It emerged in a report this week that Sony appears to be asking developers to create time-limited trials for certain games for the new PlayStation Plus Premium service. It was initially unclear how much support Sony would offer studios for this purpose, but, according to Ethan Gach of Kotaku, the PlayStation Store team will actually set up the trials on behalf of developers.

This would put less strain on studios and prevent them from having to dedicate precious resources to create trials. However, Gach said some developers expressed worry that Sony will not share revenue related to game trials with them. Engadget has contacted Sony Interactive Entertainment for clarification.

Earlier this week, Game Developer reported that studios were informed about the new policy through Sony's developer portal. It appears that games with a wholesale price of at least $34 will need to have a time-limited trial that runs for at least two hours and must be available to PS Plus Premium members for at least a year. The measure reportedly won't apply to previously released games or virtual reality titles. Developers are said to have the option of offering custom game demos instead, as long as Sony gives them the green light.

Although there's no E3 this year, you can still expect a ton of gaming news to emerge in the coming weeks. Microsoft has announced an Xbox and Bethesda games showcase, which will take place on June 12th (yes, that's a Sunday) at 1PM ET.

The event will include information on games from Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and some of Microsoft's partners. It sounds as if it'll be pretty comprehensive, with the promise of details on "everything you need to know about the diverse lineup of games coming soon to the Xbox ecosystem." That includes projects on the way to Game Pass for both Xbox and PC.

As for what to expect, it's a safe bet that we'll get a fresh look at Starfield. I'm hoping to hear more about Redfall, a vampire shooter Bethesda showed off last summer and hasn't said a whole lot about since. There will surely be trailers and teasers for previously unannounced games too.

The event will be broadcast in 30 languages (including American Sign Language) on platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. 

In terms of other gaming events, Summer Game Fest will return this year. THQ Nordic has also set a showcase for August 12th.

Sony has revealed the three games that PlayStation Plus subscribers can snag in May at no extra cost. The headliner is a big one: FIFA 22. It was the 12th best-selling game of 2021 overall, according to NPD, and the most-downloaded title on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in Europe last year.

You'll be able to claim both the PS4 and PS5 versions of FIFA 22 starting on May 3rd. PS Plus subscribers can also snag a special FIFA Ultimate Team pack that includes 11 players rated 82 or above as well as an Icon Moments Loan Player Pick. You'll be able to add one of three legendary players to your squad for five games.

Also in the PS Plus lineup for May is survival and action-RPG hybrid Tribes of Midgard for PS4 and PS5. Rounding out the trifecta of sort-of freebies is temple-plundering roguelike Curse of the Dead Gods for PS4.

If you haven't claimed them yet, you have until May 2nd to snap up April's games: Hood: Outlaws & Legends, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated and Slay the Spire. Sony also says Persona 5 will be removed from the PS Plus Collection on May 11. As long as you claim any of those before they're rotated out, you'll still be able to download and play them as long as you're a PS Plus member.

This is one of the last monthly PS Plus drops before Sony revamps the service. It's folding PlayStation Now into PS Plus and creating a three-tier system. The new-look PS Plus will roll out gradually and it's expected to hit the US on June 13th.

If you've had your fill of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and want to check out a new game with a similar flavor, it might be worth taking a gander at Disney Dreamlight Valley when it arrives. It's a blend of a life sim and an adventure game that's packed with Disney and Pixar characters.

You'll be able to customize your character with T-shirts, dresses, hats and other gear you design yourself. There's also the option of kitting them out with streetwear adorned with Mickey Mouse or a ballgown inspired by a Disney princess. Your home and village (which will have several biomes including snow-capped mountains and the Peaceful Meadow) can be decorated and upgraded as well.

As they explore, players will meet and befriend the likes of Buzz Lightyear, Moana, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Simba, Anna, Elsa and Belle. It seems like there's plenty to do. For instance, you can cook with Remy from Ratatouille, go fishing with Goofy and tend to Wall-E's vegetable patch.

Gameloft Montreal/Disney

There's a story-driven campaign at the heart of Disney Dreamlight Valley. After a mysterious event called The Forgetting, the village is full of Night Thorns. You'll clear the thorns and help the residents restore their memories by completing tasks. More areas can be unlocked as well. Developer Gameloft Montreal is promising regular updates, including activities linked to new Disney and Pixar movies and events.

Disney Dreamlight Valley will be available on PC, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Although it will formally launch in 2023 as a free-to-play game, you'll be able to gain early access this summer via Xbox Game Pass or by buying a founder's pack. Gameloft Montreal says the early access period will have exclusive rewards that can carry over to the officially released version.

Amazon is rolling out a feature that will allow Alexa to tell you when a supported security camera or video doorbell detects a person or a package. If you activate the announcements, you can receive an alert from the Alexa mobile app, hear a notification from an Echo speaker and/or view a live video feed on Echo Show, Fire TV or a Fire tablet.

The feature is compatible with Alexa routines. So, when your camera or doorbell spots a package or a person, you can automatically turn on a floodlight, activate a smart lock or trigger a custom Alexa greeting. It's worth noting that person and package detection are only available on Ring devices if you have a Ring Protect subscription, which starts at $3 per month.

Alexa person detection alerts are available starting today on all Ring video doorbells and cameras, as well as third-party devices that have Work with Alexa support, such as some TP-Link and Ecobee products. Abode Iota and Outdoor cameras will be supported in the near future. Amazon says the feature is even coming soon to some Google devices. It'll work with the battery-powered Google Nest Cam (whether outdoor or indoor), the wired indoor Nest Cam, Nest Cam with floodlight and the battery-powered Nest Doorbell.

As for package detection announcements, those are now available for Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 and the 2020 model of the Ring Video Doorbell. Abode Iota and Outdoor cameras will support the feature soon. Amazon also announced an Object Detection Sensor API so developers can enable person or package detection Alexa announcements for other compatible cameras.

If you have a supported Ring device and want to use these features, you'll need to switch on Smart Alerts in the Ring app and Camera Events in the Alexa app. You an set up routines and custom voice announcements in the Alexa app as well.

Folks who ordered a Rivian R1T truck or R1S SUV with an Ocean Coast trim may need to wait a bit longer than expected for their EV to arrive. The company told customers in an email that "the light wood in Ocean Coast is more challenging to produce." As such, Rivian is focusing on getting models with Black Mountain and Forest Edge interiors to customers sooner. It will start deliveries of EVs with the Ocean Coast trim in the fall.

"Building in few build combinations reduces complexity with our suppliers and in the plant and allows us to build a greater number of vehicles," Rivian wrote in the email, which was obtained by Elektrek. "This updated approach also means we’ll see Adventure Package vehicles rolling off the line alongside Launch Edition vehicles over the next few months." The company said it will send new delivery estimates to all preorder holders in the coming weeks.

Perhaps to offset the disappointment of another delay, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe showed off a feature that will be available to all customers as standard following a future software update. It's called Sand Mode and could come in useful for those who want to go off-road. A slow-motion clip shows the R1S handling some sandy terrain.

Also on the way are a pet mode for the HVAC system and dashcam support for the Gear Guard security feature. Scaringe said those are coming soon.

Avid is taking a page out of the Adobe playbook by shifting Pro Tools entirely to a subscription model. There's no longer an option to buy a perpetual license, which granted customers lifetime access to a certain version of Pro Tools.

Instead, those who want access to the widely-used DAW from now on will have to choose between three plans as part of a revamped subscription structure. All of the tiers include two new virtual instruments: a drum machine and sequencer called GrooveCell and the SynthCell virtual synth. There's a free trial available for each plan.

The lowest tier is Pro Tools Artist, which costs $10 per month or $99 per year. This is aimed at musicians who are just starting out and don't necessarily need every bell and whistle at their disposal. Along with the DAW, you'll be able to use more than 100 plugins and hundreds of virtual instruments and loops. This tier offers 32 audio tracks, 32 instrument tracks and 64 MIDI tracks. You can record up to 16 audio sources simultaneously.

The middle tier is called Pro Tools Studio. For $40 per month or $299 per year, you'll be able to create mixes with 512 audio and instrument tracks. There's support for Dolby Atmos and surround sound, as well as advanced automation and Clip Effects editing. Avid will transition current Pro Tools subscribers and perpetual license customers with active plans to this plan.

The top tier is called Pro Tools Flex. This will offer access to Pro Tools Ultimate, 2,048 audio tracks, up to 256 simultaneous recording inputs, the SoundFlow Cloud Avid Edition workflow automation platform and much more. That plan costs $100 per month or $999 annually. Active Pro Tools Ultimate subscribers will be moved to Pro Tools Flex. Pro Tools Ultimate perpetual license customers with active plans will receive Pro Tools Ultimate upgrades.

Those with a perpetual Pro Tools license and expired support contract can still get back on a current software updates and support plan. They can take out a subscription to one of the new tiers as well.

When Sony's expanded PlayStation Plus service starts rolling out next month, it will fold in PlayStation Now, which offers access to hundreds of games from older console generations. Now, it seems the company is getting even more serious about game preservation.

According to Twitter and LinkedIn posts spotted by Video Games Chronicle, Sony has hired at least one engineer (Garrett Fredley, a former build engineer for mobile developer Kabam) to work on a new preservation team. "Today is my first day as a Senior Build Engineer at @PlayStation, working as one of their initial hires for the newly created Preservation team! Game Preservation was my first career passion, so I'm ecstatic that I get to go back to those roots," Fredley wrote. "Let's go and ensure our industry's history isn't forgotten!"

It's not entirely clear what the preservation team will be working on or what Sony's goals are for it. Engadget has contacted Sony Interactive Entertainment for clarification.

Sony historically hasn't done an incredible job with preserving games. Aside from the original PS3 models being able to run many PS1 and PS2 games, backward compatibility seemed like an afterthought until the PS5, which supports all but a few PS4 titles.

The company shut down the digital PSP storefront last summer, though it backtracked on a plan to close the PS3 and Vita stores after a significant backlash. There's no guarantee that every PS3 and PSP exclusive will be added to the new PS Plus service, which won't include Vita titles, so some games will be lost to the sands of time.

In a 2017 interview, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan talked about seeing Gran Turismo titles on PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS4 at an event, and said something that has dogged him ever since: "The PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked ancient, like why would anybody play this?" Ryan clarified last year that he was trying to make a point about how good the more modern entries in the series look and that he didn't intend to be disrespectful to the history of PlayStation. Still, many took his initial comment to mean that Sony didn't care about older games.

It's good to see Sony putting more emphasis on game preservation. Non-profits and fan-led projects have led the charge on that front. PC gamers, of course, have access to titles dating back several decades (for instance, I've been dipping in and out of Half-Life recently). 

Microsoft understands that folks still want to be able to play old games on modern platforms and has put more emphasis on backward compatibility in recent years. Xbox Series X/S can run games from as far back as the original Xbox.

Like Sony, however, Nintendo hasn't exactly been great at game preservation. It will shut down the 3DS and Wii U stores next year, and likely won't port every game from those consoles to Nintendo Switch. Many of those games will be inaccessible to future generations of players.

Sifu has been a critical and commercial success for Sloclap, but the developer isn't resting on its laurels. The studio has revealed a roadmap of updates for the notoriously tough beat-'em-up, which includes the imminent addition of difficulty modes.

Starting on May 3rd, you'll be able to select from student, disciple and master difficulty options, which could help more folks finish the game and give returning players an even more challenging experience. Sloclap will also add an advanced training option and outfit selection features next week.

Over the summer, Sifu will receive an advanced scoring system, as well as some more outfits and intriguing gameplay modifiers. Those include a one-health-point option (good luck with that), stronger enemies, a way to unlock all skills and a bullet time mode.

More outfits and modifiers will be added over the rest of the year, as well as a replay editor in the fall and an all-new arenas mode in winter. All of these will be free updates.

Sifu arrived in February on PlayStation 4, PS5 and PC. Though it debuted just a few days before the all-conquering Elden Ring, it still sold a respectable one million copies in just three weeks.

When we got our hands on Apple's $1,599 Studio Display last month, one issue soon became apparent: the webcam offered pretty subpar image quality. Apple said it was working on a fix, and now that software update is starting to make its way into the wild as part of the latest macOS Monterey beta.

"An update to the Studio Display firmware is now available with today's beta release of macOS Monterey 12.4," Apple said. "This beta update has refinements to the Studio Display camera tuning, including improved noise reduction, contrast and framing."

In his review of the Studio Display, Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar wrote that the webcam was "surprisingly grimy" and images captured with it appeared as though they were "covered in a layer of Vaseline." That's despite the Studio Display having a 12-megapixel sensor and an A13 chip to help with image processing.

Apple doesn't typically take long between rolling out a beta and reading a new version of an OS publicly, so this update will likely be available to all Studio Display owners soon. Once you've installed the latest macOS Monterey beta or the upcoming public build on your Mac, you can update your connected Studio Display by going to System Preferences then selecting Software Update.