Tag: Play

Categories
Business Industry

Galaxy phones start getting April 2024 Google Play System update

[ad_1]

Last updated: April 23rd, 2024 at 12:47 UTC+02:00

Google’s April 2024 Play System update is now rolling out for Samsung Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S24 flagship lineup. The latter, as you might remember, was a bit late to receive the January 2024 Google Play System update a couple of months ago, but now it appears to be back on track with the schedule.

Google started rolling out the April 2024 Play System update a few days ago, on April 17. Now, you can download it on your Samsung Galaxy phone by opening the Settings app, accessing “About Phone,” tapping “Software information,” followed by “Google Play System update.”

You will then need to wait for the phone to finish checking whether a new Play System update is available for download. Assuming the new update reached your phone, it will install it and reboot.

Once done, you should access the Play System update menu again and double-check if everything is up to date, seeing how Galaxy phone users have sometimes received “fake” Play System updates in a loop due to a bug.

We tested the new update’s availability using a Galaxy S24+, and it all worked as expected. The phone now runs the April 2024 Play System update, as seen in the screenshot above.

As to what new features this update brings, Google’s changelog is a bit sparse. It only mentions a change for the Google Phone app, claiming that “With this new feature, you’ll be able to connect with your contacts immediately after you set up your new phone.”

An April 2024 Play service update also appears to have landed on Wear OS devices. The changelog states that supervised users will now be able to use a new dashboard to view parental control settings. We tried downloading the April 2024 Play System update on a Galaxy Watch 5 but had no success. It could start rolling out at a later date.

All in all, your mileage as far as the availability of the April 2024 Play System update will differ based on your location, Galaxy phone, and other factors. Nevertheless, you can always check for these types of updates manually using the steps we described above.

[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
Featured

Google adds biometric verification to Play Store to keep your in-store wallet safe

[ad_1]

Google has been emailing Android users about an update to the Play Store allowing you to enable biometric verification for purchases. We got the message over the weekend buried in our inbox. It states users can set fingerprint or facial recognition on the digital storefront as long as they have a mobile device that supports the technology. Once set up, “you’ll be asked to verify it’s you with biometrics” every time you buy something on the platform. 

We can confirm the update is live as it appeared on our phone. To turn it on, open the Play Store app then tap Settings near the bottom. Expand Purchase Verification and toggle the switch to activate Biometric Verification. The storefront will then ask you to type in your password to confirm the setting change. 

[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
Entertainment

Prime members can play Fallout 3 and New Vegas on Luna for the next six months

[ad_1]

Fallout games are having a moment in the wake of glowing reviews for the new TV series adaptation on Prime Video. Amazon has added two of the series’ best games as freebies for Prime members on Luna, its cloud streaming service. Fallout 4 is also getting some love, as Bethesda said it will drop the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S update for the 2015 game on April 25.

Amazon Prime members can play Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas on Amazon Luna for the next six months at no extra charge. Like other cloud streaming services, Luna requires a stable and low-latency internet connection since the games you play are processed on remote servers. Amazon recommends a network that can sustain at least 10Mbps for 1080p quality. An ethernet connection works best, but if you’re on Wi-Fi, using the 5GHz band is preferable if your router supports it.

They join Fallout 76, already announced as an Amazon Prime Gaming free game for April. As long as you claim it this month, you can download and keep it forever. It’s redeemable for both Xbox and PC. In addition, the game has a free-play week for all platforms. From Thursday through April 18, you can play Fallout 76 for free on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. You only need to download the game and sign in with a Bethesda account.

Promotional screenshot for the next-gen console update for Fallout 4. Two (blue-suit-wearing) people stand armed with guns in a video game wasteland. Crumbling buildings and a desert landscape in the background.Promotional screenshot for the next-gen console update for Fallout 4. Two (blue-suit-wearing) people stand armed with guns in a video game wasteland. Crumbling buildings and a desert landscape in the background.

Bethesda

The long-delayed big console update for Fallout 4 finally arrives for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on April 25. The “next-gen” (now current-gen, if we’re being technical) version lets you choose between Performance and Quality modes for prioritizing speed or spectacle. It also supports 60fps and higher resolutions alongside stability improvements and bug fixes. The stability fixes will also arrive in a Fallout 4 update for PS4 and Xbox One consoles to provide a more dependable experience for older hardware users.

The Fallout TV series is damn good — and possibly the second-best gaming adaptation behind The Last of Us. The show starts with a bang and reels you in with magnetic characters and alluring visuals. “Fallout is more than just a video game adaptation,” Engadget’s Sam Rutherford wrote in his review. “It’s a really good show in its own right — an apocalyptically good one at that.”

Fallout is now streaming on Prime Video. It stars Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) as Lucy, Aaron Clifton Moten (Father Stu) as Maximums, Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) as Hank and the scene-stealing master of ornery characters, Walton Goggins (Justified), as The Ghoul.

This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.

[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
Featured

EA Play subscriptions will receive a price hike in May

[ad_1]

Electronic Arts has announced that it will be increasing the cost of its EA Play subscription service next month.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, beginning on May 10 the EA Play standard tier will increase from $4.99 / £3.99 per month to $5.99 / £5.99, while the annual package will rise from $29.99 / £19.99  to $39.99 / £35.99.

[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
Business Industry

Google Play Store bug makes it harder to reach your app updates

[ad_1]

Last updated: April 10th, 2024 at 04:58 UTC+02:00

The Google Play Store app on Android phones and tablets is experiencing a weird bug, which may annoy you if you frequently check for app and game updates. On some phones, the app shortcut to see your installed apps disappears in certain scenarios.

Google Play Store bug for My Apps shortcut

As spotted by 9To5Google, the Google Play Store is experiencing a bug on Android phones and tablets. The My Apps app shortcut, which is used to see currently installed apps and available app updates, sometimes disappears, making it harder to access your apps and app updates. You can see one such instance in the screenshot (on the left) below.

There’s a workaround to get the My Apps shortcut back. Click on the App Info shortcut and navigate to Play Store » Storage & Cache » Clear Storage. However, with this workaround, you must again set purchase authentication. So, that’s additional work that might annoy you.

Hopefully, Google knows about this bug and will release a fix for this issue. Keep an eye out for an update to the Google Play Store app on your Galaxy smartphone or tablet. You can check for the update by navigating to Settings » About » Update Play Store.

[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
Business Industry

Google Play Store making it easier to access search

[ad_1]

Last updated: March 25th, 2024 at 11:45 UTC+01:00

Google is finally giving some attention to the UI on its stock apps. It is bringing a unified look and feel to its apps and ecosystem of products. An upcoming design change to the Google Play Store will make it easier to access search within the app.

Google Play Store gets Search option on the bottom bar

In December 2023, Google started testing the placement of the search icon on the bottom bar of the Play Store app. Now, the new placement seems to be going live for some Android users. Some Galaxy users might be able to see this change when they open the Google Play Store the next time. It certainly makes accessing the search screen easier, as it now sits closer to your fingers.

Google Play Store Search Bottom Bar Test March 2024

With this change, there are now five icons on the bottom bar of the Play Store. Earlier, there were four icons: Games, Apps, Offers, and Books. However, when you access the new search option, it takes you to a new screen where the search bar is at the top, making this whole change a bit strange. This screen also displays search suggestions and trending app and game searches from around the world.

This new design is visible with the latest version of Google Play Store (version 40.1.19-31), but not everyone would have received it by now. It might take a few weeks before this design change appears on your device.

[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
Featured

Dell monitors: for work and play

[ad_1]

A good PC monitor is like a good pair of glasses – until you try it, you don’t realise how much you need it. That’s equally true whether you’re creating presentations for college or the board, fragging enemies across alien worlds, browsing online shopping sites, or streaming the latest blockbuster in 4K.

Whatever your need, Dell and its subsidiary Alienware have plenty of monitors that will suit you.

Ahead of the curve

Dell

(Image credit: Dell)

Both Dell and Alienware make curved monitors, to keep you immersed in whatever you’re doing. The curved design gives it a wraparound feel, which is helped by the 21:9 aspect ratio, making it wider and less tall than the traditional 16:9. Get lost in imaginary worlds, zero in on the financial details, lap up every pixel of your holiday photos – it’s all made easier by the curved design.

[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
Computers

GameScent Wants You to Smell the Gunfire While You Play Video Games

[ad_1]

Burnt rubber and gunfire are not the most pleasing of smells, but for action games, they might be the most common. At least, that’s true for GameScent, a new device that aims to make gaming more immersive by adding smell to the equation.

GameScent, which dropped late last month to a bit of fanfare and some snickering, uses an adapter and an app on your phone to capture audio while you play. It then feeds those audio cues into the company’s “innovative AI,” which then triggers certain smells.

It’s a hexagonal device, compatible with most consoles, PCs, and virtual reality setups, built to hold six different aromas at a time. At launch, those smells are called gunfire, explosion, forest, storm, racing cars, and clean air—perhaps the most important, as it’s intended to neutralize whatever odors may linger.

“We feel like we are adding the missing link, if you will, to gaming, which is the use of olfaction,” says GameScent president Casey Bunce. Future scents the company intends to release include ocean, sports arena, and—perhaps troublingly—blood.

Bunce says that the device’s launch scents—which I’d argue are not the most aromatically pleasing lineup—were largely decided based on requests from gamers. They wanted smells to go along with action or horror games, thus all the explosions and gore.

GameScent atomizer without the lid

Courtesy of GameScent

Those smells can be strong. During a demo of the GameScent at this week’s Game Developers Conference, the device, paired up with Far Cry 6, dutifully pumped out the smell of carnage and burning rubber. It’s set to a two-minute timer, meaning it won’t create a complete haze over your room every time you get into a gunfight—but it’s still better to place the unit far from your gaming perch, rather than sit near it. While its tamer options like forest are nice in a Febreeze sort of way, anyone sensitive to smell, like myself, might get a headache after a few whiffs of car stink.

GameScent’s creators say they hope to release an additional 30-40 scents in the coming year, making it easier for players to customize what they’d like their experience to smell like.

The company’s products are largely made of essential oils, which you can easily pick up at the store. When I asked what’s to stop me from dumping in, for example, my own lavender oils, a rep for GameScent told me “honestly, it would probably work. Look, you might end up clogging the thing and then you just take it out and flush it out with water.” To keep essential oil enthusiasts from using their own smells, the company plans to work with its community through an “insider’s club,” which will take feedback into account.

That being said, GameScent doesn’t plan to supply every user’s demand. “We get a lot of like—you know, X-rated requests,” Bunce says. “Very strange requests.”

[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
Bisnis Industri

Stars come out to play circa 1969 in new comedy ‘Palm Royale’

[ad_1]

How’s this for a comedy premise: A character played by Saturday Night Live alum Kristen Wiig strives to break into Palm Beach’s jet set in 1969. Now add a star-studded ensemble cast including Laura and Bruce Dern, Carol Burnett and Ricky Martin, and Palm Royale has real potential.

The series is now available on the Apple TV+ streaming service .

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

New comedy series Palm Royale, set in 1969 Palm Beach, features a star-studded cast

Emmy and Oscar nominee Kristen Wiig created plenty of funny characters on Saturday Night Live and in movies like Bridesmaids. Now she appears as Maxine Simmons in new Apple TV+ comedy series Palm Royale, set in upscale Palm Beach, Florida, in 1969.

Notable cast of characters

Carol Burnett in Palm Royale on Apple TV+
Carol Burnett appears in “Palm Royale.”
Photo: Apple

As Apple TV+ noted, the series is loaded with talent, some of it truly legendary, like Bruce Dern and Carol Burnett:

Oscar and Emmy winners Laura Dern and Allison Janney join Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae Robinson, Mindy Cohn, Julia Duffy and Kaia Gerber. With extra special guest star turns by the legendary Bruce Dern and the iconic, multiple-award winning Carol Burnett.

Based on a popular book

Laura Dern in Palm Royale on Apple TV+
Laura Dern and her dad are also in this thing.
Photo: Apple

And here’s the story, based on the novel Mr. and Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel:

Palm Royale is a true underdog story that follows Maxine Simmons (Wiig) as she endeavors to break into Palm Beach high society. As Maxine attempts to cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have-nots, Palm Royale asks the same question that still baffles us today: “How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to get what someone else has?” Set during the powder keg year of 1969, Palm Royale is a testament to every outsider fighting for their chance to truly belong.

Apple Studios produces the show, with Abe Sylvia serving as writer, executive producer and showrunner. Laura Dern, Jayme Lemons Wiig, Katie O’Connell Marsh, Tate Taylor, John Norris, Sharr White and Sheri Holman serve as executive producers. Taylor, Sylvia, Claire Scanlon and Stephanie Laing direct the show.

Watch it on Apple TV+

Ricky Martin in Palm Royale on Apple TV+.
Pop star Ricky Martin also appears in the show.
Photo: Apple

Palm Royale debuted on Apple TV+ with its first three episodes on March 20, 2024. These will be followed by a new episode each Wednesday through May 8.

Watch on Apple TV

Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

After first airing in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 299 wins and 1,451 award nominations and counting,” the service said.

Those include multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy Ted Lasso and historic Oscar Best Picture winner CODA.

This article was first published December 12, 2023. It was updated March 20, 2024 with the release of Palm Royale.

Source: Apple



[ad_2]

Source Article Link

Categories
News

Millennia game demo available to play until February 12th

Millennia game demo

Paradox Interactive, a well-known publisher in the gaming industry, has recently unveiled a demo for their latest project, “Millennia,” crafted by the talented team at C Prompt Games. This new title is a turn-based strategy game that stands out for its unique blend of historical accuracy and imaginative scenarios. It allows players to delve into a world where they can rewrite history, offering a fresh and engaging experience for strategy enthusiasts.

At the heart of “Millennia” is the challenge of leading a civilization through the twists and turns of time. Players are given the power to make critical decisions that will shape their civilization’s destiny. The game is designed to provide a customizable journey, where the choices you make have a lasting impact on the world you’re building. Whether you’re following the footsteps of history or charting a new course, your strategic prowess will determine the legacy of your civilization.

One of the most intriguing aspects of “Millennia” is its structure, which is divided into ten distinct Ages. Each Age presents its own set of challenges and opportunities, pushing players to adapt their strategies as they progress. Advancing through the Ages unlocks new technologies, units, and buildings, which can significantly alter the course of your civilization’s development. This dynamic progression system ensures that no two playthroughs are the same, providing a rich and varied gaming experience.

Adding to the game’s depth is the National Spirits system, a feature that allows players to further customize their gameplay. This system offers unique technology trees that reflect the strengths and cultural attributes of your nation. Whether you’re aiming to dominate through military power or thrive through trade and diplomacy, the National Spirits system gives you the tools to steer your nation in the direction that best suits your style of play.

However, the path to success in “Millennia” is not just about military conquest or technological advancement. A strong economy is essential to support your ambitions. Players must carefully manage their resources to ensure that their economy can back up their military strategies. The game challenges you to strike a balance between production and consumption, fostering a thriving nation that is ready to face any challenge.

For those eager to dive into this world, the “Millennia” demo offers a taste of what the full game has in store. The demo is available to the public and provides access to the game up to the third Age, with a limit of 60 turns. It’s a single-player experience, currently available in English, and serves as an excellent opportunity for players to get acquainted with the game’s mechanics. Paradox Interactive is actively seeking feedback and bug reports through the game’s forum, which will help them polish “Millennia” to perfection.

The demo of “Millennia” is more than just a preview; it’s a chance for players to immerse themselves in a strategic adventure that promises to captivate and challenge. With its innovative features and the potential for endless replayability, “Millennia” is poised to become a favorite among those who love to strategize and shape history. If you’re a fan of strategy games, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss. Join the ranks of early players and help shape the future of “Millennia” by trying out the demo today.

Filed Under: Gaming News, Top News





Latest timeswonderful Deals

Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, timeswonderful may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.