World Video Game Hall of Fame class of 2019 includes Solitaire, Mortal Kombat
The World Video Game Hall of Fame class of 2019 immortalizes four inductees that have significantly affected the video game industry. The inductees are Colossal Cave Adventure, Microsoft's Solitaire, the original Mortal Kombat, and Super Mario Kart, which will all be on permanent display at The Strong.
Oculus Quest taunts some customers after arriving more than two weeks early
The Oculus Quest has arrived early for some customers who pre-ordered the standalone virtual reality headset. The device, which is not supposed to ship out until May 21, is taunting the people who now have it in their hands but cannot use it due to limitations with the Oculus mobile app.
DJI tries to debunk rumors that Phantom drones are discontinued
DJI denied reports that it is ending its Phantom line of drones, blaming the unavailability of the Phantom 4 on a parts shortage and claiming that images of a Phantom 5 prototype was a one-off design for a customer. The future of the company's drone business, meanwhile, remains unclear.
Nintendo Switch 8.0.0 update adds boost mode to make loading times faster
The Nintendo Switch 8.0.0 update added several new features to the console, including a newly discovered boost mode that makes games load faster. The hidden feature overclocks the Nintendo Switch CPU to 1.75GHz in certain situations, which is a significant improvement from its normal speed of only 1GHz.
Kingdom Hearts III ReMIND DLC promises more story and boss fights
Kingdom Hearts III director Tetsuya Nomura took the stage at a concert in Tokyo to announce an upcoming DLC for the game. Titled ReMIND, the DLC will feature an additional scenario of the same title, which will be accompanied by two episodes and boss fights, plus a new Keyblade and form for Sora.
AT&T claims title as first U.S. carrier to hit 2Gbps on 5G network
AT&T became the first U.S. carrier to reach speeds of 2Gbps on its commercial 5G network, achieving the milestone using a mobile hotspot. AT&T continues to lead the charge in 5G development, though it came under fire for a marketing scheme that could cause potential confusion about the technology.
Mortal Kombat 11 players to receive in-game currency as Towers of Time mea culpa
NetherRealm Studios acknowledged the extreme difficulty of Mortal Kombat 11's Towers of Time, and the inadequate rewards that the game mode offers. The developer is in the process of rolling out fixes and changes, and has also offered players in-game currency as part of its apology for the issue.
Nintendo opens registrations for Mario Kart Tour closed beta on Android
Mario Kart Tour, finally arriving this summer to mobile devices, opened registrations for players who would be interested in joining the game's closed beta. Only Android device owners will be able to sign up for the program and be the first to peek into the long-delayed and secretive project.
Is this it for the Nintendo 3DS? No new first-party games in the works
No new first-party games are in the works for the Nintendo 3DS, which hints that the handheld console is nearing the end of its rope after eight years in the market. With the success of the Nintendo Switch and the company's push into mobile gaming, the days of the Nintendo 3DS were already numbered.
Joker in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is freezing some Nintendo Switch units
There have been reports that Joker in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is causing Nintendo Switch units to freeze when players try his Final Smash. However, even with the glitch, players may still try out the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, amid rumors that Persona 5 will soon arrive to the console.
Apex Legends update 1.1.1 fails to fix Caustic, Gibraltar hitbox issues
Respawn Entertainment tried to make Caustic and Gibraltar more playable by fixing their hitbox issue with Apex Legends version 1.1.1. The Fortified passive ability is meant to reduce incoming damage by 10%, but it is not working properly as the supposedly negated damage is going straight to HP.
Epic Games bans more than 1,000 cheaters in 1st week of Fortnite World Cup
Epic Games has already banned more than 1,000 cheaters in the Fortnite World Cup, including one player who was caught using cheat software. The developer is taking the fight against cheating seriously, especially as players are competing for a $1 million prize pool in every week of the qualifiers.
Sony will censor offensive PlayStation Network IDs with temporary usernames
Offensive PlayStation Network IDs reported by players and checked by moderators will be replaced with temporarily placeholders until the owner chooses a new username. Previously, Sony instantly banned the PSN accounts associated with IDs that violated the online network's terms of service.
Pepsi, StartRocket team up to launch satellites for energy drink ad in night sky
Pepsi will be the first client of StartRocket, which will be working with the beverage company to launch an energy drink advertisement into the night sky using miniature satellites. The Russian startup is looking to send its system into orbit in 2021, as it is still raising funds to support the venture.
MPAA: DVD, Blu-ray sales nearly halved in 5 years as viewers shift to streaming
The annual Theatrical Home Entertainment Market Environment Report by the Motion Picture Association of America confirmed that viewers are switching from physical media to streaming services. While DVD and Blu-ray sales are falling, subscriptions to services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are growing.
Apple Arcade reportedly supported by investments of more than $500 million
Apple Arcade, Apple's upcoming video game subscription service with an unknown price, will reportedly be supported by investments worth more than $500 million. Apple is also said to be offering incentives to developers if they decide to release their games as mobile exclusives for Apple Arcade.
Persona 5 The Royal rumored to have ‘a ton of new content,’ female protagonist
Persona 5 The Royal will be an enhanced version of the original game with a female main character, new personas and social links, and a lengthy epilogue, according to a GearNuke report. The website's source also revealed information about Persona 5 S and a fighting game based on the RPG.
Xbox One S All Digital Edition design, price reportedly revealed by leak
The design and price of the Xbox One S All Digital Edition have reportedly been leaked by German Blog WinFuture. Microsoft is said to be planning to open pre-orders for the discless version of the console this month, start deliveries in May, and then unveil the next-generation Xbox consoles in June.
Final Fantasy XV director working on The Pegasus Dream Tour, a Paralympics RPG
JP Games, the studio created by Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata, is working on The Pegasus Dream Project, the first official video game of the Paralympics. Details on the sports RPG remain scarce, but it will launch with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics on multiple platforms, including smartphones.
Apple adds Confirm Subscription prompt on iOS to prevent accidental sign-ups
Apple added a Confirm Subscription prompt that will appear during the process of signing up for in-app subscriptions. This will help prevent accidental sign-ups for iOS device owners, and will also protect them against shady apps that try to trick users into confirming in-app subscriptions.
Hackers broke into Outlook.com using worker’s credentials, Microsoft says
Microsoft's web-based email services, including Outlook.com accounts and MSN and Hotmail addresses, were the target of a security beach. Using a customer support agent's credentials, hackers were possibly able to access email addresses and subject lines, but fortunately not their content.
New Oculus Touch controllers may have secret messages hidden inside them
Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell revealed that new Oculus Touch controllers will be released to customers with secret messages accidentally hidden inside them. While this has no effect on the performance of the input devices, Mitchell apologized for the mistake and vowed that it will not happen again.
Halo Infinite is reportedly the most expensive video game project ever
Microsoft and 343 Industries are rumored to be spending more than $500 million for the development of Halo Infinite. This would make it the most expensive project ever in the history of the video game industry, beating Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Destiny, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Samsung Galaxy S10 fingerprint sensor bamboozled by 3D-printed fingerprint
The Samsung Galaxy S10 ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which is embedded into the smartphone's display and supposedly highly secure, was tricked by a 3D-printed fingerprint. The process utilized a picture of the owner's fingerprint on a wine glass, image editing software, and a very accurate 3D printer.
Sunlight may shut down Cadillac’s Super Cruise hands-free driving tech
The Cadillac Super Cruise driver-assist system is plagued by the issue of suddenly disengaging when sunlight blinds an infrared camera mounted on top of the steering wheel column. General Motors will need to fix the issue soon, as the technology will be rolled out to all Cadillac models in 2020.
Army uses modified Microsoft HoloLens 2 for ‘real-life game of Call of Duty’
The U.S. Army gave CNBC an exclusive look at its modified Microsoft HoloLens 2 augmented reality headset. The Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), shows the location of allies and opponents on a map, offers thermal imaging capabilities, and helps soldiers aim by displaying their weapon's reticle.
Fallout 76 players upset again over Bethesda’s broken no pay-to-win promise
Bethesda is again facing backlash from Fallout 76 players due to the upcoming addition of Basic Repair Kits on the Atomic Shop. The issue is not the Repair Kits themselves, but rather the decision to sell the items for Atoms, which is the in-game currency that may be purchased with real-world money.
Apex Legends accidentally rolls out early exit penalty with version 1.1 patch
Respawn Entertainment accidentally added penalties for players leaving early in Apex Legends matches. The feature, which was mistakenly rolled out with version 1.1, forced players to wait for 5 minutes after leaving early three times, including returning to the lobby when their banner had not yet expired.
Android TV home screen starts showing unwanted advertisements
Google started a pilot program to display a row of sponsored content on the Android TV home screen. A Reddit user discovered a way to remove the unwanted ads but at the cost of disabling automatic updates, while Sony suggested a different method for its smart TVs powered by the platform.