Target confirms plans to reduce physical media, but games are unaffected

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 18, 2024 5:16 PM CDT

Target has confirmed plans to significantly reduce the amount of physical media that it sells on store shelves, but video games will not be impacted.

Target confirms plans to reduce physical media, but games are unaffected

Last night, a social media post went viral that lamented the death of disc-based media at Target. "Exclusive: Target sources are telling me they reportedly will stop selling physical media in-store and online by 2025," the so-called President of Physical Media said on Twitter. It turns out this is only half true.

Target delivered a statement to IGN that clarified a few things.

Continue reading: Target confirms plans to reduce physical media, but games are unaffected (full post)

Don't miss out: GEEKOM Mini IT12 Mini PC on sale for $440 off - grab yours today!

Sponsored Content | Deals | Apr 17, 2024 3:48 PM CDT

GEEKOM is dishing up a banging deal for TweakTown readers on its Mini IT12 mini PC. Powered by Intel's 12th-Gen Core i7-12650H processor, the GEEKOM Mini IT12 comes equipped with an impressive 32GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and the fast Bluetooth 5.2 and W-Fi 6E wireless technologies.

Don't miss out: GEEKOM Mini IT12 Mini PC on sale for $440 off - grab yours today!

This GEEKOM Mini IT12 can be yours for just $469, including free shipping in the United States, and it comes with Microsoft Windows 11 Pro pre-installed. When not on sale, this highly capable SFF computer sells for $909, but right now, you can save a huge $440 when buying it from GEEKOM. That's almost 52% off the normal price!

Enter coupon code tweaktownit12off at the checkout and save!

Continue reading: Don't miss out: GEEKOM Mini IT12 Mini PC on sale for $440 off - grab yours today! (full post)

Fallout 4 conquers PlayStation Plus charts amid TV show success

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 18, 2024 3:25 PM CDT

On the heels of the big new Amazon Prime adaptation, Fallout games are headlining Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription service.

Fallout 4 conquers PlayStation Plus charts amid TV show success

Thanks to the new Fallout TV show, millions of people are talking about the series. People are also buying and playing the games en masse--much to Microsoft's delight. We've already seen Fallout games skyrocket on Steam and now the same thing is happening on PlayStation.

According to listings on the PlayStation 5 console, the Fallout games are among the most popular titles on PlayStation Plus in the United States. Fallout 4 headlines the top 10 list with the #1 spot, and Fallout 76 is close behind at #3.

Continue reading: Fallout 4 conquers PlayStation Plus charts amid TV show success (full post)

Meet Microsoft's VASA-1: AI can now take a photo and turn it into a 'talking head' video clip

Darren Allan | Artificial Intelligence | Apr 18, 2024 2:30 PM CDT

A fresh jaw-dropping initiative for AI, this one from Microsoft, runs like this - give AI a photo of someone, and an audio clip of their voice, and it'll mock up a video clip of that person chatting away.

Meet Microsoft's VASA-1: AI can now take a photo and turn it into a 'talking head' video clip

So, from just an image and a minute long chunk of audio of the person's voice - which is what was used to create the example videos Microsoft shares - you get these fully realized talking faces, complete with lifelike facial expressions, head and eye movements, full lip-syncing, and so on.

In short, the whole works needed for it to look like a totally realistic video of said person espousing their thoughts on any given topic, all generated in real-time by the AI.

Continue reading: Meet Microsoft's VASA-1: AI can now take a photo and turn it into a 'talking head' video clip (full post)

Microsoft has brought its OneNote app to the Apple Vision Pro, get it now

the Apple Vision Pro has been on sale for almost three months now and while it's fair to say that the excitement has definitely started to die down somewhat, there's no denying that it is still the hottest piece of tech around right now. It launched with a ton of apps in the visionOS App Store in February but the number of actual Apple Vison Pro apps was surprisingly small - many were just iPad apps enabled to run on the headset. But more apps are coming all the time and now Microsoft has announced that it's brought one of its best to the spatial computer as well.

Microsoft has brought its OneNote app to the Apple Vision Pro, get it now

Microsoft OneNote is the go-to note-taking app for a ton of people, especially those who find themselves living in the Microsoft ecosystem. Its availability on the Apple Vision Pro was perhaps to be expected, but it's always surprising when Microsoft launches something on an Apple platform, whether it should be, or not. And from what we're reading in the announcement blog post, there's plenty to like about this release.

Microsoft says that Apple Vision Pro owners can make use of the OnteNote app's infinite canvas in a spatial computing environment alongside other apps like Word and Excel via multitasking. The company says that the OneNote app now means that people can stay productive no matter where they are, and there are tons of features already available with more on the way.

Continue reading: Microsoft has brought its OneNote app to the Apple Vision Pro, get it now (full post)

Last-minute rumor claims Apple's rumored 12.9-inch iPad Air might have a mini-LED display

Oliver Haslam | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Apr 18, 2024 1:45 PM CDT

You don't need to have been following along with the Apple rumors too closely to have known that Apple is expected to announce a raft of new iPads as soon as next month. We've been hearing as much for weeks now, and after many false dawns, it now seems that Apple will indeed launch the updated iPad Air and iPad Pro tablets in the first couple of weeks of May. We've heard a variety of things about these new tablets and the arrival of the 12.9-inch iPad Air might actually be the most interesting. Now, a new report appears to suggest that the tablet is going to be even more interesting than we first thought.

Last-minute rumor claims Apple's rumored 12.9-inch iPad Air might have a mini-LED display

The addition of a new 12.9-inch size to the iPad Air lineup is notable because it will give buyers a new option if they want a big tablet but won't or can't buy the iPad Pro. But according to a new report, the larger display won't be the only interesting news, with the type of display that's being used will also raise some eyebrows. If the report is accurate, the 12.9-inch iPad Air will have a mini-LED display.

That would be a first for the lineup and the 11-inch iPad Air is expected to stick to its existing LCD construction. But the new mini-LED design has been reported by Ross Young, a display supply chain analyst who is normally very well connected. He also has an extremely positive history and reputation in terms of this kind of report, so we see little reason why this information would turn out to be incorrect.

Continue reading: Last-minute rumor claims Apple's rumored 12.9-inch iPad Air might have a mini-LED display (full post)

Apple is now offering refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 models in China

Oliver Haslam | Wearable Computing & Fashion | Apr 18, 2024 1:30 PM CDT

Buying an Apple Watch Ultra 2 just got cheaper in China after Apple started to allow people to buy a refurbished model via its website. Apple regularly offers refurbished products but this is the first time that the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been offered in this way outside of the United States. It now seems more likely than ever that the refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 will start to go on sale in other countries around the world sooner rather than later.

Apple is now offering refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 models in China

Buying a refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 will save you around 15% off the price of a new one, according to MacRumors which was the first to report on the new buying option. The refurbished products do tend to come and go in terms of stocks however, so make sure to place your order for a refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 if you want to be sure of getting one soon.

Apple's refurbished products have all been thoroughly checked and cleaned and come with the usual 12-month warranty and 14-day return window. They also offer people the chance to take out AppleCare+ for additional coverage while all wearables come with all of the usual accessories and are fully functional. Buying a refurbished product from Apple is definitely a batter option than buying refurbished elsewhere unless you can get a particularly good deal.

Continue reading: Apple is now offering refurbished Apple Watch Ultra 2 models in China (full post)

Apple AirPlay now works with TVs in these hotel rooms across North America

Oliver Haslam | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Apr 18, 2024 1:15 PM CDT

After announcing its plans to make it easier for people to watch content via AirPlay in hotel rooms during the WWDC event in June of 2023, Apple has finally started to make good on those plans. Today, the company announced that guests staying at some IHG Hotels & Resorts properties including Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo, Candlewood Suites, and InterContinental Hotels & Resorts can use AirPlay like never before,

Apple AirPlay now works with TVs in these hotel rooms across North America

According to the press release shared via the Apple Newsroom, people can look forward to using AirPlay to privately and security stream content including TV shows, movies, and more. The press release even says that Apple Music and even Apple Arcade games can be sent to the big-screen TV in hotel rooms. On top of that, there will also be support for workouts and meditation via the Apple Fitness+ subscription, too.

The press release says that there are now more than 60IHG properties across North America that support AirPlay as of right now and that more hotels are set to be added to the list in the coming months.

Continue reading: Apple AirPlay now works with TVs in these hotel rooms across North America (full post)

Apple TV+ is getting a new mystery thriller starring Rashida Jones in July

Oliver Haslam | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Apr 18, 2024 1:00 PM CDT

The Apple TV+ streaming service continues to go from strength to strength with new TV shows, movies, and documentaries appearing seemingly every other week. Now, the streamer has announced the impending arrival of another TV show with some big names involved.

Apple TV+ is getting a new mystery thriller starring Rashida Jones in July

Executive produced by and starring Rashida Jones, Sunny is a TV show that Apple TV+ describes as being a mystery thriller with a darkly comic bent, which should be enough to get the attention of many people. It'll premiere globally with two episodes being made available on Wednesday, July 10. After that, a new episode will debut every Wednesday through September 4 when the 10-episode run will come to its finale.

Apple TV+'s press release announcing the new show says that it is created by Katie Robbins of The Affair and The Last Tycoon fame. Lucy Tcherniak will also act as executive producer as well as director, coming off the back of Station Eleven among other things. In terms of stars, Rashida Jones will be joined by Hidetoshi Nishijima, Joanna Sotomura, Judy Ongg, and others.

Continue reading: Apple TV+ is getting a new mystery thriller starring Rashida Jones in July (full post)

Bethesda promises some 'really good updates' for Starfield are going to be revealed soon

Darren Allan | Gaming | Apr 18, 2024 10:50 AM CDT

Bethesda isn't done with Starfield yet, and there are some 'really good updates' planned for the sci-fi RPG which will be revealed soon enough.

Bethesda promises some 'really good updates' for Starfield are going to be revealed soon

That's the word from Bethesda's Todd Howard, in an interview with IGN that mostly focused on the currently very popular Fallout TV show (streaming on Amazon Prime Video).

The gaming side of the equation did come up in the interview, unsurprisingly, and indeed IGN questioned whether the success of the show on Prime might lead Bethesda to switch priorities and have Fallout 5 come out before Elder Scrolls VI.

Continue reading: Bethesda promises some 'really good updates' for Starfield are going to be revealed soon (full post)

Microsoft has more best-sellers on PlayStation Store than Sony does

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 18, 2024 10:14 AM CDT

Sony and Microsoft may be direct competitors, but sales charts also show just how mutualistic the two companies are.

Microsoft has more best-sellers on PlayStation Store than Sony does

If nothing else, the FTC v Microsoft trial in 2023 taught us one important lesson: PlayStation and Xbox are as cooperative as they are competitive. Microsoft depends heavily on Sony's storefront to sell its games, including mega-hits like Minecraft and Call of Duty, and Sony in turn welcomes Microsoft's revenue contribution. This cooperation has evolved now that Microsoft has broken first-party Xbox game exclusivity.

Microsoft has grown considerably now that it owns Activision Blizzard King, so by virtue of its sheer size, it's not really a surprise that its games now have a larger share and populate multiple charts. To get a better idea of both Xbox's size and its synergistic relationship with Sony, we can take a quick look at best-selling games on the PlayStation Store.

Continue reading: Microsoft has more best-sellers on PlayStation Store than Sony does (full post)