Tag: news

Silent Hill f, a return to the series after 11 years, gets new trailer

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The new trailer, which borrows imagery from what we saw of the game in the first trailer, follows a young girl living in a small Japanese town during the 1960s — a first for the series. Fog engulfs the town and the girl starts to see flowers before running into a shambling woman. More monsters show up and we see the girl picking up a pipe to defend herself against something off-screen, with a spore-covered house behind her.

Silent Hill f is being developed by a Taiwan-based studio with help from Japanese developers. The stream had more details on the game’s production, with appearances from writer Ryukishi07 and character and creature designer Kera. On the stream, Konami dug into its setting and how it used reference photos and sounds to help create the game’s rural town, and discussed the psychological themes it wants to explore with its young protagonist.

The trailer doesn’t have a release date, but it confirms that Silent Hill f will be released on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. You can also wishlist it now on Steam.

The first Xbox handheld might not come from Microsoft

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It took a few years of dealing with poorly optimized handheld PCs, but Windows Central reports Microsoft may finally be working on an Xbox handheld. The company could announce an Xbox-branded portable device as early as this year, though it sounds like it won’t come from Microsoft directly.

Instead, the company is partnering with a PC maker already working in the gaming space to build a handheld, Windows Central writes. The device, codenamed “Keenan,” will feature Xbox design elements, an “official Xbox guide button” and will likely run Windows 11. Given the clunky experience of navigating Windows on the handhelds you can buy today, the real hope is that Xbox’s take will include a launcher or new way of using the desktop OS that’s fit for a controller instead of a mouse. The big advantage SteamOS has over Windows is that you never have to interact with a desktop environment if you don’t want to.

These rumored plans might line up with what Microsoft’s VP of “Next Generation” Jason Ronald shared at an AMD and Lenovo event from CES 2025 called “The Future of Gaming Handhelds.” According to The Verge, Ronald said that Microsoft wants to bring “the best of Xbox and Windows together.” The company hopes to simplify Windows and make it using it more console-like for handhelds. “I think we’ll have a lot more to share later this year,” Ronald said.

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, has expressed interest in handheld devices before and said the company was experimenting with prototypes. It seems like at least for now, though, Microsoft is borrowing Valve’s approach and making a handheld-friendly version of its operating system available for other PC makers to use.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be a first-party handheld in the future. Windows Central‘s report mentions that there’s a successor to the Xbox Series X, new internet-connected controllers and an official Xbox gaming handheld, all tentatively slated for 2027.

Bluesky adds 3-minute video uploads and inbox management features

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Bluesky continues to beef up its video capabilities. The app’s adds support for uploads of up to 3 minutes, a notable expansion from its previous limit of one minute. The change should give video creators on Bluesky much more flexibility in what they can post. It will also likely be appreciated by fans , the new Bluesky-based photo and video app.

The update also brings some much needed inbox-management tools to Bluesky DMs, with the addition of a new “requests” section for incoming messages from users you don’t know. You’ll also now be able to reject incoming chats, which should help reduce the number of that have been flooding many users’ inboxes in recent weeks.

The latest Bluesky update rolled out as CEO Jay Graber appeared onstage at SXSW for a keynote about the growing decentralized social media platform, which has just under 33 million users. Graber, who was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a Latin slogan “mundus sine caesaribus” (a world without Caesars) — an apparent play on Mark Zuckerberg’s affinity for Roman Empire-inspired — spoke about why Bluesky is “billionaire-proof” compared with other apps.

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Zuckerberg’s shirt translates to “All Zuck or all nothing.” Graber’s says “A world with no Caesars.” (Screenshot via X)

“If a billionaire came in and bought Bluesky or took it over, or I decided tomorrow to change things in a way that people really didn’t like, then they could fork off and go on to another application,” she said. “That openness guarantees that there’s always the ability to move to a new alternative, still using the same network. There’s much less tolerance in the ecosystem for a very heavy-handed change.”

She also opened up about how Bluesky is thinking about its business model and generative AI. On the business side, she said the company is “exploring subscriptions” as well as paid “developer services” for those who build experiences on top of Bluesky. In a similar vein, she also said the company was considering how it could eventually turn some of its features, like moderation services or custom feeds, into a “marketplace” where the company may get a cut of potential transactions.

When it comes to large language models, she said the company was “working with some partners on developing a framework for user consent, for how they want their data to be used for generative AI.”

Death Stranding 2 gets 2025 release date, new trailer at SXSW

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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be released on June 26 for PlayStation 5, game director and Kojima Productions founder Hideo Kojima announced Sunday during a panel at SXSW 2025 with a lengthy new trailer for the game.

That trailer offered a new 10-minute look at Death Stranding 2 and its stars, including some fresh faces. The sequel to the 2019 action game will once again star Norman Reedus as Sam Bridges, the package-toting hero of its bizarre story. Léa Seydoux and Troy Baker will return too, as Fragile and Higgs, respectively. They’ll be joined by new characters played by Elle Fanning (Tomorrow), Shioli Kutsuna (Rainy), and George Miller (Tarman). Also joining the cast are Luca Marinelli as Neil, Debra Wilson as Doctor, and Alissa Jung as Lucy. (There’s also a cameo from Korean action star Lee Dong-seok, aka Don Lee.)

Death Stranding 2’s new trailer even appears to have a handful of nods to Kojima’s previous game franchise, Metal Gear Solid. Marinelli’s Neil looks unmistakably like Solid Snake at one point, with the giant tar creature that fuses with the DHV Magellan — becoming the Magellan Man, Kojima said — giving Metal Gear Rex/Sahelanthropus vibes. Beyond that, there’s plenty of gameplay action and story hints to chew on for Death Stranding fans.

Kojima Productions’ new trailer explains that Death Stranding 2 is set 11 months after the formation of the United Cities of America. Servers line the beach and deliveries have been automated, ostensibly putting porters like Sam out of work. Chiralium from the Beach continues to warp the environment (and the cats!), just as a new faction is spreading its influence. But none of that, it seems, will stop Sam from doing his job.

In Death Stranding 2’s first trailer at 2022’s The Game Awards, Kojima said his experiences during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic prompted him to rework the game’s script, which will follow the events of the first game’s journey across a post-apocalyptic America ravaged by inky black monsters known as Beached Things.

The second, 10-minute trailer from a State of Play stream last year showed the delivery company Bridges worked for has dissolved and a new organization called Drawbridge has risen in its place. But as with all Kojima-led games, the exact details are murky.

A big Playdate sale discounts 13 of our favorite games

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It’s the second anniversary of the Playdate’s Catalog game store and to celebrate, you can get a bunch of great Playdate games and apps at a healthy discount — in many cases for 50 percent off or more.

The sale starts today, March 6, and ends on March 10 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Over 150 Playdate games are on sale, but if you’re looking for a good place to start, 13 titles from our list of the best Playdate games are currently discounted:

That’s on top of other great options you can buy, like the fast-paced puzzle game XTRIS for $3, historical RPG Quest for X for $1 or roguelite mining game SpaceRat Miner for $6. Panic, the creators of the Playdate, introduced Catalog as a supplement to the Playdate’s first “Season” of games when it was still uncertain if another one was going to happen. The tiny handheld supports sideloading games from third-party stores like Itch, but Catalog offers a more curated selection if you don’t want to spend time finding something good.

Now that Panic’s confirmed that a second season of Playdate games is on the way in 2025, this Catalog sale is a perfect opportunity to stock up on anything you might have missed before the new season launches.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 2 is coming in January 2026

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The titular character of Frieren is a gifted elf mage who was once a member of a heroic adventuring party that defeated a great evil. The party promises to meet up again in 50 years. That’s just a blink of an eye for Frieren, who doesn’t bother keeping in touch with the rest of her friends. But when she shows up, it’s clear that the rest of them have aged. While they enjoy their little meet up, it ends sadly as the main hero dies the next day.

Even more time passes before Frieren sets out on another adventure, reluctantly taking on a protégé. She treks through places she’s seen before, and comes across villages she once saved, only to find she’s a distant memory now now. It’s something that she’s accepted, having already lived for hundreds of years; no matter how legendary, all heroes fade, even when they insist their greatness will spare them this fate.

That could be a real bummer, but the show emphasizes that just because time is fleeting, that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed. Frieren has outlived all her friends and she will definitely outlive the two young heroes in her current adventuring party. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth getting to know them and enjoying the time she has with them.

That elegiac edge is what makes Frieren so special, but even without the existential overtone, it’s a damn fine fantasy show with interesting world-building and some gorgeous animation. The back half of the first season really dives into the world’s magic system, but in a way that still tied into the overall themes of the show. Frieren was there when humans started using magic, and she’s seen how it has evolved over time. So, showcasing the new generation of mages’ powers juxtaposed with Frieren and her protégé Fern highlights the inevitability of rapid progress.

Nearly a year after I finished the first season, I’m still thinking about Frieren. It’s a show that gets under your skin and really sticks with you, one that uses everything at its disposal to drive home its big ideas.

All episodes of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End are out on Crunchyroll now. New episodes will arrive next January.

CFPB drops Zelle lawsuit in latest reversal under Trump administration

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has dropped its lawsuit over peer-to-peer payment system Zelle, the latest in a series of dismissals from this department under President Donald Trump’s administration. The agency had only just announced the suit — filed against Zelle’s operating entity Early Warning Services and partner banks JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo – in December. According to the initial action, the CFPB said that customers of the three banks had lost more than $870 million during the seven years Zelle has been active.

A spokesperson for Zelle said the company welcomed the CFPB’s decision, and reiterated that it believes the lawsuit was “without merit, and legally and factually flawed.” A JPMorgan Chase representative called scam prevention and consumer education “a national security problem” and stated the bank’s commitment to working “across the public and private sectors” toward solutions.

The CFPB made several moves to increase oversight on the financial products offered by tech companies under its previous director, Rohit Chopra. However, the agency is now overseen by Acting Director Russell Vought, who ordered the CFPB to cease all “supervision and examination activity” last month. While employees of the bureau have sued to try to keep the CFPB alive, there have been conflicting messages from government leadership about the agency’s status.

Since taking office, Trump and ally Elon Musk have taken sweeping actions to control and close federal government departments. Agencies that have historically regulated Musk’s business activities have been among those with reduced powers, as have federal operations for cybersecurity, digital services and personnel management.

Update, March 5, 2025, 4:41PM ET: Added official statements from Zelle and JPMorgan Chase.

Z-A trailer reveals an absolutely massive version of Lumiose City

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Game Freak held a Pokémon Presents livestream today and we finally got a . The new trailer for the follow-up to the reveals the massive Lumiose City, which first appeared in Pokémon X and Y all the way back in 2013. It’s a bustling metropolis filled with skyscrapers, and a far cry from the serene countryside of Arceus.

The trailer spotlighted the three starter Pokémon players will be able to choose from. They include the gen 2 starters Chikorita and Totodile and the gen 5 starter Tepig. We also got a better look at the gameplay elements, and they seem like something of a hybrid between the real-time capture mechanics of Arceus and the old-school turn-based gameplay of traditional Pokémon titles.

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Pokémon Legends: Z-A will also bring back Mega Evolutions, which turn regular pocket monsters into superpowered monstrosities with temporary stat boosts. This mechanic, just like Z-A’s location, was first introduced in Pokémon X and Y.

We have a bit longer to wait for this one. The game doesn’t come out until the end of the year. It’s also being released for the original Switch, despite the fact that the by that point. However, long-time readers may remember that the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, so it’ll run on both machines.

Game Freak also showed off a new game called Pokémon Champions, which is a cross-platform battle sim. Today’s Pokémon Presents livestream celebrated the 29th birthday of the franchise. Happy birthday, cute pets we force to live inside of tiny balls and fight to the death!

Apple reportedly plans to combine its modem with future processors as a single package

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Apple introduced its first in-house cellular modem, the C1, last week with the announcement of , and while it didn’t get into too much detail about it, the company reportedly has some big plans for future iterations. According to ’s Mark Gurman, “Apple intends to eventually meld the modem component into the main processor.” Integrating the modem into the main processor could have energy and cost benefits, but that design is still a ways off. We’ll likely see the C2 and C3 without it first, which the company is already testing according to Gurman, and the integrated design won’t follow until “2028 at the earliest

During its unveiling, Apple called the new C1 modem its “most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone.” The $599 iPhone 16e also has an A18 chip (but with four GPU cores) and supports Apple Intelligence, even if that’s not .

An XR game trilogy based on Neon Genesis Evangelion is in the works

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South Korean game development studio Pixelity says it’s working on a series of XR games based on Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the first one will be released next year. In an emailed announcement, the studio said it’s planning a trilogy “based on the world and events of all 26 episodes” of the beloved anime.

We don’t have much in the way of details just yet, but Pixelity says, “Players will experience the narrative through the eyes of an original character, exploring the world of Neon Genesis Evangelion, taking on quests, and engaging in thrilling battles — all while following the timeline and key events of the anime.” The trilogy will offer “interactive and cooperative gameplay with familiar characters.” The developer hasn’t revealed what platforms the games will be available on.

Pixelity has previously made games for the Meta Quest family of headsets, as well as Pico and other platforms. It also recently launched a couple of titles for Apple Vision Pro, and .

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