PS2J 265 News – Concert Corner

Free games

  • Microsoft

    • Gears of War 4

      • 2016
      • Third person sci-fi shooter where you can team up and take on the new threat in split screen co-op with some crazy weapons (explosive drills, chainsaw guns) that’s the first in the series not developed by Epic Games

    • Torchlight

      • 2009
      • A Diablo-esque action hack-and-slash RPG dungeon crawl that has you completing quests and exploring dungeons with your pet, which starts as either a wolf dog, a lynx, or a ferret, but can be transformed into other animals by feeding it

    • Forza Motorsport 6

      • 2015
      • Realistic racing sim that introduced new gameplay elements like rain and night racing, along with a new story mode called “Stories of Motorsport”

    • Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

      • 2010
      • Third person action RPG that has you questing to resurrect your dead wife with your trusty retractable chain whip

  • Sony

    • Wipeout Omega Collection

      • 2017
      • Racing game where you pilot anti-gravity ships around futuristic racetracks
      • Includes high-def remasters of Wipeout 2048, Wipeout HD, and the HD Fury expansion. It’s also compatible with PSVR

    • Sniper Elite 4

      • 2017
      • Tactical stealth shooter game that has you exploring levels for the perfect vantage point to snipe your enemies

  • Epic

    • Alan Wake

      • 2012
      • Action-adventure game following best-selling thriller novelist Alan Wake as he tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife’s disappearance while experiencing events from the plot of his latest novel, which he can’t remember writing, coming to life

    • For Honor Standard Edition

      • 2017
      • Ubisoft’s pseudo-historical strategy fighting game, where knights, vikings, samurai, and more recently the Chinese Wu Lin faction, all face off online and fight for supremacy

  • Twitch

    • Pumped BMX Pro

      • 2019
      • The latest installment in the high adrenaline fast-paced arcade BMX physics-based trickathon

    • Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap

      • 2017
      • Platform action-adventure remake of the 1989 Master System title of the same name, with gameplay reverse engineered from the original Master System code and brand new graphics and music

    • Mable & The Wood

      • 2019 from the Kickstarter launched in 2016
      • You play as Mable, a shape-shifting girl who can take the form of the creatures that she kills.
      • The strange cult that resurrected you speak of an ancient prophecy that says you will hunt down the great beasts, take their shape, and use their powers to save this dying world.
      • But what if they’re wrong? The prophecy is old, and words lose their meaning with time…

    • Automachef

      • 2019
      • A resource management puzzler where you design kitchens and program machinery for a robotic fast food tycoon who believes he’s human
 

A former Amazon employee managed to hack Capital One’s network last week, stealing sensitive data for about 106M people

  • Capital One confirmed the intrustion, saying it hit about 100M people in the US and 6M in Canada
  • Info taken included names, incomes, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, and emails.
    • In the US, social security numbers for 140T people were also taken, as well as about 80T bank account numbers
    • For Canadians, social insurance numbers for about 1M people were obtained
    • No credit card numbers or login credentials were compromised
  • Apparently the data came from credit card applications filed from 2005 until early 2019
  • On the plus side bank officials have stated that it’s unlikely the stolen data was used or widely disseminated, but they’re clearly in damage control mode so take that with a grain of salt
 

A report from The Guardian last week talked about Siri privacy concerns from an Apple contractor

  • According to this employee, conractors working on Siri regularly hear confidential medical info, drug deals, intimate moments, and other private information when reviewing audio from accidental Siri activations
    • The whistelblower went on to say that the recordings are accompanied by user data showing location, contact info, and app data
  • In response, Apple released a statement saying that a small number of anonymized Siri requests are analyzed to improve the service, accounting for less than 1% of all activations
    • The audio is linked to a randomized identifier not associated with any of your personal info
      • According to Apple’s security white paper, user voice data is saved for a six month period using that random id
      • After that, a second copy may be saved with no identifier for up to two years
    • They also said that the audio is analyzed in secure facilities and all reviewers are under strict confidentiality requirements
  • One of my favourite bits from the story is them acknowledging that Apple says the data “is used to help Siri and dictation … understand you better and recognise what you say”, but then calls them out for not explicitly stating the work is done by a human
    • You kind of have to wonder how else we’d improve how a computer interprets someone talking, other than having a someone teach it
  • It seems like there’s a pretty big discrepancy between Apple’s policies and what the contractor are saying, but considering the unsubstantiated Bloomberg story from last year about weird hacking microchips hidden in servers and Apple’s track record when it comes to privacy I’m inclined to side with Apple on this one
  • Either way, if you’re concerned about privacy you can turn off the Hey Siri feature on your iDevices and choose to activate it manually if you need it
 

Tidbits

  • Great news for Call of Duty fans and fans of console openness in general: the new Modern Warfare will feature crossplay between PC, PS4, and XBone
  • Respawn will apparently reveal a AAA VR FPS at Oculus Connect in September
    • They’ve already confirmed it’s not a Titanfall or Star Wars game, but Respawn has been a solid developer so I’m interested to see what they release
 

Recommend A League Of Their Own

  • A comedy-drama that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, created to keep the sport going during World War 2
  • Stars Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, and a ton of other great actors
  • It was even selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry in 2012 for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant
  • And fun fact- all of the scrapes and bruises shown on the players are actual injuries sustained during the filming- except for a single scene, no stunt doubles were used. All the actresses actually played, hit, and slid

 

Literally Misleading

GAME – With strength, speed and always moving up, three teams must work to stop the mastermind behind thier turmoil.
 
If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami
 

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And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us.
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We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB
 
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PS2J 263 News – Amazon Police State

Free Games

  • Epic

    • Moonlighter

      • 2018
      • Action RPG that has you managing your shop by day, working with inventory and making money to expand your town, and exploring dungeons and fighting hordes of enemies by night to earn loot

    • This War of Mine

      • 2014
      • War survival game inspired by the Siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, it focuses on the civilian experience of making difficult decisions and trying to keep your people alive by gathering and crafting resources while avoiding snipers and hostile scavengers
 

Security warning

  • there are eight different browser extensions out there that are stealing data from millions of customers and a long list of companies including Apple, Walmart, Amazon, 23AndMe, SpaceX, Skype, and many more
  • The extensions are
    • Branded Surveys (Chrome)
    • FairShare Unlock (Chrome and Firefox)
    • HoverZoom (Chrome)
    • Panel Community Surveys (Chrome)
    • PanelMeasurement (Chrome
    • SaveFrom.netHelper (Firefox)
    • SpeakIt! (Chrome)
    • SuperZoom (Chrome and Firefox)
  • The tracking activity has been reported to Chrome and Mozilla, who have disabled the add-ons and removed them from their marketplaces, but even after being disabled they continue to track and send user data
    • The only way to stop them is to completely uninstall the extensions involved
  • Leaked data includes user names, addresses, credit card info, passwords, files stored in the cloud, tax returns, genetic information, medical history… the list goes on
  • It just goes to show that we need to be careful about what browser extensions we download and use, since even though they’re on an official storefront doesn’t mean they’re safe
 

Nintendo has officially responded to the Joy-Con drift controversy

  • An American law firm is investigating a potential class action lawsuit
  • Their official stance is that affected players should visit support.nintendo.comand open a ticket to get your controllers repaired
    • This ticketing system seems to be a new development, since as recently as July 19th they just had basic troubleshooting steps like updating your system and recalibrating your Joy-Cons
  • Even with Nintendo offering repairs many people aren’t satisfied, citing high repair costs ($50 CAD out of warranty), slow turnaround, and the drift issues coming back very quickly (in some cases within days)
    • Systems carry a 12 month warranty, but controllers bought separately are only covered for 3 months
    • There are also a few unsubstantiated reports of Nintendo offering free out-of-warranty repairs, and refunds to people that already paid out of pocket, but it hasn’t been consistent so far.
  • It’ll be interesting to see how the Switch Lite fares, with its built-in controllers
 

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold is now slated to launch this September

  • They’ve apparently extended the plastic layer reviewers were peeling off to sit under the bezels, making it clear that it’s not supposed to be removed, and added reinforcements to protect the display from dirt and debris getting under it
  • End of the day this is still a $2000 USD concept tablet that folds into a phone with a surprisingly small screen, but we’ll see what people think of it this fall
 

FaceApp is under fire for processing photos and device-related data in Russia

  • A new warning tells users that photos will be uploaded to servers and not processed on their devices, but that was just added last week
  • Another piece to note is that you’re granting them a perpetual, irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, fully-paid, transferable sub-licensable license to use your data
 

Google Stadia’s director was on a Reddit AMA recently trying to reassure people that paying money for games that exist only in their service is completely safe

  • He went on to compare it to Gmail, Docs, Music, etc that have persisted for years
  • He declined to mention things like Nest, Google+, Inbox, and Reader, which have all been shut down. In many cases with little notice and no replacement on offer
  • If you want to see their track record you can check out killedbygoogle.com
 

Overwatch’s new Tank Sigma

 

ROLE

Sigma occupies the tank role. He is a full tank and uses a barrier to prevent damage.
 

SIGMA ABILITIES

Primary Fire – Hyperspheres

  • Fires limited ranged projectiles that can bounce off of walls. The orbs explode after a certain range and do area damage. This does 120 damage if you direct hit both of the orbs.
 

Experimental Barrier

Hold to propel a floating barrier; release to stop. Press again to recall the barrier to you.
  • This is Sigma’s main shield and what he will use to prevent damage for your team. It starts with 1,500 HP and can be placed on the map in front of you. It moves forward until you release the shield button. You press the button again to bring the shield back to you. The shield is just like Reinhardt’s shield where it needs to be recharged, and doesn’t have a separate health pool like Orisa’s shield.
 

Accretion

Gather a mass of debris and throw it at an enemy to knock them down.
  • Gathers rocks and throws them. Hitting a target at close range will only deal damage, further away targets will be hit by a knock-back and CC.
 

Kinetic Grasp

Absorb projectiles in front of you and convert them into shields.
  • Absorbs in coming damage and converts the damage up to 400 shield for Sigma.
 

Ultimate Ability – Gravitic Flux

Manipulate gravity to lift enemies into the air and slam them back down.
  • Sigma’s ultimate ability floats Sigma into the air (you can kind of fly around slowly) and allows you to place a black hole like ability on the ground. Any enemy within this area gets floated up into the air, and eventually they are slammed down onto the ground for 50% of their hp. You can fire Hyperspheres immeddiately after you’ve set the black hole.
 
Also they added Role Queue
  • For Quick play and Ranked
 

Tidbits

  • This week has brought new updates to iOS and watchOS, including releasing ECG and irregular heart rhythm notification functionality in Canada and Singapore
    • The walkie-talkie feature has also been re-enabled, and you can now migrate to a new iPhone by wirelessly connecting it to your old one; no computer required!
  • Amazon is apparently using police departments in the US to advertise their Ring seurveillance cameras in exchange for free products and access to an interactive map of active cameras where they can request footage stored in the cloud
    • The access is without a warrant, which is pretty damning, and Amazon’s agreement requires police to “keep the terms of this program confidential”, which means they clearly know it’s shady
  • Stjepan Sejic (styapun shayitch), the Croatian artist known as Nebezial online and behind the very popular Sunstone comic, is officially bringing his Harley Quinn origin story concept to DC
    • Harleen will be a 3 book series with oversized, 60 page volumes, and follow Dr Quinzel’s descent into madness as she grows more and more attached to the Joker
 

Alan recommends the Pokemon Go Team Rocket event

 

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Zane, for believing in us for so long.
And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us.
And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link!
 
We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB
 
And talk to us in the comments!
 
 
Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow
 
A Facebook Page exists as well.

PS2J 262 News – Minty Fresh

Free games

  • Epic

    • Limbo

      • 2010
      • Black and white stylized puzzle platformer with a wonderful dark, eerie atmosphere, praised as an excellent example of video games as an art form
 

Update to last week’s story about the Zoom video conferencing vulnerability

  • It looks like many of Zoom’s partner apps, like RingCentral and Zhumu, have similar problems that allow attackers easy access to laptop cameras and microphones, so this week Apple released another silent security patch to block the vulnerability
  • Also, I’ve done a bit of research and if you’re concerned about Apple’s ability to run these kind of security updates you can block them in System Preferences > Software Update > Advanced by unchecking “Install system data files and security updates”
  • Right now I’m happy that Apple notifies the press when they release these patches, but in a perfect world they’d be visibly included in your updates list
 

Lifehacker is urging users to update their Logitech wireless dongles immediately

  • A few years ago, hackers discovered they could take control of computers by exploiting a vulnerability in Logitech wireless dongles- the piece you plug in to your computer to connect to wireless mice and keyboards
  • Patches were released to fix this all the way back in 2016, but there was no recall and even new devices rolling out of the factory today may be at risk
  • If you use any wireless Logitech devices, make sure you visit the Logitech support website and download/run the latest firmware update files as soon as possible to fix the loopholes
    • You’ll need to re-sync your devices to the dongle afterward, but the added (or, you know, extant) security is well worth the time
 

Facebook is apparently being fined $5B by the FTC for their role in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal

  • The original scandal is related to the 2016 US election, where Cambridge Analytica collected info on tens of millions of Facebook users without consent to create targeted political ads
  • The data collection came from an app that claimed to be a survey for academic use, but in reality it gathered information on not just the people taking the survey but also their friends
  • The problem here is that the fine is laughable when it comes to Facebook’s revenue
    • It’s the largest fine in FTC history, but they had $15B in revenue in the last 3 months, and $22B in profit last year
    • Facebook’s stock price actually went up after this fine was announced
  • End of the day it’s a start, but slap a zero on the end of it and then we’ll talk
 

In somewhat related news, Facebook is vigorously over-defending itself against a lawsuit brought by the attorney general of the District of Colombia

  • The lawsuit is related to the same Cambridge Analytica scandal and says that is was a violation of DC consumer protection law
  • Facebook’s response to it denies “each and every allegation” in the lawsuit, including pieces that aren’t so much allegations as they are just basic statements of fact.
  • For example, paragraph 11 says “To begin using the Facebook website, a consumer first creates a Facebook account. The consumer can then add other Facebook consumers as “friends” and by accumulating Facebook friends, the consumer builds a social network on the Facebook website.”
    • Facebook’s response was that they deny the allegations in paragraph 11
  • They’ve also denied pieces that they’ve publicly admitted to in the past, leaving many people wondering just what’s going on with this defense strategy
 

Police are warning the public about a new scam targeting iPhone users

  • Scammers are using social media to recruit victims by promising payments in exchange for becoming a game tester
  • Users are asked to log in to a particular Apple ID on their iPhone, then the scammers will activate Lost Mode on the device, locking the victim’s phone and extorting payments before promising to unlock it afterward
  • The worst part is that you need the Apple ID’s password to remove it from your device, so if they changed it after locking your phone then you remain at their mercy
  • Anyone that’s been hit by this scam should get help from Apple at getsupport.apple.com
 

Space fact of the day, featuring the male ego, bought to you by Mary Robinette Kowal

  • Author of the Lady Astronaut books Alan, recommended back in 242
  • To facilitate going to the bathroom, NASA developed a sheath kind of like a condom that came in small, medium, and large.
  • Every man said they needed a large, even when they didn’t which led to some messy situations
  • So they re-branded the sheaths to Extra-large, Immense, and Unbelievable
 

Tidbits

  • A US law firm is looking at opening a class action lawsuit regarding the Nintendo Switch and Joy-Con controller drift
  • Marvel’s Spider-Man is officially now the best-selling superhero video game of all time, beating both Arkham Knight and Arkham City
    • It’s doubly impressive considering the Batman games were on multiple platforms, whereas Spider-Man was a PS4 exclusive
  • Nintendo’s announced an invisible upgrade to the Switch coming this August, offering up to 2.5 hours longer battery life
    • The gains are likely achieved using a similar processing upgrade that is included in the Switch Lite
  • There was a cool announcement made at the Comic-Con 20th anniversary Batman Beyond panel
    • They’re releasing a blu ray HD remaster of the full series, including the Return of the Joker movie, coming this October
  • Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has officially been signed for a fourth Thor movie
    • No details yet, but I’m excited
 

Alan recommends Spinderella

  • A solid board game for ages 6+ that I’ve only ever played with a group of 20 or 30-somethings
  • You try to get your three ants to the end of the board, but depending on dice rolls other players can move the hanging spiders around to try and grab your pieces and send them back to the start

 

Literally Misleading

Game – Small business owner deals with the sins of his father while his life is becoming a living hell!
 
If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Zane, for believing in us for so long.
And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us.
And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link!
 
We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB
 
And talk to us in the comments!
 
 
Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow
 
A Facebook Page exists as well.

PS2J 261 News – Smaller and Less Features!

Free games

  • Sony

    • In a last-minute swap Sony changed out Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 in favour of

    • Detroit: Become Human Digital Deluxe Edition

      • 2018
      • Narrative adventure game similar in style to Heavy Rain, following three different androids in their struggles with their growing humanity, that hit some rough waters in the press with their handling of historical and thematic allegories
      • Includes Detroit: Become Human, Heavy Rain, Detroit digital art book and soundtrack, 2 dynamic themes, and 22 PSN avatars

    • Horizon Chase Turbo

      • 2018
      • Modern take on 90’s arcade racers like Out Run and Top Gear with stylized graphics and four-player local co-op

  • Twitch

    • For the King

      • 2017
      • A strategic RPG that blends tabletop and roguelike elements in a challenging turn-based single-player or co-op adventure that spans the procedurally generated realms

    • The Escapists

      • 2014
      • Top-down strategy game where you assume the role of a prisoner that must escape from 6 different prisons

    • Cultist Simulator

      • 2018
      • Card-based narrative-driven simulation game where you try to create a cult-like following in a nameless society with different elements like people, health, emotions, items, lore, and more

    • Yooka-Laylee

      • 2017
      • An open-world Banjo-Kazooie style platformer that’s colorful and fun, plus you can see us in the credits as backers!

  • Epic Games

    • Torchlight

      • 2009
      • This critically acclaimed Action-RPG dungeon crawl has you choosing from three powerful heroes to adventure the procedurally generated depths for endless treasure and glory.
 

Any Mac users of the video conferencing app Zoom have had an interesting time with security this week

  • Earlier in the week a substantial security issue came to light with Zoom that was apparently reported to them back in March- before they released an update on Tuesday, uninstalling the app the regular way wouldn’t actually remove it from your computer
    • By installing it you also installed a web server on your system that can be used to reinstall the app without your permission
    • So if you clicked on a meeting invite link, or even visited a compromised website, Zoom would launch you into a conference call with your webcam on by default. Even if you thought you’d removed it from your computer
    • If you wanted to remove the app from your computer entirely, it involved opening your Mac’s Terminal and running commands to kill the web server, then completely removing the hidden files it put on your computer, and finally removing it as you would any other app
  • Tuesday’s patch removed the web server, but Apple has now taken it one step further
    • Using their behind-the-scenes security systems built in to macOS, they’ve worked with Zoom to push out a silent update yesterday that takes care of removing the webserver regardless of what version of Zoom you have installed.
  • All said and done this was a bit of a mess, and highlights why installing applications on your computer willy-nilly isn’t the best idea
    • You can use your browser to join meetings instead of an app for most if not all of the major web conferencing providers, which is a lot less intrusive
 

Good news on the security front, it looks like Amazon has enabled 2FA for all accounts

  • You can enable it by going into your account settings under Login & Security and clicking on Two-Step Verification Settings
  • There are options for both using an app like Google Authenticator or Authy or using a phone number, though if you use an app it will still optionally ask for a phone number as a backup
    • Many security experts recommend using an app since text messages and phonecalls can be intercepted, though 99% of the population doesn’t need to worry about that
  • One thing to note is any legacy apps or devices trying to log in to your account will now need an extra step
    • When login first fails Amazon will send a one-time password to your phone that you need to then add to the end of your normal Amazon password
 

Nintendo’s announced their new Switch Lite, the Switch console that doesn’t switch

  • The changes include shrinking the console down a bit, with a 5.5″ screen instead of the original’s 6.2″, permanently attaching the controllers, adding a proper d-pad on the left, and removing the HD rumble, kickstand, and ability to connect to TV’s
    • Thanks to the smaller screen and a processor change the battery will get about 30 minutes longer life as well, depending on the game, even with it weighing a third less than the original
    • It comes in three colours: turquoise, grey, and yellow
  • Nintendo is planning on keeping both versions on the market, distinguishing the Lite as a portable-focused version of the switch while keeping the original around for its flexibility
    • They’ve promised that all Switch games capable of handheld-mode will work on the Lite, so you could play games like 1-2 Switch or Just Dance, but you’d have to pair additional controllers to it and find a way to prop it up
    • The surprising news from this though is they’re also keeping the 3DS/2DS consoles around as well, so we’re still not seeing them switch to a single-console focus
  • Apparently one idea for this device is a second Switch for a household that already owns one, to be more portable or give more options for people that want to play different games at the same time
    • While there’s no capability to transfer games and saves between devices, because Nintendo still adamantly refuses to look at Xbox Live or PSN for the last decade, they’ve said that is the eventual intention
  • Coming this September for $260 CAD ($200 USD)
 

The Chinese company Xiaomi is gearing up to launch their new phone, the CC9, and alongside it their new “Mimoji” avatars.

  • Now keep in mind, these are not to be confused with Apple’s Memoji. Xiaomi’s Mimoji are completely separate and distinct from that, despite them being almost identical-looking customizable 3D torso-less characters that you can pose and send to friends.
  • In a press release Xiaomi refute any claims that it’s a clone, saying that they’ve conducted internal audits and found no evidence of plagarism
    • This is of course after their Mi 8 phone last year that was nearly identical to the iPhone X, and the Airpods clone they release earlier this year
    • Unfortunately someone should have told their marketing team that, since apparently the product page for the Xiaomi CC9 showcased Apple Music Memoji ads
      • The ads were also seen on multiple e-commerce websites alongside Xiaomi’s official Mimoji graphics
      • According to their public relations general manager, staff “uploaded the wrong content” to the websites, though if they had those Apple videos so readily available and easily mistaken I’m curious what exactly their internal audit was looking for

 

YouTube is starting to fix the copyright claiming system

 
In a series of Tweets:
Lots to come w/ copyright – today we’re starting w/ a few changes: : Manual claims now require timestamps showing exactly what is claimed : Improved editing tools will easily remove manually claimed content & automatically release claims
 
More about timestamps : They’ll help you know why you got a manual claim and what part of your video to edit if you choose to make changes. Copyright owners who repeatedly fail to provide accurate data for timestamps will have their access to manual claiming revoked.
 
Updates to our editing tools for manual claims will help you:  Mute the timestamped segment of your video  Replace claimed audio w/ a song from our Audio Library  Trim out a timestamped segment altogether
 
There are more changes to come than we can count on one  for copyright – this is just the beginning! We’ll continue to share updates as our teams work to make things better for you.
 
 
 

Congrats to Cooooouk

James Downing on getting his LOZ Link to the Past 1000% Official shirt on an official Nintendo Stream
 
 

Tidbits

  • Apple has temporarily disabled the Walkie-Talkie app for Apple Watch due to an eavesdropping bug
    • According to their statement they were just made aware of the issue this week and while there are specific conditions and events that need to happen to exploit it, and they’re not aware of it being used against a customer, they’ve disabled the app until a fix can be deployed
  • In a surprise move, The Walking Dead issue #193 is apparently the final comic in the series
    • In order to disguise the end the duo behind the series, Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, arranged with Image Comics to advertise three more issues to retailers
  • For $10, you can turn your copy of Starcraft Remastered into a Newgrounds Flash game
    • All the graphics were created by the YouTube channel Carbot Animations, and look goofy in the best ways
    • The official mod is available to buy from Blizzard and has been tested at an official tournament in South Korea
 

Alan recommends Hey Riddle Riddle

  • It’s a riddle podcast with fantastic energy hosted by three great improvisers: Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, and JPC
  • The riddles are fun, the weird improv scenes are hilarious, and if you’re at all decent at riddles it’s a nice ego boost to solve them before the hosts do

 

Literally Misleading

Family member Scott, adds another great one. Check out his twitter @scottybomb and his podcast The Read-Along, its a weekly book club for where you can follow along with Scott and Anita!
 
Movie – Lost in a foreign land, our protagonist must learn to communicate with the locals to help him stay out trouble, and find a way home.
 
If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami
 

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Karen, for believing in us for so long.
And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us.
And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link!
 
We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB
 
And talk to us in the comments!
 
 
Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow
 
A Facebook Page exists as well.

PS2J 260 News – Mandatory Malware

Free games

  • Microsoft

    • Inside

      • 2016
      • The spiritual successor to Limbo, Inside is another deceptively simple platformer where you control a small boy in a big, very dangerous world

    • Big Crown: Showdown

      • 2019
      • Four player action/fighting/party game with one-button combat that has you dodging obstacles and slamming into your friends on an auto-scrolling level

    • Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

      • 2007 re-release of the 1997 title
      • Platform adventure action that introduced non-linear levels and RPG elements to the series, following four years after the events of Rondo of Blood, and featuring Dracula’s son Alucard exploring his father’s castle

    • Meet the Robinsons

      • 2007
      • Video game tie-in to the Disney animated film, it has you helping Wilbur Robinson save the future by travelling to the past and putting things back in order.

  • Epic Games

    • Overcooked

      • 2016
      • A co-op party game where you and up to three friends work together in a kitchen to prepare meals, working around fires, shifting floors, and other obstacles
 

China is forcing tourists to install malware on their phones to enter the country

  • Foreigners crossing some borders into the Xinjiang region are having their phones seized by border guards and being forced to install a piece of Android malware that gives a ton of data to the authorities
    • Analysis of the app shows it gathering all of the phone’s calendar entries, phone contacts, call logs, and text messages, then uploading them to a server
  • The malware also scans the device for a specific set of files, including extremist Islamic content, academic books on Islam by leading researchers, PDFs related to the Dalai Lama and even music from a Japanese metal band Unholy Grave (who have a song called “Taiwan: Another China”)
  • Apple users aren’t safe either- it also appears that there are machines for searching iPhones at the border, since iOS doesn’t give the same access to apps that Android can, but that hasn’t been confirmed
  • This is yet another piece of oppression against populations in the region that are already subject to physical searches and CCTV facial recognition. Be careful out there
 

Samsung is being hit with a lawsuit from Australian consumer watchdogs

  • The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is suing them for ads showing a swimmer using the device while sitting at the bottom of a pool or while in the ocean
  • According to the lawsuit, the ACCC says they did not know or test the effects of pool or saltwater exposure
    • One thing to note here, if you’ve ever tried to use a wet touchscreen phone you’ll know that it’s inaccurate at best and impossible at worst with that conductivity all over the place
  • Either way, Samsung’s Galaxy phones are marketed as being resistant to water 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes, but the ACCC contends that does not cover all types of water so they might have a case
 

Researchers have shown a proof-of-concept attack that involves using a drone to project fake street signs on the side of a building

  • In a video posted online they successfully tricked a Mobileye driver assist system into thinking the speed limit jumped from the actual 30km/h to 90
  • Mobileye says they don’t believe this counts as spoofing because a human would not be tricked, but once we get into self-driving cars any time a computer accepts illegitimate input that’s going to be a problem
    • Even if the system relies on other sources like GPS to verify the speed limit, this is one more safeguard removed
  • I could almost see this happening in the next Mission Impossible, where an AI driven vehicle is redirected by fake signs and a spoofed GPS signal projected from a drone tailing it
 

The Google exec in charge of the new Stadia game streaming service says he thinks data caps won’t be a problem, proving that humans can function normally with their head lodged firmly in the sand

  • When pressed he said that he expects data caps would be raised because “ISPs are smart [and] they understand that they’re in the business of keeping customers happy and keeping customers with them for a long time,”
  • With the service taking up to 16GB per hour, using up 1TB within 65 hours of gameplay, the rules might be a little different than he’s expecting even before looking at internet providers’ history of nickel and diming consumers into the ground
 

Good news for Shenmue III backers disappointed at the move from Steam to Epic- you can now get a refund

  • During the 2015 Kickstarter campaign fans were told that it would be coming to Steam (and also that it would arrive December 2017, but that’s Kickstarter for you)
  • Then during this year’s E3 the developer and publisher revealed that the PC version would be exclusive to Epic Games
  • At first all the refund requests were being denied, leading to many angry comments on the campaign’s page, but now apparently they’ve reversed that decision thanks to Epic covering the refunds so that the development funding isn’t affected
  • All in all it’s a classy move from Epic, but highlights the problems with these kind of storefronts locking consumers in. These are the new console wars
 

Tidbits

  • After the revelations about Amazon employees storing and reviewing recordings of Alexa conversations we covered in 246 and 249, it’s come out that Amazon keeps recordings of Alexa commands “until the customer chooses to delete them”
    • You can delete them under the Alexa Privacy section of your Amazon account, but if they’re relying on users to tell them when to delete them then they should really tell us
  • A random new quality of life feature called FaceTime Attention Correction is hitting this fall in iOS 13, which makes on the fly adjustments while using the video chat to make it look like you’re making eye contact
  • Exciting news- After more than a couple false starts trying to hit the big screen, Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novel is officially being adapted into a streaming series on Netflix
  • Everyone needs to go check out the ridiculously unusable website userinyerface.com
    • Made by a design firm, it puts you through a gauntlet that breaks every web form common practice in the worst ways
 

Alan recommends

Shopping at your local farmer’s market

 

Literally Misleading

Game – With little information, and being a little special, the protagonist chases after their son’s captors, after warming up to the world.
 
If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami
 

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Karen, for believing in us for so long.
And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us.
And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link!
 
We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB
 
And talk to us in the comments!
 
 
Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow
 
A Facebook Page exists as well.

PS2J 259 News – A L A N

Free games!

  • Sony

    • Pro Evolution Soccer 2019

      • 2018
      • Simulation soccer game and the only real competitor to EA Sport’s FIFA licensed franchise

    • Horizon Chase Turbo

      • 2018
      • Modern take on 90’s arcade racers like Out Run and Top Gear with stylized graphics and four-player local co-op

  • Epic Games

    • Rebel Galaxy

      • 2015
      • A space western-style trading and capital ship combat sim that has you battling pirates, exploring anomalies, befriending aliens, scavenging battle wreckage, mining asteroids, and discovering artifacts. Choose your path as a roguish do-gooder, crafty space-trader or power-hungry privateer

  • Twitch

    • Aegis Defenders

      • 2018
      • 2D platforming and tower defense game that was Kickstarted back in 2014, that has up to four players exploring and puzzle-solving to prepare for each level’s tower defense phase

    • Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure

      • 2016
      • A local multiplayer game that has you going head-to-head in fast-paced, hard-hitting, and sometimes (allegedly) hilariously unfair action, or going through the co-op story mode to unlock the full roster of characters

    • 10 Second Ninja X

      • 2016
      • Side-scrolling puzzle platformer where you must destroy robots through each level within 10 seconds

    • The Metronomicon

      • 2016
      • Action RPG that has you battling to the beat of the soundtrack while switching between your team of four heroes to heal, do damage, and work with status effects
 
 

Security warning for Discord users, courtesy of @splitsplatted on Twitter

  • There’s a phishing scheme going where people are receiving fake Discord server invites that will steal your account credentials
    • The fake links seem to be using very similar URL’s to the real thing- instead of discord.gg, you’ll see discordgg.ga
  • The link will take you to a forged Discord login page that will take your credentials and lock you out by changing your email and password
  • Then it’ll go through your friends, DMs, servers, and groupchats, sending the same message to more people and gaining control over more accounts
  • The best way to fight this is to spread the word, be careful what you click, and use 2FA on your account- that’ll stop it dead in its tracks
 
 

Apple has announced the launch of a voluntary recall and replacement program for the Mid-2015 15″ Retina MacBook Pros this week due to battery failure and overheating issues

  • This might be related to a reddit post earlier this year that showed a MacBook Pro that overheated and caught on fire, damaging the owner’s home
  • You can check which model you’re using by clicking on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and then clicking on About this Mac
  • If you have one of these laptops, Apple is asking you to stop using it until it can be serviced at a Genius Bar or authorized repair centre
    • The batteries will be replaced free of charge, but you could be without a laptop for 1-2 weeks
  • It’s kind of interesting that this took so long to happen though, considering that just over a year ago I was having battery and overheating issues with the same model of MacBook that led to them completely replacing the computer in question
 

Dr Disrespect, a popular Twitch streamer, got suspended from Twitch and his E3 badge revoked after streaming from inside a bathroom at the convention

  • For some reason he and his cameraperson decided to walk into a public bathroom with the camera still rolling, invading the privacy of everyone inside and breaking California laws prohibiting the use of cameras in bathrooms
  • He then walked through it and shouted “Bodyguard!” while random people, including one that appeared to be a child, used the urinals in the background
    • Other clips taken later show him re-entering the bathroom two more times and using a urinal
  • The consequences of breaking not only Twitch terms and conditions but also the law live on-stream? Apparently a two week ban, because he’s already back online
    • Even while the ban was active he didn’t seem to take it seriously, leaving it as a side note in his E3 video titled “Mishaps lead to Recaps”
  • Twitch apparently declined to comment on the situation, but it’s pretty ridiculous that they’re letting this happen with just a slap on the wrist. Clearly the money Dr Disrespect brings in for the company is more important than basic human decency
 
 
Samsung accidentally made the best argument to not buy one of their smart TV’s last week on Twitter
  • A now-deleted tweet has them telling users to “Prevent malicious software attacks on your TV by scanning for viruses on your TV every few weeks”, with a video attached detailing the apparently laborious process
  • Now, this could be automated and probably should since, as The Verge points out, most people don’t even know how to change settings like motion smoothing on their TV’s, but it seems that the onus is on users to figure out to to protect themselves
  • There haven’t been any recent vulnerabilities reported, so it’s unclear why Samsung posted and then deleted the tweet, but keep in mind that back in 2017 WikiLeaks revealed a piece of CIA software called “Weeping Angel” that could turn Samsung TV’s into listening devices
  • It’s never a bad idea to scan your tech for malicious software and viruses, but the need to do so is a reminder on why you might not want a smart TV in the first place
 

CNET’s testing shows why we’re just not ready for 5G cell phones, and it might not be why you think

  • Australia is currently offering 5G connectivity to some parts of Sydney, and during a series of tests it really was lightning fast- a 2GB game download took 54 seconds, and a full movie download from Netflix took about a minute and a half
  • That said, the range is still pretty limited- coverage drops in and out within the space of a block, with speeds varying significantly, and it will take a lot of antennas to service a full city
  • The biggest problem though? Data usage. Less than half an hour in to testing they were notified that they’d reached 50% of their 20GB monthly data plan
 
 

Sega Genesis is still a Brazilian best seller!

 
Based on sales figures from 2012, there are 5 million Sega Master System consoles on the Brazilian market.
Compare that to when Sega was its most popular in the US, where it sold 3 million copies in its lifetime.
 
This is because during the Sega and Nintendo rivalry, Nintendo ignored the Brazilian market, as it was about two-thirds the size of the US market. But Sega made a licensing agreement with Tectoy, a large toy manufacture. Because of this, Nintendo piracy was high by the time Nintendo wanted in their market.
 
Tectoy was able to manufacture Master System and Mega Drives in Brazil, and continued to make updates and even new games for the console, as the gaming market had nostalgia for Sega, and not the absent Nintendo.
 
Import taxes are also keeping the console alive. For example, the launch of the PS4 in 2013, it was being sold in the US for $399, but to buy one in Brazil, the USD equivalent was $1899. And if people wanted to play games, they could pick up a Master System, with 132 built-in games for about $50.
 
Another crazy thing the Brazilian gaming market, is their version of the PlayStation 2, was produced in 2009, and the only version of the console to receive it own version of Netflix. The last generation of consoles being the PS3 and Xbox 360 are gaining ground, but current generation is hardly represented.
 
 
 
 

Nintendo is considering opening up their massive library

 
From JapanesseNintendo.com:
When asked at the 79th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders earlier today, when we can expect content from more recent past consoles such as Nintendo 64 and GameCube, Nintendo say they are looking at extending the Nintendo Switch Online service
“At this place we cannot tell new information about future classic hardware among others, but we are thinking about providing an extension of the online service which is currently providing Famicom [NES] software, as well as other methods of providing them. We also recognise that there are opinions wanting to play past titles.”
 
 
Tidbits
  • Dr Mario World, Nintendo’s latest foray into mobile freemium gaming, is coming to iOS and Android on July 10th
    • It looks like the usual Dr Mario gameplay but with stamina, a premium currency, and purchasing items all slapped on top
  • Facebook’s lawyers, in court and in a rereshing display of honesty, are saying that any legal charges of privacy invasion are invalid because the simple act of using Facebook negates any user’s expectation of privacy
  • Huawei has confirmed they’re delaying the launch of the $2600 folding tablet we talked about back in episode 239, citing concerns and a wish to be cautious after Samsung’s folding smartphone hit reviewers with a flop and a shatter
  • With no prior warning EVE Online players were shocked this week when large, powerful fleets of non-player character ships attacked and killed players throughout the game all at once, destroying many home bases permanently
    • It’ll be interesting to see what kind of expansion or in-game event this was a prelude to, and serves as a great example of the risk/reward appeal of EVE and its full economic sandbox
 
 

Alan recommends The Fisher King

  • Comedy/drama starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges
  • Tells the story of a radio shock jock who tries to find redemption by helping a man whose life he inadvertently shattered
  • Fantastic acting and a ton of heart
 

Literally Misleading

Movie – Road trip! A man and his son go on a cross country journey and traveling light, they plan to get to the beach, and hope to meet more people like them.
 
If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami
 

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Karen, for believing in us for so long.
And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us.
And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link!
 
We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB
 
And talk to us in the comments!
 
 
Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow
 
A Facebook Page exists as well. 

PS2J 255 News – Adventure DeSynced

Free games

  • Microsoft

    • NHL 19

      • 2018
      • Build your player from the ground up and compete against over 200 hockey greats

    • Rivals of Aether

      • 2017
      • Platform fighter that has you summoning the power of the four elements to battle your opponents and unravel the mysteries of the planet

    • Portal

      • 2007
      • Using Aperture Science’s portal technology in this first person puzzle platformer, break the laws of physics and solve brain-bending puzzles to escape the sinister laboratory you are trapped in

    • Earth Defence Force 2017

      • 2006
      • In this third person shooter with an arcade-style campaign, you’ll annihilate swarms of enemies, some 20 stories tall, using your reconnaissance, infantry, and special ops forces with all manner of weapons and vehicles at your disposal

  • Sony

    • Sonic Mania

      • 2017
      • A throwback to the 16-bit era of the Sonic franchise developed by and for fans featuring Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles

    • Borderlands: The Handsome Collection

      • 2015 bundle release of Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel along with all their DLC
      • First person class-based loot-shooter with a ton of colourful style and a dark sense of humour, plus drop-in multiplayer with your friends. Borderlands 2 is great, and hey The Pre-Sequel is also here

  • Epic Games

    • City of Brass

      • 2018
      • First-person action adventure from senior BioShock developers. Armed with scimitar and a versatile whip, you’ll lash and slash, bait and trap your way to the heart of an opulent, Arabian Nights-themed metropolis – or face certain death as time runs out.

  • Twitch

    • Nintendo Switch Online- additional 9 months should be unlocking right away, as long as your Twitch Prime has been active for 60 days

Warning: Pokemon Go has a bug where if you update to iOS 12.3 Adventure Sync will stop working

  • The system that Pokemon Go uses to credit your distance walked while the app is closed has stopped working since the latest iOS update
  • Apparently Niantic has a fix in the works for the next release, but there’s no ETA yet so in the meantime iPhone users are stuck in the dark ages of keeping the app open all the time to get credit for distance walked
  • Hopefully the app will do something to retroactively reward people for the distance that has been missed, especially with their Adventure Week event happening in a few days with sizeable rewards for using Adventure Sync

Flipboard, a curated news app, emailed users this week about a sizeable security breach

  • Between June 2018 and April 2019 there was apparently unauthorized access to databases including information like usernames, emails, and encrypted passwords, and Flipboard has said that it’s possible that copies were made
  • The passwords were both salted and hashed, which not only sounds delicious but also means they’ll be hard to crack
    • Either way though, if you re-used a password for this site you’ll want to update it elsewhere
  • As as security precaution Flipboard is resetting all user passwords and replacing or deleting all tokens used to connect to services like Twitter or Facebook
  • They’ve also stated that they’re implementing enhanced security features and that law enforcement officials have been notified
  • All in all, a bad situation but handled right

Death Stranding, the upcoming adventure game from Hideo Kojima first announced three years ago, is officially coming to PS4 on November 8th

  • They’ve just dropped a great trailer with the first real solid details on the game, and it looks like a good time
  • It’ll also have asynchronous online where you can share supplies and safehouses, as well as “walk in the footsteps of fellow couriers to reunite civilization”
  • Another interesting feature: Kojima’s latest game won’t have a typical fail state. If you are defeated, you’ll re-appear in an “upside down realm” that you can escape from. “Choose your combat methods carefully, as killing your foe is almost never the solution – and every death carries a consequence”

Microsoft is putting more games on Steam

The Xbox Game pass is coming to PC
  • To open the market Xbox Games Studios games are being added to Steam
  • Releasing previously exclusive titles to the Microsoft Store
  • Age of Empires 1 to 3, Gears of War 5, headed to Steam first
Xbox Head Phil Spencer had this to say:
  • “Our intent is to make our Xbox Game Studios PC games available in multiple stores, including our own Microsoft Store on Windows, at their launch.  We believe you should have choice in where you buy your PC games,” writes Xbox head Phil Spencer.
  • “Enabling gamers to play together, through cross-platform play and cross-network play across Windows 10 PCs and console, is vitally important. Building communities across all of those players, regardless of the store or platform they’ve chosen (console or PC), is also vitally important because it helps bring players together, allows games to find their largest audience and allows gaming to deliver its true potential of uniting people around the power of play.”
  • “We know millions of PC gamers trust Steam as a great source to buy PC games and we’ve heard the feedback that PC gamers would like choice. We also know that there are other stores on PC, and we are working to enable more choice in which store you can find our Xbox Game Studios titles in the future,”
  • “When I think about the role we play as a company to support and evolve gaming on Windows, it’s critical that we make decisions that reinforce the open nature of the PC, focusing on how best to unite players on all devices around the games they love. That philosophy will guide us as we introduce new ways to discover and play games on Windows.”
Releasing on Steam, these game will be Win32 executables
  • They are free from the Universal Windows Platform wrapper
  • Now they can support new exciting things
    • The Steam Wrapper
    • Unofficial mods
  • The Microsoft Store will also be delivering the games as Win32
    • Developers get to save time by not repackaging them as UWP files
    • This change will support older DirectX tools, OpenGL and Vulkan
More on their PC Plans at their E3 press conference, June 9th.
 

Tidbits

  • A new Beat Saber music pack is coming June 10th, with a simultaneous release across all platforms
  • According to Buzzfeed News, we may be in the very early stages of a Knights of the Old Republic film
    • So far only a screenwriter is involved, no actors, directors, or producers, but this is still an exciting time to be alive
  • Apparently the Sonic the Hedgehog live action movie is being delayed by three months, till Feb 14 2020, in order to rework the visual design and digital effects
    • This was announced in a tweet that used the classic cartoony Sonic silhouette as well as a hand wearing white gloves, so this could definitely be a step back towards a more classic look
  • The next Call of Duty game to be released, and the fourth in the Modern Warfare series, will be called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
    • Not to be confused with the first Modern Warfare game, which was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
    • Also not to be confused with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, which was a remaster of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and not the fourth Modern Warfare title which is coming this year
 

Alan Recommends Little Shop of Horrors*

  • 1986 American rock musical comedy horror film directed by Frank Oz
  • Fantastic movie that I took way too long to watch
  • The asterisk comes from the ending- the stage play the movie is based on had a bigger, darker ending that the movie originally adapted, but then later due to test showings they went back and re-filmed it into something that fits the tone a lot more effectively
 

Literally Misleading

We’re taking a break with Alan gone. Look forward to a new description in July!
If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Karen, for believing in us for so long. And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us. And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link! Also, make sure to check out RIPT Apparel for sweet 24 tee shirt designs. And don’t forget to use the coupon code PS2JSHOW for 10% off! We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB And talk to us in the comments! Or… Discord Server Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow Facebook

PS2J 251 News – State of Not Playing With You Anymore!

Free games

  • Twitch

    • The Little Acre
      • 2016
      • A lovingly crafted, hand-drawn and fully voiced point-and-click adventure game that has you exploring 1950’s Ireland and a strange new world in search of your father
    • Whispering Willows
      • 2014
      • Indie adventure horror game that has you interacting with the spirits of the dead, solving the puzzles of a mysterious mansion and helping Elena find her missing father
    • Stealth Bastard Deluxe
      • 2012
      • Subtitled “Tactical Espionage Arsehole”, this 2D stealth platformer has you sneaking through a deadly facility that seems determined to get you
    • Majesty Collection
      • 2011
      • Real time strategy with indirect control, where you need to influence your heroes to carry out your will and defend your domain

Sony released a State of Play announcement this week talking about some of their upcoming projects, and they look interesting

  • We’ll be getting an asymmetrical cooperative/competitive game in 2020 set in the Predator universe called Predator: Hunting Ground
    • No gameplay was shown, but it seems to follow the lines of the Friday the 13th game or Evolve where one player is the predator and the others are part of a fire team trying to take it down
  • We’ll also see a MediEvil remake on the PS4 this October 25th
    • The remake of the PSOne classic looks pretty nice, coming to 4k resolutions from the old jagged polygons, and I’m looking forward to playing the fun and weird story once again
  • Sony dropped a trailer for the Final Fantasy VII remake they announced four years ago, including gameplay and cutscenes, and it looks really good
    • Still no word on a release date, but it ends with “More to come in June” so I’ll be keeping an eye out

Firefox users may have noticed some problems with their extensions this week, namely that they’ve been completely broken

  • Apparently Mozilla forgot to renew a security certificate that expired on May 3rd, causing many add-ons to the browser to stop working entirely
  • Apparently they’ve released a potential temporary fix, but there are many cases in which it may not work for people
    • For instance if they’re on Android, the Tor browser, or have certain settings disabled related to Studies
  • Despite the problems Mozilla developers are advising against using workaround, and saying not to delete and reinstall add-ons to try and fix the issue
    • Some workarounds circulating online, they caution, could even leave your data vulnerable to potential attacks
  • In the meantime they’ve made an updated version available for desktop and Android to address the issues, and other platforms should have the new version as soon as possible

Samsung has officially acknowledged they have no idea when the Galaxy Fold will hit users

  • Pre-order customers in the US have been told that, if they don’t respond confirming the order and the devices haven’t shipped by May 31st, the orders will be automatically cancelled
  • Considering the supply chain and logistics required, if they don’t know whether they’re shipping this month by now they’re not shipping

Adobe is quietly testing new pricing for its Creative Cloud Photography bundle, doubling the price from $10 to $20USD per month

  • The new plan also brings cloud storage up from 20GB to 1TB, but for anyone not using Adobe storage there’s no added benefit
  • The original price is available on a hidden section of the site, which is just really weird way to run a test. Was the test us noticing?

It looks like Bethesda is under fire this week for their brief pen-and-paper RPG adventure set between Cyrodiil and Elsweyr, that not only uses D&D 5th edition rules (which are open sourced and is completely fine) but also copied entire sections from a published adventure called The Black Road

  • Entire characters and lines of text seem to have been copied wholesale from the adventure, causing Bethesda to take the whole thing down while they investigate

Video game can detect early Alzheimer’s symptoms

Written by Zack Zweizen published on Kotaku
Video game to detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier symptoms
  • The forgetfulness is a late stage symptom and not the best for detection
  • PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) has already studied and sees the game as effective
In Sea Hero Quest, which is a VR game, players have to navigate and control a virtual boat. They are given a map and shown checkpoints, then the map is taken away and players must navigate to these checkpoints in the game world without the map.
According to researchers, every two minutes spent playing the game is equal to five hours of lab-based research. Because Sea Hero Quest has been out for a few years and downloaded and played by over three million players they’ve collected the equivalent of 1,700 years of research data on Alzheimer’s.
Researchers involved with the project studied people who carried the APOE4 gene, which is thought to increase that person’s risk of developing dementia, as they played the game. They then compared these people’s results to the results of folks who played the game who don’t have that gene.
“We found that people with a high genetic risk, the APOE4 carriers, performed worse on spatial navigation tasks. They took less efficient routes to checkpoint goals,” said Professor Michael Hornberger, a member of the team.
Using data gathered from thousands of players who downloaded and played Sea Hero Quest, researchers were able to create a baseline that their test results could be compared to. In the future, the team hopes this data and the game will help identify people who need treatment for dementia before they begin suffering from some of the worse later stage symptoms.

code v2: EAGMB

version 1 :C7373

Update Version 2 :

  • Fixed a bug where the mercs couldn’t see the supplies.

  • Match timer now last 10 minutes instead of 8 minutes.

  • Spies :

    • Energy consumption is reduced by half.

    • The spies now possess 2 Flash bangs and 2 Tear mines instead on 1 each.

    • New ability : Smoke grenade, 1 use, generate a smoky area and the spy become instantly invisible for 5 seconds.

Asymmetric game with the stealthy Spies versus the dangerous Mercs. The Spies goal is to capture 2 objectives out of the 3. The Mercs’s mission is to defend the objectives till the end of the timer OR eliminate the spies to exhaust their respawn tickets to 0.

Based on the Splinter Cell franchise.

Each team and character have his own mechanic.

Spies team:

  • Knockdown

    • You can knockdown mercs if you hit them from behind with a melee attack. https://gfycat.com/fr/backjauntyduck

    • You can’t spam the melee attack to knockdown mercs as soon as they get up, they will have a temporary immunity before being vulnerable to knockdown again.

    • When you knockdown a merc 3 times he will be eliminated.

    • Hacking a merc slow down his movements and it become easier to get behind him.

  • FlashBang (Ultimate)

    • You throw a flash bang on your feet who stun any nearly merc for a very short time.

  • Smoke Grenade (Ability 2)

    • You create a smoky area and become invisible for 5 seconds.

  • Tear sticky mine (Primary Fire)

  • You can recover your gadgets in the spawn.

  • Press “Ultimate Status” voice-line to switch from first to third person camera and vice versa.

  • You don’t trigger mercs’s mines when you crouch and you can defuse these by approaching and using the hack. https://gfycat.com/fr/activerewardingarachnid

  • You can wall jump, once in the air and facing a wall press (Jump) to get a second impulsion. https://gfycat.com/fr/quarterlysnappygourami

  • The spies can help each other to reach higher positions with a cooperative action. When a spy crouch and stay idle, his ally can get a boost when pressing (Interact) on the crouched spy. https://gfycat.com/fr/deficientediblearacari

  • Invisibility ability is now energy limited.

Mercs team:

  • 4 classes: Ashe, Soldier 76, Widowmaker and Baptiste.

  • Abilities now use unique ammo, except for exceptions (like sprint).

    • If your ability is a placeable object you can only have one active at a time.

    • You can refill your abilities ammo on one of the three supplies designed by a yellow ring. https://gfycat.com/fr/forcefulglisteninggelada

    • Once used, the supply is unavailable for 1 minute.

Ashe:

  • Incendiary Mine (Ability 1)

    • Explode and burn everyone in his radius when a spy trigger it. https://gfycat.com/fr/threadbareamusedasianwaterbuffalo

    • To set the trap, hold (Ability 1) for 1 second on a surface.

    • The spy trigger the trap even if he is invisible.

    • The spy can defuse it.

    • It can cause friendly fire.

Soldier 76:

  • When using tactical visor, your speed is raised to the same as the sprint ability.

  • Stun Mine (Ability 2)

    • Stun everyone in his radius when a spy trigger it. https://gfycat.com/fr/lazyeagerafricangoldencat

    • To set the trap, hold (Ability 2) for 1 second on a surface.

    • The spy trigger the trap even if he is invisible.

    • The spy can defuse it.

    • It can cause friendly fire.

Widowmaker:

  • Sprint (Shift)

    • Widowmaker sprints like Soldier: 76 but can also sprint backwards.

  • Motion Sensor (Ability 2)

    • Detect everything moving in a 20m radius and in 360 degrees. https://gfycat.com/fr/healthyadvancedgrouper

    • To set the sensor, hold (Ability 2) for 1 second on a surface.

    • It doesn’t make a difference between a spy or a merc.

    • It doesn’t detect crouch.

    • Can still detect invisible spies.

    • The Spy can disable it.

Baptiste:

  • Chaff Grenade (Ability 1)

  • Surveillance camera (Ability 2)

    • Add second POV for Baptiste.

    • When looking through the camera, you can see energy emitted by the spies when they are invisible. https://gfycat.com/fr/violetrespectfuldingo

    • To set the camera, hold (Ability 2) for 1 second. It will be placed on where you are standing and his direction will be the same as yours.

    • Once you have set the camera, press (Interact) to switch your pov with the camera one.

    • The spy can disable it.

The mode is compatible with all assault maps but due to the objectives and supplies positions requirement, when you want to change map you need to open the workshop and change the first variable of the first rule to the map you want to play.

Any feedback is appreciated and more importantly, have fun!

Plans for the future:

  • Balance, balance, unbalance.

  • Waiting for a “Map condition” to let the players change the map smoothly.

  • More playable Mercs and new gear (smoke, sticky cameras, …)

  • More maps.

Tidbits

  • The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is officially available, and despite Microsoft’s worries about pricing that we mentioned in episode 247 here in Canada it’s retailing for about $80 less than the similar disk-reading version
  • Apparently in order to fully support Apex Legends, Respawn is pushing out plans for future Titanfall games
    • On the plus side, Titanfall 2 is still a ton of fun and not at all dated
  • I’d completely forgotten it was happening, but IT Chapter Two released a trailer this week and it looks fantastic
    • The movie is set to release on September 6th
  • There’s a new insult going around schoolyards nowadays- default
    • Apparently it’s from Fortnite, based on insulting kids that can’t buy any of the fancy skins and are stuck using the default military drab character
    • It’s something like the new ‘noob’, from the looks of it. In other news, I’ve been 31 for a week and a half and suddenly feel every single one of those years

Alan recommends Bohemian Rhapsody

  • It’s a solid movie with an amazing soundtrack that offers a really interesting perspective on what made Queen, Queen
  • The editing can be a little choppy in some scenes, but it’s worth sitting through to see the full arc of these characters and the actors that really seem to have nailed the look and personality of the actual band members
  • And the cherry on top is that during the credits it does a quick wrapup of where a lot of the people ended up in real life after the point where the movie ended
 

Literally Misleading

MOVIE – Friends meet up and make a trip to the pub for shots.
If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami
 

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Dalton, for believing in us for so long. And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us. And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link! Also, make sure to check out RIPT Apparel for sweet 24 tee shirt designs. And don’t forget to use the coupon code PS2JSHOW for 10% off! We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB And talk to us in the comments! Or… Discord Server Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow Facebook

PS2J 247 News – TV at Noon

Free Games

  • Epic Games
    • Transistor
      • 2014
      • From the creators of Bastion and Hades, it’s an isometric sci-fi themed action RPG that has you running through a stunning futuristic city wielding an extraordinary weapon of unknown origin
  • Ubisoft
    • In light of the fire at the Notre Dame de Paris, which caused its roof and 300 foot spire to collapse, destroying almost all of one of the oldest surviving timber frames in Paris, Ubisoft is giving away Assassin’s Creed Unity (which heavily features the landmark) on PC this week until April 25th to give more people a chance to experience it and raise awareness
    • They’ve also announced a 500K Euro donation to aid the restoration and reconstruction, and encourage others to contribute if possible
    • Assassin’s Creed Unity
      • 2014
      • Action-adventure game set in Paris during the French Revolution, using the classic third person open world we’ve come to expect but also revamping combat, parkour, and stealth after the previous entry, Black Flag
 

You might recall us talking about Facebook earlier this month, and how to confirm your email they expect you to hand over your email account’s password

  • Turns out, giving access to your personal information to a company in the business of selling your personal information was a bad idea- who knew?
  • According to Business Insider, Facebook harvested 1.5M people’s email contacts list without consent, and “unintentionally uploaded them”
  • A Facebook spokesperson has also confirmed that the harvested contacts were NOT just used to recommend friends, but also “improve ads”
  • This has gotten to the point where the Irish Data Protection Commission is now in contact with Facebook and considering next steps
 

Smash Ultimate v3.0 is here!

  • First up we’re finally seeing Joker from Persona 5 added to the roster as part of Challenger Pack 1, and his playstyle looks pretty interesting
    • He’s got some moves with a knife and gun, and it looks like he has a charge gauge that allows him to summon his Persona, which upgrades his attacks, greatly improves his recovery, and gives him a combination counter and reflect move
    • His final smash is also interesting- it triggers similarly to Marth’s, with a horizontal rush, but a quick press of the thumbstick makes him sweep back in the other direction in case you missed the first time
  • And speaking of Persona, we’re getting a Persona stage called Mementos with 11 different audio tracks that can affect the appearance of the stage and Joker’s victory screen
  • We’re also seeing new paid DLC Mii costumes for Morgana, Yu, Makoto, Teddie, Tails, and Knuckles
  • The stage builder we saw leaked in an ad last week made an official appearance, but if it supports 8 player stages they’re keeping it on the down-low
    • It does have new things like customizable moving or spinning platforms and multiple layers for decorative elements
  • They’re also adding in the ability to edit and share videos, download other players’ Mii setups, and adding Smash World on the Switch Online app for voice chat, browsing videos and custom stages, and managing your spirit teams
 

Disney has revealed some of the details on their upcoming Disney+ service, and it sounds pretty dang decent

  • Disney+ will launch in the US on November 12 for $7/month
  • It’ll include a huge library of old movies and shows, including Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars titles, along with new content made exclusively for the service
  • There won’t be any ads (which really should be a no-brainer on a paid service) and users can download things to watch offline whenever they want
  • All said and done, this could offer Netflix the kick in the pants we need to stop them from continuing to raise their prices
 

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold is hit reviewers this week, and it’s not looking good

  • Multiple reviewers are having the devices break after just a few days of use
  • The Verge had theirs sprout a random bulge on the display, possibly due to some debris getting into the hinge, but whatever it was pressed into the display hard enough to break it
  • CNBC’s screen started flickering and failing after the first day
  • And Bloomberg’s started showing similar screen issues after two days
  • All told, it’s a rough start for the $2K device. This is really a prototype, but somehow they’re going forward with preorders
 

Labo VR is getting some tough reviews online, citing tiny experiences and terrible screen resolution

  • It also only tracks rotation, not movement, which is pretty standard for a cardboard headset but a tougher proposition in 2019
  • You also have to keep one hand on the headset holding it to your face the entire time, which gets tricky when playing mini games like putting, playing basketball, or throwing a boomerang
  • And it doesn’t help that Nintendo continually breaks immersion with not only how short the playtimes are on their bundled game, but also prompts to take a break every five minutes
  • End of the day, if you already have a switch and you’re curious about VR, then this is maybe a good idea… but it seems like there are also better options available
 
 

Tidbits

  • The first trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has hit, and it looks solid!
    • I mean, it’s still coming from EA so be wary, but if they finish it we could finally see a good Star Wars game for the current gen of consoles
    • Releasing on November 15th
  • Speaking of Star Wars and trailers, the new Episode IX trailer looks solid!
    • It’s called The Rise of Skywalker, and the tagline is “This Christmas, the saga comes to an end”
  • The new all-digital edition of the Xbox One S is coming this May, and it’s kind of disappointing
    • It’s basically the existing S with no disc slot, and it’ll sell for about as much as retailers are already selling the S in game bundles (though Microsoft is trying to keep it $50 cheaper than the disc-spinning alternative)
  • In a cool earth-friendly move, Japan is making their medals for the 2020 olympics out of discarded smartphones and laptops
    • The requisite gold, silver, and bronze will be extracted from around 50,000 tons of recovered or donated e-waste and obsolete gadgets
    • For perspective, it takes about 100 fliphones to recover three grams of gold
 

Recommend Buffy the Vampire Slayer

  • I’m very late to the party, but I’m really enjoying it
  • Half delightfully 90’s high school life, half Supernatural-style monster of the week (though, I suppose Supernatural is really Buffy-style monster of the week really)
  • It looks like a series that people had a lot of fun making

 

Literally Misleading

This one is from Fanily member Scott. Check out his twitter @scottybomb and his podcast The Read-Along, its a weekly book club for where you can follow along with Scott and Anita!
 
MOVIE – “A man must join forces with an amnesiac to track down the man who kidnapped his son.”
 
If you have a Literally Misleading Description, message Josh directly on our Discord, or Twitter @fushigiyami

 

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Dalton, for believing in us for so long. And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us. And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link!

Also, make sure to check out RIPT Apparel for sweet 24 tee shirt designs. And don’t forget to use the coupon code PS2JSHOW for 10% off!

We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB

And talk to us in the comments! Or…

Discord Server Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow Facebook

PS2J 245 News – All Your Email Are Belong To Us

Free games

  • UPDATE

    • Battlefront 2 doesn’t have online multiplayer, only local, since the original Xbox Live was shut down about nine years ago

  • Epic Games

    • The Witness
      • Making the rounds- free on PSN just recently, and on Xbox One about a year ago
      • 2016
      • First person puzzle exploration game, a la Myst, developed by the creator of Braid

  • Twitch

    • Her Story
      • 2015
      • Interactive movie that has you searching through a database of fictional police interviews to solve the case of a missing man
    • InnerSpace
      • 2018
      • An adventure game inspired by Journey and Grow Home that has you flying around bright, stylized environments hunting for ancient gods
    • Joggernauts
      • 2018
      • Cute couch co-op autorunner platformer that has you jogging, jumping, and switching with friends to make it to the end of each level
    • Keep In Mind: Remastered
      • 2018
      • A psychological indie game following Jonas, a man struggling with mental illness, on a journey of reflection and emotional growth through a world of his literal demons

Top story- seriously, it’s time to delete Facebook

  • The Daily Beast is reporting that newer Facebook users are being interrupted by a message asking for their email password
    • The message says “To continue using Facebook you’ll need to confirm your email.”, and then goes on to say you can do that automatically by entering your email account’s password into a form below the message
    • In order to bypass this you need to click on the “Need help?” link in one corner of the page, and then they offer more conventional means like sending you an email with a confirmation link
    • They say they won’t store your password, but considering the massive “Keeping passwords secure” fiasco of 600M cleartext passwords kept floating around at the company for the last 7 years I think we’ve got to take that with a shaker of salt
  • Not to mention, cybersecurity researchers just recently found hundreds of millions of Facebook user records on publicly accessible Amazon Cloud servers
    • They want to take all your info, and then they don’t care who else gets into it as long as they can sell it to the highest bidders

There’s a PSVR-exclusive Iron Man game coming, and I need it now

  • I’m not kidding, give it to me
  • Based on early demos it looks like they’ve nailed flying around in first person as Iron Man with full motion controls
  • It’s apparently separate from the films and comics but using them as an inspiration, exploring Tony Stark as his own worst enemy as well as facing off against Ghost, a supervillain going after Stark and Pepper Potts
  • It looks fantastic, and it’s apparently slated for release sometime this year

Apple has officially confirmed that AirPower is dead, likely due to the technical challenges of their ambitious design

  • The weirdest part of this is the package for the new AirPods wireless charging case actually includes an illustration of the AirPower mat, but they’ve finally definitively decided its fate
  • They wanted to let you charge up to three devices by putting them anywhere on the mat, while also giving the ability to monitor battery levels of all three wirelessly
  • Very ambitious, but with the current level of tech just not feasible
  • On the plus side, you can just get a few decent wireless charging pucks online for less than AirPower would have cost

Avengers: Endgame tickets are already for sale, and there’s even a way to see the movie early if you feel like being slightly insane

  • In case you haven’t heard, Endgame broke records this week and had the biggest day one of any theatrical presale title ever, taking down the previous champ, The Force Awakens, in the first six hours of tickets being available
    • It got to the point where #AvengersEndgametickets was trending on Twitter with technical complaints, because the sites couldn’t keep up with demand
  • Both AMX and Alamo Drafthouses in the US are running marathon screenings, leading up to a showing of Endgame, if you feel up to the 22 movie, 60 hour challenge
  • And your reward? Seeing Endgame one hour before the general public
  • This is definitely something that would take dedication, and we’d love to hear from any listeners that might have taken part
 

Gundam 40th and Hello Kitty 45th anniversaries

  • To celebrate the 45th anniversary of Hello Kitty and the 40th anniversary of Gundam. They are having a crossover event!
  • So far there is only a video, where Kitty is at home, sees Amuro, fighting in his Gundam on TV. Kitty gets all flustered and runs out of her house.
  • Then it goes to space, Amuro still fighting, and a break in combat, has his sensors go off. He turns and sees a giant Hello Kitty mech appear. May be Big Zam sized? and the video ends there. All characters are represented in their original animation styles.

Homeworld Lego sets

  • https://brickformation.com
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeworld
  • A company called Brick Formation, has the license to make sets based on Homeworld.
  • For those out of the loop, Homeworld is a 3D RTS. Where it takes place in space, and has lots of cool spaceships.
  • It is made by Relic Entertainment, which was founded in Vancouver, and Homeworld was their first game released in 1999.
  • These parts are genuine Lego pieces, since Lego has a Fair Play rule. So they are genuine Lego, kits designed, packaged and sold by Brick Formation. But the Lego company, is not affiliated with this in any way, other than being the ones that designed the building bricks.
  • They are beautiful sets. They all come with a display stand, which also holds a description card for the ship. They look fantastic, because they made all the ships in the ’studless’ style of building. Where building studs are not visible in the final product.
  • This quality does come at a price. A smaller ship, the Hiigaran Interceptor, which built is 12 inches long, is $250. And a large example, Hiigaran Destroyer, 20 inches long, is $575.
  • If the idea of 3D RTS, all in space, makes you interested, a remaster was released in 2015, available on Mac and PC.

Tidbits

  • Google’s adding a “sponsored content” (read, advertising) section to Android TV, and in their pilot program pushed the update to a bunch of devices including Sony smart TVs
    • So if you decided to shell out thousands on a nice 4K TV, and use the Android TV features, congratulations- you’re now forced to look at ads every time you use it
  • Valve is teasing their new stand-alone VR setup with a swanky website
    • It’s pretty scarce on the details, but it looks like it’s called the Index and it’ll be here in May
  • No Man’s Sky VR is getting some amazing reviews, and the hype train is a-rolling once more
    • And as a nice bonus, it will be playable both with the Move and Dualshock controllers (though if given the option, I think motion controls are usually superior)
  • Verizon’s launching an actual 5G network this week, compared to AT&T’s logo change
    • Speeds look solid, testing out at over 760 Mbps, but you won’t see them unless you’re in specific areas of either Chicago or Minneapolis, have the Moto Z3 phone, and pair it with the 5G-enabled Moto Mod (which, with it’s extra processing, battery power, and antennas, it damn near a phone in its own right)
  • Lastly, for your weekly dose of wtf, a California hospital is being sued by 81 women for secretly filming them in labour and delivery rooms while undergoing very personal procedures
    • The women say they didn’t consent, and would not have if given the choice
    • Cherry on the shit sundae, the videos were stored on various computers- some of which didn’t even require passwords to use
    • The hospital claims the cameras were there to catch a thief stealing drugs from anesthesia carts in the rooms, but that seems like a pretty idiotic move all told

Recommend American Gods: The Author’s Preferred Text

(recommended the Amazon Prime show, which is now partway through season 2 back in ep 118)
  • It’s interesting to see some of the differences between the show and the book, though there will be spoilers for one in the other so choose wisely
  • It’s such a great take on mythology, with gods being among us and powered by belief and worship, so you end up with someone like Media contrasting with the older gods the settlers and slaves brought with them to the Americas
  • Neil Gaiman’s always a good read
 

Literally Misleading

(Game) Sometimes fitting in isn’t the best thing for you, as the ones that do literally disappear.

For more content, Patreon supports get access to upcoming ideas and more!

A huge thanks to Dalton, for believing in us for so long. And thanks to all our ‘fanily’ that support us. And if you want to support us too, its as easy as clicking this link! Also, make sure to check out RIPT Apparel for sweet 24 tee shirt designs. And don’t forget to use the coupon code PS2JSHOW for 10% off! We are a proud member of the Alberta Podcast Network powered by ATB And talk to us in the comments! Or… Discord Server Twitter and Instagram @ps2jshow Facebook