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Don't call me Ishmael. Today, you can call me the whole rabbling cast of the Pequod. This is the beautiful, improbable conceit at the heart of Saltsea Chronicles, because it's a game in which you put to sea not as a sailor but as a crew. And it's a crew that's already hurting, anxious and uncertain of things. A crewmate has disappeared without warning. Where did they go? Who took them, and why? The horizon calls. Saltsea is set in a world that floats on the flooded remains of a prior world - may...

Microsoft owes the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) $28.9 billion in back taxes, not including penalties and interest, at least according to the tax authority. The tech giant has revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it received a series of Notices of Proposed Adjustment (NOPAs) from the IRS for the tax years 2004 to 2013. In its filing, it said that it's been working with the IRS for nearly a decade to address the authority's questions about how it distributed its ...

It's commercial stuff, but gaming NUCs are under consideration too.

Explore a desert island with all-new tasks. Innersloth recently announced its hit game Among Us would be releasing a new map. Now, in an update, it's been revealed "The Fungle" will be arriving later this month on 24th October. Here's a bit about it, courtesy of an official description:"Get ready to explore a deserted island full of mysterious mushrooms, all-new tasks, and deadly Impostors. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, get a peek at what to expect by checking it out!"

Help with the #845 Wordle if you need it.

Update your copy today. Following the release of The Teal Mask DLC in September, a new update for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has now been rolled out. This bumps the game up to version 2..0.2 and contains various bug fixes. This includes some issues tied to Pokémon HOME transfers. Below are the full patch notes, courtesy of Nintendo's support page:

It's a big win for consumers.

Download it now. Mortal Kombat 1 had a successful launch but it's admittedly didn't release in the best state on the Nintendo Switch. It followed with the game's director Ed Boon promising the there would "absolutely" be an update to resolve the issues and with this in mind, a new update has now been released. The latest update for the Nintendo version includes a number of balance changes, fixes, loading time and performance improvements and even some visual improvements. You can get the full ru...

The official release is next week. Sonic Superstars isn't out until next week, but it seems some fans have already managed to get their hands on physical copies of the game. As highlighted by GameXplain, Switch owners in the US have secured hard copies ahead of the official release - revealing not only the inside cover but also what the game's cartridge looks like.

Streamer BTCs insists he did nothing wrong, but Jagex says the evidence has been "thoroughly reviewed" and that the ban "won't be overturned."

There appears to be a curious phenomenon that is causing some iPhone models to turn off temporarily at night, which can interrupt alarms and other ‌iPhone‌ features. In a thread on Reddit, a user complains that two separate ‌iPhone‌ alarms in his home failed to go off. Several other users also chimed in with similar issues, and it turns out that some of the issues could be linked to the ‌iPhone‌ turning off at night. From Reddit:Hijacking top comment. Check your battery settings and see if there...

Sand Land grabbed a hold of my attention unexpectedly after its reveal this summer, and I've been waiting for more news on the upcoming RPG since. Developed by ILCA and published by JRPG king Bandai Namco Entertainment, Sand Land is shaping up to be nothing short of exciting. The new game is inspired by Akira Toriyama's manga of the same name. If you don't know who Toriyama is, he is the creator of Dragon Ball and pretty much a deity among dedicated manga readers.

Fans are frustrated by a sudden price increase to a regularly offered bundle.

Hey Xbox Insiders! We have a new Xbox Update Preview coming to the Omega ring. It’s important we note that some updates made in these preview OS builds include background improvements that ensure a quality and stable build for Xbox consoles. We continue to post these release notes, even when the noticeable changes to the […] The post Xbox Insider Release Notes – Omega (2309.231010-1055) appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Time to prepare some Stardew Valley cosplay.

Terraria is more exciting now than ever with its upcoming 1.4.5 update. Many of us thought that Re-Logic was done adding content to the iconic sandbox experience, but time and time again the developer proves that it's not finished quite yet. While the hype for the big patch continues to build, Terraria's spooktacular Halloween event is returning. The contest is the perfect chance to win prizes and express your creativity in-game or in real life with builds, pumpkin carvings, and more.

California this week officially adopted new right to repair legislation, with California Governor Gavin Newsom this week signing SB 244 into law. The Right to Repair law requires companies to provide customers with the tools to diagnose and repair consumer electronics and appliances. Apple in August sent a letter urging California to adopt the bill, despite the fact that Apple has lobbied against other Right to Repair legislation. Apple has already launched a Self Service Repair program for iPho...

Don’t want none unless you’ve got a trunk, hun.

Update your console today!

It’s taken three years, but Polar is finally ready with a new iteration of the Vantage watch: the Polar Vantage 3. The V3 can track more than 150 sports. That includes tools that cater to more serious athletes, and not just the run of the mill consumer, like triathlon training. There are also unique metrics like Training Load Pro, which tells you how much strain you place on both your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system during your workouts. There is also Wrist-Based Running Power, which c...

Disney executives want to make the company a "gaming giant."

T-Mobile will be forcing customers on older smartphone plans to move to newer, more expensive plans, according to information that has been shared on Reddit. The migration will be automatic, but customers can contact support to ask to opt out of the migration. Those who had the prior Magenta and One plans will be upgraded to Go5G, while those on the Magenta 55+ plan will be upgraded to Go5G+. Simple Choice and Select Choice users will be moved to Magenta or Essentials Select. With these migratio...

Fewer than 100 Steam users were affected, but Valve is adding a new SMS verification step for all developers to try to prevent it from happening again.

The last big ban wave hit some players who weren't doing anything wrong.

It's looking increasingly likely Microsoft's proposed $69bn USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard will have cleared its final hurdle if - as is widely expected - UK regulators approve the revised deal later this week; it's being reported EU regulators won't require an investigation into the revised terms, clearing the way for the acquisition to conclude. The European Commission approved Microsoft's original acquisition proposal back in May after successfully securing a number of concessions to ...

Elon Musk isn’t the only billionaire CEO receiving stern letters this week from Thierry Breton, the European Union’s regulatory commissioner. Following a similar one to Elon Musk, Breton posted a single-page correspondence (via CNBC) he penned to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today, giving the Facebook founder 24 hours to respond. The letter acknowledges areas where Meta’s content moderation has improved but raises concerns about misinformation (including deepfakes) on the company’s social platforms ...

Here's when and how to get in on the Modern Warfare 3 beta weekend.

Dead Island 2 is getting its first story expansion dubbed Haus. The adventure whisks players to new locations to take on a mysterious cult while surviving that pesky zombie apocalypse.  This new storyline centers on techno-death cults hosted by its crazed leader, Konstantin, who believes such battles are the "paragon of the future." The adventure unfolds in a Malibu villa, described in a press release as a "deranged labyrinth of biomes where rational architecture is subverted by expanding narrat...

TikTok is making changes to its Effect Creator Rewards program. In a recent blog post, TikTok outlined the upcoming changes, which will include a lower threshold to join, and a new payment structure. The Effect Creator Rewards program was first announced in May with roughly $6 million set aside to pay the creators of effects and filters. Prior to the program's launch creators were essentially making filters, mini games and more for little to no reward — despite being integral to the success of t...

NYCC 2023 is sticking to streaming.

Headphones are one of the hottest categories in any major sale and the October Prime Day event is no exception. There are discounts available all over the shop for true wireless earbuds and overear headphones alike. We reckon it's worth drawing attention to the Beats Studio Pro headset, which has dropped to $180. That's nearly half off, given that it regularly sells for $350. It's the lowest price we've seen for these headphones to date. Over the summer, we gave the Beats Studio Pro a score of 8...

Asmodee Publishing has begun distributing recent board game stealth hit, That Sound Game, and its newest expansion to local game stores in the US.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is finally here, and it's bringing a new dawn to Ubisoft's long-standing series. Whether you first picked Assassin's Creed up as a child to explore as the charismatic Ezio, or are new to the series, Mirage has qualities appealing to both nostalgia-fueled fans and fresh faces within the fandom alike. While the latest entry hasn't even been out in the wild for a full week yet, its sales are apparently already soaring as Ubisoft reveals some of the game's impressive statisti...

A freshly brewed Proton Experimental release just went out today which includes a bunch of fixes for various games. Here's your usual run over what's improved for Steam Deck / Linux desktop.

The base model is $80 off its original price for October Prime Day.