Dispatch, a new launcher for Android and Google TV devices, has rolled out and is ready for public use. Initially announced on Reddit over a year ago, Dispatch recently closed its beta testing phase, and the launcher is now available for download on the Google Play Store.

This announcement was made by Paul Dhaliwal, the developer of Dispatch, via a Reddit post. A noteworthy highlight of the launcher is that it is completely ad-free, giving users access to a far cleaner interface than what is found on most other launchers today. Additionally, Dispatch also integrates with Plex, which is great for users who prefer tailored watchlists that are based on their existing media libraries.

Another standout feature of Dispatch is its extensive customization options, including the ability to hide content that doesn’t interest you as well as the option to toggle on or off any row of content you see on Dispatch’s homepage. So, for instance, if you’re not subscribed to Prime Video, you can hide that particular row so it doesn’t appear on your homepage and clog up your feed.

The launcher includes other user-focused features as well, which can either be enabled or disabled. This level of customization ensures you’re able to consume your preferred content in an environment that’s free of distractions and in line with your exact preferences.

If you’re interested in signing up for Dispatch, you can currently take advantage of the free 14-day trial and explore all the features of this launcher. After the trial period, you can purchase a lifetime license for $9.99 or a monthly license for $0.99.

Qualcomm is expected to unveil its latest chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, during its annual Snapdragon Summit in October. However, the company hasn’t exactly been able to keep the lid on its upcoming Snapdragon processor. For instance, an earlier leak indicated that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 might be more expensive to make and could potentially drive phone prices up, and now a datasheet has surfaced, shedding more light on what this new chip has to offer.

The leak in question comes from the folks over at Smartprix and points to Qualcomm prioritizing efficiency over CPU performance and continuing its focus on AI advancements. According to the leak, the chip is likely to come in two variants: standard (SM8750) and performance (SM8750P). Snapdragon is also expected to stick to its current naming convention with this chip and is unlikely to try anything new. The standard chip will reportedly power flagship phones from brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, HONOR, and ASUS, to name a few, while the performance chip is likely to be reserved for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip is also rumored to be built using TSMC’s 3nm process, which will help reduce power consumption while still maintaining solid performance. This will hopefully help extend smartphone battery life. Additionally, the chip is also expected to feature Qualcomm’s custom Oryon CPU cores, which were first introduced in the company’s laptop processors.

Also, as seen from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm is continuing its push into AI with its latest chip, which will allegedly feature a Low-Power Artificial Intelligence subsystem and the Qualcomm Sensing Hub, which is designed to enhance on-device gen AI capabilities. The subsystem might also include an advanced eNPU, which will enable always-on audio and sensor features.

The reporting outlet notes that the chip is likely to have a 2+6 core configuration, with two high-performance cores running at 4.0GHz and six efficiency cores at 2.8GHz. A few other noteworthy components that might make an appearance are the Adreno 830 GPU, Qualcomm Spectra ISP for better camera performance, and the Qualcomm FastConnect 7900 modem.

We’re expecting this chip to make its way into a number of smartphones, but the Xiaomi 15 series might just be the first to include it.

Sonos has had a rather tough year. In May, the company rolled out a redesigned mobile app that fell short of expectations, to say the least. What should have otherwise been a time of celebration at the Sonos headquarters, thanks to the launch of the company’s first-ever headphones, the Sonos Ace, has turned into a period of intense crisis management and even layoffs (more on that later).

The redesigned mobile app has received overwhelmingly negative feedback from users. The app lacked basic features and included numerous bugs, so it’s no surprise that customers were frustrated with the redesign. The Verge has now reported that Sonos is considering re-releasing the previous version of its mobile app as somewhat of a temporary fix. The reporting outlet notes, “There have been discussions high up within Sonos about bringing back the prior version of the app, known as S2.”

Since the launch of the app, Sonos has worked steadily to rectify issues within the new app. Still, bugs remain, and users’ frustrations persist. Given this, the older version of the app might help buy time for Sonos, while the company continues working on the new app and restoring its users’ confidence in its offerings.

During a recent earnings call, CEO Patrick Spence said:

While the redesign of the app was and remains the right thing to do, our execution — my execution — fell short of the mark. The app situation has become a headwind to existing product sales, and we believe our focus needs to be addressing the app ahead of everything else. This means delaying the two major new product releases we had planned for Q4 until our app experience meets the level of quality that we, our customers and our partners expect from Sonos.

Currently, Sonos is rolling out app improvements every two weeks, and Spence indicated that will continue till fall. The re-release of the old app is unlikely to change this since Sonos will need to have a near-perfect app ready before launching it a second time. That said, restoring the old app presents its own set of challenges, given that the company’s new software includes a lot of cloud-based functionality that might not be compatible with the previous version of the app. Still, it will likely offer users a more stable and familiar UI.

In related news, Sonos has laid off something to the tune of 100 employees. The layoffs happened across divisions, including product and engineering, marketing, software quality, and platform and infrastructure. The company previously laid off 7% of its employees in June 2023.

Age of Empires Mobile, a spin-off of the iconic real-time strategy video game series, Age of Empires, is gearing up for a global release. The highly anticipated mobile game is coming to both Android and iOS on October 17. Developed by the TiMi Studio Group in collaboration with World’s Edge, the game promises to deliver a fresh yet familiar experience to fans, offering core elements of the legendary game in a new, mobile-friendly format.

The announcement was made on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter), and a cinematic trailer accompanied the post.

Age of Empires Mobile, the immersive medieval war strategy mobile game, is set to go global on October 17th!
Pre-register in the App Store or Google Play Store and journey toward conquest right away!https://t.co/Cy1gnsNrzp

Age of Empires Mobile seamlessly blends classic… pic.twitter.com/v4R9eud7PZ

— Age of Empires Mobile Official (@AOE_Mobile) August 15, 2024

The game, which features multiple single-player modes, will allow users to build their empire in a medieval-world setting that includes historical sites and figures, complex battlefields, and realistic weapons. Starting with nothing more than a single outpost, your strategic decisions and alliances are what will pave the way for you to transform your humble empire into a mighty civilization.

But that’s not all. One of the key highlights of the game is that users will have the ability to lead their armies using legendary historical heroes, from Darius the Great to Joan of Arc. Each of these characters will feature a unique set of skills and talents that users can leverage to gain a strategic advantage on the battlefield.

Excited to experience Age of Empires Mobile’s immersive battles on your mobile device? You won’t have to wait too long; pre-register right now and prepare to lead your army and build an empire.

The New York Times Games Connections is a daily word puzzle. You get only four mistakes to put all the words in the correct categories, all without knowing what these categories are.

Today, almost all data on the Internet, including bank transactions, medical records, and secure chats, is protected with an encryption scheme called RSA (named after its creators Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman). This scheme is based on a simple fact—it is virtually impossible to calculate the prime factors of a large number in a reasonable amount of time, even on the world’s most powerful supercomputer. Unfortunately, large quantum computers, if and when they are built, would find this task a breeze, thus undermining the security of the entire Internet.

Luckily, quantum computers are only better than classical ones at a select class of problems, and there are plenty of encryption schemes where quantum computers don’t offer any advantage. Today, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced the standardization of three post-quantum cryptography encryption schemes. With these standards in hand, NIST is encouraging computer system administrators to begin transitioning to post-quantum security as soon as possible.

“Now our task is to replace the protocol in every device, which is not an easy task.” —Lily Chen, NIST

These standards are likely to be a big element of the Internet’s future. NIST’s previous cryptography standards, developed in the 1970s, are used in almost all devices, including Internet routers, phones, and laptops, says Lily Chen, head of the cryptography group at NIST who lead the standardization process. But adoption will not happen overnight.

“Today, public key cryptography is used everywhere in every device,” Chen says. “Now our task is to replace the protocol in every device, which is not an easy task.”

Why we need post-quantum cryptography now

Most experts believe large-scale quantum computers won’t be built for at least another decade. So why is NIST worried about this now? There are two main reasons.

First, many devices that use RSA security, like cars and some IoT devices, are expected to remain in use for at least a decade. So they need to be equipped with quantum-safe cryptography before they are released into the field.

“For us, it’s not an option to just wait and see what happens. We want to be ready and implement solutions as soon as possible.” —Richard Marty, LGT Financial Services

Second, a nefarious individual could potentially download and store encrypted data today, and decrypt it once a large enough quantum computer comes online. This concept is called “harvest now, decrypt later“ and by its nature, it poses a threat to sensitive data now, even if that data can only be cracked in the future.

Security experts in various industries are starting to take the threat of quantum computers seriously, says Joost Renes, principal security architect and cryptographer at NXP Semiconductors. “Back in 2017, 2018, people would ask ‘What’s a quantum computer?’” Renes says. “Now, they’re asking ‘When will the PQC standards come out and which one should we implement?’”

Richard Marty, chief technology officer at LGT Financial Services, agrees. “For us, it’s not an option to just wait and see what happens. We want to be ready and implement solutions as soon as possible, to avoid harvest now and decrypt later.”

NIST’s competition for the best quantum-safe algorithm

NIST announced a public competition for the best PQC algorithm back in 2016. They received a whopping 82 submissions from teams in 25 different countries. Since then, NIST has gone through 4 elimination rounds, finally whittling the pool down to four algorithms in 2022.

This lengthy process was a community-wide effort, with NIST taking input from the cryptographic research community, industry, and government stakeholders. “Industry has provided very valuable feedback,” says NIST’s Chen.

These four winning algorithms had intense-sounding names: CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Sphincs+, and FALCON. Sadly, the names did not survive standardization: The algorithms are now known as Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 203 through 206. FIPS 203, 204, and 205 are the focus of today’s announcement from NIST. FIPS 206, the algorithm previously known as FALCON, is expected to be standardized in late 2024.

The algorithms fall into two categories: general encryption, used to protect information transferred via a public network, and digital signature, used to authenticate individuals. Digital signatures are essential for preventing malware attacks, says Chen.

Every cryptography protocol is based on a math problem that’s hard to solve but easy to check once you have the correct answer. For RSA, it’s factoring large numbers into two primes—it’s hard to figure out what those two primes are (for a classical computer), but once you have one it’s straightforward to divide and get the other.

“We have a few instances of [PQC], but for a full transition, I couldn’t give you a number, but there’s a lot to do.” —Richard Marty, LGT Financial Services

Two out of the three schemes already standardized by NIST, FIPS 203 and FIPS 204 (as well as the upcoming FIPS 206), are based on another hard problem, called lattice cryptography. Lattice cryptography rests on the tricky problem of finding the lowest common multiple among a set of numbers. Usually, this is implemented in many dimensions, or on a lattice, where the least common multiple is a vector.

The third standardized scheme, FIPS 205, is based on hash functions—in other words, converting a message to an encrypted string that’s difficult to reverse

The standards include the encryption algorithms’ computer code, instructions for how to implement it, and intended uses. There are three levels of security for each protocol, designed to future-proof the standards in case some weaknesses or vulnerabilities are found in the algorithms.

Lattice cryptography survives alarms over vulnerabilities

Earlier this year, a pre-print published to the arXiv alarmed the PQC community. The paper, authored by Yilei Chen of Tsinghua University in Beijing, claimed to show that lattice-based cryptography, the basis of two out of the three NIST protocols, was not, in fact, immune to quantum attacks. On further inspection, Yilei Chen’s argument turned out to have a flaw—and lattice cryptography is still believed to be secure against quantum attacks.

On the one hand, this incident highlights the central problem at the heart of all cryptography schemes: There is no proof that any of the math problems the schemes are based on are actually “hard.” The only proof, even for the standard RSA algorithms, is that people have been trying to break the encryption for a long time, and have all failed. Since post-quantum cryptography standards, including lattice cryptogrphay, are newer, there is less certainty that no one will find a way to break them.

That said, the failure of this latest attempt only builds on the algorithm’s credibility. The flaw in the paper’s argument was discovered within a week, signaling that there is an active community of experts working on this problem. “The result of that paper is not valid, that means the pedigree of the lattice-based cryptography is still secure,” says NIST’s Lily Chen (no relation to Tsinghua University’s Yilei Chen). “People have tried hard to break this algorithm. A lot of people are trying, they try very hard, and this actually gives us confidence.”

NIST’s announcement is exciting, but the work of transitioning all devices to the new standards has only just begun. It is going to take time, and money, to fully protect the world from the threat of future quantum computers.

“We’ve spent 18 months on the transition and spent about half a million dollars on it,” says Marty of LGT Financial Services. “We have a few instances of [PQC], but for a full transition, I couldn’t give you a number, but there’s a lot to do.”

Enlarge (credit: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

AMD has agreed to buy artificial intelligence infrastructure group ZT Systems in a $4.9 billion cash and stock transaction, extending a run of AI investments by the chip company as it seeks to challenge market-leader Nvidia.

The California-based group said the acquisition would help accelerate the adoption of its Instinct line of AI data center chips, which compete with Nvidia’s popular graphics processing units (GPUs).

ZT Systems, a private company founded three decades ago, builds custom computing infrastructure for the biggest AI “hyperscalers.” While the company does not disclose its customers, the hyperscalers include the likes of Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon.

Read 15 remaining paragraphs | Comments

My love for Don't Nod games began just like most other's probably did: when the glorious phenomenon known as Life Is Strange came in to tug at all our heartstrings.

Since then, there's always been some chatter about the franchise's spiritual successor, carrying on Don't Nod's monumental storytelling while also blending in something entirely new. And, after spending a few hours with its upcoming title, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, it looks like we're finally getting that successor, if not even more.

Instead of controlling time like Max Caulfield, Lost Records has you direct moments with a video recorder as Swann, a young film enthusiast who completely embodies teenage awkwardness. She's a clumsy girl who's quick to trip over everything and often throws a few words of classic teenage self-deprivation any time she messes up. And, of course, she always wants to keep it hip with the cool kids, even when she mentions movies no one's ever heard of.

But regardless of my wanting to curl up in a ball of embarrassment for her, the game truly encapsulates the naivety of teenage-hood with its rollercoaster of feelings. It touches upon a very emotional part of all our lives, making it all the more relatable.

Getting lost in Velvet Cove

As a mystery narrative adventure set in 1995, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage follows Swann's journey with her eccentric group of friends. In cozy Velvet Cove, you'll meet the rebellious rockstar Nora and her fellow bandmate, Autumn, who's got a kind-hearted spirit. Last but not least is Kat, the most logical teen out of the ensemble.

Their amusing camaraderie makes it seem like we're getting a classic summer female-led narrative about friendship. Then, the story shifts into a more I Know What You Did Last Summer vibe when something goes bump in the night. Flash forward to 27 years later, we learn that the quirky ensemble hasn't spoken to each other since, and now their past is finally catching up to them — all to expose what happened that fateful night.

The scenes play out in a back-and-forth manner, switching between Swann's teenage years and adulthood. I mostly got to experience the past timeline, but their future selves sometimes put in their two cents by narrating various moments. It's subtle for the most part, where Swann will chime in to say, "Wait, why did I say that? That's so embarrassing!"

Despite the present timeline being brief, it did remind me a lot of the show Yellowjackets' past-and-present style, especially with the whole "don't tell anyone what happened" thing it's got going on. However, rather than watching how it plays out, you'll be in control through the game's impactful choice-based mechanics.

Choices truly shape your journey throughout Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, no matter how small or monumental they may appear. It can be as basic as not moving a piece of wire out of the way, leading to Swann tripping and falling flat in front of her friends. I know it's just a video game, but seeing those judging eyes makes me feel like I'm a clumsy teenager all over again.

There are also some bits where you have to attempt to impress Nora, Kat, and Autumn, which brought on a challenge for me. I guess I never really mastered the art of being cool since I seemed to pick the choices that regard Swann's parents, specifically mentioning her father's rock music taste. I forgot that liking your parents at that age isn't that "cool."

On the bright side, the group is pretty lenient on these choices and is nice enough to look past any of the "wrong" options. But since it's a preview version, I only got a taste of the decision gameplay. The current build primarily focuses on a day in Swann's life leading up to the night that changes everything. I won't give away too much, but it seems to be linked to their discovery of a dark place that alters their lives forever. I highly suspect the full version will bring out the more significant choices that could be a matter of life and death.

Be the director of a classic '90s teen movie

While choices are the main focus of almost every Don't Nod entry, the camera feature is what makes the game exceptionally unique. The preview begins with you playing around with a recorder at her house, and then ends with the grand finale of making a music video for Autumn and Nora's band. You can pull out Swann's camera almost everywhere you go and create short films to capture your summer memories. I thought my recording skills sucked when I first tried it out, but fortunately, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage makes you feel like you were born to be a director.

The recordings are completely edited in a retro style, featuring a classic glitch-filled VHS filter. It's almost as if you uncovered a video from the '90s in a time capsule. Plus, Swann narrates each piece, giving it much more meaning with her curiously innocent nature. It's more fun to do when you have the gang with you, getting to know them a little more with each scene. Key moments can be captured here to bring more pizazz to the piece, from Autumn's dynamic cartwheeling to Nora's cigarette smoke rings, to Kat's stoic look. That, to me, just sounds like the perfect encapsulation of teenage angst, and it's nice to see it all come together in its final production.

Even when I recently recorded a piece, I always wanted to see what it looked like immediately afterward. There's just something more personal about watching your creations come to life, which will undoubtedly make everyone's playthrough unique. There are also a few opportunities to capture the wildlife around you, offering more points for you to shoot as a collection challenge.

Apart from the gameplay, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage's visuals are just plain stunning. Every scene looks like it could be hung as a painting, with its vibrant scenery and finely crafted environment. But even with its painting-esque artwork, it still somehow looks realistic with its lifelike characters.

The '90s are making a comeback

As a '90s baby, I enjoyed all the little details of this era throughout the scenes. Although I was goo-goo-gaga'ing around that time, I recognized the small tidbits, from a Blockbuster-inspired video tape to the fashionable fanny packs. The chic outfits add to the '90s era more, and you have the power to choose what Swann wears.

Having that control of outfits and choices makes the entire experience utterly meaningful. By the end of it, I was engrossed in the character's lives and the mystery behind their secrets. It also left off with a cliffhanger, giving me the same impatient feeling I get whenever a TV show ends with "Find out what happens next in the upcoming episode!" Only the wait is a little more agonizing since the game won't be coming out until next year.

If you're looking for something like Life Is Strange, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage will be right up your alley. It has that same strong female-led element, with mystery and teenage angst. The title also offers incredibly fresh concepts through its group ensemble and camera recording feature, making it stand out from the LiS series. I already know I'm picking it up the minute the game launches, based on my demo's cliffhanger alone. And you can, too, when it releases Tape 1 on Feb. 18, 2025, and Tape 2 on March 18, 2025, on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

The post Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a ’90s mystery movie meets Life Is Strange appeared first on Destructoid.

Netflix's hit show Squid Game continues with its upcoming mobile game, Squid Game: Unleashed. In it, you'll experience the horrors (and maybe wonders?) of the deathly games once the entry arrives to Netflix Games.

Participate in a 32-player battle royale-style mode featuring the infamous red light, green light game. If you're a fan of the series, you'll undoubtedly recognize Squid Game: Unleashed's many obstacle courses. Put your agility to the test and survive as long as possible to claim the ultimate prize. Currently, there's no release date set, but the Netflix page indicates that it will be "Coming Soon."

The Squid Game: Unleashed Gamescom 2024 trailer features plenty of deathly scenarios, including getting by bus, rolling ball, and scorching lava. This is not all that surprising, especially since the show has a knack for some gnarly killings. But it'll certainly be more brutal as an actual player of the games.

The Netflix show also got the green light for the highly anticipated Squid Game Season 2. The new season begins in December, which could be the perfect time for the Unleashed release. Even more so, the finale is already in the works for 2025, ending the battle royale series

If you want to experience the games for yourself, get ready for Squid Game: Unleashed on Netflix Games. It'll be available to play on iOS and Android, which will likely have pre-orders in the near future.

The post Netflix’s mobile game Squid Game: Unleashed gets the green light in exclusive first look appeared first on Destructoid.

It can be hard to keep track of all your belongings with our busy lives, work, kids — you name it. The Apple AirTag is an affordable little Bluetooth tracker that can be placed on or inside your bag or luggage, attached to your pet’s collar or your keys, or anything else you might have a habit of losing. But to make the most of your AirTag, it’s worth investing in the best AirTag accessories, like a keychain, holder or case. Convenience is key here, and we’ve tested dozens of AirTag accessories to help you choose the best AirTag holders for your needs.

Best AirTag holders

FAQs

Why do AirTags need a holder?

AirTags need a holder because they do not have built-in keyring holes like Tile, Chipolo and other Bluetooth trackers do.

How do you attach an AirTag to things?

You'll need a holder or case to attach an AirTag to your stuff. If you're comfortable slipping an AirTag into an interior pocket of a bag or coat, you can do so without an extra accessory. But if you want to use one to keep track of your keys, wallet, backpack or even your pet on their collar, you'll need an accessory that can accommodate that use case.

The New York Times Games Connections is a daily word-sorting puzzle with an interesting twist: you need to sort all the words into mystery categories without making more than three mistakes. To top it all off, some of these words seem to fit into more than one category.

Nexon has come up with their cryptocurrency and NFT version of MapleStory known as MapleStory Universe.

This MapleStory Universe comprises of several different games and platforms. One of them is called MapleStory N.

If not wrong, MapleStory N is a desktop version of MapleStory but this time it’s linked with cryptocurrency and NFTs. The number of classes available will likely be different as well.

Last we heard from an interview taken at a cryptocurrency conference, MapleStory N should be releasing in 2024.

Disclaimer: This article is not to be taken as financial or investment advice of any sort.

Overview of MapleStory N

At the time of writing, the full details of MapleStory N is not out. We only get teasers from their official Twitter account from time to time.

We’ve seen a couple of trailers on MapleStory N so far and it looks quite similar to the regular MapleStory as far as gameplay is concerned.

However, there are some tiny differences. If you look at the bottom of the screen, you may see more features. They might be related to the crypto / NFT part of the game.

Perhaps the in-game currency and items can be sold on the blockchain as tokens / NFTs respectively. What we have heard is that some items can be minted as NFTs on the blockchain which means they can be traded with real money. This means you no longer have to trust third party platforms to make a purchase or sale.

More information on this will be available closer to launch.

Ranking system?

In a teaser, we also see a ranking system. There’s also a point system below the rank.

We’re not sure what it means yet but it might be some sort of a play-to-earn campaign coming out? Maybe it’s a way to earn tokens or in-game items but it’s just speculation at this point.

One thing’s for sure is that we’ll be playing it a lot.

Edited: some social tasks have started for MapleStory Universe at their official site.

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Palworld: How To Breed Pals In Your Base

Starfield: How To Rear Animals In Your Outpost

Palworld allows you to make a breeding farm in your base to get new Pals.

It basically lets you get Pals that you may not have obtained yet from the wild.

Here’s how you can breed Pals in your base in Palworld.

How to breed Pals in Palworld

First of all, you need to unlock the breeding farm at level 19. Go to the Technology tab and you’ll see it.

To make a breeding farm, you then need Stone, Wood, Fiber and a lot of empty space as the farm is big.

Another thing you need is Cake. You can make a Cooking Pot first and use it to make a Cake.

It requires Flour, Red Berries, Milk, Egg and Honey.

After baking a Cake, place it inside the container at the breeding farm.

Then, you need opposite gender Pals.

I tried out Quivern and Chillet as they apparently lead to an Anubis egg.

I first placed the two Pals in the work slot of the Palbox.

Then, lift them up by pressing “4” on PC. Bring them to the farm and throw them inside to assign them to the breeding farm. Get both of them in and the breeding starts (with the cake inside the box).

Once it’s over, pick up the egg and you can incubate it.

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Palworld: How To Find Sulfur (Location)

Palworld: How To Make Guns In The Game

Sulfur is one of the materials you’ll need in Palworld in order to make ammo.

They’re typically used to make gunpowder which is then used to craft ammo.

Here’s how you can find sulfur (location) in Palworld.

How to find sulfur

One of the best ways to get sulfur is to mine it from the sulfur deposit.

You’ll find these sulfur deposits typically in the hotter regions of the map. They’re yellow in color.

One of the areas is shown in the map below, marked by the player location.

It’s in a hotter region where you need the heat-type armor.

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Palworld: How To Make Guns In The Game

Palworld: How To Get A Flying Pal

Palworld has been heavily promoted as an open world Pokemon game with guns, and it’s quite accurate.

At a certain point in the game, you can start making guns to aid your exploration.

Here’s how you can make guns in Palworld.

How to make guns

First of all, you need to reach level 20. You will then see the Weapon Workbench inside your Technology tab.

Unlock that and you can start making guns, apart from the usual melee weapons or bows.

You should then unlock the Musket at level 21 on the Technology tab as well.

Once you’ve unlocked both, build a Weapon Workbench in your base. It requires Ingot, Wood and Nail.

You can then start crafting the first gun in the game, i.e. the Musket. You also need to unlock gunpowder and coarse ammo on the Technology tab. They’re basically needed to make ammo for your Musket.

As you progress further, you’ll unlock more weapons.

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Palworld: How To Get A Flying Pal

Palworld: How To Get Honey

In Palworld, you’ll come across certain Pals that can be used as mounts.

There are actually a couple of Pals that can fly and it makes exploration easier.

Here’s how you can get a flying Pal in Palworld.

How to get a flying Pal

There are a few Pals that can fly around if you make a saddle for it. The lowest level Pal you will find at first is probably Nitewing.

Use a bow to shoot Nitewing down and you can then fight it on the ground. Capture Nitewing.

You will likely need to level up next as you need to reach level 15 to unlock the Nitewing Saddle in the Technology tab.

Once you’ve unlocked it, you can make a Nitewing Saddle at the Pal Gear Workbench.

It requires Leather, Cloth, Ingot, Fiber and Paldium Fragment.

You’ll come across more flying Pals as you explore the world but Nitewing is probably the easiest to get at first.

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Palworld: How To Get Honey

Palworld: How To Find Wheat Seeds To Make A Plantation

Honey is one of the ingredients you may need in Palworld.

It’s also used in making a cake which is needed if you wish to breed Pals.

Here’s how you can find honey in Palworld.

How to find honey

The Pal that produces honey is called Beegarde and the higher rank version is Elizabee.

You can find Beegarde all over the map. It’s at the island northwest from the starting point of the game.

You can either eliminate or capture them to get honey. Better yet, assign them to the ranch in your base and they’ll continue to make honey.

You’ll now be able to make a cake or other types of food with a cooking pot.

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Palworld: How To Find Wheat Seeds To Make A Plantation

Palworld: How To Get More Storage In The Game

Wheat is one of the plants you can grow in your base in Palworld.

You’ll come across wheat as you explore further north from your starting point.

Here’s how you can find wheat seeds to make a wheat plantation in Palworld.

How to find wheat seeds

Wheat seeds can probably be obtained from wheat plants somewhere north from the starting point in a different terrain.

Instead of finding those plants, I managed to get wheat from capturing / eliminating certain Pals that carry wheat seeds.

You can get wheat seeds from Dinossom as an example.

How to make a wheat plantation

Once you have wheat seeds, you need to unlock the wheat plantation technology at level 15.

Then, build a wheat plantation in your base with wheat seeds, wood and stone.

Like the berry plantation, you have to repeat the same process for the wheat plantation.

Get Pals that can do planting, watering and gathering to make things automated.

Now that you have wheat, you can also build a mill in your base.

The mill converts your wheat to flour that can be used in cooking.

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Palworld: How To Get More Storage In The Game

Palworld: How To Get Milk To Cook

In Palworld, you’ll discover so many different items which are used for different purposes.

As such, storages fill up very quickly and you’ll find the need to build more.

Here’s how you can get more storage in Palworld.

How to get more storage in Palworld

The most obvious way is to of course build more wooden chests. Each chest can store maybe around 10 items.

Just build one chest for each industry for each main resource. For e.g. you can place a chest at the Sphere Workbench, another at the Logging Site and so on.

Each chest can be used to store different items.

You will also be able to unlock more storage space once you reach level 16. Go to the Technology tab and unlock the metal chest.

The metal chest only costs ingot and wood to make.

Each metal chest has more storage space, i.e. 24 slots. This will be quite useful as you gain more items from exploration. There’ll probably be bigger chests later.

Related posts:

Palworld: How To Get Milk To Cook

Palworld: How To Build A Cooking Pot

Milk is one of the ingredients you may need in Palworld, especially to make food.

You’ll be able to get it relatively early if you know where to look and what to build.

Here’s how you can get milk in Palworld.

How to find milk

Milk is one of the ingredients that you can get from a Pal known as Mozzarina.

To find milk, you need to first capture a Mozzarina. You can find Mozzarina north / northwest from the starting point in Palworld.

They are basically the cow Pals. Capture them and bring them back to your base.

At this point of the game you should have made a ranch. You can place your Mozzarina in the base and it works in the ranch.

Milk should be produced from time to time.

Related posts:

Palworld: How To Build A Cooking Pot

Palworld: How To Build A Pal Essence Condenser

In Palworld, you may need to cook if you wish to obtain different varieties of food other than your regular berries.

At first, you’ll be able to make a campfire and you can cook a variety of dishes, but they’re limited. After a certain point, you can make a cooking pot to cook even more types of dishes.

Here’s how you can build a cooking pot in Palworld.

How to craft a cooking pot

First of all, you need to reach level 17 and you’ll see cooking pot on the Technology tab. Unlock it first.

Then, go to your “Build” menu and build a cooking pot wherever you want. You need Wood, Ingot and Flame Organ.

After building the cooking pot, you can see a bigger range of dishes compared to your campfire.

Related posts:

Palworld: How To Build A Pal Essence Condenser

Palworld: How To Craft Mega Sphere

When OpenAI launched ChatGPT towards the end of 2022, educators expressed concerns that students would use the platform to cheat on assignments and tests. To prevent this, numerous companies have rolled out AI detection tools, but they haven’t been the best at producing reliable results.

OpenAI has now revealed that it has developed a method to detect when someone uses ChatGPT to write (via The Washington Post). The technology is said to be 99.9% effective and essentially uses a system capable of predicting what word or phrase (called “token”) would come next in a sentence. The AI-detection tool slightly alters the tokens, which then leaves a watermark. This watermark is undetectable to the human eye but can be spotted by the tool in question.

Google might soon introduce drag-and-drop functionality in the Chrome for Android browser. This feature is already present on the desktop version and certainly saves time for the average user. Given this, launching it for Android is a logical next step that could help improve one’s browsing experience and productivity on the platform.

According to MSPoweruser, this functionality will debut in Chrome for Android’s Dev channel (version 129). Once it’s launched, you’ll be able to move files from one location to another within your browser, as well as from your browser to other apps. The outlet spotted the commit “Enable DragDropFiles for M129” on Chromium, which is why it’s reasonable to expect that this feature will be available for testing shortly.

Furthermore, per the code in the screenshot below, we expect it to be enabled by default in the upcoming release.

In related news, the outlet also spotted a change to the Recent Searches feature in the same Dev channel update. The commit “Enable requesting related searches” suggests that you’ll be able to see related searches as you type. While there’s no guarantee that this feature will be rolled out broadly in the stable channel, the Mountain View tech giant might just do so if user feedback is promising and it significantly improves the user experience.

If you’ve been streaming the latest shows or movies on Prime, you’ve likely noticed that ads are now part of your streaming experience. This change, introduced earlier in the year, is part of a broader strategy to boost Amazon’s advertising revenue. However, the retailer’s effort has yet to pay off, with the actual gains from its ad segment falling short of analysts’ expectations.

In the second quarter of the fiscal year, Amazon’s ad business grew by only 20% — this has been the slowest growth rate for the company’s ad segment in years (via The Information). As expected from such an announcement, the company’s share price dropped at market open. But what’s surprising is that the second quarter — April to June — was the first complete period to include revenue from video ads.

For a few months now, users have been seeing ads by default when streaming on Prime — that is, unless they agree to pay more for the ad-free plan. During a recent call with reporters, Brian Olsavsky, the Chief Financial Officer of Amazon, emphasized that, as of now, sponsored product ads, which refer to merchant-sponsored ads that appear on the top of your Amazon search page, will continue to be the core focus of Amazon’s ad businesses.

Amazon has taken a more gradual approach to introducing ads in its video platform, which we can only assume is to avoid alienating customers who had gotten used to an ad-free experience on Prime Video. That said, the company now has plenty of new streaming content in the works, which might just help in the success of its ad-supported model, as well as attracting new customers.

Although Amazon’s video ads business has made some pretty significant strides and is coming up strong against competitors like YouTube, its overall ad business is still fairly reliant on traditional merchant-sponsored ads on the Amazon app.

Enlarge / LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 23: Travelers from France wait on their delayed flight on the check-in floor of the Delta Air Lines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on July 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

CrowdStrike has hit back at Delta Air Lines’ threat of litigation against the cyber security company over a botched software update that grounded thousands of flights, denying it was responsible for the carrier’s own IT decisions and days-long disruption.

In a letter on Sunday, lawyers for CrowdStrike argued that the US carrier had created a “misleading narrative” that the cyber security firm was “grossly negligent” in an incident that the US airline has said will cost it $500 million.

Delta took days longer than its rivals to recover when CrowdStrike’s update brought down millions of Windows computers around the world last month. The airline has alerted the cyber security company that it plans to seek damages for the disruptions and hired litigation firm Boies Schiller Flexner.

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Unlike some farming sims, Fields of Mistria doesn't immediately give you all the required equipment. Some items will be provided later in the story, while others can only be found in the shop. To get the entire package, here's how to unlock all tools in Fields of Mistria.

All Fields of Mistria tools and how to unlock them

You can unlock the following tools through these specific tasks in Fields of Mistria:

The sword is among the first tools given to you, allowing you to slice up enemies and grass. Shortly after one of the first cutscenes concludes, you'll then earn the hoe and watering can for farming.

If you want other free tools, you'll need to wait a short while for specific days and missions. Begin Spring 2 to commence a cutscene with Eiland, who will teach you how to swing the axe for wood. Next, go to the Request Board to pick up the Pickaxe from the character Olric.

Earn enough Tessarae from these missions to purchase the shovel and the fishing rod. As you may expect, the fishing rod can be used whenever there are fish shadows are in the water. You can also expand your farming plot with the shovel, providing more seed locations.

The Bug Net is one of the last tools you can earn in Fields of Mistria, specifically from Luc. It won't be available until the fourth day of Spring. Speak to Luc at the Inn, and he'll give it to you to start your bug-collecting journey.

To obtain valuable resources, you can upgrade each tool with various ore. Go to the blacksmith to forge some new equipment, including ingots of copper, iron, and silver.

The post How to unlock all tools in Fields of Mistria appeared first on Destructoid.

The life of a farmer can get pretty lonely, especially if you've got a big ole' plot of land with no one to share it with. Fortunately, thanks to the lineup of Mistria's eligible bachelorettes and bachelors, you don't have to go at it alone. So, if you're ready to put yourself out there, here are all the romance options in Fields of Mistria.

Romance characters and gift preferences in Fields of Mistria, explained

Step into the dating world of Mistria with the various single and ready-to-mingle characters. Currently, 10 bachelors and bachelorettes are available upon start, with two more who have yet to make their mark.

Although the two characters haven't been revealed, it could have something to do with Caldarus, the Guardian of Mistria. This character, in particular, has a heart symbol in its dialogue, which typically links to a romanceable option. I'm still working my way through the story, but I'll be sure to update this guide once I've gotten deeper into the narrative. However, the two mystery dates could also be a part of a later patch, given that Fields of Mistria is still in Early Access.

We'll break down each romanceable character in Fields of Mistria, including their gift preferences.

Adeline

Meet Mistria's first bachelorette, Adeline, one of the first romanceable characters you'll come across. As the town leader, she'll handle a lot of your quests, giving you ample time to win her over.

• Love Gifts
  • Tea with Lemon
  • Coffee
  • Gazpacho
  • Lemon Pie
  • Middlemist
  • Peaches and Cream
  • Perfect Pink Diamond
  • Plum Blossom
  • Pumpkin Pie

• Liked Gifts:
  • Tulip
  • Candied Lemon Peel
  • Heather
  • Lemon
  • Lemon Cake
  • Lemonade
  • Paper
  • Peach
  • Pink Diamond
  • Pineshrom Toast
  • Pumpkin Stew
  • Red Wine
  • Snapdragon
  • Spicy Cheddar Biscuit
  • Tulip
  • Smoken Trout Soup
  • White Wine
  • Wild Berry Pie
  • Wild Berry Scone

Balor

The traveling merchant Balor is the next marriage candidate in Fields of Mistria. He'll always stop by to pick up your goods, providing you with some much-needed gold.

• Loved Gifts
  • Alda Gem Bracelet
  • Apple Honey Curry
  • Chili Coconut Curry
  • Deluxe Curry
  • Family Crest Pendant
  • Perfect Diamond
  • Perfect Emerald
  • Perfect Pink Diamond
  • Perfect Ruby
  • Perfect Sapphire

• Liked Gifts:
  • Cauliflower Curry
  • Chickpea Curry
  • Crystal Rose
  • Diamond
  • Emerald
  • Fog Orchid
  • Frost Lily
  • Gold Ingot
  • Gold Ore
  • Golden Cookies
  • Jasmine
  • Perfect Gold Ore
  • Pink Diamond
  • Rose
  • Ruby
  • Rusted Treasure Chest
  • Sapphire
  • Sapphire Betta
  • Snowdrop Anemone

Celine

Looking for some neighborly love? Romance Celine, the part-time gardener who's always there to lend a hand in Fields of Mistria.

• Loved Gifts:
  • Crystal Rose
  • Frost Lily
  • Hydrangea
  • Middlemist
  • Plum Blossom
  • Rose
  • Snowdrop Anemone
  • Spring Galette

• Liked Gifts:
  • Catmint
  • Celosia
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Cosmos
  • Daffodil
  • Daisy
  • Dandelion
  • Heather
  • Iris
  • Jasmine
  • Lilac
  • Marigold
  • Poinsettia
  • Rose Tea
  • Snapdragon
  • Spring Salad
  • Sunflower
  • Tulip
  • Viola

Eiland

Eiland plays the dual roles of the head of the Historical Society and Mistria's Archaeologist. He's perfect for those who want to learn more about the village's past, uncovering its secrets through mining.

• Loved Gifts
  • Coconut Cream Pie
  • Glowberry Cookies
  • Golden Cookies
  • Ice Cream Sundae
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Spell Fruit Parfait
  • Strawberry Shortcake

• Liked Gifts:
  • Apple Pie
  • Berries and Cream
  • Candied Lemon Peel
  • Candied Strawberries
  • Carmalized Moon Fruit
  • Caramel Candy
  • Cherry Cobbler
  • Cherry Tart
  • Chocolate
  • Crystal Berry Pie
  • Lemon Pie
  • Lemon Cake
  • Peaches and Cream
  • Pudding
  • Pomegranate Sorbet
  • Roasted Rich Tea
  • Strawberries and Cream
  • Wild Berry Pie
  • Sweet Sesame Balls
  • Wintergreen Ice Cream

Hayden

Apart from Adeline, Hayden is another character you'll meet during the Field of Mistria's beginning stages. He'll sweep you off your feet with his majestic horse, where you'll often find him at Sweetwater Farm.

• Loved Gifts
  • Golden Duck Egg
  • Golden Milk
  • Stone Horse
  • Vegetable Quiche

• Liked Gifts:
  • Apple Pie
  • Cheese
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Coconut Cream Pie
  • Coffee
  • Butter
  • Crystal Berry Pie
  • Duck
  • Duck Egg
  • Duck Mayonnaise
  • Chicken Egg
  • Lemon Pie
  • Loaded Baked Potato
  • Mayonnaise
  • Milk
  • Mushroom Steak Dinner
  • Pumpkin Stew
  • Sweet Potato Pie
  • Tea with Lemon
  • Vegetable Pot Pie
  • Wild Berry Pie

Juniper

Take a dip into love with Mistria's Bathhouse employee, Juniper. Those who enjoy the mystical arts should shoot their shot at this sorceress, who can unlock new spells and potions.

• Loved Gifts
  • Ancient Royal Scepter
  • Black Tablet
  • Crystal Rose
  • Fish Tacos
  • Golden Cookies
  • Hardened Essence
  • Moon Fruit Cake
  • Pizza
  • Spell Fruit Parfait

• Liked Gifts:
  • Crunchy Chickpeas
  • Crystal
  • Fog Orchid
  • Frog
  • Latte
  • Middlemist
  • Morel Mushroom
  • Nettle
  • Newt
  • Night Queen
  • Poinsettia
  • Red Toadstool
  • Red Wine
  • Shadow Flower
  • Toasted Sunflower Seeds
  • Water Chestnut Fritters
  • White Wine

March

If you are interested in local bad boys, the Blacksmith March is your man. Although he'll give you the cold shoulder initially, you can make like the forge and warm your way to his heart.

• Loved Gifts
  • Dragon-Forged Bracelet
  • Meteorite
  • Perfect Copper Ore
  • Perfect Golden Ore
  • Perfect Iron Ore
  • Perfect Mistril Ore
  • Perfect Silver Ore
  • Sushi Platter
  • Gold Ingot

• Liked Gifts:
  • Beer
  • Chocolate Cake
  • Coffee
  • Copper Ingot
  • Copper Ore
  • Gold Ore
  • Grilled Eel Rice Bowl
  • Hot Chocolate
  • Iron Ingot
  • Mistril Ore
  • Mocha
  • Perch Risotto
  • Sesame Tuna Bowl
  • Silver Ingot
  • Silver Ore
  • Spicy Crab Sushi

Reina

Food lovers can win the heart of Reina, the Head Cook at the Sleeping Dragon Inn. Her gift preferences are also in line with a ton of meal recipes and valuable ingredients.

• Loved Gifts
  • Apple Honey Curry
  • Breaded Catfish
  • Cabbage Stew
  • Ice Cream Sundae
  • Incredibly Hot Pot
  • Rosemary Garlic Noodles
  • Seafood Boil
  • Seafood Snow Pea Noodles
  • Spell Fruit Parfait
  • Sushi Platter

• Liked Gifts:
  • Cauliflower Curry
  • Cheese
  • Cod with Thyme
  • Coffee
  • Iced Coffee
  • Crystal Berry Pie
  • Daffodil
  • Flour
  • Garlic
  • Garlic Bread
  • Pizza
  • Rice
  • Spicy Cheddar Biscuit
  • Sugar
  • Turnip and Potato Gratin
  • Upper Mines Mushroom
  • Wild Berry Pie

Ryis

Ryis is Mistria's friendly carpenter who can help you with crafting recipes. Build up your relationship with him from the ground-up to romance this eligible bachelor.

• Loved Gifts:
  • Hardwood
  • Lobster Roll
  • Golden Bristle
  • Golden Cheesecake
  • Veggie Sub Sandwich
  • Golden Cookies
  • Golden Duck Feather
  • Golden Rooster Feather
  • Golden Horse Hair

• Liked Gifts:
  • Bear
  • Wood
  • Bread
  • Bull Horn
  • Clay
  • Cranberry Orange Scone
  • Crystal
  • Duck Feather
  • Rooster Feather
  • Garlic Bread
  • Glass
  • Glowberry Cookies
  • Horse Hair
  • Iced Coffee
  • Lilac
  • Strawberry Shortcake
  • Paper
  • Stone

Valen

Have a case of the lovebug? Get a check-up with Mistria's town doctor, Valen. She'll be there to help you with anything from additional buffs to fainting in the mines.

• Loved Gifts
  • Beet
  • Beet Salad
  • Beet Soup
  • Dragon Scale
  • Harvest Plate
  • Rosemary Garlic Noodles
  • Summer Salad
  • Sushi Platter
  • Vegetable Soup

• Liked Gifts:
  • Coffee
  • Cucumber
  • Cucumber Salad
  • Dandelion
  • Garlic
  • Green Tea
  • Herb Salad
  • Nettle
  • Pan-Fried Salmon
  • Red Wine
  • Rose Hip
  • Rose Hip Jam
  • Rosemary
  • Seaweed
  • Seaweed Salad
  • Sweetroot
  • Underseaweed
  • White Wine

There are sure to be more romance options and gift preferences in Fields of Mistria, so I'll update this guide the more I play through the game.  

The post All romance options and their gift preferences in Fields of Mistria appeared first on Destructoid.

Once Human has a built-in survival guide to clarify many of its varied, and sometimes confusing, mechanics. But even after reading the entry on fishing, new players might still feel unenlightened. It seems simple enough, but once you get your hands on a fishing pole, you might find that the question remains: how do you actually fish in Once Human?

Fishing in Once Human

Get yourself a fishing pole

This is the simplest step, as you’ll probably already have the mats required. Go to the Supplies Workbench, where you can craft your own fishing rod almost right away. You just need 20 Logs and 10 Copper Ingots.

Make or buy fishing bait

Hopefully, as you’ve run around Once Human's post-apocalyptic, Stardust-polluted world, you’ve picked every bit of corn you came across. At the Supplies Workbench, you can make 1 Dough Fish Bait using 1 Corn.

If you’ve made it to Meyer’s Market, the second zone in Once Human, you can also buy bait. There are docks on the south side of the settlement, where a lady named Margerie sells Bait for 50 Energy Links, as well as Formula: Bait so you can learn how to make your own at the Supplies Workbench for 3 Rubber.

During fishing events, Margerie also sells other types of bait, and you’ll find vendors with different stock as you progress further into the world. Upgrading your Cradle will also unlock better bait recipes and fishing poles.

How to catch fish

Drag your newly crafted fishing pole to the hotbar, then find yourself a body of water big enough to house fish. Hit the hotkey to equip your fishing pole and press R to open the bait menu. Every fish you hook, whether it’s successfully caught or escapes, uses one Bait, so make sure you have plenty.

Bait selected, hold down the left mouse button. Just clicking the mouse button will give you an error message that you “cannot fish here.” Some players (not me) will believe the message and run around to different water holes, trying to fish and growing increasingly frustrated. So, hold down LMB.

A green circle indicates where you’ll cast your line; it turns red if you’re over a non-fishable area. Move the circle to an ideal location and release LMB to start fishing.

Once you cast your line, two new indicators appear on the screen. The one in the bottom center represents the fishhook’s location on the water’s surface. Once it bobs downward and the icon turns blue, click and hold LMB to begin reeling in your fish. You only have five seconds to click, or the fish will get away.

The indicator on the right side of the screen shows two gauges: Escaped vs. Hooked and Break vs. Slack. You want the Escaped/Hooked bar to fill up; the Break/Slack bar will ideally remain in the middle. If this second bar empties, the fish escapes.

To successfully reel in a fish, rotate the camera in the direction opposite to the way the fish is swimming. Then hit F to take it off the line.

What to do with caught fish

Fish decays over time, like other perishable foods in Once Human. At the beginning of the game, you’ll have a basic recipe to grill it up on the Stove, but it will still go bad in 24 hours. To preserve it, you can dry it out with Salt on the Meat Drier or keep it cool in the Refrigerator once you’ve unlocked those facilities.

Other uses for fish include:

• Put one in a Fish Tank (Cradle > Building > Display Facilities)
• Use special catches as currency at certain vendors like Margerie
• Make melee weapons with certain species

Now that you know how to fish, you have a readily available food supply as you combat the Stardust pollution in Once Human and work to heal the land.

The post How to fish in Once Human appeared first on Destructoid.

Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 5 has already kicked off with a bang, bringing the world of WWE to Call of Duty. But the real excitement is yet to come with the mid-season update on the horizon. Here's when to expect the MW3 and Warzone Season 5 Reloaded release, including an inside look into upcoming features.

When does Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone Season 5 Reloaded come out?

According to the battle pass, MW3 and Warzone Season 5 Reloaded will launch on Aug. 21, 2024. It will likely debut sometime around 9 a.m. PT, given that past seasons have been released at this timeframe.

Preloads for MW3 and Warzone Season 5 Reloaded will be available the day before or a few hours prior to launch. This convenient feature ensures that you can jump right into the action as soon as the update is live. Since it's a Reloaded patch, it shouldn't require too much space, but it's always a good idea to clear out some room for the next update.

MW3 and Warzone Season 5 Reloaded features

Season 5 Reloaded showcases two new weapons: the Spear and Torque 35. The first tool excels in close-quarters combat as a melee weapon that can be thrown from a distance. But if a spear isn't quite your style, participate in the Weekly Challenges to get the bow and arrow Torque 35. Both weapons harness the ability to pin enemies to the wall to inflict a ton of damage.

New Aftermarket Parts and events will also arrive for MW3 and Warzone. However, a few upcoming features are only for specific modes. We'll divide them up to give you a better picture of each one.

Modern Warfare 3

Modern Warfare 3's mid-season update introduces a new map variant, Ink House. The same cel-shaded treatment seen in Toonoxide and Celship will be shown here, switching up the visuals of the iconic Shoot House.

New game modes will also be a part of Reloaded, including the following challenges:

• Fishfection: A unique spin to the classic Infected mode, where you can turn into a Fish Operator. Use a Compound Bow or Spear to avoid this from happening at all costs.
• Paintball: All bullets are replaced with paint splatters, resulting in a one-shot kill. Play on small maps and participate in standard modes such as Kill Confirmed or Capture the Flag.
• Defuse or Destroy: A Search and Destroy mode where a bomb will activate upon start.

MW3 Zombies

The final MW3 Zombies story mission is on its way for Season 5 Reloaded, concluding the overall narrative for the mode. Venture into a new Dark Aether Rift and take down the last Zombies boss.

You'll have several new Schematics to try out, including the highly anticipated Stash Increase. That means your inventory will be extended to 30, giving you a nice amount of space for your extra gear. Then, there's the Disciple Bottle, an item with the ability to summon a friendly Disciple. The Grenade Bandolier is the last Schematic for the season, which automatically replenishes your Lethal and Tactical equipment gradually.

Warzone

Warzone Season 5 Reloaded features the return of Supreme Resurgence in Rebirth Island. Loot around this map to claim powerful weapon blueprints with camo designs. Those who win the first match earn their right to the Spilled Beans Weapon Camo.

Look out for the new Elite Contracts for even more rewards. These tasks will be much more grueling than standard Contracts, as their time limits will be reduced. Complete them to collect gifts, like Foresight Killstreak, Specialist Perk Package, and Advanced UAV.

The post MW3 and Warzone Season 5 Reloaded: Release date, final Zombies mission, and new weapons appeared first on Destructoid.

Google might soon introduce drag-and-drop functionality in the Chrome for Android browser. This feature is already present on the desktop version and certainly saves time for the average user. Given this, launching it for Android is a logical next step that could help improve one’s browsing experience and productivity on the platform.

According to MSPoweruser, this functionality will debut in Chrome for Android’s Dev channel (version 129). Once it’s launched, you’ll be able to move files from one location to another within your browser, as well as from your browser to other apps. The outlet spotted the commit “Enable DragDropFiles for M129” on Chromium, which is why it’s reasonable to expect that this feature will be available for testing shortly.

Furthermore, per the code in the screenshot below, we expect it to be enabled by default in the upcoming release.

In related news, the outlet also spotted a change to the Recent Searches feature in the same Dev channel update. The commit “Enable requesting related searches” suggests that you’ll be able to see related searches as you type. While there’s no guarantee that this feature will be rolled out broadly in the stable channel, the Mountain View tech giant might just do so if user feedback is promising and it significantly improves the user experience.

If you’ve been streaming the latest shows or movies on Prime, you’ve likely noticed that ads are now part of your streaming experience. This change, introduced earlier in the year, is part of a broader strategy to boost Amazon’s advertising revenue. However, the retailer’s effort has yet to pay off, with the actual gains from its ad segment falling short of analysts’ expectations.

In the second quarter of the fiscal year, Amazon’s ad business grew by only 20% — this has been the slowest growth rate for the company’s ad segment in years (via The Information). As expected from such an announcement, the company’s share price dropped at market open. But what’s surprising is that the second quarter — April to June — was the first complete period to include revenue from video ads.

For a few months now, users have been seeing ads by default when streaming on Prime — that is, unless they agree to pay more for the ad-free plan. During a recent call with reporters, Brian Olsavsky, the Chief Financial Officer of Amazon, emphasized that, as of now, sponsored product ads, which refer to merchant-sponsored ads that appear on the top of your Amazon search page, will continue to be the core focus of Amazon’s ad businesses.

Amazon has taken a more gradual approach to introducing ads in its video platform, which we can only assume is to avoid alienating customers who had gotten used to an ad-free experience on Prime Video. That said, the company now has plenty of new streaming content in the works, which might just help in the success of its ad-supported model, as well as attracting new customers.

Although Amazon’s video ads business has made some pretty significant strides and is coming up strong against competitors like YouTube, its overall ad business is still fairly reliant on traditional merchant-sponsored ads on the Amazon app.

Once you’ve set up your new iPhone, it’s time to make the most of it with the best iPhone accessories. It’s exciting to choose a new case or wireless charger, and personalize your smartphone with a cute PopSocket to really show off your style. There are probably a bunch of iPhone accessories you didn’t even know you needed, like a kickstand so you can watch YouTube or TikTok videos while getting ready in the morning, or an AirTag so you can use your new iPhone 15 Pro Max to keep track of all your belongings. With an extensive range of iPhone accessories to choose from, we’ve whittled down the best accessories that are worth investing in. If you’re not quite done accessorizing your Apple devices, you can also check out our recommendations for the best Apple Watch accessories.

Best iPhone accessories

Ever since Avowed was first revealed in 2020, its release date has hung in the balance. Fortunately, a launch may be on the horizon now that we've gotten more content about its upcoming features. Here's everything you need to know about Avowed's release window, including platform availability, trailers, and more.

When does Avowed come out?

According to the Xbox page, Avowed will be released on Feb. 18, 2025. The title was previously slated for a late 2024 launch, but now it has since been delayed. This is due to a decision to "give players' backlogs some breathing room," as other first-party Xbox games are expected later this year.

The Gamescom 2024 event will also reveal more information about Avowed's launch. So, be sure to check out this livestream on Aug. 23, 2024.

What systems will Avowed be on?

Avowed will be available to play on PC and Xbox Series X|S. It will also be a part of Xbox Game Pass on Day One release. Wishlists are currently available on Xbox and Steam.

Avowed trailers

In 2020, Obsidian Entertainment released Avowed's Reveal trailer, showcasing the return of the fantasy world Eora. The video provided a small taste of combat, as the playable character utilizes the brute strength of a sword and powerful spells.

The Avowed Gameplay trailer digs deeper into the game's combat. As a first-person fantasy RPG, this title offers a diverse range of options, from guns to grimoires. The trailer weaves a few of these together, freezing an enemy with a spell and then striking them down using a sword.

The Story trailer shows us what we'll be fighting for as the envoy of Aedyr. Players must uncover the truth behind the Living Land's greatest threat in the hopes of saving the island.

The video unveiled many locations across the Living Lands, where every environment has its own ecosystem. Companions will also join you on this quest, helping you take down the lingering threat.

Is Avowed in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity?

Pillars of Eternity and Avowed are set in the same universe. Avowed will take place in Eora, the very same world in PoE. Some wonder if Obsidian Entertainment's upcoming title is a sequel or prequel to Pillars of Eternity. However, it seems as if Avowed will be a standalone game, set in the same universe but with a new story and characters.

The post Avowed release date, platforms, trailers, and more appeared first on Destructoid.

As you explore the Roblox The Games event hub, you'll get the chance to earn Silver and Shines from various challenges. These tasks can only be found in specific places on the map where you may need to equip a particular item. Here's how to find and complete all quests in Roblox The Games.

All Roblox The Games event quests and how to complete them

Most Roblox The Games quests require exchanging Shines via the Event Tracker section. That means you must grind a bit to collect enough currency for certain items. For a quick overview of how to complete all Roblox The Games quests, here's what you can do:

• Hidden Treasure: Find all 10 Roblox Logo Tilts
• Only Up Obby: Travel the course at Crimson Cats
• Team Selfie: Take a picture with your team captain (they'll be at their designated hubs)
• Grow and Shrink Obby: Use the Size Manipulator at Pink Warriors
• Ninja Obby: Use the Gravity and Speed Coils at Mighty Ninjas
• Archery Challenge: Hit the targets with the Bow and Arrow at the Angry Canary
• Whack-A-Mole: Consume the Size Manipulator and hit the moles at Giant Feet
• Team Pride: Use Team Aura in front of the Helper Bot

The Team Selfie challenge is the easiest to do since it only mandates taking a picture at your team hub. If you need help finding the Logo Tilts, check out our guide on the Hidden Treasure mission. We'll break down the rest of the quests in the Roblox The Games event:

How to complete Only Up Obby in Roblox The Games event

You can start the Only Up Obby quest at the Crimson Cats' hub. Once there, use the terrain to head upwards. You'll then reach the upper level to begin the mission.

The goal here is to reach the very top of the course by climbing up the terrain and using trampolines. Compared to the other Obby quests, this one is easy to complete and takes only a few minutes.

How to complete Grow and Shrink Obby in Roblox The Games event

The Grow and Shrink quest starts at the Pink Warriors hub. To complete this challenge, purchase the Size Manipulator for 80 Shines via the Event Tracker. Then, go deeper inside the hub to locate the mission start near some rocks.

When close by, you'll see a small tunnel where you must consume the Size Manipulator. Shrink down your size to get through and complete the course. Players will have the option to either shrink or size up with the potion. So, if any taller areas or blocks are in your way, increase your character's size to make it through.

How to complete Ninja Obby quest in Roblox The Games event

Make your way to the Mighty Ninjas hub and walk up the stairs. Turn right to locate the quest start on top of some rocks. You must purchase the Speed Coil with 55 Shines and the Gravity Coil for 105. Use the two coils to progress further in this course, thus completing the Ninja Obby challenge.

How to complete Archery Challenge in Roblox The Games event

In the Roblox The Games Archery Challenge, you'll need to purchase the Bow and Arrow via the Event Tracker for 130 Shines. Travel up the stairs to locate and shoot down the targets at the Angry Canary.

How to complete Whack-a-Mole challenge in Roblox The Games event

Go to the Giant Feet hub to begin the Whack-A-Mole quest in Roblox The Games. Take the stairs to the top floor; you will see a small pillar with the Whack-A-Mole destination. Like the Grow and Shrink challenge, consume the Size Manipulator. Make yourself large and stomp on all the moles to finish the quest.

How to complete Team Pride in Roblox The Games event

The Team Pride quest requires you to purchase the Team Aura item for 25 Shines via the Event Tracker. Next, find the Helper Bot in the initial spawn point area. Go up to it and select 'Show Team Aura' to complete another Roblox The Games event quest.

Two more Roblox The Games event quests are coming soon, so check back to this guide for more information.

The post How to complete all quests in Roblox The Games event appeared first on Destructoid.

Today, the Supreme Court declined to issue a ruling in Idaho and Moyle, et al. v. United States. Instead, it sent the case back down to the lower courts where anti-abortion extremists will continue to fight to strip pregnant people of the basic right to emergency care, including when their life is at risk.

While the court’s decision temporarily restores the ability of doctors in Idaho to provide emergency abortions required under the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act —EMTALA— by dismissing the case without affirming once and for all that pregnant people have a right to the emergency abortion care they need to protect their health and lives, the court continues to put pregnant patients at unnecessary risk.

Below, we break down why the case matters, and what happens next.

EMTALA requires emergency rooms to provide stabilizing treatment to patients in emergency situations. Since it was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, the federal government–across Democratic and Republican administrations–has consistently recognized that EMTALA requires hospitals to provide emergency abortion care to any patient who needs it. For nearly 40 years, EMTALA has been a crucial tool in guaranteeing the right to emergency care for pregnant patients in need.

Although the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade did not diminish these longstanding federal protections, extremist politicians still tried to prevent people experiencing emergency pregnancy complications from getting care in emergency rooms. In this case, Idaho, which has a near total abortion ban, went all the way to the Supreme Court for the power to criminalize emergency abortions required under EMTALA.

The ACLU and the Cooley Law Firm filed a friend-of-the-court brief in defense of EMTALA. We explained that the law clearly requires hospitals to provide emergency abortion care, regardless of state abortion bans like Idaho’s and others, and that pregnant people cannot be excluded from EMTALA’s protections. The court’s concurring opinion authored by Justice Elena Kagan, and joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, in part, echoes the arguments we laid out in our brief.

The Supreme Court had the opportunity to affirm that every pregnant person in this country is entitled to the emergency care they need to protect their health and lives, and it failed to do so. The court’s refusal to safeguard the right to emergency abortion care–and put an unequivocal end to extremist attacks by anti-abortion politicians on this essential health care –puts pregnant patients at risk and devalues equality under the law.

Two Years Post-Roe: Life in the Aftermath

Two Years Post-Roe: Life in the Aftermath

On this episode, we’re going back into our archives to share an episode that unfortunately still has deep resonance today. Last year, we asked you what a year without Roe has been like in your lives and you responded in droves. Today, with abortio...

On this episode, we’re going back into our archives to share an episode that unfortunately still has deep resonance today. Last year, we asked you what a year without Roe has been like in your lives and you responded in droves. Today, with abortio...

Visit this episode

Importantly, the court’s order does nothing to stop the chaos and confusion unleashed by abortion bans across the country, which still prevent providers from giving appropriate medical care to patients when they need it most. While the court’s order does provide a temporary reprieve for pregnant patients in Idaho facing medical emergencies, it also allows extremist politicians in the case to continue to fight to put doctors in jail simply for providing essential care. And, alarmingly, Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, wrote a dissenting opinion that provides a roadmap for just how they would strip pregnant people of the right to emergency abortion care should this case return to the Supreme Court.

The dissenting opinion also indicates a willingness to endorse an extreme strategy to give legal rights to embryos and fetuses that will override the rights of the pregnant person, and could lead not only to a national abortion ban, but bans on other forms of reproductive health care like fertility treatment and birth control.

This case proves that this battle is far from over. Extremist politicians are coming for our reproductive freedom and will not stop until abortion, including emergency abortion, is banned in all 50 states. They already went all the way to the Supreme Court for the right to put doctors in jail for providing life-and health-saving emergency abortion care, and they will do it again if we let them.

At the ACLU, we’ll continue to use every tool at our disposal to fight attacks on our bodily autonomy. We urge Congress to act now and pass federal protections for abortion rights that will end extreme bans in states and protect access to care nationwide.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images)

The US Department of Justice is investigating Nvidia’s acquisition of Run:ai, an Israeli artificial intelligence startup, for potential antitrust violations, said a person familiar with discussions the government agency has had with third parties.

The DoJ has asked market participants about the competitive impact of the transaction, which Nvidia announced in April. The price was not disclosed but a report from TechCrunch estimated it at $700 million.

The scope of the probe remains unclear, the person said. But the DoJ has inquired about matters including whether the deal could quash emerging competition in the up-and-coming sector and entrench Nvidia’s dominant market position.

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A number of companies, from Amazon to Google, offer smart glasses or have them in the works. But the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are still one of the top options in this competitive market. 

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is almost here, so it’s a good time to start thinking about the things you’ll want to look for once the deal wave hits. Everything from gadgets to clothes to household necessities will be on sale during the event, and if you’re a subscriber, you’ll have access to all of the Prime Day deals. Engadget will be surfacing all of the best tech deals we can find – both on Amazon and elsewhere – but there are some important things to know ahead of time so you can get exactly what you want out of this year’s Prime Day.

When is Amazon Prime Day?

We do not have official dates for Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it’ll be back sometime in July. The shopping event focuses on exclusive deals for Prime members, which means you’ll have to be a Prime subscriber on Prime Day to take advantage of most of the savings. Amazon still offers a 30-day free trial to new Prime subscribers, so you can start your free trial closer to July and participate in the event.

If you don’t pay for Prime and have no intention of doing so, you should still check out Amazon on Prime Day for sales that are available to all shoppers — there are always a few of them. Plus, it’s very likely that other retailers like Target and Best Buy will have their own competing Prime Day sales during that time frame, too.

Speaking of competitors, Walmart just announced that its version of Prime Day, dubbed Walmart+ Week, will take place June 17 through June 23. Walmart+ Week offers exclusive deals for Walmart+ members, and the retail giant appears to be placing a lot of emphasis on gas and travel discounts this year. It's currently teasing 20 cents off every gallon of gas purchased at Exxon and Mobil stations, as well as 20 percent Walmart Cash back on travel accommodations purchased through Walmart+ Travel. However, that's not to say we won't see discounts on other items, including electronics, during Walmart's members-only shopping event.

Amazon Prime Day deals

Amazon Prime Day typically lasts two days, but for the past few years, the company has started pushing out deals well before the event actually kicks off. We anticipate the same happening this year, with early Prime Day deals kicking off possibly as soon as Amazon officially announces the dates of Prime Day 2024.

Be they early Prime Day deals or day-of sales, Amazon gadgets are almost guaranteed to be on sale for the event. You can safely bet on things like Echo speakers, Kindle e-readers and Fire TV devices to be at record-low prices for Prime Day, so if you’ve had your eye on one of those items, it’s worth waiting for those deals to drop. Prime Day is only matched by Black Friday in its discounts, so while that means you will likely have another chance to get that smart speaker for dirt cheap, it probably won’t be until the holiday shopping season.

Amazon gadgets will not be the only items discounted on Prime Day. You’ll find clothes, shoes, household items, appliances, accessories and more on sale, but here at Engadget, we’ll naturally be focusing on electronics. We expect this year’s Prime Day to be like last year’s, in that it will bring big discounts on headphones, earbuds, gaming accessories, SSDs and microSD cards, robot vacuums and more.

It’s also worth mentioning the types of deals you can expect to see on Prime Day. Some deals will be live for the entire event (which is usually two full days), while others will only last for 24 hours. Those are the hardest to predict, since Amazon usually does not give any indication how long a given sale will last. Our recommendation is to buy the things you’re most keen on as soon as you see them drop in price – that will ensure you get it while the discount is available, and while the item is still in stock.

You can also expect to see some “Lightning deals” happen during Prime Day. Thankfully, these are usually clearly labeled with the amount of time remaining to grab the deal noted on the product page. In our experience, only a handful of these flash sales are actually worth your money, but if you see something that’s been on your wishlist drop in price for only a few hours, it’s in your best interest to grab it immediately.

How to prep for Prime Day

It’s best to go into Amazon Prime Day as prepared as possible; that means knowing exactly what you want so you stay focused and avoid distractions. The whole of Amazon's site will be overwhelming on Prime Day, so the less time you spend aimlessly browsing, the more your wallet will thank you later.

One thing you can do to stay on track during Prime Day is to make a list of your top items before the event. This requires a bit of prep work, but you’ll be grateful you did it once the event arrives. Make note of the most important items you want to pick up on Prime Day. You can either do this the old-fashioned way on a sticky note, or you can use Amazon’s wish list feature. For the latter, add the items you want to buy on Prime Day to your wish list (or, even better, make a dedicated wishlist with only your Prime Day desirables) and return to that list during the shopping event. Not only will you have everything you want all in one place, but you’ll also be able to see which of those items are cheaper on Prime Day than they were when you originally added them to your list.

It’s also recommended to use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting a decent deal. Sites like CamelCamelCamel let you monitor the price of specific items on Amazon. You can check out price history charts and you can make your own price-drop alerts, receiving emails when something you want gets a discount. CamelCamelCamel also has some browser extensions you can download so you don’t have to navigate away from an Amazon product page to check its price history.

Engadget will be covering Amazon Prime Day in its entirety, so if you have a lot of tech on your to-buy list, be sure to check back here on Prime Day for the best tech sales we could find. We’ll be sure to include gadgets from across the board – from headphones to robot vacuums to gaming gear – plus the best “anti-Prime Day” deals you can find from other retailers. You can also follow the @EngadgetDeals Twitter account and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter to stay up to date on the latest discounts.

Amazon deals that you can shop ahead of Prime Day

While we wouldn't call these sales "early Prime Day deals" just yet, they do represent some of the best deals you can get on Amazon right now as we wait for the full details of Prime Day to be revealed. We'll update this list as prices change and as we find even more of the best Amazon deals you can get.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Smart displays have evolved quite a bit since the initial debut of Amazon’s first Echo Show back in 2017. In fact, the category didn’t really come into its own until Google joined the fray with its own line of hardware about a year later. Now, both of these companies are essentially dominating the smart display landscape, with each offering their own take on a smart assistant with a screen.

It’s that screen that can make smart displays much more useful than smart speakers. Rather than just having a voice assistant recite the current weather report, for example, you can see a five-day forecast as well. The same goes for when you ask about your shopping list or calendar; it's simply easier to read the whole list or your day's appointments at a glance. Plus, touchsreens offer other benefits that speakers can't, like watching videos or checking your webcam to see who's at your front door. We've tested and used many smart displays over the years and below are a list of our top picks for the best smart displays you can get today.

Best smart displays for 2024

What to consider before buying a smart display

Amazon vs. Google voice assistants

The first question you should ask when looking for the best smart display for you is whether you prefer Amazon’s or Google’s ecosystem. If you have a lot of Google smart devices in your home, like Nest thermostats and security cameras, or even if you use a Google Pixel smartphone as your daily driver, then a Google-powered model may make more sense. If you have Amazon products, like a Fire TV Stick or a Ring cam, Amazon would obviously be a better choice from a compatibility standpoint. Of course, it's perfectly acceptable to have products from competing companies in the same home, but just realize they might not work seamlessly with each other from the start.

Aside from that, the two systems also offer some unique features. Google, for example, works best if you have an existing Google account and use services like Calendar and Photos. We especially love Google smart displays because they work well as digital photo frames. You can set it up to automatically pull in pictures of friends and family from your Google Photos library, and the algorithm is smart enough to use what it thinks are the best shots — so less chance of blurry photos or images of your eyes half-closed showing up, for example. But although you can use Amazon's displays as digital photo frames, the process is not quite as intuitive as Google’s, and Amazon doesn’t have anything comparable to Google’s photo-sorting algorithm.

It might seem like a minor point, but seeing as the display is on standby 90 percent of the time, its secondary function as a digital picture frame is very welcome. All Google smart displays also support YouTube and YouTube TV, step-by-step cooking instructions and all of the usual benefits of Google Assistant, like weather reports. As with Assistant on the phone, it also has voice recognition, so only you can see your calendar appointments and not others.

Amazon's smart displays, on the other hand, are slightly different. Instead of YouTube, they offer some alternative video streaming options, including Amazon Prime, NBC and Hulu. They also come with two browsers (Silk and Firefox), which you can use to search the web or watch YouTube videos – a handy enough workaround given the lack of a dedicated app. Amazon devices also offer step-by-step cooking instructions as well, thanks to collaborations with sources like SideChef and AllRecipes. The cooking instructions sometimes include short video clips, too.

Sony has announced that it will be ending its rewards program at the end of this year. No, it’s not PlayStation Stars, the loyalty program that rewards you digital collectibles for completing certain gameplay tasks. Nor is it the defunct PlayStation Rewards program, which offered PSN bonuses for the most voracious PlayStation gamers. It’s terminating the Sony Rewards program offered through the Sony and PlayStation-branded Visa credit cards.

The company updated the FAQ and Terms and Conditions pages to reflect that it will sunset the Sony Rewards website and mobile app on December 31, 2024, and new members will no longer be accepted into the program effective immediately. Pre-existing Sony and PlayStation cardholders will still be able to redeem points, access their account and submit bonus points and purchase credit request forms through the app between now and New Year’s Eve. However, they cannot send physical bonus points and credit request points by mail after July 21.

Additionally, members can no longer earn points through offers or partner offers, and they can’t link their accounts to the Sony Store or Movies Anywhere. The Sony Rewards customer service will cease operation on February 14, 2025. As far as the Sony and PlayStation credit cards are concerned, cardholders will be contacted by Comenity Bank in due time about changes to the credit card programs but they can keep using them until December 31.

The Sony Rewards program launched in 2017, allowing you to accrue enough points through your Sony or PlayStation credit card to redeem items only from the Sony brand. Redeeming points for PlayStation games seems like a great perk at first glance, but the redemption process is inflexible and the APR for purchases sits at a high 27.99%. The Xbox Mastercard, which Microsoft introduced last year, has the same issue but the APR can be 20.99%, 26.99% or 31.99%, depending on your balance. Plus, there’s no cash back.

Embracer Group is making the move to using AI in game development following the mass layoff and game cancellations months ago. The parent company of THQ Nordic, Gearbox Entertainment and Crystal Dynamics - Eidos Montreal detailed in its annual report (via Game Developer) that it is adopting an AI policy to its game production model, despite the controversy around the use of AI in the games industry and beyond. It said that not using AI will lead to the company lagging behind other major game developers and publishers like EA, Sony, Square Enix and Ubisoft, claiming that the tech will help expedite the development process and give players an optimized gameplay experience.

“AI has the capability to massively enhance game development by increasing resource efficiency, adding intelligent behaviors, personalization, and optimization to gameplay experiences,” Embracer said in the report. “By leveraging AI, we create more engaging and immersive experiences that provide each player with a unique, dynamic and personalized experience.”

Along with listing the benefits of using AI in and outside of game development, Embracer said it understands that adopting the technology is not without risks. It noted that AI may “produce unethical, biased, discriminatory or completely wrong results if it has not been properly trained, instructed or used for purposes it was not designed.”

Embracer’s plans to adopt AI comes several months after it laid off 1,500 employees and canceled 80 games over the past year, along with shuttering studios like Volition of Saints Row fame. Despite concerns that AI will replace human workers, Embracer says it doesn’t intend to use it that way. It went so far as to say AI will open doors to entry into the games industry for some developers, including those with disabilities who can’t operate certain equipment the same way as non-disabled people. Only time will tell if they’ll keep that promise.

What are the Skyrim console commands and cheats? A lot is going on under the hood of Bethesda's seminal game, and if you're feeling a bit technical you can start messing around with what you find. Using only a few commands, you can instantly complete quests, teleport across the world, or even access spells that never made it into the final version of the game.

Whether you want to skip through some of the acclaimed RPG’s busywork, drastically alter your character build, or nerf the living daylights out of a giant, we’ve got the Skyrim console commands and cheats for you. Our list is broken down into a few key categories, starting with basic cheats and working down toward granular tweaks you can employ in the open-world game. Just be sure to check out what each console command does before popping it into the developer console - you know what they say: with great Skyrim console commands comes great responsibility.