tech
Page: 45
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Apple / Vision Pro
Apple is making headway in the video game, sneakingly dropping a video game console with its iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max phones. Now, the company that Jobs built is ready to jump into the VR world with its Apple Vision Pro headset this year.
Surprise, the Apple Vision Pro is dropping on February 2, which is much sooner than many people thought. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced on his X, formerly Twitter account, that the $3,500 headset is ready to launch.
Apple first revealed the headset during its Worldwide Developer Conference last June, and pre-orders for the ridiculously expensive device begin January 19 at 8 AM ET.
Along with the release date, Apple also shared the price of the Zeiss prescription lenses users can get with them. Readers will start at $99, while prescription lenses cost $149.
The base model, which will cost you an arm and leg, comes with 256GB of RAM and these other accessories:
Solo Knit Band and Dual Loop Band
A light seal and two light seal cushions
Apple Vision Pro cover
Polishing cloth
Battery
USB-C charging cable and USB-C power adapter
For $3,500, users will also get a 4K display for each eye, and a dedicated dial on the side of the headset will allow users to switch seamlessly from virtual to augmented reality.
A dual-chip setup comprised of Apple’s in-house M2 chip and the new R1 chip will power the Vision Pro, and thanks to some impressive eye, head, and hand tracking capabilities, users don’t need to use the controller to navigate the interface.
Can Apple Make Up Ground on Meta?
Apple is a bit late to the VR/AR game dominated by Meta, which is currently on its third headset, the Meta Quest 3, and it’s also a lot more affordable.
With the Vision Pro, Apple is pushing it to be used with apps like FaceTime, Photos, and Movies while allowing users to watch spatial videos recorded on the iPhone 15.
Apple also says users can access over 150 3D titles through the Apple TV app using the Vision Pro. This is all possible because Vision Pro runs visionOS, the company’s latest operating system.
So watching shows like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on the Vision Pro will be one epic experience.
But is it worth $3,500? That’s the big question.
We know fans of the Apple brand are not scared to swipe their cards for the latest tech from the company, and we are intrigued to see if that continues to be the case with Vision Pro.
[embedded content]
—
Photo: Apple / Vision Pro
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: NYVGCC / 2024 New York Game Awards
The video game award season is not done yet. The New York Video Game Critics Circle annual New York Game Awards are back, and the nominations have been revealed.
The annual New York Game Awards are back for its 13th iteration. Thursday, January 4, the nominees were announced during a live stream at the Paley Center for Media.
The winners will be revealed during the awards show held at the SVA Theater on January 23. Returning to host will be Circle president and founder Harold Goldberg, NYVGCC senior intern Makeda Byfield, and the 2020 Andrew Yoon Legend Award recipient and former President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aimé.
Co-President and Head of Creative at Naughty Dog, Neil Druckman, is this year’s recipient of the Andrew Yoon Legend Award. Last year, the Chief Executive Officer of Gaming, Phil Spencer, took home the prestigious honor.
“This past year has offered so many amazing games, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the magnificent work of these developers with this year’s New York Game Awards,” said Harold Goldberg, president and founder of NYVGCC. “Our team of journalists, interns, and volunteers at NYVGCC look forward to hosting and honoring so many talented people who work in the video game industry on January 23. Get your tickets now to join us for a very special awards show!”
This year’s nominees include:
Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year
Alan Wake II
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Baldur’s Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Hi-Fi Rush
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Starfield
Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game
A Space for the Unbound
Chants of Sennaar
El Paso Elsewhere
Jusant
Pizza Tower
Sea of Stars
The Talos Principle II
Viewfinder
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a Game
Alan Wake II
Baldur’s Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Starfield
Tchia
Thirsty Suitors
Statue of Liberty Award for Best World
Alan Wake II
Baldur’s Gate 3
Chants of Sennaar
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Final Fantasy XVI
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Starfield
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game
Alan Wake II
Baldur’s Gate 3
Final Fantasy XVI
Hi-Fi Rush
Tchia
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Great White Way Award for Best Acting in a Game
Amelia Tyler as The Narrator in Baldur’s Gate 3
Ben Starr as Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI
Elizabeth Saydah as Riley in Oxenfree II: Lost Signals
Idris Elba as Solomon Reed in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Melanie Liburd as Saga Anderson in Alan Wake II
Neil Newbon as Astarion in Baldur’s Gate 3
Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game
Asgard’s Wrath 2
Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR
Body of Mine
Horizon Call of the Mountain
Humanity
We Are One
Central Park Children’s Zoo Award for Best Kids Game
Disney Illusion Island
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
Pikmin 4
Super Mario Bro. Wonders
Tchia
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Honkai: Star Rail
Kimono Cats
Laya’s Horizon
Monster Hunter Now
Terra Nil
Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake
Dead Space
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Metroid Prime Remastered
Resident Evil 4
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Super Mario RPG
Joltin’ Joe Award for Best Esports Player of the Year
Alexis “Zen” Bernier (Team Vitality) – Rocket League
Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique (Twisted Minds/Red Bull eSports) – Tekken 7
Choi “Zeus” Woo-je (T1) – League of Legends
Lee “Faker” Sang-Hyeok (T1) – League of Legends
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (Team Vitality) – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Paco “HyDra” Rusiewiez (New York Subliners) – Call of Duty
Chumley’s Speakeasy Award for Best Hidden Gem
9 Years of Shadow
American Arcadia
Conrad Stevenson’s Paranormal P.I.
Outer Terror
Slay the Princess
Videoverse
NYC GWB Award for Best DLC
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania
God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways
Vampire Survivors: Coop Mode
Knickerbocker Award for Best Games Journalism
Andrea Long Chu, Vulture
Blessing Adeoye Jr., Kinda Funny Games
Brendan Sinclair, GamesIndustry.biz
Ed Smith, PCGamesN/Bullet Points Monthly
Hanif Abdurraqib, The Paris Review
Nicole Carpenter, Polygon
Reid McCarter, Bullet Points Monthly
Good luck to all those nominated. Keep it locked on HHW Gaming for a recap of the night.
If you want to be in the building, purchase tickets here.
—
Photo: NYVGCC / 2024 New York Game Awards
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Xbox / Series S Toaster
Xbox is making a solid push to take over your home entertainment centers and kitchens.
The Microsoft-owned gaming company also sells a Series S toaster to compliment your Xbox Series X Compact Fridge that you can still pick up for only $199.
For just $40 bucks, you can show your allegiance to Team Green with this next-generation toaster, and it comes with many features to help you unlock many achievements in your toasting game.
Thanks to the Series S Toaster’s ability to toast the Xbox sphere logo on your bread, you can showcase your love for Xbox. The toaster can fit two slices of bread, has six browning levels, an LED countdown to eliminate those surprise jump scares, and a removable crumb tray to keep things tidy around the kitchen.
There is also an anti-jam function and automatic temperature control.
It can also toast your bagels or English muffins and features a defrost setting.
The Series S Toaster was originally only available in France in March 2023. Wario64, who dedicates time to sharing video game-related deals on X, formerly Twitter, the toaster’s wide availability.
With the arrival of the Series S Toaster, Xbox continues to push out exciting items and collaborations. Ahead of the launch of Starfield, the company linked with Tempur for a one-of-a-kind “Dream Chair.”
Xbox also dropped mini hoodies for Xbox controllers.
There were also insane console collaborations with movies like Barbie, Wonka, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
It would be nice to see PlayStation doing something similar with appliances.
Just saying.
You can pick up the Xbox Series S toaster by heading here. It will make the perfect gift for the gamer in your life.
—
Photo: Xbox / Series S Toaster
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. In the lead up to New Year’s Day, Amazon has all sorts of deep discounts on tech and gaming gear — like […]
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Rockstar Games / GTA 6
Another day, more stolen data from a respected video game developer has leaked.
*HHW Gaming will not be providing any links to any of the hacked material.*
Spotted on Insider Gaming, the mega hack that saw over 100 GB of stolen data last still haunts Rockstar Games.
Reports began to surface Christmas night that GTA V’s source code leaked in full, along with the Python code for GTA 6 and numerous files from the scrapped Bully 2 game.
Per Insider Gamning:
Until now, transactions were reportedly being held behind closed doors, with key data such as GTA 5’s source code, stolen by a teenager in a hotel room with a mobile device last year, changing hands in secret.
It has now been shared online, according to recent screenshots.
Not only that but it has also been claimed that every file relating to Bully 2 – the follow-up to 2008’s Bully – has also been leaked. In another screenshot that is floating around, fresh Python code from GTA 6 has also been revealed, along with some early, conceptual materials from GTA 5, such as an original rendition of the game’s map.
The leaks of GTA V’s source code are concerning because they could lead to the creation of “highly sophisticated cheats,” according to the website’s report.
More News From The Rockstar Games Hack
That wasn’t the only thing to come from the hack; leaked source code revealed plans for eight pieces of DLC for GTA V that Rockstar Games decided not to release due to the popularity of GTA Online and work on next-gen versions of the game.
The names of the reported DLC include:
‘SP Assassination Pack’
‘SP Manhunt Pack’
‘SP Norman Pack’
‘Agent Trevor’
‘Relationship Pack’
‘Enterprise Pack’
‘Prologue DLC’
‘LibertyV DLC’
This latest news also comes on the heels of reports that the young teenager responsible for the hack was sentenced to life in a hospital prison.
Oh, and the big Insomniac Games hack also released stolen material after PlayStation, and the video game studio did not pay the ransom demand.
We hope that in 2024, the leaks will come to an end.
—
Photo: Rockstar Games / GTA 6
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: NurPhoto / Getty / X / Twitter
Elon Musk’s struggling social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, suffered another blackout, and he has nothing to say.
Spotted on Deadline, the sinking ship we all used to love suffered a major blackout on Wednesday night, just before 10 pm PT, according to Downdetector.
Users were greeted by a dormant site with no feeds or posts working and a ‘Welcome To X” greeting with a “Let’s Go” action button that took them nowhere, according to Deadline.
But, at the time of the blackout, #MyTwitter, #NotTwitter, Did Elon, and #TwitterDown were all trending, hilariously.
X began working again around 11 pm PT, but no explanation was provided by the social platform or its owner, who is usually very active regarding his platform.
If you search his timeline, the only thing you will see referencing X is him sharing a quote in a post claiming that “X/Twitter site traffic up 22.3% Year over Year from November 2022-2023,” with him writing in the caption “Growth is strong.”
A Breakdown of Elon Musk’s Fumbling
X has been dying slowly since Elon Musk reluctantly purchased it for $44 billion. Since then, he has put on a masterclass showing everyone how to ruin a company and lose billions successfully.
He stupidly changed the name from Twitter to X, with many still calling it Twitter. He’s seemingly cosigned an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X, leading to companies pulling advertising dollars from the platform.
Musk double-downed on his stubbornness by taking a dig at those advertisers, leading to IBM to say we are good with advertising on X.
In another head-scratching decision, Phony Stark reinstated far-right Hulk Hogan, Alex Jones’ account.
We have no idea how much longer this platform will continue to function, y’all better start getting those Instagram Threads and TikTok accounts popping as soon as possible.
—
Photo: NurPhoto / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: SOPA Images / Getty / PS5
When it comes to moving consoles, Sony remains king.
Sony has a lot to be happy about. Roughly three years after its release, the popularity of the PS5 console remains high, and according to Reuters, the company has reportedly sold over 50 million units.
The Japanese tech giant also says it has the best-ever Black Friday period for the video game console.
Per Reuters reporting, Sony expects to finish the year on a high note thanks to a strong holiday performance, putting the company on pace to reach its sales target of a record 25 million units to close out the current financial year ending March 31.
Eric Lempel, senior vice president for global marketing, sales, and business operations at Sony Interactive Entertainment, said, “Given the momentum we’ve had in November and a lot of what we’re seeing in December, just in general, we’re feeling very good about sales overall.”
Remember that this number could have been higher, but PS5 sales were hampered due to supply chain issues when the console first hit the market.
Still, despite that, you can expect to see a PS5 in a home thanks to a solid first-party game lineup with games like God of War: Ragnarok and, most recently, Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Xbox & Nintendo Are Not Seeing The Same Success With Its Consoles
The outlook isn’t so rosy for the PS5’s direct competitors, Microsoft’s Xbox Series S | X and the Nintendo Switch.
IGN reports the Xbox sales have hit a snag. According to the website, PS5 sales are up “65% to 22.5 million units,” while Xbox’s sales took a dip to “about 15% to 7.6 million.”
The Nintendo Switch, which at one point was impossible to find on shelves during the pandemic, has fallen nearly 20%.
We are curious to see if Sony can continue its dominance in the gaming space in 2024.
—
Photo: SOPA Images / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty / Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder is currently building a Star Wars-like world with his Rebel Moon franchise, but that’s not stopping him from looking toward the future and wanting to make a movie out of his favorite video game, Fortnite.
The architect of the now-dead DCEU is a huge fan of Fortnite, and who can blame him? The game is highly addictive, and its latest updates have injected new life into the video game.
During a recent interview for his new film Rebel Moon, which critics lambasted by critics, Snyder was asked about the prospect of directing a Fortnite movie.
“I mean, of course,” Snyder told the interviewer, who asked if he ever “want to combine” his passion for filmmaking and playing the addictive video game.
Snyder even noted his valiant attempt to get free skins based on his Rebel Moon characters into the game.
“Look, Fortnite is an amazing world, and it is an amazing distraction for me,” Snyder said. “It’s really cool, and the alchemy that they’ve created there is really unique. When I started playing it, I thought I knew what it was, and then it was something entirely different.”
He continued, “You definitely don’t know. You definitely can never say never. That’s my mantra in this business.”
Consider us intrigued at the thought of a Snyder-esque Fortnite universe, full of his love for slow-motion shots and intense action.
But please, Zack, we know you love to make things rather dark, and Fortnite is far from that. We don’t need another DECU/Snydevers situation here.
Lighten it up a bit, and have some fun. Fortnite is a goofy game that makes it possible for hulky Peter Griffin and Optimus Prime to face off against each other.
—
Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Insomniac Games / Marvel’s Wolverine
Hacks are wack… PERIOD. The gaming community is rallying around Insomniac Games after files were stolen from their highly anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine game and other highly-sensitive information hit the web.
Full disclaimer: HHW Gaming stands in solidarity with Insomniac Games and other game studios and will not share any links to stolen material.
With that out of the way, leading up to last night’s unfortunate events, Rhysida, a ransomware group, demanded $2.3 million from Insomniac Games, the studio behind PlayStation-exclusive titles like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Miles Morales and more.
According to Cyber Daily, after Insomniac Games did not meet Rhysida’s ridiculous demands, the ransomware group leaked 1.67 terabytes of data comprising over 1.3 million stolen files.
The files included level design and character information from Marvel’s Wolverine. Internal company presentations leaked Insomniac Games and Sony’s unannounced games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 3, Venom, an X-Men game, and, unsurprisingly, a new Ratchet & Clank game.
There were also screenshots of internal spreadsheets with other information on development and budgets.
The leak of the Insomniac Games employee’s personal information made this hack even more egregious.
Insomniac Games joined the growing list of other game studios that also experienced hacks. Rockstar Games saw early development footage of GTA 6 leak, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Witcher: Wild Hunt developer CD Projekt Red, Bandai Namco, and Riot Games.
The Gaming Community Denounced The Hacks On Social Media
While thirsty folks eager to feast their eyes on Insomniac’s Wolverine game circled the stolen material like hungry vultures on rotting flesh, the gaming community rallied around the studio to denounce the leaks.
“Leaks are scary, frustrating, damaging and often happen without consent or any planning,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
“Our sympathies to @insomniacgames and all the affected team members. After all the effort and dedication they have poured into their games, they didn’t deserve this. No one does. The hackers also leaked employee’s personal information, which is truly disgraceful and shameful,” Alan Wake 2 developer Remedy wrote on its official X account.
Add us to the list of people who feel for Insomniac Games and all of the other studios who were victims of bored losers who had nothing better to do with their computer skills.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
—
Photo: Insomniac Games / Marvel’s Wolverine
The European Union is looking into whether Elon Musk’s online platform X breached tough new social media regulations in the first such investigation since the rules designed to make online content less toxic took effect.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X” under the Digital Services Act, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said Monday in a post on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The Commission will now investigate X’s systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements,” spokesman Johannes Bahrke told a press briefing in Brussels. “It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.”
The investigation will look into whether X failed to do enough to curb the spread of illegal content and whether measures to combat ” information manipulation,” especially through its crowd-sourced Community Notes fact-checking feature, were effective.
The 27-nation EU also will examine whether X was transparent enough with researchers and will look into suspicions that its user interface, including for its blue check subscription service, has a “deceptive design.”
“X remains committed to complying with the Digital Services Act, and is cooperating with the regulatory process,” the company said in a statement. “It is important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law. X is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform, while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal.”
A raft of big tech companies faced a stricter scrutiny after the EU’s Digital Services Act took effect earlier this year, threatening penalties of up to 6% of their global revenue — which could amount to billions — or even a ban from the EU.
The DSA is a set of far-reaching rules designed to keep users safe online and stop the spread of harmful content that’s either illegal — such as child sexual abuse or terrorism content — or violates a platform’s terms of service, such as promotion of genocide or anorexia.
The EU has already called out X as the worst place online for fake news, and officials have exhorted owner Musk, who bought the platform a year ago, to do more to clean it up. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, quizzed X over its handling of hate speech, misinformation and violent terrorist content related to the Israel-Hamas war after the conflict erupted.