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Starfield, the excellent Digipick puzzle game surrounded by 80 hours of sci-fi mediocrity, is getting a performance update on Xbox Series X that unlocks frame rates above 30 fps. Starfield's May update adds the option to target 30 fps, 40 fps, 60 fps or an uncapped frame rate for displays that support VRR running at 120hz. Displays without VRR will have the choice of 30 fps or 60 fps. The May update also includes the ability to prioritize visuals or performance at each frame rate target. Visuals mode means the game will do its best to maintain a high resolution and full detail in lighting, special effects and NPCs, while performance lowers the resolution and clarity of those same details. Of course, both modes adjust the game's base resolution alongside heavy on-screen action. Bethesda recommends performance mode when playing at 60 fps and above. For Xbox Series X players with 120hz VRR displays, Starfield's settings now default to 40 fps, prioritizing visuals. The May 1 display updates bring the Xbox Series X version of Starfield closer to its PC counterpart in terms of customization options. The Xbox Series S edition remains capped at 30 fps. This is the version I played when I reviewed Starfield last year, and while a frame rate upgrade won't make the game less bland, its combat scenes would definitely benefit from a boost to 40 fps, at least. It's a shame that the most popular Xbox Series console isn't seeing any frame rate love in today's update. Additionally in the May update, Starfield's surface maps have been overhauled in order to increase legibility on all platforms. The new design shows top-down 3D images of terrain, buildings, and objects like trees and rocks, which makes a lot of sense for, you know, a map. The original surface map tries to make landscapes out of white dots on a bright blue background, so this is a welcome improvement. The update also allows players to customize their difficulty options on the ground and in ship battles, and it adds navigation markers to the environment when walking around a planet. This is Bethesda's fourth and largest Starfield update since the game came out in September 2023. It's all scheduled to go live by May 15.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/explore-starfields-barren-planets-at-60-fps-on-xbox-series-x-starting-this-month-185653374.html?src=rss
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Sony just announced an interesting feature coming to the PS5 that should streamline the whole process of wrangling people into a multiplayer game. The new tool will let you invite people into a game even when they arent at a console or using the PlayStation app. The system generates a link, via the app, that can be shared anywhere online. When the recipient clicks the link, they will be able to hop into a multiplayer session. You dont even have to be friends. Easy peasy. That sure beats having to send out a lengthy numerical code (side-eyes Nintendo.) The obvious use case scenario here? You meet some people online via social media and want to jump into a game quickly, without having to pass usernames back and forth. Sony says youll be able to start playing together right away. The tool will also generate a QR code along with the link, which is something PS5 owners are already familiar with when it comes to multiplayer games. There are some caveats. This feature isnt coming until later in the year and its only for PS5 games. Sony also warns that some titles may require an update before everything works seamlessly. Of course, most PS5 games require a PlayStation Plus subscription to use multiplayer, and those subscriptions went up in price last year. Sony has even developed a custom live widget for multiplayer invites in Discord. When you share a link via Discord, the widget automatically refreshes to show whether or not a multiplayer session is active or not, so you wont jump into an empty lobby to watch tumbleweeds roll by. Just like the forthcoming invite tool, the Discord widget is only available for PS5 games. Sony Finally, the companys working on a related tool that will let people share their PlayStation Network profile on any messaging or social app by generating a link on the PlayStation app, similar to how the aforementioned feature will work. This is also coming later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-update-will-let-you-invite-people-to-multiplayer-games-through-your-smartphones-apps-184933903.html?src=rss
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Block appears to be squarely in the governments sights. Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York are reportedly probing extensive compliance lapses at the parent company of Square and Cash App. NBC News says a former Block employee has handed over documents to federal authorities, painting a picture of how the company failed to gather required risk-assessment information from customers and subsequently processed illegal transactions. The documents allegedly show that Block greenlit multiple crypto transactions involving known terrorist organizations. Furthermore, Square reportedly processed thousands of transfers involving nations under economic sanctions. From the ground up, everything in the compliance section was flawed, the whistleblower allegedly told NBC News. It is led by people who should not be in charge of a regulated compliance program. Most transactions allegedly involved credit cards, dollar transfers or Bitcoin and werent reported to the government as mandated by law. In addition, Block reportedly refused to correct company processes when notified of the breaches. The investigation follows a separate report from NBC News in February highlighting two different whistleblowers who flagged the same issues at Block. They cited questionable Cash App transactions with entities under sanction by the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, operations known to sell personal information and credit card data for illegal purposes, and offshore gambling sites barred to U.S. citizens. The practice allegedly spanned multiple years. NBC News says it reviewed around 100 pages of documents from the whistleblower involving people or organizations in countries under US sanctions, including Russia, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. Some of them were reportedly from as recent as 2023. Block The whistleblower claims Blocks management was aware of the alleged offenses. Its my understanding from the documents that compliance lapses were known to Block leadership and the board in recent years, Edward Siedle, a former SEC attorney representing the whistleblower, told NBC News. The whistleblower says that, besides senior management, Blocks board was told about the compliance issues. Coincidentally or not, several board members made unexpected exits recently, including former US treasury secretary Lawrence Summers, who resigned in February, and Sharon Rothstein, who had been on the board since 2022. Block told NBC News that they were leaving to devote more time to other activities and that their exits werent a result of any disagreements with the company on any matter relating to the companys operations, policies or practices. Federal authorities have taken a greater interest in modern financial platforms in recent years after at least some of them had become something of a Wild West. Of course, FTXs fraudulent practices and subsequent collapse led to a seismic decline in the cryptocurrency industry. Although it isnt clear if the feds have gotten involved, Elon Musks X (the husk of what was once Dorseys Twitter) reportedly violated US sanctions by accepting blue-check subscription payments from terrorist organizations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/block-reportedly-greenlit-transactions-involving-terrorist-groups-and-sanctioned-nations-181222712.html?src=rss
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The bad news? Its the beginning of the month, so rent is due. The good news? Sony just revealed the PlayStation Plus games lineup for May, and there are some serious standouts. The lineup includes Ghostrunner 2, Tunic, Destiny 2: Lightfall and EA Sports FC 24. Most of these games are available for both PS4 and PS5, except Ghostrunner 2 which is only for PS5 players. So lets start with Ghostrunner 2. Its a brutally difficult, yet consistently engaging, first-person slasher with a fast-paced traversal mechanic that recalls games like Mirrors Edge. You will die often, our reviewer died 164 times on one level, and you are likely to love every second of it. Perishing isnt that big of a deal, as there are checkpoints just about everywhere and you can respawn instantly with the press of a button. Its also a blast, offering a satisfying gameplay loop that's hard to walk away from. Tunic is somehow both critically-acclaimed and underrated. This top-down isometric adventure is an absolute gem, with gameplay that brings to mind old-school Zelda adventures. By old-school, we mean really old-school. Tunic is most similar to the very first Zelda game for the NES, as there are no objective markers, no towns filled with cute villagers and not much by way of a story. You are just plopped into the world and tasked with exploring. The puzzles are tough and the combat can be even tougher. Its nearly as polished as a Nintendo title and the protagonist is a cute fox. Whats not to love? EA Sports FC 24 is the latest entry in the companys flagship soccer series. There are more than 19,000 fully licensed players, 700 teams and 30 leagues, including the mens and womens UEFA Champions League. This is actually the first time in franchise history in which men and women can be on the pitch together. Thats pretty neat. It features crossplay with Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox One. Destiny 2: Lightfall is an expansion that adds grappling hooks to the games arsenal. Theres a new Darkness subclass called the Strand and plenty of updated perks, weapons, armor and more. Its also set in a neon metropolis, which is a nice change of pace. This was actually the first Destiny 2 expansion released after Sony bought Bungie. All of these games will be playable on May 7. Ghostrunner 2, Tunic and Destiny 2: Lightfall will be available for download until June 3, and EA Sports FC 24 until June 17. To that end, Aprils PS Plus games are about to hit the chopping block. You only have until May 6 to download Immortals of Aveum, Minecraft Legends and Skul: The Hero Slayer. May includes another treat for PS Plus subscribers. The sidescrolling Metroidvania Animal Well, the first game published by popular YouTuber Dunkey, is a day-one release on May 9. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mays-playstation-plus-games-include-ghostrunner-2-and-the-modern-classic-tunic-172000294.html?src=rss
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For better or (mostly) worse, the only way to fully increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a proprietary expansion card. Three and a half years into the consoles' lives, there remain only two official solutions: Seagate's Storage Expansion Card and the WD Black C50. It's a limiting situation, but if you're tired of deleting and reinstalling games to create space, versions of each card are at least a little cheaper than usual right now. The 1TB WD Black C50 is on sale for $125 at Amazon, while the 2TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card is down to $230 at Amazon and Best Buy. The former is $5 more than the lowest price we've ever seen, but it's still $25 off the card's usual street price. We'll note that Seagate's 1TB model has technically dropped as low as $90 a few times before, but those offers have typically sold out extremely fast; as of this writing, that drive costs $140. The discount on the 2TB Seagate card, meanwhile, matches the best price we've tracked. That one normally goes for $250. Since WD doesn't sell a 2TB card, it's also the highest-capacity option you can buy. Both of these discounts equal the prices we saw during Black Friday last year. To reiterate, these aren't great prices in the context of the wider storage market. Sony lets you upgrade the PlayStation 5 with a much wider range of traditional M.2 SSDs, almost all of which are available for significantly less per gigabyte. The top pick in our PS5 SSD buying guide, for instance, currently costs $90 for 1TB or $158 for 2TB. This is despite the fact that consumer SSD prices have generally increased over the past few months. If you own a recent Xbox, though, you don't have much choice. You can use a standard external drive to store Series X/S games or run backwards-compatible titles from the Xbox One and older consoles, but the only way to play current-gen games is via internal storage or one of these official cards. That said, the cards themselves are just about as fast as that internal SSD, and setting them up is a breeze: You simply plug the tiny device into the Xbox's expansion slot, and you're good to go. The sticker shock is the one major negative, but these discounts should lighten the load somewhat. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xbox-series-xs-storage-expansion-cards-from-wd-and-seagate-are-discounted-right-now-163525697.html?src=rss
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