Long before I was a Games Journalist and thus required to watch just about every video game showcase, conference, and direct for my job, I was an eager video game fan doing the exact same thing but without, you know, a professional obligation. Regardless of whether these events required me to rise well before the sun (looking at you, Nintendo), for well over a decade I've been there, buzzing with excitement and ready to preorder things I certainly did not need.Chances are that if you're reading this, you too enjoy watching these events. Though you'd be correct in calling what's shown at these conferences glorified commercials, I've often thought of it as us gamers getting our own little "Super Bowl commercial celebration" every month or so, which is pretty neat if you ask me.Over the years of partaking in these often-solo watch parties, I've come to associate and expect certain things from certain studios and publishers. Devolver will always offer up a somewhat convoluted but high-value production that leans into the absurd, while Wholesome Direct pairs pastels with short-and-sweet sizzle reels, giving each one of the many indie games it's highlighting a brief time to shine. Of the "big three" video game companies--PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo--Nintendo was the first, in my eyes, to really cultivate a strong, public facing identity. If it ever does away with its quirky voiceovers and charming segues, I'd be heartbroken, to say the least.Continue Reading at GameSpot

From the dawn of arcades through to the hyper-competitive tournaments today, fighting games have always been a mainstay in each console generation, with a broad range that varies from fantastical and cartoony slap-fests through to gritty, realistic duels. Most fighting games that involve martial arts tend to take many artistic liberties, turning the fighting into something a lot flashier and more stylized than the original inspiration.

Days Gone developer Bend Studio is now part of the continuously growing list of live-service Sony cancelations. The company's live-service aspirations haven't exactly gone according to plan. Now that the team responsible for Days Gone has had the plug pulled on its recent project, it's unclear what lies in the developer's future.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers through episode 2 of Severance season 2. Read on only if youre fine with one of your severed selves knowing that.]Headed into season 2, Severance is on a hot streak. Picking up right where the season 1 finale left off give or take a few months of outie time; Mark (Adam Scott) is informed its been about five months since the finale Severance season 2 kicks into gear almost right away. That gear is the one were familiar with for the show: methodical and full of clues. Episode 1 of season 2, Hello, Ms. Cobel, doesnt betray much, but it certainly gets everyone back to work, which gets us closer to figuring out any answers to the many lingering questions. Episode 2 certainly provides some more answers (and a clearer sense of the timeline) on the outside of Lumon, and yet still questions remain. To that end, weve compiled a working doc of all the lingering questions Severance is teeing up. Well be updating it as the series goes along, and will include everything from evidence presented on the show to wild conjecture. In the spirit of Dylan (Zach Cherry), lets wonder aloud a little.To that end: What is Lumon working on? Lumon is a deeply mysterious organization. When Helly (Britt Lower) asks in season 1 how many departments there are, the guesses from the MDR team skew wildly probably 30, around five, no one is quite sure are the stated answers and the group doesnt even know what it is theyre working on. Other departments dont know what the others do, and seem to have strange superstitions about the very humanity of their ostensible co-workers.From our glimpses of the outside, its clear Lumon exerts a lot of influence in the wider world. And as Cobel (Patricia Arquette) puts it when someone asks about what Lumon does: Whatever humans can imagine, they can usually create. But season 2 seems to nod to at least one way they make their money: In episode 2, when Helena is making a video covering up addressing Hellys OTC outburst, she says that she mixed alcohol with a non-Lumon medication. So Lumon is in some way part of Big Pharma (and definitely not the sort of drugs that would make you have a public outburst about how innies are being tortured; no siree Bob.) Adding to the general weirdness, theres the weird corporate legacy theyre all indoctrinated to: owned by the Egan company and founded by Kier Egan, who still looms over the company like a cult leader. His Core Principles and employee handbook are dense. They have their hands in a lot of pots, given their subterranean (or possibly just windowless, liminal) office includes goats, optics and design, art preservation, MDR, and more.So what are they up to, and what does the severed procedure actually net them? The answer, on paper, is in its use: No longer do people have to be aware they work, or undergo painful experiences like giving birth. Its not hard to see how that could have applications for soldiers (or even something more nefarious). But the larger goal tbd. Are they doing some kind of Get Out thing where the severance procedure is just a way to transfer consciousness, prolong life, and maybe even bring Kier Egan back to life? Maybe! Why else keep a mans house perfectly preserved in the office? And why else would Helenas Egan CEO dad say she would sit with him at his revolving?But these questions do bring us toWhat is the Macrodata Refinement department working on?Technically we dont know this, either! (Though we are pretty clear that they do not, as the rumors have suggested, each have a larval offspring that will jump off and attack when we get too close.)To us it looks like numbers moving around the screen. But to Mark and his co-workers, its work some of which is numbers that elicit a strange fear response (or even visions like the one Mark gets of Ms. Casey/his wife at the end of the season 2 premiere). And to the heads of Lumon, it seems pretty imperative, given the way theyre willing to bend to Marks demands in the opening of season 2. Episode 2 of the second season seems to back this thought up: Whatever MDR is doing and Innie-Mark specifically is so important that Helena is told she needs to go back in because he asked for it. Theres a popular fan theory that MDR is sensitive and high-level bit work that has something to do with refining/perfecting the severance procedure (or even perfecting one consciousness taking over another), and the numbers represent memories and personality that are getting swept away. One thing that seems important to note: There is a technique to it. When you see us, we really are refining numbers, Adam Scott, who plays Mark, told The Verge. There is actually a way to do it.What are they doing with Marks wife?When were introduced to Outie-Mark, he lives a barren, severed life because he lost his wife a few years prior to the series. In the season 1 finale, Innie-Mark discovers (and screams) that shes alive. So where did she go? Episode 1 doesnt give a lot of details: We know she takes the elevator that Outie-Irv (John Turturro) keeps painting, and we dont know where that goes, or why she got taken.In an interview around the season 1 finale, creator Dan Erickson only vaguely alluded to what might be going on: Theres a lot of questions. Most of which we had answered in our minds when we wrote it, but some of which we didnt. Like, some of which weve been subsequently discussing. But yeah, like, is she severed? Does she know is she in on it? Is she a victim? Is she kidnapped? How did she go from being in this loving marriage with Mark to being Ms. Casey down from the seventh floor? And so thats a big, big question mark at this point. [] Weve seen that theres some sort of experiment or something happening with [Mark] and his wife, and sort of observing them. What did Harmony Cobel want with Mark?Theres a lot of weirdness on Severance, but among the strangest (or at least the coldest) of it is Harmony Cobel infiltrating Marks life both in and outside of work hours. For as much as Milchick (Tramell Tillman) might write this off as some bizarre psychosexual throuple, her game seemed to be much more thought out than that.Its possible that shes keeping tabs on a larger project around the severed employees (in her own way). Cobel was more concerned than the board about Peteys severed memories being permeable; later she asked Marks sister if he ever thought he saw his wife around. She seemed to take a bit of glee in introducing Ms. Casey to the MDR room to watch Helly R., and when she found out that Ms. Casey was getting too chummy with Mark she sent her back down to the testing floor.But it does seem a little more personal than just observing lab rats. When Helena Egan thanks her for her loyalty in reporting the OTC measure, Harmony says it cost her dearly. She says this with a weird air of wistfulness, even her own brand of chilling affection. It could just be Arquettes performance, but its all very odd. Especially since she turns down the new position in the Severance Advisory Council. All in all this question is now compounded with a more pressing one: Where did she go?Whats the testing floor? Oh, great question; no clue, really. But its scary and ominous poor Ms. Casey has to walk down a long, dark hallway that leads to an elevator with just an imposing red down arrow and for some reason Irvs outie has been having visions of it and painting it, as we see in the season finale. Petey alluded to some level of the Lumon building as a place you dont get to leave, which certainly seems like it could be the testing floor.Theres some theories that this has to do with the deeper nature of Lumon, and might involve cloning (hence the goats). At the very least, that Irv and Ms. Casey seem to have some link to the floor would suggest that maybe both of them have undergone the same sort of testing. Particularly since Innie-Irv keeps having weird visions of black shadowy ooze. Why is Ms. Huang a child? Is it a paid internship? Is Lumon flouting child labor laws? Is she also part of the testing floor/Ms. Casey weirdness? So far Ms. Huang not a friend, it must be noted has been clear: Its because of when she was born. Hope that helps!What is the connection with Lumon and water? Lumons logo is a water drop. Theres a water tower in the parking lot (and that gets to be its own character in the Claymation introductory video the innies get shown in the season 2 premiere). Theres lot of names that link back to some sort of body of water MDR files, housing developments the characters live in, even technically the names of the refiners. Ms. Casey tells Innie-Irv that his outie values water. Theres a painting of Egan standing over lakes that are shaped like the Great Lakes.What does it all mean? Not clear yet, though some think that it nods to the alternate universe of Severance existing in a time where there is a war for water, and its considered a more precious (or endangered) resource.Who was the guy in the hallway?In the opening of season 2, Innie-Mark is running through the hallways desperately trying to find Ms. Caseys office. When he turns up short, behind him theres a guy? Just peeking out behind him in the doorframe.The only clue we have is that this man is credited as Man in Hallway, and played by Adam Jepsen. Hes listed as having a recurring role on the show. Seriously, what is the deal with the goats?Among the stranger things we saw in season 1: a herd of goats just being kept? inside the halls of Lumon Industries. All Mark and Helly really know is the caretaker didnt consider them ready yet. Like so much of life at Lumon, the goats both dont immediately make sense and also are openly perplexing as to what their possible use could be. The good news? It seems like by the end of season 2 we will have some sort of answer.

Austin Walkers newly released Realis is a high concept tabletop role-playing game about how the language we use influences our reality. The former Waypoint editor and host of Friends at the Table a long-running actual play that has influenced shows like The Adventure Zone designed this diceless RPG to use sentence construction to explore the Thousand Moons and turn archetypal protagonists into complex, flawed individuals. Since the games announcement early this week, the tabletop corners of the internet have exploded with excitement. But the catch is its not quite the full game yet. Its an ashcan version. But whats an ashcan?In tabletop games, an ashcan is an unfinished version of a game, complete with playable rules but without the polish youd normally find online or on the shelves of your friendly local gaming store. Its an amorphous umbrella word, representing everything from a quick 10-page rules description in a Google Doc to (like Walkers Realis ashcan) a 125-page behemoth with 20 playable classes, 40 NPC classes, factions, and original art. So how did it come to encompass such a wide range? The same as any century-old media term: through borrowing and evolution.The term ashcan comes from the comics industry. According to a 1994 edition of Wizard: The Guide to Comics Magazine, the term came about in the 1930s and 40s (the Golden Age of Comics). Ashcan copies were quick, incomplete versions of comics, often done without lettering or coloring or on occasion just a cover with blank pages. These were made for publishers to send to the U.S. Patent Office to claim copyright protections over titles and characters with an initial publication date. They were named ashcans because they were meant not for public distribution, but for the ashcan, a contemporary term for the trash.The term was largely out of use with the change in copyright laws in 1946 but returned to circulation when comic book collector and publisher Bob Burden used it in 1984 to describe black and white prototype editions of Flaming Carrot Comics sent to friends and collaborators. The term evolved into a pre-publication, mass market hype-builder in the 90s thanks to Rob Liefeld of Image Comics, who used the rarity of the Golden Age ashcans to promote Youngblood.The term has also been used in film for similar reasons, in the same vein as unaired television pilots or proofs of concept, or for legal licensing purposes. In tabletop RPGs, a largely creator-driven medium that shares some DNA with the comics industry, the term has taken on the more contemporary definition as a step between a public beta playtest and the final product. The rules are more or less solid, though tweaks can still happen based on feedback and public opinion.Walkers Realis is one of the more developed ashcans there are, mainly because hes been working on it for four years, with layout by Possible Worlds Games (the RPGs publisher), art by Sam Beck and Oddesque, design by Jack de Quidt, additional writing by Janine Hawkins, and character sheets by Takuma Okada and Brendan McLeod.With the ashcan currently available for $15 on Walkers itch page, it seems more than worth the value, even if something better yet is still to come.

It happens every year: The weather warms up, the plants start sprouting, and suddenly its springand time to clean up after a few months of hibernation. The concept of spring cleaning is pretty popular, and for good reason: Scrubbing and decluttering offer a range of benefits, from lowering stress and boosting your mood to simple physical exercise. Plus, the chances are good that your home needs it. For most people, the phrase spring cleaning brings to mind dusting and vacuuming the interior of the house. Thats a big part of it, of course, but you shouldnt neglect the exterior of your house (or your car!), which has taken a beating during thse cold, snowy months. Nows the time to gear up and plan an exterior spring cleaning to get the outside of your house in shape.Inspect and repairThe first step of an exterior spring cleaning is an inspection to discover damage and other problems that need addressing:Examine the exterior walls. Cracks, rust, or warping in siding or stucco will need to be repaired before they turn into a leak. If you see brown, red, black, or green spots, thats a sign of mildew that will need to be cleaned off.Look for nests or pest damage. Look for insect nests or holes and other entry points for rodents, carpenter ants, and other pests. Nests will need to be removed (be careful when dealing with stinging insects like hornets) and holes will need to be sealed upbut make sure nothing is living in your walls before you do, or youll have a smell problem in short order.Inspect the roof. Signs that your roof needs attention (even if you havent noticed an active leak) include missing shingles, obvious mold growth, ponding water, and cracks or visible sagging. You should also look for cracked flashing or gaps that need caulking.Inspect decks. Look for warped or cracked planks, loose screws, or other damage.If you see any holes, cracks, or other damage, make repairs as necessary before you do any actual cleaning.Clear away debris Once youve assessed any damage or pest infiltration, your next step is to clear away the debris that built up during the cold weather, before it becomes a haven for pests, a barrier to drainage, and a really ugly scene once the sun starts shining again. A few things to do include:Rake up leaves that have been rotting under snowcover for a few months.Remove dead branches, cobwebs, and any trash that winter storms might have blown up against your house.Clean out the gutters and downspouts. Its also a good idea to run a hose up to the gutters and test the water flow to make sure there isnt a blockage somewhere.Clean off the roofremove any branches or other debris up there. If youre (understandably) not thrilled to climb up there, a roof rake can get the job done for you.Wash your houseOnce youve got the debris cleared away, its time to wash the house. While a pressure washer can be useful, you dont necessarily need oneyou can purchase an attachment that will turn your garden hose into an effective pressure washer, as well as attachments that turn it into a spray cleaner. A few places to focus on:Walls. If your siding or stucco has mildew or other dirt, wash it with a bleach-free cleaning solution thats marked safe for plants (like this one). You might need a soft brush or sponge to scrub some areas.Decks and patios. If youve got a wood or composite deck or patio area, a good pressure wash can have it looking like new.Driveway. A pressure washer or garden hose with a washer attachment can do wonders. Use a driveway cleaning solution for any stains that have cropped up during the winter.Outdoor furniture. Even if it was covered or left inside the garage all winter, your patio set needs a brisk cleaning and inspecting for insects or damage.Roof. Once youve removed debris and made repairs, you only need to clean your roof if it shows obvious signs of mold, mildew, or other stuff growing on it. You can buy roof-cleaning solutions that attach to your hose to make this job a lot easier.Chimney. This is the perfect time to take a look at your chimney and give it a good cleaning (or hire someone to clean it for you).Windows and doors. Your windows have probably collected a lot of dirt over the winter, so take a moment to clean them with an outdoor glass cleaning solution. You should also clean the screens, which can get plenty dusty over time.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.There is a surprising number of products that come with into your home with stubborn stickers. A lot of stores still use price stickers, for instance, and glassware almost always has a sticker that gives you some kind of information about your item. Peeling them off is laborious and can leave residue behindbut I found a couple of tips on social media, both of which work fabulously. Adhesive removal hack 1: The melamine spongeI don't even remember where I first heard that you should use a melamine sponge, like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, to quickly do away with stickers and adhesive residue, but I do know it was somewhere on TikTok. I do remember where I first tried it, though: A few months ago, I ordered a new glass table and, while putting it together, noticed the manufacturer had stuck informational stickers directly to the glass. How kind of them! An old TikTok hack popped out of my long-term memory. I grabbed a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (the Ultra Foamy, to be exact), dampened it, and started to scrub. The sticker dissolved. It disappeared. It was gone before I even realized it; I was scrubbing at nothing. Any melamine sponge can do this, though I do prefer the Ultra Foamy just because its suds are something serious. To demonstrate how well this works, I identified a sticker that has been stuck on another table for a few weeks; my goal was to remove half with the Magic Eraser and half with the second hack, which I'll introduce shortlybut once again, the Ultra Foamy worked too well. The whole sticker, which I wasn't able to easily pry up with my own fingernails, came off instantly, with the majority dissolving on the spot and the rest easy to pick up by hand. Too bad for my demonstration, but lucky for me overall. It happened so fast and perfectly that there was no point in taking a mid-scrub action photo. Where once there was an errant tanning sticker to remind me of summer, now there was nothing: No sticker, no adhesive residue, no anything. Adhesive removal hack 2: The hair dryerWith my plan to use the same sticker to demonstrate both hacks literally scrubbed, I started looking for another truly stuck-on sticker I could remove with the second method: the trusty hair dryer. I found a six-year-old candle I never use because its scent is sentimental to me. If any sticker were truly stuck on, it was the one that has had over half a decade to lurk under this candle. This hack is very popular on TikTok, where creators show off how easily and well it works. It's simple: Blast the sticker with the hair dryer for a few seconds and you'll suddenly be able to pull up the edge. (If it's a larger sticker, it may take a minute or two.) What's more, the adhesive all the way across the sticker will be melted, so it peels right off without tearing or leaving streaks. I recommend this technique for big, full stickers, but not for dealing with the remnants of old, semi-removed ones. If you have adhesive goo stuck to something but no actual sticker to yank on, melting it will just make a mess you have to scrub up. You'll be reaching for the melamine sponge anyway, so just skip the hair dryer and go straight to that. So, back to my candle. I assessed the sticker on the bottom and found it was fully and completely stuck with no lifting whatsoever and definitely no weak spot I could start to peel. I flipped it over on a flat surface, hit it with my beloved Dyson, and, after just two minutes, was able to pull the entire thing straight off without leaving even a little residue behind. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Both of these hacks work perfectly and I prefer them to others I've tried. Acetone, for instance, does work, but it takes forever to break down the sticker and adhesive, leaving a streaky mess that you have to keep scrubbing at. (Plus, if you have your nails painted, you have to wear gloves for that one.) Similarly, soap and water can dissolve the paper part of a sticker if you have the patience, but it takes way too long and, again, requires way too much scrubbing. Vinegar also works, but it stinks. The Magic Eraser powers through adhesive and the hair dryer makes any sticker peelable in no time, all without you having to do too much or stink up the place.

Apple posted iOS 18 adoption rates on Friday, which are only slightly different from the numbers for iOS 17 a year ago. The company says iOS 18 has been installed on 68 percent of all iPhones (as of January 21) and 76 percent of models from the last four years.A year ago, 66 percent of all iPhones ran iOS 17, so theres a two-percent uptick for iOS 18 this year. The other stat was identical to todays data: 76 percent of iPhones from the previous four years were running iOS 17 in January 2024.iPad owners arent moving any needles dramatically, either. Apple says 53 percent of all iPads are running iPadOS 18 (the same as iPadOS 17 a year ago). And 63 percent of the tablets from the last four years run iPadOS 18. Thats a notch above the 61 percent of devices from the previous four years running iPadOS 17 early last year.Does the minor boost come from Apple Intelligence wooing a few extra curious adopters? Unfortunately, the company is mum about how many people have opted into its suite of generative AI features.Regardless, we can speculate that Apple wants Apple Intelligence adoption to grow: In the latest iOS 18.3 beta, Apple is enabling its AI features by default during onboarding. (You can still opt out after that, but you have to dig into settings to do so.) In previous versions, it was an opt-in feature you had to explicitly agree to during setup. That software could arrive as early as next week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-says-68-percent-of-all-iphones-are-running-ios-18-195956904.html?src=rss

Netflix's co-chief executive officer Gregory Peters said that the company has made some "good early progress" since it launched games during a call for the streaming service's Q4 2024 earnings. He also mentioned the company's plans for the future of gaming on the service, including rolling out party and couch co-op games that you can stream online. As The Verge notes, Netflix started testing its game streaming technology last year, but it was very limited, and it wasn't clear how it fared. Turns out the company intends to continue investing into the technology and expanding its reach."We think of this as a successor to family board game night or an evolution of what the game show on TV used to be," Peters added when he talked about rolling out party and couch co-op games. He also said that the company will continue adding mainstream titles like GTA, which got tens of millions of downloads, to its offerings. Netflix will continue releasing games based on its shows, as well, because they tend to become fan favorites. Squid Game: Unleashed apparently reached the top spot in app stores' lists for action games in 107 countries. It's on pace to become Netflix's most downloaded game yet.Peters said that Netflix is already seeing "positive impacts in acquisition and retention from [its] game-playing members." He admitted that the positive effects brought about by gaming on the platform are still "relatively small," but Netflix's budget for games is also smaller than its budget for shows and movies. As a result, the company will continue "scaling that investment" as it sees its benefits to acquiring new and retaining old subscribers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/netflixs-push-into-gaming-will-add-party-and-couch-co-op-150050223.html?src=rss

This tech-packed bot has convinced me that Dreame is the robovac brand to watch.