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For Minecraft players, virtual and mixed reality will soon go the way of a hissing creeper. Developer Mojang announced last month that March 2025 would be the last update for the game on PlayStation VR. Yesterday's patch notes for the Bedrock edition of the game use similar language, stating that "Our ability to support VR/MR devices has come to an end, and will no longer be supported in updates after March of 2025." All is not lost for the block builders who have been enjoying Minecraft in virtual reality. After the final March 2025 update, the patch notes clarify that "you can keep building in your worlds, and your Marketplace purchases (including Minecoins) will continue to be available on a non-VR/MR graphics device such as a computer monitor." It's a sad development for a game that was such a good match for the VR experience. And with the huge sales figures Minecraft continues to put up year after year, it's also a bit discouraging for the broader virtual reality and mixed reality ecosystem to lose such an iconic title. There is a silver lining for the Minecraft community, however. After a very long wait, the game finally has a native edition available for the PlayStation 5. Sony's latest console generation has been relegated to using the PS4 version until now, but going forward the game will have 4K resolution and 60 fps even at a longer draw distance. If you're a PS5 owner who already has the PS4 version of Minecraft, you can claim the new update for free in the PlayStation Store. And with the Bundles of Bravery update rolling out yesterday, it's a promising time to start a new blocky adventure.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/minecraft-is-ending-all-virtual-reality-support-next-spring-212953347.html?src=rss
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This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Warcraft gaming universe but theres not going to be a BlizzCon gathering to celebrate it. So Blizzard is doing the next-best thing by holding a live streaming event. Blizzard announced that its special Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct stream will start at 1PM ET on Wednesday, November 13. The broadcast will run on Blizzards official streaming channels for Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. There arent many details available about what Warcraft fans can expect to see during the livestream except for a special concert celebrating World of Warcrafts 20th anniversary. Following the stream, Blizzard will broadcast a live concert called World of Warcraft: 20 Years of Music from Switzerland. The 21st Century Orchestra and the choirs Tales of Fantasy, Ardito and the Madrijazz Gospel will perform selected songs from the MMORPGs iconic soundtrack. Activision Blizzard announced back in April that it wouldnt be holding a BlizzCon gathering this year despite WoWs momentous milestone. Maybe thats because things have been a little rocky for the game company in the past few years. Microsoft included Activision Blizzard in its round of 1,900 layoffs alongside ZeniMax at the beginning of the year, and in the months after the studio formed the largest wall-to-wall union in the industry.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/blizzard-announces-warcraft-30th-anniversary-stream-next-month-210021972.html?src=rss
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The FCC has fixed its watchful eye on the often lousy customer service we get from telecom providers. The agency said on Wednesday its opening a formal proceeding to review the customer support from cable, broadband, satellite TV and home voice service providers. The review will cover customers' friction points when contacting telecom industry providers. These include hard-to-cancel subscriptions, getting stuck in doom loops when trying to reach a human, sneaky automatic renewals and shoddy accessibility options for folks with disabilities. We can and should expect consistent, transparent, and helpful customer service from the communications companies that provide so many services that are so vital in our day-to-day lives, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote in a press release announcing the inquiry. No one should get stuck in a doom loop trying to cancel a subscription or just get a human being to help resolve their service problems. The FCC wants to simplify customer cancelation options, requiring providers to offer more choices and transparent disclosures at the point of sale and on bills. In addition, it hopes to mandate explicit customer consent before automatically renewing services and helping customers get easier access to live reps without bouncing through endless phone trees. It also aims to improve the accessibility of customer service resources for people with disabilities. Other finer points on the agenda include extending current regulations for cable operator installation, outage and service call rules to include satellite TV, voice and broadband services. Finally, it wants current cable operator customer service requirements to reflect marketplace and technology changes. The Commission adopted the Notice of Inquiry with a 3-2 vote with the majority highlighting the importance of customer support. For starters, the FCC will build a public record of where these customer service points stand today and what specific regulations it could adopt to make things smoother for families and businesses. The inquiry is part of a larger effort to crack down on everyday headaches that waste time and money. Earlier this month, the FCC launched an inquiry into the broadband industrys nonsensical, profit-grabbing data caps. This summer, Verizon paid a $1 million fine to settle an investigation into a 2022 outage that prevented hundreds of emergency calls from going through. Meanwhile, the FTC recently ratified its click-to-cancel rule, making ending subscriptions easier.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-fcc-will-review-the-broadband-industrys-lousy-customer-support-204329886.html?src=rss
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