Deleted member 151830 Jun 25, 2023 7,173 View: https://youtu.be/GxeAuWTduC4 View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3333990/Covenant/ Covenant is a first-person dark fantasy combat game in which you play as a messenger sent from above. Wield martial arts, secret magic, and ancient weapons to explore and conquer a vast interconnected world. Greater Things Are Coming. Click to expand... Click to shrink... "10,000 souls stand before you..." "Then 20,000 knees shall kneel." Click to expand... Click to shrink... Seek the Old Notes. Experience Creation through the eyes of the last living messenger - a warrior angel sent to carry out the will of the Composers. The oldest of your kind, Malach, has fallen to the abyss - leaving in his wake a trail of destruction. You must follow in the footsteps of his final days in order to uncover the nature of his fall - and in doing so, reveal the slumbering forces hidden within Creation. GAME FORMAT Metroidvania / Soulslike world! Creation is a sprawling and interconnected land of myth. Discover shortcuts, use keys, and search down hidden paths to unearth every last secret. Bosses! Creatures of fallen empires and heroes long lost stand in your way. Some require strategy. Some require weaponry. Some desire a duel. Others still, must be challenged with friends. Puzzles and Riddles - This world is full of mystery - get creative. Platforming - The way is often blocked. You'll need to find another. Rewards and Exploration: Relics lost to time are yours to claim - if you can find them. Exploration is worthy. Progression - Become a messenger of death as weapons are upgraded, spells grow stronger, and fighting stances reveal themselves. Campaign CO-OP & PVP 'The way forward is long and dark. You must be most brave.' Play alone. Play with. Play against. The choice is yours. SPECIALTIES 'This one is different.' Master close quarter combat like never before (in first-person!) Kick, grab, roll, and execute anyone who stands in your way. Expressive and powerful movement abilities! Skillfully pivot your slide around corners, down slopes, kick or jump off walls, and alternate between rolling or side-stepping in intimate duels. These are easy to use but will take time to master. PVP - Duel other players for glory in 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 arenas. Each weapon can be improved several times to unlock hidden abilities, traits, and catalysts. The Souslike 1 Hand / 2 Hand system is present, changing the attributes of every gun, sword, and tool at your disposal. Change hand forms to adapt your fighting style to the situation + hone your own creative playstyle. 2-Handing unlocks powerful abilities on the weapon but leaves you less mobile. Stances don't just change your elemental affinity - they change your entire fighting style down to the way you run, jump, kick, and slide. Each stance playstyle varies drastically. And every may take a lifetime to master. Spells and Auras can be cast to change the course of the fight. Each spell can be charged, and each aura can be cast in multiple ways that best suits the situation Powerful build-crafting opportunities between 4 ring slots, Stances, Weapons, Spells, Garbs, Catalysts, and more. Click to expand... Click to shrink...   Last edited: Dec 8, 2024 Masagiwa Member Jan 27, 2018 10,080 Interesting   nsilvias Member Oct 25, 2017 29,508 Get rid of the not guns and maybe it would be cool   snipe_25 Member Oct 27, 2017 2,288 "FPS Soulslike" Interesting  OP OP Deleted member 151830 Jun 25, 2023 7,173 nsilvias said: Get rid of the not guns and maybe it would be cool Click to expand... Click to shrink... nah this looks sick as fuck i want them to keep them   Alexious Executive Editor for Games at Wccftech Verified Oct 26, 2017 953 stopmrdomino said: "10,000 souls stand before you... Then 20,000 knees shall kneel." Click to expand... Click to shrink... Clearly riffing on 300's 'Our arrows will blot out the sun!' 'Then we'll fight in the shade' But it looks interesting for sure  hey it's that dog Member Oct 25, 2017 9,529 Looks really cool and seems very ambitious. The team is only 12 people so I can't help but be skeptical, but hoping for the best.   BeeDog Member Oct 26, 2017 5,408 Looks cool, I like that they show it clearly and straight-up in the trailer, jank and blemishes and all. The enemies seem fun to battle, so hope this one turns out well!   Gabbo Member Oct 25, 2017 7,794 Intriguing. We don't get a lot of "sent from God" shooters, it just seems like it should be an character action game/ soulslike RPG instead of a shooter but the pedigree lead me to believe it'll work.   Vincent Grayson Member Oct 27, 2017 7,178 Mount Airy, MD I really look forward to whenever we get to move past "all dark fantasy needs to look like Souls games", because it's pretty goddamn tired at this point. That said, this *does* look like it might be pretty cool to play.  AgentStrange Member Oct 25, 2017 4,883 Finally! Dark Heretic Souls.   Biosnake Member Oct 25, 2017 14,302 The Dark Souls of FP games   Rolodzeo Member Nov 10, 2017 4,250 Spain, EU Meh, dark fantasy settings are getting old on my book.   Bishop89 What Are Ya' Selling? Member Oct 25, 2017 42,149 Melbourne, Australia Doom Souls Looks great  Satchmosax Member Feb 21, 2021 1,223 Looks very interesting, but the: "From the creators of [insert every game ever made]" really does not work for me lol. I get anti excited because of it.  DoubleTake Member Oct 25, 2017 6,951 Im in just to see if a developer can actually make 1st Person combat as engaging as 3rd Person for me. The gameplay details in the OP sound very promising. The fact that its former competitive FPS devs has me hopeful that the PVP will be decent as well. Wishlisted.   Zukkoyaki Member Oct 25, 2017 14,111 This looks awesome   HemoGoblin Member Nov 3, 2017 1,033 Seems cool. If it's good I hope they put it on consoles.   y0shizawa Member May 3, 2021 627 Looking forward to trying this   Faces of Death Member Oct 25, 2017 1,984 Rolodzeo said: Meh, dark fantasy settings are getting old on my book. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Nope. Not nearly enough of them.  SweetBellic Member Oct 28, 2017 4,832 That got my attention. The marriage of the FPS, Souls-like, Metroidvania genres feels like something that's been a long time coming. Wishlisted!   Messofanego Member Oct 25, 2017 29,359 UK This looks way more interesting than Witchfire and hopefully not made by chuds like that one.   Juraash Member Oct 25, 2017 6,714 The art is pretty damn slick, so that has my interest. Gameplay seemed... interesting, definitely will want to see more of that.   dodo Member Oct 27, 2017 4,251 Gameplay looks kinda fun but "10,000 souls stand before you..." "then 20,000 knees shall kneel." made me laugh out loud   dude Member Oct 25, 2017 5,045 Tel Aviv This looks amazing. Very interested.   Mr.Deadshot Member Oct 27, 2017 22,796 First Person Dark Souls? Every enemy will feel like Marauders in Doom? Well, we will see. Crazy that Amid Evil is still the gold standard for Fantasy FPS.  OP OP Deleted member 151830 Jun 25, 2023 7,173 dodo said: Gameplay looks kinda fun but "10,000 souls stand before you..." "then 20,000 knees shall kneel." made me laugh out loud Click to expand... Click to shrink... i love earnest cringe and cheesy dialogue like that tbh   AaronMT Member Oct 27, 2017 8,134 Toronto I'll take anything for a modern Heretic like   AshenOne Member Feb 21, 2018 6,785 Pakistan HemoGoblin said: Seems cool. If it's good I hope they put it on consoles. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Consoles should be next after the team is done releasing on PC.   Letters Prophet of Truth Avenger Oct 27, 2017 5,070 Portugal Seems worth keeping an eye on. I hope it turns out great.   AviAvi ▲ Legend ▲ Member Jun 23, 2021 9,491 Not my kind of game to play, but I really love looking at it. I think I have a couple of friends who might be into it   Wil Grieve Member Oct 25, 2017 8,784 Bioshock Souls   DJwest Member Oct 26, 2017 7,798 This was all over the place. Meh   HStallion Member Oct 25, 2017 69,203 Looks pretty cool but this for sure like game meant to be played with a keyboard and mouse. I imagine those crazy fast hectic first person battles with constant movement and split second aiming will be a but of a nightmare with a controller.   Indelible Member Oct 27, 2017 16,735 Canada Looks really interesting, added to the wishlist.   sn00zer Member Feb 28, 2018 7,154 If someone figured out how to make a new Painkiller I am very interested.   Clowns Member Oct 25, 2017 8,203 huh looks interes- Mr.Deadshot said: First Person Dark Souls? Every enemy will feel like Marauders in Doom? Click to expand... Click to shrink... oh god please no   cowbanana Member Feb 2, 2018 16,177 a Socialist Utopia I don't love it. I don't hate it. Lots of quick cuts of monochromatic scenes while narration drones on with unintelligible gibberish. It's a thing, but it doesn't really do anything for me.   skeezx Member Oct 27, 2017 23,390 kinda sorta what I thought Witchfire would be when first announced. then it was this weird roguelike/extraction type thing (not bad, but not really what I wanted) will keep an eye out. honestly surprised there aren't more than a handful for dark fantasy FPSs right now (outside the indie scene at least)  WandererJ Member May 16, 2024 1,227 Pretty sold on the concept, on the gameplay, not so much...  Doctor Doggo Member Oct 25, 2017 3,035 Looks awesome, based off the trailer. Whether it coalesces to a good game, we'll see. Wishlisted to keep my eye on it.   bounchfx Member Oct 25, 2017 7,638 Muricas Looks too good to be true. Definitely looking forward to it after seeing that trailer. Hope it hits hard.   Toriko Member Dec 29, 2017 8,843 Looks okay I guess. Although No console version no buy.   Mochi Avenger Oct 25, 2017 1,919 Seattle This looks cool. Hopeful it all comes together!   Supreme Leader Galahad ▲ Legend ▲ Member Oct 27, 2017 2,763 Brazil Hold up, they might be cooking here…   Bede-x Member Oct 25, 2017 11,786 FPS, interconnected world, Metroidvania.. It looks like Dark Souls as a FPS, I'm so in.   Soapbox Member Oct 28, 2017 33,064 The voice over sounds very Elden Ring   Vasilisk Witcher Member Oct 28, 2017 1,140 The trailer look pretty good, a mix of Soulslike gameplay and exploration with Doom (2016 foward) gameplay it is reaaally my alley. Wishlisted, I'll keep an eye on it.   wubalubadubdub Member Dec 26, 2017 2,025 Firelink Shrine Gabbo said: Intriguing. We don't get a lot of "sent from God" shooters, it just seems like it should be an character action game/ soulslike RPG instead of a shooter but the pedigree lead me to believe it'll work. Click to expand... Click to shrink... The "sent by God" shooter to end all shooters is coming next year.   Smoolio Avenger Oct 25, 2017 4,238 I for one am excited to Dark Messiah my way through Elden Ring. wishlisted.  

I enjoyed the critical darling of the moment, Blue Prince, as much as the next elder millennial video game critic. But after weeks of filling countless notebook pages with indecipherable notes — at one point even seeing puzzle solutions in my dreams — I began to crave a game that would carry the bulk of the mental load. As if the Great Gamer God had heard my prayers, Promise Mascot Agency appeared on Steam.You fill the geta of Michi, aka The Janitor, a yakuza fixer who owes a big debt after a money handoff goes wrong. To make good, Michi agrees to move to a neglected town in rural Japan, where he must revive a flagging mascot agency — and restore the community — before an anti-yakuza curse kills him.Crucial detail: In this world, Japanese mascots are real, living creatures. Pinky, the 6-foot severed thumb mascot that follows you through the entire journey? She’s a real, breathing, humongous bloodied finger. She’s also really into hardcore pornography with, like, as minimal pixelization as possible — but I digress.Image: Kaizen Game WorksThe premise sounds more complicated than it is. Promise Mascot Agency is a chore game. You spend the bulk of the adventure driving around an open world, running errands, and fetching items for locals. Within an hour or so, the left side of the screen becomes a rolling to-do list.Dig up some arcade missions on the beach. Recycle garbage at the junkyard. Drive from the westernmost point of the map to the easternmost point to recruit a mascot, then drive all the way back to chat with a new shop owner interested in using your team of misfits to promote a grand opening.Developer Kaizen Game Works debuted with Paradise Killer, a psychedelic detective thriller we dubbed “the most confident game of 2020.” At first glance, it’s taken the classic sophomore album approach with Promise Mascot Agency — making everything bigger and flashier. The town and its surroundings (a mountain, a forest, a beach) sprawl well beyond the scope of most contemporary indie games. Michi is voiced by Takaya Kuroda, best known as Like a Dragon’s longtime protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu.Image: Kaizen Game WorksAnd yet, it doesn’t take long to notice the new open-world game is decidedly chill. Unpretentious. Old-school. The more complex systems — business management tinkering, a card-based combat minigame — feature the video game equivalent of bowling bumpers, ensuring that as long as you try, you’ll do just fine.I’ve written versions of the above sentences as criticism of open-world games in the past. So why can’t I stop playing this one?I think — and frankly, I’m still parsing my feelings each night when I return to Promise Mascot Agency’s beautifully decrepit village — that the designers at Kaizen Game Works know how to wield the chore game in just the right way, like a master sushi chef turning a palm of rice and a slice of fish into an unforgettable meal.Image: Kaizen Game WorksHere, the chores are simply a means of keeping my hands busy while I take a vacation in the game’s utterly charming world. With no mental pressure, I can take a long drive into the mountains, meet weirdos, chill to a killer soundtrack (peak Persona vibes), and notice all the little details. Ghosts gather outside a convenience store. Two mascots I met hours ago hang out at a park, unaware that I’m driving by on my way to save a human-sized block of tofu from embarrassment at a local retailer’s convention.The game has filled a spot in my routine usually reserved for classic sitcoms. When I watch reruns of The Simpsons or 30 Rock, I don’t expect to be challenged. I certainly don’t plan to take notes. I know every beat before it happens, every joke before its punchline. But I find comfort in these fictional people and their cozy alternate reality. These shows give me something to “do” when all I want is to do nothing.I’m not eager to drop everything and play more Promise Mascot Agency. But I’m happy knowing that after everything else that must be wrapped before the end of the day — work, make dinner, get my kid to bed — I have this game that will keep my hands busy and free my mind to wander.Promise Mascot Agency was released April 10 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PC using a prerelease download code provided by Kaizen Game Works. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.See More:

Menu Home News Hardware Gaming Mobile Finance Deals Reviews How To Wccftech Gaming Hogwarts Legacy April 17th Patch Introduces AMD FSR 3, Intel Frame Generation Support, Ray Tracing Improvements and More Francesco De Meo • Apr 18, 2025 at 06:50am EDT A new Hogwarts Legacy patch has gone live on PC, introducing ray tracing and stability improvements as well as new features that may bring performance improvements for GPUs that don't support NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation. The April 17th patch introduces, besides some UI improvements, some ray tracing improvements, such as fixed Hogsmeade watermill shadow not rotating with asset and ray-traced reflections system resolution issues, stability and performance improvements, AMD FSR 3 and Intel XeLL and XeFG support, meaning that users that cannot use NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation now have the option of using either AMD or Intel's tech, depending on their GPU. The patch also introduces support for AMD Anti-Lag 2 and updates Intel XeSS 2.0 to the latest version. The new Hogwarts Legacy patch also packs improvements to the Creator Kit, with plenty of fixes and enhancements for the game's official modding tools. You can check out every fix and improvement the new patch introduces here. Hogwarts Legacy is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The game will also launch on Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5th, the same day the system launches. You can learn more about one of the best games based on the Wizarding World by checking out Chris' review. Subscribe to get an everyday digest of the latest technology news in your inbox Follow us on Topics Sections Company Some posts on wccftech.com may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com © 2025 WCCF TECH INC. 700 - 401 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Season 3 continues to celebrate nostalgia in Call of Duty, with the latest update for Black Ops 6 and Warzone adding a Black Ops Tribute event. Here we explain how to unlock the Close Shave multiplayer perk and the nail gun weapon found in the Black Ops Tribute event, plus highlight all of the event rewards.The Black Ops Tribute limited-time event is live until May 1. This XP event offers Black Ops-themed cosmetics as well as a few new items to use in your customized loadouts across Black Ops 6 and Warzone. This includes the nail gun weapon for all modes, the Death Machine scorestreak and Close Shave perk for multiplayer, and thermite lethal equipment for Warzone.Each XP milestone unlocks at least one reward for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone. However, some tiers have an additional reward specifically for Black Ops 6 owners. All event rewards and their corresponding milestone requirements are listed below. How to use Close Shave perkClose Shave is an Enforcer category perk added to Slot 1. Equipping this perk lets you replace the default gun butt melee with an immediate use of your equipped melee weapon, similar to how melee attacks worked in some of the older Call of Duty games.This perk is only available in Black Ops 6 multiplayer. This is unlocked as part of the event reward milestones listed below. The full list of Black Ops Tribute rewards Intimidation Tactics - Weapon stickerThis skull and bones weapon sticker is unlocked at 15,000 XP. Bomb on Wheels - SprayThis spray is unlocked at 40,000 XP. Striped Beauty - Weapon charmThis dirt bike weapon charm is also unlocked at 40,000 XP, but this is only unlocked for Black Ops 6 owners. Liberating Air - Loading screenThis loading screen features Adler on a dirt bike. The reward is unlocked at 76,000 XP. On The House - GobblegumThis Gobblegum reward is also unlocked at 76,000 XP, but it's obviously a BO6 Zombies exclusive. Operatives - Large decalThis Black Ops-themed large decal is unlocked at 123,000 XP. Close Shave - PerkThis new multiplayer perk is unlocked at 180,000 XP. This is a Black Ops 6 exclusive item. Thermite - Lethal equipmentThermite lethal equipment is unlocked for use in Warzone at 180,000 XP. C9 10mm Auto 30-Round Mags - Weapon attachmentThis new attachment for the C9 SMG is unlocked at 248,000 XP. Call It in - EmblemThis animated Black Ops 6-themed emblem is unlocked at 326,000 XP. Violet Sight - ReticleThis is a new reticle also unlocked at 326,000 XP. This is a Black Ops 6 exclusive unlock, but it can be used in both games. 45-Minute Weapon XP tokenThis reward is unlocked at 414,000 XP. Crate Power - GobblegumThis Gobblegum reward is also unlocked at 414,000 XP, but it is obviously a BO6 Zombies exclusive. Blazing Win - Calling cardThis Adler calling card is unlocked at 511,000 XP. Rest Stop - EmoteThis new sleeping emote is also unlocked 511,000 XP. This is a Black Ops 6 exclusive unlock, but it can be used in both games. Steer - Melee blueprintThis knife weapon blueprint is unlocked at 617,000 XP. Death Machine - ScorestreakThis scorestreak is unlocked at 617,000 XP. This is a Black Ops 6 exclusive item for use in multiplayer and Zombies. Unlocking all 10 tiers of XP milestone rewards will unlock two additional Mastery rewards: The nail gun and the John Black Ops operator skin. The nail gun weapon is for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone, and the John Black Ops operator skin is an exclusive reward for Black Ops 6 owners, but it can be equipped in both games. Nail gun base unlock as Mastery Reward

Halo Studios is rumored to be working on both a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved and a sequel to Halo Infinite, colloquially known as Halo 7. While these projects haven’t been officially announced or confirmed, it’s generally expected that Halo Studios is striving to produce more Halo titles as the franchise nears its 25th anniversary.

On Friday, Future Boy Conan finally comes to streaming on Retrocrush. Anime enthusiasts will recognize the series for being Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial debut, premiering one year before his first theatrical film, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, and several more years before he founded Studio Ghibli with Toshio Suzuki and Isao Takahata. The 26-episode anime was released on Blu-ray in the U.S. in 2021, but this marks the first time it’s been available for Western audiences to legally stream. Set 20 years after an apocalyptic event caused by a terrible war, Future Boy Conan centers on a precocious 11-year-old raised on an isolated island by his kindly grandfather. After Lana, a mysterious young girl pursued by shadowy operatives, washes up on the shores of his home, Conan and Lana embark on a globe-trotting quest to the far corners of this strange and wondrous world. It’s obviously a series with an enormous pedigree, inspiring generations of animators and cementing Miyazaki’s legacy as an indelible creative force from the outset of his career. If that’s somehow not enough to move the needle of interest, Future Boy Conan is so important, it was even referenced in one of the best anime series of the 2020s. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Masaaki Yuasa’s 2020 anime based on Sumito Ōwara’s slice-of-life manga, is about a misfit trio of high school students who start a film club with the intention of creating the greatest anime series ever. Each of them has their own unique strengths: Midori Asakusa, an energetic and imaginative young girl, is a born character designer who believes “concept is everything”; Sayaka Kanamori, Midori’s classmate, has a knack for coordinating projects and producing anime despite her utter disinterest in the art form; and Tsubame Mizusaki, an amateur model with wealthy parents that forbade her from creating anime, is a prodigiously talented animator. Together, the trio tackles project after project, becoming more proficient and confident as they conjure fantastic universes to life on screen. In the anime’s first episode, Midori is shown watching an episode of Conaso of the Lost Island, a fictionalized version of Future Boy Conan, while waiting for her mother to return home from picking up her father at the airport. “It wasn’t something I could do myself, but the big, epic world of adventure I wanted to experience was right in front of me,” Midori is heard saying as she stares agog at Conaso of the Lost Island from her desktop chair, gradually scooting forward with each scene. “That was the first time I realized that someone made the anime I watched.” It’s a sentiment that many animation lovers, myself included, can no doubt sympathize with. Midori dedicated all of her energy and passion to becoming an animator. During a screening of Conaso of the Lost Island, Midori gives an energetic beat-by-beat explanation of the fundamentals of animation when Sayaka asks why anime is so special to her, mirroring a similar scene from the live-action comedy series Blue Blazes where protagonist Moyuru Honō enthusiastically dissects the animated opening of Cyborg 009. It’s fitting that Future Boy Conan, however fictionalized, would serve as the in-universe catalyst for Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!’s own bubbly protagonist. Yuasa and co. were so dead set on including a nod to the series in Miyazaki’s anime, they recreated the footage from it frame by frame in order to skirt copyright violations. “We didn’t get permission,” Eunyoung Choi, co-founder of Science Saru, the animation studio behind Eizouken!, told CBR in 2019. “They’re owned by Nippon Animation and the situation was very complicated. They supported us a lot but we couldn’t get permission to use the original footage, so we had to retrace every single drawing. Since we wanted to make it precisely, we copied exactly how it was. I’m a big fan of Future Boy Conan and just seeing exactly the same shots in our project was very exciting. It’s the same for the voices, sound effects and music; We had to remake everything all over again. But we wanted to do it as it was very important for our series.” All of which is to say: If you’re a fan of either Hayao Miyazaki or Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, you owe it to yourself to seize this opportunity to finally watch the former’s directorial debut. It’s an enduring masterpiece that deserves every ounce of the praise it’s garnered since its premiere, and a wonderful testament to the power of animation to spark an audience’s imagination. Future Boy Conan is available to stream on Retrocrush. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Good news, Android users: You no longer need to pay in order to use Gemini Live's camera and screen share features. Google announced the update in a post on X on Wednesday. The company cited the "great feedback" they received from users' experiences with Gemini Live camera and screen share, and revealed plans to roll out the features to all Android users over the coming weeks. You might even see the options right now. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Gemini Live has come a long way Gemini Live is the conversation mode for Google's AI assistant. Originally, it supported audio-only experiences: You could have a back-and-forth conversation with the chatbot, as if on a phone call with Gemini. However, back in March, Google announced "Gemini Live with Video," which added two key features to the conversation mode: First, you can give Gemini access to your camera and ask it questions about your surroundings. For example, you could point your camera at a sign in another language, and ask Gemini to translate. On the flip side, you can also share your phone's screen with Gemini, and ask it questions about what you're up to. Google originally rolled these new Gemini Live features to the Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S25, and while we knew support for more smartphones were on the way, the company had slated these options as exclusive to Gemini Advanced. If you wanted to share your camera or screen with Gemini Live, you needed to plan to spend $20 a month for the privilege.Following Wednesday's announcement, however, that's no longer the case. As long as your Android phone can run the latest version of the Gemini app, you'll be able to try out these features free of charge. Google must have made the calculation that the expanded user base was worth more than the monthly $20 from a much smaller pool of willing subscribers—likely because of the magnitude of AI training data those extra users will generate for the company. It's a departure from other companies that offer similar features, like OpenAI: You need to pay for ChatGPT Plus to access "advanced voice" mode's camera and screen share features. Lifehacker's David Nield tried out Gemini's camera and screen share features earlier this month when it was exclusive to the Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9. He found that it worked well—to a point, anyway. The bot made mistakes, but most were understandable, like falsely identifying a Fitbit Charge 6 as a Fitbit Charge 5. It could translate social media posts and identify who won a soccer match on website showing the score, but when asked when the game was played, mistook the recent match for one that was played nearly two years prior.These features were available as of Wednesday, April 16, but Google says they will be rolling out over the coming weeks. If you don't see the options yet on the latest version of the Gemini app, just hang tight.

After announcing it last month, ILM has revealed more details of its mixed reality "playset" called Star Wars: Beyond Victory for Meta Quest headsets. At its Star Wars Celebration 2025 in San Francisco, ILM released a new video that shows some gameplay and gives a taste of the other mixed reality experiences. The experience revolves around podracing. It includes three distinct modes, according to ILM's press release: Adventure, Arcade and Playset. The first uses virtual and mixed to reality to follow Volo, "an aspiring podracer whose life gets flipped upside down under the mentorship of the infamous Sebulba [from Star Wars Episode I]." Arcade offers podracing in mixed reality on a virtual holotable, and Playset lets players create "Star Wars moments in mixed reality with a collection of unlockable virtual action figures and vehicles."  We're calling this a Playset because it isn't just a game; it's an entirely new way to experience the Star Wars galaxy and the worlds we create at ILM. This new mixed reality experience blends the physical and digital worlds in a way that's unlike anything we've done before and we’re so excited to share a special first look with our incredible Star Wars community. I was a bit underwhelmed by what I saw, though perhaps the video doesn't do it justice. That said, there is a dearth of decent mixed reality content and any Star Wars IP will likely be welcome. ILM has let to announce a release date and price for Star Wars: Beyond Victory — A Mixed Reality Playset but you can at least add it to your wishlist on the Meta Horizon store. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/ilm-has-made-a-star-wars-mixed-reality-experience-for-meta-quest-120033010.html?src=rss

HP will pay $4 million settlement following lawsuit.

Friday, April 18, 2025, is Good Friday. But when it comes to what places are open and closed on Good Friday, things can be a bit tricky. That’s because Good Friday is not a federal holiday but a religious one. It’s the Friday before Easter, which is always celebrated on a Sunday. Yet Good Friday is also a state holiday in select states. This means that public institutions may be closed in one state but open in another on Good Friday. Here’s what you need to know about what’s open and closed on Good Friday 2025. Is Good Friday a federal holiday? No. Good Friday is not one of the officially recognized federal holidays. Of the 12 federal holidays in 2025, the last one was Washington’s Birthday on February 17, and the next one will be Memorial Day on May 26. Is Good Friday a state holiday? Yes—in some states, anyway. According to the Federal Times, Good Friday is a recognized state holiday in 12 states: Connecticut Delaware Florida Hawaii Indiana Kentucky Louisiana New Jersey North Carolina North Dakota Texas Tennessee In most of these states, public offices will likely be closed on Good Friday. Are banks open on Good Friday? Yes, most major banks should be operating as normal on Good Friday. This includes banks like Chase, Citibank, PNC, and more. Online banking services will be available via the bank’s website and smartphone apps, in addition to physical bank branches being open. Are ATMs open on Good Friday? Yes. ATMs will be open on Good Friday. However, as it is the start of a holiday weekend for many people, ATMs may get picked over sooner than usual.  Is the post office open on Good Friday? Yes, as the United States Postal Service (USPS) is a federal organization, it will be open and operating as normal on Good Friday. This includes both at USPS branches and at home mail delivery. Is mail delivered on Good Friday? Yes. The USPS will deliver mail as normal on Good Friday. Are FedEx and UPS operating on Good Friday? According to FedEx’s holiday schedule, some FedEx delivery services will have a modified schedule on Good Friday, including its FedEx and FedEx Freight services. FedEx Office, FedEx Custom Critical, and FedEx Logistics will be open as normal. UPS says it will be operating pickup or delivery services on Good Friday. It also notes that UPS Store locations will be open. Is the stock market open on Good Friday? No. Major U.S. stock markets will be closed on Good Friday. This includes the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq. Are schools open on Good Friday? Many schools should be closed on Good Friday, but it’s best to check with your school. Despite not being a federal holiday, many public schools choose to be closed on Good Friday. Most private, religious schools will also be closed. Are restaurants open on Good Friday? Most restaurants should be open on Good Friday. This includes well-known chains like McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King, Arby’s, and Chipotle, which should be open. However, note that some franchise locations could be closed, as Chick-fil-A points out. Likewise, many sit-down restaurants should remain open, but you should call ahead first to make sure. Are retail stores open on Good Friday? A majority of big-box retail stores will be open on Good Friday. This includes major chains like Target, Costco, Best Buy, and Walmart. Are pharmacies open on Good Friday? You can expect most pharmacies to be open on Good Friday, including those found in Walgreens. However, pharmacies may have adjusted hours on Good Friday. It’s best to check with your preferred pharmacy to confirm their hours on Good Friday. Are grocery stores open on Good Friday? Many regional grocery store chains should be open on Good Friday. However, they may have reduced hours. It’s best to check with your grocery store directly to see what their operating hours are on Good Friday.