The next Nintendo Direct is scheduled for this Wednesday, the company just announced. It’s being billed as a “partner showcase,” with Nintendo saying it’ll show off Switch games coming in the first half of this year from “our publishing and development partners.” It’ll kick off on February 21, bright and early at 9AM ET.
While Nintendo holds these showcases on a regular basis, this one is potentially more significant than usual. Last week, Microsoft made an expected but still surprising announcement that it would begin bringing some of its titles to “other consoles,” a phrase that’s hard not to interpret as games coming to the Switch (and Sony’s PlayStation 5 as well).
Nintendo says it’ll be a 25-minute presentation, so there’s a chance we’ll hear about some games from other developers, as well. But we’re all expecting to see some news about what games Microsoft is going to bring over to the Switch. Microsoft only said that it would be bringing four games to other platforms but didn’t name them; the latest rumors cite Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Halo and Gears of War as likely options to make the move.
This comes at a time when Nintendo doesn’t have a lot of its own first-party games scheduled for the platform (that we know of, anyway). There’s also the looming specter of a Switch 2 console; reports just said that the hardware is getting pushed back to 2025 after an expected launch at some point this year.
A #NintendoDirect: Partner Showcase is coming! Watch on-demand via YouTube on 2/21 at 6am PT for around 25 mins of info focused on #NintendoSwitch games coming in the first half of 2024 from our publishing and development partners.
Stay tuned here: https://t.co/ZIAs64iWbK pic.twitter.com/CTrAC02G4d
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 19, 2024
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wednesdays-nintendo-direct-will-focus-on-upcoming-third-party-releases-221910223.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Bill Willingham, the creator of the comic book series Fables, says you now own his work, fully and for all time. Willingham has released his work, which served as the basis for Telltale Games’ The Wolf Among Us, to public domain — mostly because he can’t afford to sue DC Comics. In a lengthy post on his Substack page, the artist went pretty in depth in explaining his beef with the publisher. He said the people he negotiated with 20 years ago had already been replaced by people “of no measurable integrity, who now choose to interpret every facet of [their] contract in ways that only benefit DC Comics and its owner companies.”
Based on Willingham’s account of what happened, DC would routinely overlook his input on things like artists for covers or formatting for new collections. That’s pretty innocuous compared to his other allegations, though, including getting royalties late or DC under-reporting royalties so as not to pay him what he’s owed. But the artist said that the company recently went beyond these “mere annoyances” and tried to forcibly take Fables’ ownership from him.
He mentioned Telltale Games in particular, when he talked about how DC execs allegedly admitted that they believe they could do anything with the property. That’s including not protecting the integrity of its stories and characters from third parties — Telltale Games, in other words — that want to radically alter them. Further, he apparently gets no money from DC licensing his work to third parties.
While Willingham knows that he’s still bound by his contract with DC and cannot release anything Fables related without the company’s consent, he argued in his post that you’re not. “[Y]ou have the rights to make your Fables movies, and cartoons, and publish your Fables books, and manufacture your Fables toys, and do anything you want with your property, because it’s your property,” he said.
DC, however, has disagreed with Willingham and his interpretation of their contract and copyright law. “The Fables comic books and graphic novels published by DC, and the storylines, characters, and elements therein, are owned by DC and protected under the copyright laws of the United States and throughout the world in accordance with applicable law and are not in the public domain,” the company told CBR in a statement. “DC reserves all rights and will take such action as DC deems necessary or appropriate to protect its intellectual property rights.”
It’s unclear if this development will have any effect on Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us 2, which is scheduled for release in 2024. The game was supposed to be available this year, but the developer chose to push back its launch, because it needed time to switch from using Unreal Engine 4 to 5 and that involved changes to personnel and the development process.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/creator-of-the-wolf-among-us-universe-releases-it-to-public-domain-130010929.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Microsoft has released a pair of emergency updates to address the “aCropalypse” security flaw found within its native Windows 10 and 11 screenshot editing apps. As Bleeping Computer reports, the company began testing a fix for the vulnerability earlier this week shortly after it was discovered by retired software engineer Chris Blume.
On Friday evening, Microsoft began rolling out public updates for Windows 11’s Snipping Tool as well as Windows 10’s Snip & Sketch app. You can manually prompt Windows to patch the app you use by opening the Microsoft Store and clicking on “Library,” followed by “Get Updates.” Microsoft recommends all users install the updates.
The aCropalypse flaw was first discovered on Pixel devices, and subsequently addressed by Google in Android’s recent March security update. In the case of Windows 11’s Snipping Tool, it turned out the utility wasn’t properly overwriting cropped PNG data. The issue did not affect all PNG files, but the concern was that bad actors could exploit the vulnerability to partially recover edited images, particularly those that had been cropped to omit sensitive information. As with Google's March Android update, Microsoft's patches won't protect images that were previously created with its screenshot tools.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-releases-fix-for-windows-11-screenshot-privacy-bug-195412172.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
You can finally say goodbye to your dated and clunky Steam mobile app. Valve has rolled out the redesigned version of its Steam mobile app for Android and iOS, which it's been testing since at least August this year. When it was looking for beta testers for the application, the game developer said it rebuilt the app "on a new framework and modernized the design." It has also bundled the app with new features, including the ability to log in using QR codes.
The new sign-in method gives you a way to access your Steam account without having to type in your username and password. It uses the two-factor authentication credentials stored in your phone to verify your identity. If you do use Steam's QR sign-in method, the app will show you a confirmation page with details, such as a map with the approximate location of the device you're signing into, after you scan the code with your phone. That way, you can be sure that you're approving your own login attempt
If you'd rather use your username and password to log in, the app will still ask if you'd like to accept or deny the sign-in attempt. And if you want to make sure there's no device linked to your account that shouldn't be, you can now review and revoke access if needed in the Authorized Devices page.
The new Steam mobile app now also displays all your games in the Library. When you click on a game's cover image in the list, you'll find an option that lets you download the game remotely to your PC, and another that gives you the power to uninstall it. Other new features include an improved store browsing experience for mobile displays and customizable Steam notifications for sales, trades, friend requests and other categories. Based on its announcement post, Valve is also working on bringing QR sign-in to the Steam Deck and on adding the Authorized Devices page to the Steam Client and browser.
Don't expect to receive more updates for your Pixel 3. Esper's Mishaal Rahman has learned Google is delivering one last security update to the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. The company previously said the Pixel 3 would get one last update in the first quarter of 2022, and confirmed to Engadget this represents the device's last hurrah.
It's not certain what the patch fixes. However, DarkPlayer noted the build ID matches that for an October patch that targeted newer Pixel models on Verizon. This is a catch-up release rather than an up-to-the-moment patch.
You can expect more if you have a recent Pixel, at least. Google has posted a February 2022 update for the Pixel 3a and newer phones. The revision tackles several significant problems, including reboots during camera use, Bluetooth audio disconnection and quality problems, carrier-specific connection woes and keyboards that override input text in some cases.
This won't thrill you if you're fond of the Pixel 3 — you'll have to upgrade if you want up-to-the-minute security fixes. Don't fret if you have a Pixel 6, though. Google has promised five years of security updates for its latest phone line, so you might not have to worry about patches until 2026.
The Pixel 3 and 3 XL are getting what's presumably their final updatehttps://t.co/YkzqbwvrTE
Not sure what's included in the update. Has anyone gotten the update on their Pixel 3 or 3 XL yet?
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) February 7, 2022
The Windows 10 20H2 update will arrive next month with a few new features, like a visually refreshed Start menu, improved notifications, preinstalled Chromium Edge browser and the ability to Alt+Tab through Edge tabs. It’s also bringing more of the f…
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With COVID-19 still on the rise in many parts of the world, people everywhere are looking for new ways to adequately disinfect common surfaces. Smart devices have always been tricky to clean, as you can’t just dip them in hot water and give them a scrub, nor can you spray just any disinfectant solution on […]
Come comment on this article: Samsung Releases INFIT UV Sterilizer, But There’s a Catch
LG are back with the update to their Stylo 5, aptly named the LG Stylo 6. Will it do enough to take back the mid-range stylus phone crown from the Moto G Stylus? Does that crown even exist? Around a month ago Motorolo released the Moto G Stylus, a 6.4 inch, Snapdragon 665 toting, triple […]
Come comment on this article: LG Stylo 6 releases soon to combat the Moto G Stylus
Meet the Samsung W20 5G, an incrementally improved Galaxy Fold set to release in China. It’s pretty strange for Samsung to launch a better model of their daring folding phone so soon, but it’s not quite the Galaxy Fold 2 that you might be expecting. Small changes, better 5G The W20 5G isn’t a fully […]
Come comment on this article: Samsung quickly releases an improved Galaxy Fold for China
Kojima Productions has released a 4K version of Death Stranding's briefing trailer, which originally debuted at Gamescom in August. And you may want to watch it if you intend to follow all the Death Stranding news that comes out of Tokyo Game Show. H…
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Huawei has released their most recent earnings report, but there’s something a little strange with the timing. Instead of releasing their report on Q2 2019, Huawei is going to be talking about the first half of 2019 instead. Pretty odd, but there’s a reason for that. Huawei’s first half of 2019 has legitimately been fantastic. […]
Come comment on this article: Huawei releases earnings for the first half of 2019 instead of Q2 to hide trade ban damage
Google has released an incremental update for their newly rebranded Wear OS, and this time they’re focusing on making the interface more swipe and gesture friendly. It’s a small change, but also one that should hopefully make Wear OS a more compelling options for users and partners. It would also probably help if Google would […]
Come comment on this article: Google releases Wear OS 2.1 update that focuses on swiping and gestures
Lenovo has announced several new tablets ahead of IFA, with some of them aiming pretty hard at the budget segment of Android tablets. The entire E series of tablets are cheap with a few useful tricks, making a serious competitor to Amazon’s Fire tablets. First up is the Lenovo Tab E7, a 7-inch tablet powered […]
Come comment on this article: Lenovo releases several new value-conscious tablets starting at just $ 70
While many consumers in the smartphone market are looking at new devices running Android Oreo or hoping their existing devices get an update to the latest version of the Android operating system, there is a group that is looking for Android Nougat support. Those users are those who want to run an Android compatible gaming […]
Come comment on this article: BlueStacks releases the first Android gaming platform to run Android Nougat
Microsoft Garage is one of the tech giant’s skunkworks pockets within the company dedicated to producing new apps that may not exactly fit with the larger corporate product map. The latest release from Microsoft Garage is an app targeted at travelers or those who dream of traveling. Outings is designed to help you discover places […]
Come comment on this article: Microsoft Garage releases Outings travel app
PayPal announced a new feature that they hope will help people deal with the stress of the holiday shopping season. According to PayPal, 54% of people who responded to a recent poll say they are stressed out by the prospect of holiday shopping and only 32% find it a joyful experience. To help with that, […]
Come comment on this article: PayPal releases new Money Pool feature for upcoming holiday shopping season
Google is doing some interesting things with Nougat, and one of those will be regular maintenance releases. By pushing out maintenance releases every so often, this allows Nougat to see “continued refinement and polish.” Google didn’t offer any details on how many maintenance releases there would be, but thanks to new information from Evan Blass, […]
Come comment on this article: Nougat should see a total of three quarterly maintenance releases
It has been a year since we last saw the Asus ZenFone Zoom, but the exciting phone is finally ready to go on sale. It’s exciting because of its new optical zoom technology, which keeps the body slim and manageable. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
The post Asus finally releases the ridiculously thin Zenfone Zoom, with its 3x optical zoom appeared first on Digital Trends.
A new report from Korea says LG and Samsung are close to perfecting a foldable smartphone, and that Apple is eyeing the project with a view to making the tech the basis of the iPhone 8.
The post Samsung and LG may decide whether Apple releases a foldable iPhone in 2018 appeared first on Digital Trends.
Misfit have just released a new smart button and now a new Android app to go with it called Misfit Link. With it you can use any Misfit device to take a selfie with your phone camera app, control your music, or advance slides in a presentation.
Just a simple touch can do so much. The music changing, for example, can be used to change not just your personal music, but also Spotify, Pandora, Soundcloud, or Google Play Music. Best part is it can do all this starting at only $ 19.99. At that price, it just might be worth checking out.
Please note the app is only for Android 5.0+ devices with BLE capability.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Misfit releases new Android app called Misfit Link, allows you to take selfies and more
Samsung’s released an updated Tizen SDK for the new Gear S2, and alongside it announced new apps from Nike, ESPN, and others. The development kit supports standalone functionality and features like the Gear S2’s unique bezel.
The post Samsung releases SDK for the Gear S2, announces apps from ESPN, Uber, Nike, and more appeared first on Digital Trends.