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Wheel of Time is getting a new video game adaptation. The popular fantasy book series has already seen an imagining for the small screen with an Amazon Prime Video series that is currently airing its third season. Now iwot Studios, which has a hand in creating the Amazon show, is launching a new game studio to create a AAA open-world RPG set in the same fictional universe. iwot brought in Craig Alexander to helm its new video game studio. Alexander has held management and leadership roles at game operations including Warner Bros. Entertainment, Activision, EA and Sierra On-Line. According to Variety, the studio is projecting a three-year development for the game, which seems pretty ambitious considering the it's still hiring team leads. iwot is also behind a planned live action movie as well as an animated feature film set within the same world as Wheel of Time. According to iwot Studios CEO Rick Selvage, the company will have "a lot of continuity in regards to how we approach our transmedia strategy" across the different projects. This isn't the first time Robert Jordan's books have been source material for a game. Legend Entertainment released a first-person shooter based on Wheel of Time in 1999, and it's still available to play on modern hardware thanks to the preservation efforts at GOG.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/wheel-of-time-is-getting-a-new-aaa-open-world-rpg-adaptation-184741772.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Pinterest is testing a new prompt that warns kids to get off the app during school hours, as reported by The Verge. The pop-up warning encourages minors in the US and Canada to stop using the app and turn off notifications until the end of the day. "Focus is a beautiful thing," the prompt says. "Stay in the moment by putting Pinterest down." This prompt only appears to kids aged 13 to 17 and only between 8AM and 3PM on weekdays. Its a large-scale test, so Pinterest says the prompt will reach "millions" of minors. The platform says it's the first tech company to institute this kind of "proactive" feature to help kids build healthy online habits. That may be true in the world of social media, but any rabid Nintendo fan will remember the incessant prompts to take breaks in the Wii, DS and 3DS eras. Pinterest CEO Bill Ready has also announced the companys support of phone-free school policies. Some European countries have banned phones in schools in recent years. Here in the US, New York is close to implementing a statewide ban thats informally called a bell-to-bell restriction. Several other states are in the process of developing their own bans. To go along with this initiative, Pinterest is providing a $1 million grant to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to "support school leaders in creating a healthy digital culture in their schools." This money will fund task forces across a dozen states to help develop policies that improve students digital wellbeing.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/pinterest-will-warn-kids-not-to-use-its-app-during-school-hours-171512379.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Fellow has been slowly growing its collection of coffee gadgets with its brewers, scale, grinders and more. But up until now, there's always been a big hole in its lineup. That changes today with the arrival of the company's first espresso machine: the Espresso Series 1. When I got to try it out a couple weeks ago prior to launch, Fellow CEO Jake Miller said the goal was to make a device that "baristas would be excited to use and that they could actually afford." That said, at $1,500, it certainly isn't cheap. However, when you start comparing the Espresso Series 1 capabilities to competing machines, that price quickly begins to make a lot of sense. That's because unlike a lot of similarly priced rivals, Fellow's offering offers a ton of ways to customize and adjust the brewing process, which includes control over not just temperature, but also pressure, extraction time, steaming and the ability to create or download profiles for specific beans. Sam Rutherford for Engadget When compared to other modern machines, competitors like the $1,350 Meticulous support custom profiles and pressure settings, but it doesn't have a built-in steamer for milk like the Series 1. And if you want a ton of control over everything, espresso enthusiasts often look to even more complex and expensive options like the Decent, which goes for well over $3,000. So while Fellow's latest product might seem pricey, it feels very reasonable in context. Now, I will admit that when I saw the Series 1 in its cherry red hero color, I thought Fellow had departed from its previous design language. But after closer inspection, its clear the company still retains its focus on clean lines while still making the device easy-to-use. It just has a bit more character now thanks to elements like the polished stainless metal brewer and the wood accents on the included 58mm portafilter's handle. The Series 1's base kit comes with both a single-wall double-shot basket and a pressurized double-shot basket. Fellow even went out of its way to create a rear housing made from a single sheet of metal with curvy corners, because the company wanted the back to look just as good as the front. Similar to the Aiden, the Series 1 features a circular screen, except this time it's slightly larger. And while you can adjust everything using the espresso machine's single control dial, for more complex tasks like creating custom profiles, it'll probably be easier to use Fellow's free companion app (iOS and Android) instead. When it comes to brewing, I really appreciate that if you just want a cup of espresso, the Series 1 streamlines things and makes it easy to bust out a cup quickly. There are three rather self-explanatory buttons on top for espresso, steaming and dispensing hot water. Plus, there are a ton of small but handy features like a temperature-sensing wand (with auto-purge) that helps take a lot of the guesswork out of making perfectly frothy milk. Fellow even thought about stuff like someone's daily workflow, which is why there's a small rubberized mat on top of the machine for storing demitasse cups. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Of course, the proof is in espresso. The Series 1 produced a cup with a surprising amount of crema that highlighted the beans' fruity notes. It was rich and smooth and pretty much everything I want in a shot of java. It also made the brewing process very approachable, because for people who might not have a ton of experience, there are guided brew settings as well. Normally, when I want espresso, I go out to a coffee shop because I've yet to find a machine that hits the right balance between modern styling and ease of use while still having the ability to adjust and tinker with settings. But with the Espresso Series 1, it feels like Fellow has made a machine that delivers on everything that all levels of enthusiasts can get into. Sam Rutherford for Engadget The Espresso Series 1 will be available for $1,500 in three colors: cherry red, malted chocolate and black. However, Fellow says early buyers can get a special launch price of $1,200, which includes a $100 credit for the company's Drops program that offers a curated selection of coffee beans for purchase. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/the-espresso-series-1-is-the-new-crown-jewel-in-fellows-coffee-gadget-lineup-170008473.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
I try to play as broad a swathe of games as I can, including as many of the major releases as I am able to get to. Baldur's Gate 3 garnered near-universal praise when it arrived in 2023, and I was interested in trying it. But when I watched gameplay videos, the user interface seemed distressingly busy. There were far too many icons at the bottom of the screen and my brain crumbled at the sight of them. I am yet to try Baldur's Gate 3. Two years later, I had similar feelings ahead of checking out Overwatch 2's Stadium, a major new mode for a game I play nearly every single day. Blizzard gave members of the press a spreadsheet that detailed all of the possible upgrades and powers for each hero, as well as a list of modifiers that any character can use. With two dozen or so unlockables for each of the 17 heroes that will be in Stadium at the jump and about 70 general upgrades, that's hundreds of different options Blizzard is adding to the game all at once. As I scrolled through the list, I was surprised that a feeling of dismay washed over me. I started to worry that Stadium might not be for me. Figuring out how to combine the items and powers in effective ways for so many different characters seemed completely daunting. It doesn't help that I'm growing tired of more and more major games having RPG elements with deeper character customization. Taking some of the decision making out of my hands by giving a character a defined set of abilities and weapons with no stat or gear upgrades to worry about is more my speed. Thankfully, Blizzard has some good ideas on how to welcome players into this new mode. And, as it turns out, once I actually started playing Stadium, my anxious feelings swiftly melted away and I had a great time with it. Blizzard bills Stadium, which will go live for all players as part of season 16 on April 22, as the third pillar of Overwatch 2. It will nestle alongside the Competitive and Unranked modes and only be available in a ranked format. Stadium is a very different take on Overwatch 2. For instance, it has a more sports-like presentation. Thanks to some tweaks to maps that seem a little out of the Apex Legends playbook and a new, looser announcer, it feels a bit more like a spectator sport than the lore-infused Competitive and Unranked formats. The maps in Stadium are either new stages or condensed versions of existing ones, with rounds typically lasting just a few minutes each. On paper, Stadium is a more tactical spin on Overwatch 2, though with a vastly different approach than the likes of Valorant or CS:GO. Neither of those games really landed for me (I retired from Valorant with a very modest undefeated record), adding to my concern that I wouldnt gel with Stadium. This is a best-of-seven, 5v5 format built around customizing your hero during a match with various upgrades. What's more, this is the first time players can opt for a third-person view at all times. The first-person view is still there if you prefer it. It's a little redundant to think of Stadium as Blizzard's answer to Marvel Rivals. It's been in development for over two years it was conceived before Overwatch 2 even debuted and long before Marvel Rivals siphoned away a chunk of the player base. Still, it's hard not to make the comparison. Blizzard Entertainment There's a lot to drink in here. Ahead of my hands-on time with Stadium, I asked game director Aaron Keller how the Overwatch 2 team designed the mode to avoid making it feel too overwhelming and how the developers hoped to ease players into Stadium. The team has done a few things with the aim of making the transition "a little less intimidating" for both long-time players and newcomers to the game, such as having a tab with example builds in the Armory, the pre-round shop where you select your upgrades. "If you want to, when you're playing a hero for the first time, you can just click through a custom, designer-built set of powers and items that you can unlock over the course of that match," Keller said. "It takes a little bit of what can be an overwhelming decision-making process out of your first-time experience, but you'll still be able to feel yourself grow in power." Restricting the initial roster of heroes to 17 out of 43 can help players get to grips with Stadium, Keller suggested, though Blizzard will add more characters to the mode each season (newcomer Freja will join Stadium after the midseason update). The lack of hero swapping could also be a boon here. "All you're really gonna have to focus on is what your hero, your team's heroes and the enemy team can do over the course of that match," Keller said. The lack of hero swaps did seem odd at first. One of the things that initially drew me to Overwatch was that each character had a defined set of abilities. The idea of being able to switch to a different hero to counter a particular menace on the enemy team was such a core part of the Overwatch experience for so long, but that faded over time. The switch to role locks (which restricts each player to only picking a hero in a certain class) and the new perks system, which incentivizes sticking with one character over the course of a match to unlock useful upgrades, have diminished the freedom of swapping to any other hero at any time. In Stadium, rather than hero swaps, the answer to countering a pesky opponent is optimizing your build. "A lot of Stadium takes place during combat, but it's just as important to be able to put a strategy together around what you're unlocking in the Armory," Keller said. "It becomes much, much harder to do that if you can't predict what the heroes are going to be on the enemy team from round to round." To help players from feeling like they're unable to deal with a certain enemy (such as having a D.Va that couldn't normally block a Zarya's beam), players will be able to put together counter builds in the Armory. "We've got anti-barrer builds you can use. We've even got anti-beam builds that are available to different heroes," Keller said. "If you're going up against a Zarya, there are some things that you, or people on your team, are going to be able to do to counter that." Through the Armory, you can unlock up to four powers. These are powerful and/or ridiculous abilities that you can pick from every other round. These are locked in for the duration of a match. One power sees Ashe's ultimate cost slashed in half, but when she deploys B.O.B., he's just a little guy with lower attack speed and durability. Mini B.O.B. is just far too adorable for words. Another power lets Kiriko players spawn an AI-controlled clone of the support for a few seconds after she teleports. Along with powers, there are items. These are purchased with earnable currency and can be swapped out before each round. You get some currency at the beginning of a match and earn more by playing well dealing damage, scoring eliminations, healing allies, collecting a bounty by taking out an enemy who's crushing it and so on. Common and rare items boost your stats, but epic items are the ones you want. These are the more expensive upgrades that you unlock more of the longer a Stadium match goes. Mei has some really great tweaks, such as the ability to move faster if on ground that she freezes, being able to remove a burn effect with her chilling primary fire and turning into a rolling ice ball that damages opponents. One enemy I faced used a combo of Mei's ice ball and ice wall to trap me, with both abilities damaging my hero at the same time. I'm stealing that strategy. Blizzard Entertainment Orisa, meanwhile, can use her javelin spin to fly a short distance. Ana (the best hero in the game) can cast her powerful Nano Boost through walls and to multiple allies. Soldier: 76 can get a short burst of his auto-aiming ultimate after damaging an enemy with his Helix Rockets. This is just scratching the surface of the items on offer, and the options can compound on each other to make abilities wildly powerful. "I mostly just want to present a space for players where they feel like they can take the elements they really love about the other core modes that we have and just push them. Find that character that speaks to them and just push it as far as they can," senior game designer Dylan Snyder said when asked what would make the team's work on Stadium feel like it paid off. "If we start seeing people sharing builds around and saying 'guys, I found this, this is the answer in this scenario, check this out.' They do write-ups on that, to me that's a win. Any numbers or metrics aside, to me, that's the mark of something that has landed with people." Overwatch 2's practice range is there for a reason I'm glad I took some time to play around with all of the heroes in the Stadium version of the practice range before hopping into a match. I started to get a feel for what each hero could do with maxed-out example builds. Certain abilities can quickly become very powerful if you pick powers and items that complement each other. When I hopped into matches, I made a conscious choice to stop worrying about understanding everything and to embrace the side of Overwatch 2 that I love the most: full-blown chaos. Relying on the example builds was a big help at the outset. By focusing on those and selecting the items that I felt would be the most effective at any given time I didn't have to overthink anything. Just quickly pick a power and some items and try to enjoy myself, before switching to more powerful items as soon as I had a chance. That was my strategy. Because of that, I've been having an absolute blast with Stadium so far. Playing around with all the new stuff you can do as all of the heroes is far more engaging than I've expected. Piling every resource into survivability as a tank or weapon upgrades as a damage hero makes sense, but each hero has a ton of flexibility. For instance, I could have gone all in on upgrading Ashe's Dynamite. But having a second Coach Gun charge to simultaneously blow up a trio of additional sticky explosives that can spawn when Ashe's Dynamite detonates was very impactful. I picked up quite a few kills with that trick. Blizzard Entertainment My favorite upgraded ability so far is being able to fly while using Reinhardt's charge. He can soar across nearly half a map in a few seconds. It's absurd. Not even flying heroes are safe from Reinhardt barreling them into a wall. I'm a bit more mixed on the third-person view. It does have a lot of advantages, such as a wider field of view and peeking around walls. Until now, I've often had to use a dance emote to secretly peer around a corner. A lot of players will also appreciate being able to get a better look at the skins they've worked so hard (or spent so much) to unlock. But I think some of the game's tactility is lost in third-person mode. In that perspective, Reinhardt feels a little slower and the satisfying smack of his hammer when it clatters an enemy feels less impactful. It's also a little jarring to switch from a third-person view to aiming down a rifle's sights with Ashe or Ana. So, although the third-person perspective works well for heroes like D.Va, Kiriko and Lucio, I'm glad the first-person mode is still an option. Meanwhile, Soldier: 76 feels completely overpowered as things stand. He's been an ever-present in my matches and those playing as him usually ended up with the most currency out of everyone in the lobby. But that's the kind of thing the developers will be keeping a close eye on. It'll be even tougher to balance Stadium than the other modes, and doing so will be an ongoing process. When I first started playing Overwatch in 2016, it took me several weeks to get my head around all of the heroes' abilities and how they could be combined or countered. It's going to take me a while to fully understand all of the new stuff here given the multiple layers of complexity, but I'm happy to just relax and have fun, and passively absorb all of the information instead of poring over it like I'm studying for a test. Despite my initial reservations, I can see myself sticking with Stadium for a while. I've seen some wild stuff already, and things are going to get more bananas in the coming months as Blizzard folds more heroes into the mode. Plus, the Overwatch 2 I know and love is still there. If I ever feel too overwhelmed in Stadium, I can always retreat to the comfort of my beloved Mystery Heroes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/overwatch-2s-frenetic-stadium-mode-is-a-new-lease-on-life-for-my-go-to-game-165053113.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Earlier this year, right as TikTok and other ByteDance apps were temporarily pulled from Apple and Googles app stores, Meta announced that it was working on a new video editing app tailored to Instagram creators. That app, called Edits, is now finally rolling out as Meta continues to try to leverage the uncertainty surrounding TikToks future to draw more creators to its apps. As previewed in its earlier app store listings, Edits promises much more advanced editing tools than whats been available in Metas apps. The in-app camera allows creators to capture up to 10 minutes of video and publish to Instagram in enhanced quality. It also features popular editing effects like green screen and Instagrams extensive music catalog. In keeping with Metas current focus on AI, Edits comes with a couple AI-powered features as well. The animate feature allows users to create a video from a static image, while cutouts enables video makers to isolate specific people or objects with precision tracking. And unlike ByteDances popular editor CapCut, Edits doesnt export videos with a watermark of any kind (Instagram downranks videos with visible watermarks). While Edits is launching months after CapCut came back online in the US, Meta is adding some Instagram-specific features to lure Reels creators. This includes in-app post analytics, as well as the ability to import audio tracks theyve previously saved in the app. And it sounds like Instagram creators can look forward to more specialized features in the future. In a blog post, the company notes that the current version of the app is merely the first step for Edits, and that it plans to collaborate with creators on more functionality going forward. Edits is out now in the App Store and Google Play.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-is-rolling-out-edits-its-capcut-competitor-163045930.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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