Frantics Review: A slippery slope of sabotage

A game of minigames using PlayStation’s awesome PlayLink, but how fun is it?

Some of the best games are the ones you play with friends, but dive deeper into that genre and sabotage almost always rears its head in the most amazing ways. PlayLink takes your phone and turns it into an incredibly interactive controller feature for your PlayStation, and Frantics uses the ability to put four people and their phones in the same room to cause as much mayhem as possible.

Developers NapNok Games have brought us this goofy title, complete with 15 minigames and a fight for the most crowns. You and four friends will go up against each other to see who will be the reigning winner, but beware, there’s a sleazy fox in the mix trying to cause trouble for the lot of you!

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Getting started

Everything starts with your own Frantics profile on the app on your phone. Here you’ll take a selfie and it will assign you a goofy animal that will serve as your avatar. Edit any of these by selecting any of the green buttons, as pictured.

The app itself didn’t give me too many issues and was fairly easy to set up. You need a minimum of 4 animals playing the minigames. Thankfully for those who want to solo the game in real life, Fox will hook you up with some of his friends should you not have the bodies! Unfortunately, there isn’t an option to play without bots if only you and a single friend are playing, 4 is the lucky number it seems.

The games

When they say minigames they do mean mini. Each game will only take 3 minutes tops to complete, but there are 2-3 rounds per game. It was mildly frustrating that regardless of the game having 15 total minigames it filtered me through the same 3 games a few times to explain how the competition system works. Trust me, the competition system is awesome, but the tutorial seemed to have lagged on longer than it actually did by doing the same thing over and over again.

So, each minigame you play will have a set of rounds to it that will be either timed or ongoing until completion. For instance, the Parachuchu game lasted until all 4 party members hit the ground in one way or another. Then, on the other hand, games like the Big-Top Hippity Hop were timed for who could last the longest. After the goal of the minigame has been completed you will replay the game 2-3 more times and it will gather a final score of the competitors.

One thing that was super cool was the random prizes your host, Fox, would pass out at the end of the matches. The overall winners will receive crowns, but there is also a chance to win some coins by acting up. Deer Dave got a prize for some coins just for being the best “thrasher” because he slammed into other players the most! These prizes are definitely a learn-as-you-go system though, as they aren’t revealed in one way or the other if and when you can earn them, they just happen.

Finally, after your party has played a few of the minigames a final winner will be chosen. When this happens you collect the bragging rights amongst your friends and the game starts over! This means there isn’t really a way to collect hundreds of coins (that I’ve been able to do anyway). That’s not a bad thing either because it keeps the competition constantly refreshed and alive!

Scandalous, Fox. Just scandalous

And Fox doesn’t just stop at random prizes at the end of the game. Throughout the game, he’ll attempt to ruin your friendships in the most hilarious ways by giving players “Secret Missions” to sabotage their friends. These missions come complete with either goals, powerups or both! Fox will pick the oddball out whether it’s cause you have the least coins or crowns and offer you a back-alley deal to change that for yourself!

Your entertainment comes from playing the games and he comes in to make a game out of you. Where the first minigame round will be held to the full standards of the rules, the next round might have some added bombs to it. Whoever is holding the bomb when it goes off instantly loses the round, but that doesn’t take you from the fight.

Losers are given special sabotage options they can use on any one of the other players for as many times as they wish. There is a short cooldown to these options, but not a long one. Deer Dave knocked me out of the race and I made sure he shortly followed by consistently hitting him with a freeze ray.

Buy your way to the top

Last but not least, there are also auctions between minigames. Here Fox will advertise 3 items and each player will get one chance to choose a single item and bid a number on it. If you are the only one to bid, congratulations! You get that item!

However, if you and another player both choose the same item it comes down to who blindly paid the most coins for it. You never want to bid all your coins in one go to secure a single power-up, as there will be another auction at the end of the next minigame!

So choose your battles wisely, and keep your battle plans a secret from your friends!

You’re going to want this

There isn’t going to be a scenario here where I tell you this isn’t a game you want. In fact, I absolutely recommend you making this janky Fox your best friend of all time. If you’ve got a family game night or sleepover planned, invite Frantics to it.

Join the experience of laughter and utter hilarious betrayal with your new furry friends, it’s only $19.99 on the PlayStation Store. What are you waiting for?!

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Samsung’s $100 256GB microSD card is a must-have for all Galaxy S9 owners

Don’t go without it.

Samsung’s 256GB microSD card has only been cheaper once before, and that was during a brief sale on Black Friday. Unless you have a time machine to go back and get that price, this is easily the best deal around on such a large capacity card. SanDisk’s similar option is currently $10 more.

The EVO Select is a Class 10 UHS 3 card, meaning it’s great for storing files, capturing photos, and will even record 4K video without an issue. It has read speeds of up to 100MB/s and write speeds of up to 90MB/s. You can add this card to your smartphone, like the Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+, tablet, action camera, PC and more to gain a ton of extra portable storage.

If 256GB is simply too much space for you or you want to spend less, Samsung’s 128GB version of this card is down to just $40 right now.

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Add 4TB of storage to your Xbox, computer and more with this $80 drive

Keep all your important files and documents protected with Western Digital’s Elements hard drive.

Western Digital’s 4TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive is now on sale at Amazon for just $79.99. Since Black Friday this drive has sold for $99.99, and prior to that, it sold for as much as $139.99. Today’s price drop marks the lowest price it’s ever sold for, bringing the cost per terabyte down to just $20.

This hard drive offers quick transfer speeds thanks to the USB 3.0 connection and can work with both Windows and Mac machines, as well as gaming consoles like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. You may need to reformat the drive for it to work properly with a Mac.

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YouTube’s new music service actually won’t launch this March

There’s currently no word on when we can expect it to come out.

At the beginning of December last year, a report emerged claiming that Google was planning on launching its third music streaming service. Currently referred to as “YouTube Remix”, it was expected that this would be unveiled as early as March of this year. However, just ahead of the SXSW music festival, YouTube’s said otherwise.

SXSW will take place between March 9th and the 13th in Austin, Texas, and YouTube’s head of music, Lyor Cohen, will be speaking about “seismic changes he’s witnessed and the importance of embracing the future.”

It was expected that YouTube would use its time at SXSW to unveil the new service, but according to a representative from the company that spoke to Variety:

It was never our plan to launch at the festival.

Where does that leave us with YouTube Remix? YouTube signed deals with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group late last year, but prior to this, that was the last big update we’d heard regarding the service.

It’s still uncertain how Remix will live alongside the existing Google Play Music and YouTube Music/YouTube Red, and with no new launch date in sight, we could have to wait a while longer before learning the ins and outs of what exactly YouTube’s working on.

Google Play Music and YouTube Red are the best deal in streaming right now

Best Galaxy S9 Accessories

Keep your Samsung Galaxy S9 protected and functional with these great accessories!

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is the latest hotness from the biggest Android brand in the game, and it’s sure to be a smash hit in 2018.

If you’re considering an upgrade to the S9, you should be thinking about investing in some quality accessories to keep your phone in mint condition and improve the storage capabilities and battery life. Here are the best accessories for the Galaxy S9… so far!

• Samsung Alcantara Cover
• Spigen Rugged Armor Case
• Whitestone Dome Glass Tempered Glass Screen Protector
• Samsung Fast Charge Wireless Charging Convertible Stand
• Anker PowerCore+ 26,800 mAh battery pack
• Samsung microSD EVO+ 256GB

Samsung Alcantara Cover

Samsung is one of the few phone makers that really does a great job of supporting their own devices with a solid line of cases. We’ve featured a number of Samsung’s cases in our round up of the best cases for the Galaxy S9, but we’ve highlighted the Alcantara Cover here because it was a fantastic option for the Note 8 and should be equally stellar with the S9.

Alcantara is a lightweight material that’s as rugged as the plastic and rubber cases, but offers a very unique look and feel that compliments Samsung’s tall devices. This case deftly covers the edges of the screen but leaves the bottom open for the charging port, headphone jack, and speaker. You can pre-order yours from Samsung for $50.

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Spigen Rugged Armor Case

There’s going to be a ton of third-party case options for the Galaxy S9, but for our money you won’t find a better value than the slim Rugged Armor case from Spigen.

Made of flexible TPU, this case offers a precisely designed shell to keep your S9 protected without adding unnecessary bulk. It’s thin enough to allow wireless charging while still protecting the camera and fingerprint sensor on the back and prevents the display from sitting flush on a table. Get this minimalist case for around $13 on Amazon.

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Whitestone Dome Glass Tempered Glass Screen Protector

Not all screen protectors are created equal. If you’re afraid of damaging the Galaxy S9’s curved screen, you should consider the Whitestone Dome Glass screen protector.

This brand burst onto the scene with the Galaxy S8, offering the best coverage with a tempered glass screen protector we’ve seen. Using a unique liquid adhesion technique that involves uses a UV curing light to ensure a perfect installation.

Now, the downside is the price. At $45, it’s by far the most expensive screen protector you can buy, but it’s a well-reviewed screen protector that’s backed by a limited lifetime warranty. If you’re concerned about protecting your phone around those curved edges, this is the screen protector you want.

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Samsung Fast Charge Wireless Charging Convertible Stand

If you’ve got the option to wirelessly charge your phone, you may as well take full advantage, right? Any true Samsung fan will love the design of this convertible wireless charging pad. Made by Samsung, this pad supports Fast Charge technology (of course) and ships with its won Samsung Fast Charge wall adapter — and you can never have enough of those.

Regularly sold for up to $90, you can snag one of these bad boys for just under $50 on Amazon.

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Anker PowerCore+ 26,800mAh Battery Pack

It’s always a smart idea to back up your new phone with an extra boost of juice, and there are few better battery packs than Anker’s PowerCore+.

Anker has packed in 26,000mAh into a sleek package that’s small enough to easy stash in a backpack or even slip in your pants pocket. it features three USB ports so you can charge multiple devices at one time. Featuring

Get yours for roughly $70.

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Samsung microSD EVO+ 256GB

The Galaxy S9 has carried on Samsung’s tradition of allowing expandable storage via microSD, so why not take advantage? You can get Samsung’s 128GB card for just $45 or go all out with the 256GB card for $135. Both cards feature read speeds up to 95MB/s and write speeds up to 90MB/s, meaning they will be able to handle whatever you throw at it.

Whichever you go with, you can be sure that it’ll give you all the storage space you desire so you never have to delete photos and videos.

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What accessories will you be getting?

What must-have accessories are at the top of your list when you’re buying a new phone such as the Galaxy S9? Let us know in the comments!

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+
• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. iPhone X: Metal and glass sandwiches
• Galaxy S9 vs. Google Pixel 2: Which should you buy?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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Audi put 250 camouflaged e-tron prototypes on Geneva’s roads

While we patiently wait for Audi to unveil the production version of the upcoming e-tron SUV, the automaker has decided to flood the roads of Geneva with camouflaged prototypes. The company also showed off a prototype during the unveiling of the A6. Like the ones on the street, it looks like a giant QR code.

The e-tron is Audi’s badge for its upcoming electric vehicle line. It was previously used as the name of its plug-in hybrid A3.

Meanwhile, the new 311-mile range electric SUV will get a proper unveiling in August of this year. For now, if you happen to be in Geneva, keep an eye out, with 250 on the road, they should be easy to spot.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.

Aston Martin’s luxury EV concept comes with a concierge

The art of burning fuel seems like it would be infra dig, or beneath the upper-class folks who regularly tool around in an Aston Martin. That’s why the maker turned up to the Geneva Motor Show with the Lagonda Vision, an emission-free electric concept car of the future.

Aston has decided to revive the Lagonda marque, with the bold claim that it will become the world’s “first zero-emission luxury brand.” Although that’s easier said and done if the only vehicle you produce is a brand new electric supercar.

Because there’s no whacking great V6-or-8 engine taking up space, the car has been redesigned to be shorter and lower than other rides. With the batteries and drivetrain built into the floor, the company claims that four adults, each one two meters tall, can luxuriate inside the well-appointed cabin.

Lagonda’s concept interior, meanwhile, was designed in partnership with David Snowdon and uses cutting-edge composites. But the carbon fiber and ceramics are then draped in old-timey materials like cashmere and silk, ensuring you’ll never want to eat or drink inside this car.

As for the doors, they open both outwards and upwards, enabling passengers to step out of the vehicle without having to bend. And if that wasn’t luxurious enough, the car will also come with a bespoke concierge service, because of course it does.

Aston Martin intends to put the Lagonda into production by 2021, and wants to cram it full of the latest advances in self-driving technology. There is a steering wheel, which can switch sides depending on which country you’re in, but this will retract if you’re in autonomous mode.

It’s hoped that the vehicle will be a full Level Four autonomous car, enabling the driver to take their eyes off the road for long periods. When doing so, the car will enable them to spin the driver and passenger to spin their chairs around to talk to anyone on the back seat.

Aston Martin claims that the vehicle will have battery storage sufficient to get you 400 miles between recharges, much like Bentley’s own planned electric grand tourer. In addition, the car will come with the latest innovations in wireless charging, since the super-rich are also too posh to pump their own power.

Visitors to the auto show will be able to see two 40-percent size scale models of the (new) Lagonda, one as a coupe, and one as an SUV. And if you’re lucky, and preposterously rich, you can start counting down the days until you can buy one… although displays of excitement are probably a bit beneath you, too.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.

Source: Aston Martin

ESA’s air-breathing thrusters help keep satellites alive longer

Satellites could soon remain in orbit for years on end thanks to new technology that turns air molecules into propellant. A European Space Agency (ESA) team has developed an electric thruster that collects molecules from the top of the atmosphere and gives them electric charges so they can be accelerated and ejected to provide thrust. This could create a new class of satellites able to operate in orbit for long stretches.

Current technology means that satellite missions are limited by the need for on-board propellant. ESA’s GOCE gravity mapper, for example, managed to operate for five years thanks to an electric thruster that minimised air drag, but it still relied on 40kg of xenon — once that was depleted the mission ended. A host of companies, including NASA, ViviSat and The China National Space Administration have already demonstrated some in-space refuelling capabilities, but this is obviously a much more elegant solution.

The new electric thruster, developed for testing by Sitael, works on a passive basis (there are no valves or complex parts), and comprises an intake that’s able to collect and compress the air molecules that otherwise bounce away. According to ESA’s Louis Walpot, the research means air-breathing electric propulsion “is no longer simply a theory but a tangible, working concept, ready to be developed, to serve one day as the basis of a new class of missions.” The team says the thrusters could also be used at the outer fringes of other planets, such as drawing on the carbon dioxide of Mars, potentially opening up far-away planets for exploration in a way that’s been largely unobtainable until now.

Source: ESA

Segway’s Loomo is the robotic hoverboard nobody asked for

Hoverboards are ridiculous. They serve no purpose other than signaling that your laziness is only outpaced by your willingness to spend disposable income on fad gadgets. But if you insist on being piggybacked atop a rolling pedestal like a discount Paul Blart, you do you. Just know that it might as well be on one that also transforms into a robotic sidekick and carries your bags for you.

First revealed at CES 2016, the Segway Loomo is a $1,700 hoverboard. It operates much like those that came before it. You step onto the self-balancing platform, lean forward to accelerate, lean back to slow and reverse. But unlike its predecessors, turning the Loomo is done by pressing the knees against the unit’s center, leaning left and right, which I found to be a far more intuitive method than lifting and pressing the footpads.

The Loomo is surprisingly stable, even when leaning back to stop quickly, though the company does insist that users wear a helmet while riding. It took me only around 10 minutes to get comfortable atop the device (and figure out the whole knee-turning thing). It has a top speed of 11 mph and a range of around 22 miles; its battery can be refilled using a standard outlet in about three hours. What’s more, it can handle up to 15-degree inclines as well as some light off-roading across grass and soil, but you are going to want to avoid running it off curbs and down flights of stairs because, again, it’s a 42-pound, $1,700 hoverboard.

But the Loomo isn’t just for riding — it’s also a robot. Simply tap a button on top of the device and it will extend an emotive touchscreen face, converting from a hoverboard to a package-porting companion-bot.

Actually having it carry your bags can be a bit of a challenge. One can’t simply hang a pack off the Loomo’s back without upsetting its balance. The solution is to simply set the parcels on the unit’s footpads. The Loomo can support up to 200 kg but there is precious little space for broad or wide boxes. There’s no word yet on whether the trailer the company is offering as part of the Loomo Go program, which is designed to deliver packages through office buildings will be made available to regular customers as well.

Situated above its, erm, knee paddles, is an Intel RealSense ZR300 camera as well as a bevy of ultrasonic, infrared and touch sensors. The data they collect are fed into its Detection and Tracking System (DTS) and Human Understanding System (HUS). The DTS helps the Loomo detect and avoid obstacles while in robot mode, the HUS enables it to recognize its owner’s face and track them through crowds.

You can also control the Loomo using voice commands or a smartphone app, leveraging the bot and its onboard 1080p camera to act like a remote-controlled security guard. It even offers a text-to-speech function so that you can communicate with whomever the Loom is looking at. But, again, you’re going to want to keep it away from stairs, especially those leading toward any water features.

Our D.C. office building got a security robot. It drowned itself.

We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots. pic.twitter.com/rGLTAWZMjn

— 🚀🚀 (@bilalfarooqui) July 17, 2017

Unfortunately, both the voice command and facial-tracking features were rather unreliable during a demo. In a quiet room with three other people, the Loomo repeatedly lost track of me, locked onto someone else even though I was the one speaking to it and ignored my verbal commands half the time. We’re talking sub-Siri levels of listening skills here.

That said, the company is actively working to not only improve the Loomo’s auditory acuity but also expand the number of commands you can issue. There are fewer than six available commands, such as telling it to transform between riding and robot functions or instructing it to follow you. Those software improvements will be pushed out via OTA updates as they become available.

Segway is offering the Loomo through Indiegogo, with a discount for early adopters. Company reps told me the campaign is primarily designed to elicit user feedback and, once it ends, the units should begin shipping sometime around May.

I’m not entirely certain why anyone would think they need a hoverboard as a means of personal transportation to begin with, much less one that costs more than my first car did. That said, the Loomo Go program does sound rather exciting, should the company continue to improve its visual acuity and auditory responsiveness as promised, especially if the robots offer the option of carrying office workers across, say, expansive tech-company campuses — akin to an automated personal shuttle bus — while making its delivery rounds.

Jaguar’s all-electric SUV will start at $69,500 in the US

Pre-orders for the Jaguar I-PACE may have been available starting March 1st, but there was a problem: We didn’t actually know how much the electric crossover SUV would actually cost in the US. Jaguar released that information today at the Geneva Motor Show, and it will start at $69,500.

Considering the I-PACE starts at €63,495 in the UK (roughly $87,216), that pricing is pretty good. It’s especially reasonable when you remember that it’s a Tesla Model 3 competitor, and that electric SUV’s base price is $10,000 higher, $79,500.

The SUV is equipped with a 90 kWh battery and has a range of around 240 miles. Additionally, the car can be charged from zero to 80 percent in 40 minutes using a 100kW DC fast charger, or in 10 hours from a 240V AC wall box. Customer deliveries for the I-PACE are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2018 in the US; you can register your interest in purchasing one of these SUVs at Jaguar’s website.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.