We’ll soon learn if India will be the first nation to nail a soft landing on the moon’s south pole. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission, which launched on July 14th and entered lunar orbit on August 5th, will attempt to touch down on Wednesday at around 8:34AM EDT. It follows Russia’s attempt to beat India to the punch that ended badly. The ISRO’s live telecast (watch below) is scheduled to begin at 3:50AM EDT.

The Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander will try to touch down near the Moon’s south pole, which is believed to contain water ice. It could provide crucial water, oxygen and fuel for future lunar missions and bases. However, touching down could prove challenging as the region is known for rugged terrain and shadowy craters. This mission’s immediate predecessor, the Chandrayaan-2, crashed in 2019 as it descended to the lunar south pole.

Chandrayaan-3 uses a “failure-based design” to incorporate lessons from the 2019 “hard landing.” The new version includes an expanded landing area, software upgrades and more redundant systems to back up potential outages.

The IRSO’s X (formerly Twitter) account posted early Tuesday morning, “The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing.” It also posted pictures of the Moon’s surface taken from orbit.

You can tune in here early Wednesday morning (US time) to view the Indian lander’s descent.

Fighting game fans are eating well this year with the likes of Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1 and Guilty Gear Strive all arriving. The beat 'em up bonanza is set to continue at least into early 2024, as Bandai Namco announced at Gamescom 2023 that Tekken 8 will hit PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on January 26th. Pre-orders open today.

The tenth overall entry in the long-running series includes 32 unique fighters (King is thankfully among them). The latest trailer notes that the game marks the beginning of "a new Tekken saga," while the series' long-term antagonist Heihachi Mishima is dead. 

Tekken 8 will also introduce a brand new single-player mode called Arcade Quest. You'll create a character and it appears as though they can go to a virtual arcade and compete in Tekken tournaments. It all seems quite meta. 

Not only does Little Nightmares III exist, but it's also bringing two-player co-op to the series for the first time. Little Nightmares III is due out in 2024, and it's heading to PC, Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Developers from Supermassive Games announced the new entry in the horror franchise at the very beginning of Gamescom Opening Night Live today.

Little Nightmares III looks like the stuff of dreams, if you're a twisted horror fiend. The game's reveal trailer showcases two shrunken, puppet-like characters named Low and Alone navigating an oversized world filled with terrors — it's kinda like the grimdark version of It Takes Two, at least in this initial video. Players have to make their way past vicious creatures and murderous monsters, and finally make their way out of The Nowhere.

Here's how publisher Bandai Namco describes the new game on the PlayStation Blog: "Low and Alone are each equipped with their own iconic items that will allow you to solve various puzzles and defend yourself against the new and dangerous challenges that await you. You’ll be able to interact with the world using Low’s bow and arrows and Alone’s wrench, but you’ll also need your wits, tenacity, and creativity to survive your trip across the Spiral."

The game isn't co-op only — it also has a single-player mode, complete with an AI companion. The co-op is online, specifically (sorry, couch pals).

If there’s one thing we can count on as a species is that people will figure out ways to squeeze ads into every single thing we look at. Case in point? TikTok is integrating ads into search results, so you’ll get branded content every time you look for a hashtag, a specific user or anything else. These ads are pulled from sponsored videos hosted on the platform and exist as a way to “further power brand discovery.”

Some users may find this annoying, but the announcement makes it clear that ads will be relevant to the search query and will be clearly labeled as a sponsored post. Ads will also likely be culled from your interests as represented by prior search queries and all of your various actions on the social media platform. In other words, the algorithm will do what the algorithm already does, but in a new location.

Clicking on a sponsored post will not interrupt your search, which is nice. The ad mirrors the in-feed experience and allows users to continue scrolling through the search results, whether you click on an ad or not. There’s likely to be no shortage of advertisers as TikTok says the feature is automatically enabled for pre-existing merchants. In other words, advertisers have to opt-out of appearing alongside search results.

Having an ad-free search bar was fun while it lasted, but this move has been a long time coming. It was something of an inevitability, as competitors like Instagram started doing the same thing earlier this year. It’s worth noting that ads already appear in the regular TikTok feed, nestled between videos posted by folks you actually follow. Don Draper’s search-bar fever dream is rolling out now to global TikTok users.

Atari is teaming up with Plaion on a new retro home console after finally taking a mulligan on its last one. The Atari 2600+ pays homage to the original Atari 2600, which delighted children of the disco era starting in 1977, although this remake is based on the four-switch model from 1980. It plays both Atari 2600 and 7800 games. However, most buyers will want to track down physical cartridges as the retro system, which requires them to play, is only bundled with a collection of 10 titles that lacks system standouts like Pac-Man, Frogger, Space Invaders and Pitfall!

The throwback console has been “lovingly recreated to the same specifications as the original,” although it’s only 80 percent of the size. The console’s “plus” features come in the form of an HDMI output and widescreen support. The company says the system has an enlarged cartridge socket to reduce cartridge sticking. The Atari logo also lights up when powered on.

Atari / Plaion

The system includes a modern remake of the classic Atari CX40 joystick, the CX40+. Although it supports two players, only one stick is bundled. (You can order an extra for $25.) The company says a CX-30 Paddle Controller remake is on its way as well.

The system’s free games are bundled on a “10 Games in 1” cartridge, including Adventure, Combat, Dodge ‘Em, Haunted House, Maze Craze, Missile Command, RealSports Volleyball, Surround, Video Pinball and Yars’ Revenge. Atari posted a complete list of compatible cartridges. Prospective buyers may want to consider that hunting down physical games (and potentially paying a premium for some) will be part of the journey.

If the entire affair sounds familiar, that’s because the classic video game maker launched the long-delayed Atari VCS just over two years ago. But consumer interest in that model seemed to fall off a cliff after the initial excitement, and the company discontinued the retro console in favor of reorganizing its hardware business while eyeing “a new commercial strategy.” We can only assume we’re seeing the fruit of that today as it partners with Plaion.

The Atari 2600+ launches “worldwide” on November 17th for $130. (An optional second joystick adds another $25 onto that.) Starting today, the latest mini-retro system is available for pre-order on Atari’s website.

It’s that time of year again. The annual Gamescom trade fair opens its doors today, but you don’t have to be in Germany to participate in the reveals and updates. All of the good stuff is being streamed live, beginning with the opening night event, hosted by Game Awards guru and former Spike TV personality Geoff Keighley. For those of us far from Europe, the event starts streaming at 2PM ET. Watch it right here.

So what can we expect from the stream? We don’t have to wonder, as Keighley took to Twitter/X and dropped a laundry list of titles that’ll receive the spotlight during the event. Expect trailers or updates on forthcoming titles like Alan Wake 2, Sonic Superstars, Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat 1 and more. You can also expect some information on upcoming DLC content, like Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.

Of course, these high-profile gaming conferences are all about generating buzz, so there should be a surprise or two, beyond the titles mentioned by Keighley. For instance, last year’s opening night showcase dropped a new trailer and opened up pre-release orders for Dead Island 2. That title had been stuck in development hell for a decade, so nobody expected that kind of info-dump at Gamescom. 

Gamescom 2023 extends far beyond the opening night. There are more events and streams throughout the week, though many are intended for folks involved in the development side of things, via the affiliated Devcom sibling event. Gamescom is the world’s largest gaming trade fair, measured by exhibition space and the number of visitors.

After nearly a decade, the main Destiny story arc is nearing its conclusion. Bungie has revealed that Destiny 2: The Final Shape will be available on February 27th, 2024. You're tasked with nothing less than stopping The Witness from remaking the universe, and have to enter the Traveler itself to save the day. As you might guess, this involves both an amped-up story (Bungie has already confirmed the return of Cayde-6) as well as new gameplay mechanics.

To start, your proximity to the Traveler gives you access to new Light powers, including some that augment the abilities of nearby players. You'll also see new weapons, such as a support rifle that can switch to healing teammates. Enemies can use new powers of their own, too. The company is also rethinking how it tells stories with The Final Shape — instead of four seasons, you'll see three large episodes divided into a trio of smaller acts. There could be a stronger incentive to stick around as the story unfolds, in other words.

Bungie is still committed to finishing the current phase, and is kicking off the Season of the Witch this week. It sees Eris Morn take on Hive attributes to deal with a mounting threat. There are a few new systems to enhance your talents, and you can even craft hard-to-get exotic weapons after they've been unlocked through missions.

Season 23 (that is, the season starting in November) will make it easier to complete cooperative events. There will be a dedicated Fireteam Finder to locate buddies for a mission, and everyone can boost to the Light level of the most advanced player in the team.

The Final Shape isn't necessarily the end of Destiny 2. It does tie together many of the loose ends that have emerged since 2014, however. It also reflects Bungie's determination to evolve its brand — it's moving past Destiny to produce a Marathon follow-up and other projects.

The Game Awards has grown enormously and has become a much-awaited annual year-end celebration for video game fans around the world since it first took place in 2014. If you're looking forward to watching it this year, you can now fire up your calendars and add a reminder: The 10th annual show is scheduled to stream live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on December 7th, 2023. Just like in the previous years, the event will stream for free across various platforms, including Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok Live, Steam and X, the website formerly known as Twitter. 

Last year's show was the biggest one yet, with an estimated 103 million viewers tuning in, which was almost 20 million more than 2021's numbers. It also introduced the Best Adaptation category, reserved for projects that translate video games into popular media, like movies, TV shows and books. Plus, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, stars of The Last of Us, which fans were still looking forward to and had yet to premiere back then, attended the event to present an award. The organizers haven't revealed just yet whether they'll have big stars guesting again this year, but they did say that the event will feature musical performances by The Game Awards Orchestra and other artists. Of course, you can expect to see new game trailers and announcements for launch dates and expansions, among other things. 

Geoff Keighley, creator and executive producer of The Game Awards, said: "Each year, we look forward to hosting a show that honors the stand-out games of the year, while also announcing and previewing some of the world’s biggest and most anticipated video games. With so many beloved video game franchises exploring new mediums and developers creating new experiences across platforms, whether in games, television, movies, and beyond, the industry continues to expand in many surprising ways, and we can’t wait to honor the year’s best games and to show viewers around the world what’s next."

Microsoft is acting on its promise to bring PC Game Pass to NVIDIA's GeForce Now service. The companies have announced that Game Pass and Microsoft Store titles will be available to stream on GeForce Now starting August 24th. Not every title will be playable right away, but this will give Game Pass subscribers access to releases like Deathloop and No Man's Sky through NVIDIA's platform.

The two companies have been forging a partnership for a while. Microsoft struck a deal with NVIDIA in February to bring Xbox games to GeForce Now for 10 years, and the first title (Gears 5) arrived in May. Bethesda's first games, including Doom Eternal and the Wolfenstein reboots, surfaced earlier this month. In that sense, PC Game Pass just expands the selection further.

The pact was announced as part of Microsoft's bid to get regulatory approval for its purchase of Activision Blizzard. In theory, this shows that Microsoft won't have unfair dominance over cloud gaming. The company also plans to sell Activision Blizzard game streaming rights to Ubisoft to address UK officials' concerns, and has been signing smaller cloud deals in recent months.

It may seem odd to access one streaming service's games through another, but there may be advantages. GeForce Now is aimed at enthusiasts who want maximum visual quality and reduced lag, with the Ultimate tier supporting 4K at 120 frames per second. If your PC and internet connection are up to the task, Game Pass might shine on GeForce Now where it would otherwise be limited.

I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what would be the next vintage synth to get the Arturia emulation treatment. At this point the company has tackled many of the most iconic synths in history, and spent much of last year focused on its original creations like the Augmented series, Pigments, Fragments and Dist Coldfire. We did get a version of the Korg MS-20 in May of 2022 as part of V Collection 9, but otherwise things have been pretty quiet. Well, I feel slightly embarrassed because there was a pretty obvious gap in Arturia's lineup I had overlooked: The Roland TB-303.

Arturia Acid V is probably one of the simpler instruments the company has made in recent years. In part because the original 303 is a reasonably simple instrument. It's a bass machine — monophonic with a single oscillator, a 24db lowpass filter and an envelope generator to manipulate the filter. That's kind of it. What made it special was its odd squelchy sound that, when paired with the slides in its sequencer, produced something totally unique and became the core of acid house, hence the name Acid V. 

Arturia

As usual the company does a solid job bringing the TB-303's physical interface into a virtual space. But we all know Arturia can't stop there. There's the customary advanced tab. This is where you'll find the three modulation sources which go well beyond your standard LFO, the dedicated effects section (where you can combine up to four effects) and the sequencer.

The sequencer on the 303 is part of what granted it squelchy super powers, it was also notoriously annoying to program. Thankfully Arturia recognizes that it's 2023 and there's no need to saddle its VST with some arcane 16-step logic puzzle in the name of authenticity. There's a pretty straightforward piano roll interface, with toggles under each step for slide, accent and vibrato. Across the top you can shift individual notes down an octave, up an octave or up two octaves, to get that signature jump that almost any good 303 bassline has. 

Arturia

On the left you can lock the sequencer into a particular scale to simplify things, add swing, change the sequence length (up to 64 steps) and even generate random sequences. You can easily shift sequences up or down a note chromatically or to the left and right to change the note order. And there's even a polymetric option that allows you to change the sequence length of the notes, slides, vibrato and accents individually. This gives you a lot of power to build something that's constantly evolving, especially if you're taking use of the full 64 steps. Oh, and if that's not enough there are different playback modes so you can pingpong through a sequence, play it backwards or just bounce around randomly. 

Arturia didn't save all the upgrades for the advanced tab, though. The main instrument has added a few welcome amenities, including a sub oscillator with three selectable waveforms which gives the Acid V more oomph than the original ever had. Next to that you'll find the vibrato controls and then the dedicated distortion circuit. One of the most common tricks used on the 303 was to overdrive it into oblivion, and Arturia puts 14 algorithms at your fingertips for doing that. Some are better than others. For example, the crusher is fine, but there's a better bit crushing option in the effects section. And the destroy algorithm fails to live up to its name. Still, the tape, soft clip and overdrive are excellent.

Arturia

Acid V goes a step beyond typical modern amenities. There's a little arrow over the name of the instrument in the top right hand corner, and if you click that you're in effect "opening" the machine. Here you'll find virtual trim pots for adjusting things like the pulse width of the square wave, the cutoff range of the filter, the pitch tracking off the filter, clipping level and even a bass boost knob.

Of course, all the features in the world don't matter if the instrument sounds terrible. But, there was never much concern about that, honestly. Arturia has been in the game for a long time now delivering excellent quality plugins that a misstep would be a true shock at this point. 

I've never played an original TB-303, but I did briefly own a Behringer clone and I've tested the Roland Boutique TB-03. The Acid V compares pretty favorably to those. Being an actual analog synth, Behringer's TD-3 does sound slightly warmer than Acid V and the TB-03, but in the context of an actual song I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the three. And, as much as I love a good piece of hardware, if I had to choose between the three I'd probably opt for Arturia's plug in just because it's so much easier to use and has infinitely more sequencing versatility. 

Arturia Acid V is available now at an introductory price of $99. Or you can get it free when you buy the entire V Collection for $599, though, you're probably better off waiting for that to go on sale.