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Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the centerpiece of March's PlayStation Plus game catalog entries. The critically acclaimed metroidvania title is accompanied by Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, UFC 5, Arcade Paradise and the, uh, unforgettably titled Bang-on Balls: Chronicles. Meanwhile, you'll need a PS Plus Premium subscription to play the return of glorious PS1-era Mech-piloting action in the first three Armored Core games. This month's arrivals will all be available from March 18. Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is, by all accounts, a terrific game. It has all the series' elements like tight parkour controls, swordplay and challenging platforming (with a healthy share of magical secrets). Throw in its striking visual style with a rich color palette, and you have something special. Engadget's Lawrence Bonk found it to be "a fantastic metroidvania that could easily sit next to some of the classics of the genre, like Hollow Knight and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night." FromSoftware It even has a handy "memory shards" feature that other metroidvania titles would do well to copy: Capture a screenshot of an area you want to return to later and pin it to your map. Lest the neat mechanic make things too easy (something the genre rarely has to worry about), you only get a limited number of memory shard slots. Despite receiving rave reviews across the board, The Lost Crown reportedly only sold around 300,000 copies during its first few weeks after launch, so Ubisoft did its Ubisoft thing and disbanded the team that made it. (Sigh.) Although that means we almost certainly won't see more DLC or a sequel, at least most of its developers are still working at Ubisoft on other projects. And hey, there's another Prince of Persia game to look forward to as early as next year. Bandai Namco Other highlights for Extra and Premium members include Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, which gives fast-paced arcade soccer a striking visual makeover (and a storyline!), and the nostalgic management sim (with bonus mini-games) Arcade Paradise. You'll also get the indie platformer Bang-On Balls: Chronicles, which is a bit like taking a 3D Kirby game, cutting most of the transformations and adding quirky, slapstick humor (like optional flatulence). There's also UFC 5 if you're into EA Sports' take on bare-knuckle brawling. FromSoftware Basking in the glow of the acclaimed 2024 entry Armored Core: Fires of Rubicon, Sony is turning back the clock to the series' roots. PS Plus Premium subscribers can play Armored Core (1997), Armored Core: Project Phantasma (1997) and Armored Core: Master of Arena (1999) for the first time on their modern PlayStation consoles (PS5 and PS4). The innovative (and highly customizable!) mech series laid the groundwork for the 2024 entry, which Engadget's Igor Bonifacic praised as "an incredible achievement in game design and thematic cohesion, and, I think, a promise of what we can expect from FromSoftware's next generation of talent." This month's PS Plus games will be available from March 18. You can read the full list of entries on the PlayStation blog. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-highlights-marchs-ps-plus-lineup-194545416.html?src=rss
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Sorry to everyone who was waiting for Sonos to release a streaming video device it seems that's not happening anytime soon. The company is said to have canceled the long-expected product, which was reportedly far along in development. Sonos leadership announced the cancellation in an all-hands call on Wednesday, according to The Verge. Interim CEO Tom Conrad says that, "for now," the company won't enter the streaming video market. The team that was working on the project, codenamed Pinewood, is set to be reassigned to other projects. It was reported last month that Sonos could start selling the device this year for between $200 and $400. Pinewood was rumored to have a unified software experience with universal search for shows and movies from various streaming services like Netflix, Max and Disney+. Pinewood was believed to have Sonos Voice Control integration and to act as an HDMI hub for home entertainment devices such as game consoles. And, of course, the box would have synced with Sonos soundbars and speakers. Per the report, Pinewood's cancellation leaves Sonos without a major new product to start selling in the second half of 2025. Instead, it seems that the company will double down on rebuilding its reputation and the performance of its software after the disastrous rollout of a new mobile app in 2024. That fiasco led to the ouster of former CEO Patrick Spence and other executives. Sonos also fired hundreds of workers as part of a restructuring plan. Engadget has contacted Sonos for comment.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/sonos-reportedly-scraps-its-long-expected-streaming-video-device-193445993.html?src=rss
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iRobot, the creator of the Roomba and the company that popularized robot vacuums in the first place, told investors on Wednesday that it has "substantial doubt about [its] ability to continue." Beyond declining sales the company reported that revenue decreased 47 percent in the US over the prior year in its fourth quarter earnings iRobot is also struggling to pay off its debts. The company took on a $200 million bridge loan to stay afloat while it waited for its $1.7 billion acquisition deal with Amazon to be approved, which it's still paying off. The European Commission ultimately investigated the acquisition in 2023, and rather than address its concerns, Amazon terminated the deal and paid out its $94 million termination fee. That wasn't enough to eliminate iRobot's problems, though. The company now plans to review its options and see if it can find another way to stick it out, including "refinancing the company's debt and exploring a potential sale or strategic transaction." The timing is particularly unfortunate given the line of new robot vacuums iRobot recently announced. The company has a new robot for most price points, but the Roomba 105 Vac Robot series, which are supposed to feature 70 times more suction than past models, and the Roomba Plus 505 Combo Robot + AutoWash Dock, which is able to clean corners better and has a dock that washes and heat-dries the robot's mop, stand out as notable improvements. The company is also adopting lidar sensors across the board, something that was missing from previous robots and should allow for better, more accurate mapping. It's possible new products help iRobot get to a better place financially the company still makes robots we recommend, after all but that doesn't change the fact that its facing stiff competition from companies like Roborock and Dreame, who are both getting much more adventurous with what their robot vacuums can actually do.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/irobot-has-new-roombas-but-it-doesnt-sound-confident-itll-be-around-to-sell-them-191747458.html?src=rss
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