Month: April 2022

Overwatch 2‘s PvP beta begins on Tuesday, April 26. It’s a closed beta, which means players get in by invitation only, and they’ve been signing up for access since March 10. If you still haven’t received yours yet, Blizzard is still accepting requests ,.

The beta test is the first stage of what will be a multi-step launch for the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 2016 hero shooter. Blizzard announced last month that the game would be “decoupling” its PvP, and the first ever PvE modes to make it more accessible for players.

Though Overwatch 2, announced at BlizzCon 2019, still has no launch date or window, parent company Activision told investors back in November that the game was planned for a later-than-expected launch.

In any case, Tuesday is the day many will finally get to taste this much-anticipated sequel. Here are some :

expectations

When will Overwatch 2 beta emails go out?

An FAQ posted Monday afternoon said beta emails will be sent beginning at 11 a.m. PDT on Tuesday. “While players selected initially should all receive access on the first day, we may extend invitations to more players at later periods in this test,” Blizzard says.

Appearing on Twitch content creator Flats’ stream on Thursday, Overwatch community manager Andy Belford told fans that Blizzard will be sending out invitations in a gradual process, too.

Can I still sign up for a beta invite?

The beta page on Overwatch’s official website was still taking opt-in requests as of Monday afternoon, so, why not? A Battle.net account is required.

In an FAQ posted on Thursday, Blizzard said that beta testers will be chosen “based on a variety of factors,” including “when you signed up.” So even though this is called an opt-in, there is no guarantee that requests will be granted, even now.

If you’re reading this and you didn’t make the opt-in cutoff, or didn’t get an invitation, Blizzard will be doling out access under a Twitch Drops promotion with several featured streamers during the beta period, beginning April 27 at 10 a.m. PDT. You will receive Twitch Drops if you watch any channel participating for at least four hours. The FAQ lists all participating streamers.

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

How will I access the beta?

The first closed beta is a Windows PC-only test and players will need to own a copy of Overwatch on PC to participate. They’ll access the Overwatch 2 beta client through Battle.net — which can report PC specifications back to Blizzard. When sending invitations, Blizzard evaluates PC specifications.

How long will the beta run?

The beta will run from April 26 at 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT) through May 17, with time and date subject to change, Blizzard said. Additionally, players may stream their gameplay.

What will players see in the Overwatch 2 beta?

Sojourn, for starters. She is the newest hero joining the Overwatch canon. Sojourn is the first playable Black woman on the game’s roster, and she packs a railgun with both rapid-fire and charged-fire capabilities. Her Overclock ultimate keeps her weapon auto-charged for a short duration, and charged up shots will go through multiple enemies.

Players also will see a new ping system for calling out tactical items, areas and areas. Reworks of Orisa and Doomfist and Bastion as well as four maps: Circuit Royale, Midtown and Toronto (Sojourn from Canada). Maps from the first Overwatch will also be playable.

A new playlist called “Push”, will be available in beta. Push takes place on symmetrical maps (Toronto and Rome in this case) and features a robot, in a central location, that players will push toward the enemy team’s base. The team that pushes the robot furthest at the match’s end wins.

Overwatch 2‘s public beta will also show what 5v5 games look and play like. The original game involves two teams of six only.

Will there be another beta?

“Yes. We are planning more tests than this initial PvP Beta,” Blizzard stated on Monday.

Return to Monkey Island won’t exactly be returning to everything fans may remember.

In a rare and recent interview with Ars Technica, the Monkey Island co-creators Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman gave some insight into what the future holds. interview with Ars Technica picked up by the folks at Eurogamer, Monkey Island co-creators Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman gave the first hints at what the long-awaited sequel might look like.

While the pair aren’t sure what Return To Monkey Island will be all about, they do share a few things that they want to see change.

“It’s a new Monkey Island game rather than another Monkey Island game, which is a subtle distinction, but an important one,” Grossman said.

Two of the new things in store: a hint system and a casual mode. This would be a minor issue in almost all other games, except maybe FromSoftware titles. But it’s a big deal with Monkey Island. As a sequel to Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (Return to Monkey Island will ignore the three subsequent Ron Gilbert-less sequels), Return to Monkey Island is following up on the pinnacle of classic adventure games, famous not just for their wit, charm, and character, but also for wildly difficult puzzles that encouraged players to embrace the games’ sometimes-absurd logic and find everything the devs hid in each scene.

But it’s been 31 years since Monkey Island 2 and expectations are different, says Gilbert. Per Ars Technica:

A big part of why he changed his mind, Gilbert said, is simply the rise of the Internet. In the early ’90s, before Internet access was widespread, getting stuck on completely impenetrable puzzles was just “what [adventure game] players expected,” he said. Today, though, “if [players] don’t have a built-in hint system, they’re just going to jump over to the web and… read a walkthrough.” To prevent that, Return to Monkey Island will include a hint system that has been designed to make sense “in the fantasy,” Gilbert said. It will provide “more than just a walkthrough.”

The full interview is well worth reading –Gilbert and Grossman are both old-school legends that don’t like to make a big deal of their stature in gaming history, but are always incredibly insightful, even when they’re being grumpy.

Return to Monkey Island is scheduled for release later this year.

Last year, Apple announced a handful of changes coming to the App Store in response to a class-action lawsuit from US developers. In addition, the company had unveiled a Small Developer Assistance Fund, which would pay out between $250 to $30,000 to developers making under $1 million per year in the App Store. Now, this assistance submission request for small developers is due by May 20.

The news was announced on Apple’s Developer page. Here’s what the company wrote:

Last year, Apple announced a $100 million fund to assist US small developers. Eligible developers have until May 20, 2022 to submit a request to an independent administrator to receive payment

The fund is open to all developers based in the United States who:

• Sold paid apps or in-app purchases (including subscriptions) through the App Store between June 4, 2015 and April 26, 2021; and
• Earned proceeds equal to or less than $1 million through the US storefront in each calendar year in which they had a developer account between 2015 to 2021.

Here’s what the company said when it announced the Small Developer Assistance Fund in August:

The Small Developer Assistance Fund created as part of the settlement will benefit over 99% of U.S. iOS developers, whose proceeds from app and in-app digital product sales through all associated accounts were less than $1 million per calendar year during the period from June 4, 2015 to Apr. 26, 2021. These developers can claim sums from the fund ranging between minimums of $250 to $30,000, based on their historic participation in the App Store ecosystem.

You can learn more about how to submit a request here.

Pokémon Go’s May 2022 Community Day will feature Alolan Geodude, developer Niantic announced Monday, giving fans of the Alolan form Rock Pokémon their own day to shine. Alolan Geodude Community Day will take place on Saturday, May 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. Niantic shortened the Community Day window in April, from six hours to three, with Mudkip’s classic event.

Alolan Geodude Community Day will offer the following bonuses:

• Alolan Golem with the Fast Attack Rollout can be learned when evolving an Alolan Graveler
• 3× catch Stardust, 2× catch Candy, 3-hour Lure Module duration, and 3-hour Incense duration
• 2× chance to get Geodude Candy XL from catching Alolan Geodude
• One extra Special Trade during the event, or up to two hours afterward
• 50% less Stardust required for trades made during the event, or up to two hours afterward

Expect Alolan Geodude to appear shiny at boosted rates. Niantic will also sell a Community Day-exclusive Special Research story, “A Rocky Road,” which costs $1. New to May’s Community Day is the option for players to gift that Special Research story ticket to a friend.

Alolan Geodude is the third Alola-region Pokémon to be featured in a Pokémon Go Community Day as part of the game’s current Season of Alola. Stufful, the Flailing Pokémon, was featured in this past weekend’s Community Day for April. Strangely, unlike February’s Community Day featuring Sandshrew, it appears Niantic is only featuring the Alolan form of the Rock Pokémon. The original Geodude form from Kanto has not been featured in a Community Day to date.

Apple and Back Market are teaming up on a new campaign to promote refurbished Apple hardware. This campaign about giving devices a second life comes just after Earth Day last week. The company surprised its customers by sending AirDropped messages to iPhones purchased at Apple Stores in Berlin and London.

Back Market is a website that buys and sells refurbished technology. The website aims to increase consumer confidence in refurbished devices. Each device goes through a grading system that inspects the appearance and technical condition of the product.

The refurbished devices are not only getting a second chance, it also generates less electronic waste and are more affordable than brand new. Many of the products aren’t even very old and look brand new.

The messages said, “It’s time to go refurbished with a cheaper and greener model,” and, “Did you know this iPhone is available in white, black, and greener?”

Many customers seemed to agree with this message. Many customers seem to agree with the message. By allowing Back Market to follow through with this campaign, it shows Apple’s confidence in its renewed devices.

Diablo Immortal is coming to PC, Blizzard announced early Monday morning. Alongside the announcement, the studio revealed a host of changes for the PC version, such as controller support, UI scaling, and cross-progression. But it also revealed why the PC edition of Diablo Immortal exists: to combat emulation.

In a blog post, Blizzard speaks a bit about going back and forth on wanting Diablo Immortal on PC at all. “On one hand, we felt that we wouldn’t be doing the title justice by releasing a game originally designed for mobile on PC,” Blizzard said, “on the other hand, we wanted to make sure the game reached as many players as possible—especially our most dedicated PC fans.” But, Blizzard explained, “the deciding factor was that we knew many of you would attempt to play this game through an emulator, thus leading us towards building a better experience.”

Not only should this lead to a more curated experience — with UI and controls specifically tailored for PC — but players won’t need to circumvent the studio just to get their pre-Diablo 4 fix. It’s a Blizzard that clearly learned from the fan-made “Classic” World of Warcraft servers of many years ago, which led it to create World of Warcraft: Classic internally.

Blizzard’s candid answer about emulation is a far cry from the oft-memed “Do you guys not have phones?” from Immortal’s 2018 reveal. And with the studio’s extended apology at the start of its reveal stream for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight last week, we’re trending toward a more open Blizzard than we’ve seen in some time.

Until players get their hands on Diablo Immortal (especially the new PC beta), it’s impossible to say how Diablo’s latest title will land with hardcore fans. But if 2018’s Diablo Immortal BlizzCon announcement was the height of Blizzard hubris, Monday’s announcement may give players faith that — at least in terms of game development — that Blizzard is listening again.

“Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day,” would sing The Mamas & The Papas – if you are able to check lyrics for songs using Apple Music. Some are experiencing downtime for Apple Music. Not only that, the App Store is also facing an outage this Monday, as 9to5Mac reported earlier today that privacy labels are now missing from apps.

According to Apple System Status page, there are currently two issues on its products. All users are being affected by a problem with the App Store. 9to5Mac was able to confirm two of them: the app crashing and/or without showing privacy labels for apps, while the other issue is with Apple Music.

Apple has acknowledged these issues since 8:41 a.m. PDT, although 9to5Mac readers have had an unreliable experience with Apple Music and the App Store from even earlier.

Some users can’t access Apple Music, share or download songs, and even share lyrics, as you can see in the screenshot below.

For the App Store, it seems Apple is already working on a fix, as you can read more about it here.

Last time Apple faced a big outage was last month, when up to 26 services were down. 9to5Mac will update this story once Apple fixes these issues.

Are you experiencing downtime with Apple Music and the App Store? Share your thoughts down in the comments section.