Let’s get this out of the way: No Russian will not be included in the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. In fact, the game will penalize friendly fire and fail players who shoot civilians while in combat.This is in stark contrast to the No Russian mi…
A new Ghostbusters animated show is coming to Netflix
The resurgence of Ghostbusters is set to continue with a new animated series that’s coming to Netflix. Ghostbusters: Afterlife co-writer and director Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan are heading up the show as executive producers. Sony Pictures Animation is involved as well. Other details remain a mystery for now, including the title, the basics of the plot or and when it will be released.
A brand new GHOSTBUSTERS animated series is on the way! @JasonReitman and @gilkenan, the minds behind Ghostbusters: Afterlife, will be leading the project which will debut on Netflix, in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation. #GeekedWeekpic.twitter.com/g4LkWu314z
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 8, 2022
It seems to be early days for the new project, which will be the third animated Ghostbusters series after The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters. Netflix made the announcement as part of its Geeked Week event.
Today is also Ghostbusters Day, an annual celebration of the franchise. According to Variety, Reitman and Kenan are expected to announce more projects. A few Ghostbusters games are in the works as well, including Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed and Ghostbusters VR, both of which are set to arrive later this year.
The best camera and photography gift ideas for dad
When your dad decides to take his photography game to a new level, a smartphone may no longer be enough. Some may want a sports camera to capture their adventures while others may need a mirrorless camera for better family photos, films or artistic sho…
The newest Roku Ultra drops to a record low of $80
If you’d like to upgrade your dad’s TV setup for Father’s Day, you can snag Roku’s latest set-top box at its best price yet. The 2022 Roku Ultra is 20 percent off ahead of Father’s Day, dropping it down to $80. That’s a solid deal for the streamer that just came out just last month and includes a new voice remote, among other improvements. It’s also worth noting that the Roku Streambar remains on sale for $99, which is one of the best prices we’ve seen.
Buy Roku Ultra at Amazon – $80Buy Roku Streambar at Amazon – $99
Roku didn’t mess with the Ultra’s box this time around, but rather it focused on adding features to the new Voice Remote Pro. The accessory comes bundled with the Ultra and includes a 3.5mm headphone jack for private listening, two programmable shortcut buttons and a mic-disable button. The latter refers to the remote’s hands-free voice control feature, which allows you to say “Hey Roku” to initiate a command. You can then ask the device to show you horror movies, sitcoms or pull up the latest episode of Stranger Things. You can even say “Hey Roku, find my remote,” and it’ll force the remote to play a sound so you can locate it more easily. We also appreciate that the Voice Remote Pro is rechargeable via microUSB, which means you won’t have to scramble to get new disposable batteries when it starts running low.
As for the set-top box itself, it’s remains largely unchanged from the 2020 Ultra. It still has 4K HDR10+ streaming capabilities and supports both Dolby Vision and Atmos. It also has AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth support, plus a handy selection of ports: a power jack, an HDMI out port, an Ethernet jack and one USB port. While the 2022 Ultra has up to 50 percent better WiFi range, some will appreciate the Ethernet jack since it will allow you to hardware the device and get the best signal possible.
While the Roku Ultra is the company’s most powerful streaming device, the Roku Streambar is a good option if you want 4K streaming abilities along with a sound upgrade. We gave it a score of 86 for its compact size, solid audio quality and Dolby Audio support. It sounds leaps and bounds better than most built-in TV speakers, making it a good option for those that want a a streaming device that does a bit more than just play Netflix and Disney+.
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‘F1 Manager 2022’ heads to consoles and PC on August 30th
For the first time in more than 20 years, F1 fans will soon have a new manager-style game to play. On Tuesday, Formula 1 announced it would release the highly anticipated F1 Manager 2022 on August 30th. The organization also shared a new gameplay trail…
Summer Game Fest’s Geoff Keighley says to temper expectations for this week’s showcase
This year’s Summer Game Fest showcase takes place on Thursday. It’s an industry-wide event that will include reveals from a bunch of publishers and studios, but host and producer Geoff Keighley has urged fans not to set their hopes too high in terms of new game announcements.
“What I would say is that a lot of the games we’re going to show you are going to be [already] announced… games are going to show new content to you, like some of the ones I’ve mentioned,” Keighley said in a Twitter Spaces chat, according to VGC. “We’ve got a couple of new game announcements in the show and hopefully some surprises if everything holds. But it definitely is a show that’s primarily focused on stuff that is announced.” Keighley added that it might be best for fans to “definitely manage your expectations in terms of the megaton shocks that you’re expecting.”
Still, there’s a lot to look forward to. Keighley noted some of the games that will be featured. The stream will include the first full level playthrough of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and a gameplay demo for The Callisto Protocol (a survival horror game from Dead Space creator Glen Schofield’s new studio). There will also be news on Gotham Knights and new footage from Cuphead expansion The Delicious Last Course.
Keighley said there will be looks at Xbox and Nintendo exclusives as well. However, he pointed out that Microsoft is likely hanging on to the biggest news for its own showcase, which takes place on Sunday. Nintendo, meanwhile, hasn’t confirmed whether its next Direct will take place anytime soon.
I’m getting so excited about #SummerGameFest and our live show on Thursday!
Hope to see you then, streaming live everywhere with lots of updates on games, announcements, and more! pic.twitter.com/hUC7GBDd5Z
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) June 6, 2022
The Summer Game Fest showcase will include some guests too, such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who recently started playing a character in Fortnite. Perhaps we’ll learn more about the next video game movie he’s working on. The event, meanwhile, is set to run for between 90 minutes and two hours.
Trying to manage expectations is a smart move on Keighley’s part. Sony has been doing a similarly good job of keeping conjecture in check ahead of its State of Play streams. While there are always going to be some people who are disappointed by events like this, it’s better to have lower expectations and be surprised than get too amped up and get deflated if you don’t see a game that excites you.
That’s not to say there won’t be major reveals. It was at last year’s edition of Summer Game Fest that fans got their first look at Elden Ring in two years, along with a release date (which was, inevitably, delayed by a few weeks).
Even if you feel like this year’s Summer Game Fest showcase is a bust, there are more than a dozen other gaming events over the next week or so, even without E3 taking place. You’re bound to find some games that interest you if you dig a little deeper.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 is just $179 at Amazon
This might be your moment to buy a smartwatch for tracking your outdoor runs and hikes. Amazon has the 40mm Bluetooth variant of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 on sale for $179 in black and white colors. That’s a substantial 28 percent off, and nearly as good as the all-time low price. There are modest discounts for 44mm and LTE versions, too, if you either prefer a larger dial or crave independence from your phone.
Buy Galaxy Watch 4 (black) at Amazon – $179Buy Galaxy Watch 4 (white) at Amazon – $179
Whichever color you choose, you’re getting a lot of smartwatch for the money. The Galaxy Watch 4 is the best Android-friendly wristwear we’ve seen with a vivid display, good physical controls and extensive health tracking. The interface will seem familiar if you’ve used previous Samsung watches, but the move to Wear OS has improved the app selection while taking advantage of Google’s ecosystem.
There aren’t many catches beyond the Android requirement and relatively short battery life. The biggest concern may simply be timing. There are signs a Galaxy Watch 5 is just around the corner, and you might want to wait a while if you insist on having the latest timepiece. It’s unclear just when the Watch 5 will launch, though, and it’s safe to say you’ll pay considerably more than $179 for the privilege. This is a fine deal if you want a smartwatch right now.
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Amazon knocks half off a Nintendo Switch Online and microSD card bundle
Amazon has brought back a good deal on a bundle that gives you a Nintendo Switch Online subscription plus a microSD card. Normally priced at $70, the pack is now down to $35 and includes a 12-month Switch Online Family membership (delivered via digital code) and a 128GB SanDisk microSD card that you can use with your console.
Buy Switch Online + microSD card bundle at Amazon – $35
Nintendo has added a number of perks to the Switch’s subscription service over the years. Originally, it only provided online gaming, but now it includes cloud backups for gameplay data, access to a companion mobile app which lets you voice chat with friends while you play together and access to more than 70 NES and SNES titles that you can play any time. The membership that you’ll get in this bundle is great for large families, as it supports up to eight users, so this could be a good gift for dad for Father’s Day if he enjoys quality game-time with friends and everyone else in his household.
As for the microSD card you’re getting, it’s arguably a necessity for Switch owners. The console’s built-in 64GB of storage won’t get you very far if you’re primarily getting your games digitally, so expanding with a microSD card is critical. SanDisk makes a bunch of compatible cards and this 128GB model supports read speeds up to 100 MB/s and write speeds up to 90 MB/s. If you already have a Switch Online membership, you can actually pick up the microSD card on its own for less right now, as it’s down to a near record-low of $21.
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MetalFX is Apple’s take on upscaling tech for games
Apple is getting more serious about gaming on Mac and iPad with the help of its M2 chips. At WWDC, the company showed off upscaling tech along the lines of NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Super Sampling and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution.Metal 3 will include…
Apple’s next-gen CarPlay will better integrate with your car’s infotainment system
Apple has designs to reinvent the driving experience with a new generation of CarPlay app, one that more deeply melds the forms and functionality between your vehicle’s infotainment system and your iPhone. The company is remaining tight lipped about what exactly this reimagined version of the app will be able to do — those announcements will reportedly be teased out later next year — but hinted that they would effectively make your phone the “core” of the in-cabin systems.
According to the company, this evolved CarPlay will source content and information to multiple screens within the vehicle – think Apple aesthetics on your phone, in your home and soon your car — as well as control in-cabin systems like the radio and climate directly through CarPlay. It can even replace the factory-set instrument cluster displays with its own UI so you can read your fuel gauge. Users will also be able to personalize their screens with a variety of widgets, skins and apps.
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