Technology - Google News

Apple Arcade update adds 30+ games: Fantasian, Threes, Mini Metro, NBA 2K21 and more - Polygon
Exclusive look inside the US supersonic presidential jet - CNN
PS5 bundles are in stock at GameStop [UPDATE: Sold Out] - The Verge

Apple Arcade update adds 30+ games: Fantasian, Threes, Mini Metro, NBA 2K21 and more - Polygon

Posted: 02 Apr 2021 07:26 AM PDT

Apple's game subscription service, Apple Arcade, received a massive injection of new content on Friday, including Fantasian by Mistwalker, World of Demons by PlatinumGames, NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition, and a new golf game from the developer of Sony's Hot Shots Golf series.

More than 30 games have been added to Apple Arcade, bringing the catalog to more than 180 titles. The lineup includes Apple Arcade Originals like NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition, a new version of 2K's basketball sim; Star Trek: Legends, which lets players build a custom bridge crew from 40 classic characters; and The Oregon Trail, a "modern twist on the trials and tribulations of the road to Oregon."

More Originals are available, including the Final Fantasy-inspired Fantasian, PlatinumGames' long-awaited action game World of Demons, Wonderbox: The Adventure Maker, Clap Hanz Golf, and Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat.

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Finally, Apple is bringing a long list of mobile game classics and standards to Apple Arcade, including Monument Valley, Threes!, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja, and Mini Metro. Fans of classic puzzle games (and modern remixes of classic puzzle games) also have Good Sudoku, FlipFlop Solitaire, Really Bad Chess, Backgammon, and Tiny Crossword to look forward to on Apple Arcade, starting today.

The full list of new Apple Arcade games is available in Apple's announcement.

Apple Arcade is available for $4.99 per month, and its games are playable on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. Apple Arcade is also included as part of Apple One's Individual ($14.95), Family ($19.95), and Premier ($29.95) monthly subscription plans.

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Exclusive look inside the US supersonic presidential jet - CNN

Posted: 02 Apr 2021 03:05 AM PDT

Exosonic was handed a contract by the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate (PE) after impressing the military with its concept for a low-boom supersonic Mach 1.8 twinjet.

Now CNN Travel has had an exclusive look inside the cabin interior of the executive transport plane designed to carry the US Executive Branch's distinguished visitors (DVs).

It's a 31-passenger derivative of Exosonic's 70-passenger commercial airliner concept and is the ultimate in business jets -- luxury leather, oak and quartz fittings, private suites for work and rest, and all at cruise times twice that of existing aircraft.

The functions of presidential craft varies according to need, but this plane might primarily be used as Air Force Two, which is the call sign for jets carrying the US vice president.

New technologies

"With this concept we are planning to implement new technologies that are not available today or that you don't (yet) see on commercial or business aircraft," says Stephanie Chahan, Exosonic's principal aircraft interior designer, as she leads CNN on a virtual walk-through.

The first of two private suites is the three-passenger meeting room, with secure video teleconferencing so distinguished visitors can work, go online, or address the press.

The rotatable seats are leather with wooden shells and the video monitor is capable of being stored in a rolled position so there is space on the credenza sideboard for food platters or presentation equipment.

"So whether they're flying the vice president or the first lady, or the first gentleman, we'd have a lot of flexibility here," says Chahan.

Exosonic design for supersonic plane for US Executive Branch

The 3D rendering, as seen by CNN on a virtual walk-through, was completed by Calfornia-based Prime Studios.

Courtesy Exosonic

Low-booom supersonic flight

The second eight-passenger suite has lie-flat seats and adjustable table heights and it's where senior staffers can work collaboratively and rest.

Then there's the main cabin with 20 business-class seats, plus two galleys, two lavatories and plenty of stowage space.

Following the trend in modern aircraft design, the seatbacks have spaces for holding personal electronic devices rather than traditional seat-back monitors.

"The cabin design was inspired by the US Executive Branch and its mission and values, as well as the peregrine falcon, renowned for its speed -- both by its movement and by its beautiful look," says Chahan.

Exosonic's plane boasts a 5,000-nautical-mile range and, thanks to boom-softening techniques, it should be able to fly overland at almost twice the speed of sound without upsetting residents down below.

"The future for global rapid passenger travel is low-boom supersonic flight," says Exosonic's CEO, Norris Tie. "Low boom allows travelers to fly at supersonic speeds without generating disruptive booms for those on the ground."

Mach 1.8 is around 1,381 miles per hour (2,222 kilometers), which is more than twice the typical cruising speed of a long-distance commercial craft.

Tie tells CNN that the company expects its supersonic plane to be flying by the mid-2030s.

Exosonic's executive transport jet should hit the skies by the mid-2030s.

Courtesy Exosonic

USAF investments

Exosonic isn't the only aviation trailblazer to receive investment from the US Air Force.

Atlanta-based Hermeus Corporation is working on a hypersonic 20-seater that promises to deliver passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes.

Last year, it partnered with the US Air Force and PE to develop its Mach 5 craft in order to support the presidential and executive fleet, and this March Hermeus announced that it was teaming up with NASA too.

Hypersonic travel is generally regarded as reaching speeds of Mach 5 or above, or five times the speed of sound. Hermeus successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in February last year.

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PS5 bundles are in stock at GameStop [UPDATE: Sold Out] - The Verge

Posted: 02 Apr 2021 06:04 AM PDT

Update April 2nd, 2021: 9:47AM ET: GameStop has sold all of the stock available for its three PS5 bundles.

If you have been keeping up with PS5 news, you will know that it is nearly impossible to find this console right now because of the short supply and mostly online-only sales. If you don't mind buying a bundle, which includes additional items alongside the PS5, GameStop has restocked several PS5 bundles right now.

There are two bundles we found that may be worth a buy if you are interested in what each package contains.

The PS5 Digital Edition bundle — which includes the console, plus one-year subscriptions for PS Plus and PS Now, an extra DualSense controller, and a $20 GameStop gift card — is selling for $600, or about $200 more than the console alone goes for. Purchasing all of these items individually would tally up to the same $600, so you're not forced into a marked-up price.

The second bundle costs $730. At that price, it nets you one PS5 with a disc drive, two $70 games (Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Launch Edition and Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War), an extra DualSense controller, and a $20 GameStop gift card. Normally, all this stuff would retail for roughly $720 before tax, so there is a small price increase if you were to buy these items separately.

There is also a third bundle up for sale today at GameStop. For $760, you get the following: a PS5 console, which includes the disc drive; three games (Marvel's Avengers, Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Launch Edition, and Hitman 3), an extra controller, plus a $20 gift card to GameStop. Adding up all these items together separately retails for about the same, so there's no price gouging going on here, assuming you want all of these add ons.

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