PlayStation 4 Message That Crashed Consoles Fixed

A PlayStation 4 message that was crashing consoles has been fixed, and Sony has issued a statement explaining how to take care of the issue manually for anyone still experiencing the problem. The bug allowed malicious users to send a message that would send the console into a crash loop.

The messages used an unrecognized character to force the console to crash. In some cases it would even go into a crash loop, making the console unable to start properly and run any games or apps. You can prevent future exploits like this one by changing your settings to only allow messages from friends.

In its comment on Twitter, Sony suggested deleting the offending message through the PS mobile app, then starting the console in Safe Mode and selecting Option 5. That should fix the console, and the company has issued a fix to prevent any further spread of the malicious messages. In a follow-up to another user, the PlayStation team pointed users toward the reporting tools to turn in any users found to be sending the messages.

If you’re seeking something new to play on your newly un-bugged PS4, there’s a sale going on at the PlayStation Store, or you can read up on some of the best the console has to offer. It’s a busy time though, with tons of recent big releases and another coming next week in Red Dead Redemption 2. The PS4-exclusive Spider-Man is also preparing to add its first DLC expansion, starring Black Cat and a host of new Spider-suits to earn.

The Conners Series Premiere Review

Full spoilers follow for The Conners series premiere, titled “Keep on Truckin’.”

Life goes on. That’s the biggest takeaway from “Keep on Truckin’,” the first episode of ABC’s The Conners, which retools last year’s hit Roseanne revival as a distinctly Roseanne-free endeavor. Indeed, the character of Roseanne is dead, but based on this premiere, The Conners feels very much alive.

The Conners, of course, was born in the wake of Roseanne Barr’s racist social media activity, which led to the show being cancelled after a successful tenth season that had just resuscitated the classic sitcom after some 20 years off the air. But as anyone who remembers failed spinoffs like Joey or AfterMASH will tell you, it’s a dicey proposition to follow up a beloved hit show with a new iteration that doesn’t feature the main character that made said show a success.

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Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Founder’s Edition Review

Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. 

Nvidia’s new RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti Turing GPUs have understandably dominated the conversation in recent months, but while flagship cards and their impressive specs are awesome, they’re also prohibitively expensive for most people. Luckily, Nvidia had a more budget-friendly Turing option waiting in the wings in the form of the RTX 2070. It will be available in both Founder’s Edition trim, which is what I have for this review, and from Nvidia’s partners (EVGA, Asus, etc). Though the Founder’s Edition is priced at $600, Nvidia says the partner cards should start at $500. This GPU won’t offer the frame rates of its pricier siblings, particularly when it comes to 4K gaming, but it’s still compatible with upcoming tech like real-time ray tracing. I spent some time with the smallest card in Nvidia’s RTX series, and I’m happy to report it’s definitely worth your attention.

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Forget PlayStation Classic: Play Your Classic PlayStation Through HDMI

If you haven’t gotten your hands on a PlayStation Classic, don’t worry. You’ll soon be able to easily play your classic PlayStation consoles through the same HDMI output as Sony’s upcoming mini console.

Limited Run Games, perhaps best known for taking obscure but beloved games from the digital sphere and giving them bright and amazing retail packaging, teamed with Pound Technology to be the “exclusive preorder destination” for the new PS1/PS2 HDMI adapter.

The PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles already output a digital, RGB signal, and before now, the best way to experience the games on their original hardware was through a convoluted, but satisfying, set-up using a device like the Framemeister or a broadcast-quality CRT display and a collection of SCART cables.

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Pokemon Go October Community Day: Start Time, Featured Pokemon, And Everything You Need To Know

Pokemon Go‘s next Community Day is just around the corner. The monthly event returns this Sunday, October 21, which means Pokemon Go players around the world will soon have another opportunity to capture rare Pokemon, take advantage of in-game bonuses, and even add a special event move to their repertoire.

While every Community Day lasts only three hours, the particulars of each event vary month by month. To help get you prepared, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about October’s Community Day below, from its start time in each region to the bonuses and featured Pokemon that will be available.

What Time Does It Start?

Unlike most of Pokemon Go’s other real-world events, which are typically hosted at a particular location, each month’s Community Day takes place during a specific window of time, meaning you can participate from anywhere. The event is also available around the world, although its hours will vary depending on your region.

Regardless of where you live, the Community Day runs for three hours, during which time you’ll find increased spawns of the featured Pokemon and be able to take advantage of the featured bonuses. These hours are typically consistent each month, so if you’ve participated in previous events, you’ll already know when it’ll be available. If you’re new to the game or simply need a refresher on its schedule, you can see the event hours for each region below.

North America

  • 11 AM – 2 PM PT
  • 2 PM – 5 PM ET

Europe, Middle East, and Africa

  • 11 AM – 2 PM BST
  • 10 AM – 1 PM UTC

Asia-Pacific

  • 12 PM – 3 PM JST

What Is The Featured Pokemon?

During each Community Day, one particular species of Pokemon will appear in the wild much more frequently than usual, giving you an opportunity to further fill out your Pokedex. This time, the feature Pokemon is Beldum, a Steel/Psychic-type first introduced in the series’ third-generation games, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. You won’t want to miss your chance to get Beldum; not only is it fairly rare, it is capable of evolving into Metagross, an especially powerful Pokemon that would make a great addition to anyone’s team. You’ll also have a chance of encountering Shiny Beldum during the event.

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There’s an added benefit to capturing as many featured Pokemon as you can. Typically, if you manage to evolve the monster into its final form (or meet some other pre-determined condition that Niantic announces) before the event ends, it will learn a move it isn’t normally able to. Such is the case with this month’s Community Day; if you evolve Beldum into Metang and then Metagross during the event hours, it’ll learn the powerful attack Meteor Mash.

Any Metang that evolves during the event will learn the move, even if you’ve obtained it before the Community Day began. However, it will only be able to learn the move if it evolves during the event, so you’ll have a fairly brief window of opportunity to get the attack. Fortunately, this time Niantic is giving players one extra hour after the Community Day ends to evolve Metang and learn Meteor Mash, so you’ll have a little more time than usual to get it.

What Other Bonuses Are There?

On top of increased spawns of a particular Pokemon, Niantic always offers players a helpful bonus to take advantage of during the Community Day. This time, Pokemon Eggs will hatch at a quarter of the distance they typically require, meaning you’ll be able to hatch Pokemon four times as fast while the event is running. There’s also one recurring bonus in each Community Day: any Lure modules that are used during the event will remain active for three hours, rather than their typical 30-minute duration.

Halloween 2018’s Best In-Game Events And Updates

It’s October again, and that means time for Halloween festivities throughout a whole host of online games. Many announcements have already begun to outline the upcoming festivities, so we’re keeping track of all the spooky specials. Many of these will be time-limited events with special rewards, like the Overwatch Halloween Terror event, so check out the active dates and plan your gaming accordingly.

Dauntless

The Dauntless Dark Harvest event will kick off in the middle of the month, casting a shadow on the hub city of Ramsgate. It will introduce a new cult known as the Unseen, who worship a Behemoth. Slayers can test their might against a new Behemoth in the Shattered Isles and stores will offer limited-time exclusive items.

  • Dates
    • Begins October 17

Destiny 2

Destiny is bringing back its annual Festival of the Lost, the Halloween-themed celebration that offers some special masks and exclusive loot. This year, it will include a horde-like PvE mode, a special quest-line to solve a murder, and a unique currency to purchase masks and a special auto rifle called Horror Story. You can also earn new Ephemeral Engrams for exclusive cosmetic items. This will all be accompanied by the return of the Iron Banner event, with some tweaks to make it easier to obtain Powerful gear.

  • Dates
    • Begins October 16

Fortnite

The entire season is somewhat spooky, with the Darkness Rises theme and skins like the Dire Wolf. Plus the game brought back the popular Skull Trooper skin and made it a little easier to get the Ghost Portal Back Bling. We’ve gotten a look at some special leaked Halloween cosmetics. Those include skins, back bling, gliders, and pickaxes. No word yet on what creepy world events might be ringing in the seasonal content.

  • Dates
  • Further Reading

Hearthstone

Hearthstone’s annual “Hallow’s End” celebration starts on October 17 and lasts through Halloween on October 31. Logging in during the event will net you a free golden Witch’s Cauldron card, and the Headless Horseman will return for a new Tavern Brawl starring the characters from the Monster Hunt mode. You’ll also be able to take part in a dual class Arena mode, and characters will use Hallow’s End emotes. Finally, the event will accompany the launch of a new Paladin hero for purchase with a new Witchwood bundle.

  • Dates
    • October 17-31
  • Further Reading

Killing Floor 2

Killing Floor 2 has already introduced its Halloween Horrors: Monster Masquerade update. The sprawling update includes a new Monster Ball map, along with Halloween-themed looks and effects for all the zeds and bosses. Plus you can access new weapons and limited-time items to take them all down.

  • Dates
    • Available Now
  • Further Reading

Overwatch

Overwatch’s annual Halloween Terror event is once again here. Each year the Halloween Terror event continues the story of Junkenstein’s monster, and this one serves up two separate PvE modes: Classic and Endless Night. The event is always a debuts several new Halloween-themed skins, emotes, sprays, and more. It is going on now through October 31, and Blizzard has revealed all the nifty new costumes.

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  • Dates
    • October 9-31

Rocket League

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Rocket League is bringing back its Haunted Hallows event on October 15. You can earn “Candy Corn” currency for playing online matches, which can then be used to cash in for limited cosmetics like decals, toppers, and wheels. You can also gain a Golden Pumpkin that will contain a customization item from the Nitro, Turbo, or Player’s choice crates. The event will end on November 5, and your Candy Corn will expire on November 8, so make sure you cash it in fast.

  • Dates
    • October 15
  • Further Reading

Splatoon 2

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The Splatoon 2 version of a Halloween gathering is a twist on its usual monthly Splatfests, appropriately named Splatoween. It will start October 19 and last through October 21, with players picking their sides in a Turf Wars between Team Trick and Team Treat. Inkopolis will also be updated with Halloween decorations, and the squid kids will get a chance at four special Splatoween headgear that can be kept after the event is over. You’ll have to go through the Nintendo Switch News app to get them, however.

  • Dates
    • October 19-21

The Witcher Dev Reveals New Art for Series’ 11th Anniversary

Over the next eleven days, CD Projekt Red will be sharing eleven “little known” facts about The Witcher to commemorate the series’ eleventh anniversary.

First up is previously unseen The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt concept art featuring the sorceress Triss Merigold. According to CD Projekt Red on Twitter, the art seen below shows “The Witcher 3 Triss, influenced by her outfit from The Witcher 2.”

Triss concept art for The Witcher 3

As of March 2018, the acclaimed action RPG series has collectively sold over 33 million copies, according to CD Projekt. The series’ latest entry, The Witcher 3, was released in 2015 and went on to win our Game of the Year. IGN’s The Witcher 3 review said its “excellent combat and RPG gameplay … elevate

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