract you with seventeen notifications while you’re trying to figure out if you can afford that vintage lamp. A dedicated calculator keeps you focused. Add genuine design appeal, and suddenly you have an object that earns its place in your space.

The typewriter-inspired button layout is particularly clever. Those rounded keys with metal frames aren’t just aesthetic choices. They reference a specific era of design when Italian manufacturers proved that office equipment didn’t have to be boring. Olivetti’s typewriters were status symbols, objects people genuinely loved. They appeared in films, in photographs, in the hands of writers who could have afforded anything but chose these specific machines because they were beautiful.

Whether the GIA calculator will ever move beyond concept to production remains to be seen. The market for premium calculators exists but it’s niche. Yet seeing this design reminds us why concepts matter. They push against the current, question assumptions, and suggest possibilities. They ask: what if our tools brought us joy again? What if functional objects could also be emotional ones?

In a landscape dominated by minimalist design and disposable electronics, the GIA feels almost radical in its commitment to personality, color, and tactile pleasure. It suggests that maybe we don’t have to choose between functionality and delight. Maybe our calculators can have character. Maybe math doesn’t have to be boring, even when it’s just math.

The post A Typewriter-Inspired Calculator in Vibrant Coral Red Just Stole Our Heart first appeared on Yanko Design.

This 10,000mAh power bank with pull-out cable is designed for all-day reliability

Posted on by

I miss the point-and-shoot cameras of days gone by. They offered a level of convenience that smartphones have hogged over the past two decades. Yet many designers and creators believe those cameras had something in their design that can still influence modern devices and their form. Case in point: the D90 Block Power Bank by D MOOSTER. It resembles a digicam without the lens, but with the same comfortable, convenient handling.

D MOOSTER, established in 2020, is a design agency born during the pandemic. Since then, it has been moving forward with concepts that have the power to mesmerize, and this new power bank with its timeless appearance and state-of-the-art features embodies that spirit, and is a compelling device to behold. If you’re not convinced, we’ll walk you through its aesthetic and functional features below to show why it truly lives up to the hype.

Designer: Eric Cheng 

You cannot afford to have your phone run out of power in the middle of doomscrolling or when you’re in no man’s land without a power connection in the vicinity. And it goes without saying that the case is similar when you are working remotely and are involved in back-to-back meetings. A reliable power bank can be the much-needed lifeline when such a situation strikes and you should be ready with a contemporary device, which can offer more power, with maximum convenience and still have a showstopping design to flaunt.

The D90 Block Power is all of the above. A device with the primary idea of keeping your portable devices going through the day. It can work hard and last long with up to 20W fast charging support and a capable 10,000 mAh battery, which can juice up your iPhone fully at least twice before requiring a charge. When it comes to devices like a power bank, we rely on reputable brands for their capacity, power output, and durability.

With its new power bank concept, D MOOSTER ensures each of these parameters is checked and consumers have no reason to shy away from its appeal. And when that’s ensured, the convenience of the pull-out cable kicks in. The device flaunts a one-meter-long cable, which pulls out of its housing within the power bank, when you need it. With a USB Type-C on its connecting end, the power bank is made compatible with almost all the new iPhones and an entire collection of smartphones under the Android umbrella.

Featuring an enticing three-module design, one each for branding, specifications, and information (inspired by the Fibonacci golden ratio) the D90 Block Power has a power button and an USB A port alongside on one side. Designed in three colors: orange, gray, and blue, the power bank from D MOOSTER is conceptualized with natural materials and a size that is handy to carry and use.

The post This 10,000mAh power bank with pull-out cable is designed for all-day reliability first appeared on Yanko Design.

EU reportedly opens another probe into Google’s ads pricing

Posted on by

The European Commission has opened a new probe into Google, this time focused on the company's massive online advertising business, Bloomberg reports. European Union regulators have already fined Google billions for violating the Digital Markets Act, and being found guilty of anticompetitive behavior in online advertising could add to that total.

While the Commission has yet to announce a formal investigation, Bloomberg writes that it has started contacting Google's customers and competitors for information about its dominance across multiple online advertising markets. Regulators are particularly concerned that Google could be "artificially increasing the clearing price" of ad auctions "to the detriment of advertisers." If the company is found to be violating the EU's competition rules, Google could be fined 10 percent of its global annual sales.

Google's approach to advertising to minors was reportedly already under investigation by the EU as of December 2024, and besides fines, regulators have ordered the company to open up Android to competing AI assistants and share search data with rivals. In the US, there's also precedent for finding Google's approach to online advertising anticompetitive.

A US federal judge found that Google is a monopolist in online advertising in April 2025, the conclusion of a legal battle that started with a Department of Justice lawsuit accusing the company of dominating the ad market and using its control to charge more and keep a larger portion of ad sales. The DOJ ultimately wants Google to sell its ad tech business, but a final decision hasn't been reached as to how the company's anticompetitive behavior should be remedied.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-reportedly-opens-another-probe-into-googles-ads-pricing-194435095.html?src=rss