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EA’s Origin Access Premier and Microsoft’s Game Pass finally get subscriptions right

Jun11
by on June 11, 2018 at 9:06 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, gaming


Two titans of gaming, EA and Microsoft, revealed updates to their respective subscription services that should appeal to hardcore gamers. Both companies committed to releasing their major first-party titles – the big games like Halo and Madden – on their subscription services at the same time as the worldwide launch. Microsoft yesterday announced that every first-party Xbox One game its publishing arm puts out will launch on its Xbox Game Pass service. It also announced the acquisition of five new studios, an upcoming cloud streaming service, and a machine learning update that allows games to download twice as fast from…

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Microsoft’s controller for gamers with disabilities is now available for pre-order

Jun11
by on June 11, 2018 at 7:20 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, gaming, Insider


A month after its original announcement, Microsoft’s awesome Adaptive Controller for the Xbox One is up for pre-order. The controller, designed specifically for gamers with limited mobility, costs $99 and will be available in September. What is it? It’s the first first-party controller designed for gamers with limited mobility. Although it only features two buttons by default (that’s what those big black circles are), it comes with nineteen 3.5mm ports and two USB ports for connecting assistive devices for all sorts of gamers. Instead of an analog stick, some gamers could find it easier to use a joystick. Instead of a button,…

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This web app shows the power of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network (and a lot of dicks)

Jun11
by on June 11, 2018 at 5:41 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, cryptocurrency, distract, Hard Fork, Insights


If you think blockchain technology is boring, this Twitter user is out there to prove you wrong. Lightning K0ala has created an online graffiti board, called satoshis.place, to show the power of Lightning Network (LN) in processing micro-transactions. For those who do not know, Lightning Network is a layer that sits on top of Bitcoin’s blockchain to make the transactions cheaper and faster. While the technology is still in its nascent stage, it is often touted as a solution to Bitcoin’s scalability problems. Its total network capacity crossed $150,000 in April. In fact, at one point in March, it had more…

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The Fitbit Ace, a fitness tracker for your kids, is now available for $100

Jun11
by on June 11, 2018 at 5:34 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider


Fitbit’s Versa was the star of the show at its reveal event in March, but the company also announced another tracker. The Fitbit Ace is  aimed specifically at kids eight years and older – and the parents who want to track their activity. It’s finally available today for $100. As a recap, it’s basically a revamped Fitbit Alta tweaked towards the different health needs of kids. That means fitness goals are tuned to suggest 60 minutes of exercise per day (instead of 30), or 9-12 hours of sleep (instead of 7 or so). It’s also waterproof, can last up to 5 days,…

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Skyrim’s smart speaker parody is actually playable

Jun11
by on June 11, 2018 at 5:07 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, gaming


Todd Howard made a joke at this year’s E3 about releasing Skyrim on Alexa and then Bethesda actually made it real — and I, the Skyrim curmudgeon, completely give up. In between Todd Howard, Bethesda Game Studios exec, dating himself and mispronouncing “nuclear” on stage at the company’s E3 show, he also took the time to make fun of himself for his own near-constant announcements of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. No kidding, he actually said, “We know most of you came here for one thing… I think it’s to see where we’re putting Skyrim next.” At that point, the show stopped cold…

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