The studio is working with 20th Century Games on an untitled Aliens game for PC, consoles and virtual reality. It will be a single-player, action-horror game. The developer will reveal more details at a San Diego Comic-Con panel on July 21st.
To date, Survios' games have mostly been for VR, including a racing title called Sprint Vector and a licensed The Walking Dead offering. It has made one non-VR game so far, a boxing title based on the Rocky/Creed franchise. The studio's Aliens game is likely some time away — Survios is still putting together a team to work on it. However, VR is typically a good fit for horror games. Alien: Isolation's VR mode alone might be enough to convince you of that.
Electric vehicle adoption has reached its tipping point in the US. With more and more EVs appearing on American roadways, automakers and charging networks alike are working to build out increasingly critical power infrastructure to keep those EVs moving. On Thursday, GM announced that it is partnering with Pilot Company and EVGo to construct a coast-to-coast national DC fast charging network.
"The missing piece in the larger picture of public charging is along highway corridors, which connect the east to the west, the north to the south, one metro area to another" Travis Hester, GM’s chief EV officer, said during a press call Wednesday. "They form a vital network, which moves vehicles and people throughout the country. Rural areas can also be especially affected by the lack DC fast charging in those areas."
The network will offer 2,000 charging stalls at 500 stations located every 50 or so miles along America's highways,"connecting urban and rural communities, the East and West Coasts and different metropolitan areas," per a Thursday news release. They'll be co-branded as “Pilot Flying J” and “Ultium Charge 360” stations, based on Pilots existing Flying J travel centers and governed by EVGo's eXtend service.
GM
The stations will offer a blistering 350kW maximum charge rate. There aren't many EVs on the market yet that can use the max wattage but the stations will automatically step down the current to whatever the specific vehicle is designed to handle. These locations will be accessible and adaptable to all EV brands, though GM owners will receive some added perks like exclusive reservations and discounts on charging sessions.
“GM and Pilot Company designed this program to combine private investments alongside intended government grant and utility programs to help reduce range anxiety and significantly close the gap in long-distance EV charger demand,” Shameek Konar, CEO of Pilot Company, said in the release. “Our travel centers are well-equipped to accommodate EV charging with 24/7 amenities and convenient proximity to major roadways across the country."
This isn't the first time that GM and EVGo have collaborated. The two worked together last year to put 500 Ultium-compatible fast charging stalls at various EVGo stations and are currently working to install an additional 3,250 fast chargers in cities and suburbs by mid-decade. For its part GM is coordinating with seven separate charging networks — Blink Charging, ChargePoint, EV Connect, EVgo, FLO, Greenlots and SemaConnect — as part of a $750 million investment to expand Ultium Charge 360 access to over 100,000 charge point across North America.
“GM agrees with the customer need for a robust charging experience that makes the transition to an EV seamless and helps drive mass adoption,” Hester said in April. “As we launch 30 EVs globally by the end of 2025, Ultium Charge 360 simplifies and improves the at-home charging experience and the public charging experience – whether it’s community-based or road-trip charging.”
The first stations of the new national network are expected to come online by early 2023. There, travelers will have access to a variety of roadside amenities, from WiFi in the lounge areas to onsite restaurants, fresh deli selections, myriad caffeination methods and even secure shower facilities.
Nintendo has acquired the Japanese CG production company Dynamo Pictures and plans to rebrand it as "Nintendo Pictures," the company announced. Its aim with the new subsidiary is to develop visual content using Nintendo IP and focus on "the planning and production of visual content including CG animation." Dynamo worked with Nintendo before on the Metroid: Other M game also has credits on anime TV series like Evangelion: 2.0.
Nintendo is gearing up for its Super Mario Bros. movie starring Chris Pratt, which was recently delayed to April 2023. The live adaptation of Detective Pikachu based on the Pokémon franchise was successful enough that a sequel is in the works, but the last major cinema release was way back in 1993 with Super Mario Bros. starring Bob Hoskins.
Movies and TV series based on gaming IP are a popular trend at the moment, with movies like Sonic based on Sega's popular character seeing impressive success. Sony recently released an Uncharted film and HBO is producing a TV series based on The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal. With its latest acquisition, Nintendo could be ready to bring more of its content to the small and big screens, which is (hopefully) good news for fans of its games.
The Hasbro Selfie Series is a collaboration between the toy maker and 3D printing specialists Formlabs, can customize an action figure with your own face.
You can scan your face with a smartphone and get a custom-made, look-a-like action figure with opposable limbs: AKA the dream. At launch, options include Star Wars X-Wing pilots, Ghostbusters, Power Rangers, Snake Eyes from GI Joe and a few more. The idea seems to have come from a comic-con competition that offered custom action figures for five winners.
You'll need to download Hasbro Pulse, the company's dedicated mobile app, and wait for the scan feature to open up closer to the expected ship date in the Fall. The six-inch, "collector-grade" figure will cost $60 (plus taxes). Unfortunately, the offering is only available to customers in the US. I wonder if the majority of figures ordered will have childrens’ faces, or their parents’?
The enterprise headset’s price will start at $3,299.
Magic Leap’s second-generation mixed-reality headset finally has a concrete commercial release date. Magic Leap 2 first made its way to a limited number of users last year as part of the company's early adopter program. Starting on September 30th, though, anybody who wants (and can afford) to get the headset in the US can buy one. It’ll launch in three editions, the cheapest of which is the Base headset meant for professionals and developers who just want access to the augmented reality platform. The edition can be used for full commercial deployments and production environments and will cost $3,299 with a one-year warranty.
It's counter-suing Match Group over in-app payments.
Earlier this year, Match sued Google alleging antitrust violations over a decision requiring all Android developers to process "digital goods and services" payments through the Play Store billing system.
Following the initial lawsuit in May, Google and Match reached a temporary agreement allowing Match to remain on the Play Store and use its own payments system. However, Google parent Alphabet claims that Match Group now wants to pay "nothing at all" to Google, including its 15 to 30 percent Play Store fees.
With watchOS 9, the company is bringing a robust slate of Workout updates, alongside new watch faces, redesigned apps and the ability to detect sleep zones. Thanks to the public beta, we’ve been able to take a closer look. We’re fascinated by the addition of cardio zones to the workout features. It might even be worth the risk involved in running beta software.
You'll get access to 'Marvel's Avengers' and a bunch more Assassin's Creed games too.
Sony has announced the first new batch of games for its higher PlayStation Plus tiers since it revamped the service. Extra and Premium subscribers will have access to Stray, a cyberpunk adventure game in which you play as a cat with a drone companion. It's the first time that a third-party title will be available on a higher PS Plus tier on its release date — something that happens on Microsoft's Game Pass a lot.
Sega is bringing the Genesis Mini 2 to North America on October 27th. The company previously said its latest retro console will go on sale in Japan on the same day (though it's correctly called the Mega Drive Mini 2 there). It will come with more than 50 games, including Sega CD titles. At the time of writing, the Amazon listing shows that the console will ship from Japan to the US for $103.80 plus a $22 delivery fee.
While Tesla, Ford and GM all (very publicly) vie for the top spot in the American electric vehicle market, Hyundai has quietly built a powerhouse lineup of EVs that threatens to surpass them all. On Wednesday (Thursday in Korea), Hyundai Motor Group officially unveiled the Ioniq 6, a streamlined sedan that offers an estimated 610km (380 mile) range and an intelligent interior that George Jetson would mistake for magic.
The Ioniq 6, like the other iterations of the Ioniq lineup, is built atop Hyundai's e-GMP platform. As such, the 6 is outfitted with an industry-leading 800V electrical architecture enabling a 10-80 charge in just 18 minutes.
It will be available with either a standard 55kWh battery pack or an optional 77.4kWh pack, equivalent to what the Kia EV6 and Polestar 2 offer. Combined with a miniscule 0.21 drag coefficient (which is also one of the best on the market), the Ioniq 6 is expected to top 610 km on a single charge. And like the Ioniq 5, the 6 also offers V2L capabilities, enabling it to charge your house, accessories and even other vehicles.
Its exceedingly aerodynamic exterior, available in a dozen different colors, has been likened to that of an Apple Mouse come to life — like someone shortened the back of Mercedes-Benz’ ambitious AVTR Concept and gave it a duck lip. And optional 20-inch rims.
Hyundai
Drivers will have the option between RWD and AWD (2- and 4-motor) variants. Per Hyundai, the AWD will output 239 kW (320HP) with 605 Nm of torque and hit 60 from a standstill in 5.1 seconds. You’ll have to opt for the small battery RWD model to achieve maximum efficiency and get the sub-14 kWh/100 km WLTP-estimated energy consumption.
Drivers will be able to tightly customize their preferred driving experience using the Ioniq 6’s EV Performance Tune-up system. Dial in everything from steering effort and motor power, to accelerator pedal sensitivity and driveline mode. You can also group various aspect settings into quick selectable packages — like a loadout in Call of Duty, or Focus Modes in iOS.
"Our engineers have worked hard to deliver a car with human-centric purposeful features to ensure a completely stress-free driving experience with its focus on design sustainability, technology, and usability," Thomas Schemera, Hyundai EVP of Product and Strategy, said during a recent press call.
Its "cocoon-inspired" interior has been built as a “comfy and personalized hideaway” where, according to the company’s launch video, people can take naps, bang out some light coding or office work and even conduct livestreams to their myriad social media followers — or, in reality, will serve as a quiet place to cry during lunch breaks. (Phil is a terrible manager and he doesn’t deserve your efforts, you should just quit.)
Hyundai
To get you back into the mood before your next shift starts, the Ioniq 6 will offer Dual Color Ambient Lighting which lets the driver select from 64 shades and a half dozen preset themes and tint their vehicle’s interior to their taste. The Relaxation Comfort Seats are optional but are designed specially for electric vehicles and are therefore 30 percent thinner than those used in gas vehicles. When combined with a completely flat floor (look Ma, no driveshaft!) and elongated 2,950-mm wheelbase, the Ioniq 6 should provide, "more space for passengers but without compromised to comfort," Schemera said. It’ll also offer four type-C and one type-A USB ports in the front cabin to keep your various live streaming gadgets fully charged.
The interior features a 12-inch full-touch infotainment display and 12-inch digital cluster, which provide real-time travel radius mapping to inform the driver how far they’ll be able to go on the charge they have remaining. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard, as is Bluetooth multi-connection — meaning you can wirelessly connect two devices to play through the 8-speaker Bose sound system.
While Hyundai (quite responsibly) does not claim any semblance of "self-driving" capability, the Ioniq 6 does feature a slew of Level 2 driver assist functions as part of the Hyundai SmartSense ADAS. That includes Highway Driving Assist, Smart Cruise Control, and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist all of which operate around the same theme of keeping you from smashing headfirst into other vehicles. The higher trim packages will also offer Junction Crossing, Lane-Changing Oncoming and Lane-Changing Side features, which will work to keep other vehicles from smashing headfirst into you at intersections. Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist will keep you from smashing headfirst into obstacles you can’t even see.
Intelligent Speed Limit Assist and High Beam Assist will ensure that you don’t speed but do turn down your high beams. The 6 will even watch you watch the road and issue a Driver Attention Warning if you start nodding off. Parking assist, cross traffic/parking collision avoidance and safe exit warnings are also available. Hyundai plans to continually tweak and update the Ioniq 6’s features through OTA updates.
Pricing has yet to be announced for the Ioniq 6, though production is slated to begin in Q3 2022. Stay tuned, Hyundai will make the Ioniq 6’s official American introduction in November.
Sony has announced the first new batch of games for its higher PlayStation Plus tiers since it revamped the service. Along with the three titles that are available for PS Plus Essential members and those in the current Extra and Premium libraries, subscribers will have access to a bunch more games as of July 19th.
One of those is Stray, a cyberpunk adventure game in which you play as a cat with a drone companion. It's the first time that a third-party title will be available on a higher PS Plus tier on its release date. You'll have access to the PS4 and PS5 versions.
Members will also be able to check out PS5 blockbuster Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. The PS4 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake was previously available to claim through PS Plus. However, for a while, those who snagged it were unable to get Intergrade without paying for the full game. Square Enix eventually relented and offered an upgrade path.
Also on July 19th, Extra and Premium members can play Marvel's Avengerson PS4 and PS5 at no extra cost. Things haven't exactly goneincrediblywell for that but the gameplay is solid. Crystal Dynamics just added the latest playable character, The Mighty Thor (Jane Foster), a few weeks ago.
On top of those, you'll have access to a bunch more Assassin's Creed games, Saints Row entries and some other games:
Assassin’s Creed Unity (PS4)
Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (PS4)
Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered (PS4)
Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry (PS4)
Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection (PS4)
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected (PS4)
Saints Row Gat out of Hell (PS4)
Spirit of the North: Enhanced Edition (PS5)
Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure (PS4)
Jumanji The Video Game (PS4)
Paw Patrol on a Roll! (PS4)
ReadySet Heroes (PS4)
Premium members will be able to dive into a couple more PlayStation Portable titles in the form of No Heroes Allowed! and LocoRoco Midnight Carnival as well. That's a fairly solid slate of additions overall, with something for just about everyone.
Sony says it will continue to shakeup the PS Plus lineups on a monthly basis. It will refresh the Essential library at the start of each month and add new games to Extra and Essential a couple of weeks later. Bear in mind that games will cycle in and out of the Extra and Essential tiers, but you'll have access to Essential titles you claim as long as you maintain a PS Plus subscription.
Prime Day is an excellent opportunity to score deals on all sorts of useful items, from laptops to robot vacuums. But all work and no play makes for a dull time, which is why we’re also glad to see plenty of Prime Day deals on board games too. They’re not just the usual suspects like Monopoly either — there are quite a number of quality titles here that tabletop gamers of all levels will enjoy. Below is a selection of the best deals we’ve found, plus we’ve compiled a much longer list of discounted games (and expansions) here in case you’re in the mood for more.
The latest edition of King of Tokyo is on sale for just $25, which is $20 off its $45 list price. This is easily one of the most beloved board games of all time due to how welcoming it is to all ages. If you know how to play Yahtzee, you know how to play King of Tokyo. Plus, the theme is super fun: you play as giant Kaiju monsters destroying the city of Tokyo while battling other monsters for supremacy. If you already know you like this game and want to go all out, then consider upgrading to the King of Tokyo Monster Box, which is just $42 ($28 off the $70 retail price). This giant box includes the base game as well as all of its expansions. You’ll get extra monsters, extra power cards and more.
Calico, a tile-laying game of quilts and cats, is available for just $22, which is 45 percent off the original price. Players in the game compete to sew the coziest quilt and attract cats. Each quilt has a specific pattern that must be followed but players will also need to create unique color and pattern combinations in order to draw the finest felines. This visually stunning game has a lot of strategy to it, and those who like abstract games will probably enjoy this.
Splendor: Marvel is discounted to just $28, which is 44 percent off the original rate. It’s essentially a re-theming of the original Splendor board game with the Marvel universe. Instead of just collecting regular jewels, you’ll be gathering Infinity stones, recruiting heroes and villains, and finally claiming the Gauntlet to win the game. Those new to board games will pick this up easily, especially if they’re already big fans of all things Marvel. If you’re not that keen on Marvel, however, the original Splendor game with a Renaissance Europe theme is also on sale for $25.
The latest 2021 refresh of Dixit is currently on sale for $25, which is 36 percent off its list price. This game is fantastic for parties, as it accommodates three to eight players and is very lightweight. We’ve also found that it works for kids as well as adults. In it, players take turns picking one of 84 dreamlike illustration cards and coming up with a story based on it. The rest then have to pick a card that best matches that story. All of the cards are shuffled, then they’ll have to secretly vote for which card is the one the narrator chose. The game is fun and quick, plus the art is gorgeous too.
Disney’s Villainous board game is discounted to $24, a solid 40 percent off its $40 list price. In this game, players pick one of six Disney bad guys – options include Captain Hook, Maleficent, Ursula, Jafar, Queen of Hearts and Prince John – and compete against one another to achieve their evil goals before everyone else. If you want, you could also get Disney Villainous: Despicable Plots for $24, which adds more villains like Gaston, Lady Tremaine and the Horned King.
Amazon Prime Day offers a great opportunity to upgrade your work-from-home setup. You've probably been using it a lot recently and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, but it can get expensive to upgrade the tools you may have been using for the past two or more years. One of the biggest expenses can be an external monitor, but it can also be one of the most useful gadgets in your setup. If you spend most of your day hunched over a laptop, an external monitor can help you improve your posture and overall comfort throughout the day. Whether you're looking for your first monitor or want to upgrade the one you currently have, a number of good ones are on sale for Prime Day. Here are the best monitor deals we found for Amazon Prime Day 2022.
Samsung monitors
Samsung
A variety of Samsung monitors are on sale for Prime Day, and they include the company's M5 smart monitor. Both the 27-inch and 32-inch versions of the M5 have been discounted, and these displays double as smart TVs. You can use either as a regular external monitor, but built-in technology gives you access to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and others.
BenQ has a handful of monitors on sale that cover both work and play purposes. Some of the best deals are on "gaming" monitors, but they can be used for both your next streaming session and general work tasks. This 27-inch EX2710S monitor is $121 off and down to $209, while this 27-inch EX2710R curved monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate is $310 off and down to $290. You can also pick up BenQ's 34-inch EX3410R ultrawide display for $470, or $130 off its usual price.
LG has discounted a bunch of monitors for Prime Day, including curved, UltraWide, UltraGear and other types. Those on a budget will find a few options under $200, while those who want larger displays or screens with faster refresh rates can save hundreds on higher-end models.
Dell gaming monitors are up to 35 percent off for Prime Day, with the steepest discount being on this 24.5-inch 240Hz FHD monitor, which is down to only $200. It has fast refresh rates, a 1ms GtG response time and 99 percent sRGB color coverage. You can also pick up a 32-inch 165Hz curved gaming monitor for $254 and this 34-inch WQHD curved monitor for $390.
I bought my first tube amp last year, after playing guitar for about 25 years. Before then I’d been completely reliant on solid-state amps and digital models. It was a revelation. And then a few weeks ago I had an almost equally revelatory experience when I first plugged in one of Universal Audio’s UAFX amp modelers.
UA is well known for its high-quality plugins that recreate vintage hardware. But last year it decided to get into the guitar pedal game with a trio of classic effects. And now it’s expanding that lineup with three amp modelers in pedalboard-friendly formats. The company isn’t the first to try this. It’s not even the first to do it well. But it’s clear after just a short time with them that the UA modelers stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Let’s start with the basics. The UAFX Amp Modelers come in three flavors: Dream '65 Reverb, Ruby '63 Top Boost and Woodrow '55 Instrument Amplifier. These are emulations of a Fender Deluxe Reverb, Vox AC30 and Fender Tweed Deluxe, respectively. I’m not gonna spend much time focusing on how close they come to recreating the originals down to the tiniest details. There are some shootout videos on YouTube that directly compare them, and I highly suggest you watch those if that’s your biggest concern. But, let’s just say they managed to trip up ears that are far more astute than my own.
What’s more important, as far as I’m concerned, is that they sound good, are easy to use, pack a host of advanced features and deliver an incredible value despite the seemingly lofty $400 price. I’ll dig more into the tones later, but they sound amazing. Full stop. They’re easily the best sounding amp sim pedals I’ve ever heard.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that I’ve done side-by-side comparisons of every high-end amp sim out there. Specifically, I have never used a Kemper Profiler or a Headrush. But those are much more complex products with built-in effects, tens of amp sims and prices that can climb well north of $1,500 in the case of a Kemper.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Each UA pedal is focused with laser-like precision on capturing the essence of a specific amp. Which, frankly, should be fine since most guitarists aren’t showing up to gigs with a truck full of amps to switch between mid set. That’s not to say there isn’t variety or versatility here, though. Each pedal has multiple speaker cabinet options (three out of the box, plus three bonus cabs when you register) and can emulate classic mods or different revisions of the amp. They also have options and controls that are unique to each model. For instance the Ruby ‘63 has a high cut knob, while the Woodrow allows you to dial in room tone to recreate the natural ambience of a recording studio.
This slight difference in features and controls is one of the reasons UA has cited for making three separate pedals, rather than cramming all three amps into a single unit. While it’s true that the hardware and the software platform are more-or-less the same across the lineup, the difference in control schemes could needlessly complicate things. Right now the six knobs and three switches have at most two functions and are mode-dependent. So if you have the Dream ‘65 in “amp” mode you get treble and boost controls, but flip the middle switch to “alt” and those become speed and depth for the vibrato (which is really tremolo, but don’t worry about that). If you tried to cram all three amps in a single pedal, some knobs would have to control four or five different parameters. That’s simply too complicated if you ask me. The UAFX Amp Modelers strike an excellent balance between depth of control and ease of use.
While the onboard controls are easy enough to wrap your head around, the UAFX app makes things even easier. You can’t control every parameter using the desktop or mobile apps, but you can change presets, tag your favorites and customize the function of the two footswitches. Out of the box the left footswitch turns the pedal on and off, while the right switches between your last preset and live controls. But that’s probably not the most useful configuration. Chances are you’re just going to leave the amp sim on all the time. So using one switch to engage the boost or turn on the vibrato makes more sense.
The app also comes loaded with presets that make dialing in excellent tones a cinch. There are over a dozen factory settings, plus artist presets from people like Nels Cline of Wilco, Jessica Dobson of Deep Sea Diver, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and Cory Wong of Vulfpeck.
The one thing to note here is that you can only update the pedals’ firmware using the desktop app over USB. Which is probably for the better, since I’ve found that the Bluetooth connection to the mobile app can be a bit unstable. A recent firmware update improved the situation, but it still drops every so often.
The last thing to mention before we move on to the sounds is the build quality. The UAFX modelers are just absolute bricks. While any stompbox worth its salt is going to be pretty rugged and made out of metal (they have to survive being repeatedly stepped on, after all), these are in a class of their own. They’re quite a bit heavier than your average pedal, are cast from extremely dense aluminum and would definitely cause some serious damage if dropped on an exposed toe – barefoot players beware.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Alright, so we’ve established that they’re well built, feature excellent connectivity options (all three are stereo as well) and sound great, but what is it about the sound that sets them apart from the rest of the amp modelers out there? Well, the short answer is, the feel.
I know, that’s a bit nebulous, but there’s something about the way these pedals respond to your playing that feels more natural and authentic than many modelers, even those based on impulse responses (IRs). An IR can get you a great sounding amp or cab sim, but because they’re based on audio files, they tend to be less dynamic than the real deal. The UAFX pedals clean up considerably if you turn down the volume on your guitar, or play very delicately. And they creep into break up as you start playing harder.
They also take effect pedals incredibly well, which isn’t something you can assume in my experience, especially when it comes to dirt. My Fuck Overdrive and Part Garden fuzz pedals posed no challenge, and honestly the overdrive probably sounded better though the UAFX modelers than it does through my Blues Jr.
This demo features a few sounds from the Ruby '63 Top Boost Amplifier with only slight EQing done in post. The last portion of the clip adds a delay pedal to the mix.
This is where we have to stop lumping the three pedals together, though, because they all sound incredibly different from each other. No one is better than the other, but your personal preference will dictate which is the best choice for you. Do you want crisp clean tones that you can pair with iconic spring reverb and vibrato? The Dream ‘65 is the ticket. Need super bright chimy sounds that be pushed into classic blues-rock crunch? Then it’s the Ruby you’re looking for. And if you want darker, dirtier sounds, go for the Woodrow.
Personally, I’m into the Dream. Its cleans are pristine and glorious. And when paired with the built-in spring reverb emulation it becomes a perfect machine for surf rock or more ambient styles where your pedalboard is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It’s also an excellent vehicle for funk and soul where you want something sharp that will cut through the mix without stealing the spotlight.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Even though I have a board full of fancy reverbs and a tremolo pedal I’m head-over-heels for, I actually still found myself turning to the built-in versions of the Dream pretty frequently. The spring reverb here is as close to the real thing as you’re gonna get. It drips and rattles just like the spring in my Blues Jr and I don’t think I could pick it out as a digital effect in a blind taste test. The vibrato (which, again, is actually tremolo) is equally great. It has a warm vintage feel that is closer to the tube-power vibrato of yore, than my new-school tremolo.
I also think that the three different boost channel options and six different cab simulations give you the most tonal versatility of the three pedals. Pairing the stock boost with the GB25 cab delivers excellent clean tones even at higher volumes. But flip to the lead mod and go with the EV12 cab and you can rip a pretty searing solo.
The pedal even starts to break up a bit if you hit it with too hot of a signal. But it doesn’t clip the way that, say, a digital audio interface would. Instead, it kind of crackles just like a real amp might. It’s these nice little touches that make the UAFX pedals so convincing.
The Woodrow goes in the opposite direction of the Dream. While you can certainly get clean tones from it, it excels at riff-rock crunch and arena-filling distortion. You can even push it into full on fuzz territory without the aid of pedals. With my humbucker-equipped Fender Toronado tuned down to C standard it was the perfect partner for knocking out Queens of the Stone Age songs.
Overall, it has a darker, edgier tone that can almost reach sludge metal territory. It even works well with bass, which is handy if you want to have a single amp modeling pedal for everything. I used it to track a few bass parts on some demos and it sounded way better than any dedicated bass amp VST I’ve tried (which is admittedly very few).
This demo features a few sounds from the Woodrow '55 Instrument Amplifier with only slight EQing done in post. The last portion of the clip adds a fuzz pedal to the mix.
The Woodrow has few tricks up its sleeve too. One is that, like the Fender Tweed amps it’s emulating, it has two channels: instrument and mic. They have slightly different characters and you can blend the two together here allowing you to take advantage of both the cleaner, but warmer, mic channel, and the brighter, dirtier instrument one simultaneously. There’s also a dedicated knob on the front for dialing in room tone, allowing you to recreate the ambience of a miked amp in a studio.
The Ruby also has a room emulation, and I will say it’s one of the few things I think UA could improve on a bit. At lower settings – say, with the dial below nine o’clock – the effect is reasonably subtle and can make recording directly through your audio interface sound a little more alive. Anything beyond that, though – a full 75-percent of the range – is just too much for my tastes. At the extreme high end It makes your guitar sound like it’s being played at the other end of a 100-yard stretch of sewer pipe. I’m sure there are some artistic applications for it, but I can’t imagine there are many.
This demo features a few sounds from the Dream '65 Reverb Amplifier with only slight EQing done in post. The last portion of the clip adds a reverb pedal to the mix.
If you just ignore the room tone thing, the Ruby is another winner. It might cover the widest range of tones of the three, though I’ll admit finding it the hardest one to dial in the way I like. (But once I did, it contained some of my favorite sounds.) As you’d expect from an AC30 emulator the Ruby handles the bright chimes of REM and U2 with ease, but when cranked gets the creamy sustain you associate with Queen. Plus, it’s basically the quintessential British Invasion amp.
You can easily push further into full on distortion too since it incorporates two popular boost options on the channel switch, and also changes between two different revisions of the amp. Normal mode is a 1961 AC30, which lacked the top boost circuit, paired with an emulation of the Dallas Rangemaster treble booster. Dialed in right you can get the thick sounds of Black Sabbath here. The Bril and Vib options are based on the 1963 top-boosted AC30, which is really what you want if you’re going for that classic bright cutting tone.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any three of the UAFX Amp Modelers. Which one is best for you will depend entirely on your personal taste. That said, I suppose you could buy all three which, even at $400 apiece, would cost less than just one of the vintage amps they’re modeling. And they’re not just cheaper, but lighter, require less maintenance and are more versatile than their inspiration. They’re never going to completely replace the real deal for a true enthusiast, but for someone recording in a small home studio or playing a lot of gigs in smaller venues it could become an indispensable part of their setup.
This demo features the three UAFX modelers used on all of the instruments except drums and fully mixed.
The UAFX Amp Modelers make it easy to lay down polished sounding guitar tracks without firing up my amp or worrying about mic placement. I can record in the middle of the night while my kids are sleeping or on a Sunday morning without annoying the neighbors. And for gigging musicians these can go straight into a PA system and almost nobody would know the difference. That means no lugging a heavy tube amp up and down stairs, or on a train. You can just grab your pedalboard and go. The one thing missing is a dedicated headphone out jack, which would make it an ideal practice companion while traveling.
A decent amp sim is a useful thing for any guitarist to have. And while there are plenty of excellent ones out there, many of which offer multiple amp emulations in a single pedal, for my money the UAFX Amp Modelers are the ones to beat.
Now even connected cars are embracing the subscription model. BMW drivers in a few countries will have to pay $18 per month for heated seats, reportedThe Verge. Front-seat heating is one of many optional add-on software upgrades available in BMW’s ConnectedDrive stores in the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand and South Africa. Also available for an extra monthly charge is automatic high beams (roughly $12) and steering wheel heating (roughly $12).
BMW drivers in these countries won’t have to take their cars to a service shop to get the features installed. The hardware is already there — drivers will merely have to pay an extra fee to activate them through an over-the-air software upgrade on BMW's ConnectedDrive platform. That's also where they can pay for other features locked behind an annual subscription, including safety camera alerts ($30) and access to an online music library ($213 a year).
BMW hasn’t announced plans to add heated seats to its ConnectedDrive store in the United States, but microtransactions aren’t completely foreign to BMW drivers in the country. The company previously faced backlash after charging an annual fee of $80 for Apple CarPlay, which it ultimately stopped doing. Still, the pay-per-feature model is alive and well in the US, where BMW drivers have to pay extra for a number of software upgrades, including $50 per year to access ConnectedDrive and $200 per year (after the third year) to update their car’s navigation maps.
