The Verge - Entertainments |
- Hitman 3 is getting its first new map on July 26th as free DLC
- The Steam Deck is changing how I buy games
- Captain America 4 will be directed by The Cloverfield Paradox’s Julius Onah
- This reimagining of the Game Boy looks like a prototype Nintendo could have made
- Now the built-in iPhone Music Recognition feature syncs its history with the Shazam app
- Google celebrates Army’s anniversary with BTS street view tour
- Xbox Cloud Gaming looks worse on Linux — here’s why it’s bad and how to fix it
- Fire Emblem’s hack and slash spinoff just made me want to play Three Houses
- Roku’s Streaming Stick 4K is a streaming powerhouse that’s $20 off
- PlayStation Store removes purchased movies from libraries after service shutdown
| Hitman 3 is getting its first new map on July 26th as free DLC Posted: 09 Jul 2022 03:25 PM PDT  Hitman 3's new map, Ambrose Island, will arrive as free DLC to all players on July 26th, IO Interactive announced in its July roadmap. This marks the game's first new map since it launched last January. Judging by the trailer, Ambrose Island looks like a dingy, tropical locale led by a rebel outcast. IO Interactive says the map is a "fully explorable sandbox location" with a "hidden cove, home to a dangerous pirate syndicate operating in the Andaman Sea and to many hidden secrets." It's also set to come with a slate of new targets, challenges, and rewards to unlock.
IO Interactive first previewed the map — codenamed "Rocky" at the time — as part of its year two reveal earlier this year. In May, the game studio announced that it had pushed Ambrose Island's release date up to make up for the delay of Hitman 3's upcoming roguelike mode, called Freelancer. The new mode was originally set to come out in spring 2022, but it's now supposed to arrive in the second half of this year. IO Interactive also outlined a number of other changes in its roadmap. It's swapping in Himmapan Hotel as the game's free rotating location until July 17th, and has added Vicente Murillo as the current Elusive Target, with Wen Ts'ai set to make a return on July 15th. |
| The Steam Deck is changing how I buy games Posted: 09 Jul 2022 06:00 AM PDT  Buying multiplatform games used to be a simple decision for me: I'd almost always get them on the Nintendo Switch because of how easy it is to play games both on a TV or in portable mode. The Steam Deck has thrown a wrench in that decision-making process. The handheld gaming PC might be heavier, have worse battery life, and doesn't come with an easy Switch-like dock to throw my games onto a bigger screen, but because I feel like I can bank on Steam games being available much longer into the future, I'm having to make tough choices about whether I buy games on Valve's storefront instead of Nintendo's. There's one important thing I should state up front: I hadn't owned a gaming PC of any kind until I got the Steam Deck in April. For a long while, I primarily played video games on Nintendo platforms, and I only really began to dig into the PlayStation and Xbox libraries in earnest with the beginning of the pandemic. (I got a PS4 just to play Final Fantasy VII Remake, and things escalated from there.) While I've bought a lot of Steam games on sale or in Humble Bundles, I've only actually played a handful of them and only on old work laptops or my personal MacBook Airs. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, is a much more capable gaming device than any laptop I've ever owned. Once I got it set up, I suddenly had access to nearly 200 PC games that I had previously bought or claimed, and I could play them on my couch or connected to an external display. I knew that would be the case when I put in my reservation for the Steam Deck last year, but actually seeing the games on my very own device was eye-opening. With Switch games, though, there's no guarantee that they'll work with Nintendo's next major console. Right now, I just have to cross my fingers that Nintendo opts to make that console backward-compatible with my Switch purchases. Personally, I'm not counting on it — Nintendo loves to find new ways to resell old games. I would have liked to have brought over Mario Kart 8 from my Wii U to the Switch, but to be able to play it with my colleagues during the pandemic, I had to cough up the full price for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Access to retro games is one of the primary perks of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but all of the Virtual Console purchases I made years ago aren't available on my Switch. And Nintendo isn't afraid to shut down storefronts. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23660499/akrales_220628_5314_0021.jpg) Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge With Steam, on the other hand, I can be fairly confident that just about everything I buy that works on the Steam Deck now will work just fine on any potential next Steam Deck or gaming-capable computer I buy well into the future (as long as the game supports whatever operating system I'm on, of course). I'm making a big assumption that Valve doesn't get acquired or suddenly fall off the face of the earth — anything can happen in the video game industry, so maybe I shouldn't tempt fate — but Valve seems to have a good thing going. I should also say that on my Steam Deck, I've generally gravitated toward smaller and indie titles like Hotline Miami, Inside, and The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe. I suspect those are the types of games I personally am going to want to return to at some point in the future, and it will be a lot easier to just redownload them on PC instead of having to dig up my Switch once it inevitably loses its spot on my TV stand. Despite how much I love the Steam Deck and the potential that the Steam platform will let me easily access games years and years down the line, I haven't fully committed to Valve's ecosystem just yet because it's a hassle to play Steam Deck games on my TV. Part of the magic of the Switch is how effortlessly it switches from handheld to TV mode when you plop the device into its dock, and although the Steam Deck can connect to external displays, there's still not an option that's quite as simple as the Switch experience. I had been looking forward to the official Steam Deck dock to see if that could come close, but since it was delayed, I'm going to have to keep waiting. But while I don't expect the Steam Deck will ever be as easy to play on a TV as a Switch, it might be worth a bit of inconvenience to be able to play decades of PC games on the big screen at home and to know that anything I buy now will probably work on other PCs down the line. Right now, I'm still picking the Switch for a lot of games. (And, of course, there are the big games like Zelda and Metroid that are only available on the Switch.) But what used to be a no-brainer is now something that I have to think hard about, and as Valve keeps improving the Steam Deck, choices in the future might be even harder. |
| Captain America 4 will be directed by The Cloverfield Paradox’s Julius Onah Posted: 08 Jul 2022 03:06 PM PDT  Marvel Studios' upcoming fourth Captain America feature — the first since Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson officially took over the mantle in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — may not yet have a name or release date, but the movie's just picked up a director in the form of one Julius Onah. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox) has signed on to direct the next Captain America film that will pick up some time after Sam Wilson's confrontation with John Walker and the Flag Smashers. Onah joins The Falcon and The Winter Soldier creator Malcolm Spellman and series staff writer Dalan Musson, who will be scripting the new film together. Currently, no other details about Captain America 4 have been released, but it's quite possible Marvel may have more news about it to share at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. |
| This reimagining of the Game Boy looks like a prototype Nintendo could have made Posted: 08 Jul 2022 12:42 PM PDT  Imagine if Nintendo made a Game Boy Advance without the Advance part. That's what video game console and handheld modder Obirux did: they created a reimagined original Game Boy handheld that retains the aesthetic language of the 1989 model but reoriented it as a horizontally handled system akin to the Sega Game Gear, original GBA, and many modern handheld systems, including the Nintendo Switch (via Gizmodo). This creation is named the Game Boy DMG-0B "Prototype," a homage to the original model number of the Game Boy DMG-01, where DMG stands for Dot Matrix Game. Obirux has a brief list of what went into this modification: it required the sacrifice of two original Game Boy shells plus extra plastic, padding, and paint / dye. Then the original screen / front PCB board was removed and replaced with a modified version of the PCB that comes with a replacement IPS screen kit — a modern screen upgrade that offers a much clearer image along with backlighting. It's a solid upgrade over the fine-for-its-time Dot Matrix screen and its odd contrast quality. The screen can also output different hues, allowing for a semi-colorized look, including a green pallet that echoes the original Dot Matrix display. Not only was the screen upgraded, but so was the battery. Obirux shed the four AA battery arrangement and replaced it with a Li-ion battery, which not only saves a ton of space but also means the cells wouldn't have to be separated into opposite ends of the handheld like how Sega's Game Gear had six AA batteries split in two housing sections. Other components like the buttons and ports were reused and moved around the case. It even has a barrel power connector instead of a USB plug that other Game Boy modders have used, adding to the authentic retro exterior look of the handheld. Obirux describes themself as "an artist building unique playable works" and works in construction in London. Many mods built by Obirux end up for sale on their website, seemingly including the WideBoy we just looked at — though, like everything else on the site, it's already "sold out." I personally would love one of Obirux's GameCube PC mods, as I am a stickler for all things GameCube: like this spice orange Switch dock made by Littlewolf128 or the WaveBird joycons built by Shank. Also, it would be really cool to see another one of these GameCube handhelds with an actual working slot-load disc drive. |
| Now the built-in iPhone Music Recognition feature syncs its history with the Shazam app Posted: 08 Jul 2022 12:35 PM PDT  Apple's Music Recognition feature in the iPhone Control Center is now able to sync with the latest version (15.14) of the Shazam app and across Apple devices using the same Apple ID (via MacRumors). According to MacRumors, many users thought that the feature required the iOS 16 developer beta, but now it is available for iPhones that have iOS 15 installed. After announcing it would acquire Shazam in 2017, Apple debuted Music Recognition as a built-in iOS feature in 2020 with iOS 14.2. The feature allowed iPhone users to identify songs around them and in apps without downloading the Shazam app. Now, if you ask Siri or use the Music Recognition control to help find a song, you are able to store it in the Shazam app if you have it downloaded so you can view the archive later. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23755032/Image_from_iOS__3_.jpg) Another nice addition is that it keeps track of songs identified with the Music Recognition feature across devices sharing the same Apple ID. Until now, you couldn't maintain that history across devices unless you downloaded the Shazam app and identified songs there. Another way was to opt in to sync your Shazam and Apple Music app and create a playlist of Shazam'd songs that have been identified over time from numerous devices. But, this could be useful if you're not looking to download another app and want to see your tracks in one place. You can check out how to add the Music Recognition feature (without the Shazam app) to your device here. If you're looking to see the tracks you've Shazam'd, you can press and hold the Music Recognition button in the Control Center (once you've added it) to see them. |
| Google celebrates Army’s anniversary with BTS street view tour Posted: 08 Jul 2022 12:21 PM PDT  July 9th marks the ninth birthday of the BTS Army (specifically, the official announcement of its name). As Twitter celebrates the anniversary, Google has released a new street view experiment through its Arts & Culture platform in collaboration with the band. The BTS x Street Galleries exhibition brings viewers on a virtual tour of the group's favorite artworks. Each member has curated a virtual gallery, with their selections placed in various public locations that will be highly recognizable to BTS fans. J-Hope decorated the UN General Assembly, where BTS gave an address and shot a music video last year; RM guides fans through Seoul's Namdaemun, where BTS performed for 2021's Global Citizen Live festival. Some BTS members are known art aficionados (including leader RM, who recently discussed his collection on the Art Basel podcast), but others haven't yet been as public about their tastes. While there are minor glitches here and there, the experience provides an interesting look at each member's artistic interests mixed with a healthy dose of personality. V describes a photo of a rowboat as "my kind of jam." "Everyone knows I'm handsome, just like this hunky Adonis," Jin writes of Antonio Corradini's Adonis. "I love taking photos of the clouds because each cloud is completely different to the next," Jungkook comments, which is the most Jungkook remark a person could make. The Arts & Culture platform includes a number of online tours of famous galleries, as well as other tourist attractions, including the Alhambra and the Pyramids of Giza. As part of the "Experiments" section, where artists can try more eclectic ideas, BTS x Street Galleries looks to be an interesting vision — and potential conversation starter — for the role of art in public space. |
| Xbox Cloud Gaming looks worse on Linux — here’s why it’s bad and how to fix it Posted: 08 Jul 2022 12:08 PM PDT  Anyone who's tried the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta on Linux (which is likely a small crowd, I know) may have noticed that the image quality is a little rough, even by cloud gaming standards. Now, though, community members have found a quick workaround to get better image quality, and we have an official explanation for why the hack works and why the problem exists in the first place. On Monday, Reddit user Spiritual-Ad2806 posted on the Xcloud subreddit, saying that they were able to trick the Xbox service into showing them a better quality stream on Linux by making it think it was running on Windows. Doing that is relatively simple; they used an Edge extension to change their user agent, which is essentially a string of text that tells websites what browser you're using, as well as various other pieces of info about your system. When they switched to a user agent that told sites they were running on Windows 10 instead of Ubuntu or Manjaro, they got a noticeably better picture. I tried this out for myself using Linux Mint and this browser extension (though I can't completely vouch for its safety, so proceed with caution), and it totally worked. The differences, which you can see an example of above, can be subtle depending on what game you're playing, but I'd consider the workaround mandatory if I was going to be playing any game with any amount of text. As for why this works, Jordan Cohen, one of the leads on the xCloud project, offered an explanation on the Linux_Gaming subreddit. According to his comment, Linux isn't officially supported by Xbox Cloud Gaming, so it "reverts to a default resolution and bit rate" that should work on most devices. Cohen says that the team decided to look at the user agent instead of trying to figure out what features a browser actually supported because it was simpler. According to Cohen, the Xbox Cloud Gaming team is "working to improve support and access for a wider range of devices and operating systems" and is "considering changing defaults to be smarter." While that's far from an official announcement, it does sound like Linux / Xbox gamers may want to keep an eye out. For now, though, the user agent trick seems to work just fine if you want to get the most out of your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Update July 8th, 4:15PM ET: Jordan Cohen confirmed to The Verge that he wrote the Reddit comment. This article has been updated to reflect that confirmation. |
| Fire Emblem’s hack and slash spinoff just made me want to play Three Houses Posted: 08 Jul 2022 09:17 AM PDT  Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, the Fire Emblem: Three Houses-themed hack and slash game, is pretty damn good — I just wish I could enjoy it. Three Hopes made a bit of a splash for its debut during February's Nintendo Direct. Fans had seen the familiar blue-red-yellow primary color scheme and hoped that the morose Dimitri, best boy Claude, and Edelgard and her merry band of fascists had come back in a sequel to one of the best Nintendo Switch games in the console's history. Some of them rolled their eyes to see Three Hopes was not Three Houses 2 but the next in a long line of licensed hack and slash games. I was not one of those fans. I love hack and slash games. I voraciously consumed the middle handful of Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi games. And since those games have taken a bit of a dip in quality (the most recent Dynasty Warriors 9 has abysmal reviews), the licensed flavor of this genre has become a welcome substitution. It's not only because they scratch the itch of just wanting to go ape shit in a game but also because Koei Tecmo didn't skimp on the storytelling. It would have been easy and expected for these games to be narratively light — after all, there's only so many times you can rehash the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Dynasty Warriors has managed to do that nine fricking times. But Persona 5 Strikers functions damn near as a Persona 5 sequel, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity fiddled with the canon of Breath of the Wild in a way that had some emotionally resonant and satisfying moments. I had high hopes for Three Hopes, thinking it would be the same, but it wasn't. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23754235/Switch_FEWThreeHopes_screen_28_bmp_jpgcopy.jpg) Image: Nintendo One thing I really appreciated about Age Of Calamity and Strikers was that the characters weren't forced to fit into the hack and slash genre. Rather, these spinoffs were made to really feel like they fit into the world they were based on. Three Hopes did something similar. The game features the same complex class promotion system whereby combat units could become anything and everything. There were chores to complete, trainings to do, and food to cook just like in Three Houses, and with each activity, you increased your support rank with your friends. But all those features imported to Three Hopes just made me want to play Three Houses again. I would get excited talking to Claude (again, best boy) and leveling up our social rank, but when it was time to fight, I had a real yearning for the strategy combat of Three Houses that Three Hopes just couldn't fulfill. It wasn't bad or boring. Three Hopes' combat really does try to make it feel as Fire Emblem as it can, but it just wasn't good enough. I also didn't really like how the game forced you to choose your house so early, shunting you away from the others. I'm not particularly fond of Dimitri, and Edelgard... girl. But I had hoped Three Hopes' alternate universe story could at least help me see the appeal of the Blue Lions, Black Eagles, or Ashen Wolves before I had to choose one. I didn't get the opportunity. (Yes, I know, I was always gonna pick the Golden Deer anyway. But I would have liked to have gotten to know the others better so I could at least hesitate for a few more seconds than I would have normally.) Three Hopes isn't for me. It constantly made me wish I were playing Three Houses in ways Strikers and Age of Calamity did not. It eventually got so distracting and disappointing that I had to put the game down in favor of a few more rounds with Triangle Strategy, of all games. Maybe I just have an itch for a strategy game that just can't be filled with a hack and slash — no matter how decent that hacking and slashing is. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is out now for the Nintendo Switch. |
| Roku’s Streaming Stick 4K is a streaming powerhouse that’s $20 off Posted: 08 Jul 2022 08:37 AM PDT  Finding a good show to watch after a long day of work can sometimes require too much brain power — at least if you're as lazy as I am. That's why a streaming device that's simple to use, like Roku's latest Streaming Stick 4K, can be so great. All of your streaming service apps are easily and quickly accessible in a big grid, and Roku even highlights free content that doesn't require subscription services for those of us who are both lazy and cheap. While we wish there were support for Wi-Fi 6 and USB-C in the latest version, it does support Dolby Vision, Apple's AirPlay 2, and both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice assistants. Regularly $49.99, Amazon and Best Buy are both currently selling it for $29.99, which is just $1 shy of the streaming stick's best price to date. It's also only the second time this year we've seen the device sell for less than $30. Read our review. Halo Infinite's campaign might be available through Xbox Game Pass at no additional cost, but if you don't subscribe to the service, you would typically have to fork over $59.99 to take advantage of the game's single-player mode. Right now, however, Infinite is once again matching its best price to date just in time for non-Game Pass subscribers that want to be ready for campaign co-op, which could launch later this summer. Xbox One and Series X owners looking to buy the standard edition can purchase the game at Newegg for just $19.99, an all-time low we've only seen a handful of times this year. In our review of the campaign, we called Infinite the best Halo game in a long time, namely due to the way it deftly balances old-school nostalgia with some of the biggest changes to shake the core Halo formula since the original title. Just to be clear, however, this discount is for the single-player Halo Infinite campaign — the multiplayer experience is free. /cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22360983/bfarsace_4467_20210310_0009.jpg) Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Noise-canceling earbuds are convenient when you're on a noisy flight or trying to tune out distractions while working from home. Given that so many tend to retail for well over $100, they're typically not something that the most budget-minded people can afford. Thankfully, Amazon is currently selling Anker's Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro in a variety of colors with a wireless charging case for $59, which is less than half their original asking price of $129.99. Walmart is also selling the buds for around the same price, give or take a dollar. That's an excellent deal on a pair of buds that boast good voice call quality as well as other perks. These include multiple swappable ear tips to help you find the best fit, customizable EQ settings, the ability to use either bud independently, water resistance, and more. While they can't tune out the world as effectively as, say, the more expensive AirPods Pro, their noise cancellation impressed us for the price. If you're looking for a great pair of budget-friendly buds that can help you focus while working remotely or traveling this summer, this is worth a look. Read our Liberty Air 2 Pro review. Today's deal on Asus' Chromebook Detachable CM3 is worth a look if you're in the market for an excellent convertible that won't break the bank. Asus' CM3 remains our favorite detachable, one that offers a built-in USI stylus, a comfortable keyboard, and long battery life. Unlike other similar Chromebooks, it also comes with a dual-folding kickstand you can use to stand the tablet up either vertically or horizontally. It can be slow when using Google services like Gmail, sure, but it's fine for browsing the web and some light gaming. Just keep in mind that it only offers two ports, neither of which is a microSD slot, meaning you won't be able to upgrade the storage capacity. If the lack of such features doesn't bother you, however, today would be a good day to pick up the CM3, as the Chromebook is currently matching its lowest price of the year. Regularly $369.99, you can buy it right now on Amazon with a MediaTek 8183 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage for $299.99. Read our review. A few more ways to save today
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| PlayStation Store removes purchased movies from libraries after service shutdown Posted: 08 Jul 2022 01:39 AM PDT  Sony is removing access to hundreds of movies and TV shows on its PlayStation Store service next month, meaning users that previously paid for titles such as Paddington and The Hunger Games will no longer be able to watch them. The shutdown affects users in Germany and Austria, according to legal notices posted on the two regional sites, and covers films produced by StudioCanal. The shutdown will come into force on August 31st, exactly one year after Sony discontinued movie and TV show purchases through its digital store. At the time Sony said that its customers will still be able to access previously purchased content. Notices posted on the PlayStation website blame "evolving license agreements with content providers" (via machine translation) for the change, and say that purchased content will be removed from customers' video libraries. According to Variety, the change affects 314 titles in Germany and 137 in Austria. Affected titles include Chicken Run, John Wick, La La Land, Logan Lucky, Saw, Shaun the Sheep Movie, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It's unclear whether refunds will be offered to affected customers. While we've gotten used to the idea that TV shows and films can disappear from streaming services over time, leaving them inaccessible to subscribers, it's much rarer to see it happen on services that let you buy titles to own digitally. That's not to say it's unheard of; when Flixster Video shut down Pocket-Lint reported that some titles weren't compatible with the Google Play migration process that was meant to allow UK customers to continue to have access to them. Apple's use of the word "buy" for digital titles that it reserves the right to revoke access to has even been challenged legally in the past. The shutdown serves as a crucial reminder that even when you "buy" a title digitally, your ownership often still relies on a retailer continuing to exist, and having the correct licensing deals in place. If you want to guarantee ownership forever, then physical purchases are still your best bet — although not always. |
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