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Capcom asks gamers what the next Resident Evil remake should be

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 1, 2023 5:35 PM CDT

Capcom's latest public survey saves its best question for the very end: What Resident Evil game do you want remade?

Capcom asks gamers what the next Resident Evil remake should be 1

Capcom is on fire right now. The company just recorded its 7th straight consecutive year of operating profit growth and managed to sell 41.7 million games in FY22. Resident Evil 4 is performing strongly with over 4 million units sold worldwide, continuing the long-running success of Capcom's new remake lineup.

Now that RE4 Remake has been delivered, Capcom wants to know where it should go next, and is directly asking fans what Resident Evil games they'd like to see get the remake treatment. There isn't a selection to choose from--Capcom doesn't want to play its hand too early--and fans can freely submit whatever title they want. Do you want to see Code Veronica next? Maybe Resident Evil 5 or 6 as the next remake? Now's your chance to make your voice heard.

Continue reading: Capcom asks gamers what the next Resident Evil remake should be (full post)

Redfall originally had a robust microtransaction model

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 1, 2023 4:32 PM CDT

Redfall's controversial reception could have been even worse if the game launched with its intended storefront.

Redfall originally had a robust microtransaction model 2

A new report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier has illuminated some of the major problems that Arkane faced with Redfall, its latest vampire-themed looter-shooter. The game's trouble story stems from deep alignment and scope issues from the get-go, with many of the original Prey development team leaving en masse as the game suffered an identity crisis that tore Redfall between a singleplayer-driven experience and an online multiplayer shooter.

General games-as-a-service inexperience exacerbated these issues, with Arkane facing the infinite complexities of maintaining a live game both operationally and mechanically. Redfall is something that Arkane's management did want to make, however PR secrecy led to significant short-staffing for a studio that was simply already in over its head when it comes to live service titles.

Continue reading: Redfall originally had a robust microtransaction model (full post)

WhatsApp companion mode is finally rolling out on the iPhone

Oliver Haslam | Software & Apps | Jun 1, 2023 2:19 PM CDT

WhatsApp has grown to become one of the biggest instant messaging platforms on the planet but it's always had one particular problem - there was no real way to sign into an account on multiple devices at the same time. That's changing thanks to companion mode, and now that mode is rolling out on the iPhone.

WhatsApp companion mode is finally rolling out on the iPhone 02

Companion mode has been available on other platforms for a little while but this is the first time that we've heard of it starting to be added to some people's accounts who use iPhones. According to a WABetaInfo report, some people are now seeing the feature become available after installing the latest version of WhatsApp from the App Store.

WhatsApp first announced companion mode back in April 2023 and it admitted at the time that it was a feature that was highly requested by users. Companion mode allows users to connect up to four additional devices to an account linked to an iPhone.

Continue reading: WhatsApp companion mode is finally rolling out on the iPhone (full post)

The Nothing Phone (2) will get tons of software updates and a display boost

Unlike its first phone, Nothing is bringing the Phone (2) to the United States and the company will officially announce more details about the phone at some point next month. Now, the company has confirmed a couple of little tidbits of information ahead of time relating to software and the Phone (2) display.

The Nothing Phone (2) will get tons of software updates and a display boost

The news came via a series of tweets posted to the social network that confirmed a couple of interesting things, especially for those who thought the Phone (1) was a little on the small side.

Perhaps the most notable part of the tweets was the fact that Nothing will make the Phone (2) as sustainable as possible. To do that it says that it is committed to continuing to offer three years of Android updates as well as four years of security updates - something that should ensure that not only do Phone (2) buyers get new features but that they're also protected in terms of security flaws and whatnot.

Continue reading: The Nothing Phone (2) will get tons of software updates and a display boost (full post)

Apple's testing M2 Max and M2 Ultra Macs, could they debut at WWDC next week?

Oliver Haslam | Computer Systems | Jun 1, 2023 1:41 PM CDT

Potential buyers of Apple's very best Macs should probably wait a little while before picking up a new one because a new report claims that the company has something new on the horizon.

Apple's testing M2 Max and M2 Ultra Macs, could they debut at WWDC next week? 02

A new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that Apple is now testing new versions of its Apple silicon with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips in the works. And with WWDC taking place on June 5, we can only imagine that there will be a new high-end Mac or two on the docket.

Apple is already expected to announce the 15-inch MacBook Air during the event on Monday, but Gurman has previously said that several new Macs are on the way. In a new report, Gurman says that Apple is planning two new Macs which are labeled internally as Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14. Gurman believes that the two Macs are running multiple chips including the M2 Max that was announced in January 2022. The other chip is thought to be another high-end chip, likely to be called the M2 Ultra.

Continue reading: Apple's testing M2 Max and M2 Ultra Macs, could they debut at WWDC next week? (full post)

BioWare experimented with AI-powered story and dialog, but it ended in disaster

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 1, 2023 1:36 PM CDT

The AI gold rush presents interesting opportunities to disrupt key markets and streamline operations with greater levels of automation. There's been lots of talk and excitement about how AI could help gaming.

BioWare experimented with AI-powered story and dialog, but it ended in disaster 1

The prospect of creating a kind of AI that can sustainably write, fabricate, and maintain the infinitely-complex machine that is games development is an appealing pipe dream--but developers, CEOs, and publishers are quick to shake off this fantasy.

Although AI will likely help the games industry by reducing crunch and opening the doorways to more productivity and complexity of games, the days of AI replacing actual humans in this field are a long ways away--if it happens at all. There's just some things you can't fake.

Continue reading: BioWare experimented with AI-powered story and dialog, but it ended in disaster (full post)

Apple shares iOS 16 adoption figures and they're ... fine

Every year Apple shares details about how many of its active devices are running the latest and greatest version of its software. Today it did exactly that, updating developers on how well adopted iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 have been since their release towards the end of 2022.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro - Image: apple.com

Apple iPhone 14 Pro - Image: apple.com

According to the figures, which were posted to the App Store section of Apple's developer website, 90% of all iPhones introduced in the last four years are now running some flavor of iOS 16, a figure that is impressive for developers who want to be able to build apps against the latest APIs.

That figure falls to 81% when all active iPhones are taken into account, but it's still almost identical to the figures from last year's iOS 15 release.

Continue reading: Apple shares iOS 16 adoption figures and they're ... fine (full post)

Report: ZeniMax pressed its studios to add microtransactions to games

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Jun 1, 2023 12:29 PM CDT

A new Bloomberg report confirms what gamers have long thought to be true: ZeniMax Media insisted that its studios add microtransactions to new games.

Report: ZeniMax pressed its studios to add microtransactions to games 1

ZeniMax Media has some of the best-selling franchises on the planet. Bethesda's beloved series are known far and wide; from The Elder Scrolls and Fallout to id Software's legendary Doom, these games are powerhouse singleplayer experiences that sell tens of millions of copies.

Singleplayer gaming saw disruption, though. The emerging games-as-a-service industry model had triggered a paradigm shift in the industry, and publishers could make hundreds of millions--or even billions--of dollars from microtransactions and seasonal live service content. ZeniMax broke into this market with The Elder Scrolls Online in 2014, and since then, we've seen multiple franchises pivot towards live services, including the controversial Fallout 76, the multiplayer-driven Wolfenstein Youngblood, and even Doom Eternal. Now the trend continues with Redfall, which has been regarded by critics as one of the worst games of 2023.

Continue reading: Report: ZeniMax pressed its studios to add microtransactions to games (full post)

Own a GIGABYTE motherboard? It might be affected by a nasty vulnerability

Darren Allan | Motherboards | Jun 1, 2023 11:30 AM CDT

A large number of GIGABYTE motherboards are reportedly affected by a vulnerability that could be seriously bad news.

Own a GIGABYTE motherboard? It might be affected by a nasty vulnerability

That's according to cybersecurity outfit Eclypsium, which runs a system that heuristically picked up backdoor-like behavior in PCs with GIGABYTE mobos in the wild.

Embarking on an investigation and subsequent analysis, Eclypsium pinned down the problem to GIGABYTE's firmware and a compact updater app therein (designed to ensure the firmware stays fully up to date).

Continue reading: Own a GIGABYTE motherboard? It might be affected by a nasty vulnerability (full post)

Bugged Surface Duo update is causing much frustration with random reboots

Darren Allan | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Jun 1, 2023 10:20 AM CDT

Microsoft just pushed out an update for its Surface Duo and Duo 2 devices with a nasty sting in the tail, in the form of a bug that causes the hardware to reboot randomly.

Surface Duo owners feel very much neglected by Microsoft, and this latest episode won't help (Image Credit: Microsoft)

Surface Duo owners feel very much neglected by Microsoft, and this latest episode won't help (Image Credit: Microsoft)

This gremlin in the works was reported by Surface Duo owners on Reddit after the May 2023 update, with the restarts happening seemingly without any rhyme or reason, making for a serious headache, as you can imagine.

A staff member on Microsoft's Answers.com help forum said the company is actively investigating the problem.

Continue reading: Bugged Surface Duo update is causing much frustration with random reboots (full post)

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