Новости за 25.08.2021

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

If you’ve had an Android phone for any length of time, it’s easy to get used to living with, well, chaos. If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly adding new apps, deciding they’re okay but not great, adding another, and so on. Then, a few months later, as you’re scrolling through your app drawer, you’re surprised to see several apps that you forgot about and perhaps don’t even remember what they’re used for.

Xbox kicked off Gamescom a little early, but the show got its proper start with Opening Night Live hosted — as always — by Geoff Keighley. It was a lengthy event clocking in at a hefty two hours, but there was a lot on show, from surprising crossovers to big names like Halo, Horizon Forbidden West, and Death Stranding.

Panasonic knows that gamers want to be blown away. But maybe not quite this literally?

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge

Starting September 18th, Microsoft will end support for the Office and Outlook Android apps on Chrome OS and start pushing Chromebook users to its web apps instead, according to a statement it gave About Chromebooks. As recently as July 31st, Microsoft’s support documents recommended installing the Android versions of Office, Outlook, OneNote, and OneDrive, but now those documents say that the apps are unsupported for Chrome OS users.

Amazon Games’ New World. | Image: Amazon

Amazon’s upcoming PC MMO, New World, is getting an open beta ahead of its September 28th release date, Amazon Games announced at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live on Wednesday. The open beta will take place from September 9th to September 12th.

Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, has officially been delayed until February 18th, 2022, according to a PlayStation blog post and Guerrilla Games. The game was expected to release near the end of 2021, but it was clear that timeframe was more of a target than a fixed date — the game’s page on PlayStation.com had its release date listed as “to be confirmed,” and PlayStation Studio head Hermen Hulst said during an interview that the developers thought they were “on track” for a holiday 2021 release but couldn’t be sure. Читать дальше...

A screenshot from Horizon Zero Dawn. | Image: Sony

Sony has released a new update for Horizon Zero Dawn enabling 60fps on PS5. The game was previously locked to 30fps on Sony’s newest console, so this update should help the game feel that much smoother. A Verge colleague has confirmed that the update, 1.53, is available to download and install now.

Microsoft’s first custom Halo-branded Xbox Series X console will arrive on November 15th. The $549.99 console includes dark metallic paneling, gold accents, and a star pattern to match the Halo universe. It even powers on and off with custom Halo-themed sounds, and Microsoft has changed the top fan section of the Xbox Series X from a green color to blue.

Morgana can’t catch a break | Sega

In an effort to build up excitement for Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania that’s releasing on October 5th, 2021, Sega has been plucking characters from its roster of games, past and present. Not only will Yakuza’s Kazuma Kiryu serve as an unlockable character, Morgana from Persona 5 will appear as post-launch content on November 2nd, except it’ll cost $4.99.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a newly revealed tactical RPG from Firaxis Games that was just announced at Gamescom’s opening night event.

A screenshot from Saints Row. | Image: Volition

As teased by Geoff Keighley last week, Saints Row is the next video game series to get a reboot. Developer Volition has announced that the newest title, which is just called Saints Row, is scheduled to be released on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, and PC on February 25th, 2022.

Wind turbines in front of a coal-fired power plant on the outskirts of the new city area of Yumen, Gansu province, China, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. | Wind turbines in front of a coal-fired power plant on the outskirts of the new city area of Yumen, Gansu province, China, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.

As people ventured out from their pandemic cocoons this year, they gobbled up more electricity than they did before COVID-19 shut the world down. But there still isn’t enough clean energy to meet rising demand... Читать дальше...

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Nvidia’s RTX 30-series graphics cards are next to impossible to find in stock, but Best Buy is offering PC gamers an opportunity to buy one on Thursday, August 26th. Select store locations will have stock, and if you find your local store on this page by using the drop-down options, it’ll be among the locations getting some GPUs for Thursday’s restock.

The latest version of August’s lock is smaller and more discreet. | Photo: August

August’s latest Wi-Fi Smart Lock is on a special discount today through Wellbots. This small, discreet smart lock is on sale in both black and gray colorways for $199, and you can use promo code VERGE20 to take an additional $20 off the sale price while supplies last. This brings the Alexa-enabled August lock down to a new historic low price of $179, which is an exceptional deal for an app-connected smart... Читать дальше...

Gamescom is usually the biggest in-person video games conference, but it’s happening virtually for the second year straight due to the pandemic. That may be disappointing to people who wanted to go to Cologne, Germany, but the online presentation makes it a lot easier for viewers at home to see all of the highlights. Geoff Keighley’s two-hour-long Opening Night Live event is focused on doing just that, providing new Gamescom game announcements, trailers, and guest appearances.

Wing, the drone delivery company operated by Google-parent Alphabet, is about to rack up 100,000 deliveries. The company says it will pass the threshold in the next few days, a significant milestone for a technology that has nevertheless yet to prove its utility at scale.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge | Photo by Vivian Zink/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

A Verge investigation shows how going exclusive stunted Rogan’s power

Otter.ai is available on iOS, Android, and via the web. | Image: Otter.ai

Otter.ai is one of our favorite transcription tools thanks to the accuracy of its machine learning-generated notes. If you’re a paying user, you can also use its Otter Assistant feature to plug into your calendar and automatically join and transcribe meetings even if you’re not there. Previously, Otter Assistant only worked with Zoom meetings, but today the company is expanding it to integrate with Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Cisco Webex meetings. Читать дальше...

Fitbit’s new Charge 5 in gold. | Image: Fitbit

It costs $179.95 and will be out this fall

“Project Windless” concept art. | Image: Krafton

Krafton’s ‘Project Windless’ is still in its earliest stages

Illustration by Claudia Chinyere Akole

Viral fame, IRL customers

Image: Alex Castro / The Verge

In an abrupt tweet, video and image sharing site OnlyFans announced a reversal of the shocker announcement that it would ban sexually explicit content. In a statement to The Verge, a spokesperson said “The proposed October 1st, 2021 changes are no longer required due to banking partners’ assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators.”

Halo Infinite, the next game in Microsoft’s long-running franchise, will launch on December 8th. The date appeared on the Microsoft Store today and will likely be officially confirmed later today during the opening of Gamescom. A source familiar with Microsoft’s plans tells The Verge that December 8th is accurate.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Activision Blizzard’s leaders have promised to work to make the company a safe place for women to work — but California has now accused the company of illegally “withholding and suppressing evidence” and shredding documents that it requested for its investigation (via Axios). California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) originally filed the suit in July, which accused the company of creating a frat-like culture where female employees... Читать дальше...

Alaska Airlines airplanes. | Image: Alaska Airlines

A cell phone caught fire in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines flight that had landed in Seattle from New Orleans on Monday evening. The phone was a Samsung Galaxy A21, Perry Cooper, a spokesperson for the Port of Seattle, told The Seattle Times.