Music-streaming app Tidal has begun rolling out hi-res FLAC streams across the platform, according to CEO Jesse Dorogusker via a Reddit post. FLAC (free lossless audio codec) streams offer high fidelity audio up to 24-bit/192Hz. These files are on the larger side, taking up around four times the space of a standard MP3, which is why you rarely see the format on widely-adopted streaming platforms.

The feature is rolling out in early access for iOS users and the company says listeners can choose from over six million tracks available in the hi-res FLAC format, with more being added every day. All you have to do is update the beta app, if you have access, and select the “Max” quality in settings. Dorogusker says that Tidal is waiting for user response before making the tools more widely available. The CEO notes that the new streaming option will be available for all users in August, for Android fans and those not affiliated with the company’s early access plan.

Previously, Tidal used MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) audio for hi-res streaming, but this is more of an upscaling technique than an actual file type. Dorogusker hasn’t addressed the continued use of MQA, but has said that the company will “support multiple formats” of hi-res audio.

With more access to hi-res audio comes a hi-res price tag. You need a HiFi Plus subscription to access FLAC streams, which costs $20 per month. Tidal recently increased the price for standard subscriptions, from $10 to $11 per month. Rumors abound that industry leader Spotify is preparing its own hi-fi tier.

Remember the early days of the AI hype train, when everyone spent their time making stupid images using text prompts? If you want to recapture the nostalgic haze of, uh, late 2022, Picsart has got you covered. The popular image editor just launched an AI-powered animated GIF generator.

The major difference between earlier text-to-image platforms like DALL-E and Picsart’s new tool is animation. DALL-E is best known for making static images, whereas Picsart’s software creates animated GIFs, just like the ones you’ve been sending in group chats and social media platforms for years. Only, now you don’t have to search for your favorite It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia characters doing outlandish things. You can just make those outlandish things up. You can even make two cats arm wrestle.

Picsart

Picsart is calling the tool its “most unhinged” platform yet, and it works exactly how you expect. Type a bunch of nonsense into the chat box, wait a minute or so and marvel at your “chaotic and eccentric” creation. The platform’s integrated into the regular Picsart app and is available for iOS devices, Android devices and on the web. You can download the GIF directly to your device to share with your group chat or to send anywhere else.

The images created by this platform are on the cartoony side, so don’t expect photorealism. However, that just adds to the fun. Picsart’s AI GIF generator is available right now, so let the nonsense begin. Just don’t use these tools to make the opening credits for an uber-expensive TV show based on popular comic book characters.

The official Game Boy Camera is a treat for fans of lo-fi photography, but it’s also on the larger side, protruding from the retro console like a giant, creepy eyeball. That’s why modder and mega-fan Christopher Graves made his own version, the Game Boy Mini Camera, as originally reported via Gizmodo. This thing is tiny, as Graves managed to shrink everything down to the size of a Game Boy cartridge, with no protrusion necessary.

Graves used a custom board, the original camera’s sensor, a memory map controller and some capacitors to complete the project. He also used a lens from an iPhone XR, screwed into a custom sleeve, to keep protrusions to a minimum. Though this lens changes position to allow for new types of shots, it doesn’t impact the quality at all. In other words, you still get the grainy black-and-white look that makes the original Game Boy Camera so popular, even 25 years later.

The camera slides into the cartridge slot and can even run ROMS, if that’s your bag. It’s also been upgraded with flash memory, so your stored photos last forever (or until the drive dies.) Graves has plans to refine the design, as he's considering swapping out the iPhone XR lens with an iPhone 14 lens, among other options.

The real treat here is miniaturization. When attached to a Game Boy Pocket, for instance, the whole thing actually fits in a pocket, saving you the embarrassment of having to sit through dumb “or are you just happy to see me” jokes.

Of course, this is a DIY project made by one person, so don’t go breaking out the checkbook just yet. It’s still neat to see how far miniaturization technology has advanced since the late 1990s when the original Game Boy Camera launched. If the creator’s name sounds familiar, he also converted a standard Game Boy Camera into a modern mirrorless version. The retro enthusiast certainly knows his stuff. 

Sega is not for sale, according to company COO Shuji Utsumi. The executive told Bloomberg News that the company isn’t open to acquisition talks at the moment, despite rampant speculation that Microsoft was about to swoop in and force a shotgun wedding between Sonic and Master Chief.

Some of these rumors popped up due to a general consolidation trend in the gaming industry, with big fish gobbling up everything in sight. Microsoft’s one of the biggest fish of all and it’s been many years since Sega sat on top of the gaming throne, despite remaining a solid developer and publisher. Also, a potential merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard led to the FTC filing an antitrust lawsuit, which is ongoing. During the associated trial, it was revealed that Microsoft had many companies on its wishlist, including Sega. So the rumor mill continued unabated.

Utsumi declined to comment as to whether or not Microsoft approached Sega with an acquisition offer, but touted the “great relationship” between the two companies. This relationship has been on full display in recent years, with former Playstation exclusives from the Yakuza series to the Persona series showing up on Xbox consoles. A next-gen refresh of Yakuza: Like a Dragon was even an Xbox Series X/S exclusive for a few months before going multi-platform.

The budding corporate friendship (aww) is extremely important to Microsoft, as Sega titles are popular in Japan and, well, Xbox consoles aren’t. This is another reason the acquisition rumors spread so readily. However, Sega will remain as Sega Sammy Holdings for the time being, even if documents indicate that Microsoft was, at one point, ready to fork over serious cash to buy the house that Sonic built. Speaking of, there’s a new sidescrolling Sonic title launching later this year along with a new sidescrolling Mario. What is this, 1991?

Sony just announced North American availability for its unique Mocopi motion-tracking system. The tools allow you to control digital avatars in real-time using full body movement, thanks to six motion sensors and a proprietary smartphone app. In addition to real-time control, this translated body movement can be used in videos and 3D animations, via an SDK that imports motion data into affiliated software. 

The obvious use for this is VR, particularly social apps like VRChat, though the technology extends to filmmaking and other creative pursuits. In other words, this is a much easier way to create full-body motion capture footage. If only George Lucas had this when creating the galaxy’s favorite Gungan.

The SDK is now available for major 3D development software suites like Unity, MotionBuilder and Unreal Engine, so expect more CGI characters to begin popping up in indie titles with smaller budgets. Sony says it’s currently expanding the number of partners to develop unique services and features linked to the toolset.

The sensors attach to your head, hip, ankles and wrists, with each tiny sensor weighing just 8 grams. Once attached via Velcro straps, connect to the app via Bluetooth and start recording. Each sensor is completely wireless, thanks to Bluetooth receivers, and includes integrated batteries. The system ships with a variety of avatars to pick from, but you can obviously use your own, just cool it with Sonic. There are already too many animated hedgehogs in VRChat as it is.

Sony’s Mocopi system is available for preorder now, at $450, with shipments starting on July 14. The price is $100 more than when the system was originally announced, though Sony provided no details on the increase. The metaverse must also suffer from inflation.

Annapurna Interactive is developing a game based on the iconic science fiction film Blade Runner. The game’s set between the events of Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, so you can get some closure as to what Deckard was doing before meeting up with Ryan Gosling in an abandoned casino or whatever.

Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth follows a Blade Runner — the name on their ID is blanked out in the trailer — as they explore a mysterious location called the “land of the dead.” You can’t tell much from the trailer, but we see footage of what looks like an early version of the memory-crafting technology seen in Blade Runner 2049.

Annapurna says this game is actually canon and it takes place just one year after the events of the original film, which would put it directly in the crosshairs of some big events alluded to in the sequel. It’s always good to see more Blade Runner in gaming, especially after the criminally underrated and recently remastered 1997 adventure title.

It’s also important to note that Annapurna Interactive is actually developing this title, and not just publishing it. This is the company’s first in-house game, after gaining industry notoriety from publishing titles like Stray, Outer Wilds, Donut County and a whole lot more. Annapurna certainly has great taste, so let’s see if this translates to in-house development. There’s no release date yet, but it’s set to launch on major consoles and PC.

Volkwagen’s charging network, Electrify America, has pledged to adopt the extremely popular North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector by 2025. This will massively improve access to the NACS connector, which was created by Tesla and originally called the Tesla charging connector.

For those tied to the company’s CCS-1 plug standard, don’t worry. Electrify America says it isn’t going anywhere, as the NACS connectors will join the CCS-1 connectors at charging stations, not replace them. Sibling organization Electrify Canada is also adopting the NACS connector by 2025. The company says this move is part of a larger mandate to “support industry-wide standards” and “streamline public charging” options.

The organization boasts 850 charging stations, totaling over 4,000 chargers, throughout the United States and Canada, so this is a big move. Additionally, Electrify America has officially joined consumer advocacy group the National Charging Experience Consortium (ChargeX) to help improve the charging infrastructure for EV owners.

Electrify America says it’ll share more information on the transition to NACS connectors in the coming months, along with more future plans to update its charging stations. There are rumors, for instance, that parent company Volkswagen may start integrating the NACS standard for its own vehicles, as reported by Reuters.

This has been a big couple of months for the Tesla-created charging standard. Polestar just announced implementation of the connectors, and Volvo made the same move. Ford, GM and Rivian have also committed to using Tesla's tech in North America. SAE International, one of the automotive industry’s most important standardization bodies, recently announced its support for the plug, officially making NACS connectors the biggest game in town.

Razer just launched a new premium gaming mouse, the Cobra Pro, that’s packed with buttons and customization options, all wrapped in an eye-pleasing symmetrical design. There’s seven buttons at the top of the device, two on the side and one on the bottom, adding up to ten. As is traditional with modern mice, each button is fully customizable. However, Razer takes this customization to the next level.

The Cobra Pro stores five memory profiles that allow you to instantly swap between customization options to suit whatever game you’re playing. Additionally, the mouse integrates with Razer’s Hypershift feature, which temporarily adds a secondary set of functions to each button.

The symmetrical design is nifty, but this is a modern gaming mouse, so there’s plenty of customizable RGB lighting. As a matter of fact, the Cobra Pro boasts 11 individually addressable Chroma RGB zones, which Razer says is the most zones available in its class. There’s nearly 17 million colors to choose from, so it’s highly unlikely your mouse’s lighting scheme will match your neighbors.

As for regular specs, the Cobra Pro continues some of the traditions present with the company’s well-regarded Basilisk V3. There’s a Focus Pro 30K optical sensor and next-generation optical mouse switches. The Cobra Pro integrates with the Razer Mouse Dock Pro (sold separately) that amps the polling rate up to 4000 Hz.

The built-in battery allows for 100 hours of use when connected via the company’s HyperSpeed Wireless technology and 170 hours when using traditional Bluetooth. It ships with a USB-C cable for quick-charging.

In addition to the Cobra Pro, the company also launched a bare-bones version for budget-conscious gamers. The standard Cobra mouse is wired and boasts eight customizable buttons. Both options are available now, with the Cobra Pro costing $120 and the standard Cobra coming in at just $40.

The Nintendo Switch Online library just got a bit beefier, thanks to the addition of four classic Sega Genesis titles. The subscription-based classic games platform is now host to Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, The Revenge of Shinobi, Landstalker and Crusader of Centy, joining around 30 pre-existing Genesis titles and many more NES, SNES and Game Boy releases. That’s right. Sonic and Mario are friends now.

For the uninitiated, Ghouls ‘n Ghosts is a tough-as-nails platformer that still gives nightmares to adults of a certain age. The Rise of Shinobi is a serviceable entry in the OG ninja-simulation franchise. Landstalker is a cult favorite action RPG with an isometric view and Crusader of Centy is a well-reviewed, yet relatively obscure, Zelda clone. Crusader of Centy is tough to find, with physical copies selling for thousands of dollars, so this is a boon for retro gaming enthusiasts. Here’s a video of all four games in action, so you can decide if you want to plunk down $50 for a yearly NSO Expansion Pack subscription.

As a note, these games are only available with a $50-yearly Expansion Pack subscription, though that also gets you access to N64 and Game Boy Advance titles. If you just want to play from a library of NES, SNES and Game Boy releases, go with the cheaper standard NSO subscription of $20 each year. Nintendo isn’t exactly speedy with these releases, with game drops around once a month, so check the full library before handing over your debit card information.

Film director Roland Emmerich is making a massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game powered by everyone’s favorite punching bags, NFTs. The director of Independence Day, Stargateand, uh, Moonfall just announced Space Nation Online, a forthcoming RPG that's going to be part of a larger shared universe encompassing animated shorts, a live-action TV show and plenty of Web3 nonsense.

To that end, there’s a bile-inducing page detailing the tokenomics surrounding the “Web3 Space Opera MMO”, if you want to throw away your money on a procedurally-generated picture of a starship or whatever. The developers say the NFT-based framework is “designed for the purpose of solving multiple issues and enhancing the potential of Web3 games by means of our observation, investigation and research.” Okay. 

Now on to the good news. Despite the heavy emphasis on non-fungible tokens, there’s some decent talent behind the scenes here, beyond Emmerich. Jerome Wu, who worked on World of Warcraft, is on board, as is Tony Tang from Warframe. The shared-universe title has received more than $50 million in financial backing, with more funding rounds to come, as reported by Deadline. There's even a first-look video if you want to see how development is coming along.

Space Nation Online, which puts players on an “epic journey to unravel the mysteries of the Telikos Cluster”, drops an alpha build later this summer, with a full release planned for 2024. Assuming some level of success, animated shorts, TV shows and spinoff games come after that.