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Xbox's Spring Sale is live, with big discounts on old and new classics and plenty of forgotten gems. But the deals aren't limited to Xbox console games; there's plenty on tap for PC, too. (You can filter by platform under the "Play with" option in the sidebar.) Some of the standouts in the Xbox sale include 75 percent off Red Dead Redemption 2 (a mere $15 for the 2018 masterpiece), Elden Ring ($36) and 20 percent off Baldur's Gate 3 ($56). Also available are Subnautica ($9.89), the feline adventure Stray ($18) and Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition ($40). If you're one of the two gamers who don't already own it, you can even snag Grand Theft Auto V for a mere $20. (Even if you have the 2013 mega-hit on another platform, this is the enhanced version for Xbox Series X/S.) Cuphead StudioMDHR A few more worth checking out include the Cuphead & The Delicious Last Course bundle ($18.89), Borderlands 3 ($6), Hogwarts Legacy: Digital Deluxe Edition ($20) and the stealth sandbox Hitman World of Assassination ($28). You can check out the entire Xbox Spring Sale for much more. It lasts until April 30, so you have time for a deep dive before it ends. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-xbox-spring-sale-is-live-185646088.html?src=rss
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New Jersey's Attorney General Matthew Platkin is suing Discord over the chat company's child safety features. The lawsuit claims that Discord has "misled parents about the efficacy of its safety controls and obscured the risks children faced when using the application." The Office of the Attorney General and the state's Division of Consumer Affairs concluded that Discord violated New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act after a multiyear investigation into the company. The details of the lawsuit are currently sealed, but Platkin's announcement suggests a few ways he plans to argue Discord's approach may have endangered children. He says the app uses default settings that "allow users to receive friend requests from anyone on the app" and that it makes it simple to create an account when you're under 13. According to Platkin, Discord "only requires individuals to enter their date of birth to establish their age when creating an account." When ask for comment, Discord offered the following statement: Discord is proud of our continuous efforts and investments in features and tools that help make Discord safer. Given our engagement with the Attorney General's office, we are surprised by the announcement that New Jersey has filed an action against Discord today. We dispute the claims in the lawsuit and look forward to defending the action in court. Discord has introduced multiple features over the years with the express purpose of protecting younger users. Following a report that detailed 35 cases involving Discord in which adults were prosecuted on charges like "kidnapping, grooming or sexual assault," the company introduced its Family Center tool, which lets adults track what their children do on the app. Teen Safety Assist, also introduced in 2023, added automatic content filters and a new warning system for people who violate the apps guidelines. In 2025, Discord launched a nonprofit coalition called Roost with the express purpose of developing open-source child safety tools. Discord, like other social platforms, has faced scrutiny before, and the pressure seems like it's only going to increase. Back in 2024, California lawmakers proposed the idea of blocking children's access to algorithmic social feeds, and just this year Utah passed an age verification law for app stores, a decidedly blunt way to try and guarantee child safety.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/new-jersey-ag-sues-discord-over-alleged-child-safety-failures-184501604.html?src=rss
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The TV adaptation of the video game Twisted Metal is coming back for a second season on July 31. Just like the first season, this wont be a weekly release. All of the episodes will be available on Peacock on that date. The first season was surprisingly decent, and occasionally hilarious. One thing we didnt see in that batch of episodes, however, was the titular tournament. The show is rectifying that, as the second season looks to revolve entirely around the Twisted Metal demolition derby. Co-leads Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz are both returning. Will Arnett will also once again voice the killer clown Sweet Tooth. Anthony Carrigan, from the HBO show Barry, is on deck as the iconic derby host Calypso. The shows creators include folks from Cobra Kai and the Deadpool film franchise. Like I said up top, the first season was surprisingly fun. Its a fast-paced action-comedy set in a post-apocalyptic version of the US. Its more goofy than grimdark, so think Fallout and not The Last of Us. Twisted Metal joins other modern TV adaptations of video games, like Knuckles, The Last of Us, Arcane and Castlevania: Nocturne. Video game adaptations have also been ruling the box office these past few years, with A Minecraft Movie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie both breaking records.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/twisted-metal-season-two-crashes-onto-peacock-on-july-31-182717907.html?src=rss
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The long-awaited second season of weekly Playdate game drops commences on May 29. During a showcase on Thursday, Panic revealed that players will get two fresh games on their console every seven days for six weeks. It's also promising a surprise of some kind. Unlike the first season of games that's included with every Playdate, you'll need to pay extra for this one. Playdate Season Two will run you $39. You can pre-order now through the Playdate Catalog. Part of the allure of Playdate's seasons is that the games are a bit of a mystery, so you never quite know what you're going to get in your weekly drops. To that end, Panic didn't go super in depth into all 12 during the showcase, instead opting to shine a spotlight on four of them. One of the games will be of particular interest to FTL: Faster Than Light and Into The Breach fans. Subset Games, the studio behind those hits, has made a brand new game for the Playdate. It's an arcade action game called Fulcrum Defender. You'll use the crank to aim and shoot at waves of enemies as you try to survive. Subset co-founder Jay Ma says the enemies will progressively become more complex and you'll need to have good aim and choose upgrades wisely to keep your run going. Antonio "Fáyer" Uribe, one of the folks behind last year's well-received Arco (which Panic published), teamed up with Flinthook designer Dom2D to make Dig! Dig! Dino!. This is a relaxing puzzle game in which you'll be digging for dinosaur bones and treasure. Sell the booty and you can unlock upgrades to help you dig deeper for more bones and artifacts. The maker of Playdate titles Lifes Too Short and Time From Earth is back with another game that will be part of Season Two. It's a remake of the classic point-and-click adventure Shadowgate for the diminutive console. Pixel Ghost says it took the best parts of the previous versions to make Shadowgate PD, which includes new music, art and features. The fourth game that was featured in the showcase is Taria & Como, a puzzle platformer that's based around swinging instead of jumping (that reminds me a little of the wonderful Grapple Dogs). You'll take on the role of Taria, a girl with a prosthetic leg who sets out to find her sister, Como. JuVee Productions, Viola Davis' production company, collaborated with Popseed Studio on this project. "A few years ago, my friends son was diagnosed with Tourettes, and I began to think about what sort of stories hed grow up with. As a disabled person, Ive seen the same tropes recycled pity case, inspiration, disability as a superpower, magical cures," Taria & Como creator Kip Henderson said in a statement. "Disability is complex, and were more than the inspirational fodder for able-bodied people. Taria & Como is the story I wish I had growing up." In addition to the Playdate Season Two details, Panic revealed a new cover for the console to go alongside the purple, blue and pizza ones. This one is yellow to match the hardware and it costs $34. The price of the console itself recently jumped up to $229, but you might be able to snag an official refurbished model for the system's original price of $179.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playdate-season-two-includes-an-action-arcade-game-from-into-the-breach-studio-subset-181438605.html?src=rss
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There are several meteor showers we can count on seeing every year as Earth passes through the debris trails of known comets and asteroids orbiting the sun, and two of them are about to be in full swing. The Lyrids, which come from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, will be visible from April 17 to 26, most prominently in the skies over the Northern Hemisphere. And just a couple days later, the bright streaks of the Eta Aquarids stemming from the famous Halleys Comet will make their first appearance around April 20 before peaking in early May. In both cases, you wont need any equipment to enjoy the show. How to see the Lyrids While the Lyrid meteor shower isnt the most fruitful astronomical event of the year, we can still expect to see an average of 15 meteors per hour during its peak on the night of April 21 going into April 22, if the conditions are right. In the days before and after that, theyll come at a rate of about five per hour. The Lyrids radiant, or the point from which they appear to emerge, will be in the northeast near the constellation Lyra and well above the horizon by around midnight. Youll want to set up in a spot with a wide view of the sky and as little light pollution as possible, and look up toward the east. The best time to watch is late evening on April 21 until the moon rises a few hours before dawn on April 22, EarthSky recommends. Then, after the moon rises, place yourself in the moons shadow. Youll have the best shot at seeing the Lyrids if youre in the Northern Hemisphere (and if the weather is clear), but viewers south of the equator may be able to catch some too. Every so often, the Lyrid meteor shower produces an unusual abundance of meteors in events known as outbursts, but when theyll occur is unpredictable. In 1982, viewers in Florida spotted as many as 75 meteors per hour, according to NASA. While thats by no means the norm, its not out of the question that you might catch an outburst one of these days. More likely than that, though, is the chance of seeing a fireball, or an exceptionally bright meteor that NASA says is occasionally a feature of the Lyrids. The relatively short meteor shower will come and go in a little over a week, but the Eta Aquarids right after will offer a whole month of potential shooting star sightings. How to see the Eta Aquarids The Eta Aquarid meteor shower (also spelled Aquariid) is one of two annual meteor showers originating from comet 1P/Halley, or Halleys Comet. This comet is in a retrograde orbit around the sun, EarthSky explains. That means it runs around the sun in the opposite direction from Earth and all the other planets. As a result, we pass near its path twice, giving us the Eta Aquarids on the outbound leg of the trip and the Orionids in late October during the inbound. The Eta Aquarids are more plentiful than the Lyrids, and you can start looking out for them around April 20, according to NASA. The shower will be active until May 21, but the best time to spot meteors will be overnight from May 5 into May 6, when it peaks, in the pre-dawn hours. During that time, as many as 50 meteors per hour could be visible, versus about 10 per hour in the non-peak windows. The Eta Aquarids radiant is in the constellation Aquarius. These meteors are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere, where theyll pop up at a higher rate, but that doesnt mean you wont be able to see any if youre in the north. Observers in the Northern Hemisphere may just see fewer, and theyre more likely to see those dubbed Earthgrazers, or long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon, NASA notes. The Eta Aquarids in general move fast, at about 40.7 miles per second, according to the space agency, and theyll often leave incandescent trains lingering in the sky after theyve zipped by. While the debris from Halleys Comet graces our skies twice a year, the comet itself (which I cant think about without also remembering that episode of Hey Arnold!) only swings past Earth about every 76 years, which last happened in 1986. Itll make its next appearance in 2061. After the Eta Aquarids wrap up, well still have a few more meteor showers to look forward to through the summer, so there will be plenty of chances to view some shooting stars if you missed out this time around or just want to catch as many as possible. That includes the Arietids in early June, the Delta Aquarids starting in mid-July and perhaps the best known meteor shower, the Perseids, in mid-August.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-first-meteor-shower-of-spring-peaks-soon-and-another-is-close-on-its-heels-174458501.html?src=rss
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