May the 4th be with you is almost upon us, so get ready for an influx of Stars Wars paraphernalia. That includes new merch, such as Casetify's collaboration with Star Wars. Yes, starting today, Star Wars fans can get a series of branded accessories for devices ranging from iPhones to wireless chargers. 

One of the most over-the-top items available is a Darth Vader AirPods holder. As you can see above, it's an entire stand for your AirPods that almost looks like a little bobblehead doll. But, it fits your AirPod case (which can also be Star Wars themed) and leaves space for the keychain to poke out. Plus, Casetify claims it's "complete with authentic breathing sound effects" — a purchase that truly falls under the category of something you never knew you needed. 

The Darth Vader head follows similar Casetify products, including a stand that looks like RX-78-2 from Gundam. It also held both AirPods and another case from the anime collaboration. A separate roll out with Neon Genesis Evangelion included an AirPods case based on the head of Evangelion Unit-01.

As for the Star Wars collection, you can check out all the products below and purchase items starting at $32. Some of the themed accessories will be available to buy in bundles. 

Casetify

Wheel of Time is getting a new video game adaptation. The popular fantasy book series has already seen an imagining for the small screen with an Amazon Prime Video series that is currently airing its third season. Now iwot Studios, which has a hand in creating the Amazon show, is launching a new game studio to create a AAA open-world RPG set in the same fictional universe.

iwot brought in Craig Alexander to helm its new video game studio. Alexander has held management and leadership roles at game operations including Warner Bros. Entertainment, Activision, EA and Sierra On-Line. According to Variety, the studio is projecting a three-year development for the game, which seems pretty ambitious considering the it's still hiring team leads. iwot is also behind a planned live action movie as well as an animated feature film set within the same world as Wheel of Time. According to iwot Studios CEO Rick Selvage, the company will have "a lot of continuity in regards to how we approach our transmedia strategy" across the different projects.

This isn't the first time Robert Jordan's books have been source material for a game. Legend Entertainment released a first-person shooter based on Wheel of Time in 1999, and it's still available to play on modern hardware thanks to the preservation efforts at GOG.

If you think Just Dance would be a great addition to your library of virtual reality games and experiences, then mark this date: October 15. 2024. Ubisoft is launching Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity that day for the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 3. You'll be able to customize your avatars for the game and choose your own body shape, facial expression, skin color, hair and outfit. Once you're done creating a virtual version of yourself, you can enter the Dancity social hub to meet other players. 

You'll also have your own "apartment" in game, where you can dance with up to six players or do other interactive activities with the group, like play basketball. The game will let you send emote stickers to players who aren't in your friends list, but you can do voice chats with dancers who are. Welcome to Dancity features 360-degree environments and what Ubisoft describes as an "all-new gameplay with two-hand scoring."

You'll be able to dance to 25 hit and original songs at launch, including Don't Stop Me Now by Queen, Bad Liar by Selena Gomez, Starships by Nicki Minaj and Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen. As UploadVR notes, the game was supposed to be exclusively available to Pico headsets. However, after the ByteDance-owned company laid off a big portion of its workforce, Ubisoft started working with a new partner (Meta) to develop the game.

On a day when there were a few other Apple-related announcements, Capcom snuck in one of its own. Two more Resident Evil games are coming to iOS, iPadOS and macOS: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, coming next month, and the Resident Evil 2 remake, which is “currently in development.” Capcom promises a “console quality experience” for the games, which run on the publisher’s RE Engine and use Apple’s MetalFX Upscaling tech.

The company says both games will have a free demo (for “a portion of each game”) at launch, but you’ll need to make “a single purchase” to unlock each title’s full experience. Capcom hasn’t announced pricing for the new games. For reference, the App Store’s current installments in the series, Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village, cost $30 and $16, respectively (plus extra for optional DLC).

Speaking of downloadable content, Capcom says Resident Evil 7’s main game and Not A Hero DLC will launch together as a bundle. Optional DLC will include the Gold Edition upgrade, which includes End of Zoe, Banned Footage Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, the 5-Coin Set, Survival Pack and Madhouse difficulty mode.

The iOS and iPadOS versions of Resident Evil 7 will include “enhanced controls with a new Auto Fire feature.” The idea is to make the game more playable on touch screens with an option to automatically fire weapons after aiming at enemies for a set time. The game will also support MFi gamepads.

To play Resident Evil 7, you’ll need recent Apple devices. It only supports the iPhone 15 Pro series, iPads and Macs with Apple Silicon chips (M1 or later). Capcom hasn’t yet provided the hardware requirements for Resident Evil 2.

Resident Evil 7 Biohazard arrives on July 2, and Capcom says you can pre-order it today. However, it isn’t yet live in the App Store at the time of publication.

Alongside announcing its next-generation OS for Vision Pro, Apple wants to improve the content you can capture and share on the headset. Camera expert Canon is working on a new dedicated spatial lens for its R7 camera.

While details are light for now, the new lens, shown briefly during WWDC’s big presentation, is a lot more subtle than previous stereo lenses. It’s a 7.8mm f/4 lens with STM (stepping motor technology) that keeps focus quiet and smooth.

Canon has teased lenses aimed at VR and spatial content in the past, but intriguingly, the company has already said that none of its current cameras are high-speed enough to offer video that matches the Vision Pro. We’re waiting to hear exactly what kind of video (and at what refresh rates and resolution) this lens-and-camera combo can capture. Apple followed up with updates to its 180-degree 3D 8K video format, partnering with Blackmagic to create a new workflow to make Immersive Videos easier to capture and work with.

Catch up here for all the news out of Apple's WWDC 2024.

Apple has updated the operating software for the Apple Vision Pro, visionOS, and added a bunch of features. The company unveiled the changes at its live WWDC keynote and they look pretty useful. 

The biggest news with visionOS 2 is the addition of spatial photos that provide depth to 2D images. When the Vision Pro released earlier this year, Apple had reserved this technology for videos. Spatial photos will allow you to peek beyond the frames of the photo by moving your head, giving people a bit more to see from the right and left sides of the original image. 

Engadget

There's a new way to share these spatial photos with friends and family. The SharePlay feature in the Photos app lets people simultaneously view content and discuss it in real-time by integrating the headset's avatar personas. Vacation photos just got a serious level up. 

The operating system is also bringing updated gestural control options. You'll be able to hold your hand up and tap to open the home view and flip your hand over to bring up time and battery details. Another tap will bring up Control Center and quick access to notifications. 

Engadget

Later this year, visionOS 2 will offer some benefits to those who use the AVP for screen-mirroring. Both the size of resolution is getting an upgrade, along with a new option for an ultrawide display that wraps around you to approximate two 4K monitors resting side-by-side. 

Travel mode is even getting a little bit of an update here, with train support. In other words, the algorithm will be familiar with the usual bumps from a subway or long-distance train ride, so you can continue using the headset without any interruptions. 

For developers, there are plenty of new APIs coming down the pike, like one for tabletop apps and another for advanced volumetric images. Finally, there's a lens coming for the Canon EOS R6 digital camera that will allow filmmakers to make immersive video experiences for the headset. 

While not a game-changing software update, the addition of the aforementioned features should make strapping a computer to your head more of an attractive notion. The thing’s still $3,500 though.

After announcing several new Xbox Series X consoles including a $600 special edition model, Microsoft may be working on another one. In response to a question from IGN about portable gaming, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said "I think we should have a handheld."

That's a vague comment, but it certainly shows that the company is taking notice of all the portable PC gaming devices out there like the new Rog Ally X from ASUS and no doubt Sony's PlayStation Portal remote handheld. Such a device would also make a lot of sense for the Xbox platform. 

"The future for us in hardware is pretty awesome, and the work that the team is doing around different form factors, different ways to play," he said. He then deferred any future questions about consoles to Xbox president Sarah Bond.

Spencer hypothetically kiboshed the idea of a Sony-like internet- or cloud-only device when asked about it, though. "I think being able to play games locally is really important," he said.  

This by no means confirms the development of such a device and it wasn't the right event for such an announcement in any case. "Today was about the games... but we will have a time to come out and talk more about platform, and we can't wait to bring it to you." 

ASUS has been busy at Computex 2024 this year, announcing not only the ROG Ally X gaming handheld but a bunch of new laptops. Now, the company has moved on to monitors, unveiling several interesting entertainment and content creation models, including its first Google TV and 8K ProArt displays.

The 27-inch 4K (IPS) ZenScreen Smart MS27UC is the company's latest entertainment display. As mentioned, it's ASUS' first with Google TV and includes a remote with a built-in Google Assistant microphone. 

ASUS

Along with what ASUS calls "ultra-thin display bezels and a small footprint stand," it has built-in front output 5W Harman Kardon speakers and a headphone port on the back. One unusual feature is a rear shelf that lets you store a keyboard, mouse and the Google TV remote. Other features include a DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 port, USB-C (PD 90W), dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 and Miracast.

ASUS

ASUS also dropped some impressive (and probably fairly expensive) ProArt displays aimed at content creators. The first is the ASUS ProArt Display 8K PA32KCX, what ASUS calls "the world's first 8K mini-LED professional monitor." The 32-inch display offers 7,680 x 4,320 resolution and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits (sustained brightness 1,000) nits, thanks to the Mini LED tech with 4,096 local dimming zones.

It offers professional level specs, with a delta E of less than 1 in terms of color accuracy, true 10-bit color and 97 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 (HDI) color gamut. It includes a built-in motorized flip colorimeter for auto- and self-calibration, while offering dual Thunderbolt 4 ports with up to 96 watts of power delivery (along with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 ports).

ASUS

Meanwhile, The 27-inch ProArt 5K PA27JCV and 32-inch PorArt 6K PA32QCV displays support 5,120 x 2,880 and 6,016 x 3,384 resolutions respectively. ASUS doesn't say what display technology is used, but they have something it calls "LuxPixel" technology that uses an anti-glare coating that offers a "paper-like" effect without softening the image.

Both offer 99 percent DCI-P3 coverage, a Delta E less than 2 and DisplayPort™ over USB-C® with 96 W power delivery. Both appear to be fairly low profile and come with with metal stands.

ASUS

Finally, ASUS showed off some new dual-screen displays that may appear in laptops or standalone monitors down the road. Those include the ZenScreen Duo OLED, that features a 14-inch 16:10 FHD dual-0LED display that can fold out to 21 inches for increased productivity. So far, there are no prices are delivery dates set for any of the new displays. 

After years of teasing its arrival, Xbox has finally announced a release window for the upcoming Fable reboot. The game is slated to hit Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2025, and will be available on Xbox Game Pass from day one. The company dropped a new trailer for Fable during the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday. The game, which is being developed by Playground Games, was first announced with a teaser back in 2020.

Xbox is billing it as “a new beginning” for the series. The new Fable focuses on a washed-up ex-hero named Humphry, who we see in the latest trailer. He’ll be “forced out of retirement when a mysterious figure from his past threatens Albion's very existence.” In our last glimpse at the game, released during last year’s Summer Game Fest, we were introduced to a character named Dave, who is voiced by Richard Ayoade. The new trailer gives us a bit more of a look at some in-game footage and doubles down on the offbeat tone of the previous teasers.

We'll still have to wait a while for it to actually be released, but at least now there's a timeframe we can cling to. 

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest 2024 right here!

It seemed like a missed opportunity for Microsoft and Bethesda to not have a new Fallout game ready to capitalize on the TV adaptation's success. However, Bethesda does have Fallout 76 up its sleeve at least, and the latest expansion of the multiplayer RPG is just a few days away.

The publisher revealed the Skyline Valley expansion during the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday. The DLC expands the map for the first time into a new region called Shenandoah. The telethon-themed trailer offers a peek at some of what's in store. For instance, you'll be able to explore the remnants of Vault 63 and try to discover what happened to its dwellers. As you might expect, there will also be Ghouls to contend with. The trailer ends on a spicy tease, as starting early next year, you'll actually be able to play as a Ghoul.

Fallout 76 had a rough debut, but by all accounts the game has gotten much better over time (following in the footsteps of some other Bethesda games). As with other Fallout titles, it had a huge surge in players in the wake of the Prime Video show. On Steam alone, the average number of concurrent players shot up nearly fivefold from 5,975 in March to 25,673 in April.

With so many new and returning players enjoying the game, it’s nice that they won’t have to wait long for more things to see and do. Skyline Valley, which is free for Fallout 76 players on all platforms, will arrive on June 12.