While many streamers have a global subscriber base, some have stuck to North America. Tubi, the Fox Corporation's free ad-supported streaming service, is no longer in that second camp with the streamer announcing it will launch in the United Kingdom.
Tubi will arrive with over 20,000 TV episodes and movies on-demand, from the likes of Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment, along with Tubi Originals. "We are launching with one of the largest and most diverse content libraries in the UK, designed to indulge viewers in everything from blockbusters to original stories to hidden gems," Anjali Sud, CEO of Tubi, stated in the company's announcement. "Most importantly, we’re committed to listening to what resonates with UK fans, and bringing them more and more of what they love." Tubi will offer UK users Hollywood films, British classics, Bollywoods, Nollywoods and Arthouse Cinema — to name a few.
The streamer claims to have nearly 80 million monthly active users and clearly hopes to grow that number significantly with a UK audience. It will be available on iOS and Android smartphones, major connected TV platforms and the web.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tubi-is-coming-to-the-uk-103019398.html?src=rss
Alternate video game endings are always fun to see. If a talented modder remakes an alternate ending previously scrapped by the game’s developer, it’s even better. Someone did just that, putting together an alternate ending for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt using footage that was originally discarded by CD Projekt Red.
YouTuber xLetalis shared a video detailing the restorations that modder Glassfish added to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt after the end of the game’s original storyline. (Note that some spoilers for the game follow!) The game ends with Geralt being pulled out of his fight with Eredin by Yennefer, his potential partner and sorceress. However, the remade cutscene shows Geralt waking up in a tent and receiving care from two doctors making a bet on his survival rate. From there, he leaves the hospital and talks to Yennefer, whose dialogue varies depending on whether he’s romancing her or another sorceress, Triss. Regardless of who Geralt was dating in the original game, you can ask where Ciri is or who won the war.
The extended ending continues with more deleted content, including Geralt attending Crach’s funeral, him meeting the Lodge of Sorceresses, and Yennefer betraying the Lodge to save Ciri. xLetalis speculated towards the end of the video that CD Projekt Red changed their minds about including Yennefer’s betrayal in the final game for creative reasons such as prioritizing matching the player's motivations with the beat of the story, as they have no insider or PR connections within the company to confirm it.
The restoration of the deleted content by Glassfish was made possible by CD Projekt Red releasing the REDkit modding tool for the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Huntin May. The company announced the modding tool last year to allow PC players to breathe new life into the game in any way they wish. REDkit was previously released for The Witcher 2, but as far as we know it wasn’t used to insert previously-scrapped scenes into the game as we’re seeing now. As for the origin of the deleted content, Glassfish pulled it from content that was cut from the main game but is still in the game’s files.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/modder-remakes-scrapped-alternate-ending-for-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-201010523.html?src=rss
Sega’s upcoming Crazy Taxi reboot is going to be an open-world massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game, according to a developer interview on YouTube. The interview includes both quotes from Sega’s team and some brief instances of game footage.
Series producer Kenji Kanno confirmed that the reboot will be playable by many people at once, though the company is still testing the game mechanics. The goal, according to a translation by Automaton, is to maintain the feel of the original franchise entries while incorporating MMO elements. To that end, the footage shows multiple yellow taxis racing one another with police cars in pursuit. Oddly, the police cars are convertibles.
It also looks like the map will be inspired by California, which makes sense given the previous entries, and will include “theme park-like” elements. The reboot has previously been described as a AAA title, so Sega is putting a whole bunch of resources behind it. Based on one job recruitment page, the game is being developed in Unreal Engine.
The idea of an open-world Crazy Taxi makes perfect sense, as it already was basically a precursor to GTA and the like. The MMO aspect, however, could be annoying or it could be amazing. We won’t know until it comes out.
This reboot is just one of Sega’s upcoming visits to the nostalgia well. The company recently announced that it’s breaking out many dusty IPs to work on modern versions. These include Crazy Taxi, of course, but also Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Shinobi and Streets of Rage. It’s worth noting that the company continues to ignore what the people really want, a modern take on the horrifying talking fish nightmare simulator Seaman.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/segas-new-crazy-taxi-reboot-will-be-an-open-world-mmo-155456136.html?src=rss
Samsung's latest Unpacked event will kick off on July 10th. The company has already released its latest flagship phones this year, unveiling the S24 family. But now it’s time for its spinoff smartphones: the foldables. That and the long-teased Galaxy Ring. The tiny wearable is slated to arrive “in or around August,” so it would be more of a surprise if the device didn’t appear at Unpacked. The ring will measure heart rate, movement and breathing to help track your sleep.
I’m expecting the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 to appear, although with minor tweaks that might not warrant an upgrade from last year’s foldables. That said, rumors suggest that Samsung might use the same 50MP camera as the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 in the Flip 6, which has traditionally had less-powerful cameras than the other Samsung flagships.
On top of all that, Samsung is likely to offer refreshed smartwatches and possibly an update to its wireless buds. (Yes, there have been leaks.) Samsung is set to mimic Apple’s AirPods by adopting a stem design on its buds. That’s funny, because when Samsung revealed the Galaxy Buds Live in 2020, it trumpeted the lack of an “awkward stem.”
A Deadpool & Wolverine popcorn bucket will apparently appear alongside the movie, featuring the yellow Wolverine’s head, with a mouthful of popcorn. And people have opinions. Movie people.
“I’m not saying I don’t like the bucket,” Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve said. “I’m just saying it was difficult to beat the Dune bucket. It was like one of a kind.” Until it came out. Theaters and studios produced special buckets for other movies, like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s ghost trap and ECTO-1 buckets, Wonka’s hat bucket and Inside Out 2’s core memory receptacle bucket.
Ubisoft boss, Yves Guillemot, revealed in an interview on the company’s website that Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works. In the remakes, the company could revisit and modernize older AC worlds — something the first three games could benefit from hugely. I’m up for prettier raytraced Renaissance Italy.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag may be one of those remakes. This entry introduced naval battles, which were spun out (and mired in development hell) in Skull and Bones. Fun fact: I watched a demo of the pirate sim in 2017, played a demo in 2018 but the game didn’t come out till 2023.
Valve has added a list of the 100 most-played titles on the Steam Deck. You can sort information by the past week, month or year, and it will update daily. The top 5: Elden Ring holds the top spot after the recent DLC launch. Then, Stardew Valley and my new favorite deck-builder, Balatro. Intriguingly, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX is in fifth, beating out Fallout 4.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-what-to-expect-at-samsungs-unpacked-2024-event-111539176.html?src=rss
There’s a war brewing in Hollywood and we’re not talking about how AI will inevitably kill us all by plagiarizing The Joker’s chaos plans from The Dark Knight. We’re talking about the popcorn bucket war.
The latest shot came from Dune director Denis Villeneuve in a red carpet interview in which he called the Wolverine & Deadpool popcorn bucket “horrific” and called the Dune buckets “unmatchable.”
Villeneuve did an impromptu interview with eTalkCTV where a reporter asked him about the feud that’s been brewing between him and Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds over their respective popcorn receptacles. The reporter showed Villeneuve a picture of the Deadpool & Wolverine bucket featuring the yellow Wolverine’s head and his gaping maw full of some of Orville Redenbacher’s finest. Villeneuve said he doesn’t have anything against the bucket but he thinks they are just riding the coattails he unfurled when the Dune sandworm popcorn bucket blew up the Internet.
“I’m not saying I don’t like the bucket,” Villeneuve said. “I’m just saying it was difficult to beat the Dune bucket. It was like one of a kind.”
He’s got a point. Popcorn buckets weren’t even a movie going craze until the release of the Dune 2 sandworm bucket, a popcorn tub that looks like a sex toy punishment designed by Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies. It sparked a whole new marketing trend for the struggling movie theater industry that’s been trying to fight the convenient onslaught of streaming media. Theaters and studios produced special buckets for other movies like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s ghost trap and ECTO-1 buckets, Wonka’s Willy Wonka hat bucket and Inside Out 2’s core memory receptacle bucket.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dune-director-throws-shade-at-the-deadpool--wolverine-popcorn-bucket-225500203.html?src=rss
Sometimes as we navigate our way through the daily doom scroll that is our current news cycle, it’s nice to go back and remember how things used to be. Those times sucked too but a distraction is still a distraction. One of my favorite ways to look at the past was by going through old clips of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report on Comedy Central’s website.
Paramount went on a content teardown this week and pulled old clips and episodes of its signature satire shows from the Comedy Central website, as well as content from cable channels like TV Land, CMT and the Paramount Network, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Those sites now contain a notice that tells views the clips are unavailable there, but that they can "sign up for Paramount+ to watch many seasons of Comedy Central shows."
It’s a bizarre move because most of those old episodes aren’t available on its Paramount+ streaming service. Essentially, there's no longer a free, legal means to consume the archive of these shows. It wouldn’t be so insulting if you also couldn’t watch all of Carlos Mencia’s comedy specials on the platform.
If you’re itching to watch some of Comedy Central’s older shows, some are available on the streaming service and you can still purchase some episodes of The Colbert Report on AppleTV or the iTunes store. If you’re also like me and you still use DVDs, you can buy used copies of The Best of the Colbert Report and The Daily Show’s Indecision 2004 coverage of the presidential election from online retailers. Paramount can’t take away physical media… yet. But it seems likely some portion of these shows — as well as the entire MTVNews archive — are now effectively lost to time for no good reason.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/paramounts-strategy-of-purposeful-digital-rot-doesnt-even-make-sense-204613382.html?src=rss
YouTube has recently launched a bunch of new features for Premium subscribers, including a quick way to skip the more boring parts of a video. When users double tap on a video, it will now skip ahead to what YouTube has marked as the more interesting portions of it based on a combination of AI and viewership data. The capability is now live in the US for Android users, though it's rolling out to iOS users in the coming weeks, as well. On Android, Premium subscribers can now also watch Shorts while checking their emails, browsing social media or doing things on other apps in general with the new picture-in-picture capability.
Paying users will get access to the video hosting website's latest experimental features, as well. One of YouTube's newest test features is smart downloads for Shorts, which automatically saves the service's short-form videos on users' devices that they could then watch offline. In addition, Android users now have access to a conversational AI experience that can answer their questions and suggest related content without having to stop watching whatever's playing on their screens. It's only limited to users in the US at the moment, however, and only for English videos that display an "Ask" button. Finally, Premium subscribers can access YouTube's redesigned watch page for the web that apparently makes it easier to find related content.
YouTube Premium removes ads from videos and gives subscribers access to offline viewing, Music Premium and other perks. In February, the Google-owned video sharing platform reported that it hit 100 million subscribers for both Premium and Music offerings, but it's been trying to get more people to pay for its services. Aside from introducing new perks, it's also waging a war against ad blockers and recently started preventing ad-blocking apps on mobile from accessing its videos.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-premiums-new-features-include-picture-in-picture-for-youtube-shorts-150029102.html?src=rss
Much of the conversation about AI has revolved around the use of copyrighted materials to train models. YouTube is allegedly taking steps to avoid this issue, offering major musical labels payment to license their songs for AI training, the Financial Times reports.
Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Records are all reportedly involved in talks with the Google-owned platform. However, it's unlikely the companies will get the last word as it would reportedly be up to each artist whether they participate.
Many musicians are far from thrilled about allowing AI anywhere near their work. In April 2023, over 200 artists signed an open letter stating, "We must protect against the predatory use of AI to steal professional artists' voices and likenesses, violate creators' rights, and destroy the music ecosystem."
In November, YouTube launched Dream Track, a tool that allowed select creators to pull from the lyrics and voices of singers such as John Legend and Charli XCX. However, only ten artists participated in the tool's test, and YouTube apparently aims to have "dozens" participate in an AI song generator.
Record labels have taken a stand against companies they see using their copyrighted content. On June 24, the trio of Sony, Universal and Warner filed a suit against music generators Suno and Omio for "massive scale" copyright infringement. They demand injunctions against further use and up to $150,000 per work.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-reportedly-wants-to-pay-record-labels-to-use-their-songs-for-ai-training-125052503.html?src=rss
While there's a bunch of third-party apps and services you can use to record your Steam games, you now have a native option that's built right into the Steam client. Valve has launched its own game recorder in beta, and yes, it also serves as a native recorder on the Steam Deck. You can either set the feature to start recording in the background the moment you keep playing or set it to only start (and stop) recording when you press a hotkey. If you choose to record in the background, you can specify the maximum of amount of storage recordings can take. Steam will overwrite old recordings once you hit the limit.
A Replay capability will allow you to watch previous footage in the Steam Overlay, so you can see what you did wrong in case you lose a boss fight or take a wrong turn that gets you lost. You can even drop markers beforehand to make it easy to find clips you think you'd want to watch later. The new feature also makes it easy to send clips from your Steam Deck to your PC or mobile device if you want to share them with friends or to upload them online.
Valve says the feature will only capture footage of your games and not your desktop, but it can include audio from voice chat programs. It will also work for most games, even non-Steam titles, as long as they support Steam Overlay. Since the feature is still in beta, though, you'll have to join a beta program to be able to access it. Go to Beta Participation in Interface under Settings to choose a beta program and then activate the Game Recording option that shows up in the Settings menu.
The new Steam Game Recording feature is on Steam Deck as well!
To try it out, make sure you're opted into the Beta channel, and turn on Game Recording in Settings. Recordings automatically show up in the Media section. https://t.co/1fLGFTkTFspic.twitter.com/vtSm7FLUlw
There’s about to be a new clicking game in town, and this one looks like an absolute nightmare (in a good way.) Clickolding, which seems to derive its name from cuckolding, is described on Steam as a “dark incremental narrative game about thumbing a tally counter to satisfy the distressing masked man sitting in the corner of your hotel room.” Yikes.
There’s a trailer and it only adds to the whole unsettling feeling surrounding this game. There is indeed a distressing masked man sitting in the corner of a hotel room demanding that you click a tally counter. There’s something… violent and almost sexual about the whole thing. What happens when you click enough? Do you get a bag of money? Does he explode? Do you explode? Does it turn into a new entry in the Saw franchise? I guess we’ll find out on July 16, which is when the game is set to release on PC.
Of course, clickers aren’t exactly high art, but this one is developed by Strange Scaffold, the company behind El Paso, Elsewhere, I Am Your Beast and Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, among others. So we have some hope that the game could turn the simple clicking formula into something unique. It’s also being published by Outersloth, an indie game fund started by the creators of Among Us. With that pedigree, there’s no way Clickolding ends up being a standard clicker. Did we mention the creepy guy in the corner? He also has a gun.
It’s rare that a clicking game becomes a bona-fide phenomenon, but it's not unheard of. Just last week, one called Bananarose to the top of the Steam charts. That one didn’t have a creepy guy in a hotel room, but did offer the potential to make actual money.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/clickolding-from-the-i-am-your-beast-devs-looks-like-a-clicking-nightmare-180504296.html?src=rss