Tag Archives: gaming

Niantic changes Pokemon Go and other games to adapt to social distancing

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Niantic, creator of popular AR games Pokemon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is changing gameplay to encourage social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The games now include both indoor and outdoor play elements, Niantic …

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Get your free download of Monument Valley 2 and 10 other iOS games this weekend

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, many people are sheltering in place or practicing social distancing. Finding fun activities can make time pass faster and serve as a positive distraction. If you’re an iOS user, several Apple game developers are offering premium games for free in the App Store for a limited time.  Starting this weekend, check out these …

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These two MSI gaming laptops are on sale for under $800 (Update: Deal expired)

Right now everyone’s focused on working from home, but let’s not forget playing at home. Maybe you’ve got a library of Steam games you haven’t touched in a while, or perhaps you want to enjoy the latest Epic freebies (which are going away tomorrow, March 26, FYI) to their fullest. Heck, maybe you’re ready to jump into PC gaming for the …

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Hipster Whale CEO talks Apple Arcade, Crossy Road Castle and industry challenges

Clara Reeves, CEO of Melbourne-based video game studio Hipster Whale, fell in love with programming when she realized it could be an art form. Reeves, who would go on to oversee Hipster Whale’s popular game Crossy Road in its move to Apple’s mobile gaming subscription service, Apple Arcade, never grew out of her childhood passion of building structures out of …

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Save the world as a tech

Apple Arcade on Friday added Spyder from Sumo Digital to its growing catalog of over 100 games. In Spyder, you must save the world as Agent 8 — a sophisticated miniature robot spider deployed by the British Spy Agency.  Use all of your built-in spy gadgets, gizmos and tools as you scurry to sabotage the dastardly plans of SIN, an evil …

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Windows’ DirectX 12 Ultimate will help Xbox Series X, PC games look better

The “Ultimate” version of DirectX 12, officially launched Thursday by Microsoft and Nvidia, doesn’t add much in the way of capabilities to the gaming graphics programming architecture. It mostly wraps together several specific existing programming interfaces into a single update, including: Ray tracing (DXR 1.1) for more realistic and easier-to-create reflections, shadows and illumination. Variable rate shading, which allows developers …

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Startup promises wireless gaming devices without Bluetooth lag

There’s a surge of interest in ultra wideband. The wireless standard, which was designed for data transfer, fizzled more than a decade ago but is now experiencing new life as a method for finding an object’s precise position. UWB has already been built into the U1 chip that Apple added to its iPhone 11, and carmakers like BMW and Volkswagen …

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Angry Birds CEO on the success of the franchise and what’s coming next

Few mobile games have had as large a cultural impact as Angry Birds: With 4.5 billion downloads, the game of slingshotting cartoon birds at pigs from Rovio Entertainment has spawned two movies, more games and lots of merchandise since its 2009 release. Kati Levoranta, CEO of the Finland-based Rovio Entertainment, seeks to use the success of Angry Birds and the …

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Half

We already knew Half-Life: Alyx is coming out next Monday, but developer Valve revealed in a tweet that the much-anticipated VR prequel to Half-Life 2 will be available at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET/5 p.m. GMT/4:00 a.m. AEDT) that day. You can start preloading this Friday, so you might want to double-check your VR setup now. Half-Life: Alyx releases March 23rd, 10am Pacific Time. https://t.co/NCOLWqSp3eSteam pre-load …

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Microsoft releases Xbox Series X specs, controller details

Update, Nov. 5: Read our reviews of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Microsoft plans to release the Xbox Series X later this year, and we’re getting some more details now about the next-gen console. The company on Monday released three articles about the Xbox Series X, looking at the upcoming console’s specs, its controller and reducing system latency. Some of the …

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