Technology - Google News

Nintendo Switch Sports feels like more than just a party game - The Verge
Apple Studio Display firmware update works again; may have been an embarrassing mistake - 9to5Mac
Sony and the Lego family bet big on the 'metaverse' with $2 billion investment in Epic Games - CNBC

Nintendo Switch Sports feels like more than just a party game - The Verge

Posted: 11 Apr 2022 06:00 AM PDT

Nintendo Switch Sports, the follow-up to the wildly popular Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort announced in February, is more imaginative than its boring name might imply. While those Wii titles served as tech demos, of sorts, for Nintendo's at-the-time new motion controls and Mii characters, Switch Sports feels more like a full game, with more involved controls, better visuals, and a post-launch plan for online modes and in-game cosmetics.

Each mini-game looks gorgeous, with detailed venues and more expressive avatars to play as (for those who are curious, you can still use the older Miis on your console, if you really want to get into that Wii Sports mindset). I got to play each of Nintendo Switch Sports six mini-games during my hour-long hands-on: bowling, soccer, badminton, tennis, volleyball, and chambara sword dueling (golf will arrive later in 2022 in a free update).

There are several modes and multiplayer options for each mini-game, whether you intend to play with people on the couch or online with a Nintendo Switch Online account. Bowling — a favorite mini-game among many — has received some welcome updates. If you're playing with people locally or online, multiple people can bowl simultaneously to speed things up instead of going one by one. There's also a new online mode that's effectively a battle royale bowling mode, where you'll be knocked out if you don't keep your score high enough.

All of the sports require you to swing a Joy-Con to correspond with the gesture you'd make in the real-life sport. Soccer is the exception, for now at least — I'll get to that in a second. The game works with Joy-Con to handle kicking, diving, sprinting, and running around. It actually plays like a full third-person soccer game, complete with a radial stamina bar, similar to the one in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. An update coming later this year will add support for the Joy-Con leg strap, allowing you to kick to shoot the ball.

There's a $49.99 physical version of the game that will include the leg strap, while the company will sell the accessory separately for $9.99 for those who may want to pick up a $39.99 digital copy.

Cosmetics are new for Nintendo Switch Sports, and it's the angle that the company is using to reward returning players. It'll roll out weekly cosmetic drops that you can get only that week, and only by playing online. Some cosmetics can be worn throughout the game, while others are limited by sport (unique sword designs, new soccer balls, and goal animations, to name a few, are attainable).

For people who don't yet have a subscription to Switch Online, this might be the most alluring reason to subscribe yet. If you're offline, the game will give you just a couple of complimentary cosmetic items as a taste of what's hiding behind the paywall.

All of the mini-games capture what made the original titles into mainstay party games. The controls are approachable (and still surprisingly punishing if your timing is off), and both new and returning sports feel frantic and fun to play.

With anticipated titles on the horizon, like the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, and more, Switch Sports stands out as a release that taps into a different yet similarly successful time for the company. As it turns out, it's still a blast to play the one-off game that relies purely on motion controls instead of core controller-based gameplay. There's still no company better at making these kinds of games than Nintendo.

Nintendo Switch Sports will release on April 29th.

Correction: This article originally listed that the physical copy of Nintendo Switch Sports costs $39.99, while the digital version was $29.99 — both of which are incorrect. The post has now been updated to reflect that the physical edition costs $49.99, while the digital version costs $39.99. We regret the error.

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Apple Studio Display firmware update works again; may have been an embarrassing mistake - 9to5Mac

Posted: 11 Apr 2022 04:14 AM PDT

A problem updating the Apple Studio Display firmware has now been resolved, after multiple users reported an error message saying that it "could not be completed."

While it initially appeared this might simply be a server issue, it's now being suggested that the problem was due to an embarrassing mistake by Apple …

Background

Apple announced the $1,599 Studio Display a month ago.

The Studio Display measures 27-inches on the diagonal, with 5K display resolution. You can also get a nano-texture display option to minimise glare. The Studio display integrates an A13 chip to provide rich integration and features, including powering the speaker system and a Center Stage-enabled webcam.

However, it wasn't long before reviewers started complaining about the quality of that webcam.

It looks awful in good light, and downright miserable in low light [producing[ a grainy, noisy image with virtually no detail. I tried it in FaceTime, in Zoom, in Photo Booth, in QuickTime – you name it, it's the same sad image quality.

Apple promised this would be fixed in a software update, meaning a lot of people tried to install the first firmware update as soon as it was available. However, many of them were unable to do so, instead seeing an error message.

Apple Studio Display firmware update could not be completed. Try again in an hour. If the problem persists, contact an authorized Apple service provider.

Apple Studio Display firmware updates now work

The update to firmware version 15.4 now works – though it still doesn't solve the webcam image quality problem. Apple says that this will follow.

The reason for the firmware update failure was unknown, but Macworld suggests this may have been down to an embarrassing oversight by Apple – effectively forgetting that the Studio Display exists when launching iOS 15.4.1!

As it turns out, the root of the problem was Apple itself. On Friday, Apple stopped signing iOS 15.4 after it released iOS 15.4.1 on March 30. When Apple stops signing a version of an operating system, it becomes unavailable and devices can't install it. Since the Studio Display basically has the guts of an iPhone 11, it couldn't properly install version 15.4—and 15.4.1 isn't available for Studio Display.

As of Sunday night, Apple had fixed the issue by allowing 15.4 to be signed again.

While there's no official word from Apple, this explanation does fit the facts perfectly: Apple stopped signing 15.4; Studio Displays were unable to update; Apple signed 15.4 again; Studio Displays now update.

To update, you first need to ensure your Mac is updated to macOS 12.3.1, then go to System Preferences > Software Update.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

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Sony and the Lego family bet big on the 'metaverse' with $2 billion investment in Epic Games - CNBC

Posted: 11 Apr 2022 07:10 AM PDT

The Epic Games logo displayed on a smartphone.

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Fortnite creator Epic Games has raised $2 billion in funding from Sony and the Lego family, in a massive deal highlighting the excitement from big businesses about the so-called "metaverse."

Sony will inject $1 billion in the company, Epic announced Monday, while KIRKBI, the family-owned investment company behind Lego, will invest an equal amount. The deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions, would value Epic at $31.5 billion.

The news arrives hot on the heels of a partnership announced by Epic and Lego last week, aimed at co-developing a "family-friendly" metaverse for kids. Lego already has a successful line of video games based on lucrative franchises, including Disney's Star Wars and Warner Bros' Batman.

"A proportion of our investments is focused on trends we believe will impact the future world that we and our children will live in," Soren Thorup Sorensen, CEO of KIRKBI, said in a statement Monday.

"This investment will accelerate our engagement in the world of digital play, and we are pleased to be investing in Epic Games to support their continued growth journey, with a long-term focus toward the future metaverse."

Hype around the metaverse, a proposed network of vast virtual worlds, has taken the corporate world by storm lately. Facebook kicked off the trend by renaming itself Meta, and several big brands including JPMorgan, Samsung and Nike have begun experimenting with the technology.

However, companies like Epic and Roblox have long been talking about building a metaverse.

Epic's battle-royale game Fortnite lets up to 100 players fight it out to be the last one standing. But it's been branching out into other forms of entertainment, hosting music concerts from artists like Travis Scott and Marshmello, for example.

Roblox, meanwhile, wants to build a metaverse where millions of people can gather to play games or even work in a virtual economy fueled by Robux, its own in-app currency.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the fresh funds would help the company "accelerate our work to build the metaverse."

"As we reimagine the future of entertainment and play we need partners who share our vision. We have found this in our partnership with Sony and KIRKBI," Sweeney said in a statement.

While it's best known as the company behind Fortnite, Epic Games is a video game powerhouse. The company developed Unreal Engine, one of the biggest platforms used to create games, and operates its own online games store which competes with Microsoft and Valve.

The company has been at the center of a heated dispute between app developers and Apple over the latter's App Store fees. Last year, a judge ruled that Apple can no longer prevent developers from directing users away from Apple's own payment system. The tech giant typically takes a 15% to 30% cut from all in-app purchases.

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