Pigs Can Play Video Games

Pigs are known to be very smart animals, and now scientists have demonstrated that they are capable of playing video games.

According to the BBC, scientists in the UK conducted research that they say demonstrates that certain swine are intelligent enough to control an arcade-style joystick and understand the connection between their actions and the results on screen. The exact nature of the game the pigs played was not described, however, but who are you to judge a pig who can play video games?

The four pigs–Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony, and Ivory–were recently trained by the researchers to play a basic video game with their snouts. The scientists said it was “no small feat” that the swine were able to play the game and understand what they were doing. It’s also remarkable because pigs are far-sighted and they don’t have hands or thumbs.

The pigs were given rewards to incentize their participation, but even after the dispenser that gave them the food rewards broke, they continued to play.

“This sort of study is important because, as with any sentient beings, how we interact with pigs and what we do to them impacts and matters to them,” lead author Dr. Candace Croney said.

As anyone who has played a video game will tell you, it’s not always easy, and the pigs can relate to that struggle.

From the report:

“Out of the two Yorkshire pigs, Hamlet, was better at the game than Omelette, but both struggled when it got harder – hitting the single target just under half the time.

The Panepinto micro pigs had a bigger gamer skill gap – while Ivory was able to hit one-wall targets 76% of the time, Ebony could only do it 34% of the time.”

Farmer Kate Daniels told BBC Radio 4 that the results of the study are no surprise, because pigs are very intelligent. “I don’t think this will come as a surprise to anyone that works with pigs,” she said. “They’re not playing Minecraft–but that they can manipulate a situation to get a reward is no surprise at all. When you look a pig right in the eye, you can tell there’s intelligence there.”

For what it’s worth, similar studies have been conducted with chimpanzees and monkeys, and they performed better, but they have opposable thumbs.

You can read the full study in the Frontiers in Psychology paper.

Fortnite Season 5, Week 11 Hearts Wild Challenges Guide: Crossbow, Fish Date, More

The new Fortnite Season 5, Week 11 challenges are available in the game now, and they are all Valentine’s Day-themed for Hearts Wild. Love is in the air, and you’re going to get sent all over the map to help the map’s residents find their soulmates while you try to stay alive and even deal some damage with a very famous weapon. It may take you a few matches to complete these, but we’ll help make your life a little easier with our guides.

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Deal damage with crossbows

Crossbows are quite common right now
Crossbows are quite common right now

Your Legendary challenge this week is to deal damage with a crossbow. The weapon is back in the game and can be found scattered all over the floor in many buildings. It’s actually Cupid’s crossbow, and all you have to do to complete this challenge is deal enough damage with it.

Find and deliver a love potion

You only need to pick one of these locations
You only need to pick one of these locations

For this challenge, you’ll get 20,000 XP for finding a love potion and another 20,000 for delivering it to a set location. The love potion can be found at Stealthy Stronghold, Coral Cove, and Fort Crumpet. Just go to one of those locations to find it, then deliver it to either Slurpy Swamp or Shanty Town. In Shanty Town, it’s near the very end of the town in the upstairs area.

Then deliver to one of these locations

Catch three different kinds of fish

This one is pretty straightforward, and it’s the first half of a quest to help out Fishstick. Head to the Lazy Lake dock to get a fishing pole, then start fishing and catching different types around the edge of the lake. You’ll have three different types in a matter of minutes to get your 20,000 XP reward.

Serve the fish at a date

They aren't located in the restaurant itself, but just outside it

To do the second half of this challenge, you need to serve a fancy meal for Fishstick’s date. There are a few different restaurants available for this, but the easiest one to reach is Durr Burger. It’s located south of Holly Hedges, and Fishstick is at a table just outside the building itself. You’ll get another 20,000 XP for completing it.

Find a rose

We can almost hear Seal singing

You only need to find one rose to complete this challenge, and we recommend the Orchard location. It’s north of the Coliseum and if you go into the house located there, you’ll find the rose sitting on the floor next to several more in a vase. Pick it up for another 20,000 XP.

Find chocolates

For this challenge, you actually need to get three separate boxes of Valentine’s Day chocolates. You can find them at Pleasant Park, Holly Hedges, and Retail Row. The one in Pleasant Park is located on a desk, while the one we found in Retail Row is on a bed, and the one at Holly Hedges is on a dining room table. You’ll get another 20,000 XP for finding them.

Help Lovely celebrate Hearts Wild

This challenge is incredibly easy, despite not having much direction from the game itself. Once you’ve completed the other challenges–except the Legendary challenge we’ll discuss below–just find any NPC you can talk to on the map and give them the Valentine to complete it for another 20,000 XP.

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Wonder Woman 1984 Blu-Ray And Digital Release Dates Announced, Bonus Features Detailed

Following its debut in theatres and on HBO Max, Wonder Woman 1984 is headed to 4K Blu-ray and digital stores very soon.

Warner Bros. has confirmed the superhero movie will be available for 48-hour rental beginning February 12, while you can buy the movie outright on digital stores starting on March 16. The film will then be available to buy in physical form on Blu-ray and DVD starting March 30. Get those wallets ready.

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray uses DolbyVision HDR and it features an optimized soundtrack, whatever that means. It also comes with HDR10+, which “optimizes brightness levels and contrast for each scene, making bright areas brighter and dark areas darker to deliver a lifelike viewing experience.”

The home video version of Wonder Woman 1984 on physical media also comes with the following bonus features (via Collider):

  • The Making of Wonder Woman 1984: Expanding the Wonder
  • Gal & Kristen: Friends Forever
  • Small But Mighty
  • Scene Study: The Open Road
  • Scene Study: The Mall
  • Gal & Krissy Having Fun
  • Meet the Amazons
  • Black Gold Infomercial
  • Gag Reel
  • Wonder Woman 1984 Retro Remix

Wonder Woman 1984 debuted in theatres and on HBO Max on Christmas Day, and it stayed on the streaming service until January 24.

After the huge success of the first two films, Warner Bros. is fast-tracking a third movie with Gal Gadot set to return in her starring role, with Patty Jenkins coming back to direct.

Now Playing: Wonder Woman 1984 Review: Even Better Than The Original

Pigs Can Play Video Games Using Their Snouts, Scientists Discover

Pigs can be trained to play simple video games, scientists have found, demonstrating the animals’ potential for a “remarkable” level of behavioral and mental flexibility.

A BBC report presented a trough of information about the piggy players, sourced from a research paper published in a journal entry on Frontiers in Psychology. The document details an investigation into whether pigs are capable of playing a joystick-operated video game task, with four pigs – Hamlet, Omelet, Ivory, and Ebony – trained to move a joystick with their snouts to steer an on-screen cursor.

The pigs were required to move the cursor to make contact with randomly-positioned walled targets, and a reward was provided if the cursor collided with a target. However, researchers noted that the pigs exhibited a “high level of social motivation to perform the task,” and continued playing the game even when a food reward was not dispensed because of social encouragement from the trainer.

Image Credit: Eston Martz / Pennsylvania State University
Image Credit: Eston Martz / Pennsylvania State University

“This sort of study is important because, as with any sentient beings, how we interact with pigs and what we do to them impacts and matters to them,” said Dr. Candace Croney, lead author of the study.

The data analysis from the gaming sessions showed that neither Hamlet nor Omelet achieved significant performance on three-walled targets but performed “above chance” on one-walled targets and two-walled targets, with “78 and 70% correct responses” on the latter. Ivory and Ebony were both more successful than expected by chance on three-walled targets but had a bigger gaming gap on the one-walled targets.

Ultimately, researchers were satisfied that the pigs had the capacity to acquire the joystick-operated video game task, though they also noted that future studies into the cognitive behaviors of domestic species may benefit from the use of touchscreens or other advanced computer-interfaced technology due to dexterity and visual constraints as all four subjects, in this case, were far-sighted.

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Similar experiments have been conducted with chimpanzees and monkeys, who have proven to be even more skilled, with their opposable thumbs and individually moving fingers giving them an advantage. It remains to be seen, however, what might happen when a monkey plays video games in its own mind. Elon Musk might have the answer for us soon, as he claimed that one of his companies has implanted a device into a monkey’s brain, and hopes to make it play “mind pong” with another cyborg monkey.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

True Lies TV Series Reboot From James Cameron Revived at CBS

CBS has handed out a formal pilot order to the long-gestating True Lies TV reboot, three-plus years after the series was greenlit at Fox.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it was revealed late on Wednesday that the network had commissioned a pilot adaptation of the 1994 hit action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis as Harry and Helen Tasker, a dysfunctional married couple who must simultaneously save the world and their relationship.

James Cameron and McG are both still attached to the project despite the series being dormant for many years. Cameron, who directed and produced the 1994 action-comedy, is on board to executive produce the potential series alongside McG who has also been lined up to direct the pilot, which is coming from the Disney-owned studio 20th Television.

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Burn Notice scribe Matt Nix has also joined the team as he will be handling the scripts on the now back-in-development series. The story is said to follow the same concept as the ’90s action flick.

The official logline reads the same as the movie: “Shocked to discover that her bland and unremarkable computer consultant husband is a skilled international spy, an unfulfilled suburban housewife is propelled into a life of danger and adventure when she’s recruited to work alongside him to save the world as they try to revitalize their passionless marriage.”

McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision president Mary Viola and frequent Cameron collaborator Rae Sanchini of his Lightstorm Entertainment banner will also executive produce the reboot.

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Cameron has been pursuing a True Lies TV series reboot on-and-off for more than a decade. He reportedly shopped the idea around various networks back in 2010, though we didn’t hear any more until seven years later when Fox handed out a pilot commitment for an hour-long episode. For unknown reasons, that also failed to move forward.

In recent years, an abundance of movies have been adapted for TV, with the likes of Terminator, Hannibal, and Psycho, all having made the transition to the small screen, with varying degrees of success. McG was also previously involved in another TV remake of an action classic as he served as an executive producer on the Lethal Weapon TV reboot and directed some of its episodes.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Releases June 11 On PS5

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has been targeted for the first half of 2021, but Sony has now announced a release date for the upcoming PS5-exclusive shooter-platformer. It’s coming on June 11, and will cost $70 for the standard edition and $80 for the Digital Deluxe edition.

As noted in the announcement, preordering either version will get you the Carbonox Armor and Pixelizer weapon. Participating retailers will sell physical editions with these preorder goodies included as a voucher. Both the Carbonox Armor and Pixelizer have been updated for the PS5, with the Carbonox armor showing off high-definition textures and ray-traced reflections.

The Digital Deluxe edition will also include five more armor sets, 20 Raritanium for upgrading your weapons, a sticker pack for use in the photo mode, and a digital artbook and soundtrack.

Insomniac noted that this is a new Ratchet story revolving around alternating dimensions, which is how Clank gets separated from his usual pal Ratchet and instead meets up with a new Lombax. The blog may be slyly teasing her name, yet to be revealed, by telling fans to, “Hang in there, you’ll be feeling rosy soon.”

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a showpiece exclusive for the PS5, and was a major part of Sony’s early console presentations. The dimension-swapping mechanic that appears to be at the heart of the game relies on the PS5’s SSD for quick loads, so it’s one of the relatively few first-party PS5 games that isn’t also slated for PS4.

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James Cameron’s True Lies TV Remake Gets Pilot Order

A TV reboot of James Cameron’s 1994 comedy thriller True Lies is in the works. CBS has given a pilot order for a True Lies show, to be written by Burn Notice creator Matt Nix.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron will be executive producer of the True Lies pilot, while McG (Terminator Salvation, The Babysitter) will direct. Disney-owned 20th Television will produce the pilot, but there is no news yet on any casting.

There have been previous attempts to remake True Lies as a TV show. In 2017, it was reported that Fox had hired Arrow writer Marc Guggenheim to work on a new version, with McG set to direct. However, this version never made it past the pilot stage.

THR states that the True Lies show will follow the same plot as the movie. The film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as an ordinary computer consultant who leads a secret double-life as an international spy. When his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, discovers the truth about him, she is led into the dangerous and action-packed world of counter-espionage. The movie also starred Bill Paxton and Tom Arnold and made $379 million at the worldwide box office.

Cameron’s next movie will be the long-awaited sequel to his 2009 blockbuster Avatar, which arrives in December 2022. Cameron is shooting several Avatar sequels simultaneously in New Zealand, and in October, a new image of star Kate Winslet on the movie’s aquatic set was revealed by producer Jon Landau.

Now Playing: 10 Biggest TV Shows To Watch In 2021

Borderlands 3 Broken Hearts Day Event Begins This Week

February’s a romantic month, and to celebrate Borderlands 3 will be joining in on the festivities with the return of its Broken Hearts Day event. Much like last year’s event, players will be tasked by Maurice the Sentient Saurian to travel the galaxy, find love, and possibly even some sweet loot.

Maurice’s research on human courting rituals has resulted in enemies spawning floating hearts which when destroyed, add positive buffs to players such as increased health regeneration, a higher chance of obtaining rare loot or turning the floor around enemies into lava puddles. Broken Hearts Day will be live from 12:00 PM PT today and will run until February 25.

A number of gear adjustments have also been added in the latest hotfix, which buffs damage to Legendary weapons such as Kaoson, Garcia, and Impaler. Today’s hotfix also brings the Gear Rush mini-event to an end.

Gear adjustments

Hail

  • Increased weapon damage

Crit

  • Lowered the chance that the weapon would drop on reload

Bouncing Pair Grenade Mod

  • Increased damage

Kaoson

  • Increased weapon damage

Garcia

  • Updated weapon to fire correctly in multiplayer. Players will notice that the weapon will now only fire two shots before reloading in both solo and co-op
  • Increased weapon damage

Impaler

  • Increased damage dealt

Void Rift

  • Increased Spike damage
  • Increased Black Hole singularity damage

Black Hole

  • Increased damage dealt

It has been an interesting couple of days for Borderlands 3 developer Gearbox. Having joined the Embracer group in a $1.3 billion acquisition deal, Gearbox still plans to continue and publish the Borderlands series alongside 2K Games. Borderlands 3’s Designer’s Cut update launches in March, adding a new series of murder mystery levels and a raid boss challenge amongst other cosmetic additions.

The cult-classic Tales From The Borderlands will also return to digital stores on February 17, and if you’re looking to jump into Gearbox’s weird universe of vaults and bandits now’s a good time to do so as Borderlands 3 is heavily discounted this month.

Now Playing: Borderlands 3 Video Review

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Post Malone Is Performing at a Virtual Pokemon Day Concert

Post Malone will be performing at a virtual concert to celebrate Pokemon Day on February 27.

The Pokemon Company announced the news with a trailer (below), which shows Post Malone transforming into a digital avatar of himself after thanking Pokemon fans for their support and brandishing a Pokeball. The animated version of Malone suggests the concert could be a hybrid between live-action and virtual performance.

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According to Billboard’s interview with Malone, the concert will take place on Feb 27 at 7 PM EST, and will be streamed live via the Pokemon YouTube channel, Twitch channel and 25th Anniversary website.

“Don’t miss your chance to be front row for the Virtual Experience on Pokemon Day,” the YouTube video description reads. This is all part of a collaboration between Pokemon and Universal Music Group called P25 Music. We reported back in January that Katy Perry will also be teaming up with The Pokemon Company to act as the “premiere collaborator” for this promotion. According to Billboard, Malone’s concert “serves as the series’ kickoff,” with more details about P25 coming at the end of the concert.

In other Pokemon news, check out this pillow that lets you put your head in Gengar’s mouth.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.