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Microsoft has now formally acquired Activision Blizzard, via the biggest company buyout in video games industry history. Today's long-awaited closure of the deal brings to an end a process that has dragged on through almost two years of regulatory approvals and legal wrangling. Finally, however, it is done. Microsoft now owns Activision, including the world's biggest first-person shooter franchise Call of Duty, plus the rights to Spyro, Skylanders, and Guitar Hero.

The seventh-generation iPad mini's screen assembly will be rotated to reduce the effect of "jelly scrolling" that some users complain about with the current model, according to a Weibo leaker with an early track record for disclosing accurate information about Apple's plans. The account, known as "Instant Digital," claims that in addition to reduced jelly scrolling, the new ‌iPad mini‌ will also feature the A16 Bionic chip and front camera improvements. "Jelly scrolling" refers to screen tearing...

We love gaming. We play games, create games, and know first-hand how much gaming means to all of us as individuals and collectively, as a community. And today, we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox. They are the publishers of some of the most played and most beloved franchises in gaming history […] The post Welcoming the Legendary Teams at Activision Blizzard King to Team Xbox appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The Meta Quest 3 is here, and it’s the best standalone VR headset we’ve ever seen. But is that enough to make people care about virtual reality? In this episode, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford chat with Tested’s Norm Chan about the Quest 3 and Meta’s mixed reality future. While the company’s vision of the metaverse is pretty sterile, it’s still nice to see Meta learning from the mistakes of the Quest Pro. (Be sure to check out Norm's hour-long review of the Quest 3 as well!) Sam also ...

The fight to keep DVD sales going is taking another big hit. Best Buy is allegedly ending all physical media sales — that means Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD — in-store and online, The Digital Bits reported. Multiple sources claim the move will occur in early 2024, possibly as soon as the first quarter. The news of Best Buy's decision comes only a few weeks after Netflix ended its 25-year DVD delivery service, sending out its final copies on September 29. Best Buy's exit from the DVD and Blu-ray ...

DICE's once-ramshackle, apparently much-improved near-future shooter Battlefield 2042 is free to play this weekend, granting access to the game's Season 6 "Dark Creations" content offerings, amongst other things. BUT WAIT. There's an asterisk over the word "free" on the promo art! Everybody drop to cover! See, these are the tiny details you have to watch out for in Battlefield. That asterisk could be the equivalent of the glint on a sniper rifle, aimed squarely at your wallet, purse and/or khaki...

With the right attachments, this SMG can easily compete with assault rifles at range.

After the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority blocked Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty and Diablo maker Activision Blizzard earlier this year over cloud gaming concerns, Microsoft brought a new deal to the table. In this new deal, Ubisoft would get the rights to Activision Blizzard cloud game streaming in the U.K. for 15 years, theoretically quelling the CMA's concerns. The CMA granted Microsoft a preliminary approval last month and now, a few weeks later, the U.K. regula...

Apple is facing an expanded class action lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco by more than three dozen victims allegedly terrorized by stalkers using Apple AirTags, reports ArsTechnica. The complaint targets Apple alleged negligence in allowing ‌AirTags‌ to become "one of the most dangerous and frightening technologies employed by stalkers" since they can be easily used used to determine "real-time location information to track victims." The complaint is a revised version that was brought b...

What are the best MW3 loadouts? You can have all the skill in the world, but if your guns and equipment let you down at the most vital moment of a match, you’ll be left ruing another loss. We’ve tested and listed out the best Modern Warfare 3 loadouts so you can go into every game primed and ready to win. The Modern Warfare 3 release date is approaching quickly, but you still have time to recreate these meta MW3 guns. Whether you opt for a mobile SMG class or prefer to take out your opponents fr...

CD Projekt turned to AI technology to replicate a Cyberpunk 2077 Polish voice actor who passed away in 2021. The late Mi&lstrokogost Reczek's voice was reproduced by an AI algorithm for Phantom Liberty - the base game's recent expansion - for its Polish-language release. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, CD Projekt said it had obtained permission from Reczek's family to recreate the actor's voice in this way for the expansion.

The upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw remake's game design is now described as a remaster, rather than a remake. Producer Yoshimi Yasuda made the announcement earlier today on social media. Last year, Yasuda stated Lollipop Chainsaw RePop won't update the original's story or aesthetics. "We want to make it so that the game can be as close to the original version as possible," Yasuda said, echoing the only major aspect which will be changed is the game's licensed music soundtrack.

If you've ever spoken to the ripperdoc character Viktor Vektor in the Polish localisation of Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty expansion, you've been talking to a cyborg. Technically, of course, most characters in Cyberpunk 2077 are cyborgs, but in this case, I'm referring to one voice actor posing as another using voice-cloning technology, following the second actor's death.

Take the approachable, action-packed top-down MOBA gameplay of League of Legends and Dota 2, themselves inspired by ARPGs like Diablo and strategy games such as Warcraft 3. Now mix in the tense pacing of PvPvE extraction games such as Escape From Tarkov, Call of Duty DMZ, and Dark and Darker. The result is Seekers of Skyveil, a new ‘extraction RPG’ in a gorgeous fantasy world, one that you could play soon with sign-ups currently live for its first imminent closed alpha gameplay test.

Get prepped for your journey through Mournstead.

Netflix is reportedly planning to open several bricks-and-mortar venues, called Netflix House. The stores will sell merchandise for hit Netflix shows, hopefully of a higher quality than that Target Squid Game tee you sleep in. Talking of Squid Game, the two initial locations will reportedly feature obstacle courses based on the hit show, entirely missing the point of the show’s scathing view of modern capitalism. There will also be rotating hit-show art installations and live performances to exc...

Total War Pharaoh Steam reviews mean the new Creative Assembly strategy sim is officially rated as ‘mixed,’ while recent player count numbers fail to match other, older games in the series, including Total War Warhammer 3, and Total War Rome 2, which was released in September 2013. Despite its recent launch, fewer than 5,000 people have played Total War Pharaoh during the past 24 hours, as users criticize the game for its interface and for being “bland.”

The UK market regulator accused Microsoft of wasting "time and money" in its approach to getting the deal passed.

Mirrorscape uses real miniatures and terrain to create an atmospheric and tactile virtual tabletop.

One of my favourite studio names of the last few years comes from the team that made PinOut. PinOut was basically Tron: The Pinball Game. Against a humming, buzzing, looping backdrop of glorious retro-futurist dance music, you raced across the highways and gutters of an endless swooping, arcing table, ricocheting off bumpers, finding secret paths and feeling like you were the single most vital part of a luminous living machine. It was a rush, a trip. And the studio? The studio was called Mediocr...

Cruise has been testing its self-driving vehicles in Houston since May, and it started giving employees, along with select friends and family members, fully driverless rides in August. Now, it's offering the public the chance to catch a ride to their destinations on robotaxis with no drivers behind the wheel. The company is now onboarding Houston residents who signed up for its waitlist, and it's also encouraging those who've yet to do so to visit its website and send in a request for access. Th...

In the vast cosmos of gaming, we often find ourselves leading empires, commanding armies, and forging alliances. But have you ever wondered about the individuals who make up these galactic civilizations, and the leaders who steer their destinies towards triumph? 

How do you upgrade the Lords of the Fallen Sanguinarix? Put simply, the Sanguinarix is this soulslike game's equivalent of an Estus flask. It provides quick healing that can be recharged at any bonfire-like checkpoint, but once you run out, you're often not left with many options for long-term survival. Our Lords of the Fallen review does state that the game wears its influences on its sleeve, with the Lords of the Fallen Sanguinarix being such a case. While there are also Briorstones in Lords o...

AI Bing joins Microsoft's bug bounty program.

The next generation of PC gaming controllers, the Scuf Envision and Envision Pro, have arrived. In a market where everyone thinks they can release a customizable controller and state they did something special, Scuf is trying to back its claims up in a big way, stating that the Envision will offer an "unparalleled level of control".

Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya has started his own YouTube channel following his departure from PlatinumGames. So far there's only one video, in English and Japanese, in which he discusses his decision to leave the studio and his thoughts on making curry, of all things. "I'm over it. I'm so over it," he says at the start of the video as he leaves the office. "I am Hideki Kamiya, unemployed. Welcome to my channel."

Here. Living under the land, under the sea, in the belly of Thomas.

Canonical announced shortly after the release of Ubuntu 23.10 that the official downloads were pulled, as there was hate speech identified from a malicious contributor in some of their translations.

It's-a what? Yes, you read that headline correctly. We are not surprised to see the Super Mario Bros. Wonder marketing campaign step up a gear before the game's release in a week's time (20th October, if you're wondering), but the wording of this one caught us slightly off guard. Mario is riding an Inchworm Pipe. The latest in Nintendo's range of short adverts for the game (you might remember Bowser wooing Elephant Peach earlier this week) sees Mario setting off on one of Wonder's newest modes o...

Meta has shared an updated content monitoring action plan as the devastating Israel-Hamas war continues. It follows a stern letter from Thierry Breton, the European Union's (EU) regulatory commissioner, to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about misinformation concerns (such as deep fakes) and compliance with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). The company had 24 hours to respond.  In its statement, Meta said that it created an ever-evolving operations center with experts fluent in Hebrew and Arabic: "S...

Following the quick sell-out of the exclusive Pokémon Van Gogh merchandise, and subsequently the Pikachu trading card, on Pokémon Center websites, The Pokémon Company has announced it'll be giving fans another opportunity to get Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat. The card was initially a free add-on for Pokémon Center customers, given out at a rate of one card for each item in the Van Gogh collection bought. This time around, only orders with Pokémon Trading Card Game products will be eligible for a ca...

Valve has now released the latest SteamOS 3.5.1 Preview for download, fixing up some more issues in the Steam Deck OS like the backlight staying on when docked.

Plus: Assassin's Creed, Phantom Liberty, Frostpunk 2, GOG, Life by You, Mortal Kombat 1, Lies of P, and much more!

Apple has already given order commitments to chip supplier TSMC for its second-generation 3nm chip fabrication process known as N3E, which is expected to be used in all four models of next year's iPhone 16 lineup. TSMC's next 3nm node upgrade to N3E is less expensive and has improved yield compared to the Taiwanese foundry's first-generation 3nm process, N3B, which made its debut on the smartphone market with the A17 Pro chip that powers Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models. The N3E process also focuses...

AMD's warehouses must be like the closing scenes to Raiders of the Lost Ark.