Logitech beta testing Harmony integration with Amazon Echo
It looks like Amazon’s Echo, Echo Dot and Tap could soon be enjoying integration with Logitech’s Harmony remote control if an email circulating from Logitech is any indication.
Logitech is inquiring if customers are interested in registering to participate in a special beta test to see how the company’s Harmony remote pairs with Alexa to provide important feedback. Harmony users can start and stop activities via Alexa voice commands with the new integration plans and provide Logitech with feedback on how well it works together.
They’re definitely on to something here. Combining the functionality of the Harmony remote and Alexa’s voice commands could soon mean you won’t even have to lift a hand to complete various Activities, and that sounds like a pretty convenient future for all.
Source: Zatz Not Funny!
Twitch sues viewerbot sellers to curb fake popularity ratings
Twitch has long been the de facto prime source for streaming video game content, but with popularity comes internet crime. Seedy online outlets are selling bot followers in bulk to make accounts look more popular than they really are, which the streaming service monitors and bans where it can. But enough is enough: Twitch is finally suing seven of the most active sellers of online viewbot services.
What’s at stake, of course, is money. When an individual account gets popular enough, Twitch considers making them an official partner, meaning they earn money based on their viewership. The company sees this as a positive feedback loop to keep the site’s content quality high. Bot services artificially boost the viewer count for an account and populate their chatbox, simulating activity and diverting attention from legitimate accounts. If popularity is manufactured, the Twitch system loses viewers’ trust and they’ll go elsewhere.
Twitter and Facebook users have been able to buy similar bulk packages of fake followers for awhile, but Twitch’s reputation was built on a “by fans, for fans” grassroots legitimacy in which users vote with their views. As the streaming service adds more features to become a robust social destination and announces big eSports partnerships, keeping its community’s trust will be key.
But users have to stay honest too, says the company’s SVP of Marketing in a post. Ultimately, the best way to stop viewerbot sellers from ruining Twitch is for users to stop buying them.
Source: Twitch blog
Public is an app that opens your group chats to an audience
A couple of months ago, former Twitter exec Michael Sippey unveiled Talk Show, an app that let you broadcast your text conversations in public. Now there’s yet another app in town that does something very similar. It’s called Public, and the creator is Avner Ronen, who is probably better known as the founder of Boxee, a streaming set top box that was also a web TV platform (Boxee eventually sold to Samsung a few years ago). Like its name suggests, all of the conversations on Public are, well, public. Think of it as a group discussion with an audience.
There are a few differences between Public and Talk Show though. For one thing, Public puts conversations front and center as soon as you launch the app; you’ll see the latest back-and-forth chats of the groups you’re following right on the home page. Talk Show, on the other hand, simply lists the conversation topic along with its participants, requiring you to tap through to read the discussion. This does make the Public home page a lot more cluttered, but it’s also a lot easier to follow multiple conversations at once. Like Talk Show, Public has a list of curated Featured chats too.
Another interesting thing about Public is that audience members can chime in via comments on the side bar. This is definitely more moderated than Twitter, where strangers can butt in whenever they like, but is also more flexible than Talk Show, where audience members are limited to canned responses. Of course, anyone can request to be part of the group too. What I also like about Public is that you can participate and follow chats on the web as well as the mobile app. I just find that I type a lot more coherently on my laptop than I do on my phone.
After a few days trying out Public, I’ll admit I enjoy the ability to chat with friends and acquaintances about a couple of focused topics (one on the San Francisco Giants and another on Korean skincare). The interface is pretty clean and I like that I can enter in emoji, photos as well as GIFs. Still, I’d probably have had as much fun if the conversation were private instead of public; I don’t know if the audience at large gets as much of a kick reading the conversation as I do participating in it.
That question is key to whether public group chat apps like these will gain traction. While Talk Show debuted at the top of the charts on the App Store, it’s fallen quite a bit since then. Do people really want to have public-facing conversations? More importantly, do people want to use such a specific app to follow these discussions? The fact that these conversations are publicly viewable on the web means that you don’t necessarily need the app to follow them. Which is great for avoiding a walled garden, but not so great for promoting the app.
Still, I can see the app catching on if it’s used by celebrities or pundits, or maybe if it’s a liveblog of an event. That way fans can feel as if they’re eavesdropping on an interesting live conversation. Indeed, one of Public’s launch partners is Fullscreen’s “SummerBreak,” an online reality show of a group of high school students on summer vacation.
If you’d like to try Public out for yourself, it’s available right now on the Apple App Store as well as the web.
Source: Public
Astro A50 Wireless Gaming Headset (2016) Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The popular Astro A50 gaming headset, first released in 2012, is getting an upgrade, with the company bringing the customisation from the A40 to the flagship headphones.
The originals were extremely comfortable but at the time I called out the slightly flimsy stand, and the revamped version does away with it entirely, replacing it with a base station that handles charging, transmitting and pairing. It’s got Dolby 7.1 and three EQ presets that can be personally customised via the Astro proprietary software. And of course they’re still light, and in the short time I played with them they felt very comfortable. The A50s use the 5GHz spectrum and have a range of 30 feet.
The other big difference is the removable earcups and headband, similar to the Astro A40 TR. This lets you customise the headset for comfort and colour. Unlike the A40’s however, the speaker backs can’t be swapped — Astro says it’s because of the wireless technology not playing well with the magnets used to snap the customisable bits in play.
Nic Healey/CNET
Other key features:
Battery life: The A50s promise a 15-hour battery life and have a standby mode for additional lifespan. An accelerometer can tell when the headset is lying flat and will hit standby mode to save battery life. There’s also a Micro-USB charging option allowing you to charge and play if you need.
Console and PC: There are two main models of A50, one for PS4 and one for Xbox One. Both play well with PC, but the Xbox One version does specify “for Xbox and Windows 10” on the box.
New mic technology: The boom mic has enhanced noise-canceling tech and an auto mute when you flip it up. It can’t be removed or replaced, however.
It’s all arriving in late August for $299 or AU$479, with UK pricing yet to be announced.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole preview: Super serial superheroes, silly
South Park: The Fractured But Whole is no ordinary turn-based role-playing game. It’s one for the fans. Within 30-seconds of our E3 gaming expo presentation, our presenter – playing The New Kid (AKA Douchebag from previous game The Stick of Truth) – is tapping in guesses to break Eric Cartman’s (AKA The Coon’s) keypad to access his secret lair (in Mrs Cartman’s basement, obviously). “F*ck Donkey Poop”. Nope, that didn’t work, so it’s time to go and hunt down the real password (“F*ck You Mom” as it transpires).
Thus begins the side-on exploration game, a familiar experience for fans of the previous The Stick of Truth. Only this time it’s all about superheroes, in an obvious but amusing piss-take of the current glut of Marvel and DC Comics movies that are spilling into cinemas. The characters mirror those in the South Park TV show too, from Mysterion (Kenny) to TupperWear (Token) and beyond. Timmy playing a spoof Professor X who “rapes Cartman’s brain” did make us chuckle.
Story set, the main obvious differences in The Fractured But Whole compared to its predecessor are a revamped combat system; full crafting system, so now you can collect items and, with the right recipes or instructions, create new and more useful items to utilise; and “fartcour” (that’s the SP take on parkour) meaning in-level verticality is easier for the sake of exploration – and yes, you can far your way up buildings.
We’ve seen the whole combat system in play and it’s a lot more complex than before; more chess-like. Just not in the traditional sense. Different characters have different reaches across a play grid, with differing abilities, attacks and defences meaning hiding behind objects and other characters won’t always be helpful – sometimes it’ll be counter-intuitive.
To the top left of the screen is a ultimate meter level-up bar, which when maxed out means you can unleash an ultimate attack with devastating effect. There are the usual potions and specials which can cause rage, bleeding and so forth to make things extra tough – either for you or your opponent.
Which is actually all pretty complicated stuff for an apparent toilet humour show. That’s the thing that’s great about The Fractured But Whole: it’s embraces being completely silly and totally rude, without being one of those wishy-washy franchise titles for the sake of it.
Ubisoft
Although, as you might have gathered from the opening line of this preview, it’s definitely not going to be a game to suit all tastes. Given how close to the mark The Stick of Truth went – some scenes were censored in the UK, which is very unusual – we suspect The Fractured But Whole will try and push things even further. Not just in the gameplay stakes either: prepare to be appalled and thrilled in equal measure, depending on how much of a South Park fan you are.
South Park The Fractured But Whole will be released for PS4, Xbox One and PC on 6 December 2016.
Facebook Messenger bots: What are they and how can you find them?
Earlier this year, Facebook said bots were coming to its Messenger app. Well, you might not have realised this, but they’re already available.
Many bots have actually been available for months. It’s hard to tell, however, because they’re buried in the Messenger app and hard to locate. But they aren’t hard to use. You can use them to play trivia and games like hangman, or you can order flowers and get customer service support. The possibilities are endless. Bots are designed to not only bolster your chat experience but also make life easier for you.
Here’s everything we know so far about Facebook Messenger bots, including what they are and how you can find them.
Facebook Messenger bots: What are they?
Facebook in April announced new tools for developers that will allow them to build bots for Facebook Messenger. These bots can add a whole new array of functions to Facebook’s messaging app. For instance, Facebook has envisioned a future where you use Messenger to interact with businesses and vice versa. Bots will basically blend artificial intelligence with human interaction.
The idea is that you’ll go to Messenger for customer support or to get your news or to order flowers. In a demo at the F8 developer conference in 2016, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, showed example bots from CNN and 1-800-Flowers. The CNN bot serves up a daily digest of news stories that are tailored to you over time, while the flowers bot lets you place an order using conversational language.
David Marcus, head of Messenger, announced at F8 2016 that the beta version of Facebook’s new Messenger Platform would go live 12 April, meaning developers could immediately get started on creating bots for the app. Just one month later, Stan Chudnovsky, Messenger’s head of product, told TechCrunch that “tens of thousands” of developers are building bots.
Facebook Messenger bots: How many are there?
Facebook hasn’t announced how many bots are currently available nor does it have an official list posted anywhere. However, Botlist, which is described as an app store for bots, has this list of Facebook Messenger bots now available. Example bots include Digg, NBA, Emoji News, Mealou, Complex, theScore, Trivia Blast, Operator, Hangman, etc.
Facebook Messenger bots: How can you find them?
Pocket-lint
Web
- Go to Botlist, and then select the Facebook Messenger platform.
- Browse the bots available for the Facebook Messenger app, then find a bot you want to use (like Mealou, which recommends the best restaurant in your area based on your tastes), and click on it.
- Look for the Chat on Messenger link on the bot’s page and click it. Messenger’s web app will then open with a chat window for the bot.
- Click the Get Started link at the bottom of the chat window to get started.
Note: You can also search for a specific bot name using the search bar on the left-hand side of the Messenger web app.
Android
- Download and open Facebook Messenger for Android (it’s free to download and use).
- Under the Recents tab (clock icon), you’ll see a button toward the bottom with a plus sign. Tap it.
- You’ll then see the option to Search. Tap it.
- Facebook Messenger will then show you a small selection of bots it recommends (beneath a list of people you can start chats with).
- You can also use the search bar at the top of this screen to search for other available bots.
- Once you’ve found a bot, tap on it to open a chat window for the bot, then tap Get Started at the bottom of the window to get started.
iOS
- Download and open Facebook Messenger for iOS (it’s free to download and use).
- Under the Home tab (house icon), you’ll see a search bar at the top. Tap it.
- Facebook Messenger will then show you a small selection of bots it recommends (beneath a list of people you can start chats with).
- You can also use the search bar at the top of this screen to search for other available bots.
- Once you’ve found a bot, tap on it to open a chat window for the bot, then tap Get Started at the bottom of the window to get started.
And that’s it.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands preview: Four-player Far Cry
When we first fixed eyes on Ghost Recon: Wildlands at the end of Ubisoft’s E3 gaming expo pre-show conference in 2015, we were gagging for more. Come the 2016 show, where we got to actually play the open-world game, turns out it was absolutely worth the wait. Think Far Cry 4 for four players and you’re most of the way there.
Wildlands is set in Bolivia, where “the king” – the head of a dangerous drug cartel – rules with an iron fist. That’s where the “ghosts”, an “elite military team”, come in to take down this underworld – by stealth and by force.
Now, we say “elite military team” in inverted commas because, well, we weren’t exactly acting elite in our play-through. Our Ubisoft guide so wanted us to take the game seriously – which we did, to a degree, but heaps of hilarity ensued when we messed things up or went rogue.
Which, we think, is just what happens when you open up such games to curious people looking to have a laugh and see what’s possible. Just look what happened to Grand Theft Auto 5 when that was opened up to PC modders.
Our Ghost Recon: Wildlands goal, with a team of four lined-up a different stations, was to research a lead, capture a hostage for intel and escape unscathed. Played properly, it would have been a thing of stealth wonderment.
But we weren’t down for that. Llamas were shot, helicopters were landed upside down (no, really), the hostage target was accidentally (on purpose) shot in the head and, as it turned out, all these decisions simply change the way in which the game develops. You can still source intel in a different way, just with a hardened stance rather than a stealthy one. It’s great to have those variety of play options unfold as things do or don’t go the right way.
Ubisoft
Some of the set pieces in the game are excellent too. Skydiving out of a helicopter, looking out across the hills of Bolivia, is a thrilling experience. Don’t open your parachute and you’ll end up flat as a pancake, but, again, it’s all part of the fun.
Like in multiplayer online shooters, team mates can revive one another when taken down, which is an additional tactical point of attention. Because the world is so vast, different players can be set long distances apart to perform different tasks: you might choose to fire a sniper from the hills, or go hand-to-hand in close quarters combat. Get caught out and killed miles from your team-mates and you may end up laying on the ground for quite some time before you’re back in the game – as respawning doesn’t happen and communication is critical.
We’ve already mentioned Far Cry 4, but for good reason. Ghost Recon: Wildlands looks and feels a lot like that game. From the driving, to the environment and effects. Which is great news, really, because that game was one of our favourites of last year, so Wildlands is in good stead to better it. Especially with its distinctive four-player mayhem.
Ubisoft
Elite or obsolete, the way you play in Ghost Recon: Wildlands is down to you. It’s a versatile, vast, fascinating open-world game that mixes stealth with serious combat. It’s inadvertently hilarious, brilliant fun. And, for that, it’s one of the best games we’ve played so far this year.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands is released for Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 7 March 2017. And it’s shaping up to be an absolute cracker.
A tour of Devolver’s E3 anti-booth
Devolver Digital sees itself as the punk rockstar of video game publishing. Although it’s never officially had a booth at E3, it has done the conference equivalent of sneaking round the back, setting up shop in a parking lot opposite the Los Angeles Convention Center and next to a Hooters. After our day on the actual show floor, the Engadget E3 crew descended on Devolver’s lot to check out what the publisher had to offer.
Absolver
Aaron Souppouris, Senior Editor
Before Shenmue was Shenmue, it was Virtua Fighter RPG. I was 14 at the time, and full of teenage dreams about what an RPG based on Sega’s famous 3D beat-em-up would look like. Without knowing it, French studio Slocap has built the closest thing to what I dreamed up.
Absolver is a massively multiplayer beat-em up. You design a character, then spec out its moves (which unlocked through exploration and play), and go fight. Each character has four distinct stances, and each stance has four moves. You can switch between stances mid-combo, and some moves have different effects like breaking guard. On top of this simple-to-understand, difficult-to-master attack system, you’ll also have guard, parries and weapons to learn.
You’ll be able to play solo, with random, seamless matchmaking on the fly, or team up with friends to run amok in miniature raids and quests. It was seriously impressive.
Strafe
Jessica Conditt, Senior Editor
Strafe might be my next addiction in quick-round video games. It’s a roguelike first-person shooter with graphics that look like a mix of Minecraft and the original Doom, but polished to perfection. The game is simple: You’re a scrap collector on the edge of the universe. There are monsters trying to kill you. You have a gun. The mechanics write themselves from there.
Even though its premise is simple, Strafe transcends ordinary territory via its cleanliness. The game is stripped down to the fundamentals of a shooter, with universal ammo dumps, explosive barrels and weapon upgrade machines scattered throughout the levels. It’s a roguelike, so once you die, you start all the way back at the beginning, and the levels take roughly 10 minutes each to clear. The blood and guts of all the creatures you kill remains on the ground, walls and ceiling forever in a single play-through, meaning you’ll never have to question if you’ve been through an area before. The monsters, by the way, are incredibly bloody.
Shadow Warrior 2
Nathan Ingraham, Senior Editor
I never played the original Shadow Warrior, but its sequel is a somewhat ridiculous but still entertaining throwback first-person shooter. Each level is procedurally generated, which means there’s a lot of opportunity for different play-throughs here, and the weapon selection is top-notch. As you’re a ninja, your main weapon is a katana — but you’re also equipped with a host of ridiculous guns that almost make it not worth using the sword.
But getting up close and personal makes the game a lot more fun, particularly when the bizarre alien monsters you’re fighting fly apart in a gross shower of gibs. There’s even a chainsaw, which lets you slice and dice enemies in a fairly disgusting but highly entertaining way. The format of the game may not be unique, but it manages to rise above the standard first-person shooter by not taking itself too seriously and throwing a boatload of fun weapons your way.
Serious Sam VR
Timothy J. Seppala, Associate Editor
Serious Sam has always been about two things: circle-strafing and destroying waves of cartoony, over-the-top enemies with equally absurd weapons. Like a gun that fires cannonballs, for example. It’s never been a particularly deep series, but it’s a solid way to waste a few minutes, or hours, if you’re playing co-op.
So playing Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope in virtual reality was a natural fit at E3. Playing on an HTC Vive (it was also available on Oculus Rift) simplifies the already pared-down game even further. There’s no circle strafing, instead I stood static and the waves of flame demons and armless-bipeds with toothy, gaping maws rushed toward my bullets with little regard for their personal safety. I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that I died a lot. But, the upside of this is that after each time, I was able to buy new weapons or refill ammo with money I’d accrued with the business ends of my dual pistols, shotguns, and yes, cannonball launchers. It’s dumb fun, and my trigger fingers got sore long before the smile wore off my face.
Google offers even more money for Android bugs
Since launching its Android Security Rewards program last year, Google has paid out more than $550,000 to 82 people for their discoveries of security flaws in the company’s mobile operating system. Now, the tech giant is offering between 33 percent and 50 percent more money for reports filed after June 1st, 2016.
The top bug hunter in the past year received $75,750 for 26 vulnerability reports and 15 individuals received $10,000 or more. The average was $2,200 per reward and $6,700 per researcher. “High-quality” reports — that is, those that show a proof of concept and come with a proposed patch — will earn 50 percent more than regular bug submissions.
Finding and squashing these bugs could greatly improve Android’s security, but participants are also encouraged to report problems outside the OS. Google said that more than a quarter of the issues were reported in code developed and used outside of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). “Fixing these kernel and device driver bugs helps improve security of the broader mobile industry,” the company said in a blog post.
Offering more money is a great way to get enterprising hackers and developers to report the vulnerabilities instead of exploiting them for malicious uses. Google also has similar programs for Chrome and other Google services, and has shelled out more than a million dollars in rewards. If you think you’ve found an Android vulnerability and want a cut of that sweet payout, you can read all the details on how to join here.
Source: Google
Paramount and CBS are still suing the ‘Star Trek’ fan film
Although J.J. Abrams and Star Trek: Beyond director Justin Lin lobbied hard for the movie studio to drop their lawsuit against the crowdfunded Star Trek fan flick Axanar, Paramount is apparently ready to engage their lawyers once again. As the Hollywood Reporter notes, Paramount and CBS have told a California federal judge that their legal action against the makers of Axanar is still pending despite earlier statements indicating the two groups were close to reaching a settlement and guidelines for future fan films.
“Within the next few weeks it will be announced this is going away and fans will be able to work on their projects,” J.J. Abrams announced during a promotional event in May for the latest, official film in the franchise. Nearly a month later and both sides appear to still be locked in a legal standoff. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Axanar Productions filed paperwork seeking relief from the lawsuit just days after Abrams made his announcement, going so far as to include Abrams’ statements in their motion to dismiss. However, instead of filing an extension while they worked out the details, Paramount and CBS have filed a response to the production team’s counterclaim indicating the lawsuit is still moving forward and included a full accounting of every single one of the fan film’s individual copyright infringements.
Those lawsuits and countersuits might simply turn out to be legal maneuvering, but Paramount and CBS have been open about squeezing fans for money in the past. In an extensive longread about Star Trek’s complicated relationship with its fanbase Buzzfeed reporter Adam B. Vary notes that CBS head Les Moonves was upfront about why he was putting the forthcoming TV series on the network’s own $5.99-per-month streaming service. “[We] know there are so many millions of Star Trek fans that will pay for this,” Moonves told a media conference in February.
In the same piece, Vary also points out that the guidelines for fan-produced films that Paramount and CBS had promised are still “unclear” and the future of Axanar seems uncertain. On the other hand, Axanar Productions seems content to keep boldly going forward. Yesterday, the team dropped a new exclusive teaser on Facebook featuring some impressive special effects built before Paramount’s legal team hit them with the cease-and-desist. While a voiceover in the teaser promises to fight on against the “scourge of Klingon aggression,” the teaser itself ends with a disclaimer that the production is “not endorsed, or sponsored by, or affiliated with CBS/Paramount Pictures or the STAR TREK franchise.”
AIVAnet 