Computing
The latest news and reviews of PCs, laptops, chips and accessories.
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Wyze security cameras can now double as work-from-home webcams
Group video chat software like Zoom, Skype and Google Duo let people connect and work during the coronavirus lockdown, but what if you don't have a webcam? Wyze has unveiled a new option by letting you transform your Wyze Cam v2 or Wyze Pan security cameras into webcams, as spotted by Zatz Not Funny.
'Fortnite' gets a bullet-stopping 'Kingsman' umbrella
Epic's current Fortnite season is focused on secret agents, and that now includes direct references to movies -- if not the ones you're likely to think of first. An update to the battle royale shooter has introduced a Kingsman umbrella that, like the one in the Brits-save-the-world film series, deflects bullets when you open it toward your foe. You can't use it indefinitely (that would be wildly unfair), but it might just save your life if you're out of ammo or need some space between you and your opponent.
'Apex Legends' tournaments get a new online-only schedule
Respawn and EA's dreams of establishing Apex Legends as an esports staple aren't going according to plan. The Apex Legends Global Series team is moving its events online "for the time being" due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that means both more remote events overall as well as greater reward for those who participate. There are now three more Online Tournaments (#4, #5 and #6) due to start on April 18th, May 2nd and May 30th, while the already-scheduled Online Tournament #3 starting April 4th is now poised to offer $100,000 in prize money on top of series points. Its finals will broadcast on Twitch and YouTube on April 6th.
Atari's latest attempt at milking nostalgia is a 'Pong' RPG
Atari is trying themed hotels, retro consoles and other efforts to reel in nostalgic gamers, but its latest may be its oddest yet: turn Pong into a one-of-a-kind role-playing game. It's developing a Pong Quest game that has you guiding a heroic paddle through dungeons based on (what else?) Atari games like Asteroids and Centipede in a campaign to save Pong World. You'll fight in "RPG-esque" battles wielding customized Pong balls and adorning your paddle in clothing and other gear.
Delayed 'Resident Evil: Resistance' beta goes live on PC and PS4
After technical issues forced Capcom to delay the Resident Evil: Resistance beta on PC and PlayStation 4, it's now available on those platforms in addition to Xbox One. You'll need to install an update to try it on PS4 and Steam.
Ubisoft offers free games to encourage you to stay at home
Ubisoft thinks it has a simple way to encourage people to stay at home and wait out the COVID-19 pandemic: shower them with games. It's running a month-long campaign that will give away free games, trials, discounts and other offers to give you something to do while you're cooped up. It's starting things off by offering the PC version of Rayman Legends for free on Uplay from now through April 3rd. It's an old title, to be sure, but it might hit the spot if you're looking for an upbeat game to remind you that things will get better.
'Minecraft Dungeons' is delayed until May 26th
Minecraft Dungeons is on the way to consoles and PC, albeit a bit later than expected. Mojang says the Minecraft dungeon-crawler spin-off will drop May 26th on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation 4 and, as revealed during last week's surprise Direct, Nintendo Switch.
Microsoft’s News Bar adds a scrolling news feed to Windows 10
In case you didn't already feel inundated with news, Microsoft is introducing a new app that will display a scrolling news feed across your desktop. News Bar, currently available as a beta for Windows 10, will curate the top regional news from over 4,500 publications, and if you choose, it will include customizable stock info.
Streamlabs beta could make Mac livestreaming a lot better
Let's not sugarcoat it: livestreaming on Macs tends to suck. Even if you're not streaming games, there's a dearth of high-quality broadcasting tools to add a professional level of polish. Now, however, you shouldn't have to struggle. Streamlabs has released an open Mac beta of its version of OBS that delivers the alerts, overlays, audiovisual controls and chat management that many streamers take for granted. It'll handle familiar services, too, including Twitch, Mixer, Facebook and YouTube.
Apple MacBook Air review (2020): A return to form
For the first time in years, Apple has a sub-$1,000 MacBook. Technically, anyway. The new and improved MacBook Air starts at $999, a drop from its old $1,099 base price. Notably, Apple also doubled the entry-level storage from 128GB to 256 gigabytes. Most important of all, though, Apple fixed the keyboard, porting over the same new scissor-style design the company first debuted on last year's 16-inch MacBook Pro. This marks a return to form for the Air, a machine that, until now, we were hesitant to recommend over the similarly priced entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro. But with a lower price, more generous specs and a functional, even pleasant, typing experience, the Air might once again be the MacBook for most people.
Accidental cross-play makes Star Wars 'Jedi Academy' a console bloodbath
The classic 2003 Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy game recently arrived on PS4 and Switch, but console users excited to try it have encountered a formidable enemy. PC players have figured out how to cross-play on consoles, so they're invading online multiplayer games and slaughtering their hapless Jedi opponents.
Steam limits game auto-updates to manage peak demand
Console makers aren't the only ones managing game service bandwidth to keep traffic flowing during the COVID-19 outbreak. Valve is scaling back game auto-updates in Steam to "spread out" the load and prevent its servers from buckling under the strain. As of this week, only games you've played in the past three days will get immediate updates. Everything else will be updated over the course of "several more days." You can still manually start updates and schedule update windows, of course, but Steam won't be in a rush to keep all your games current.
'Ghost Recon Breakpoint' players can invite friends to join them for free
If you played for, say, three hours over the weekend, you can use the trial pass for another three hours.
Apple brings ProRes RAW support to Windows video editors
Thanks to a combination of more affordable cinema cameras and increasingly powerful software, professional video producers are able to net some impressive results. One major part of the equation for achieving high-quality footage is shooting in a RAW codec, which creates lossless files that are suitable for color correction and other enhancements. Apple's ProRes RAW codec isn't a very popular choice among shooters, but that may change now that the format isn't exclusive to Apple's computers. The company released beta software that lets Windows editors work with ProRes RAW files in Adobe's Premiere Pro, After Effects and Media Encoder. This means they won't have to devote time or computing power to transcoding the files -- they can simply load them into their editing suite and get to work.
Riot's competitive hero shooter 'Valorant' enters closed beta next week
If you've been patiently waiting for a chance to play Riot's new competitive first-person shooter, you won't have to wait much longer to see what the League of Legends studio has been working on in secret all these years. The Valorant closed beta starts on April 7th in the US, Canada, Europe, Turkey and Russia, with expanded availability to come in the months leading up to the game's official launch sometime this summer.
Microsoft's Edge browser will add vertical tabs and tracking prevention
Microsoft finally did the deed and killed Internet Explorer. The company's new browser, Edge, is much more promising, and is even getting some compelling features that differentiate it from the likes of Chrome and Firefox. Today, the company announced enhancements like vertical tabs, password monitoring and tracking prevention -- as well as a mobile version of its useful Collections feature.
Online grocery deliveries are facing an unprecedented stress test
In the past few weeks, cities and states across the country have instructed people to stay home in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Going out for essentials like food is allowed, but that can be a risky proposition. Not only can grocery stores get crowded, social distancing protocol often means long lines just to get inside. The obvious alternative to all this is to shop online, but as several shoppers can attest, that experience can sometimes be even more frustrating. The state of online grocery deliveries is apparently a lot more fragile than anyone had anticipated.
Office 365 is turning into Microsoft 365 as it moves into your life
Microsoft wants you to think about its Office 365 subscription service in a whole new light. So on April 21st, the company is renaming the service to "Microsoft 365," as it adds more AI and cloud-powered tools to make you more productive. The pricing stays the same -- $7 a month/$70 a year for personal use and $10 a month/$100 a year for the family plan -- but the scope of the service is much broader. For one, Microsoft is launching a new Family Safety app for tracking screentime and other aspects of your digital life.
Acer's Ryzen 4000 series laptops will be available in weeks
Acer is adding the option to choose Ryzen 4000 series processors to another of its laptops. After announcing the Swift 3 would get AMD chips back at CES, the company has announced that the Aspire 5 will also join the party.
Samsung's 4K OLED Chromebook arrives on April 6th for $999
When Samsung's Galaxy Chromebook arrived at CES 2020 with a beautiful body and 13.3-inch 4K OLED display, we were smitten. Now, it's finally set to arrive at Best Buy in the US on April 6th starting at $999 (in Fiesta Red or Mercury Gray), according to a Best Buy listing and The Verge. (Update: Samsung confirms it will be available at Best Buy and on Samsung.com.)