Saints Row, the reboot of the open-world shooter with an emphasis on gonzo fun and campy excess, has been delayed. Volition’s chief creative officer, Jim Boone, has announced that the title will now land on August 23rd, 2022, back from the original launch date of February 25th.

In a statement, Boone reiterated that the title wasn’t undergoing any wholesale changes and that the team had adapted well to the adversities imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But that the original deadline did not offer the team enough time to “do our vision justice,” especially given the “size and scope” of the new game.

Boone added that the extra time will be spent ensuring that the game gets further “fine tuning,” with an emphasis on improving the title’s “overall quality and polish.” He closed the statement by saying that the finished product will have “been worth the wait,” especially given how much is riding on the launch.

Saints Row (2022) is a clean-sheet reboot of the series, which had lain dormant since 2015’s Gat out of Hell (we’re still not counting Agents of Mayhem). Earlier this year, Volition’s developers said that while there was a degree of affection for the series, narratively it had run its course — especially since the last title was a rock musical-themed journey into hell.

Consequently the new title is set in the Four Corners region of the US, with the player character flanked by a trio of new associates. And whereas the previous series spun out into parodying whatever genre was en vogue at the time, this new title is focused more explicitly on the material concerns of its crew. Except, you know, it’s a Saints Row game, so put your tongue in your cheek while you're doing all of this.

If you're looking to pick up multiple Apple AirTags, now might be a good time. Amazon-owned Woot is offering a rare deal on a four-pack of the item trackers, selling them for $93, plus an additional $5 off for Amazon Prime members. That takes them down to $88, or just $22 per tag — a tempting offer if you have multiple items to keep safe. Just remember that Woot's return policy is stricter than Amazon's.

Airtags offer several advantages over Tile and other rival trackers, provided you're in Apple's ecosystem. Setup is relatively fast, and the ultra-wideband functionality delivers precision tracking with iPhone 11 and newer devices when you get close — useful for searching in a cluttered room. It's also good over long distances if you lose a bag or wallet, thanks to the AirTag network enabled by all Apple device users. 

As mentioned, AirTags only work with Apple devices, so Android users should look for something else. Battery life is limited, and you'll need to buy an additional accessory to attach them to a bag or keychain. If you're in Apple's ecosystem and want some extra piece of mind with certain items, though, you can now pick them up at a discount — just remember to sign in with the Amazon button to get that extra $5 off. 

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Amazon has escalated its fight with Visa: Starting on January 19th, 2022, the e-commerce giant will stop accepting Visa credit cards issued in the UK. It notified Amazon UK customers in an email about the change, blaming the high fees Visa charges for credit card transactions. Buyers can at least continue using their Visa credit cards throughout the holidays, but after that, they'd have to switch to a Visa debit card or another credit card like a Mastercard or an AMEX.

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement:

"The cost of accepting card payments continues to be an obstacle for businesses striving to provide the best prices for customers. These costs should be going down over time with technological advancements, but instead they continue to stay high or even rise. As a result of Visa’s continued high cost of payments, we regret that Amazon.co.uk will no longer accept UK-issued Visa credit cards as of 19 January, 2022. Customers can continue to use all debit cards (including Visa debit cards) and other non-Visa credit cards to shop on Amazon.co.uk. With the rapidly changing payments landscape around the world, we will continue innovating on behalf of customers to add and promote faster, cheaper, and more inclusive payment options to our stores across the globe."

Meanwhile, a Visa spokesperson said the company is disappointed that "Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future." They added: "When consumer choice is limited, nobody wins." They also said that Visa is working towards a resolution with the e-commerce giant so that cardholders can keep on using their UK-issued Visa credit cards on the website "without Amazon-imposed restrictions come January 2022." It's worth noting that Amazon has a much better relationship with other credit card brands in the country. The e-commerce giant currently has a partnership with Mastercard for consumer credit cards and with AMEX for business cards in the UK.

The companies may be engaging in a public war in an effort to get better terms from each other. Amazon has been putting pressure on the credit card brand over the past few months and started imposing a 0.5 percent surcharge on Visa credit card purchases on its Singapore website on September 15th. A month-and-a-half after that, Amazon also started imposing a surcharge on Visa transactions in Australia. In both instances, the company offered customers a gift card (AU$20 and SG$30) to add an alternative payment method that isn't a Visa credit card.

Concert operators may like Amazon's palm recognition system, but some performers and activists are less than thrilled. A group of 200 artists and 30 rights groups has penned an open letter demanding the Red Rocks amphitheater, its ticketing provider AXS and AEG (AXS' parent company) "immediately cancel" contracts to use Amazon One scanning at any venue. They also want the firms to ban all biometric surveillance at those events.

The opponents to Amazon's palm tech include figures you'd recognize, such as Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna. The groups include organizations ranging from the immigrant-oriented United We Dream through to the Tor Project. The digital rights group Fight for the Future is leading the initiative. 

The letter contributors are worried Amazon might send palm data to government agencies hoping to track activists and marginalized people, particularly in light of its past collaborations with police. They're also concerned thieves might steal info from the cloud, and see AEG as inconsistent after it condemned the use of facial recognition in 2019.

We've asked AEG and Red Rocks operators for comment. There are no guarantees the letter will convince anyone to drop Amazon One. The tech theoretically helps get people into a venue sooner, and might reassure concertgoers nervous about physical contact while the pandemic lingers. The objectors have some support, though — US senators are also worried Amazon might abuse palm data. The combined pressure might make life uncomfortable for palm scanning's backers, even if they ultimately decide to move forward.

Fujifilm has unveiled the Instax Mini Evo, its new flagship instant film camera with a premium build, higher resolution than previous models and improved smartphone integration. As with other Instax cameras, you can take photos and instantly develop them to Fujifilm's credit card-sized Instax Mini film, but it offers a number of features not available on previous models. 

As a hybrid camera, you can review photos on the LCD monitor and choose the ones you want to print. However, the new model is the first Instax camera with a print lever and lens/film filter dials. That lets you take a picture then choose among 100 combinations of effects (including "Soft Focus," "Light Leak," "Monochrome" and "Retro") and print the image afterwards by pulling the print lever. Fujifilm said the camera also delivers better quality prints as it has twice the exposure resolution of previous models. 

Fujifilm

The Instax Mini Evo is also effectively a mini-printer for your smartphone. You can transfer images from your phone to the Evo Mini wirelessly, then print them using the "Direct Print" button. And for the first time, you can transfer snaps you take with the Mini Evo back over to your smartphone, complete with the film border. Finally, you can use your smartphone to take pictures remotely with the camera. 

Fujifilm also unveiled a new Instax Mini film format called "Stone Grey" with a gray background. The new camera arrives in Japan on December 3rd and will come to the US in February with a price of $200. 

The fourth season of Star Trek: Discovery was supposed to be available on Netflix a day after it premieres on Paramount+ in the US on November 18th, but that will no longer happen. In fact, fans outside the US and Canada will have to wait months to be able to see the new episodes — legally, that is — if they ever get the chance at all. According to Deadline, ViacomCBS has ended its deal with Netflix that had been in place since the series launched in 2017. 

The publication says the money Netflix paid for the show's overseas rights paid for most of Discovery's hefty budget. Now that ViacomCBS has paid off the deal, it also pulled the entire show from Netflix. Apparently, it plans make the series available again to international fans in 2022 when Paramount+ goes global. The UK, Germany, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland will be among the first regions to get access to the streaming service next year. By the end of 2022, the service will be out in 45 countries, but as Gizmodo points out, that's still a tiny fraction of the 190 regions where Netflix is available.

Kelly Day, ViacomCBS Networks International streaming boss, told Deadline:

"As we rapidly expand our global streaming footprint, we are bringing more of our top titles home to ViacomCBS for Paramount+ markets around the world. We have a strong global and local content pipeline that positions us for success across our regions, and repatriating beloved series like Star Trek: Discovery for Paramount+ is another step forward as we bring fans more must-watch series worldwide."

In a tweet, the show's official account said that the fourth season will still premiere on Paramount+ on November 18th in the US. Meanwhile, it will arrive on CTV Sci-Fi Channel in Canada on the same day and will be available for streaming in the country on Crave the day after.

Porsche has unveiled two new options for those looking to get one of its Taycan EVs: A Taycan with the legendary GTS moniker and a third body model called the GTS Sport Turismo. Kevin Giek, VP of the Taycan model line, said the GTS "is positioned above the Taycan 4S and below the Taycan Turbo derivatives, so it represents a real sweet spot in the range." As TechCrunch notes, with the addition of these two, there are now 10 Taycan variants in all.

The luxury automaker calls the GTS version the "sporty all-rounder" of the line. It has a range of 504 km or 313 miles, making it the first Taycan to break the 500 km mark. The model's adaptive air suspension was specifically adapted to the GTS, and it has Black or dark details on the exterior — including the front apron, the bases of the exterior mirrors and the side window trims — as is traditional for a GTS car. 

Meanwhile, the Taycan Sport Turismo is a mix between the Cross Turismo and the sports saloon, though it doesn't have off-road elements. It has the sporty silhouette and the rearward-sloping roofline of the Taycan Cross Turismo, and its rear headroom is 45mm (around 1.7 inches) greater than the Taycan sports saloon. Both the GTS and the Sport Turismo can go from 0 to 100 kmh (62 mph) within 3.7 seconds and have a maximum speed of 250 kmh (155mph). 

The Taycan GTS and Sport Turismo will have prices that start at EUR131,834 (US$149,000) and EUR132,786 (US$150,000), respectively. They will both be heading to dealers in the spring of 2022, and more engine options for the Sport Turismo will follow. Porsche will also be showcasing the new EVs at the LA Auto Show, which will take place from November 19th through the 28th, so we'll hear more about the new vehicles in the coming days.

Netflix's definition of a successful show has been opaque at times, to put it mildly, but the company might have just provided some meaningful transparency. The streaming service has launched a "Top 10 on Netflix" website that shows the charting movies and TV shows on the service, both English and non-English. You'll see both global and country-specific data to back up the rankings, including total viewing hours and the number of weeks on the chart.

You'll also find all-time stats and the list of countries where a given title is charting. Netflix even lets you download lists in Excel or TSV formats if you crave raw data.

The initial rankings don't provide too many surprises. The star-studded Red Notice was by far the most popular movie worldwide based on time spent, racking up 148.7 million viewing hours in its first week. Yara was the most-watched non-English title with nearly 18 million views. The latest season of Narcos: Mexico topped the English TV list with about 50.3 million hours after two weeks, and it won't shock you to hear Squid Game dominated non-English TV with 42.8 million million hours and nine weeks in the top 10.

Yes, Netflix was aware its viewing metric favors longer-running movies and shows. It planned to "occasionally" offer specialty charts to give popular productions in certain fields (such as documentaries) their due. However, the company said it wouldn't reveal how many people have finished a given movie or series — it believed all hours were relevant, whether you were distracted (think Netflix and chill), rewatching a favorite show or fixating on an individual scene.

The site won't answer every question about Netflix's rankings. You may know which shows are getting the most viewing time, but you won't know just what it takes to get a renewal or sequel. Still, the potential effects are significant. Observers could better tell whether a title's viewership really matches the hype, or which countries are driving demand. And while studios are likely very aware of how their releases are faring, the site might push some to 'optimize' their lineups to ensure consistently high rankings.

Employees at Activision Blizzard are calling for the resignation of CEO Bobby Kotick following new revelations into the role he may have played in creating the toxic workplace culture that has mired the company in controversy. On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal published a comprehensive report on Kotick's handling of the sexual harassment lawsuit California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed against the publisher in July. In short, the outlet claims Kotick not only knew about many of the worst instances of abuse at the company, but in some cases, he may have also acted to protect employees accused of harassment.

"We have instituted our own Zero Tolerance Policy," Activision Blizzard employee advocacy group A Better ABK said on Twitter after the report came out. "We will not be silenced until Bobby Kotick has been replaced as CEO and continue to hold our original demand for Third-Party review by an employee-chosen source." The group plans to stage a walkout today.

The claims reported by The Journal are extensive and numerous, but a handful stand out. According to documents obtained by the outlet, Kotick penned the now-infamous email Frances Townsend, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Activision Blizzard, sent to employees after DFEH filed its lawsuit. In that message, the company said the complaint presented "a distorted and untrue picture of our company, including factually incorrect, old and out of context stories — some from more than a decade ago." The response drew the ire of many Blizzard employees, who said it was "abhorrent and insulting."

The report also provides insight into the recent departure of Jennifer Oneal. One month after her appointment, Blizzard's first female leader reportedly sent an email to the company's legal team in which she said she wasn't convinced Activision Blizzard would turn its culture around. Referencing a moment earlier in her career at the company, she says in the email, "I have been tokenized, marginalized, and discriminated against."

Elsewhere, the report describes an episode involving Dan Bunting, one of the heads of Activision's Treyarch studio. In 2017, Bunting was reportedly accused of sexually harassing a female employee. Following an internal investigation, Activision's HR department recommended he be fired, but Kotick reportedly intervened to keep him at the company.

A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard disputed The Journal's reporting. The company's full statement reads as follows:

We are disappointed in the Wall Street Journal’s report, which presents a misleading view of Activision Blizzard and our CEO. Instances of sexual misconduct that were brought to his attention were acted upon. The WSJ ignores important changes underway to make this the industry’s most welcoming and inclusive workplace and it fails to account for the efforts of thousands of employees who work hard every day to live up to their — and our — values. The constant desire to be better has always set this company apart. Which is why, at Mr. Kotick’s direction, we have made significant improvements, including a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate conduct. And it is why we are moving forward with unwavering focus, speed, and resources to continue increasing diversity across our company and industry and to ensure that every employee comes to work feeling valued, safe, respected, and inspired. We will not stop until we have the best workplace for our team.

The company also commented on the impending walkout. "We are fully committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and rewarding environment for all of our employees around the world. We support their right to express their opinions and concerns in a safe and respectful manner, without fear of retaliation," a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard told Engadget.

Amid the unrest at Activision Blizzard, Kotick has presented himself as an ally of the studio's employees. "Our initial responses to the issues we face together, and to your concerns, were, quite frankly, tone-deaf," he said in an email he sent after the Townsend message. In that same message, he claimed he would take "swift action" to create a safe and inclusive working environment. When Kotick later announced the company's new zero-tolerance harassment policy, he said he would take a massive pay cut until Activision Blizzard's board of directors felt he had met the diversity and safety goals he outlined.

Even after today's report, it's hard to see Kotick resigning. He has been with Activision since the early 1990s, and he was the architect of the 2008 merger that created Activision Blizzard. The company's board of directors has also said it "remains confident" in his leadership. 

What better way to show off the splendor of 8K visuals than with nature programming? That seems to be Roku's train of thought as it adds the first premium 8K channel to its platform: The Explorers.

The only 8K Roku TVs on the market right now are from TCL. The first of those sets was released in 65” and 75” formats in August. TCL first showed off the TV at CES. 

Ultra-high definition premium content from The Explorers (which also offers free content through its channel) will typically cost $3/month. A tenth of that fee will be donated to The Explorers Foundation, which aims to preserve biodiversity. However, if you're have an an TCL Roku TV 6-Series 8K display, you'll get a three-month free trial.

Displays with 8K capabilities can show video in up to four times the resolution of standard 4K content. But the trouble is, there isn't much 8K content that early adopters can watch on their new TVs. YouTube is perhaps the main hub of 8K footage at the minute.

TCL noted that 8K cameras are becoming more commonplace, and OnePlus 9 Pro owners even have one in their pockets. So, there's much more 8K content on the way. Still, buying an 8K set is mainly about future proofing for the time being, rather than playing games and watching TV shows and movies at home in a higher resolution right now.