From umbrellas to vaporizers, here’s all the gear you’ll want during the eclipse

It’s not every day you get a chance to sit back and watch as our sun is momentarily blotted out of the sky. In fact, there hasn’t been a viewable total eclipse from the United States mainland in 38 years. However, on August 21, many people across North America will an opportunity to see one. This is especially true for folks living along the 70-mile-wide stretch of land — known as “path of totality” — where a total solar eclipse will be visible for nearly three minutes.

While witnessing a 875,000 mile across ball of plasma fleetingly eclipsed by a drifting space rock is in and of itself an amazing experience, there are ways to enhance the event. To help you make the most of your eclipse viewing adventure, we’ve put together a quick list of the best solar eclipse gear you probably didn’t think to bring.

Stock Eclipse Glasses

As reflected by the recent Amazon solar eclipse glasses recall, there are many models on the market that do not meet the necessary optical safety requirements designated for viewing a solar eclipse. That said, American Paper Products, has been approved by NASA’s partner, the American Astronomical Society, to meet the international standard. The company’s Stock Eclipse Glasses are also one of the few models you can actually still purchase. Unfortunately, due to high demand the company recently reduced its minimum order to 25 glasses. We also have an article solely dedicated to solar eclipse glasses we will be updating leading up to the event.

Buy one now from:

American Paper Optics

Sport-Brella X-Large Umbrella

As one could imagine, millions of Americans will be migrating to the path of totality for the best views of the total solar eclipse. At many public parks — especially within city limits — space will be at a premium, and some individuals may consider setting up camp a little earlier to ensure their spot in the sun (and momentary lack thereof). However, camping out for hours on end before the event can become quite uncomfortable and hot (especially in mid-August). With this in mind, the Sport-Brella is a solid open-air option that offers UV protection to make the hours before and after the eclipse more enjoyable. Amazon also has a slew of other portable UV umbrellas for those looking to stay cool and mobile on Monday.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Anker 21W Dual USB Solar Charger

When preparing for a solar eclipse weekend outing, bringing along a portable solar panel to charge your devices just makes sense. The Anker 21W features the PowerIQ function that adjusts the amperage of the power supplied to connected device. This allows the solar charger to replenish your devices while minimizing the risk of internal circuitry damage associated with overcharging, etc. As far as portability is concerned, this panel is as sleek and compact as they come. When folded, the entire unit is just 11 inches in length, six inches in width, and one inch thick, enabling easy stowing before and after the show. This Anker model is on sale for just 60 bones leading up to the big show.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Helinox Chair Zero

Standing is hard — conversely, sitting isn’t. While we patiently wait on our personal exoskeletons to prop us up, there are a slew of camping chairs to keep us properly ensconced for the time being. While some more industrious individuals may prefer to stand for the entirety of the nearly three-minute solar event, many others may favor a chair-like device. With the ability to pack down to roughly the size of a water bottle and weighing just 17 ounces, the Helinox Chair Zero is our choice. Individuals who prefer larger or more padded camping chairs may want to peruse our list of other versatile camping chairs.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Klean Kanteen Insulated Classic 20oz

We reviewed a series of insulated water bottles earlier this year and the Klean Kanteen Insulated Classic is still one of our favorites. This heavy-duty model is a combination of the original Klean Kanteen with a double-wall, vacuum-insulated design. This allows the Insulated Classic to keep your drinks hot for up to 20 hours and iced drinks cold for nearly 50 hours. This should be more than enough insulation for a stellar day trip and even individuals camping overnight for the event.

Buy one now from:

Klean Kanteen

Igloo Trailmate Journey Cooler

Unlike some of these other solar eclipse gadgets, you should see plenty of year-round return on investment with the Igloo Trailmate Journey Cooler. While a smaller cooler or insulated soft pack may suffice for individuals or smaller groups, larger gaggles of thirsty humans will require significantly more storage space. The Trailmate Journey Cooler has 10-inches of ground clearance and a pair of oversized, furrowed wheels, making this cooler much more agile and mobile than most stationary base camp options. For other slick offerings, read our full review of the best coolers on the market.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Anker SoundCore Boost

A Bluetooth speaker is virtually an essential for any casual modern day outing, and the Anker SoundCore Boost is one of the best offerings on the market. At just eight inches in length and weight just one pound, this unit should fit into even the most cramped backpack or duffel with ease. The Anker SoundCore is more than capable of playing strictly the hits for up to 12 hours and a series of USB ports allow you to simultaneously juice up your other devices.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Nikon COOLPIX P900

The Nikon COOLPIX P900 83x telephoto lens is a killer option for stargazing photographers, as the lens allows you to shoot from an incredible distance, giving you a closer image of the sun than a standard lens ever could. Also, here’s a truly hot tip straight from our DT photo team: Photographers will need to use a Neutral Density filter when taking photos of the sun while it is NOT in eclipse. During the eclipse, if the photographer is in the totality stripe, they can shoot the sun without a filter, but once the sun comes back out (or before the eclipse), they need to use an ND filter or they risk ruining (melting/frying) the camera sensor.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Eclipse Albert Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod

When attempting to snap that perfect photo of the suns mesmerizing corona, timing and stabilization are key. That said, we highly recommend a top-of-the-line tripod situationally, and the Eclipse Albert Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod should be more than adequate. The legs can extend to a maximum height of 74 inches or as low as just under nine inches. The legs each individually fold 180-degrees for more convenient stowing during transport and storage. We’ve also curated a full article on tips and tricks for photographing a total eclipse.

Buy one now from:

B&H

Pax 3

Want to get a little baked before you watch the moon blot out the sun for a couple minutes? We highly recommend bringing along the latest Pax vaporizer. It’s far more discreet than a bong or a blunt, but will get you blitzed just the same. We’ve tested a boatload of different vapes over the years, and the Pax 3 is still our top pick when it comes to loose leaf vaporizers. Unlike most others, the Pax 3 boasts a slim build that fits easily in the palm of your hand. Check our hands-on review for details.

Buy one now from:Pax

Windows Story Remix will be in Fall Creators Update, but missing at least one feature

Why it matters to you

Despite earlier reports, it does appear Windows Story Remix will be in the Fall Creators Update – but it will be missing at least one feature.

At Build 2017, Microsoft unveiled a suite of creative tools called Windows Story Remix, which allows users to quickly and easily blend photos and videos into a video clip that’s perfect for sharing via social media. There was a broadly positive response to the tool — but it it now seems the release version will not be as complete as shown on stage.

Microsoft product marketing manager Ashlie Little has been fielding questions about Story Remix on Twitter this week. Yesterday, one user inquired about the availability of a special effect involving imported 3D models from Remix 3D when the Fall Creators Update launches later this year. Little replied saying that it won’t be live at launch, but confirmed that it’ll follow shortly afterward.

Chris Pratley, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for photo and video, weighed in not long after. He confirmed that Little only meant that specific feature will be missing. Some had taken the tweet to mean that the entirely of Windows Story Remix could be absent.

Story Remix will be in the Store when RS3 launches (auto-updates the existing Photos app). RS2 minimum, but RS3 for full functionality.

— chris pratley (@chrispr) August 15, 2017

Story Remix will apparently be available as an automatic update to the Photos app via the Windows Store when the Fall Creators Update drops. Pratley went on to suggest that announced features will continue to be added to the app throughout the lifespan of this iteration of Windows 10, so it’ll constantly be receiving new updates with new content.

So what will be available at launch? According to another tweet from Pratley, the special effects that were showcased on stage at Build 2017 will be available for users, and more will follow on “soon after.”

It’s good to hear that Story Remix will be a part of the Fall Creators Update at launch, even if it might not be as comprehensive a version of the app as some would hope. Just last month, it was confirmed that the Timeline feature wouldn’t be ready in time for launch, with Microsoft’s vice president of Windows suggesting that it would be shipped to Insiders shortly after the update is released.

Microsoft is yet to offer up an official release date for the Fall Creators Update — but since Insiders can already jump ahead to future builds, it can’t be too far off.

Using Google Chromecast Audio as a whole-house audio alternative to Sonos

Great-sounding music is made easy with a Chromecast Audio. And you’ll save a fistful of dollars, too.

If you’re thinking about setting up a whole-house (or even just a single-room) streaming audio solution, Sonos systems are pretty much what you’ll find recommended by folks on the internet. They are easy to set up and the Sonos service offers a decent choice of streaming content providers. But the price tag — you’ll be spending hundreds per room for individual Sonos amps or speakers — can be tough to swallow. We’ve got a solution: Use a Chromecast Audio and a few standard components and save a whole lot of money.

Three things make the Chromecast Audio a good (or even better) alternative — the Chromecast has its own 96KHz / 24bit capable audio hardware, the 3.5 mm combination output supports optical as well as analog connections, and the Google Cast app lets you create groups or zones so you can stream your music to specific sources just like you can with a Sonos. There is even a high dynamic range setting for hi-res music files. And you won’t have to hack or mess around with any hardware, either. Plug your Chromecast Audio into a set of powered speakers, or a small amp and passive speakers, or even an A/V receiver, and cast some music.

Getting started

You’ll need three things — a Chromecast Audio, something to play the music that’s streaming and something to initiate it. The Chromecast Audio is the easy part — you’ll find one them for sale at Google as well as plenty of other online retailers or on the shelf at Walmart or Best Buy. One will set you back about $35 unless you find it on sale.

To tell the Chromecast what to play, you’ll need an Android or iOS device or a computer running Google Chrome (a Chromebook works really well, too). Install the Google Home app and it will walk you through finding your Chromecast(s) and setting them up. You’ll then be able to stream from popular online services like Google Play Music, Pandora, Spotify and plenty of others. You can also stream your own hi-res music from a network-attached storage device using a server like Plex or an app like BubbleUPnP for your Android phone. Or you can mirror local files from your Android phone or tablet or cast audio directly from a Chrome tab across your local network. There are plenty of options when it comes to the source of your music, and more apps are adding Google Cast support all the time.

The Chromecast Audio is designed to be plug and play with other equipment.

Playing back the sound is really the only part you’ll need to think about. You need a way to get the audio from the Chromecast’s 3.5 mm jack to a pair of speakers (either powered or via an external amp). There is nothing special about how this is done. In fact, you can plug a pair of headphones into your Chromecast Audio and it plays exactly as you would expect. That means you can let your needs and your budget decide what you use here.

Adding some speakers

Probably the best solution would be to use a small bookshelf amplifier and a pair of passive speakers. The amp can cost as little as $20 and still deliver great sound because we’re not necessarily looking for bells and whistles — we just need a way to increase the power of the signal and pass it along to some speakers. Decent bookshelf speakers start at $50 or so, while great ones can be bought for about $100. You can even splurge and use a pair of studio monitors (along with an amp capable of driving them) for one or more rooms if you plan on streaming a lot of hi-res music. The folks where you buy your speakers will be able to help you if you’re not sure what to buy, Just tell them what you’re planning to do and they’ll point you towards everything you would need. Add in a few cables and you’ve just built a great audio streaming setup without breaking the bank.

Here’s an example of a good setup that would compare to a pair of Sonos Play 3 speakers or a Sonos Connect amp setup:

• A Chromecast Audio. These are around $35 and you’ll get the device itself, a 3.5mm patch cable, a power supply and power cord. Keep an eye out for sales here if you are thinking about doing more than one room!

See at B&H

• A bookshelf amp or car amp with a power supply. There are hundreds to choose from at every price point. I’ve found the SMSL SA50 to be the very best bang for your buck at around $70, but there are several like the Lepy LP-2020A that only cost about $25 and will work great, too. Be sure the amp you buy can drive your speakers. If you’re not sure about any of this, drop a link and a question in the comments and the resident audiophiles will be helpful.

SMAL SA50 amp

Lepy LP-2020A amp

• Speakers. The speakers you buy need to be able to fill up your space with sound. How big and what wattage you need depends on where you’re putting them. In general, I love Pioneer’s SP-BS22-LR Andrew Jones Bookshelf Loudspeakers. They’re about $100 and any decent 50-watt amp will drive them well. There are countless models of bookshelf speakers from every name out there if these are a little too large (they’re 7 x 13 x 9 inches in size) so you’ll have plenty of options. Just be sure the speakers you buy are a good match with your amp.

Pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers

You can also buy active (self-powered) speakers instead of buying a separate amp and passive speakers. Powered speakers will plug into the wall and have their own internal power supply so don’t try to use a set of them with a separate amp unless you know what you’re doing! The Edifier R1280T speakers look great and sound really nice for $100, but you’ll also find plenty of other options. Just be sure to use active speakers without an amp — plug your Chromecast right into the input.

Edifier R1280T speakers

Even after adding in the cost of a few cables and things like speaker stands if you want or need them, this is a much cheaper alternative that sounds great and has support for more services than a Sonos system. The only downside is wiring things up, which should take just a few minutes because everything on this list will be plug and play. Now multiply the savings by the number of places you want to bring your music to, and you’ll have saved a lot of money.

A great-sounding system is easy to build, or you can plug a Chromecast Audio into your existing setup.

A Chromecast Audio is also really easy to drop into your existing home stereo or entertainment center. If you already have a great setup and would love to use Google Play Music or listen to your music across your own network, all you need to do is plug a Chromecast Audio into an open optical input using a Toslink cable and fire up the Google Cast app. Being versatile is a big plus, and a Chromecast Audio will fit most anywhere and connect to anything using standard cables.

Whether you’re just looking for a cheap and easy way to build a streaming stereo for one room or want to connect your whole house with multiple setups indoors or out, a Chromecast Audio is a great way to do it.

Update August 2017: Added some new gear recommendations that sound awesome!

Chromecast

• Chromecast and Chromecast Audio review
• Chromecast Ultra vs Roku
• Chromecast vs Chromecast Ultra: Which should you buy?
• Join the discussion in our forums

Chromecast:

Google
Best Buy

Chromecast Audio:

Google
Best Buy

Chromecast Ultra:

Google
Best Buy

YouTube TV is now available in 14 more markets

YouTube TV is now available in 29 markets total.

When YouTube TV launched earlier this year, it launched in 15 heavily populated markets, including Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and New York City. Today, Google has expanded the streaming TV service to 14 additional markets.

Here is a full list of markets YouTube TV is now available in:

• Atlanta, GA
• Baltimore, MD
• Boston, MA
• Charlotte, NC
• Chicago, IL
• Cincinnati, OH
• Columbus, OH
• Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
• Detroit, MI
• Houston, TX
• Jacksonville, FL
• Las Vegas, NV
• Los Angeles, CA
• Louisville, KY
• Memphis, TN
• Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
• Nashville, TN
• New York City, NY
• Orlando-Dayton Beach-Melbourne, FL
• Philadelphia, PA
• Phoenix, AZ
• Pittsburgh, PA
• San Antonio, TX
• San Francisco Bay Area, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Tampa, FL
• Washington, DC
• West Palm Beach, FL

The basic YouTube TV package runs for $35 per month, offering standard basic cable channels. The service also features an unlimited Cloud DVR so you can watch your favorite shows anytime. YouTube TV offers a one-month free trial, and users will receive a free Chromecast when they make their first payment, meaning either the Chromecast or the month of TV service is free, depending on how you look at it. Users can also add on Showtime for an additional $11 per month or Fox Soccer Plus for an additional $15 per month.

YouTube TV is available on Android, iOS, Chromecast, Apple Airplay, and in a web browser. Curiously missing from that list is Google’s own Android TV, though every Android TV device features Chromecast built-in.

Are you ready to give YouTube TV a shot? Share your thoughts below!

Learn more about YouTube TV!

Grab a 2-pack of TP-Link Smart Plugs for $40 at Amazon

Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time with a $15 discount on Smart plugs

Smart plugs are a great addition to any house. If you don’t have any smart home equipment and want to get started, these plugs are one of the best purchases that you can make. Amazon currently has a 2-pack of TP-Link smart plugs priced at just $39.99 when you use the coupon code 15SMARTKIT at checkout. For two of them you’d normally pay around $55, so this is a $15 savings, bringing the cost per unit down to $20 each.

• Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control
• Remote Access: Control devices connected to the Smart Plug wherever you have Internet using the free Kasa app on your smartphone
• Turn electronics on or off from anywhere with your tablet or smartphone using the free Kasa app (Compatible w/ Android 4.1 or higher & iOS8 or higher)
• Use Away-Mode to turn devices on and off at different times to give the appearance that someone is home while you are away
• Easy to use and install. Just plug a device into the Smart Plug and connect to your Wi-Fi network. Includes 2x HS100 Smart Plugs

If you’re just looking for a single smart plug, be sure to check out this deal on D-Link’s option for just $20.

See at Amazon

More from Thrifter:

• How to get the most out of your Amazon Prime membership
• How to save money when driving

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

IFA 2017 preview: Everything you can expect to see from Berlin!

IFA is always one of the biggest tech conferences of the year, and we’re expecting nothing less than an onslaught this time around.

IFA is approaching its 100th birthday, but the Berlin-based trade show still manages to pull in the biggest names in consumer electronics, which in more recent years means the biggest names in smartphones.

Almost every major Android manufacturer has some sort of keynote at the event, with big names like Samsung, Huawei and LG launching high profile products in the past few years. It also serves as a great launch point for accessories, wearables and more from the big names.

Here’s what to expect from IFA 2017.

LG — LG V30

The highlight of IFA 2017 should be the LG V30, which is poised to take the best parts of last year’s V20 and this year’s well-received G6 and combine them into a powerful smartphone for enthusiasts.

We know quite a lot about the V30 already thanks to LG’s agreeable policy of pre-announcing many of its phones’ hardware and software features — we’ve already heard that it will have the world’s first f/1.6 aperture on a smartphone camera, and we have already seen the company’s updated Android UX that tries to recreate the V-series’ traditional ticker display as a virtual overlay. And thanks to unauthorized leaks, we already know exactly what the phone will look like, namely a nice combination of a G6 and a Samsung Galaxy S8.

In other words, with the V30, LG is taking its V series mainstream. LG’s press conference is set for August 31.

Samsung — Gear Fit 2 Pro + Gear Sport

Like last year, Samsung is going to have a fairly uneventful IFA because it is choosing to launch its fall flagship, the Galaxy Note 8, at an event in New York just over a week before the start of the show. That’s OK, because IFA will be the first time many members of the press, and the public, will be able to try the phone, which will be festooned all over the company’s trade floor exhibit.

But Samsung is holding a press conference, and the one new product we expect to see there is a successor to the Samsung Gear Fit 2, called the Gear Fit 2 Pro, the company’s not-quite-a-smart watch it unveiled last year during the same timeframe. The Gear Fit 2 proved to be a very popular alternative to the traditional smart watch form factor found in the Gear S2 and later S3, and since it doesn’t command the same price, it likely sold better as a result.

This year’s Gear Fit successor looks to have a similar design, with a long-and-thin vertically-oriented OLED touchscreen that will, hopefully, do most of what one expects from a smartwatch without adding the mental overhead of downloading apps or fielding phone calls. It’s also going to be IP68 waterproof and swim-compatible, whiling shipping with a GPS radio and support for offline Spotify playback. It may not be a smartwatch, but it’s doing all the things a smartwatch should do.

We also saw the schematics of a so-called Gear Sport pass through the FCC, which could be the first real follow-up to the excellent Gear S2 that debuted in 2015 — the Gear S3 managed to be more of a companion product rather than a true replacement. As with many other manufacturers cautiously hedging against the continued slowdown in the wearables market, Samsung appears to be doubling down on fitness features as its upgrade path for wrist wearables, which, after the tepid reception of Android Wear 2.0, doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

It’s also possible we’ll see some other small announcements from Samsung at IFA, including new VR applications for the Gear VR, and a couple mid-range devices from the J and A lineups that sell so well in the European market. IFA is a Euro-focused trade show, after all. Samsung’s press conference is on August 30.

Sony — Xperia XZ1, Xperia X1, Xperia XZ1c

Sony always has some interesting announcements at IFA, and this year appears to be no exception. At this year’s conference, we can expect three new phones, the Xperia XZ1, Xperia X1, and Xperia XZ1 Compact. The first will be a true successor to last year’s Xperia XZ, unlike the slight spec bump found in the XZs unveiled at MWC, while the X1 and XZ1 Compact will fit into the slightly more affordable, and diminutive, categories that Sony is known for.

Expect evolution rather than revolution from Sony at IFA 2017.

As usual, leaks from the Sony camp show designs that have not changed much over previous versions — think evolution rather than revolution.

But Sony is well-known for changes that benefit photography fans, and the Xperia XZ1 is expected to iterate on its popular MotionEye technology, combining a large, high-resolution sensor with a fast lens and plenty of software prowess. Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium is still the only device capable of shooting 960fps slow motion, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see something similar come down to a cheaper price point this time around.

There’s also a persistent rumor that this next series of Xperia devices will vie to be the first new device to ship with Android O, a title that LG claimed last year with Nougat when it beat the Pixel to market by a few hours. Whether the new Xperia phones will sport fingerprint sensors in the U.S., though — well, that’s a lot less clear.

BlackBerry — KEYone Black Edition

BlackBerry Mobile has been having a ton of fun teasing the next version of its KEYone, which is proving to be popular amongst a small enthusiast audience. The company began teasing an all-black version of the phone a few weeks ago, and already launched a similar model in India called the BlackBerry KEYone Limited Edition Black.

It’s unclear whether the IFA announcement will merely be a worldwide expansion of this particular model, or something else entirely, but we’re looking forward to seeing what BlackBerry Mobile has to offer.

Huawei — Nova 2 series

Huawei always has something to say IFA, be it the launch of its mid-range lineup or a new flagship. We saw the P10 and P10 Plus debut at MWC this March, so it’s unlikely the huge Chinese company will supplant those so soon, and we don’t expect to see the Mate 10 until October, so what’s left is a bump in the cheaper tier.

Expect to see European and perhaps North American availability of the Nova 2 series, since those phones were announced earlier this year for the Chinese market. These are not drastic overhauls over the originals — the Nova 2 and 2 Plus resemble the larger Nova of 2016, and have the same mid-range spec sheets.

Other prospects — Moto X4?

Even though Motorola has launched 10 phones so far this year, it’s poised to announce yet another, and this one is going to hit us right in the feels: the Moto X4. We thought the Moto X line was dead after the 2016 unveiling of the modular Moto Z line, but Motorola intends to resurface the fan favorite as an “affordable flagship,” something that it will use to showcase the best of its technology at a $399 or so price. With a 3000mAh battery and a dual camera setup, I have high hopes for this one.

We’re also due for a refresh of ZTE’s popular Axon flagship; the company announced its Axon 7 device over a year ago, and a smaller Axon 7 Mini at IFA 2016. While we haven’t seen much in the way of leaks, I’ve heard through the grapevine that ZTE will be announcing an Axon 7 successor before the end of 2017, and IFA would be a great place for it.

Your thoughts

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s IFA conference? Berlin is a beautiful city, and after a few days the trade show opens to the public, which is always great for tech enthusiasts.

At the same time, it’s a crazy time of year for us, since half the team is traveling and the other half is treading water trying to keep up with all the announcements. It should be a heck of a lot of fun!

Stick with us.

ASUS commits to Android O, less bloat for the Zenfone 3 and 4 series

ASUS has promised Android 8.0 for its 2016 and 2017 phones.

There’s no nice way to say this, ASUS has a history bloated software and taking too much time with updates. I imported and owned the monstrous (and glorious) Zenfone 3 Ultra and my only real complaints with the device were the amount of pre-installed garbage and how slowly it got the Nougat update. It took me a full hour when I was setting up the device to turn off all the duplicate features and applications.

According to Android Police, ASUS will be rectifying that. With its ZenUI 4.0 — launching with the Zenfone 4 series and coming later to the Zenfone 3 series — Asus will be cutting down on pre-installed applications significantly. ZenUI 3.5 currently includes 35 pre-installed applications, while ZenUI 4.0 will only include 13. The company also states certain apps will get some percentage faster but did not quantify those measurements.

ASUS also confirmed the entire Zenfone 3 and Zenfone 4 series would be upgraded to Android 8.0, though the company states its goal is to have all devices upgraded by the second half of 2018. That’s about the time Android P will be launching, so ASUS isn’t going to break any speed records with these updates.

As for Zenfone 4 itself, the device is supposed to feature a dual camera system common on most late 2017 flagships. Asus has not hinted at availability for the Zenfone 4. Sadly, it also appears for now there won’t be a Zenfone 4 Ultra.

Is ASUS making the right moves here, or do we need to wait and see? Shout out in the comments!

Twitch can filter streamers by their ‘Overwatch’ hero of choice

Overwatch and Hearthstone fans will now find it easier to discover livestreams most relevant to them after Twitch introduced new channel filtering options for the popular Blizzard titles. From today, viewers can open a new menu that appears at the top of each directory, which allows them to select channels based on what on hero a streamer is playing, as well as the opportunity to filter by game mode, player rank, number of wins in Hearthstone games.

It’s not the first time Blizzard has teamed with Amazon’s livestreaming service, nor is it the first time Twitch has integrated metadata filtering options for popular esports games. In June, the two companies partnered to broadcast over 20 tournaments for competitive Hearthstone and Overwatch games, while offering Twitch Prime members a free Overwatch Golden Loot Box containing a guaranteed legendary item. Twitch also debuted filtering options for League of Legends, its most-viewed game, back in April.

The filters themselves were enabled by the team behind ClipMine, a recent Twitch acquisition. According to Twitch, Clipmine’s deep learning video platform is capable of recognizing in-game objects, text and levels, which can then be selected via the site’s filters. If a player wants to get better at playing Reaper in Overwatch, for instance, the filters will identify when a Twitch streamer is playing that same hero and make their gameplay available in the directory.

“When we recently introduced metadata filtering options for one of our top esports games, we not only received positive reception from its fans, but demand from the greater community to have access to similar discovery tools for other titles,” said JT Gleason, Director of Integration Success at Twitch. “Since Overwatch and Hearthstone are also among our most popular competitive games whose players take to Twitch to improve their skills by watching others play, we focused on how we can improve discovery for them. Our new metadata filters now make it easy to find more granular aspects of gameplay that previously required a lot more searching.”

fuboTV recruits CBS to take on cordcutter rivals

Folks generally cut the cable cord to save money, but fragmentation means you might have to subscribe to more than one service. Case in point is fuboTV, which focused on international soccer (football, for our international readers), but not much else, when it launched a $10 monthly service in 2015. To attract a broader audience, it later introduced a $35 Premier bundle with more regular TV channels. As part of that, fuboTV has now gone live with CBS, making it a viable rival to services like DirecTV and Sling TV.

You’ll be able to watch your local-market CBS stations, with shows like NCIS, 60 Minutes and The Big Bang Theory. You’ll also get the CBS Sports Network (in markets with local CBS stations), Pop, and CBSN. Subscribers have video-on-demand access to CBS shows nationwide, and can log into the CBS app using fuboTV authentication.

fuboTV has already inked deals with Fox and NBCUniversal, so the addition of CBS puts fuboTV more directly into competition with Sling TV, which starts at $20 per month, and AT&T’s DirecTV, for $35 and up. While it may have fewer live TV channels on those services, it could be a better option for sports, and particularly soccer, fans — both in the US and Latin America. The fubo Premier service is available for $35 for a limited time.

How ‘We Happy Few’ plans to avoid the pitfalls of ‘No Man’s Sky’

The 1960s dystopia of We Happy Few will hit Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on April 13th, 2018, thanks to Compulsion Games and Gearbox, the studio best known for Borderlands. You’re not hallucinating — We Happy Few did already come to Xbox One and Steam as an early-access game, but now it’s ready for prime time. The full experience, priced at $60 and featuring a rich storyline starring three separate characters, will be ready to roll next spring.

That’s all fine and dandy, but We Happy Few’s joyous release-date news hides a deeper development story. Compulsion has followed a long, winding road to April 2018, and the first major twist in that path came early in the development process.

PAX East 2015 changed We Happy Few forever. That’s where Compulsion, a small studio working out of an old gramophone factory in Montreal, debuted its eerie, drug-fueled title to widespread acclaim. We Happy Few was a psychedelic experience that plopped players inside a dystopian, 1960s English town called Wellington Wells, where citizens were forced to pop pills in order to smile through the squalor. It promised procedural generation, survival mechanics and a strict society with violently enforced rules. PAX players and critics hailed it for being stylish, dense and big, like The Stepford Wives inside a BioShock-style world.

Problem was, We Happy Few wasn’t anything like BioShock.

“Talk about a reality check,” Compulsion founder Guillaume Provost says. “What the public and the press were telling us they loved about our game wasn’t anything like the procedural, story-light, rogue-like survival game we were creating at all. We were all excited about developing the story, the world and the general experience of discovering that world, but I knew full well from my time at [Dishonored studio] Arkane that those kind of experiences required a lot more money and a larger, veteran team to pull it off.”

This was the first instance of fan feedback changing the very nature of We Happy Few. Compulsion saw what resonated with players; Provost heard the excitement over the game’s potential narrative first-hand. So, the team pivoted. Compulsion ditched its previous approach, which would have resulted in an experience closer to Don’t Starve than BioShock, and it took We Happy Few to Kickstarter, promising to flesh out the story, mechanics and world. The campaign asked for $250,000, and ended up earning $334,754.

Plus, it caught Microsoft’s attention. Compulsion signed onto the ID@Xbox program and Provost ended up showcasing We Happy Few on the Microsoft stage during E3 2016. It was a lifelong dream come true, he says.

“It’s a testament to how much the game and team has grown that Compulsion now spends more money every single month developing We Happy Few than what our entire Kickstarter campaign earned,” Provost says.

After E3, We Happy Few faced even more scrutiny, with potential players clamoring for a large world with a rich story and deep mechanics. They wanted — and expected — a AAA-level game from an independent studio.

“It was the reaction of our fans that really drove home how big the game could become,” Provost says. “It was also a bit daunting. Getting too much hype is a good problem to have, but it can also backfire, and after watching the launch of No Man’s Sky that year, we carefully back-pedaled some of the hype and managed expectations with regards to the game.”

No Man’s Sky is a modern-day cautionary tale for independent developers hoping to make it big. After years of hype from Sony — including multiple showcases at E3, AAA-style collector’s editions, and a stint on the late-night talk show circuit — No Man’s Sky came out and immediately disappointed many fans.

Sony and Hello Games sold the world on a grand idea, but for many players, No Man’s Sky simply didn’t fulfill its promises. Backlash was swift; players in the UK even alerted the Advertising Standards Authority and the game was investigated (and cleared) for marketing fraud. The dust is settling now, following a handful of game-changing updates, but the lesson for indie developers and major publishers remains clear: Don’t promise anything you can’t actually deliver.

Compulsion’s solution was transparency. The team had already been sharing weekly blog posts and videos updating fans on the game’s progress, but they wanted to have a direct conversation with players. So, in July 2016, Provost and co. launched We Happy Few as an early-access game on Steam and Xbox One Games Preview. Fans went hands-on with the game and helped Compulsion fine-tune its mechanics.

Turns out, a lot of We Happy Few players simply wanted to wander around the kitschy, terrifying town of Wellington Wells without worrying about survival, so Compulsion added the violence-free BirdWatcher mode in March’s Maidenholm update. Fans were also fascinated by Joy, the drug that keeps Wellington Wells’ citizens in a perpetual state of delusion and forced happiness. So, Compulsion added layers to the drug — with this week’s Life in Technicolour update, players are able to see the world through five Joy-enabled veils: Normal, Crash, Joy, Overdose and Withdrawal.

“Finally, we’ve had a lot of feedback early on that the introduction to the game felt like a game apart, very different from the experience you get in the open-sandbox world,” Provost says. “We’ve taken that feedback very seriously, and understood that the vast majority of our players wanted more of that experience, and less aimless wandering around trying to find items in containers.”

Plus, early players brought in some early cash. Pre-release editions of We Happy Few sold for $30 a pop, though the complete game now runs $60 (anyone who purchased an early-access version gets the full thing at no additional charge). Compulsion used some of that early money to hire dozens of additional gaming-industry veterans from companies including Sony, Square Enix, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. The development team has grown from 7 people to about 40.

“Early access didn’t just help shape the overall direction and focus of the game, it shaped the very fabric and makeup of our team,” Provost says. “It allows us to bring the game’s story campaign to a level of sophistication and depth that would have otherwise been out of reach.”

Which is where Gearbox comes in.

Provost and Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford have known each other for a while, and they even talked about working together when Compulsion was building its first game, Contrast, for the launch of the PlayStation 4 in 2013. Pitchford is a former stage magician, and Contrast’s emphasis on noir-style magic caught his eye, but Gearbox didn’t have a publishing platform at the time.

Fast forward to the days after E3 2016, where Provost introduced millions of video game fans to We Happy Few on the Microsoft stage. By this time, Gearbox Publishing existed, led by Steve Gibson.

“We had been actively courted by other publishers, and weren’t really actively looking for a publishing partner,” he says. “The huge exposure the game had gotten through Microsoft’s press conference meant we could likely hack it on our own, self-publish and grow the team and the project organically through early access.”

But, Gibson was relentless. He flew the Compulsion crew to Dallas, introduced them to the crew and convinced Provost We Happy Few would be in good hands at Gearbox.

This week, Gearbox Publishing and Compulsion revealed the final We Happy Few release date — April 13th, 2018 — plus the game’s price increase, DLC details and some final story notes. We Happy Few is no longer a story-light, Don’t Starve kind of experience; it’s blossomed into a nuanced, narrative-driven survival game with enough drugs and eerie dystopia to make BioShock blush.

There’s even a special Collector’s Set that runs $150 and includes a replica of the game’s Bobby mask, a light-up “You Look Smashing” sign, Joy alarm clock, vinyl soundtrack and other 1960s-themed treats. The Collector’s Set does not include the game; Compulsion says that’s so early-access players can purchase it separately.

Partnering with an established label, jumping to a AAA pricing model and announcing a $150 Collector’s Set: If Compulsion doesn’t want to be the next No Man’s Sky, it’s walking an oddly similar path. However, Provost is confident he’s learned from other independent developers’ mistakes — and, more importantly, he’s confident in a game that players helped create.

“With enough funding secured to do right by the game, it feels like all the stars have finally lined up for us to shine on the world stage,” Provost says. “If someone had predicted this outcome three years ago, I’d have frowned skeptically, and told them to come back to planet Earth.”