One of the biggest announcements at today's Meta Quest Gaming Showcase was Asgard’s Wrath 2, a sequel to the well-regarded original from 2019 that’s slated for release this winter. It's shaping up to be Meta's most ambitious game to date — it's an action RPG that the company thinks can stand alongside the genre’s heaviest hitters on consoles and PC. To live up to that promise, developer Sanzaru Games may have to push a VR headset that uses mobile technology from 2020 to its limits.

In a gameplay overview video, Sanzaru studio creative director Mat Kraemer said that Asgard's Wrath 2 features "massive worlds beyond the scope of any other game on the Meta Quest platform." Much of the action will take place in Ancient Egypt rather than the Norse setting of the first game, though you’ll still visit Muspelheim (a location that God of War fans will be familiar with).

Like Asgard's Wrath, the sequel features animals you can turn into companions to help with puzzles and combat. For the first time in the series, you can also use the animals as mounts to help you traverse the larger landscapes. Elsewhere, there’s a more aggressive approach to combat this time around, compared with the original game's defense-based system. Previously, players had to parry and block before having the opportunity to remove enemy shields. In Asgard's Wrath 2, they can use rapid attacks to chip away at shields or use skilled parries for more powerful attacks. In a neat touch, enemies will be able to catch thrown weapons and hurl them back at you.

Many of the elements you'd expect from a modern action RPG are present here, from crafting, minigames (including fishing and a slingshot shooting gallery) and extensive exploration to gear and weapon upgrades and enemies that grow stronger as you do. Both you and your animal buddies have skill trees to level up. As in the first game, you'll be able to manipulate the world with cosmic powers. Elemental weaponry should provide more enemy variety and customization, while you can possess mortals to use their skills and abilities and help them fulfill their destinies.

Sanzaru Games/Oculus Studios

That's a lot for any game to juggle, let alone one that's running on a similar chipset to the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. Sanzaru, which made the original game for Oculus Rift, is developing Asgard’s Wrath 2 for Meta Quest 2. The headset uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2, which is derived from the Snapdragon 865.

While many players will be diving into the game on a Quest 2, the Meta Quest 3, which was revealed today, will be available by the time Asgard’s Wrath 2 comes out. “Meta Quest 3’s advanced processor and higher resolution will provide an even better look and feel within Asgard’s Wrath 2, while players will have a more comfortable wear during the game’s 60+ hours of gameplay,” a Meta spokesperson told Engadget.

In any case, it seems that Sanzaru is squeezing as much as it can out of the current headset, which gave the studio more to work with than the Rift.

"The biggest and best thing is that now we're working with devices that are completely wireless, untethered, kind of the way this a game like this is meant to be played, because it's so combat centric," Sanzaru creative director Grace Lingad told Engadget. "We really focus on visceral, gesture-based, physics-based combat. Being free of external tracking sensors and wires and everything like that, the Quest platform has really been a game changer for the franchise."

As for how the game might run on the Quest Pro, Lingad (who spoke to Engadget before the Quest 3 was announced) said that Sanzaru’s focus was on the Quest 2 due to that headset having a big install base. “We really want to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy this game,” she said.

Sanzaru Games/Oculus Studios

In recent weeks, critics have called out other major action RPGs, namely Redfall and Diablo IV, over the state of their open worlds outside of the main quests. Striking the right balance between having plenty to do in Asgard's Wrath 2 and giving players open areas to tear across on their mounts while dealing with the limitations of the Quest 2 hardware was something Sanzaru had to bear in mind.

"That's one of the big design challenges that the team had to deal with, because there's ways that we can build the levels so that they feel like they're sprawling, but of course, we have to consider the hardware limitations," Lingard said. "There's some amount of negative space, which is good for the eyes, for the mind to rest.

"We do try to tuck in little side areas, but they're hidden and tucked away," she added. "It's really for the players, the ones who really like to explore that whole, 'hey, there's this little area, if I can crawl through there...' and then you emerge into this secret monster den and we hide some really challenging stuff in there, really good rewards in there. So, in that way, we keep the density high, but it's not like all bam, bam, bam, in your face, which I think is a clever move by our team."

Sanzaru, which Meta snapped up in 2020, estimates Asgard's Wrath 2's campaign will take 60-plus hours to beat. That’s around twice the length of the original game. On top of that, there's an endless mode called Uncharted Rifts that has randomly generated dungeons. Players can dip into that mode at almost any point to plunder high-level loot to take back into the campaign, but Uncharted Rifts could keep ardent fans going well after they've finished the story.

Add everything up, and that's a long time to spend playing a game in a virtual reality headset, particularly one with fast-paced combat. Motion sickness has been a long-standing concern for VR users. Sanzaru has kept that in consideration while building out Asgard Wrath 2's settings and accessibility features.

Lingard said it was important for the team to offer a swathe of settings that players "can use to tailor their experience to their comfort level." Those concern factors such as motion sickness and combat difficulty. The accessibility options include movement settings, such as snap turning and smooth turning with the controller, rather than having to rotate your body. It's particularly important for a VR game to give players a wide array of options, Lingard notes, because the experience is "so visceral and personal."

Since everyone's history with VR is different, "we really make it a point to have a lot of settings available." she said. "We really want to respect people's time. For some people, maybe this is their first game in VR. We're hoping we really launch with a splash and people want to check it out for themselves. We want to make sure that experience is as accessible and as easy to get into as possible."

On that note, Sanzaru wanted to make sure Asgard's Wrath 2 is welcoming to VR newcomers and folks who haven't played the first game. You can opt to see a recap of the previous title before you get started

We’ll need to wait several more months to find out whether the Quest 2 and Quest 3 (which is said to offer double the graphics performance of the current model) can truly support Sanzaru’s ambitions. But if you're a fan of the first game or you're looking for a lengthy, immersive VR experience, it may be worth adding Asgard’s Wrath 2 to your wishlist.

Lordstown Motors' problems now include the performance of its first EV. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rated the Endurance pickup's range at just 174 miles. For context, the all-wheel drive Ford F-150 Lightning manages 240 miles with a smaller battery, and the Rivian R1T manages 289 miles. This is also well short of Lordstown's original claim that the truck would manage an EPA-rated 250 miles of driving.

We've asked Lordstown for comment. Autoblognotes EPA figures are sometimes too conservative. The Porsche Taycan, for instance, regularly exceeds its government-rated range in real-world driving. The Endurance also tows more than the F-150, although it has less than half the payload capacity. The Ford is also priced $399 lower.

If the rating holds up, it largely limits the appeal of the Endurance to customers who only need short-distance hauls, such as contractors who make infrequent stops in a single city. It could be problematic for workers who make many stops, not to mention anyone who has to travel between cities.

Accurate or not, the EPA rating compounds Lordstown's troubles. The Ohio brand is still grappling with production issues that have hindered its output. GM sold its stake in the company last year, and manufacturing partner Foxconn is threatening to pull out over an alleged stock-related breach of contract. Now, it's not clear that the Endurance will be competitive even if Lordstown can solve its other dilemmas.

Don't worry if your favorite shop or gym doesn't have a digital membership card, as you'll soon have a way to create one yourself. Google Wallet will soon add the option to save passes to wallet by taking a photo of the card. So long as there's a barcode or QR code, you can replicate it on your Android phone for convenience and a backup.

Google is also matching Apple in supporting digital IDs. As of today, Maryland residents can add their driver's licenses and ID cards to Wallet on any device using Android 8 or newer. Arizona, Colorado and Georgia residents will have the option in the months ahead. You can already use the Maryland IDs for TSA PreCheck lines at some airports, but an upgrade later this year will let you use digital IDs to verify online accounts or book cars through Turo.

Health insurance cards are also coming to Wallet through Humana in the US and the UK government's HMRC app. As these cards include sensitive info, you'll have to verify through a phone sign-in (such as your fingerprint) whenever you want to use them. Later this year, you can add corporate badges to Wallet.

You'll also have a way to get your passes through Google's Messages app when RCS is enabled. You can check in to a flight or train ride using a chatbot and get a Wallet pass without leaving the app. This will initially be available for travelers through Spanish train operator Renfe as well as Vietnam Airlines, while gourmands can reserve restaurants through platforms like TagMe.

Alongside the official reveal of the Quest 3, Meta has announced when this year's edition of Connect will take place. The event, which focuses on Meta's developments in the augmented and virtual reality spaces, is set for September 27th and 28th, according to its website.

Connect is taking place a little earlier than usual this year. The 2022 edition happened in October. More details about Connect 2023 are coming soon, but one thing's for sure: we'll learn much more about the Quest 3 in late September.

Meta's next virtual reality headset will be available sometime this fall and it'll start at $500. The company says the Quest 3 is its "most powerful headset yet." It will offer full-color passthrough to support mixed reality experiences. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the latest model will have twice the graphics performance of the Quest 2. The Quest 3 comes with redesigned Touch Plus controllers and hand-tracking support out of the gate. The company also noted that it's reducing the prices of the Quest 2 headsets on June 4th.

Uber drivers won't just have easy access to Tesla cars when they want to switch to EVs. Ford and Uber are launching an expanded Drive pilot program that provides a flexible Mustang Mach-E lease to rideshare drivers in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. Operators pick leases in one- to four-month increments, and get their Mach-E within two weeks. After that, they use a Ford Drive app to handle payments and maintenance. Ford, meanwhile, buys fleets of the electric crossovers from dealerships and uses them for service.

A lease costs $199 per week with 500 included miles, and $249 per week with 1,000 miles. Drivers pay 20 cents for every additional mile beyond what their plan offers. That may seem expensive, but Ford is counting on the no-hassle exits and renewals as a draw. Uber workers can lease only when they have enough driving time to justify the expense.

Ford and Uber initially tested Drive in San Diego last year with over 150 Mustang Mach-E cars in the fleet. The companies didn't say how successful the initial run was, but they note that California is Uber's best market for EV demand. Nearly 10 percent of all passenger miles were completed in EVs as of late 2022, Ford says.

To qualify, drivers need to have at least a 4.85-star rating and over 150 trips. The Mustang on offer is a no-frills rear-wheel drive model with 247 miles of range, although it does have CoPilot360 driver aids.

The lease option is in line with Uber's goal of becoming a zero-emissions service in North America and Europe by 2030. This theoretically makes EVs more viable for drivers who can't commit to a purchase or multi-year lease. Uber also sweetens the proposition with an extra $1 per ride (up to $4,000 per year) and the option of serving premium Comfort Electric passengers. Not that Uber has much choice. California will require that most ride hailing cars are electric by 2030, while New York City wants a wholesale switch by the same year.

Ford, meanwhile, benefits by getting the Mach-E into the hands of rideshare drivers who would otherwise rent a Tesla EV through Hertz. This boosts exposure for the brand for passengers, too, and helps with Ford's bid to establish itself as a general mobility company. The challenge is simply competing against Tesla's sheer volume. The Hertz deal puts up to 50,000 Tesla EVs on American roads, and Ford's Drive pilot won't compete at its current scale.

Arturia's effects collection just became a better value, particularly if you're looking to recreate classic sounds. The company has released an FX Collection 4 pack that adds four effects, including a brand new Rotary CLS-222 kit (above) that modernizes the Leslie rotary speaker emulator. It's best known as the sound used by guitarists like George Harrison and David Gilmour, and has also been used by jazz organists.

FX Collection 4 otherwise adds effects you previously had to buy separately, including the Dist Coldfire distortion plugin, the Korg-derived Filter MS-20 and the upgraded Rev LX-24 '80s reverb box. There are tweaks to several tools, including 40 new presets for Efx Fragments and new functionality for the Bus Force and Rev Spring-636 effects. You might also be happy to see support for NKS VS3 and Apple Silicon AAX.

There's now a total of 30 effects, including the SansAmp pedal-inspired OpAmp-21, Dist Tube-Culture (a riff on the legendary Thermionic Culture Vulture distortion unit) and the tape emulation tool Tape Mello-Fi. While this won't cover every possible need, there's a good chance you can either reproduce a familiar sound or make an ordinary instrument almost unrecognizable.

The company is offering FX Collection 4 for $399. That's not particularly expensive as far as plugin bundles go. You might not need to buy much else to complete a track. We'd add that Arturia runs frequent sales, so it's worth watching out for potential discounts.

It didn't take long for me to fall in love with Street Fighter 6. Maybe it was during a particularly epic Drive Gauge parry, which filled my computer screen with explosive color, or while playing through the Yakuza-esque World Tour, as I picked fights with randos on the street. At some point, I felt like I was home again, combo-ing into Dragon Punches and wreaking havoc with Chun Li's endless arrays of lethal kicks. Street Fighter 6 proves that Street Fighter is back – it's a game primed to welcome new fans and bring old ones back into the fold.

When I talk about old fans, I'm referring to myself. I remember the sense of awe I felt when I first encountered a Street Fighter 2 cabinet at my local Burger King (my hometown was sadly devoid of arcades). The sprites were bigger than I'd ever seen and gorgeously animated. The characters were all distinct and filled with personality. And the controls opened my eyes to the possibilities beyond mere platformers.

There's a reason Street Fighter's special moves have lived on: They're easy to learn, but they require practice to pull off consistently. Get good enough, though, and they start to feel like an extension of yourself. If you're a hadouken master, you may as well have lightning crackling around your fingers.

Capcom

In an effort to open up to new audiences, Street Fighter 6 takes a remarkable new approach to special moves. In addition to the classic controls fans love, there's also a "Modern" scheme, which dramatically simplifies button inputs, as well as "Dynamic" controls, which basically let you mash buttons to have the game's AI take the wheel. The modern mode replaces the six separate punch and kick buttons with three buttons for light, medium and heavy attacks. There's also a standalone special move button that activates different attacks depending on how you're holding the directional pad. This change gives you four functional buttons right on the face of your gamepad, rather than shoving some attack buttons to shoulder buttons like the classic controls.

While Street Fighter's hardcore fans may decry these options as a way to water down the series, I see them as essential to its survival. The previous entry, Street Fighter V, was widely criticized for catering to e-sports players and other diehards. It took years for a traditional arcade mode to appear, but by then many had already written the game off. Street Fighter 6, on the other hand, is a direct appeal to casual fans and the Street Fighter-curious.

That's also evident in the new World Tour mode, which involves designing your own fighter to go on a series of quests throughout an NYC-like environment. It's basically a Street Fighter RPG crossed with a Yakuza game: You'll earn experience points and level up, and you can also challenge people on the street to impromptu matches. The results are almost always ridiculous — I never got tired of seeing bored businessmen throw down — but crucially, it's also genuinely fun.

Early on, World Tour also serves as a sort of interactive training mode for new players. It helps you understand the modern fighting mode, as well as some of the finer details of street fighting. You're also coached along the way by Luke, the last character introduced in Street Fighter V, and the ostensible main character for this game. As a big brother figure, he's cocky yet supportive, a helpful combination for new players.

Even before you get into a match, Street Fighter 6 oozes style. The opening menus are a combination of neon city lights and street art, the character select theme is a catchy (if cringey) hip hop tune, and the music in every stage got my subwoofer thumping. Street Fighter 6 feels like a party that everyone's invited to, the vibes are just spot on.

Maybe that's why I had a hard time peeling myself away to deal with the real world, or to play other titles like Tears of the Kingdom. The arcade mode is breezy enough to complete in under 10 minutes. By default it includes four fighting matches and one classic vehicle destruction mini-game, and the actual gameplay feels more addictive than ever. As usual, playing through an arcade session unlocks background details for characters, but this time you also earn classic Street Fighter art, most of which hit me right in my peak ‘90s nostalgia heart.

On top of the usual super-responsive Street Fighter mechanics, there's also a Drive Gauge that unlocks a wealth of new options. You can use it to launch into attacks that throw your opponents against the wall (leaving them vulnerable to some satisfying follow-up combos), parry attacks, throw out a reversal after blocking and rush across the screen. The drive gauge, which regenerates over time and with your own attacks, can also be used to give your special moves more bite. All of the drive mechanics are relatively easy to pull off, they typically just involve hitting two buttons, but learning how to deploy them will take some time.

Super Arts, the super-powered attacks that require more complex button inputs, also make a return. (Otherwise, Street Fighter players would probably just revolt again.) They rely on a separate super gauge, and in addition to dealing tons of damage, they can be used to blow away your competitor's drive gauge.

I swapped between an Xbox Elite 2 controller and a Hori arcade stick while playing Street Fighter 6 on my PC, and both inputs felt incredibly smooth. As someone raised on SNES fighting games, I tend to favor gamepads, but I also found myself enjoying the arcade stick experience more than usual. The combination of Street Fighter 6's visuals, thumping soundtrack and overall style made me feel like I was in an actual arcade, and having a fight stick on my desk just enhanced that sensation.

In addition to Luke, Street Fighter 6 adds new characters like the Judo expert/supermodel Manon (what a concept!), and the dapper older fighter JP. It usually takes me a while to warm up to new characters, especially when I haven't had much time with the classic Street Fighter roster recently, but all of the new additions bring something to the franchise. A few are also nods to earlier characters: Kimberly is a student of the former Final Fight ninja Guy; Lily is a member of T. Hawke's Thunderfoot tribe; and Jamie takes inspiration from Yun and Yang.

As for online play, I was only able to try Street Fighter 6's multiplayer for a few short sessions, but all of my matches felt smooth and lag-free. Of course, the experience will likely be different once hordes of desperate players show up. A new dedicated Battle Hub also serves as an online space for interacting with other players using your World Tour avatar. You can queue up for matches at arcade cabinets, play older games like Final Fight and Street Fighter 2, and even jump into matches with other player's avatars. I enjoyed the social element of Battle Hub, and it made multiplayer matches far more appealing than just queuing up against faceless players.

Street Fighter 6's many modes and fighting options may feel overwhelming to new players, but it's ultimately a celebration of everything that makes Street Fighter great. Franchises like Mortal Kombat have their extreme gore and (surprisingly) robust storytelling to rely on. The joy of Capcom's series has always been around hanging out with your friends, perfecting your combos and special moves, and learning the intricacies of your favorite characters. Street Fighter 6 is a reminder that Street Fighter is for everyone, and that's a beautiful thing to behold.

Mark Zuckerberg has revealed the Meta Quest 3, the company's long-rumored, next-gen virtual reality headset. The Meta CEO showed off the device for the first time a few hours before the latest Meta Quest Games Showcase and just ahead of Apple's WWDC.

As with the Quest Pro, the Quest 3 supports mixed reality and offers full-color passthrough. This enables users to see a color version of the physical space around them via the external cameras. The headset will be able to blend augmented reality elements into the outside world. 

It's hardly a surprise that Meta has a Quest 3 on the way. Earlier this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he'd had hands-on time with a Quest 3 prototype. Gurman wrote that the headset “feels far lighter and thinner” than the previous model and that it had a sturdier head strap. Unlike the Quest Pro, though, the Quest 3 may not have face or eye-tracking features.

Even if it weren't for all the reports that an updated headset would arrive this year, Meta is continuing to invest in VR games and experiences — it has sunk tens of billions of dollars into building its vision of the metaverse over the last couple of years. It's hard to imagine the company doing that without having a successor to the three-year-old Quest 2 in the works.

In another year, Zuckerberg might have waited until Meta Connect, which typically happens in October, to reveal the Quest 3. However, Meta may be trying to steal some of Apple's thunder. The latter is widely expected to reveal a premium mixed-reality headset at WWDC next week. As such, Meta may soon have a major competitor in the mixed reality space.

This story is developing, please refresh for additional updates.

AMC Entertainment’s streaming service is migrating its users to Vudu. The companies announced today that Vudu is “the official new streaming platform for consumers of AMC Theatres on Demand.”

AMC launched its on-demand streaming service in 2019, and its popularity surged during pandemic-era lockdowns. In 2020, as moviegoers largely avoided theaters, the company partnered with Universal to allow the studio’s films to jump to premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms — including AMC’s service — only 17 days after premiering in theaters. However, as viewing habits have readjusted in the last three years, AMC has now decided to offload the service to a frequent partner instead.

Vudu says AMC Theatres On Demand customers will have their content libraries automatically upgraded “to the highest quality format available on Vudu, including 4K Ultra HD.” In addition, new Vudu accounts moving from AMC’s service will get 15 percent off every purchase for their first month on the platform.

Fandango Media, a joint venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery, currently owns Vudu. Walmart bought the platform in 2010 and ran it for a decade before selling it to Fandango Media in 2020 for an undisclosed amount. Its new owner then rolled FandangoNow, its previous standalone streaming service, into the platform in 2021, keeping the name Vudu for the resulting product.

The companies didn’t reveal any business details of the handoff. “As we continue to evolve our business and remain focused on Making Movies Better by enhancing the theatrical experience, we’re even more excited to expand our relationship with a trusted partner, who will ensure a continued preeminent experience for those consumers who are streaming their post-theatrical movies at home,” said Nikkole Denson-Randolph, AMC Senior VP of Content Strategy & Inclusive Programming.

BeReal was Apple's iPhone app of the year for 2022, but buzz around the social media app (that forces you to post daily selfies) has died down of late. Now, the French company has introduced "RealChat" private messaging, allowing it to boast a feature found on most major social media apps, TechCrunch has reported. 

The function is one of the most requested, the company said. You can only message another user if you're friends with them on the platform. For a message to be deleted, both parties have to do so — deleting your own message won't delete it from a friend's app. The chat system will reportedly feature blocking and reporting features. 

BeReal has an interesting and somewhat messy approach to social media. It sends notifications at a different time each day, prompting you to quickly share photos taken with your phone's front and rear cameras simultaneously. You have a two-minute window to do so, forcing you to share spontaneous moments without spending extra time to make sure the photos are perfect. Friends are notified when you're late or revise a post.

Earlier this year, BeReal refuted an analytics report that engagement on the app had fallen significantly, saying it still had 20 million daily active users. The company admitted that while it's been busy behind the scenes, it hasn't released many new features of late, so "people have been guessing what we've been up to and how things are going, and not always accurately. 

Over the past couple of months, though it has launched an integration with Spotify showing what you're listening to when you post, along with the Bonus BeReal feature that lets you post more than one BeReal if you post on time. As with other social media apps, the RealChat feature looks like a way to boost time spent on the app and allow friends to comment privately on posts.