Technology news

The first major E3 2019 keynote kicked things off with a bang. With Sony absent from the show, Microsoft used the opportunity to make a number of big announcements, including detailing its next Xbox, called Project Scarlett, as well as providing release dates and trailers for much-anticipated games like Halo Infinite and Gears 5. We also got a new Elite controller, a surprise Blair Witch game, and a whole lot more.
If you weren’t able to catch the press conference live, here’s all t

Master Chief has been revived and he's ready to fight in Halo Infinite.
Xbox revealed a new trailer for Halo Infinite at its E3 press conference Sunday, moments after teasing its next-gen hardware currently being called Project Scarlett. Xbox's executive VP Phil Spencer announced that Halo Infinite will usher in the new era just as the first Halo brought in the first Xbox. 
In Halo Infinite, it look like Chief has been rescued but Cortana is still gone and the Halo ringworld has been terrib

A Song of Ice and Fire may still need wrapping up, but author George R.R. Martin is already consulting on new stories — the latest, in the world of gaming.
Debuted as part of Xbox's 2019 E3 briefing on Sunday in Los Angeles, Elden Ring is a new action role-play game from Martin, the story's consultant, and From Software president Hidetaka Miyazaki. The game is set to reimagine Norse mythology, following Viking lore.
Based on the heavy, tense, and totally rad trailer, combining Martin'

Microsoft has been teasing its project xCloud game streaming service since October, and we’re now starting to hear more details on how it will work. After a brief demo back in March, Microsoft is now allowing E3 attendees to get a first look at the service — which will get a preview in October.
“Two months ago we connected all Xbox developers to Project xCloud,” says Xbox chief Phil Spencer. Now, the console streaming service will “turn your Xbox One into your own

Microsoft first teased its new Halo Infinite game at E3 last year, and it’s back again this year to provide some more glimpses of Master Chief in action. Halo Infinite appears to be an open-world version of Halo, and last year’s teaser showed Master Chief slotting what might be Cortana into the back of his helmet.
Microsoft is revealing that Halo Infinite will launch alongside the company’s next-generation console, codenamed Project Scarlett. During a teaser trailer, an engine

Microsoft is revealing the first details about its next-generation Xbox hardware today. Rumors suggested Microsoft would launch two new Xbox consoles in 2020, with one designed to be the equivalent of the current Xbox One X and the other, the Xbox One S. We’re now starting to get more information on the next high-end Xbox console, codenamed Project Scarlett.
Microsoft is including a custom designed CPU based on AMD’s Zen 2 and Radeon RDNA architecture, and it’s promising this

Phantasy Star Online 2, one of the most popular PC games, will be available stateside on the Xbox One in 2020. It will also be free, Xbox head Phil Spencer announced today.Developer and publisher Sega first launched Phantasy Star Online 2 in 2012 in Japan. It was then ported to the PlayStation Vita in 2013, PlayStation 4 in 2016, and Nintendo Switch in 2018. The game has only been available to purchase in Japan, but conversations have been underway since 2017 to bring the game to Xbox players i

Phantasy Star Online 2, one of the most popular PC games, will be available stateside on the Xbox One in 2020. It will also be free, Xbox head Phil Spencer announced today.Developer and publisher Sega first launched Phantasy Star Online 2 in 2012 in Japan. It was then ported to the PlayStation Vita in 2013, PlayStation 4 in 2016, and Nintendo Switch in 2018. The game has only been available to purchase in Japan, but conversations have been underway since 2017 to bring the game to Xbox players i

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin is working with Dark Souls studio FromSoftware on a brand new game called Elden Ring, it was confirmed today at Microsoft’s E3 2019 keynote.
A teaser trailer for the game played during Microsoft’s E3 press conference. The trailer teased some beautiful cinematic work, but there wasn’t much gameplay to note. Rumors about the game leaked last week, making fantasy genre-loving fans very happy.FromSoftware has produced some of the most crit

United Technologies aerospace division will officially merge with defense contractor Raytheon to form a new company called Raytheon Technologies Corporation next year. Word of the deal was first reported by The Wall Street Journal this morning.The deal will see United Technologies, which produces airplane components and is made up of Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney, merge with Raytheon, which manufactures everything from missiles to communications equipment for the military. The deal

It's not Gears of War anymore. Just call it Gears 5.
The Coalition's next entry in the classic Xbox series is set to arrive on Sept. 10. There's a bit of the old (Horde mode!), a bit of the new (something called Escape!), and a nifty pre-order bonus that inserts a killer robot from Terminator: Dark Fate into the game for some (awesome) reason.
A new trailer highlights Gears 5's Escape mode, a fast-paced way to play that like an inverse of Horde mode: instead of defending, you're constantly movin

Microsoft is launching a new version of its popular Xbox Elite controller today at E3 2019. It’s the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, and it has been totally reengineered according to Microsoft. There are new adjustable tension thumbsticks that can be adjusted using a tool to improve precision. The trigger grips have also been updated, alongside redesigned bumpers and shorter hair locks so you can fire faster. Even the paddles and thumbsticks have been overhauled for more customiz

Microsoft has announced a new installment of its long-running Microsoft Flight Simulator series. The new Flight Simulator, which was teased briefly at Microsoft’s E3 keynote, is powered by Microsoft’s Azure cloud artificial intelligence. There’s not a lot of detail beyond that — except that the trailer, captured in 4K video, looks gorgeous.
The hyper-detailed Microsoft Flight Simulator series has been running since the 1980s. Its last installment was the 2014 Microsoft F

There may only be one Blockbuster left in the world, but the memory of the video rental store lives on through a cute board game. 
'90s kids can still reminisce about bundling into their parents' minivan to stock up on weekend movies with the Blockbuster party game. Conveniently packaged in a VHS case, the game wants to "bring back the golden era of video rentals." 
According to the game's description, the Blockbuster party game combines charades with movies. Players go head to head ac

Remember The Blair Witch Project, that viral horror sensation that made waves before social media was even a thing? Well, it's back. And it's an Xbox game.
Microsoft debuted a first look trailer for Blair Witch during its annual E3 press conference, and it's coming from Layers of Fear developer Bloober. We don't know much. It returns you to the Black Hills Forest, the site of the movie. There's a camcorder. Also, a dog. 
I fear for that dog. My heart already worries for what's going to happ

Xbox kicked off E3 2019 on Sunday, revealing a handful of new trailers and games for Xbox One and PC.
We've compiled some of the biggest trailers and news for you right here so you can check it all out in one convenient location. How kind of us.
The Outer WorldsThe newest trailer for The Outer Worlds gives us a much deeper look at the Wild West-style sci-fi game, coming Oct. 25 this year.
Ori and the Will of the WispsOri and the Will of the Wisps, coming Feb. 11 next year, looks absolutely gorge

The show might be over, but Game of Thrones fans thanked their favorite actors for their performances by raising over £100,000 — about $130,000 — for Emilia Clarke's SameYou, a charity that aids rehabilitation for brain injury patients. 
The fandom wasn't quiet about their disappointment in the show's final season — the subreddit r/freefolk dominated Reddit's front page with memes mocking the finale's plot holes and feel-good ending. 
Disgruntled fans from r/fre

The X-Men can't save everything — including their own movies.
Dark Phoenix, one of the most beloved storylines in the X-Men comic books, nonetheless debuted to a record low for the franchise this weekend. The film grossed just around $33 million at the domestic box office, compared to the 2016 opening of Deadpool, a spinoff, which grossed over $125 million opening weekend. Even The Wolverine debuted to $53 million in 2013.
The differences couldn't be more stark.
SEE ALSO: 'Dark Phoenix' me

There are a ton of podcasts out there, but finding the right one can be difficult. In our column Pod Hunters, we cover what we’ve been listening to that we can’t stop thinking about.
On Thursday, New Hampshire authorities held a press conference where they identified three victims who had been killed by a serial killer in the late 1970s or early 1980s. The case was the subject of New Hampshire Public Radio’s true crime podcast Bear Brook, and it played a small role in helping

The Powerbeats Pro are, in my immodest opinion, the best true wireless earphones yet. They have Apple’s latest and best wireless chip — the H1 that stars in the second-gen AirPods — and they offer great noise isolation, a secure fit, and some of the best audio quality from any wireless earbuds. iFixit has this week taken a closer look at the innards of these latest Beats earphones, prying apart the multiple logic boards and ribbon cable interconnects to show us how the magic i

Microsoft first unveiled its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription earlier this year, with access to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass games. While it was only in beta before, it looks like Microsoft is now launching this to everyone today with the big addition of PC games. That means for one single $14.99 monthly subscription you’ll get Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass for both Xbox and PC.
That’s a great deal if you play PC and Xbox games, as Xbox Game Pass has a number of differe

It's Pride Month, and rainbow flags are everywhere — even in places where they're prohibited from flying.
U.S. embassies have flown the Pride flag throughout the past decade. In 2011, the Obama administration actually directed embassies to celebrate LGBTQ pride in some form or fashion. Embassies would typically submit requests to their chief of mission/head ambassador to fly Pride flags outside their buildings, and their requests were historically approved.
Last year, Secretary of State Mi

Bethesda’s annual E3 showcase is almost here, with the company expected to show off more from Doom: Eternal (the sequel to 2016’s Doom announced last year) and Wolfenstein: Youngblood, the latest installment in the rebooted Nazi-killing franchise.
It’ll be hard for Bethesda to top last year’s conference, which saw the announcement of both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, but unfortunately, studio director Todd Howard has already confirmed that neither title will be sh

The United States could ease off its restrictions on embattled Chinese telecom Huawei, says US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, if the US and China make progress in coming up with a trade deal, according to Reuters.Mnuchin made the comments on Sunday, saying that “I think what the president is saying is, if we move forward on trade, that perhaps he’ll be willing to do certain things on Huawei if he gets comfort from China on that and certain guarantees. But these are national secu

This weekend, Quibi cofounders Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman appeared at this year’s Produced By Conference in California, and revealed when their forthcoming mobile-focused streaming service would launch: April 6th, 2020. When it does, it will come with two tiers: $4.99 with short ads, and $7.99 without them.Those price points put it below that of competitors like Netflix and Disney+, which range from $7 to $9 a month at their lowest tiers, something that could help the streaming se

With a new election comes new scrutiny of a pivotal campaign tool: the candidate's Insta feed.
Sure, Instagram may not make or break your candidacy, but quality social content can definitely help build support. It's a hard line to walk. You've got to be informative, engaging, and genuine, even though everyone knows you're there to sell yourself to voters. And not everyone pulls it off to great effect.
SEE ALSO: Instagram lets you see what it thinks you like, and the results are bizarre
There are

It can be difficult to find time to finish a video game, especially if you only have a few hours a week to play. In our biweekly column Short Play, we suggest video games that can be started and finished in a weekend.
The screenshot above contains the entirety of the game Pear Quest. It is both the whole island where the game takes place and your only view of the game itself. No matter where you are on the island, you can see every other part of it. This makes the whole place feel more alive an

After having five children in her just 17 years on earth, April the giraffe is ready to go on birth control.
The famous giraffe from Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York will also be moved to a barn where she'll be provided with senior care. Giraffes typically live up to 25 years in the wild and even more in captivity. Zookeepers were concerned that having another baby might negatively impact April's health.
April will still remain a popular exhibit at the zoo.
SEE ALSO: Femme birds,

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is giving fans plenty to be excited about this weekend — but nothing has us jumping up and down, scanning our environments, and crawling aboard Jedi shoulders quite like the introduction of BD-1.
The breakout star of Fallen Order's newly released trailer and 15-minute gameplay preview, both debuted as part of EA Play 2019, "Buddy Droid 1" is the cutest robot walking around this, or any, galaxy. (Note: BB-8 rolls and R2-D2 traversesCritical distinctions.)
"There

Defense contractor Raytheon is reportedly in advanced talks to merge with United Technologies, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The deal could be announced as early as Monday.Late last year, the WSJ reported that United Technologies was planning to split itself into three separate companies by 2020, selling off Otis Elevators and Carrier divisions in an effort to sharpen its focus in specific industries. These latest merger talks won’t impact those plans, and the paper sa

Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference couldn’t be more important for the company. Since the launch of the Xbox One in the fall of 2013, and technically even before it because of the console’s rocky unveiling that summer, Microsoft has been playing catch-up with its primary competitor Sony. That could change this year.Sony won’t be at E3 2019. The company is choosing to save its big reveals for next summer when it will likely announce the PlayStation 5 and deciding to give

E3 2019 kicks off next week, and with it comes an onslaught of game announcements, trailers, and news. Electronic Arts, Xbox, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Nintendo all have plans to showcase their upcoming projects, even before the show officially begins on Tuesday, June 11th.
The good news? It’ll all be streaming. Here’s how to watch and what to expect from each one.
Saturday, June 8th
EA Play
When: 9:15AM PT / 12:15PM ET
What: EA Play will be an all-day event, but it includ

Every day of Pride Month, Mashable will be sharing illuminating conversations with members of the LGBTQ community who are making history right now.It might sound reductive or even eking on offensive, but in his own words, Robert Yang makes "obscenely gay" art games.
By design, the homosexuality drips off the screen in his most well-known games, played by millions despite being indie, NSFW, and often banned by platforms like Twitch. Whether it's a game about "pleasuring a gay car" or a simulation

Microsoft has published its Xbox Game Pass for PC pricing ahead of the company’s E3 event later today. The subscription service will be available at $4.99 per month, with access to at least 10 games during the beta phase. Gears 5, which Microsoft lists as “coming soon,” is part of the Xbox Game Pass for PC, alongside titles like Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Microsoft appears to be launching the beta of the service today, priced at just $1 per month until it’s launc

A week from now will be Father's Day, so you better get moving if you haven't got him a gift yet. If your struggling with gift ideas, we've got your back, as we have picked out the best deals around.
Starting with this iPad Pro that usually retails for $799, but for a limited time only, you can save 15% off at Amazon, or upgrade his stone-age laptop with this Dell Inspiron 15 3000 Intel Core i5 laptop for $407.99 after coupon code. 
If he is into gaming, now is the perfect time to get him s

TL;DR: This beginner-friendly online class will teach you the ins and outs of data science, and it's on sale for just $9.99.In this gig economy era of side hustles and contractor positions that are really just full-time jobs sans health insurance, a profession that offers job stability, a decent base salary, and long-term career satisfaction can seem like a unicorn (but more rare).
And then there's data science. As companies spanning size and industry have grown to rely on big data analysis as p

TL;DR: You can get a lifetime subscription to the advanced FastestVPN bundle at a price you choose.It's common knowledge that you need to protect your internet connection when you surf the web. You don't need a complicated mess of anti-virus solutions, anti-malware products, and industrial-grade VPNs, though. 
Something like The FastestVPN bundle makes it easy to keep your data safe from hackers, spies, and viruses: it includes a lifetime subscription to FastestVPN and Cylance Smart Antivir

TL;DR: Learn how to become a game developer with the eight-course Zero to Hero HTML5 Game Developer Bundle on sale for 97% off.For some, gaming is life. (Xbox body wash, anyone?) If that includes you, why not make it your primary source of income, too?
An online course is a great way to test the waters and you'll definitely know if game creation is the path for you after completing the Zero to Hero HTML5 Game Developer Bundle. It packs enough educational content to train you to build immersive g