20 Fortnite tips, tricks, and cheats to help you win a Victory Royale

Take every bit of help you can get. You’re going to need it.

Fortnite is an easy game to get into and appears to be a much simpler affair than something like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds at first glance. What you’ll find with time, though, is that this game is deep in strategy and requires a strong mastery of mechanics to find consistent success.

Constant practice is the best way to get better at something, but these 17 Fortnite pro tips should help get you on the road to your first Victory Royale.

Pick your fights carefully

Anyone watching YouTube footage or a live stream of serious Fortnite players will see them engaging with any enemy they can find and they often go looking for that trouble. We’re here to tell you that this is counterproductive to a winning strategy.

One of the biggest things you’ll need to learn right away is that it’s OK to not engage or to run away after an engagement has gone sour. Remember, your objective is to survive, not rack up a ridiculous kill/death ratio as if you’re playing Call of Duty.

Do NOT get caught in the storm

The other first rule of Fortnite: do not mess with The Storm. It’s a beast of a thing that can’t be controlled. It is your biggest enemy, even scarier than the 99 others standing between you and Victory Royale.

This is especially true as you get closer to the top 10, as the safe zone gets smaller and the storm hits much harder. Run away from it, always.

Shoot first, loot later

As you’re out there looking for the items and tools to help you to victory, don’t forget that those tools won’t do you any good if you’re dead. When you’re coming to a new area, take time to scope it out and see if anyone is lingering around before you start putting your head inside loot crates.

Don’t be one dimensional

You know how you’re never supposed to bring a knife to a gunfight? Well, the same thing is sort of true in Fortnite: you never want to go into battle without a balanced loadout that will help you adapt to changing conditions. Just as you wouldn’t want to use a sniper in close quarters, you wouldn’t want a shotgun up against someone who can land accurate shots from hundreds of meters out.

An example of a well-balanced loadout is a shotgun, an assault rifle, and a sniper rifle, with the other 2 slots of your inventory taking up healing items. You don’t always have to go this route (in fact, as you play more you’ll find that this is harder to achieve than you think), but the idea is to be able to protect yourself the most you can from any distance.

Use your surroundings to track enemy players

If you picked up some tracking skills in the Boy or Girl Scouts, it’s time to put them to use here. Due to the nature of how people build in Fortnite, you will come across structures abandoned in the world for one reason or another. These structures may be one ramp or a mile-high fortress, but either way, you’ll want to take note of where they are and how certain elements are positioned.

For instance, if you see a ramp leading up a mountain, you can probably bet (or you should at least assume) that enemies have taken a position up there. Whether you use that information to find a fight or take a flight, well, that’s up to you.

High ground is key

In any shooter, high ground tends to be the most favorable position against your enemies because you can scout and see more, which also means you can shoot at more areas that they try to hide in.

The first rule of Fortnite: do not mess with The Storm.

That concept holds true for Fortnite, but the wrinkle that the building system brings in makes it even more crucial to your success.
Being able to build a multi-tiered structure over your opponent’s head while they’re struggling to dodge your shots can make them panic, and your ability to dictate the pace of the engagement by making them build up to you almost always tips the scales in your favor.

You can get to hard-to-reach places by jumping on tires

If you see a stack of tires in the game, jump on them. Not only is it extremely fun, but it lets you jump much higher than the game’s already-ridiculous height cap allows. This is especially useful if you want to get on top of a building but don’t have (or want to use) materials to get up there.

Pro tips for winning in Fortnite

Seasoned a little and looking for an edge to take you closer to the top 10 or even toward your first victory? These advanced tips will go a long way toward your improvement.

You can knock bases down in one hit

While some bases in Fortnite can seem insurmountable, they do have a weakness: their base. Like any structure, if you take out its foundation it’ll come toppling to the ground.

You don’t even have to run up and hack away with your pickaxe: pour enough bullets into a ramp or a wall and it’ll fall to pieces. Completely separate the building from the ground and watch the whole thing come crashing down. Oh, and if you’re lucky enough to find grenades or rocket launchers, they make the job ten times easier.

Know when to disengage

One of the skills you’ll need to pick up on right away is gauging the war of attrition. We tend to speak of ammunition in that regard, but it’s impossible to know how much they’re carrying.

Instead, use the health prompts to figure out whether you can win a fight. When you shoot an enemy, you’ll see numbers appear above their head indicating how much damage you’ve dealt. If the numbers are blue and then begin turning white or yellow, it means they had a shield potion and you’ve completely exposed their health bar.

If your shots aren’t showing blue and you still have some of your shield, you’re winning. If not, you’d better look into your options for retreating fast (or be one insanely skilled marksman).

Supply drops are extremely rewarding death traps

As the late game draws near, you’ll have more opportunities to find supply drops. These drops contain the rarest guns in the game — legendary SCAR-L rifles, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, you name it. They’re highly contested.

If you’re in a position to safely snag one of these yourself, build a dome around you and crack it open like a pinata. But know that others may be in the area looking to get it for themselves and they may be leaving it as bait, waiting to shoot you the moment you step toward it. Feel free to take that tactic yourself for some easy kills.

Ain’t no mountain high enough to climb

Whether you need to get away from the storm, hole up atop a mountain, or close the distance between you and your opponents, building is a great way to cut down your travel time. Can’t make it around the mountain? Go above it. That lake too risky to swim across? Run across it — no, not with superpowers, but with your wooden planks!

Wood is your most important material

You may go into this game thinking that the strongest building material is metal, followed by brick, and then wood. And from a pure health and strength standpoint, you’d be right. But what the game doesn’t tell you is that wood may often be your best form of cover.

This is because of the way the game initializes each building piece’s health. They load up with a fixed percentage of their maximum health, scaling top-down from wood to metal.

Wood coincidentally starts with more HP and is the fastest to get its HP fully built up, so it’d take 2 shots from a shotgun to knock down a freshly erected wooden wall compared to one shot for metal or brick. This makes it the go-to choice for those high octane engagements where you just need to lay down constant walls of wood to save your butt.

Have a little time and safety on your hands? Build a sturdier long-term base with the other materials.

Switch controls for easier building

As building is important, you’ll want to know that there’s a build-centric control scheme built into the game. Called Builder Pro, this scheme places your build buttons as shoulder buttons, with the left and right trigger offering access to stairs and walls, respectively. This control scheme allows you to build without having to take your finger off of other buttons, making it not only faster to do, but far safer.

Get health boosts by eating nature’s bounty

Often in Fortnite, you’ll come across consumable items that are scattered throughout an area. Some areas will have a bunch of Apples which restore a small portion of your health, while the material left behind by the big meteor crash seems to have introduced some shield-generating space tofu. Find them — especially the shield food — and never worry about health again.

Tips for Fortnite Duos and Squads

Teaming in Fortnite can be a much different experience compared to playing it solo. If that’s the route you’re going then you’ll want to keep these things in mind.

Focus on the ones with guns

Anyone who has ever made the jump from solo to duos or squads knows how jarring it can be to see players get a second wind when you shoot them. They’ll fall to their knees for a chance to get revived by nearby teammates.

But before you go dumping the rest of your bullets into the downed enemy, take time to clear your surroundings and make sure their friends aren’t right around the corner. Remember, the ones on the ground can’t shoot you. The others can. (Also, you can use the downed enemies as bait to draw their teammates in, so let them live a little!)

Sometimes, you have to let them die

On the flipside, if your teammates are downed then you’ll also want to exercise patience and caution. See if you can eliminate the threat or if your teammate can get to a safe spot where neither you or him will get shot. If you can’t get him, then chalk it up to the will of the game, because it’s always better for one person to survive than none at all.

Don’t be a loot goblin

While greed may get you far in life, it won’t fly in Fortnite. If your teammate is carrying a smoke bomb and you have 2 shotguns, a pistol, and an SMG, drop a couple of them. If someone needs ammo and you have over 300 rounds, you can spare a little. If your teammate has 2HP and you have all the medkits, drop them.

Having 3 able-bodied teammates will make things easier for you, so try and think of it as an investment for your success if you’re having trouble with this.

Communication is your greatest weapon

What’s the first thing you should do when you spot an enemy? On your own, it may be to take a shot and pray for the best, but when you’re in a squad it’s worth relaying everything you learn about your enemies and their position to your teammates before you decide to make a move.

You should also get on the squawk box to talk about items you find, the location of the storm and the safe zone, whether you have ammo, or need to heal or reload. Some of this info may seem small in a vacuum, but together it will dictate your strategy in every single phase of the match.

Don’t get ahead of yourself

While greed may get you far in life, it won’t fly in Fortnite.

One of the worst feelings in Fortnite is getting caught out on your own and being too far from your teammates to be helped. When you drop from the bus, try to drop in the same general vicinity.

You don’t have to follow each other from house to house. Trust us, there’s not enough loot to go around for that, much less space. But try to stay close enough so that you can get to a fight in under 15 seconds.

Rocket Ride for the LULZ

Let’s end off with a fun one, a gameplay mechanic you can only pull off in duos and squads. Take a rocket and have a teammate jump in front of it just before you let off a round under their feet. No, you won’t both be blown to smithereens if you do this right.

What you’ll find is that you just gave your partner a thrilling one-way ride to wherever it is you aimed (and they almost certainly will die once they get there).

Have any other tips?

There are many more little things you could mention about Fortnite that could help you in success, but it’s impossible to list them all. Give a holler in the comments section if you have a pro tip of your own that you want to share!

Should you buy Fortnite for PS4?

Updated August 2018: Updated this guide to reflect Season 5.

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Android P: Everything you need to know about Android 9

From new gestures to extending battery life, here’s everything you need to know about Android P!

Following last year’s Oreo release, 2018 is the year of Android P. We’re still some time away before Google rolls out the new software to all users, but even in its current form, P is showing a lot of promise.

Things are bound to change leading up to Android P’s official launch, but for the time being, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s big update.

The latest Android P news

August 2, 2018 — Android P tipped for August 20 launch

We’re expecting the final version of Android P to land any time now, and according to Evan Blass on Twitter, the new software is slated for a release on August 20.

pic.twitter.com/ovby4pC3ph

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 2, 2018

That date lines up with the release schedule Google previously published, not to mention the fact that Oreo was released on August 21 last year.

Now, what in the world will it be called? 🤔

July 25, 2018 — Google pushes Android P Beta 4

“Android P is almost here!” That’s how Google starts its blog post introducing Android P Beta 4, also known as Developer Preview 5, which is available on all supported devices starting today.

According to Google, “Today’s Beta 4 update includes a release candidate build with final system behaviors and the official Android P APIs (API level 28), available since Beta 2. It includes everything you need to wrap up your testing in time for the upcoming official Android P release.” In other words, this is basically the same version that will ship to Pixels later in August, when the public version is released.

How to install Android P on your Pixel right now (or roll back to Oreo)

All the big details

Android P is officially Android 9

As spotted in the third developer preview, Android P is Android 9. This signifies that Android P is a big upgrade from 8.0 Oreo, and based on what we’re about to dive into, we’ve got no problem agreeing with that.

It completely changes Android’s navigation system

Back in 2011 with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Google introduced Android’s iconic three button navigation system we’ve come to know and love – Back, Home, and Recents. Seven years later with Android P, these are being eliminated in favor of a gesture-based system.

Android P is the first time Google’s heavily relying on gestures for navigating the UI, and in their current form, they work as follows:

• Tap the Home button/pill to go home
• Swipe up to access the recent apps page
• Swipe up twice or do a long swipe for the app drawer
• The Back button only appears in certain apps/menus when it’s needed

This combination of taps and swipes is a bit confusing right now, but we’re expecting Google to roll-out a more refined version of this in later Developer Previews or in the final build. You can still use the traditional three buttons in Developer Preview 2 and 3 if the gestures aren’t your thing, but it’s rather obvious that this is the future Google wants for Android.

Android P’s gestures are a jagged pill you should learn to swallow

The user interface is more rounded and colorful

Android P isn’t as drastic of a visual change like we saw with the jump from KitKat to Lolipop, but compared to Oreo, there are some elements that are noticeably different.

At first glance, things like the colorful icons in Settings, circular Quick Settings icons, and rounded corners for just about every menu jump out like a sore thumb. These elements do take some getting used to, but I ultimately came around to liking them quite a bit.

Something else you’ll notice with Android P is just how alive it feels. Between the new gestures and updated animations, Android moves in a way that I’ve never seen before. Oreo was smooth and buttery, but Android P flies underneath your fingertips in a way that can only be experienced in-person.

There are tools for helping you use your phone less

Google talked a lot about helping people with their “digital wellbeing” at this year’s I/O conference, and a lot of those efforts are baked right into Android P.

Although not live in Developer Preview 2 or 3, later versions of Android P will introduce a new system called Android Dashboard. Android Dashboard will offer a quick glimpse into how you’re using your phone, including stats on which apps you’re using the most, how many times you’ve turned on the screen, how many notifications you’ve received, and how much time you’ve spent on each app.

You’ll also find a feature called App Timers that’ll restrict you from using a certain app after you’ve spent x amount of time on it, as well as tools for easily turning on Do Not Disturb and switching your screen to a monochrome color palette to help you wind down for bed.

Google’s ‘digital wellbeing’ initiative feels incomplete and insincere

Google’s trying to squeeze as much juice as possible out of your battery

It seems like Google’s always trying to find ways to maximize your phone’s battery life as much as possible, and with Android P, those efforts are present in a new Adaptive Battery mode.

Similar to how Adaptive Brightness automatically adjusts your display’s brightness level based on your environment and usage, Adaptive Battery will examine how you use your phone and limit CPU usage to apps you infrequently use.

Google notes that Adaptive Battery can lower CPU usage by as much as 30%, and thanks to the use of Machine Learning, it’ll only get better the more you use your phone.

App shortcuts are everywhere

With Android Nougat, Google introduced us to App Shortcuts for the first time. Holding down on an app icon to quickly access certain elements of it can be genuinely useful at times, and with Android P, Google’s taking these to the next level with App Actions and Slices.

App Actions will try to determine what you’ll do next with your phone and give you recommend shortcuts for doing so within the app drawer, Assistant, and more. For example, if you watch Good Mythical Morning each day with breakfast, you might see an App Shortcut in your app drawer for searching Rhett and Link on YouTube during the morning.

On the other hand, Slices will allow you to perform more complex actions from the Assistant or Google Search. In the example Google gave at I/O, searching “I want to book a ride” will give you a special link to call a ride home via Lyft (assuming you’ve got the app installed).

157 new emoji

In Developer Preview 3, Google added a ton of new emojis to keep your conversations bright and colorful — 157 of them, to be exact.

Although we won’t run through the entire list, some of the highlights include red hair, superhero, face with three hearts, bagel with cream cheese, mooncake, lobster, and llama.

There are also improvements to existing emoji, including two new gender-neutral family and couple designs and updated looks for the bacon, salad, turtle, and cricket emojis.

A new standard for biometric authentication

Fingerprint sensors and face unlock systems make it easier than ever to access private information on our phones, and in Android P Developer Preview 3, Google added a brand-new standard for this called “BiometricPrompt API.”

Thanks to the new API, developers no longer have to create their own dialog for using biometric systems with their apps. This isn’t something you’ll notice in day-to-day use, but it’s an important background change we’re more than happy to see.

All the little things

In addition to the big changes found in Android P, there are a ton of smaller elements also scattered throughout the update. Some of my favorites include:

• Built-in screenshot editor
• Zoom pop-up when highlighting text
• Changing the volume now defaults to your media volume
• Volume controls appear on the right of your screen instead of the top
• Do Not Disturb is more customizable and easier to understand

You can sign up for the beta now

Similar to last year’s Oreo beta, anyone with a Pixel phone can opt-in to the Android P beta right now to get an OTA update to download and play with the new software.

However, Google’s Pixel phones aren’t the only ones that get to have fun with this early access. Google’s opening up its Android Beta Program to third-party OEMs for the first time ever thanks to Project Treble, including Nokia, OnePlus, Sony, Essential, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo.

How to get Android P on your Pixel right now (or roll back to Oreo)

The official build should be released in August

If you’d rather not mess with the beta and just wait for the final version to drop, we’re not too terribly far out from it.

Google notes that the final release for Android P will be published in Q3, and based on the above timeline and Oreo’s release schedule, we should see Android P get a proper launch at some point in August.

Updated July 25, 2018: This article was updated with news of Android P Beta 4.

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• Android P Beta hands-on: The best and worst features
• All the big Android announcements from Google I/O 2018
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• How to manually update your Pixel to Android P
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Aukey’s 4-port wall charger has dropped to $16 today

Plug it in, plug it in.

The Aukey 4-port USB wall charger is down to $15.99 with code AUKEY048 on Amazon. This wall charger usually sells for around $20, and the code brings it down to one of the best prices we’ve seen for this model.

If your device can be powered by a USB cable, it can use this charger. It has a total output of 8A so every device can get a max charge even when you have four items plugged in. It uses a travel-friendly design with a foldable plug so you can take it when you’re traveling. All Aukey devices are backed up with a two-year warranty.

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Spigen Neo Hybrid Case for Pixel 2 Review: The case I’ll be recommending to everyone

If you have a Pixel 2 and $15, you need to buy this case.

Unlike some Android phones, accessory support for Pixel devices is incredibly strong. Along with a lot of great options that are sold directly from Google, there’s also a host of third-party brands that have shown continued support for the Pixel line.

Spigen is one of those brands, and if you’ve got last year’s Pixel 2, its Neo Hybrid case has proven to be one of the best cases for the handset that you can buy.

What makes it so great? Keep reading to find out!

Spigen Neo Hybrid Case for Google Pixel 2

Price: $14.99

Bottom line: Spigen strikes the perfect balance of style and protection with a case that won’t break the bank.

The Good

• Adds plenty of protection without feeling bulky
• Feels great in the hand thanks to the textured back
• Fits the Pixel 2 perfectly
• It looks stylish

The Bad

• Buttons are a little hard to press

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Wow this is a great case

Spigen Neo Hybrid Case for Pixel 2 What I like

As you can probably already tell, there’s a lot about this case that I like.

I’ve mentioned this time and time again, but I’ve never been one for big, bulky cases. Even though they’re important for the longevity of your phone, ruining the design and/or feel in hand has never been worth it in my opinion. There are a number of cases that straddle the fine line of offering ample protection without being too thick, but Spigen’s Neo Hybrid might do it the best.

The case adds hardly any bulk to the Pixel 2, but even so, still manages to cram in a dual-layer design that’s made up of a shock-absorbent base layer and then a sturdy plastic bumper frame that surrounds it. In day-to-day use, this translates to a case that allows me to use my Pixel 2 without ever having to get stressed over dropping it or throwing it harder than I intended on a table.

That balance of non-bulkiness and protection would be good enough on its own, but Spigen goes an extra mile by making the Neo Hybrid case look darn good, too. Spigen also achieves a solid balance of form and function with its Rugged Armor series, but the Neo Hybrid looks much classier while offering even more security.

Rounding all that out, this case also has a great cutout for the USB-C port, rear camera, and fingerprint sensor. Unlike Spigen’s Slim Armor Wallet Case, using the fingerprint sensor with the Neo Hybrid feels just as natural as it does without a case at all.

Press, press again

Spigen Neo Hybrid Case for Pixel 2 What I don’t like

There’s not a whole lot to say in this section of the review.

If I could change one thing about the Neo Hybrid Case, it’d be the covers for the power/lock button and volume rocker. I appreciate the rubber texture over them to add even more grip, but I found that it can sometimes be difficult to actually press them down.

Aside from that, everything else just works.

Spigen Neo Hybrid Case for Pixel 2

If I were to buy a Pixel 2 case right now, my first choice would probably be the Totallee option I checked out back in June. However, that’s only because I’d rather sacrifice protection for the sake of slimness.

For just about everyone else, though, I’ll now be recommending the Neo Hybrid.

Spigen’s proven time and time again that it’s one of the biggest forces to be reckoned with when it comes to third-party cases, and the Neo Hybrid is a prime example of that. This is one of the best balances I’ve yet to see between style, functionality, and usability, and the end result is a case that’s a delight to own.

5
out of 5

If you’ve got $15 and need a case for your Pixel 2, you should absolutely buy this.

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The Division 2 for PlayStation 4: Everything you need to know

Save Washington, D.C. from falling into the enemy’s hands.

Back in 2016, Ubisoft introduced an original new IP called The Division. Set in New York City, The Division’s roots started firmly in the loot shooter genre. The genre isn’t difficult to describe: you shoot a bunch of baddies, get a bunch of gun, skill, and equipment upgrades, and then shoot bigger baddies to get even better upgrades.

The Division did this well at its core, but a lack of end-game content in the early going hurt Ubisoft up against games like Destiny. That changed over time, however, as the company spent the next couple of years doling out regular dosages of content and giving players something to do once they’ve reached the highest plateau.

Now, it’s time for the sequel and considering Ubisoft is going to take everything they’ve learned from their first crack at bat, expect The Division 2 to come out of the starting gate strong. Everything you need to know about The Division 2 is right here.

What is The Division 2?

The Division 2 is the sequel to an original loot shooter brought to us by Ubisoft. The game tasked you with taking on a rising threat of criminals in a New York City ravaged by disease and outbreak.

As with the original, The Divison 2 is played entirely online, though you can choose to tackle your missions solo if you so wish. But it’s always better with friends, right? You can finish those missions with up to three other people, either those you invite or through a matchmaking system.

The game is developed by Massive Entertainment, and the studio will receive help from all over, with Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Annecy, Redstorm, and Reflections all lending a hand to complete this massive undertaking. The game will be built on an updated version of Ubisoft’s Snowdrop Engine, which has been used to make much of the company’s current generation games to date.

What’s the story? Spoilers Ahead

In the original game, you are dropped into the middle of a New York that has been quarantined for a smallpox outbreak. The outbreak occurred on Black Friday and was transmitted by a virus that was planted on various banknotes. The distribution method and timing of the attack points to terrorist activities, but despite knowing it was a criminal act, the attack was too big and fast to handle.

That outbreak was significant enough to wipe out much of the civilization in New York City. Your job as an agent of the Strategic Homeland Division — otherwise known as The Division — was to get in, rebuild the agency’s base of operations, and help drive out the criminals who have taken control of much of the areas.

The plot eventually goes on to reveal that a biochemist known as Dr. Gordon Amherst developed a virus called Green Poison, with his goal being to wipe out much of humanity in efforts to preserve the earth. While Amherst was eventually killed by his own creation, a rogue Division agent ended up believing in the cause, so much so that he went rogue, killed a bunch of his colleagues, and took on the challenge of carrying out Dr. Amherst’s dream.

In The Division 2, a new epidemic has made its way to Washington D.C. It’s currently unclear whether the outbreak is based on the same smallpox epidemic that hit New York City or if it’s Dr. Amherst’s virus making its way to the nation’s capital. We do know that the backdrop for the story will be some sort of civil war, however, and that one group appears to be planning a coup to take control of what little government remains. Your goal will be to thwart those efforts, because if Washington, D.C. falls then so does America.

The game begins at level 30

The Division 2 will take after the original with its mix of loot shooting and RPG gameplay. While a riveting story will usually be enough to drive the player to finish the game, the promise of new abilities, equipment, and guns as you level up serves as the addictive mechanic that’ll keep you coming back. You’ll find new backpacks, gloves, armor pieces, guns, and a whole assortment of mods and attachments, each with varying degrees of rarities, status, and bonuses.

Players can choose between three classes — survivalist, sharpshooter, or demolition, each with their own set of subclasses — which will shape how they build their character. The survivalist is the medic of the crop, going around and healing teammates and fixing deployments to keep everyone alive for the fight. The sharpshooter naturally sits back to try and pop foes from a distance to make it easier for the guys up front. And demolitions experts will, of course, be the official proponents of blowing things up. Each class has its own skill tree with a variety of abilities and items to support any play style.

And that’s where The Division 2’s end-game will draw in the most dedicated and hardcore of players. You’ll spend much of your time after the campaign collecting and optimizing gear that enhances your preferred abilities and attributes. A sharpshooter might find a sniper rifle that adds 25% more damage on headshots, alongside a grip that lessens the sway you experience when aiming down sights. The goal is to get stronger in order to take on more challenging content, and it’s this system that explains why the game doesn’t truly begin until you hit level 30.

As far as content and modes are concerned, we know that the Dark Zone will be returning. This was an interesting area in the original game where things were far more dangerous. Enemies are tougher, and there are areas you can’t go without having proper anti-viral equipment on. While many of the enemies in the Dark Zone are still NPC enemies, you can also get into firefights with other players.

Much of the conflict that breaks out here is typically over the extraction of loot. You see, the Dark Zone is where the strongest gear is found, but to get it you have to first extract it via helicopter. Some players will be too busy finding their own loot to bother yours, but others might just as well shoot you and take everything you’ve worked for. It’s an intense dynamic which made the lack of a more structured PVP mode sting less.

And in The Division 2, getting that loot out of the Dark Zone will be more important than ever, with Ubisoft planning to introduce raids. These raids can be joined by up to 8 people, all of whom will work together to complete their objective and come out with some serious rewards.

The best part of all this is that Ubisoft is planning to make the entire first year of content for The Division 2 absolutely free. Community fragmentation due to premium content is one of the biggest things that contributed to the original game’s early stumbles, so it’s nice to know that it’s being addressed for the new title.

Play The Division 2 Beta

There will be a beta test for The Division 2, and fans can sign up to play it once available. Ubisoft has mentioned that the first of these betas will be closed, which sounds like there may be more than one beta period before the game’s launch.

In any case, signing up is easy: simply head to Ubisoft’s website, sign in with your UPlay account, and select which platform you’re interested in. You’ll get an email with further instructions if and when you’re eventually selected.

Sign up for The Division 2 beta

When can you play it?

The Division 2 launches March 15th, 2019. You’ll be able to play it on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. To get ready for the game, Ubisoft is running an event in the original game called Road to The Division 2 which lets you complete monthly challenges to earn exclusive items for the new game. You can find The Division for sale at Amazon.

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• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
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iPad Putting Pressure on Windows and Android Tablet Competitors, Says Strategy Analytics

Despite the worldwide tablet market declining in shipments for 14 consecutive quarters, the iPad is seeing growth, and regaining market share over its competitors, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

Earlier this week, Apple reported that it sold 11.55 million iPads in the second quarter of 2018, spanning April 1 through June 30. Those sales gave Apple a 28.2 percent share of the worldwide tablet market in the second quarter, its highest in that period since 2013, according to Strategy Analytics.

Apple’s second quarter share of the worldwide tablet market based on historical data from the research firm:

• 2012: 47.2%
• 2013: 28.3%
• 2014: 25.3%
• 2015: 21.5%
• 2016: 21.3%
• 2017: 26.1%
• 2018: 28.2%

Apple’s market share was boosted by the launch of a new lower-cost iPad in late March, shortly prior to the educational buying season, and just days before the second quarter. The tablet, starting at $329, lowered the iPad’s average selling price to $410 last quarter, down from $434 in the year-ago period.

Apple’s presence in both the lower-priced market, with the iPad, and higher-end market, with the iPad Pro, is putting pressure on its competitors like Microsoft and Samsung, according to Strategy Analytics.

Chirag Upadhyay, Senior Research Analyst at Strategy Analytics:

Apple is using its market size and brand power to put pressure on its Windows and Android competitors. By lowering prices and adding more functionality during every product cycle for the last year, Apple has regained several points of market share and still maintaining a strong ASP due to its Pro and standard iPad mix. Android vendors, in particular, should be very concerned with how much revenue they are losing to Apple in 2018.

Android shipments fell to 23.6 million units worldwide in the second quarter, down 10 percent from 26.4 million in the year-ago quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. Likewise, Windows shipments fell two percent to 5.8 million units in the second quarter, from 5.9 million a year earlier, the research firm said.

Nevertheless, Microsoft’s shipments of the Surface Pro and Surface Book 2 reached over one million in the second quarter, and could reap even better results in the current quarter with the release of the Surface Go, according to Eric Smith, Director of Connected Computing at Strategy Analytics.

Surface Go launches today with a base price of $399, although with a Type Cover keyboard, the price jumps to $498.

For now, though, the iPad easily remains the world’s most popular tablet, in a market where many Android vendors are losing share and revenue due to falling prices and a perceived lack of innovation.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, iPadTag: Strategy AnalyticsBuyer’s Guide: 10.5″ iPad Pro (Don’t Buy), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Caution), iPad (Neutral)
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HomePod Estimated to Have 3 Million Sales and 6% Market Share in United States

The installed base of smart speakers in the United States, including the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and HomePod, has reached a combined 50 million units, according to research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

CIRP estimates that, of that installed base, the HomePod has increased its market share to six percent as of the second quarter of 2018, ending June 30, implying that HomePod sales have now crossed three million in the United States.

By comparison, the Amazon Echo has 70 percent market share in the United States, with the Google Home at 24 percent, so the HomePod has significant ground to make up, which is to be expected since it only launched this past February, two to three years after its biggest competitors.

Even now, the HomePod is only available in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, and Germany.

Josh Lowitz, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP, suggested that it may be difficult for Apple to gain additional market share among smart speakers, unless it releases a more competitively priced model:

Apple introduced HomePod in the first quarter, and now has a small but meaningful share. It took a small share of the market from both Amazon and Google. Still, Amazon has a two-year head start, and Amazon and Google each have a low-priced device that accounts for at least half of unit sales, so it’s not clear how much further Apple can establish itself in the market without a more competitive model.

Back in April, well-connected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was “mulling” a “low-cost version” of the HomePod, potentially due to shipments of the current $349 version potentially being “far below market expectations.”

A report out of China said the lower-cost HomePod could be priced between $150 and $200, although it’s unclear what tradeoffs would be made to achieve that price point. Most reviews agree the HomePod sounds great, but isn’t so smart, so it’s hard to envision that Apple would compromise on sound quality.

A few months ago, another Chinese report said the lower-priced HomePod could actually be a Siri-enabled Beats speaker.

Apple doesn’t disclose HomePod sales, instead grouping it under its “Other Products” category in its earnings reports, alongside the Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, Beats, iPod touch, and accessories. In May, research firm Strategy Analytics estimated HomePod shipments totaled 600,000 in the first quarter.

CIRP said its findings are based on its survey of 500 owners of the Amazon Echo, Google Home, or HomePod in the United States, who owned one of these devices as of June 30, 2018. The survey was conducted between July 1 and July 18.

Related Roundup: HomePodTag: CIRPBuyer’s Guide: HomePod (Buy Now)
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Mammoth undertaking: Company to 3D print a full-size skeleton of elephant ancestor

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Considering that the last mammoths died out 3,600 years ago, they’ve had one heck of a 2018 so far. First, there was Harvard University’s plan to resurrect the woolly mammoth using gene-editing technology. Now, a Belgian 3D-printing company, Materialise, is putting its skills to the test by helping to create a life-size replica of a mammoth skeleton for public display.

The 3D-printed re-creation is of the Mammoth of Lier, the first mammoth ever displayed in Western Europe, which was first shown off to the public in 1869. “Because the original skeleton had to stay in Brussels, Kiwanis, a local service club, had the idea to re-create the skeleton with modern technology,” Bram Smits, public affairs officer for Materialise, told Digital Trends.

To rebuild the iconic mammoth, the Materialise team had to 3D scan a total of 320 bones, which were then printed on (appropriately named) Mammoth Stereolithography printers. The pieces are now due to be painted with a combination of paints, textures, and lacquers to make sure the printed pieces match the original bones as closely as possible. The finished mammoth model will be put on display in the city of Lier, Belgium, in October.

“Obviously, the scale is a lot bigger than most of our projects,” Smits continued. “We’ve developed our own printers in-house to be able to print prototypes from dashboards and bumpers for the automotive industry in one piece. With 15 of these printers in our production facility in Leuven, we had that part covered, although we never dreamed that one day we would actually print a mammoth on our Mammoth printer.”

Dr. Mietje Germonpré, from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, who served as an adviser on the project, told us that work such as this represents an exciting step forward for paleontology.

“[The] 3D printing of precious fossils means that the original material does not have to be handled,” Germonpré said. “An accurate and precise 3D print is as good as the original object to study scientifically. Secondly, a virtual reconstruction can be sent, 3D printed, and studied all over the world, without the need of scientists to undertake long travels in order to gain access to the fossil. An interior structure hidden inside the fossil that can normally be attained only by breaking the object can be printed and examined while the original fossil remains complete. Finally, missing parts or bones of a skull or skeleton can be virtually reconstructed based on the preserved paired elements.”

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Google Home’s too boring? You want Gatebox’s cute virtual character in your life

We are one step closer to a sci-fi future where we can choose to live with artificially intelligent robots and digital humans. This is the Gatebox and at its most basic, it’s a piece of Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology for controlling your smart home. However, look closer and you’ll find that inside lives Hikari Azuma, an artificially intelligent virtual character ready to share your life. Moving beyond our simple interactions with Alexa or Google Home, Hikari-san will encourage you through the day, welcome you home, remember anniversaries, and ultimately, be your own digital companion.

If this sounds familiar, you’re right. Gatebox first made headlines in 2016 and 2017 with a limited first-run of the Gatebox. Now, following acquisition by messaging and technology platform Line, a revised version of the product is now ready for mass-production and is available for pre-order in Japan. The Gatebox device has been redesigned for a more space-age and home-friendly look, plus it has a motion detector and a camera for face recognition, which allows Hikari to recognize and respond to you.

The Gatebox is connected to the internet so can control smart home appliances, and perform other tasks such as providing news and weather updates. Additionally an infrared blaster means non-smart products can also be controlled. While all this is helpful, it’s the Hikari Azuma character that makes Gatebox so special. The projection itself looks considerably more detailed and far brighter (Hikari means “light,” or “brilliance” in Japanese, so it’s appropriate) than the limited edition models first released.

Initially, the software version will be the same as the model released before, but in December an updated version will come with greater capacity for interaction, including the ability to share a toast and celebrate anniversaries, as seen in the promotional video. She smiles when she “sees” you, and greets you after arriving home. While some will find the concept creepy, and the video does little to help avoid this; there is considerable value in providing company for those who live on their own. It’s also impossible to deny the sci-fi attraction of interacting with a friendly digital creation on a daily basis.

Line will also become more deeply involved, and will integrate its own Clova AI platform into Gatebox in the future. Line is very interested in the concept of artificially intelligent digital creations we can live with, therefore bringing Clova and Gatebox together makes sense. While AI devices like this are very different to Google Home or an Amazon Echo, other companies are working on competing products. South Korea’s SK Telecom showed the HoloBox at Mobile World Congress this year, with a custom made digital human called Wendy inside, which performed in a similar way to Gatebox.

The new Gatebox GTBX-100 is available as a pre-order in Japan now, with deliveries set to begin in October, at a cost of around $1,330. Gatebox will not ship outside Japan at the moment, but it does seem additional countries will be added in the future. However, this may take time due to both Hikari and Clova only speaking Japanese at the moment.

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How to turn on and use Android P’s new gesture navigation system

Take a look at a huge fundamental change to Android navigation

Android P’s consumer launch is exciting for a whole bunch of reasons, not the least of which being a brand new gesture navigation system that eschews the standard “back, home, recents” buttons we’ve all grown accustomed to. The replacement is a gesture-based interface that hides the recents button, and even the back button sometimes, to hopefully let you move more fluidly and intuitively through the interface.

But when you install Android P on your phone, you won’t actually see this new gesture navigation system by default — you have to go enable it to experience this significant change to the way Android works. Follow these steps:

Open up your phone’s Settings.
Scroll down and tap on System.
Find Gestures and tap on it.
Tap on Swipe up on home button.

Toggle the switch to on — you’ll notice the navigation buttons change immediately.

Aside from the oddly named and placed settings, that’s a pretty simple process.

So, now you need to know how to actually use these gestures. Here’s a quick rundown of how the gesture system works:

• You still tap the new elongated “home” button to go home at any time, that doesn’t change.
• When you’re in an app or view that can use a back button, the back button will appear to the left of the home button where you’re used to seeing it.
• Swipe up on the home button and continue swiping to open the app drawer.
  • Alternatively, swipe up on the home button and swipe up again to open the app drawer.
• Swipe up on the home button to enter the multitasking view.
  • Swipe left and right to move the list, and tap to select apps.
  • Swipe up to remove apps from the list.
  • Press and hold on the app icon at the top to enter “split screen” view.
  • Apps in this view are “live” — you can select, copy and paste text while in the multitasking view.
• Swipe right on home button and hold to scroll slowly between apps — release to open the center app.

• Swipe right on home button quickly and release to just switch to the previous app — analogous to a double tap on recents currently.

  

This is a pretty considerable change to the way you interact with an Android phone, but I feel it’s intuitive and more directly interactive in a way that the static buttons weren’t. This change also affords Google the opportunity to dynamically adjust the buttons to the context of what the phone is doing, opening up even more possibilities going forward.

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