Tech
HHW Gaming: ‘The Last of Us Part II’ Limited Edition PS4 Pro Bundle Announced
Source: PlayStation / The Last of Us Part II After a colossal hiccup, the countdown to the launch of The Last of Us Part II is underway, and today, Sony announced a lovely bundle for fans to get their hands on. To celebrate the launch of the highly-anticipated sequel, Sony revealed it will be dropping a limited-edition The Last of Us Part II PS4 Pro console that will launch alongside the game on June 19. The powerful console will come in sleek matte finish with the game’s main protagonist Ellie’s tattoo design engrave on the system. That’s not all. The console also comes with a limited-edition DualShock4 wireless controller (which can able be copped separately for $64.99) as well. It comes in a steel matte black finish, the PlayStation shapes are in white, and it also features Ellie’s fern...
Star Wars Fan Turns Roomba Into Working R2-D2 and Reveals His Jedi Secrets: Watch
Move aside DJ Roomba, there’s a new housekeeper in town. A total Jedi Knight of a Star Wars fan has reworked Roomba technology to build himself his own R2-D2 machine (which he’s calling R9-D9) — and, yes, it’s the droid we’re looking for. It sweeps. It mops. It even talks. What’s more, it can be yours. The man in question — filmmaker Matthew Scott Hunter — created a complete video breakdown on how he designed the thing using household items and materials. Editors’ Picks Essentially, he took his R2-D2 garbage can, inserted a fan motor for head movements, and added a Bluetooth speaker so it could talk. He even designed the thing to be remotely controlled, which should come in handy when it gets pesky as droids do. Okay, so it’s not exactly a Lego set, and may prove rather difficult for...
Made In Casa: How One Brainstorm Session Became a Seven-Hour Livestream
Nearly 60 artists in 15 countries participated in the Sony Latin festival. It started as a conference call in the middle of the pandemic. Everyone was on lockdown, but everyone had been doing livestreams and podcasts and performances from home. What could Sony Music Latin Iberia do that was unique and involve different artists? “We felt a full-on festival was something that hadn’t been done,” says Ruben Leyva, senior vice president of artist services and premium content for Sony Music U.S. Latin. By “festival,” Leyva of course meant some sort of livestream of musical performances, as well as featuring artists doing everyday things like cooking and working out. The label then sent asks to artists throughout Sony’s Latin territories, asking for a performan...
Those Slick Quarantine Band Performances Are Harder to Pull Off Than You Think
From Dua Lipa to Blue Oyster Cult to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, bands have been figuring out how to perform remotely during the pandemic. Blue Öyster Cult has played its rampaging-beast classic “Godzilla” 2,270 times, in theaters and casinos, at state fairs and festivals — the first time at the Maple Leaf Gardens, in Toronto, on June 21, 1977, and the last time at Robins Theatre, in Warren, Ohio, on March 8. But until late April, the pioneering hard-rock band’s five members had never done it remotely from their homes, during quarantine, mixed together into a YouTube grid of separate rectangular boxes. “We basically treated it like a gig,” says Richie Castellano, the band’s guitarist and keyboardist, who produced the “lock-down” ve...
Eventbrite Posts Big Losses in First COVID-Impacted Earnings Report, Reveals Three-Tiered Refund Plan
Eventbrite is carrying about $293 million in exposure from advance payouts to the creators on the system, official with the San Francisco-based ticketing company disclosed Monday (May 11) in its Q1 earnings report, sharing new details on plans to refund ticket holders and detailing the impact of the live music shut down on their bottom line. The top line numbers for the quarter were brutal as nearly every public event on its system had to be postponed or canceled, leading to a $146.5 million net loss for the quarter, down 489.66% from the previous quarter, equaling a $1.71 per share loss. The losses included $113.7 million of chargebacks and reserve increases and a $76.5 million increase in reserves “in anticipation of potential future chargebacks and refunds,” according to the compan...
HHW Gaming: Job Listing Claimed PS5 Was Dropping In October, Sony Says Aht Aht
Source: SOPA Images / Getty We can’t front, but the rollout for the PS5 has been extremely sloppy. Sony already announced that its highly-anticipated console, PS5 was arriving on shelves this holiday. The video game world’s eyebrows were raised after they spotted a Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan job listing that claimed the PlayStation 5 was coming October 2020, a few months earlier than expected. Today (May 12) one Twitter user, @Nibellion, shared a tweet featuring a photo of the listing and it states: “PlayStation 5 scheduled to be released in October 2020.” Typically, Sony has historically launched its consoles around November. Still, due to COVID-19, the supply chain for components for the PS5 has been disrupted, possibly leading to the console being limited at launch. Since the ...
More iPhone 12 Leaks State Apple’s Forthcoming Smartphone Will Feature Compact Bezel-Less Design
Source: NurPhoto / Getty When it comes to the iPhone 12, Apple is leaking like a faucet. New leaks hint at the next iPhone will feature a compact bezel-less design and other features. According to Jon Prosser from Front Page Tech, Apple is planning on releasing two new devices, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max will replace the current iPhone 11 models. Both new models will swap out the LCD screen for OLED counterparts, which will allow for deeper blacks, contrast ratios, and help save battery life, according to Prosser. The iPhone 12 will also measure at 5.4-inches wide will be the company’s first compact bezel-less design. As for the cameras on both devices, 2x optical zoom will not be a feature on its cameras, and the LiDAR sensor, which helps the camera map 3D environments, will...
Get a Move On: Google Play Gets Busy Migrating Users to YouTube Music
As Google looks to phase out its music streaming service Google Play by the end of the year, it has begun the process of migrating users over to the Google-owned YouTube Music. Starting today (May 12), Google Play users can expect an email instructing them on how to easily transfer their music libraries, listening histories and playlists to YouTube Music. All users’ Google Play podcast subscriptions, on the other hand, will be moved over to the company’s free Google Podcasts app. Google says in a press release that users will continue to have access to both services until it officially kicks Google Play to the curb later this year. Paying Google Music subscribers will be automatically granted the equivalent tier on YouTube Music, at the same price. As it retires Google Play, th...
Mark Your Calendars: Ubisoft Announces Ubisoft Forward Digital Event Coming July 12
Source: Ubisoft / Ubisoft Forward With multiple gaming shows around the world being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, gaming studios and console makers have to take matters into their own hands. Sony and Microsoft both held events to stay ahead of leaks and bring gamers up to speed on their next-generation consoles, the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Both events were not well received due to not living up to the expectations both companies put on them. Fresh off its reveal of their forthcoming game, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft has announced it will be holding a live stream event called Ubisoft Forward in July. In a press release, it is being described as an E3-style showcase with exclusive game news, exciting reveals, and plenty more. Besides being told to “save to the date,” there is ...
Paris Saint Germain x Jordan Brand Collection Kit Available Now In ‘FIFA 20’s VOLTA Mode
Source: FIFA 20 VOLTA / EA Heads up FIFA players, your in-game characters is getting a significant drip upgrade. Starting today (May.9), players will be able to access the Paris Saint Germain x Jordan Brand kits and use them in FIFA 20’s VOLTA mode. The in-game drip mirrors the gear that was first introduced by Jordan Brand in September 2018 as part of the iconic apparel brand’s move from the basketball to the pitch. Since the collection’s inception, we have seen many different styles that have not only live in Jordan Brand’s high-quality sports apparel and streetwear, but in iconic Air Jordan silhouettes as well. The PSG drop is officially live in FIFA 20 VOLTA right now. You can watch the launch trailer for the kit below. — Photo: FIFA 20 VOLTA / EA HipHopWired Radio Our staff has picked...
Samsung Rolling Out Samsung Pay Debit Card Later This Summer
Source: SOPA Images / Getty Samsung is the latest tech giant looking to help you manage your finances by offering people a branded payment card. Sang Ahn, vice president, and general manager of Samsung Pay in North America, announced via a blog post the “next innovation” in Samsung Pay will, in fact, be a new debit card. The card which will launch this summer will be backed by a cash management account that will be in partnership with SoFi, Ahn revealed in the blog. There will also be some sort of “mobile-first money management platform” developed as well Ahn revealed. No details as to how this will work were revealed, but Ahn promised more information would be disclosed in the coming weeks. Per Samsung: In 2020, Samsung Pay will be expanding our service from being a rewarding way to...
HHW Gaming: Ellie Goes Full Savage Mode In New “The Last of Us Part II’ Trailer
Source: Naughty Dog / The Last of Us Part II We’ve been avoiding The Last of Us Part II leak like Future avoids paying his baby mamas. Today (May.6) Naughty Dog rewarded those who didn’t dare look at any of those leaked cutscenes with an intense, dramatic trailer that hints at painful journey for Ellie full of loss and despair for the still highly-anticipated sequel to 2013’s The Last of Us. Players will take control of Ellie, who is now an adult and is on a quest for revenge. The official synopsis for the game posted under the trailer states: “After a vicious and violent event disrupts the relative peace that Ellie has found in Jackson, she sets out to bring justice to those responsible. As she hunts them down one by one, she is confronted with the devastating physical and emotional reper...
