Epic Games says there are now more than 500 million Epic Games accounts. Many of those are used to buy and play PC games, and accounts are also utilized on consoles and mobile devices for the likes of Fortnite and Rocket League.

Those who play Fortnite on console, for instance, don't need to create a full Epic account. Instead, they'll have a "nameless" Epic Games account that doesn't have its own display name or an email address attached to it. Fortnite had more than 350 million registered players as of May 2020, and those appear to make up a significant proportion of that 500 million figure.

The Epic Games Store hit more than 194 million users in 2021, an increase of 34 million from the previous year. The company said that "daily active users peaked at 31.1 million, and peak concurrent users reached 13.2 million," while there were 62 million monthly active users in December.

The publisher has invested heavily in its free PC games program, which will continue for at least the rest of this year. Documents that emerged from Epic's legal battle with Apple showed that it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the endeavor. Last year, Epic gave away 89 different titles and 765 million free games overall.

Offering Grand Theft Auto V at no cost brought in 7 million new Epic Games Store users in a single day, as The Verge notes. Giveaways for the likes of Civilization VI, World War Z and Subnautica led to smaller, but still notable spikes in new user numbers. Rocket League switching to a free-to-play model boosted user numbers too.

Players spent around $840 million in the store in 2021, an increase of 20 percent from 2020. Just over a third of that was spent on third-party games. The biggest third-party titles on the store last year were Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Hitman 3, Far Cry 6, Genshin Impact, Darkest Dungeon, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Chivalry 2 and GTA V.

Meanwhile, Epic says there have been more than 6 million downloads of The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in two months. The tech demo, which is well worth checking out, shows off what UE5 can do. There was also a 40 percent increase in the number of Unreal Engine downloads last year, while Epic says 48 percent of announced current-gen games are being built on Unreal Engine.

The first major No Man's Sky patch of the year has arrived. Among other things, Hello Games says the Sentinel update improves the space exploration sim's AI and introduces a buildable AI mech. You can put an AI pilot in your Exomech and have it follow you and help out in battles. Players can build a drone companion too.

Hello Games

As the name suggests, the update brings in changes for the Sentinels, robots that will attack if you try to change an environment or they catch you on a planet that hosts rare items. There are new enemy types (including repair drones and a giant mech with a jetpack) and headquarters for the machines, which are able to deploy shields as part of a big overhaul of combat and weapon systems.

You'll have some fresh tricks up your sleeve as well. Along with active camouflage, there are more weapons for you to wield, including a flamethrower and stun grenades. You can expect to see new visual effects for weapons and multi-tools too.

Regardless of which graphics card they have, Hello Games says that all PC players can now take advantage of an AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaling feature. Those with compatible RTX cards can switch on NVIDIA's AI-based DLAA anti-aliasing mode too. Also, No Man's Sky has been optimized for the upcoming Steam Deck, including the addition of touchscreen controls.

Hello Games has added more lore and missions as well as a new expedition, which offers those who complete it a fresh customization for their jetpack. What's more, players can now freely rotate build pieces in the build menu, opening up more ways to construct bases. Teleporting between bases and space stations in the same star system is faster too.

No Man's Sky is currently available on PC, Xbox and PlayStation. You should be able to access all of these features on Nintendo Switch (hopefully including touch controls) when the game lands on that console this summer.

Uber users have long been able to see their average ratings from drivers. Starting today, they can see how many one-star and five-star ratings they're getting as well.

The platform's Privacy Center, which debuted last month, shows riders and drivers a breakdown of their ratings. You can access the Privacy Center from the privacy section of the settings menu. From there, swipe to the right, select the “would you like to see a summary of how you use Uber” tile, scroll to "browse your data" and then tap "view my ratings."

Alongside the ratings breakdown, Uber has revealed which major US cities have the highest and lowest average rider ratings. Drivers typically dish out higher ratings in San Antonio, St Louis and Nashville. Riders tend to get the lowest ratings in New York City (perhaps unsurprisingly), followed by Seattle and Washington, DC.

Uber

Meanwhile, Uber has offered some tips, which are based on safety and common decency, to help you bump up your average. It suggests being ready to go when the driver shows up, buckling up and taking your garbage with you. Drivers often give riders a lower rating if they slam the doors, so be careful when you're getting in and out of vehicles.

Uber can boot riders with very low ratings off the platform, but as long as you're respectful (and leave fair tips), that shouldn't be an issue for you.

Twitter is expanding access to its Safety Mode by bringing the beta to around 50 percent of accounts in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. The company started testing the feature in September with a small number of people. It's expanding the beta to additional English-speaking countries to gain more insights and look into ways of making further improvements.

Safety Mode is a setting that will automatically block accounts that Twitter thinks may be using harmful language. Those accounts won't be able to interact with you for seven days. There's a way for users to manually review the tweets and accounts Twitter found questionable, and to unblock that account if there wasn't actually a problem. Accounts that users follow or interact with often are never autoblocked. The idea is to cut down on harassment and prevent people from having to go through the process of manually reporting offending tweets and accounts and waiting for Twitter to take action.

A Twitter spokesperson told Engadget that, since the company started testing the feature in September, it discovered some people need or want more help to snuff out unwanted interactions. Going forward, its systems will keep a look out for possibly harmful or uninvited replies, and prompt users in the beta to switch on Safety Mode if it believes they might benefit. The idea is that there'll be fewer instances of people having to endure unwanted interactions.

Universal Audio, which has long been known for its premium audio interfaces and plugins, is moving into a new market as it has revealed its first microphones. As with the company's other gear, expect to pay a pretty penny to get your hands on these.

Universal Audio

The SD-1 Dynamic is on the lower end of the initial lineup. Universal Audio says it's a broadcast-style mic geared toward capturing speech, vocals and instruments. It includes a "cardioid polar pattern and selectable low cut and articulation boost switches." It seems to be Universal Audio's attempt to cut into the market share of Shure's SM7B, a favorite among podcasters. You can pick up the SD-1 Dynamic starting today for $379.

Like the SD-1 Dynamic, the SP-1 Condenser has Apollo interface presets designed to help users attain professional-sounding audio quickly. The SP-1 comprises a pair of pencil microphones that Universal Audio designed to record drums, acoustic instruments and live performances. 

Universal Audio

The company says the SP-1 is designed to block out background noise and off-axis audio. The SP-1 Condenser will be available this summer and cost $499.

At the higher end of the scale is the Sphere L22 Modeling microphone. Universal Audio says that, when paired with the UAD Sphere L22 plugin, the device will be able to replicate 34 classic ribbon, condenser and dynamic mics. 

Universal Audio

It's a "large-diaphragm modeling condenser that pairs a dual-capsule design for stereo or blended mono recording with award-winning mic modeling technology," according to the company. With the ability to mimic many other "sought-after" microphones, it's not too surprising that the Sphere L22 Modeling microphone doesn't come cheap. It's available now for $1,499.

Looking further ahead, Universal Audio plans to release a series of tube and solid-state condenser microphones. The very pretty Bock Series mics are designed by David Bock and should arrive this fall.

Universal Audio

These products aren't really designed for creators who are just starting out (unless they plan to splurge on a high-end setup out of the gate). However, these mics should at least give experienced podcasters, streamers and musicians who want to improve the sound quality of their output more options to consider.

Wordle has been a delightful success story over the last few months. It offers players a deceptively simple word puzzle to give their brain a workout for a few minutes each day. As is often the case, the phenomenon spurred a bevy of imitators and knockoffs. A recent spin on the format taps into another enormous gaming craze from the last few years: the battle royale.

Squabble, which was spotted by Polygon, pits you against other players. You'll need to enter your guesses quickly even though you still only have six attempts to find the correct five-letter word. Players have hit points that gradually deplete and they'll lose some for incorrect guesses. Get a letter right and you'll get some of your HP back and damage opponents. Once all your HP is drained or you run out of guesses, you're out.

There are two modes. Blitz is for between two and five players, while Squabble Royale rounds have between six and 99 competitors.

Games continue until one player remains, so while solving a puzzle quickly is key, you might need to complete a few of them to emerge triumphant. It's a more competitive version of Wordle for folks who love to duke it out with others. 

Best of all, you can create a lobby and invite friends to a private match, so you can square off with them for bragging rights. There's also a replay mode, which lets you see (and make fun of) everyone's guesses in real time.

Meanwhile, there's at least one other word-based battle royale you can check out. Babble Royale hit Steam early access in December. You need to spell words to move and, as in Fortnite and PUBG, make sure you stay in the circle.

It looks like Netflix is headed to Rapture. The company says it's teaming up with 2K and Take-Two Interactive for a film adaptation of the BioShock series. No other details are available as yet, but based on the image Netflix shared in its announcement, it wouldn't be a surprise to see it tackling the first game.

There's a good chance that BioShock will translate well to the big screen (if Netflix does, in fact, opt for a theatrical release). The original 2007 game has a striking Art Deco/underwater setting and an unforgettable story. That's not to mention great characters — though it remains to be seen whether the filmmakers can truly capture the terror of a Big Daddy charging toward you.

The movie isn't the only BioShock project in the works. Cloud Chamber is working on the next installment, which will be the first full game in the series since 2013's BioShock Infinite.

The long-awaited PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are out now. CD Projekt Red previously planned to release the new versions last year, but delayed them until early 2022. Those who own the game on PS4 and Xbox One will get a free upgrade to the respective current-gen version.

Players can expect faster loading, dynamic scaling and other visual and technical upgrades. The PS5 version takes advantage of the DualSense controller's haptic feedback, built-in speaker and adaptive trigger functions, as well as activity cards and 3D audio.

There are performance and ray-tracing modes on PS5 and Xbox Series X. In performance mode, the game will run in 4K at 60 frames per second with expected rare, small framerate drops, with medium/half-res SSR (Screen Space Reflection) quality. With ray-tracing on, the framerate will drop to 30 fps with SSR quality at high/half-res. On Xbox Series S, the game will run in 1440p at 30fps.

The current-gen editions are arriving 14 months after Cyberpunk 2077's tumultuous debut. There were widespread reports of the game running poorly on PS4 and Xbox One, so much so that Sony yanked Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store. Both it and Microsoft offered refunds to any player who wanted one. The game stayed off of Sony's digital storefront for six months — CDPR has rolled out a laundry list of bug fixes since Cyberpunk 2077's debut. Here's hoping things go much more smoothly for PS5 and Series X/S players this time.

CD Projekt Red

Along with the current-gen update, patch 1.5 includes updates for all platforms, including previous-gen consoles, PC and Stadia. The perk system has been overhauled Perk points will all be unassigned, so players can revamp their build based on the new skill trees. 

Enemies are smarter and it's easier for them to find cover. Crowds should be more responsive to aggressive actions you carry out — some bystanders might even attack you if they're threatened — though it seems these changes won't apply to PS4 or Xbox One. Driving should be better to, with better braking and suspension, and all bikes will have glowing wheel wells players can switch on. Completing missions will mean more cash in your pocket and cars won't cost as much. There are new guns and attachments to check out as well (though I'm not sure they can beat running around Night City with a sword).

CDPR is adding more character customization options, including an increased range of makeup options. Also, players will at long last be able to change how their version of V looks mid-game. You'll be able to rent apartments (or home bases) in other parts of the city and change the look of your living space too. 

There's much more going on in this patch, including tweaks to relationships, the loot system and economy; an option to walk slowly; and more poses for Johnny Silverhand. There's a Spanish voiceover support in the Americas, but only on the current-gen consoles. CDPR is leaving some changes for players to discover by themselves.

The patch is around 50 GB on Xbox and PC. PS5 owners will need to download the new version of the game manually from the PlayStation Store, and they'll be able to transfer one of their save files.

Newcomers will be able to check out a fairly meaty chunk of the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S without paying anything, as there's a five-hour trial available. Your progress will carry over to the full game. Cyberpunk 2077 is currently 50 percent off on the Xbox store and GOG.

Epic Games has rolled out the latest Fortnite patch, which gives players more ways to control their character as they pursue a Victory Crown. The game now supports gyro and flick stick controls on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Android and PC (but not, unfortunately, Xbox). Although gyro controls were already available on Switch and Android, Epic says the latest iteration is more robust.

The studio worked with input specialist Julian “Jibb” Smart on the updated gyro options. When the setting is enabled, you'll be able to move the camera by physically moving the controller. It should make Fortnite more accessible, while some players may find the gyro option improves their aim (they can, for instance, use the right stick for most camera movement and make finer adjustments with gyro aiming).

The feature works in tandem with flick stick control. That setting, which is only available when gyro is enabled, will flick the camera in a certain direction when you point the right stick that way. You'll need to use the gyro controls to aim up or down, since pulling the stick back will snap the camera 180 degrees to look behind you. 

Players will find both options in the Touch and Motion tab of the settings. They'll be able to, for instance, enable gyro functions only while aiming and tweak factors like sensitivity.

The 19.30 patch brings in some other changes. All players will now load directly into the Battle Royale lobby when they boot up the game. They'll need to go to the Discover screen to access the Save the World and Creative modes. It's a smart move, since Battle Royale is why most people come to Fortnite, and Epic knows where its bread is buttered. Elsewhere, Armored Walls will have vanished from Supply Drops in competitive playlists.

The patch isn't the only Fortnite news on the horizon this week. Nathan Drake and Chloe Frazer from the Uncharted series will hit the Item Shop on Thursday, the day before the Uncharted movie opens in North America.

Audio-Technica is looking to up the battery-life ante with its latest true wireless earbuds. The company says the high-capacity battery in the ATH-CKS50TW can deliver 20 hours of continuous playback, or 15 hours with active noise cancellation (ANC) switched on. Add the charging case to the mix, and Audio-Technica claims you'll get up to 50 hours of on-the-go use. The company says that you'll get up to 90 minutes of listening time with ANC off after 10 minutes of charging the earbuds in the case.

The earbuds are lightweight and deliver "deep, powerful bass" thanks to 9mm HD TWS drivers, according to Audio-Technica. They're Sony 360 Reality Audio certified, so you should get the intended experience while listening to music that's formatted for the spatial audio tech.There's a low-latency mode, which should reduce audio lag when streaming video and playing games, as well as a passthrough mode. This, the company says, will lower the volume and let you hear ambient sound while enhancing vocal bandwidth.

The earbuds have multipoint support, so you can connect them to your phone and tablet or computer at the same time, and JIS/IEC protection from splashes, which Audio-Technica says is equivalent to an IPX4 rating. Other features include fast pairing on Android, the option to use one earbud at a time and customizable button assignments.

Audio-Technica is promising seriously impressive battery life with this model. The company's products typically deliversolid sound quality as well, so the ATH-CKS50TW could be well worth checking out. You might not need to wait long to put Audio-Technica's claims to the test either. The ATH-CKS50TW earbuds are available today in the UK and EU for £150/€169. The company didn't share US pricing or availability in advance.