Category: Games

Pokemon Go players will soon have the ability to suggest new PokeStops. Developer Niantic has announced it will be rolling out a beta for a PokeStop nomination system–but you’ll only be able to participate in it if you live in a specific region.

The PokeStop nomination beta will initially only be available in Brazil and South Korea. Moreover, the feature will be limited to players who’ve hit Pokemon Go’s level cap, 40, further narrowing the list of potential participants. Niantic says the beta will expand to other regions–and potentially more Trainer levels–“over time,” but the developer hasn’t announced any further details beyond that.

If you do live in one of the aforementioned countries and have reached the appropriate level, you’ll be able to nominate an area to become a PokeStop. To do so, you’ll need to submit a photo and description of the location you have in mind to Niantic. The studio will then consider the suggested Stop “for future inclusion in the game.” Additional details about the process can be found on Pokemon Go’s support website.

The PokeStop nomination system is presumably one of the surprise features Niantic CEO John Hanke teased in a recent blog post. Hanke wrote that the developer was working on “even more ways to play together” that would roll out this fall. The official Pokemon Go Twitter account also recently teased that there are “many new Pokemon yet to be discovered,” which is potentially another hint that Gen 4 Pokemon will arrive soon.

Niantic is kicking off the Ultra Bonus Event in Pokemon Go on September 13. For a limited time, the three Legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres will return to Raid Battles, while other Pokemon originally from the Kanto region will spawn more frequently through the end of the month. Most notably, the previously EX Raid-exclusive Mewtwo will appear in regular Raid Battles from September 20 to October 23.

After many rumors, lots of speculation, and a name leak hours before the event, Apple has revealed the iPhone XS and Phone XS Max and confirmed their release dates and prices–and they’re quite soon. At its event in Cupertino, California, the company announced its latest product offerings in one of its biggest launches since the iPhone was first released, alongside a new, lower-priced device called the iPhone XR.

The iPhone XS is made of “surgical grade stainless steel” with a gold finish on the front and back. It features a top to bottom, edge to edge screen with curved edges. It delivers 1P68 protection, keeping it safe underwater for 2 meters for 30 mins. The screen is 5.8″ diagonally at a 2436×1125 resolution, which is being called the “Super Retina.”

The 6.5-inch version is called the iPhone XS Max is the largest phone in Apple’s history. Despite the bigger display size, the overall phone is about the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus. You’ll be able to get a split view when looking at the contacts app if the phone is turned sideways, giving owners extra space to work with. The iPhone XS and XS Max also support Dolby Vision and HDR10.

At the heart of the device is the A12 Bionic, a seven nanometer chip featuring 6.9 billion transistors. Its 6-core CPU is designed by Apple with two performance cores that run 15% faster, while the four efficiency cores run at 50% faster. The 4-core GPU is also 50% faster than the A11 Bionic. It also has a Neural Engine with an 8-core design. The upshot is that everything from image signal processing and the depth engine, to the display engine, memory controller, and audio subsystems are significantly better performing. With 512 GB of internal storage, Apple describes it as “the smartest and most powerful chip ever in a smartphone.”

iOS is also getting an update, being fitted with new features such as Siri shortcuts, which let you set reminders and instructions. Augmented reality is also a focus for the new version, and users will be able to use the camera to transform their surroundings with AR.

During the keynote, Bethesda’s Todd Howard appeared on stage to talk about The Elder Scrolls Blades. The iPhone’s OLED screen, Howard noted, pulls out little details in the game’s environment and allows Bethesda to show off advance visual flourishes, the kinds of which were only possible on high-end consoles.

The camera has undergone some improvements for the newest iPhones too, thanks in large part to the A12 Bionic. It has a 12MP wide-angle camera, an improved True Tone flash, and a 12MP telephoto camera on the back. On the front there’s an RGB camera, an IR camera for advance image sensing, and a dot projector. The A12 Bionic’s image signal processor automatically sets exposure, noise reduction, focus, local tone mapping, highlights details. It also does face detection, facial landmarking, and segmentation.

One new feature for the camera is Smart HDR, which captures multiple images so you get the precise moment and merges them together to bring up the highlights. Since there’s no shutter lag, images of things in motion are clearer. Portrait mode lighting has been improved and when you take a picture you can use a slider to adjust the depth of field. The new sensor and the power of the A12 Bionic chip, along with the faster sensor, is also beneficial to video, which now records sound in stereo, autofocuses, highlights shadow details, tone mapping, and improves color, among other things.

The impact all of this has on battery life isn’t significant, with the iPhone XS offering 30 mins more battery than the iPhone X. And the iPhone XS Max providing an extra hour and a half. The XS and XS Mas now has Dual Sim Dual Standby and eSIM technology, which effectively allows owners to have two phone numbers and plans at the same time. Carriers such as EE, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have already pledged support to eSIM. For China, where eSIM isn’t available, there’s a special version of the phone with space for two physical sims.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available in 64 GB, 256 GB, and 512GB starting from $999 and $1099 respectively. Pre-orders begin September 14 and shipping begins September 21.

For more on the new iPhones and Apple’s event head over to CNET to watch the stream and follow their liveblog. Today’s announcements follows some clever reporting by 9to5Mac, which seemed to confirm that new iPhones. There were many other new products revealed at Apple’s event. Here is everything announced today.

Apple Keynote 2018 News

The second episode of Mayans MC introduced even more mystery, violence, and unsettling scenes than the premiere offered. Likewise, it left us with a lot of questions. From the outset, FX’s Sons of Anarchy sequel series has quickly thrust itself into the dark and disastrous world of outlaw motorcycle clubs–even more quickly than co-creator Kurt Sutter’s original show did.

At this rate, there’s no telling who will be left alive at the end of Season 1, as every single character introduced is in some kind of massive danger–even the children that find themselves in the middle of this horrific world. Well, there’s one person we’re sure is safe thanks to the show’s latest Sons of Anarchy cameo, which we’ll discuss.

Who can be trusted and who is going to become a true force to be reckoned with on this series? We took these questions to Mayans MC showrunner Elgin James and the cast of Mayans MC to get the answers because, quite frankly, we don’t want to wait until the next episode to find out.

After you take a look at what the cast had to say about the second episode, make sure you also read the inside story on the return of a beloved Sons of Anarchy character–as well as the story behind the return of a less beloved one. Also, don’t miss our look back at the series premiere with insight from the cast and crew.

Destiny 2: Forsaken’s first Raid is about to begin, and we’re getting a small peek at what it’ll entail and when it will drop. Last Wish will take players and five other guardians into the heart of the Dreaming City, Forsaken’s new area, and it will go live on Friday, September 14 at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM BST on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

“Assemble a team…Send them into the heart of the City. Kill that creature, and extract its heart,” says the Queen, Mara Sov, in the trailer above. We don’t much else about what exactly players will be doing, but it seems the “creature” could be Riven, which was teased at the end of the campaign. The promise is “the riches of the Dreaming City await those who are victorious,” so you could be in for some pretty good loot if you successfully complete it. “I’ve waited so long to fulfil one last wish,” Mara Sov finishes.

Some players have already managed to nab some of that Raid gear early. An early bug allowed some players to glitch their way into opening Raid chests and earning the gear. In hotfix update 2.0.2, Bungie fixed the issue, but it won’t be taking that gear away from players who’ve already obtained it. Meanwhile, players racing to take part in the Raid encountered an issue over the weekend, when a weekly reset took place sooner than it should have. Although players could earn Powerful gear, the rewards were not dropping at high Power levels, thereby stunting the leveling process. Bungie is investigating the issue, but Tuesday’s reset did not provide as many new opportunities for Powerful gear as it normally would for affected players. If you’re looking for a way to earn a piece of Powerful gear, you can try the new Ascendant Challenge.

In addition to everything coming in the Last Wish Raid, Bungie has introduced a ton of new content with its Forsaken expansion. In addition to a new storyline, there is a lot of new gear including Exotics (both weapons and armor) for Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans. There are new Strikes and the new Gambit mode that blends PvE with PvP. The campaign centers around hunting the eight Barons, powerful boss-like enemies from the new Scorn race.

In GameSpot’s Forsaken review in progress, Kallie Plagge said it was a welcome change from the previous two expansions. “Like with the base game–and unlike with the previous two expansions…there’s a lot to sink your teeth into in Forsaken at launch,” she wrote. While Kallie is still evaluating the expansion for a full review, she applauded Forsaken’s darker more personal tone and boss-focused mission structure that allows for more memorable and exciting fights. There are distinct new enemy types, Gambit mode is enjoyable, and the new combat bow stands out as a fun addition to the arsenal.

“After being let down by Curse of Osiris and Warmind, I’m enjoying Destiny 2 again. The biggest question right now is how long that will last, but there’s plenty to keep me occupied before the Raid drops.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4‘s private Blackout beta rolls on for PS4, and developer Treyarch continues to make tweaks and adjustments to the mode each day. The studio has shared another post on Reddit outlining a new list of changes it’s made to Blackout, including the addition of Blackout’s first event playlist, Fast Collapse.

As its name implies, Fast Collapse is a faster-paced version of the battle royale mode. As Treyarch explained on Reddit: “The play space is constrained at almost double the speed as the base game. Scavenge fast and get on the move towards the safe area or you’ll be caught on the wrong side of a nightmare.”

Fast Collapse is the first of three events the developer has planned for the Blackout beta, although it didn’t share any details yet on the other two. In addition to that, Treyarch has made numerous bug fixes and other gameplay adjustments based on player feedback. Most notably, the rate players can aim down the sights of the Koshka sniper rifle has been slowed, and Treyarch is addressing Zombies being able to attack from further away than intended. The studio also says it “continue[s] to slowly refine the quantity, frequency, and quality” of item drops.

Treyarch plans to roll out updates and adjustments to the Blackout beta each day it is available. Already, the developer has increased the beta player count from 80 to 88 and made other improvements, such as increasing the speed of item pickups and reducing the duration of the Sensor Dart, one of the various recon gadgets you can find.

The Blackout beta is currently only available on PS4, but it will expand to Xbox One and PC players who’ve pre-ordered Black Ops 4 on September 14. All other PC players who have a Battle.net account will also be able to jump in beginning September 15.

Xbox One owners might be feeling let down that developer Insomniac’s Spider-Man game is a PlayStation 4 exclusive. That’s a bummer, considering the game’s been getting high critical praise. But Xbox One owners aren’t left completely out in the cold. One of the earlier Xbox One exclusive games was developed by the very same company that made Spider-Man, and it shares more than a little DNA with the new superhero game. We’re talking about the Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive, a game you can get right now for just $3. Take that, Spidey.

Sunset Overdrive is a colorful open-world game that, like Spider-Man, makes moving through the environment a frictionless pleasure. In the game, an evil corporation that makes energy drinks has turned an entire city into violent creatures called OD. Your job is to fight off the beasts and escape the city, using a set of fluid moves like grinding on rails and telephone lines and bouncing off of cars. It’s basically like an open-world Tony Hawk game, but much more violent.

In GameSpot’s Sunset Overdrive review, Peter Brown wrote, “Insomniac Games has crafted an excellent game in Sunset Overdrive. It’s not without a few niggling issues, but you’ll be too busy enjoying yourself to care. You can compare it to games like Crackdown, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and Ratchet and Clank, but by combining the best elements of those games into a single package and injecting it with an anything goes, rock and roll attitude, you’ll never think of it as anything but a singular achievement that stands tall on its own merits. It’s one of the best games on the Xbox One, and a refreshing shot of merriment.”

You can grab your $3 copy of Sunset Overdrive here. Shipping is free.

October’s Humble Monthly is available, and it’s a doozy. If you subscribe between now and October 5, you’ll get immediate access to Overwatch, Blizzard’s enormously popular hero shooter that normally retails for $40. A one-month subscription only costs $12, and Overwatch is yours to keep and play forever, even if you unsubscribe. On October 5, a number of other games will be revealed that you’ll also get to keep. This is an incredible deal for anyone who plays on PC and hasn’t picked up Overwatch yet.

If you keep your Humble Monthly subscription going, you’ll also get free Overwatch loot boxes in November and December, in addition to those months’ free games. Loot boxes contain cosmetic items like skins, emotes, and voice lines for the heroes.

Most of the games you receive come in the form of Steam codes. For an idea of what kinds of games you can expect to receive in September in addition to Overwatch, previous months’ offerings have included Rise of the Tomb Raider, Conan Exiles, Little Nightmares, Sniper Elite 4, Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, and Battle Chef Brigade. Even though a subscription only costs $12 per month, you generally get around $200 worth of games each month.

Subscribing to Humble Monthly gets you additional benefits beyond free mystery games. You also get access to the Humble Trove, a collection of over 60 games you can download and play for as long as you have an active subscription. Another benefit is that you get 10% off Humble Store purchases. And 5% of your subscription fee goes to charity.

So if you’re a PC gamer who wants one of the best, most reliable deals in gaming, consider signing up.