‘Don’t Starve Together’ arrives on PS4 with a huge bundle
Thanks to being a freebie for PlayStation Plus subscribers, Don’t Starve earned a solid following on PlayStation 4. To reward that, the developers at Klei Entertainment have put together a massive bundle headlined by the console version of the multiplayer expansion, Don’t Starve Together. The Don’t Starve Mega Pack includes previous expansions Shipwrecked, Reign of Giants, the base game and a few themes based on Autumn and the nautical Shipwrecked pack.
Klei’s Corey Rollins writes on the PlayStation Blog that the console version of Together features split-screen co-op both locally and online (for Share Playing!), while online-only multiplayer is good for up to six people.
“We loved hearing stories about friends and families finding creative ways to share the controller while playing the original single-player Don’t Starve,” Rollins says. “Now players will be able to survive together on the same couch, and even take their split-screen game online if the want and create or join an existing game to play with others.”
If you’re one of the folks who grabbed Don’t Starve when it was a free download, the Mega Pack will only cost $10.79. For everyone who doesn’t already own the first game, via PS+ or otherwise, the price is $26.99.
Source: PlayStation Blog
LG OLEDE6P series review – CNET
The Good With the exception of other 2016 OLED TVs, the LG E6 outperforms every other TV we’ve tested. It evinced perfect black levels, wide viewing angles, accurate color and a brighter picture than last year. It’s compatible with both types of HDR TV shows and movies, Dolby Vision and HDR10. Its striking design features a super-slim, glass-bordered panel.
The Bad The E6 is more expensive than the B6, which performs about the same.
The Bottom Line Unless you have even more money to burn than the typical OLED TV shopper, you should choose the less expensive version of this TV.
In 2016 LG greatly expanded its selection of OLED televisions, but not in the way that many buyers who want to take home one of these world-beating TVs have hoped.
You see, OLED TVs aren’t getting any cheaper. A perfect example is the E6 reviewed here. The image produced by this TV is phenomenal, head-and-shoulders better than any LCD-based television I’ve tested. So it should be a no-brainer recommendation for high-end TV shoppers who don’t want something larger than 65 inches, yes?
No. There is another.
The B6 I reviewed at the same time has pretty much the same picture quality as the E6, for a lot less money (relatively). The E6’s advantages over the B6, namely 3D capability, a sleeker picture-on-glass design, better sound courtesy of a speaker bar along the bottom and a redesigned remote, aren’t enough to be worth the substantial price difference. I would only recommend it to people who have money to burn, and those lucky folks might as well buy a G6. Perhaps they can put it in their other G6.
LG OLEDE6P (pictures)
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The rest of us still have a hard time convincing ourselves that high price of any OLED TV is worth it. That’s not going to change unless LG gets serious about making OLED affordable, which probably won’t happen until some other TV maker brings OLED TVs to market. Until then, if you can’t wait for prices to fall and you’ve managed to convince yourself to spring for an OLED TV, make it the B6.
Editors’ note: I tested a 65-inch LG E6 and a 55-inch B6 at the same time, and most of what I saw was very similar, so large parts of the two reviews are identical. Differences are noted where appropriate, but the main takeaway is that both have very similar picture quality.
Series information: I performed a hands-on evaluation of the 65-inch LG OLED65E6P, but this review also applies to the 55-inch OLED55E6P. Both have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality.
For more information on LG’s other OLED TVs, see this section of the B6 review.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Super-slim TV goes glass
Not content to let the ultra-slim panel OLED panel speak for itself, in 2016 LG augmented it with what it calls a picture-on-glass design on the E6 and G6 TVs. The OLED module — the thing that creates the picture — is applied to a glass back panel, leaving the edge of the TV made of a quarter-inch of glass bordering the black around the image. One result is that the thinnest part of the TV, the upper two thirds above the bulge housing the electronics, inputs and other stuff, is actually slightly thicker (by about 0.06 inches) than the step-down B6. The back of the TV is also subtly patterned.
Further separating the E6 from less expensive versions like the B6 is a horizontal strip of silver lines along the bottom, a grille of sorts, that fronts a more powerful sound system. It adds another touch of style, although personally I prefer the minimalist, more all-picture look of the B6.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Nonetheless, the E6 is one stunning-looking TV, whether you mount it on the wall or use the low-profile stand. Unlike earlier LG OLEDs, which required a special add-on wall bracket, the B6 and other 2016 models can work with a standard VESA wall mount.
The remote is another design departure from other OLEDs. Longer, thinner and silver, it rearranges some of the buttons and trades the slightly bulbous shape for a ribbed bottom. LG kept its trademark motion control, which allows you to whip around the menus with a responsive cursor rather than a plodding directional keypad. That keypad is still available, too, if you want it, along with a slick rubberized scroll wheel. I like the new clicker, although if I had to choose between the two I’d probably opt for the older version because of its better-differentiated buttons and more compact size.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Key TV features
| OLED |
| N/A |
| 4K |
| HDR10 and Dolby Vision |
| Flat |
| Web OS |
| Motion |
| Yes (Passive) |
Features and connectivity
OLED is the dark star of the show here. Its basic tech is closer to late, lamented plasma than to the LED LCD (SUHD or otherwise) technology used in the vast majority of today’s TVs. Where LCD relies on a backlight shining through a liquid crystal panel to create the picture, with OLED and plasma, each individual sub-pixel is responsible for creating illumination. That’s why OLED and plasma are known as “emissive” and LED LCD as “transmissive” displays, and a big reason why OLED’s picture quality is so good.
New for 2016 LG is claiming 25 percent higher light output and a wider color gamut compared with previous models like the EF9500. Interestingly, it also says all of its new 2016 OLED TVs, including the B6 and E6 I tested, have the same picture quality. In my tests all of those claims were essentially true; see Picture Quality below for details.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
The other big improvement over last year is support for both types of HDR video: Dolby Vision and HDR10. Today at least, that means TVs like the E6 can access more HDR TV shows and movies than other devices. The E6 and B6 share the same Web OS Smart TV system and access to the same streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon and Vudu with Dolby Vision HDR. See my B6 review if you’d like more details on that.
Unlike the B6, the E6 can support 3D, technically making it the cheapest (gulp) non-curved 2016 OLED with 3D. LG includes two pairs of passive 3D glasses. Note that I didn’t test 3D on this set, but I expect it to work as well as it did on the EF9500, which was the best-performing 3D TV I’ve ever reviewed.
The only other features difference between the B6 and E6 is the latter’s superior sound system.
- 4 HDMI inputs with HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2
- 3 USB ports
- 1 component video input
- 1 composite video input (shared with component)
- Ethernet (LAN) port
- Optical digital audio output
- RF (antenna) input
- Remote (RS-232) port (minijack)
The selection of connections is top-notch. Unlike many of Samsung’s sets, this one actually has an analog video input for legacy (non-HDMI) devices.
Picture quality
If you’re looking for a reason to pay extra for the E6 over the B6, keep looking. The differences are pretty slim according to my tests, and neither had a clear advantage. In fact, most of the words below are identical in both reviews.
Both 2016 LG OLEDs evinced the same dominance over other TVs in my test lineup, with slightly better overall images than the EF9500 from last year, especially with HDR sources. The E6 did show a slightly brighter image than the B6, but I can’t say for sure whether that was due to the size difference between my review samples. The B6, for its part, did a bit better in a couple of video processing tests.
All of these OLEDs beat the best LCDs I’ve tested. To be fair, however, my comparison crop didn’t include the very best 2016 LCD TVs from Samsung (the KS9800) and Sony (the Z9D), so I can’t say for sure whether the E6 is better than them.
And in case you’re looking for a link to my picture settings, I’m not going to provide them for this review. Check out my calibration and HDR notes for details.
Comparison models
- LG 65EF9500 (65-inch OLED TV)
- LG 55EG9100 (55-inch OLED TV)
- LG OLED55E6P (55-inch OLED TV)
- Samsung UN65JS9500 (65-inch LCD TV)
- Samsung UN65KS8000 (65-inch LCD TV)
- Vizio P65-C1 (65-inch LCD TV)
Dim lighting: OLED was king here. All four of the OLED TVs in my lineup produced equally perfect black, compared with the variously lighter shades of black found on the LCD TVs. As usual the difference showed up most in dark scenes, for example in “The Revenant” Chapter 21 where Hugh emerges into the searchers’ torchlight. The black bars above and below the image, the shadows among the trees, and Hugh’s silhouette all appeared in true black or very dark shadow, and all looked blacker and more realistic than any of the LED LCD sets.
Another big difference between the OLED and LED LCD TVs was OLED’s immunity to blooming. The best LCDs, like the ones in my lineup, all use local dimming to improve contrast and deliver deeper black levels, but all suffer to a greater or lesser extent from stray light that leaks from bright areas into dark. It showed up most in onscreen graphical elements, like my Blu-ray player’s icons or the subtitles against the lower black bar in Chapter 4 of “The Revenant,” but also some normal program material. The KS8000 was the worst while the Vizio and JS95000 were very good, if not perfect. The issue worsened from off-angle and brighter picture settings, including HDR.
Dropbox Requiring Users to Change Old Passwords Dating Back to Mid-2012
Dropbox yesterday emailed users who have not changed their passwords since mid-2012 to inform them they will be prompted to do so the next time they log in.
The cloud storage firm called the action a “preventative measure” and said that there was no indication user accounts had been improperly accessed. Users who held passwords created after mid-2012 were not affected, said the company.
In a blog post explaining what prompted the step, Dropbox said it had learned about an old set of user credentials (email addresses plus hashed and salted passwords) that were stolen in an incident the company reported in 2012.
Based on our threat monitoring and the way we secure passwords, we don’t believe that any accounts have been improperly accessed. Still, as one of many precautions, we’re requiring anyone who hasn’t changed their password since mid-2012 to update it the next time they sign in.
The incident is likely related to the huge LinkedIn hack which saw 117 million account credentials posted online. It’s thought that hackers tried the login details on other websites under the assumption that some people use the same passwords across different online services.
Dropbox has taken the opportunity to urge its users to consider enabling two-factor authentication when signing in, and has warned about the risk of re-using the same password across multiple sites.
Tag: Dropbox
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Garmin Fenix Chronos is about as smart as sportswatches get
Garmin has introduced a new premium version of the Fenix sportswatch. Based on the Fenix 3, the new Fenix Chronos packs in all the navigational and sporting nouse of the original, but places it in a high-quality design, at home in the wilds of the outback, or roughing it in the boardroom.
There are three major options, with a titanium band and body at the top level, along with a price of £1099. This model sits alongside an 316L stainless steel body option, which can be taken with either a metal band (£949) or a leather strap (£848).
The Fenix Chronos is built to last, with waterproofing to 100m and a sapphire display to avoid scratches.
There’s an optical heart rate sensor built into the back of the watch, which is packed with sensors, giving you GPS tracking, a barometer, altimeter and compass, allowing you to track your activities no matter where they take you.
To help you stay connected, the Fenix Chronos offers Connect IQ, Garmin’s system that will let you install apps and make other customisations to your device for a more personalised result.
The Garmin Fenix Chronos is something of an oddity, a crossover device that takes the £395 sportswatch and wraps it in a more premium, a watch that can be worn any time, any place, and still look good.
- Garmin Fenix 3: Adventure ready for any sport
- Best sports watches 2016: The best GPS watches to buy today
Sony Xperia XZ joins the Xperia X Compact leak party
We’ve been talking about a phone called the Xperia XR for a while – thought to be the latest Sony flagship, the replacement for what might once have been called the Xperia Z6.
It’s been a busy few days for Sony leaks: while we’ve seen the specs and some early photos of this forthcoming Sony handset, the name was still in some debate. However, that debate might have been set to rest thanks to a leak on Sony’s own website in the Czech (we think), which it the strongest indication of Sony’s next Xperia flagship name that we’ve seen.
TechTastic
The Sony Xperia XZ name hasn’t appeared before and its appearance on an official Sony website could mean that this is the go to market name for Sony’s next-gen flagship phone.
This name sits alongside the Sony Xperia X Compact name on the same website. For that device, @evleaks shared that with the world just recently, again, bringing authenticity to this latest leak.
The speculation is that these handsets are heading for Berlin, for a launch at IFA 2016. We’ve been following all the leaks relating to the Sony Xperia XZ, so you can get an eyeful of its probable design and specs right here.
- Sony Xperia XZ: Rumours, release date and everything you need to know
- Sony Xperia X Compact breaks cover, and you didn’t expect that
Russia’s free, PC multiplayer Halo game has been cancelled
Remember that Halo game you heard about that wasn’t launching in North America? Well, now it’s not launching anywhere. Halo Online was originally intended to be a free, multiplayer game designed exclusively for the Russian market. Despite launching a closed beta in its target market, the project’s staff has announced that Halo Online is no more. The game has been cancelled.
According to the Halo Online page on VK, Russia’s largest social network, the future of the game was in question for the last six months — with both the team and fans waiting on Microsoft for an announcement. The post says that Microsoft failed to make a decision during the past six months, but said it knows now that “the current form of the game will not be released.” Players have until the end of the month to use any in-game currency they might still have.
The game’s social pages are also being shut down, with staff stating that it doesn’t want to give the community false hope for a revival. “This decision was not easy for us,” the staff wrote on VK. “But we understand that there is nothing worse than uncertainty.”
Via: Polygon
Source: Halo Online
US banks will launch their Venmo competitor in October
In an attempt to add a little hipness to personal banking, a consortium of US banks has been quietly working on its very own Venmo competitor. While the details of the service are currently a little thin at the moment, the Wall Street Journal reports the banks have landed on a name: “Zelle.” As in: “Hey, I forgot to bring cash for this pizza, can I just zelle you some dough?”
According to one of the Journal’s sources, the name is meant to evoke “the speedy gazelle,” but (name aside) Zelle is intended to be the banking industry’s savior in the mobile payments space. The service has actually been available for some time under as clearXchange, but never saw much promotion. Although some banks offered the service to their users, it was buried within their proprietary mobile banking services and it lacked a dedicated app. Although it’s not a bank itself, Venmo is owned by PayPal and works with most bank accounts or debit cards.
In 2015, clearXchange was acquired by Early Warning, a joint fraud protection operation owned by Bank of America, BB&T, Capital One, JP Morgan Chase, US Bank and Wells Fargo. The newly branded Zelle, however, is expected to debut at a payments industry conference sometime in October. Their target, meanwhile, has quietly been expanding beyond person-to-person payments and rolling out new features like more third-party support to allow purchases from a variety of merchants.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Wander through ‘Dear Esther’ on PS4 and Xbox One next month
Before Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, indie developer The Chinese Room (TCR) wowed people with Dear Esther. The first-person narrative started as a mod for Half-life 2 in 2008 before the team released it as a standalone game in 2012. At that point, the game sold 16,000 copies on Steam in its first five-and-a-half hours and the team recouped its development costs ($55,000) in one fell swoop. Next month, it’ll finally grace the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the form of Dear Esther: Landmark Edition. Fun fact: Original financier Indie Fund proposed releasing the game on PlayStation Network instead of Steam. So this is kind of a four-years-in-the-making homecoming for the game.
Come September 20th, $9.99 will net you the game with “graphical and gameplay tweaks.” Remastered audio is on deck in addition to larger subtitles and a crosshair. But maybe the biggest addition here is a commentary track featuring TCR’s Jessica Curry, Dan Pinchback and Rob Briscoe detailing the development process and its place in the grand scheme of gaming.
To hear a live version of that, The Guardian is hosting a “Directors’ Commentary Directors’ Commentary,’ according to a press release, where Pinchback and Curry will do a live commentary. As you might expect from the event’s name, of course. Tickets for that are £10 ($13.19) and are available directly from The Guardian; it takes place at The Scott room in London.
For a slightly different live version of the game, The Barbican is offering a performance of the soundtrack, conducted by Curry, who composed the score. There will also be a live playthrough (with narration by BAFTA-winner Nigel Carrington) of the game during the October 14th event held at the Milton Court Concert Hall.
Not bad for what started as a mod, right?
Source: The Chinese Room
HTC’s A9 15-day update pledge goes out the window
Travel back to October 2015, when the HTC A9 was shiny and new. Amid the controversy about the price and availability — too much and too little — or how it was just a copy of the iPhone that was just a copy of the HTC M9, there was a small glowing nugget of sunshine. A promise of software updates within 15 days of Google’s official phones.
Did you hear that? The Unlocked A9 will receive every Google SW update within 15 days of Nexus devices! #BeBrilliant
— HTC USA (@HTCUSA) October 20, 2015
At the time, I was skeptical and took this to mean monthly updates (which didn’t happen either) because of the way Android is developed in the Google vacuum instead of out in the public like a proper open-source thing. There would be too many things to go wrong, and when they all went wrong there was no way Google was going to hold off updating a phone because HTC needed more time. In any case, none of it matters now.
HTC tweeted a small and generic update schedule for the phones they are planning to update to Android 7.0, and we’re going to be waiting to see anything for the A9 until sometime after the HTC 10 gets updated in Q4 (October, November, and December) of 2016. I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is and I can count to 15. HTC was able to give us a statement when we asked about the discrepancy.
With the excitement around Android Nougat, we’re aligning engineering resources around our most popular flagship products where the most customers will benefit.
This doesn’t matter. Waiting for an update never hurt anyone, and even if they wait until the very last day in 2016 the A9 will get updated long before many other phones. But HTC has been in this game long enough to know that when they put a number or a date on anything, the internet will roast them when they miss it.
You can now play solitaire and tic-tac-toe directly in Google search results
Goodbye productivity.
You can now play solitaire or tic-tac-toe directly in Google’s search results. Just search for solitaire or tic-tac-toe in the search engine on the web or from your phone, and you’ll get a playable version of either game above the search results.
Google’s take on solitaire is fairly basic, but you do get the option of selecting between easy and hard difficulty levels.
As for tic-tac-toe, you get to choose between easy. medium, and impossible levels, as well as the ability to play against a friend.
Google has baked in additional features into its search results as well. Searching for “flip a coin” generates a virtual coin toss, and typing “what sound does a horse make” provides an audio result.
AIVAnet 