Rabu, 31 Mei 2023

Immortals of Aveum feels like EA's next big single-player franchise | VGC - Video Games Chronicle

Immortals of Aveum feels like something EA would have released in the same stable as Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space. Which is hardly surprising, since it’s the next game from Dead Space’s creative director, Brett Robbins.

That’s not to say that the game feels like it’s from 2007, but instead that it has the originality and confidence of something that would have been given the mega publisher’s full backing during their foray into single-player hits. Regardless of how the game eventually turns out, it feels important that there’s space for the Immortals of Aveum of this world.

We recently got the opportunity to play around three hours of the game and came away impressed by not only how free-flowing and fun the combat is, but how stellar the game’s presentation is, even if we’re not totally hooked by the story yet.

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Immortals of Aveum is a single-player first-person magic shooter which follows Jak, a magic wielder with the rare ability to wield all three of the types of magic native to the world of Aveum. Plunged into a seemingly unwinnable war, Jak stands side-by-side with the few remaining magic users on his side against the tyrannical Rasharn, a figure whose quest for power has left anything and anyone in his path destroyed, including Jak’s family.

Jak has three types of magic, Chaos(red), Force (blue), and  (Life) green. These colours delineate what kind of attacks he can use with that strain of magic and essentially translate to weapons you could find in a typical first-person shooter.

The red magic is a devastating shotgun blast used for close quarters, the blue magic is more ranged, and the green magic is a burst fire perfect for engaging with enemies from a safe distance. As you upgrade each of these trees, you’ll spec further into that style of play. For example, progressing down the blue path may allow Jak to deploy cover on the battlefield to snipe from afar.

These weapon types coalesce with Jak’s movement abilities which include a dash, a double jump, and a whip, which can bring enemies toward him. Combat encounters are designed with a lot of movement in mind, and the speed of the enemy AI means that unless you’re specced in a very specific way, you’re going to need to keep moving in order to survive.

The sign of a good combat system is if you’d be willing to ping around an empty arena that was repeatedly filled up with enemies, just to have fun with the attacks, and in Immortals of Aveum that’s an unqualified “yes.”

The final game will feature more than 25 spells, which Ascendant says gives players the opportunity to play through the game multiple times using entirely different builds. From our demo, it seemed like there was some focus on X attack works on X enemy-style encounters, but the further we progressed, the method with which you could attack each of the enemies in the game became more varied.

It’s an extremely fast-moving game and ran well during our play session on PC. Enemies are also very readable, something that when we asked creative director Brett Robbins about, his eyes lit up talking about how much of a focus that was for the team.

There’s an obvious issue as soon as you’re fighting mystery enemies on a foreign planet using weaponry that you can’t recognize from the real world. In most games, the only way to really find out what they do is to get hit by them, but from what we played, it appears that the enemies are similarly colour coded to the players’ attacks, meaning if you see something red, you know you’re in for some up close and personal trouble.

Immortals of Aveum is beautiful. The facial animation stands right alongside the juggernauts of the industry, which took us by surprise considering how little it was mentioned in the presentation ahead of our time with the game. It’s very cinematic, as you might expect from something with so much Call of Duty in its blood, but at least as far as we could see, it’s far less reliant on borrowed imagery and homage, the world of Aveum feels very bold and very original.

Immortals of Aveum feels like EA’s next big single-player franchise

The game is striving for a cinematic presentation, as is evident from the title sequence, but we’re not entirely convinced by the narrative itself so far. Jak seems like an enjoyable enough protagonist, even if some of the Marvel-inspired dialogue will likely grate on some that have been worn down by quips.

It’s always difficult to get a grasp on how the overall story will play out during a preview experience, but the world of Aveum itself is certainly somewhere we’d like to explore further. It feels very lived in, like there are hundreds of stories all across it, not just that you’re the center of the universe and everything going on around you is irrelevant. The cast of side characters also seems very strong from what we’ve played, assisted once again by the stellar animation work.

Immortals of Aveum finds itself in an interesting position, with a unique opportunity to establish itself as part of EA’s roster. A mid-July release, Immortals has little competition, and if it can manage to sell the sheer joy that can be found in that combat to players, EA might find itself with another blockbuster.

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2023-05-31 17:10:22Z
2050433517

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged announced, Xbox achievements now live - TrueAchievements

It's good news for all you Hot Wheels fans out there! Milestone has announced Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, and we have just scanned in the racing game's achievement list.

In a surprise announcement, Milestone has revealed that a follow-up to Hot Wheels Unleashed is in the works. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged will speed onto Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on October 19. For those curious, we have also just picked up the Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged achievement list.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged promises "new mechanics, new environments, a wide variety of vehicles, and new game modes." It will feature over 130 vehicles, including motorcycles and ATVs. There will also be five settings to explore "each with unique terrains that will affect the vehicle’s performance, offering you a more dynamic and immersive racing experience. Vehicles will also engage with numerous objects both on and off the track, adding to the unpredictability of the races." You can also expect new mechanics, such as the lateral dash, which allows for "epic impacts with the opponents, breathtaking last-second dodges, and surprising overturns of the leaderboard until the very last lap."

Also included in Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged is a brand-new campaign with a storyline that revolves around four original characters, and several new game modes, which include "racing against time and rivals, mastering the art of high-speed drifting, or simply colliding with opponents to score points." The track builder has also been "refined in" Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 with new special modules and features.

Predictably, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged will feature various editions and season passes. We've listed the different editions below, which are available now to preorder.


Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged achievement list

There are 43 achievements worth a total of 1,000 Gamerscore, none of which are secret.
Name Description Gamerscore
Rookie Complete the tutorial race. 15
Acrobat Perform 20 jumps with any vehicle. 15
Out of control Perform 10 lateral dashes with any vehicle. 15
Drifting teacher Drift for 500,000 centimeters (196,850 inches) in total. 15
Like lightning! Use the Boost for 30 minutes in total. 15
Now try online Win a Quick Race on Hard AI difficulty. 30
Globetrotter Complete a race in every environment (except the Track Room). 15
Versatile riding Complete a race in every offline mode. 15
Masterful! Reach the podium 25 times in any mode (not unlockable in Split Screen mode). 15
Drift champ Complete 10 races in Drift Challenge mode. 15
It's me you have to beat Complete 10 races in Quick Race mode. 15
Immortal Complete 10 races in Elimination mode. 15
Look, Mom! No track! Complete 5 races in Stage Race mode. 15
Shapeshifter Reach the podium with a Rocket, Off-Road, Balanced, Drifter, Swift, and Heavy Duty vehicle. 15
Terror of the road Reach the podium 100 times (not unlockable in Split Screen mode). 90
Stage animal Validate a track in Track Builder mode. 15
Solo Complete a Quick Race in Multiplayer mode. 15
International licence Challenge accepted! 15
Well begun… Complete the Unleashed Goal of an Event in Career mode. 15
Can you keep a secret? Accept the challenge of a Racepad Challenge in Career mode. 15
I'm in charge here! Complete all goals of an area in Career mode. 15
The Octopus Defeat the first Boss in Career mode. 15
The Scorpion Defeat the second Boss in Career mode. 15
The Terrordactyl Defeat the third Boss in Career mode. 30
The Yeti Defeat the fourth Boss in Career mode. 30
The Nitro Bot Defeat the fifth Boss in Career mode. 100
Extreme conditions Complete the goal of a Racepad Extreme in Career mode. 90
Can you keep a secret? Obtain a 'Secret' vehicle. 15
…Is half done Get half of the Collection vehicles (DLC excluded). 30
Eagle eye Get all the "Super Treasure Hunt" vehicles. 30
Shopping time! Make a purchase at the Shop. 15
Spendthrift Buy 25 vehicles at the Shop. 15
Spin the wheel Spin the Hot Wheels™ Spin for the first time. 15
Beyond the limit Upgrade the type of any vehicle. 15
Extra gear Equip any vehicle with a skill. 15
Perfectionist Upgrade the type of a vehicle to Ultimate. 15
Better too much Equip any duplicate vehicle with 7 skills. 30
Spoiled for choice Buy all the skills of a vehicle. 30
Tools of the trade Get all the Track Builder Modules. 15
A little nest egg Earn 100,000 Coins in total. 15
You're good at this! Reach level 50. 15
Magic trick Reach a new Prestige level. 30
Mission complete Complete your first Unleashed Mission. 15
Will you be checking out Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged when it launches for Xbox in October? Let us know down in the comments!

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2023-05-31 15:37:22Z
2070243739

Selasa, 30 Mei 2023

Street Fighter 6 Will Show Whether Your Opponent's PS5, PS4 Is Wired or Wireless - Push Square

Street Fighter 6 PS5 PlayStation 5 1
Image: Push Square

Prepare for potential toxicity, as Street Fighter 6 will include an indicator that demonstrates whether an opponent is playing on a wired system or with Wi-Fi. Despite having absolutely excellent rollback netcode, Capcom’s programming obviously can’t overcome a bad connection, and many fighting game fanatics feel players should use a wired Internet connection in order to ensure the best possible experience.

Obviously, the fighter is still perfectly playable over Wi-Fi, but as spotted on Twitter there is a little icon now which distinguishes wired connections from wireless ones. While we’d like to assume only those playing in the very upper-echelons of competitive play will be paying attention to this, we could potentially foresee some badmouthing and beef occurring as a result of this notification.

Hopefully that’s not the case, though, and people just use this as a useful tool to determine whether they’re going to get the best quality match-up or not. Personally, we reckon the addition of information like this is generally a positive thing, but as is always the case in life, it’s the people that use it who manage to turn it into a negative. Let’s hope Street Fighter 6 attracts a positive and friendly community – and not a toxic one!

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2023-05-30 22:10:18Z
2061215141

Popular Android app is secretly SPYING on users - here's what to do - Daily Mail

Delete this app NOW: Popular Android app is secretly SPYING on users – what to do if you have it installed

  • iRecorder secretly steals pictures, files and web information on Android devices
  • It also records an audio snippet every 15 minutes by hijacking the microphone
  • Cyber experts at ESET currently do not know who is behind this malicious attack

Cybersecurity experts have warned that a popular Android app is secretly spying on users as part of a potential espionage campaign.

Phone owners have been urged to delete a malicious app known as iRecorder after it was found to subtly steal files, web information and even pictures.

The unsuspecting screen-recorder even makes use of a phone's microphone every 15 minutes, taking a snippet of audio for unknown purposes. 

This malware, discovered by ESET, did not come as part of the app when it launched in 2021.

Instead, attackers took a more unusual approach, with harmful features cropping up nearly a year later, in what may have been disguised as a typical update.

iRecorder secretly steals pictures, files and web information on Android devices (file image)

'Interestingly here is that the app passed initial tests to get on the Google Play store but it was the update that carried the malicious activity,' Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET said.

'Although the app is now removed from the Google Play store, it is advised to remove it from your phone if you installed it whilst it was still live. 

'By deleting the app, the phone will remain safe from prying eyes and ears.'

ESET believes the app has been downloaded by more than 50,000 people since its launch three years ago on Google Play.

Google has now removed this and Apple devices are unaffected, but it is still available to download from alternative Android markets.

Before using, phone holders are asked to give iRecorder permission to record audio and 'access photos, media and files'.

But ESET claims there are no other special permission requests that may hint to its harmful intentions. 

It is currently uncertain whether a specific group is behind this malware which uses a powerful open-source tool known as 'AhMyth'.

Google has now removed this and Apple devices are unaffected, but iRecorder is still available to download from alternative Android markets
Before using, users are asked to give iRecorder permission to record audio and 'access photos, media and files'

HOW TO USE  PLAY PROTECT ON GOOGLE

  1. Tap Google Play on an Android device
  2. Select your profile in the top right 
  3. Hit Play Protect
  4. Press Scan
  5. Remove any malware that is flagged by the scanner  

But ESET claims that AhMyth was previously employed by the Transparent Tribe -  a cyberespionage group that targets governments and military groups in South Asia.

To remove these harmful features from a device, all users need to do is simply delete the app. 

Google also offers a built-in security feature called Play Protect that can scan your apps for malware in future.  

This malware also comes just weeks after the security firm Kaspersky found 11 other apps on Google Play that hold a new type of malware known as Fleckpe.

This largely included photo and video editing apps including 'Photo Effect Editor' and 'Beauty Slimming Photo Editor'.

At the time, Google said that it takes 'security and privacy claims against apps seriously' and deleted these apps.

Yet, in the face of malware risks, ESET urges phone users to continue updating their phones as the benefits outweigh these risks.

Mr Moore added: 'This should hopefully not put people off updating as more damage can usually be done by not installing timely app and device updates.'

MailOnline has approached Google for further comment.  

Google warns of SPYWARE being used by foreign governments to hack into Apple and Android phones and snoop on citizens' activities 

Google warned of spyware being used by foreign governments to hack into Apple and Android phones and snoop on users' activities. 

The 'spyware' – software that steals information from a device – was created by Milan-based company RCS Lab, Google and security firm Lookout said. 

RCS Lab spyware has allegedly been used by the Italian and Kazakhstani governments to spy on private messages and contacts stored on their citizens' smartphones. 

RCS Lab is an example of a 'lawful intercept' company that claims to only sell to customers with legitimate use for surveillance, such as intelligence and law enforcement agencies. 

But in reality, such tools have often been abused under the guise of national security to spy on business executives, human rights activists, journalists, academics and government officials, security experts say. 

It's thought RCS Lab's spyware, nicknamed 'Hermit', is distributed via SMS messages that appear to come from legitimate sources.

Read more 

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2023-05-30 13:43:23Z
2051802477

Senin, 29 Mei 2023

System Shock remake review: The PC classic comes back to life - Polygon

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: You wake up in a futuristic medical bay on an orbital space station with some new cyber implants, only to realize that everyone else is dead. I could be talking about BioShock or Dead Space or even, if you squint, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But in this case, I’m talking about System Shock, which has been remade by Nightdive Studios. This new version reveals how much video games as a whole owe to the 1994 classic.

Before I was deeply entrenched in the world of video games as a critic and a journalist, I knew about System Shock, but it wasn’t possible for me to play it. Originally developed by Looking Glass Studios, it was a moderate hit at the time, but not explosively popular like its contemporary Doom. Over time its legacy has grown, explicitly influencing games like the aforementioned BioShock and Dead Space, but also Dishonored, Prey, and Deathloop. It also popularized some narrative techniques that now feel tired, like the general practice of telling your story through audio logs.

I had always wanted to play System Shock, to trace the lines of video game history, but as an older, PC-only game, it was hard to get my hands on. Too long had passed between the game’s release and the present day for System Shock to be accessible, not just in the sense that I was accustomed to more modern games with better UI and more intuitive controls, but also in the sense that it was not available to purchase anywhere. For a large part of my youth, System Shock, a game so old it was originally released on floppy disc, was distributed by fans via downloads of dubious legality. When I first looked up the game, having heard it was a huge influence on pretty much every game that came in its wake, I instead found people on forums telling other readers to just go straight to System Shock 2.

The player wields a large wrench as they approach a robot in the System Shock remake Image: Nightdive Studios/Prime Matter

You can now play the original System Shock, also thanks to Nightdive. The studio acquired the rights to the game in 2012 and re-released it as the Enhanced Edition in 2015. And you could go and play this remastered edition right now and enjoy it for its many pleasures, even if they don’t hit quite the same way 29 years on. The then-revolutionary physics engine, originally programmed by Seamus Blackley for Flight Unlimited, can’t leave the same impression on players in 2023 as it did in 1994; we have all seen too many physics engines that cribbed Blackley’s work in the meantime. If you don’t think you can play a game from 1994, then the System Shock remake does quite nicely. Sometimes, it even does something remarkable and original: It makes you truly understand the passage of time.

The System Shock remake is beautiful. It’s not a fully reimagined game like the Final Fantasy 7 remake, nor does it wholly abandon the aesthetics and art style of the original like the remake of Shadow of the Colossus. But it looks like the way games from 1994 appear in my memory. Smoke spouts from vents and dissipates into pixels. The lighting is often dramatic, your screen saturated in deep red with bright blue sparks emitting from the light fixtures. In your hands, your lead pipe hangs heavy in front of your face, swinging directly in front of your field of vision, sometimes slightly pixelated in the light. You walk slowly — oh so slowly — down narrow hallways with flickering lighting, trapped in metal maintenance corridors as you try to make your way through the map. It’s a dungeon-crawler wearing a shooter’s skin.

Famously, System Shock is the story of the Hacker, who was caught hacking into the TriOptimum Corporation. You’re whisked away to its orbital space station, called the Citadel, and given a job: join the corporation and get a fancy neural implant in exchange for removing the ethics protocols of their AI, SHODAN. SHODAN, it turns out, really needed those ethics protocols, and when you wake up after surgery, she has murdered everyone in the station and turned them into mutants and cyborgs.

The player fires a purple laser beam at an approaching robot on treads in the System Shock remake Image: Nightdive Studios/Prime Matter

If you are a fan of video games, you’ve met SHODAN before, in some shape or form. If you’ve played Portal, you’ve interacted with a very close relative of hers. The character archetype SHODAN would create, of a female AI that’s lost its morals with an acerbic, glitchy voice, is now a cliche. GLaDOS is just SHODAN with a sense of humor and a sense of personal animosity toward the player. In System Shock, SHODAN’s hate is cold and pure, the way you hate insects when they get inside the house; they’re below you, and not supposed to be here. As you make your way through the levels, she promises that she’ll strap you to a torture chair and that “you’ll learn more about pain than you ever wanted to know.”

SHODAN’s presence still feels new, somehow — or maybe, everything old just becomes new again. What does feel incredible is the way the flourishes of the remake highlight System Shock’s lineage even more. When you charge your electric weapons in the charging stations, electricity dances on your fingers, and I remember how BioShock descended from this game. When System Shock leans on its horror elements, thrusting you into a dark room with a groaning monster, I remember why I hadn’t played Dead Space; System Shock is more my speed of creepy, but I can see how one became the next. Playing this game in this form helps me bring it into conversation with the entirety of the immersive sim genre, a loose collection of games that offer players open-ended gameplay. You can see the line from the Citadel all the way to the shores of Dunwall in Dishonored; the way Looking Glass, and now Nightdive, offers the Citadel to you not just as a space station but a puzzle, a map for you to unfold with little to no instructions on how to proceed. Seeing this done so expertly on a smaller scale makes me think of a kind of open world that hasn’t been technologically possible until quite recently: Skyrim, Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring.

A lobby-esque room on the space station the System Shock remake, replete with marbled-granite pillars and art deco trappings Image: Nightdive Studios/Prime Matter

What really excites me when I play System Shock is how little it holds my hand. You can — and probably will — eat absolute shit the first time you try to make your way through the medical bay. You can get yourself into unsolvable situations — it’s a game that asks you to pay attention, that doesn’t always signpost the next thing to do. It also rewards your curiosity as much as it does your caution. I often found my way through levels mostly by accident, by deciding to turn down hallways I hadn’t gone down before. There’s always a discovery — a new weapon or a vending machine or a shortcut — or at least a useful lesson lying in wait. It’s easy to understand why people played this game and then became obsessed with it, why you can trace some people’s careers through the game. Ken Levine, who worked at Looking Glass when it making System Shock, certainly never stopped trying to make System Shock, eventually giving BioShock: Infinite an ending that suggests there are thousands upon thousands of variations on this theme.

System Shock will be released on May 30 on Windows PC. The game was reviewed using a pre-release download code provided by Prime Matter. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.

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2023-05-29 12:00:00Z
2086863097

Minggu, 28 Mei 2023

Diablo 4 reveals a new launch "race event" and some players are not happy - Eurogamer.net

Blizzard has revealed a new "race event" to commemorate the first 1000 players to hit Diablo 4's Level 100 cap.

"Think you can cheat death?" the developer teased. "Reach level 100 on hardcore mode and tweet #Diablo4Hardcore with proof to have your username immortalised on a statue of Lilith.

"Offer limited to the first 1000. Get started 1st June."

Here's the Diablo 4 story launch trailer.

The challenge has not gone down well with all players, however. Some on the Diablo 4 subreddit have raised objections to the "unfair advantage" those with early access to the game – such as reviewers and content creators – will have given they have already familiarised themselves with the game's systems and combat.

Blizzard GM Rod Fergusson countered this by reminding the community that as of Friday, everyone with early access had their characters and progress deleted, but some state that this doesn't go far enough, and have called for anyone who's played the game early to be prohibited from participating in the competition.

"Can we talk about those same creators competing in the 'race' event you guys announced? This gives an extreme unfair advantage," challenged one player (thanks, GamesRadar+).

"A player who already know[s] everything about bosses, acts, and how to gear and level will have an advantage over player who never done it. Exactly the same way someone who trained for a marathon months in advance would win a race against someone who just heard about it."

As yet, Blizzard has not formally responded to the complaints nor revised the eligibility requirements for its Harcore race event.

Blizzard recently explained why it took the decision not to extend the Diablo 4 campaign story with its post-launch seasons.

Blizzard also recently revealed its plans for Diablo 4 post-launch, detailing its approach to seasons, battle passes, and the shop. The developer revealed Diablo 4 will get a new season each quarter, and each will add questlines, battle passes, new legendary items, class balance changes and other tweaks.

Season 1 begins in mid to late July (Diablo 4 launches early June) and to access it, you have to complete the campaign. To work through the season's battle pass you need to complete chapters that are comprised of objectives. Completing all the objectives in a chapter gets you seasonal rewards, such as crafting materials and legendary aspects for your Codex of Power.

Blizzard is also celebrating Blizzard is celebrating one whole year of Diablo Immortal with a Diablo 4-themed crossover.

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2023-05-28 12:11:35Z
2057840377

Alan Wake 2 Wears Its Survival-Horror Inspirations on Its Sleeve - GameRant

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  1. Alan Wake 2 Wears Its Survival-Horror Inspirations on Its Sleeve  GameRant
  2. This Alan Wake 2 improvement will “push” PS5 games harder than ever  The Loadout
  3. Alan Wake 2 shows off the capabilities of the Northlight Engine  DSOGaming
  4. THQ Nordic offers to publish physical edition of 'Alan Wake 2'  NME
  5. Remedy Wants To Make Alan Wake 2 the Best-Looking Game of the Year  GameRant
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-05-27 16:15:00Z
2052181153

Sabtu, 27 Mei 2023

Freeview issues important advice ahead of disruption to UK TVs - don't ignore it - The Mirror

Millions of Freeview users across the UK face a frustrating weekend ahead with the popular platform warning customers that there could be some disruption to terrestrial signals.

The issue is being caused by a band of high pressure over Britain which looks set to cause problems such as pixelated images and viewers receiving signals from outside of their area.

For those not aware, certain weather conditions, including high pressure, may sometimes affect your Freeview reception.

"Freeview viewers across parts of the country could see some disruption to their TV reception between Wednesday the 24th and Monday the 29th May," the television service confirmed.

Freeview has confirmed that interference caused by atmospheric conditions is always temporary and should clear once the weather changes.

Although losing access to some channels will be highly frustrating it’s vital not to start trying to retune your screen as it won't have an impact or fix the problems. Instead, you'll just be left without any content while the, sometimes lengthy, process takes place. and nothing will change once the television is updated.

"You are advised not to retune your TV during this time - reception will be restored once the high pressure passes," Freeview confirmed.

Annoyed that you have nothing to watch? There is a quick fix.

If you have broadband then it’s a good idea to try Freeview Play instead.

This service uses the internet to beam shows to the big screen and so isn't affected by weather conditions.

Freeview Play comes included on most modern smart TVs and you'll find it as part of the app section on your television's Home Screen.

If your telly doesn't have this option don't panic as the Freeview app is also available for mobile and tablet devices.

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2023-05-27 06:16:32Z
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Jumat, 26 Mei 2023

YouTube is KILLING popular feature next month - what it means for you - Daily Mail

YouTube is KILLING a popular feature next month – here's what it means for you and your channel

  • YouTube has confirmed that it's shutting down YouTube Stories in June 
  • The change is being made to 'prioritise other features on the platform' 

It's the go-to platform for watching videos, but if you use YouTube, prepare to see a popular feature disappear next month. 

The Google-owned platform has confirmed that it's shutting down YouTube Stories in June.

Stories first launched in 2018, and allowed creators to post short, mobile-only videos that expired after seven days. 

YouTube claims the change is being made to prioritise other features on the platform. 

In a blog, it explained: 'Today, there are many ways to create on YouTube – from Community posts to Shorts, to long-form and Live. To prioritize these key features, Stories are going away.'

It's the go-to platform for watching videos, and if you use YouTube, prepare to see a popular feature disappear next month

The change will come into effect on 23 June, after which the option to create a new YouTube Story will no longer be available.

Any Stories that are already live will expire seven days after they were originally shared.  

If you regularly used YouTube Stories, YouTube advises you turn to either Community posts or YouTube Shorts. 

'YouTube Community posts are a great choice if you want to share lightweight updates, start conversations, or promote your YouTube content to your audience,' it explained. 

'Amongst creators who use both posts and Stories, posts on average drive many times more comments and likes compared to Stories.'

While YouTube previously restricted access to Community posts to certain creators, it has recently expanded access to millions.

To create a Community post, sign in to YouTube, and select 'Create post' at the top of the page. 

In the box at the top, either type a message to create a text post, add text to an image, GIF or video post, or choose to create a video, poll or image. 

Once you're happy with your creation, select Post. 

Alternatively, if you want to continue creating short videos, YouTube recommends using YouTube Shorts - a tool that allows you to record vertical videos directly from your smartphone. 

'With new features for both Shorts and Community posts to be announced throughout the year, we are committed to investing in new and innovative tools to help you grow your audiences across YouTube,' YouTube added. 

'We look forward to seeing what you create with all of these formats – Community posts, Shorts, live streams, and long-form content!' 

WHAT CAN YOU WATCH ON YOUTUBE TV FOR $40 A MONTH?

Google raised the price of its YouTube TV streaming service in 2018.

The monthly fee raised to $40 for new customers, though existing customers will continue to pay $35, as before. 

It’s also added a number of new channels. 

At the base price, customers will have access to:

 ABC

CBS

Fox

NBC

AMC

BBC America

BBC World News

Bravo

Big Ten Network

Cartoon Network

CNBC

NBC Sports

CBS Sports Network

CNN

Comet 

The CW

Disney Channel

Disney XD

Disney Junior

SEC ESPN Network

E!

ESPN

ESPN 2

ESPN U

ESPN News

Fox Business

Fox News

Fox Sports

Freeform

FS1

 FS2

FX

FXM

FXX

NBC Golf

HLN

IFC

MSNBC

National Geographic

Nat Geo Wild

NBC Sports Network

Newsy

Olympic Channel

Pop

Smithsonian Channel 

Sundance TV

Syfy

TBS

Telemundo

Tennis Channel

TNT

Turner Classic Movies

truTV

Universal Kids

Universo

USA

We TV

YES

YouTube Red 

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2023-05-26 08:37:54Z
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Kamis, 25 Mei 2023

Newscast: PlayStation Showcase saw Sony fumble its first-party future plans - Eurogamer.net

This week on the Eurogamer Newscast, we discuss Sony's PlayStation Showcase event, and offer our thoughts on everything that was shown - and not shown - last night.

We got an extended look at Spider-Man 2, and announcements of the much-rumoured Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, Bungie's next game Marathon, Haven's first title Fairgame$, and something called Concord. Actual gameplay and firm release dates were thin on the ground, however. And many of the games shown during PlayStation's event will also be available on Xbox.

Was this a good games event, even if it wasn't a great PlayStation one? How do we feel about Sony's game roadmap now? Joining me to discuss all of that and much more are Ed Nightingale, Victoria Kennedy and Liv Ngan.

Newscast: PlayStation Showcase saw Sony fumble its first-party future plans.

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2023-05-25 18:46:06Z
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Jodie Comer, David Harbour Star in PS5 Alone in the Dark Reboot This Halloween - Push Square

Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer and Stranger Things’ David Harbour will bring a sprinkling of star power to THQ Nordic’s Alone in the Dark reboot when it releases ahead of Halloween on 25th October, 2023. Confirmed as part of a showcase earlier today, Comer will play Emily Hartwood while Harbour will assume the role of the series’ trademark detective Edward Carnaby.

Loosely inspired by the 1992 original, you’ll be able to get your very first taste of the title as part of a demo available to download from the PS Store right now. This prologue starring supporting character Grace Saunders has been inspired by Alone in the Dark 2’s infamous Jack in the Dark demo, and while the gameplay in the taster will differ from the main course, it will give you an opportunity to explore the chilling backdrop of the Derceto Mansion.

Admittedly the action does, in some senses, look a little like a low-budget Resident Evil, but there’s clear promise here: the showcase didn’t centre too much on combat, but from previous showings it looks like a frantic over-the-shoulder shooter, and developer Pieces Interactive is promising a good variety of puzzle solving, too. Of note, you’ll be able to toggle the difficulty to your tastes depending on how much or little guidance you’d like.

All in all, we’re pretty pumped for the final product. Despite the original being a hugely influential release, Alone in the Dark’s hasn’t really received the respect it deserves in recent years. This looks to be putting the franchise right back on track, with a hugely compelling reboot that looks to refresh the 1992 classic in all the right ways.

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2023-05-26 00:00:00Z
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Days Gone Dev Hard at Work on Its Best Game Yet for PS5 - Push Square

Days Gone PS5 PlayStation 5 1

While we personally weren’t expecting to see anything from Bend Studio during this week’s PS Showcase, plenty of fans were disappointed by the general lack of PS Studios titles during the event. This has no doubt spilled onto social media, where company accounts are presumably getting bombarded by fans asking for updates on their upcoming projects. (Even this author is guilty when it comes to The Last of Us Factions!)

Kevin McAllister, the community manager at the Days Gone developer, picked up on the mood and shared his response, presumably also partially fuelled by comments made by ex-game director Jeff Ross: “Social media is a wonderful space to interact with people and share each other’s passion,” he started. “It can also be a difficult space due to misinformation and false hope. Silence is usually the key, but [I’m not gonna lie] it’s hard. All I can say is we’re hard at work to make the best Bend game yet.”

He continued: “This is the finest group of individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. The culture, support, trust from top down, makes me incredibly proud to be here. The next generation of Bend Studio is here, buckle up.” We know that, while Bend Studio’s next project won’t be a sequel to Days Gone, it will build upon some of the systems and ideas introduced in that game. Obviously it’s going to take some time to cook, though.

To be honest, we’re not all that concerned by Bend Studio’s absence from the PS Showcase, as there are other developers we would have expected to see ahead of the Oregon-based outfit. It’s good to hear that McAlister is excited about the project, though, and we’re obviously looking forward to getting our first taste of the title in the future.

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2023-05-25 18:30:00Z
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PlayStation Showcase: Spider-Man 2 leads PS5’s 2023 games lineup - The Guardian

Sony concluded its livestreamed PlayStation Showcase event on Wednesday with a 12-minute-long slice of Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2, PlayStation 5’s major game for 2023. It showed the heroes of the previous two games, Miles Morales and a symbiote-suited Spider-Man, working together to fight villains Kraven and the Lizard across an extensive swathe of New York scenery.

The game will be out this autumn, joined by Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage on 12 October, the latest in a long-running series of historical action games. Epic Games’ Alan Wake 2, a sequel to 2010’s Stephen King-inspired horror game, was also confirmed for 17 October.

New games from all of the studios that Sony has acquired in the past few years were shown: a reboot of sci-fi shooter deep cut Marathon from Bungie; a multiplayer heist game called Fairgames from Haven, in which players team up to rip off billionaires; and Concord, a competitive shooter from Firewalk Studios. A long-rumoured remake of the 2004 classic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was also confirmed.

Sony also announced a handheld streaming companion device for PlayStation 5: now named Project Q, it was shown as an in-progress design, which looks like a PS5 controller bisected by an eight-inch screen. It will allow players to stream their PS5 games over wifi and play them on its smaller screen, as Sony’s handheld PlayStation Vita console did for PlayStation 4, and features “all of the buttons and features of the DualSense wireless controller, including adaptive triggers and haptic feedback”, per Sony’s press release.

Anyone who remembers the breakout arthouse hit Journey on PlayStation 3 will be intrigued by Sword of the Sea, from Abzu developers Giant Squid, a beautiful-looking exploration game where you surf across undulating landscapes. Other indie highlights were Neva, a game about a girl and a wolf from the makers of Gris, and Revenant Hill, in which you are a cat training to become a witch’s familiar, from some of the creators behind Night in the Woods.

The PlayStation 5 has sold 38m worldwide since its November 2020 launch, despite widespread hardware shortages in the first year of its life. Sony has said in an investor presentation that it hopes to start outpacing the sales of its previous console, the PlayStation 4, by the end of 2023.

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2023-05-25 07:18:00Z
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This legit Android app turned into audio-snooping malware – and Google missed it - The Register

Google Play has been caught with its cybersecurity pants down yet again after a once-legit Android screen-and-audio recorder app was updated to include malicious mic-snooping code.

Potentially tens of thousands of people downloaded the software before ESET researchers found the hidden malware and alerted Google, which pulled the app from its online store.

The application in question, iRecorder – Screen Recorder, was first published in 2021. It spent nearly a year in Google Play without a hint of nefarious behavior before an August 2022 update, we're told, added a secret remote-control backdoor.

The backdoor code was based on AhMyth, a piece of GitHub-hosted "not for malicious use" spyware that's been found in Play Store apps before.

The implementation of AhMyth in the updated Android app has been dubbed AhRat by ESET. We're told the software nasty recorded snippets of audio from an infected device's microphone. AhRat can also be instructed to exfiltrate files "with extensions representing web pages, images, audio, video, and document files, and file formats used for compressing multiple files," said ESET's Lukas Stefanko, who authored a 2019 report of two previous instances of AhMyth found in the Play store.

AhRat lacks many of the features of its parent malware, which Stefanko said indicates that it may be a lightweight variant designed to better hide itself inside a legitimate application. "These functionalities appeared to fit within the already defined app permissions model, which grants access to files on the device and permits recording of audio," Stefanko explained. 

"Upon installation of the malicious app, it behaved as a standard app without any special extra permission requests that might have revealed its malicious intentions," Stefanko added. 

ESET said it hasn't spotted AhMyth anywhere else in the wild, and that the app and all other items made by its mysterious developer were removed from the Google Play Store once reported. It's not clear precisely how long the malicious version of the recording app was available on Google Play nor how many people exactly were hit by it; ESET only said that the software had surpassed 50,000 downloads in Google's souk. 

Stefanko noted in the report that the recording app remains available on some alternative and unofficial Android app markets, and that the developer has published several other Android tools, none of which contain malicious code.

"It is possible that the app developer had intended to build up a user base before compromising their Android devices through an update or that a malicious actor introduced this change in the app; so far, we have no evidence for either of these hypotheses,' Stefanko noted. 

More like Google Play Infect

We've been down this malware-laden road with Google Play many times before, but this one is particularly egregious given the fact the malware that slipped through the cracks has (or its parent code has, at least) been found on Google Play already. By extension, one would think AhMyth indicators would be included in Google's scanning systems.

The on-device picture isn't much better for Google security.

In 2017, Google's Play Protect on-device anti malware platform scored dead last in tests of its ability to detect malware compared to third-party Android malware detection platforms. It's been a while since then, and Play Protect has climbed a few spots in more recent versions of the report that placed it there. It's still nowhere near the head of the pack, though, so ensure your Android device has multiple layers of protection. Or perhaps just avoid apps from unknown developers.

We reached out to Google to ask how it managed to miss the malicious update for nearly a year, and haven't heard back yet. ®

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2023-05-24 23:58:00Z
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