Posts with «author_name|kris holt» label

The 'Fall Guys' level creator promises more chaos than ever

Fall Guys is getting a shot in the arm this week with the introduction of the long-awaited level creator, which players can use to build their own levels (known as rounds). Before season four goes live on May 10th, I had the chance to tinker around with the creative mode on a PC preview build. The mode will be available on all platforms. It's a fairly robust toolkit that Mediatonic plans to build out significantly in the coming years. 

For now, users are restricted to building race rounds and they only have two themes to choose from. Levels need to have a start line and a finish line, and it's up to you to decide what goes in between (probably chaos).

Creative mode is debuting with what Mediatonic describes as a "greatest hits" of Fall Guys platforms and obstacles, including the Door Dash gates, slime floors, a cannon that can launch houses at players and, of course, Yeetus (a big rotating hammer). While the options might not be as extensive as some may have hoped, there's enough here for fiendish level creators to get started with.

Having a limited set of pieces at the outset may not be a bad thing. Constraints can foster creativity, as we've seen in the past with the old 140-character limit on tweets (which can now, regrettably, be up to 10,000 characters long) and short-form video.

The creative mode controls are a little janky, unfortunately, especially on a keyboard. You'll need to use the plus and minus keys (which are on the opposite side of my keyboard from the other buttons) to move pieces vertically. The preview build I was using didn't have the option to rebind the creative mode controls. Hopefully, that's something Mediatonic addresses swiftly.

Aside from that, creating a level is a cinch. It doesn't take long to build a tower with fans, bounce pads and boxing gloves that can send beans off the map and back to the start line if they're not careful. You can't go too off the rails with your rounds, though. There's a limit on how many objects you can include and you'll need to beat your levels yourself before you can publish and share them.

The creative mode had to be robust, since Mediatonic is using the same tools to build its own levels. The toolset has allowed the developers to create 50 new rounds for this season, more than ever before.

Extensive options for creativity have helped Fortnite enshrine itself as one of the biggest games in the world. Mediatonic and Epic will surely be hoping that this update will help do the same for Fall Guys. At the very least, it could bring back some lapsed players.

I probably won't spend too much time building my own rounds. I made one, Marie Kondo-inspired level in Super Mario Maker 2 and then went back to trying out other players' creations. I'll surely dip back into the Fall Guys creative mode as Mediatonic adds more obstacles (I'd like to try building my own version of Slimb Climb), but I'm mainly looking forward to seeing what nonsense other players come up with.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-fall-guys-level-creator-promises-more-chaos-than-ever-150034998.html?src=rss

LinkedIn is laying off 716 staff and closing its job search app in China

LinkedIn is the latest notable tech company to announce a round of mass layoffs. It's letting 716 staff go and shutting down its job search app in China. LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky said in a memo to employees that the cuts were part of a shift in strategy that was driven by changes in customer behavior and slower revenue growth. That's despite the platform seeing record levels of engagement and "making meaningful progress creating economic opportunities for our members and customers."

In 2021, LinkedIn shut down the seven-year-old Chinese version of its service, citing the difficulties of operating in the country. It rolled out a job board app for Chinese users called InCareer that did not have any social networking features. Now, Roslansky says the company will phase out that app by August 9th. While InCareer found some success, Roslansky wrote, "it also encountered fierce competition and a challenging macroeconomic climate."

LinkedIn is shifting its strategy in China toward helping companies based there recruit and train workers from other countries. It will cut its product and engineering teams in China and reduce the headcount of its local corporate, sales and marketing divisions. As The New York Times notes, LinkedIn did not say how many of the layoffs will be in China.

Around 20,000 people work at LinkedIn, so the layoffs account for around 3.5 percent of the overall headcount. However, Roslansky said LinkedIn will open more than 250 positions in other areas starting next week, namely in the operations, new business and account management divisions. 

This is just the latest instance of widespread layoffs in the tech industry over the last several months. LinkedIn parent Microsoft said in January it would cut 10,000 workers. Meta, Alphabet and Amazon have all laid off tens of thousands of workers too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/linkedin-is-laying-off-716-staff-and-closing-its-job-search-app-in-china-141636741.html?src=rss

Samsung's Galaxy Watch will soon be able to alert wearers to irregular heart rhythms

Samsung has revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the Health Monitor app's irregular heart rhythm notification (IHGN) feature for Galaxy Watch devices. The company says that, along with the wearable's electrocardiogram (ECG) capabilities, the feature can help to identify signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of arrhythmia.

AFib is widely believed to be an alarm bell for potentially major cardiovascular issues that can lead to increased risk of stroke, heart failure and other complications. In some cases, those with AFib are asymptomatic. 

The Galaxy Watch's BioActive Sensor will look for irregular heart rhythms in the background after the wearer activates the function in the Samsung Health Monitor app. If the sensor picks up several irregular measurements consecutively, the watch will alert the wearer to possible AFib activity. The notification will suggest that the user takes an ECG reading for a more accurate measurement. If the reading detects signs of AFib, the watch will urge the wearer to consult their doctor.

Except for the original model, every Apple Watch has offered an IHGN feature in certain markets since 2019. Samsung says that availability of its IHGN feature will depend on the market, carrier, model and the paired smartphone.

Samsung will include the IHGN feature in the One UI 5 Watch update. It will first be available on the next lineup of Galaxy Watch devices, which will arrive later this year. Owners of Galaxy Watch 4 series and later models will have access to the feature at a later date. One UI 5 Watch will also introduce new sleep monitoring functions and a personalized heart rate zone feature for workouts.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-galaxy-watch-will-soon-be-able-to-alert-wearers-to-irregular-heart-rhythms-161545939.html?src=rss

Valve just made Steam search much more useful

Starting today, it should be easier to find what you're looking for on Steam. When you type something in the main search field on the Steam web store or desktop or mobile apps, the suggestions will include tags, developers, publishers and franchises if it seems like there's a good match.

For instance, type in "Sony" and you may see the PlayStation Studios publisher page among the suggestions. Punch in "free" and the quick results could include the free-to-play tag and the Freedom Games publisher page. If you want to see all the Final Fantasy or Star Wars games on Steam, you should be able to access those franchise pages more quickly from the search panel.

Valve has rolled out another handy update to search, which should now be more forgiving of typos. That should come in useful if you're looking for a game but can't quite remember how to spell it or you simply mistype a word. Steam will know what you're looking for if you type "Call of Doo," for one thing. While these updates are overdue and welcome, they could help Valve empty out more of your wallet when the Steam summer sale rolls around.

Sony and Microsoft also made useful updates to their game storefronts recently. Xbox's PC app now enables you to look for games based on accessibility features and estimated playtimes. Last month, Sony added accessibility tags to PS4 and PS5 games on the PlayStation Store.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/valve-just-made-steam-search-much-more-useful-172721892.html?src=rss

This is your last chance to claim games like 'God of War' from the PS Plus Collection

If you have a PlayStation Plus subscription and the ability to log in to a PlayStation 5 (a console that's far easier to come by these days), it’s worth bearing in mind that Sony is offering access to a bunch of great PS4 games at no extra cost. You’ll need to act pretty quickly to snag them if you haven't already though, as the PS Plus Collection is going away on May 9th.

That means this weekend is your last chance to snap up 19 notable first-party and third-party games from the collection. In a similar fashion to the monthly games that Sony offers all PS Plus members, you'll have access to titles that you claim from the collection on both PS4 and PS5 as long as you remain a subscriber. 

You'll need to claim them on a PS5 console, rather than on PS4 or the web version of the PlayStation Store. To do so, go to the Benefits section of the PS Plus tab. The games in the PS Plus Collection are:

  • Batman: Arkham Knight

  • Battlefield 1

  • Bloodborne

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Zombies Chronicles Edition)

  • Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

  • Days Gone

  • Detroit: Become Human

  • Fallout 4

  • Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition

  • God of War (2018)

  • Infamous Second Son

  • The Last Guardian

  • The Last of Us Remastered

  • Monster Hunter World

  • Mortal Kombat X

  • Ratchet and Clank

  • Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

  • Until Dawn

There's something for just about everyone on that list, though it got a little shorter last May when Sony removed Persona 5. The Last of Us, God of War, Bloodborne and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End are among the most highly regarded PlayStation titles (even if versions of all those except Bloodborne are nowavailableon PC). Some of the games, such as God of War and Ratchet and Clank, have been updated to optimize them for PS5.

It's worth noting that most of the games in the collection are also available to PS Plus Premium and Extra subscribers, so it's a better deal if you're on the Essential plan. However, Sony has started rotating some of its first-party games out of the Premium and Extra catalogs. Claiming the games from the PS Plus Collection now will ensure you have permanent access to them — as long as you keep paying for your subscription, of course.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-is-your-last-chance-to-claim-games-like-god-of-war-from-the-ps-plus-collection-151810855.html?src=rss

'The Last of Us' and 'Wii Sports' join the World Video Game Hall of Fame

The Strong National Museum of Play has revealed this year's inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. There are four games in the class of 2023: The Last of Us, Wii Sports, Barbie Fashion Designer and Computer Space. They were selected based on a number of criteria, including their influence and popularity over time.

The Last of Us is the most recent one of the bunch. Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic action adventure has rarely been out of the limelight over the last 10 years. A TV series based on the game debuted on HBO in January and it was an enormous hit with critics and audiences. A remake of the original game hit PS5 in September and PC in March, though the latter had a buggy launch, unfortunately. 

Going backwards from there, Wii Sports arrived in 2006. Partly because it was bundled in with the massively successful Wii and partly because everyone was playing it, the ever-entertaining sports sim went on to become one of the biggest-selling games of all time. Last year, Nintendo recaptured the magic fairly well on Switch with Nintendo Switch Sports (for the record, my Mii's nickname is Party Gramps).

Back in 1996, Mattel and Digital Domain released Barbie Fashion Designer. It allowed players to design clothing that they could print and dress their real-life Barbie dolls with. The game was a hit, selling half a million copies in two months.

Barbie Fashion Designer became a jumping-off point for the girls’ games movement and shook up the software and gaming scene," Kristy Hisert, collections manager at The Strong, said. "It also sparked important questions and debate. What does it mean to be a game for girls? Should there even be games ‘for girls’? What are the implications of these games? What are the consequences of gendering games?”

The final member of the class of 2023 is the first ever commercially available video game. Computer Space was an arcade title based on 1962's Spacewar!, which was primarily found on the DEC PDP-1 minicomputer in computer labs. The success of 1971's Computer Space spurred creators Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney to found a little-known company called Atari.

These four titles are well-deserving inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. This year's other finalists were Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, FIFA International Soccer, Goldeneye 007, NBA 2K, Quake and Wizardry. The Strong, which is in Rochester, New York, will showcase the 2023 inductees (and presumably the ones from previousyears) on a permanent basis in a new World Video Game Hall of Fame space, which will open on June 30th.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-last-of-us-and-wii-sports-join-the-world-video-game-hall-of-fame-191514485.html?src=rss

Google officially reveals the Pixel Fold

After months of rumors and leaks, Google has confirmed the Pixel Fold's existence. It showed off the foldable in an official capacity for the first time in a video posted on Twitter and YouTube. The company was expected to reveal the Pixel Fold at Google I/O next week. However, as has often been the case over the last few years, Google has offered an early peek at an upcoming device before a splashier launch event.

As revealed in various leaks, Google's first foldable phone has a vertical hinge that opens up to reveal a tablet-like display, in a similar fashion to Samsung's Galaxy Fold devices. When the Pixel Fold is closed, you can use a smaller touchscreen that's on one side of the exterior. There's a camera array on the rear.

Reports have suggested that the Pixel Fold will start at $1,700 and it could be available as soon as next month (the video and a Google Store page simply note that it's "coming soon"). It's said to run on Google's Tensor G2 chipset — the same one that's found in Pixel 7 devices. The external screen reportedly measures 5.8 inches and the internal display 7.6 inches. As for battery life, rumors suggest the Pixel Fold will run for up to 24 hours based on regular use and up to 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver mode enabled.

While the pricing and specs have yet to be confirmed, we'll get the full details on May 10th when I/O kicks off. Here's hoping Google has learned from Samsung's early foldable missteps to make sure the Pixel Fold's hinge is durable enough.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-officially-reveals-the-pixel-fold-174726500.html?src=rss

Tesla reopens long-range Model 3 orders after almost nine months

Tesla has reopened orders for the long-range Model 3 in the US after putting them on hold last August. At the time, CEO Elon Musk said the waitlist for the electric vehicle was too long and Tesla would reopen orders after ramping up production.

As it has done with its other EVs this year, Tesla has cut the price of the long-range Model 3. It starts at $47,240. As Reuters notes, the company was selling the car for $57,990 before it stopped orders in the US and Canada. The car is eligible for a $3,750 government subsidy as well.

Tesla's configurator shows an estimated delivery window of June for the long-range Model 3 in the US. However, the company has not yet re-enabled orders north of the border. The Canadian version of the configurator only says that the long-range Model 3 will be available again later this year.

One important thing to note is that the long-range Model 3 is listed as having a range of "325+" miles. That's a drop from the 358 miles Tesla previously said the EV would be able to travel on a single charge. In November, it was reported that Tesla was redesigning the Model 3 to cut costs, and the revamp may have included changes to the powertrain. Tesla doesn't have a communications department that can be reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-reopens-long-range-model-3-orders-after-almost-nine-months-164744109.html?src=rss

Apple Arcade adds 20 more games, including an exclusive TMNT co-op title

Apple has bulked up the Apple Arcade games library with another 20 new and classic titles. Among the additions is an exclusive co-op Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game. In TMNT Splintered Fate, you and some allies can battle your way through a litany of enemies as you look for Splinter, who's gone missing.

This is a roguelike brawler, so it'll be different every time you play. You'll be able to combine the turtles' attacks with randomized powerups and get some help from friends such as April O'Neil and Casey Jones. It's worth noting that TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, a terrific retro-style beat-'em-up that arrived last year, is also available on mobile, though you'll need a Netflix subscription to play it on iOS or Android.

🐢 @TMNT Splintered Fate by @SuperEvilMegaco is a new kind of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game. This co-op brawler has rogue-like gameplay that's different, every time you play.

🕹: https://t.co/tXGUhCbBlRpic.twitter.com/b7PoJNH5I5

— Apple Arcade (@AppleArcade) May 4, 2023

Also new is What The Car?, the latest title from What the Golf? and What The Bat? studio Triband. This time around, you'll control a car and take part in races. If you've played Triband's previous games, you'll know to expect some absurd (and probably funny) twists. For one thing, the car has legs.

🤪 This secret has been driving us mad 🤪

We made an absurd racing game,
and SURPRISE! ✨ It's out NOW on @applearcade

You play as a car with legs, and it's called 🎉🐻WHAT THE CAR?🚗🥳https://t.co/98CLL3m6DGpic.twitter.com/YD1pFFL5rL

— WHAT THE GAMES? (@tribandtweets) May 4, 2023

Apple has added several Disney titles to Arcade, including the Words With Friends-style Disney SpellStruck, 3D sticker book creator Disney Coloring World+ and match-three puzzle game Disney Getaway Blast+. Elsewhere, Apple Arcade subscribers now have access to a 4K version of Temple Run, an ad-free Snake.io and Farming Simulator 20.

Other classic indies are available to Apple Arcade subscribers at no extra cost starting today as well, including the brilliant Limbo and tough physics-based platformer Getting Over It. In addition, you'll be able to check out Octodad: Dadliest Catch from Young Horses, whose charming Bugsnax is also coming to iOS this summer.

There are more than 200 games on Apple Arcade. Even so, this marks a significant expansion of the library. Meanwhile, Netflix recently said it planned to add 40 more titles to its catalog of mobile games this year, including Oxenfree II: Lost Signals.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-arcade-adds-20-more-games-including-an-exclusive-tmnt-co-op-title-152809631.html?src=rss

Apple's 256GB 12.9-inch iPad Pro drops to its lowest price yet

The latest iPad Pro is one of the best tablets on the market right now. Those looking for a good deal on a 12.9-inch version with more storage than the base 128GB model may be tempted by a new sale. The 256GB variant has dropped by $150 to $1,049. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen to date for this version. It’s the same price as a 128GB iPad Pro, so you’d effectively be doubling the storage at no extra cost.

We gave the tablet a score of 87 in our review, with the design and build, solid battery life and Apple Pencil Hover feature among the aspects that stood out.

The 2022 iPad Pro is Apple's most powerful model to date. It boasts the beefy M2 chipset, so it should handle just about any task you can throw at it with ease. For one thing, it supports Apple's Stage Manager multitasking feature. The tablet has a Liquid Retina XDR screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The display offers up to 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness and up to 1,600 nits for HDR playback.

There's an ultrawide 12-megapixel front-facing camera that's unfortunately positioned on the narrower edge of the screen, which might make things a little awkward for those who prefer to put their tablet in a keyboard dock while taking video calls. On the rear, the iPad Pro has 12MP wide and 10MP ultra wide cameras, as well as a LiDAR scanner.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro weighs in at 1.5 pounds, which might tire out your arms pretty quickly if you're holding it (you could always place it in a case with a stand, of course). Although this model doesn't have 5G connectivity, it does support WiFi 6E.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-256gb-129-inch-ipad-pro-drops-to-its-lowest-price-yet-141637566.html?src=rss