When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Microsoft brings over 50 classic Activision games to Game Pass via new Retro Classics app Pulasthi Ariyasinghe Neowin @LoneWolfSL · May 21, 2025 16:40 EDT In a surprise announcement, Microsoft today revealed the Retro Classics app, a brand-new resource for Game Pass members that features dozens of classic titles. As is evident by its name, the app specializes in retro classics, and the focus is on Activision-published games that landed back in the 80s and 90s. Arriving as a partnership between Xbox and Antstream Arcade, the app is available to all Game Pass subscribers. Considering the age of the games, a wide variety of consoles are listed when sorting, including the original PlayStation. It seems more games are planned for the app too. The games have gamepad and keyboard controls, instructions on how to play through them, in-game daily challenges, and even achievements. Here's everything included in the launch version of Retro Classics: Activision Prototype #1 Atlantis Atlantis 2 Barnstorming Baseball Beamrider Bloody Human Freeway Boxing Bridge Caesar 2 Checkers Chopper Command Commando Conquests of the Longbow Cosmic Ark Crackpots Decathlon Demon Attack Dolphin Dragster Enduro Fathom Fire Fighter Fishing Derby Freddie Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist Freeway Frostbite Grand Prix H.E.R.O. Kaboom! Laser Blast MechWarrior MechWarrior 2 Megamania Pitfall Pitfall 2 Police Quest Pressure Cooker Quest for Glory Riddle of the Sphinx River Raid River Raid 2 Robot Tank Sky Jinks Space Quest 2 Space Quest 6 Space Treat Deluxe Spider Fighter Star Voyager Tennis The Adventures of Willy Beamish The Dagger of Amon Ra Thwocker Title Match Pro Wrestling Torin's Passage Trick Shot Vault Assault Venetian Blinds Zork: The Great Underground Empire Zork: Zero "This initiative is a step in our commitment to game preservation and backwards compatibility, allowing players to experience many timeless games on modern devices," added the company. The new Retro Classics app is available on PC, Xbox consoles, as well as all cloud-supported platforms, including Smart TVs, VR headsets, and more as a part of Game Pass. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Quebec Culture Minister Mathieu Lacombe has introduced Bill 109, which would require streaming platforms like Netflix and Spotify to feature and prioritize French-language content. CBC.ca reports: Bill 109 has been in the works for over a year. It marks the first time that Quebec would set a "visibility quota" for French-language content on major streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney and Spotify. [...] The legislation, titled An Act to affirm the cultural sovereignty of Quebec and to enact the Act respecting the discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment, would apply to every digital platform that offers a service for watching videos or listening to music and audiobooks online. Those include Canadian platforms such as Illico, Crave and Tou.tv. It would amend the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms to enshrine "the right to discoverability of and access to original French-language cultural content." If the bill is adopted, streaming platforms and television manufacturers would be forced to present interfaces for screening online videos in French by default. Those interfaces would need to provide access to platforms that offer original French-language cultural content based on the government's pending criteria. Financial penalties would be imposed on companies that don't follow the rules. If the business models of some companies prevent them from keeping to the letter of the proposed law, companies would be allowed to enter into an agreement with the Quebec government to set out "substitute measures" to fulfil Bill 109 obligations differently. "We don't want to exempt them. We're telling them, 'let's negotiate substitute measures,'" Lacombe told reporters. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie $14 (was $27) | Releases May 27 Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart The first fully animated, feature-length Looney Tunes movie releases on Blu-ray next week, and preorders are up for grabs for a ridiculously low price. Amazon and Walmart have The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie for just $14, which is nearly 50% off the Blu-ray's $27 list price. The Day the Earth Blew Up will be added to HBO's Max streaming service on June 27, but the Blu-ray edition currently costs less than the price of one month of Max's standard ad-free plan ($17). The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie $14 (was $27) | Releases May 27 Since the current preorder deal at Amazon and Walmart already saves you nearly 50% compared to the film's MSRP, we'd be surprised to see it drop even lower. That said, you will be eligible for additional discounts at either retailer thanks to preorder price guarantees.The Day the Earth Blew Up is also releasing on DVD on the same day. The DVD edition is on sale for $13 (was $25). Considering Looney Tunes was created in 1930, it's rather remarkable that The Day the Earth Blew Up became the first animated, full-length movie starring the zany cast of cartoon icons. Prior to its theatrical debut last year, the most notable Looney Tunes feature films mixed live action with animation (Space Jam and Space Jam: A New Legacy). Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart The Day the Earth Blew Up follows Daffy Duck and Porky Pig on a quest to stop aliens from taking over the world. It earned mostly positive reviews from critics and fans. After its limited theatrical debut last year, the film released in theaters across the US in March.Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Bat-Family is one of the most well-known factions in DC Comics. They prowl the streets of Gotham City, put a stop to injustice, and combat the criminals of the city. The faction has grown considerably from its beginnings, and now consists of a number of exceptional individuals who have all dedicated themselves to Batman's mission.

Gigantamax Machamp is making its Gigantamax debut in Pokémon Go, and given its a bit of a powerhouse, it’ll need some coordination to take down. It’s expected to hit hard, so you’ll want to bring out the tankiest of your tanks to help you out with this. Machamp will specifically appear as part of Gigantamax Machamp Max Battle Day on Sunday, May 25, from 2-5 p.m. in your local time, appearing at power spots every 30 minutes or so. (This also comes hot off the heels of a Machop Community Day event the day before, so make sure to stock up on Machop Candy!) Below we list Gigantamax Machamp’s best counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go, as well as general battle tips for the big guy. Gigantamax Machamp weakness Machamp has a few weaknesses, though there’s only a few we can really take advantage of: flying-, psychic-, and fairy-type moves. That being said, it’ll be resistant against rock-, bug-, and dark-type moves, so don’t use those unless they’re just fast moves to help charge the max meter. Gigantamax Machamp best counters Try to bring at least one of these attackers: Dynamax Metagross with Zen Headbutt (Max Mindstorm) Dynamax Moltres with Wing Slash (Max Airstream) Dynamax Unfezant with Air Slash (Max Airstream) Dynamax Charizard with Air Slash (Max Airstream) Yep, you read that right — Dynamax Charizard, not Gigantamax. Gigantamax Charizard will always have G-Max Wildfire as its attack, regardless of what its fast move is set to, and in this case, you want a flying-type max move. That said, you can still bring a powered-up Gigantamax Charizard if that’s what you’ve got! Bring anything that can bring the damage; the list above is just the best stuff to bring. As of this writing, there’s a Timed Research set that will reward you with a Dynamax Beldum, alongside Beldum Candy to help you prepare for this tough fight, so you should invest in that if you can. For defenders/tanks, bring one or two of the following: Dynamax Blissey with Pound Dynamax/Gigantamax Gengar with Lick Dynamax/Gigantamax Venusaur with Vine Whip Dynamax/Gigantamax Blastoise with Water Gun These guys’ job is just to soak up the damage from Machamp while generating as much energy as possible with their fast attacks. Note that your mileage may vary here — if Machamp knows Close Combat, your Blissey may have a harder time. If Machamp knows Payback, then your Gengar might be in trouble. If possible, bringing one of each and then swapping depending on Machamp’s moveset is going to be the to-go strategy here when it comes to tanking. Consider just bringing the strongest Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon you have. If you have a maxed out Gigantamax Toxtricity and your Dynamax Metagross isn’t leveled (and you don’t have the means to power it up), just bring your Toxtricity. General Gigantamax Machamp tips If you’ve been struggling in Max Battles, here’s some general tips to survive — and make sure you’re an asset to your team. Gigantamax battles involve way more strategy than the usual rampant tapping that you do in raids, so make sure to know what you’re doing before jumping in. Make sure you have enough players. High-efficiency groups with maxed out investments can take down the Machamp with fewer people, but practically, if you don’t have hundreds of spare candy and even more Stardust laying around, this isn’t going to be an option for you. Make sure you have as many people as possible to ensure that you get your beefy muscle man. Don’t sleep on Max Spirit and Max Guard. Teams work best when there’s a variety of moves, not just maxed-out attacks. Each player should bring Pokémon with the defensive and healing moves unlocked as well. Max Guard will focus single-target damage towards you and reduce the damage taken; Max Spirit will heal the whole party. These moves are really important to make sure your damage-dealers can keep dishing. Remember to swap to super effective moves when it’s time to Dynamax. For Dynamax Pokémon, their max moves are determined by whatever type their fast move is. This means if you have a Darmanitan with Fire Fang, it will know Max Flare. A Gengar with Lick will know Max Phantasm. Take advantage of this and make sure to swap to a Pokémon that will deal super effective damage to your target before Dynamaxing, if you can. Focus on your fast moves. You want to spam your fast moves to build up that Dynamax meter and often times, using your charge move is actually a DPS loss when compared to the damage you could be doing with your max move will be. Spam those attacks! Level up a few ‘mons, but you don’t have to go too hard. Depending on your group size, you absolutely do not need to max out all your Dynamax Pokémon to level 40-50. While this will make it easier on the rest of your group, if this isn’t an investment you can make, you don’t have to stress about it. Power things up as high as you can afford to, but don’t fret if you don’t have a maxed out Pokémon. All of that said, make sure to come as prepared as you can be. This is a team effort and there’s a chance that a full group of four can still fail. Do not just bring your unleveled Dynamax Wooloo expecting a free ride to a powerful Pokémon. (After all, if everyone does that, then you certainly won’t clear the battle.) Again, you don’t have to completely max out your Pokémon, but it will be better for everyone involved if you bring something helpful to the table. Keep your eye out for a shiny Machamp! If you clear the raid, there is a chance that the Machamp you catch will be shiny — which also means it’ll be a guaranteed catch. Use a Pinap Berry to score extra candy if you get lucky enough to find a sparkly Machamp.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.There was a time when you needed to spend over $1,000 to get your hands on a MacBook that could handle everything from spreadsheets to video edits without complaint. That’s no longer the case—at least not with this deal. This refurbished 2020 MacBook Air with the Apple M1 chip is down to $549.99 for the 8GB RAM + 512GB SSD model and $589.99 for the 16GB RAM + 256GB SSD configuration. Both are “Grade A” units, meaning they might have little to no visible wear even though they are refurbished.You get the same M1 chip that helped Apple cut ties with Intel—an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine working together to make everything from browsing to photo editing fast and efficient. That chip also means zero fans, so the machine stays completely silent, no matter how long you’re running it. The Retina display still holds up with a crisp 2560x1600 resolution, and the battery life is solid, around 15 to 18 hours depending on use.You do miss out on some newer features like MagSafe charging or a 1080p webcam, but for this price, those trade-offs feel minor. Both variants include two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, wifi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, a responsive backlit Magic Keyboard, and Touch ID. And because it’s still supported, you’ll be able to upgrade to macOS Sequoia 15. If you’ve been eyeing a MacBook for work, school, or general creative projects and can live without the newest features, this deal makes a strong case for sticking with Apple’s first (and still very impressive) M1 machine.

It's been almost ten years since Dyson first unveiled its Supersonic hair dryer, which put its signature bladeless fan technology into a styling product. For a company that was known primarily for its vacuums at the time, this was a surprising move. Since then, Dyson has released several beauty tools like its Airwrap curling iron that have spawned countless imitations. The company also expanded into other categories like audio with its OnTrac headphones and the controversial Zone headphones-with-built-in-purifying-mask while continuing to make some of our favorite cordless vacuums.  Today, Dyson is going full circle by announcing the PencilVac, which it says is the "world's slimmest vacuum cleaner." The twist? It achieves that thinness by using a motor that's basically the same as the one in the Supersonic hair dryer. What makes the PencilVac different from existing vacuum cleaners is the fact that it's basically all shaft, with some attachment options for the head. That means there is no bulge unless you use the included conical brush bar cleaner head. All the parts that would normally take up space on a conventional vacuum (like a bin, filter and motor) all fit inside the long cylinder. At the very bottom, you can attach a variety of heads designed specifically for the PencilVac, including the main one that Dyson is calling a "Fluffycones" cleaner head.  The company said it has four cones in two brush bars that rotate in opposite directions, and they were designed to "strip and eject even long hair, preventing hair tangling around the brush bar." The laser-like lights at both ends of this head also help illuminate where dust particles might be so you can better see what spots you missed. Dyson Altogether, the PencilVac weighs about 3.96 pounds (1.8kg) and is meant to be easy to use in all kinds of hard-to-reach areas. Since it's got the same roughly 1.5-inch (38mm) diameter throughout, you can grip it fairly easily along its body, wherever you choose to place your hands. This should make it easier to pick up for overhead cleaning. To get the entire PencilVac to look like, well, a pencil, Dyson had to redesign quite a lot of components. This includes the new Hyperdymium 140k motor, which the company says is its "smallest (at 28mm) and fastest vacuum motor. " There's also a new dust compressing system to "maximize the bin capacity." Speaking of, the bin fits inside the cylinder itself, and it has a transparent window that allows you to not only see how full it is but also watch as debris gets sucked up. In fact, at a recent demo, I watched with a mixture of satisfaction and sadness as bits of crushed up Lotus Biscoff cookies flew to the top of the bin.  Despite its small size, the Hypderdymium 140k motor seemed plenty powerful in my brief time with it, as it sucked up Cheerios, cookies and other detritus with ease. I also found the entire device mostly easy to maneuver — it didn't feel too heavy and coasted over the bumpy food waste with ease. I was slightly confused by the locking system as I had to make sure to hold it precisely straight up (and wait for a click) after I was done to make sure the stick didn't just fall to the ground. Dyson also designed a new filtration system that the company said "effectively separates dust and debris from the airflow without causing filters to clog or cleaning performance to decline." It also made a new "two-stage linear dust separation system, which captures 99.99 percent of particles down to 0.3 microns so only cleaner air is expelled back into the home."  More interestingly, the PencilVac has an "air-compressing bin design" that allows the bin to contain "five times more dust and debris than its 0.08L capacity." In the few rounds of cleaning that I witnessed, the PencilVac certainly appeared to be packing in the garbage quite tightly, though whether it can actually hold 0.4L of stuff is something I didn't get to measure. Dyson When it comes time to empty the container, you can use what Dyson calls its "new hygienic syringe bin ejection system" to empty it. I didn't try this out myself, but it basically involves removing the cleaner head, aiming the bottom of the PencilVac at your trash receptacle and sort of shucking the transparent housing up and down to get the debris out. I watched a Dyson engineer do this and the process seemed straightforward, though it did look like parts of the housing trapped some crumbs. The good news is, you can detach the shell and filters to more thoroughly clean them. The PencilVac also has a swappable battery pack that can last up to 60 minutes of suction, and you can charge the machine on its magnetic charging dock. This is also Dyson's first connected cordless vacuum, meaning it works with the MyDyson app so you can see battery levels, access more settings and get maintenance alerts (like when and how to clean the filter). There's also an LCD screen at the top of the handle that shows the selected power mode as well as remaining run time (while you're cleaning). You'll largely interact with the controls via the two physical buttons here, too. Dyson hasn't shared pricing details on the PencilVac, but there's plenty of time for the company to figure that out, since it's only going to be available in the US next year. That's 2026. Meanwhile, the device will retail in other regions.  This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/the-dyson-pencilvac-is-the-most-stick-like-stick-vacuum-ever-020109491.html?src=rss

The new Dyson PencilVac looks nothing like any vacuum I've seen before – here are the 6 strangest things about it.

Nike confirmed to CNBC that its shoes are returning to Amazon.

Behind the scenes. The post Watch Rodeo’s VFX breakdown for ‘1923’ featuring their wolf appeared first on befores & afters.