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You may no longer have access to CBS and CBS Sports, along with Paramount's other channels, through YouTube TV after today, February 13. In an announcement, YouTube has revealed that it's in the middle of negotiations with the company to be able to continue offering its channels. YouTube says it's "fighting for an agreement that avoids passing along additional costs" to you, which indicates that they can't agree on a financial deal that works for both of them, as well as one that gives you "more flexibility in how you watch your favorite sports and shows." In addition to CBS and CBS Sports, the channels affected include Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, MTV and VH1. Several add-ons for YouTube TV, such as Paramount+ with Showtime, will no longer be available, as well. YouTube started adding Paramount's channels to its lineup in 2020, when YouTube TV still cost $50 a month. Today, the live TV streaming service will set you back $70 a month for the first half year and then $83 a month going forward. YouTube says that if it can't reach a deal with Paramount, and the company's content becomes unavailable for "an extended period of time," it will give you $8 in credit. Surprisingly, YouTube is advising viewers who want continued access to the networks shows to sign up for the Paramount+ streaming service, which costs at least $8 a month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-tv-is-removing-cbs-nickelodeon-and-other-paramount-channels-143010075.html?src=rss
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On March 3, Mobile World Congress will kick off in Barcelona, Spain. While its not the premier show it once was, many of the smartphone industrys leading players still attend the conference and frequently announce new devices there. Below, youll find a list of the more notable phones we expect to be announced at MWC 2025. Nothing Phone 3a series At MWC 2022, Nothings Carl Pei showed off a prototype of what would become the companys first handset, the Nothing Phone 1, behind closed doors, and at last years event, Nothing announced the Phone 2(a). This year, were definitely getting at least one new device from the company at MWC, with Nothing teasing something for March 4, the second day of the show. I say at least one device because Nothings invite says Phone 3a Series. To add to that, recent reports suggest the company is preparing to announce a Phone (3a) Pro alongside a regular offering. Why would Nothing release a Pro version of a midrange device, you ask? Im not sure, but this is Nothing we're talking about and the company has frequently done things a bit differently from the rest of the pack. Phone (3a) Series. Power in perspective.4 March 10 AM GMT. pic.twitter.com/auesJycJQy Nothing (@nothing) January 30, 2025 Xiaomi 15 Ultra Xiaomi In 2024, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra made its global debut ahead of MWC, and its looking like history will repeat. Before the start of this month, there was some evidence to suggest Xiaomi would launch its new flagship at MWC 2025, but more recent rumors suggest the company plans to announce the 15 Ultra on February 26. In any case, Xiaomi is listed as an exhibitor at MWC 2025, so if the phone does debut before the end of this month, theres a good chance it will be on the show floor for people to try out. Like the 14 Ultra before it, it looks like the 15 Ultra will be a photography powerhouse, with the phone rumored to feature a 1-inch main sensor and 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens. HMD Global Since 2017, HMD Global has been a mainstay at MWC. First, with its Nokia-branded phones, including retro throwbacks like the 8110 Reloaded, and now more recently with devices carrying its own name. Given that history, it seems a safe bet the company will have something to announce at the show. What that could be is more of a mystery, though its possible the sub-$100 HMD Key could get a global release. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Samsung After Samsung teased the Galaxy S25 Edge at Unpacked last month, you might think it would be fitting for the company to launch the phone in Barcelona next month. After all, MWC was the venue where, up until the Galaxy S10 in 2019, Samsung announced every S series phone beginning with the S2 back in 2011, and the companys presence at MWC was the highlight of the event. Unfortunately, it doesnt seem Samsung is feeling nostalgic for and the sunny boulevards of Barcelona, with little in the way of rumors suggesting we could see the S25 Edge at MWC 2025. Still, never discount the chance Samsung may have a surprise up its sleeve. Everything else As Engadgets resident AI reporter, Im obligated to mention a lot of companies will probably have AI-related announcements to share at MWC 2025. Dont expect anything from the big players like OpenAI the company isnt registered as an exhibitor but with artificial intelligence being the trendy thing in the industry right now, everyone will be trying to cash in on the hype; in fact, AI+ is one of the main themes of MWC 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/what-to-expect-at-mobile-world-congress-2025-140057792.html?sc=rss
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Sorry, beefcakes, but this review isnt for you. All the fighters and rangers out there will still get a sense of how phenomenal Avowed is, the lushness of its environments, the clarity of its combat systems and the depth of its conversation trees but at its core, this is the review for Avowed players who want to spend their time in the Living Lands learning how to become a master of mushroom-powered magic. This is the Avowed review for wizards. And, sure, all of their friends. To be clear, I would happily play Avowed as any mixture of classes, and Im likely going to boot up a new campaign and do exactly this very soon. But in my first runthrough, I wanted to see if the game would let me live out my fantastical spell-slinging dreams, and it absolutely did. Avowed is a first-person, open-world RPG from Obsidian and its a spin-off of the studios Pillars of Eternity series, but it introduces an entirely fresh storyline and map, and doesnt require any existing knowledge of that universe. You are the envoy to the powerful Aedyran empire and youve just landed on the shores of the Living Lands, a lawless region occupied by outcasts, criminals and refugees from the wider world. Aedyr and its good squad, the Steele Garrote, are making inroads in this land and attempting to wrest control of its settlements in the name of law and order. You know, classic colonizer shit. However, thats not why youre here youre on a mission to uncover the source of the Dreamscourge, a rapidly spreading illness that consumes the minds of people and animals, covering their bodies in bright fungal growths and turning them into rabid killing machines. Its kind of like cordyceps in The Last of Us, but with rainbow face mushrooms and rambling spiritual breakdowns preceding the full zombie phase. The Dreamscourges growths look eerily similar to markings on your own face, but youve carried yours since birth and they signify you as a godlike, someone whos been touched by one of the many deities of this world. This is a rare and special status, and part of your journey involves uncovering the identity of your god, a mystery thats haunted your entire life. Whats more, as you interact with aquamarine pillars of spiritual power called adra, a booming voice interrupts your thoughts and dreams, begging you to trust it and claiming it can help cleanse the world. Obsidian Entertainment This complex foundation forms a tapestry of twisting, interlocking narrative threads that span politics, military strategy, religion, occultism, science, trust, relationships, duty and identity over 45 hours of playtime. Thats for a fairly focused run, too I skipped plenty of sidequests in the interest of finishing the game before my deadline, and a full, leisurely playthrough could easily have tacked on 20 more hours and oodles of narrative intrigue. The lore runs deep in Avowed and each of its storylines is handled with supreme care, as are all of the notes, letters, poems and plaques scattered across the Living Lands. There are thousands of completely optional pieces of writing to find here, and each one is delivered in its own voice, serving its own purpose. Avowed is full of life and its history was written with a deft hand. After creating my character with purple and pink hair, yellow freckles and big coral mushroom paddles across my eyes, I chose to be a Court Augur the most mystical option and started building out my interpersonal and mana-generating stats. Mana in this game is called essence, and you also have health and stamina gauges. Leveling up certain characteristics unlocks their associated dialogue options in conversations, and throughout my playthrough, I focused on Perception, Intellect and Resolve because I hate being made to look a fool. Also, as the game progressed, I realized I needed as much stamina and essence as I could get. The Living Lands comprise four main regions: Dawnshore, Emerald Stair, Shatterscarp and Galawains Tusks. Their landscapes range from lush, water-logged forests dotted with iridescent fog and glowing mushrooms, to blackened, craggy spires and bone-like structures in a hellish volcanic wasteland. Each area is gorgeous in its own way and packed with people to help, bounties to secure, secrets to unravel and so very many shiny items to pick up. As someone who absolutely cant resist a glowing outline or the tinkling of a nearby lockbox, Avowed is a buffet of delight. The game encourages you to pick up absolutely everything in sight, and though there is an encumbrance limit, its generous and never caused me any real problems. There also seems to be no such thing as stealing with your character, no matter how destitute or hostile the surrounding NPCs may be. Obsidian Entertainment The dialogue system offers ample opportunity to forge a distinct personality and apply it to every scenario, whether you want to be a hardline government simp, religious zealot, socialist vigilante or some combination of all three. The choices you make in conversations with townsfolk, your companions and the voice in your head ripple across the campaign, altering the outcomes of major narrative points in tangible ways. Treat each decision as if it really matters, because in this game, it probably does. Avowed let me live out my anti-colonization, pro-contraceptive, magical underground rebellion fantasy, but I found it just as enjoyable to talk to kith the humanoid creatures of the Living Lands just for the sake of talking. My favorite dialogue moments happened while standing around the fire of my party camp, learning more about the lives of my companions, shaping my own personality and swapping scary stories. Also, the way the firelight glints off of the slick turquoise scales of my companion Kais chest is endlessly mesmerizing. Ahem, speaking of there is no romance in Avowed and I have to say, I didnt miss it. Horny characters abound in the Living Lands, so theres no shortage of flirty dialogue options if you care to partake, but theres enough happening at all times that a roll in the hay never feels like top priority. Your party maxes out with four companions: the aforementioned Rauataian nomad Kai, the mountain dwarf and tracker Marius, the defiant animancer human Giatta, and the talented wizard-in-training Yatzli, a hearth orlan with pink hair and big, fluffy ears. I know who I would start a romance with Giatta and I had some lovely fireside chats but more than anything, Im happy to have these characters as my friends and reinforcements throughout the game. Obsidian Entertainment Some of Avoweds best storylines are sidequests about your companions lives, fleshing out their personal demons, helping them find closure, and providing context for their behaviors and beliefs. Kais sidequest involving his old friend, Tama, stands out as a particularly moving vignette. Play it when you see it. You can take two companions at a time on your adventures, and the campaign touches on their backstories in turn, making certain party members more useful in specific missions. Kai is a tank with a fire-starting gun; Marius has a bow and shadow-step assassin ability; Giatta heals, shields and buffs; and Yatzli uses magic to control crowds and deal devastating damage. Once I realized that playing as a wizard meant I didnt have to use a grimoire to cast spells, I was completely committed to maxing out that class tree, ignoring the fighter and ranger skills entirely. Theres also a godlike ability tree that fills up as you discover memories of your past lives in hidden locations around the Living Lands. Godlike moves include things like passive boosts, area-of-effect spells and attacks. Finding one of these is a treat, because it triggers a moment of introspection between your character and the voice in their head: A beautiful, hand-drawn image of an ancient event fills the screen and the voice asks how you acted in past moments of extreme tragedy and triumph. These conversations nurture your relationship with the voice and help establish your personal history, and theyre quietly, deeply satisfying. Obsidian Entertainment In combat, I ended up with two main loadouts: A wand and one-handed staff as my main, and a flaming sword and pirate-y gun in the other. Every now and then I swapped my secondary loadout for a bow, which takes two hands to fire but never runs out of arrows, and I had a lot of fun landing headshots from afar. I upgraded my chosen weapons and armor at the party camp throughout my adventure, and added enhancements to the objects that could handle them. Upgrading and enhancing is its own little game, and this feature made me feel less insane as I ran in the opposite direction of my waypoint marker, compulsively picking up every single shiny thing on screen. This is for upgrades, I whispered to myself while gathering my 166th twig. Yes, yes, upgrades. The action wheel was also a critical tool. Opening it during combat pauses the action, allowing you to browse consumables, godlike abilities and, most importantly for a young wizard, spells. I mapped health and three spells to the D-pad, but the rest of my magic abilities were added to the wheel as I unlocked them. It became second nature in the heat of battle to pull up the wheel, down some wild mushroom stew and then pick a spell to fling at incoming enemies, whether ice, fire, lightning or pure magic damage, laser-focused or area-of-effect. And then, Id watch my foes fry. Truly, I loved being a wizard. Managing my stamina bar, essence meter and health gauge was the trickiest part of combat, but I quickly fell into a groove of stabbing, dodging and spell-slinging that worked against a range of enemy types. My overall combat tip is simple: Kill the healers first. By the end of the campaign, I really did feel godlike. Obsidian Entertainment Enemies in Avowed dont level up relative to your own experience. This means those level one lizard bros in Dawnshore will always be level one, and the level five beetles in Galawain's Tusks will always be level five. I appreciate this approach because its immediately clear when you need to spend some time grinding, and its easy to plan future raids and sidequest runs. That said, Im a fan of grinding (hey-o), so this choice plays into my open-world RPG preferences nicely. My time in the Living Lands wasnt without bugs, of course, and Im not talking about the giant spiders. I played on Xbox Series X and experienced four hard crashes in 45 hours, and three of these were in the same area, which happened to be a big boss fight, so that definitely wasnt ideal. I restarted the game each time and didnt lose any real progress. There were also consistent animation issues with close-up dialogue scenes, where it seemed like the game had trouble rendering characters based on how much hair they had Yatzli was particularly stuttery from a visual standpoint. The flame animation on my Fan of Flames also cut out sometimes, but the damage kept spewing out, so this wasnt a huge deal. None of these issues ruined the game and none of them are above further optimization from Obsidian hopefully in a day-one patch. But honestly, by the time the end credits rolled, Id forgotten that any of these things had happened. I simply felt warm and fulfilled, like Id just completed a fantastic game. The third line in my review notes says, I would like to be a mushroom witch pls, and Avowed let me be exactly that. I played the game as a kind and self-righteous chaos demon, but if Id wanted, I couldve been a staid enforcer of colonial expansion, a hubristic wannabe king or something in between. The Living Lands easily support all of these realities, thanks to a universe filled with fabulous writing, exciting secrets, breathtaking views, intriguing characters and smooth mechanics. Though Avowed is set in the world of an existing franchise and its yet another entry in the stacked genre of open-world fantasy RPGs, it feels like the start of something new. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/avowed-review-elder-scrolls-i-dont-know-her-140057830.html?src=rss
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