The developer of upcoming Sims competitor, Life By You, has confirmed it's ready to launch on its new Early Access release date, and it's right around the corner.
11.04.2024 - 13:55 / howtogeek.com / Andrew Heinzman
Google is celebrating the launch of its Find My Device network. And, interestingly, the company now says that Pixel 8 devices can be located even when their batteries are drained.
All smartphones running Android 9 or later are integrated with the Find My Device tracking network. Using low-energy Bluetooth, these devices can detect and anonymously report the location of lost or stolen items, making it easier for people to find their belongings.
In other words, Find My Device is the Android version of Apple's Find My network. It works with phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and small AirTags-like trackers.
Even if a phone is turned off, its location may be detected and reported to the Find My Device network—this is an essential feature, as any half-wit thief will turn off a stolen phone. Still, the ability to track a phone with dead batteries comes as a bit of a surprise.
According to Google's support page, devices like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro can be tracked "for several hours" after running out of battery. It seems that these phones can reserve some energy for Bluetooth after dying. If this is a software feature, it could be retroactively added to older Android devices. But if it's a hardware feature, we'll only see it in new phones. (The battery impact of low-energy Bluetooth is pretty negligible, in case you're wondering.)
Google specifically says that the "Pixel 8 series and up" can be tracked after running out of battery. So, the feature probably won't be extended to older Pixel devices, though it should appear in the Pixel 9 (and the Pixel 8a, potentially).
In addition to this Pixel 8 announcement, Google has shared several screenshots of the Find My Device app. The company also says that Nest smart home devices can help you find lost trackers or items within your home.
Note that Google isn't the first company to offer dead-device tracking. All iPhones made since 2019 can be tracked for a brief period after their batteries die.
The Android Find My Device network is available today and can be accessed from your smartphone or the Find My Device web portal. Compatible tracking devices, such as the Chipolo ONE Point, will launch in May 2024.
The developer of upcoming Sims competitor, Life By You, has confirmed it's ready to launch on its new Early Access release date, and it's right around the corner.
PlayStation owners might be able to get 's latest suits for free at the moment. Unlocking suits has been a huge part of Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man series and offers a way for players to experience these games as their favorite Spider-Man from the character's six-decade-long history in media. Upon the game's launch, there were 39 available suits for Peter and another 39 for Miles, including the 10 suits from the Digital Deluxe Edition, but since then, Insomniac has added other outfits in patches, such as the Hellfire Gala suits that accompanied the game's New Game Plus update.
Square Enix has released a benchmark tool for Final Fantasy 14 ahead of its upcoming Dawntrail expansion.
Two months after its release, players can finally 100% complete the massive RPG as the game's latest patch fixes a lingering glitch. While the latest entry in the Remake Trilogy may have impressed players with a relatively smooth launch, one bug that managed to irk many Platinum Hunters locked off a certain sidequest, preventing enthusiasts from properly finishing the game. Fortunately, Square Enix has been hard at work fixing the error, meaning players desperate to collect their final trophy can now do so with ease.
Buckshot Roulette is simple, and simply unsettling. Sat across the table from a mysterious opponent clad in a deeply unnerving toothy mask, you pick up a shotgun loaded with shells. Then, you decide whether to point the gun at your opponent or yourself, and pull the trigger. Some of the shells are live, and others are blanks. Guess correctly, and you get to go again.
Windows handhelds like the ROG Ally have specs that put the Steam Deck to shame, but are let down by Windows being terrible as a handheld operating system. So, what if you could have the best of both worlds?
The deck-fixing roguelikelike poker of Balatro is chuffing excellent, no doubt, but my main criticism has been that the higher difficulty modes are just a bit boring. Having beat them myself, I didn't find them a fun or interesting challenge as much as an annoying one that required too much to go right. I'm glad to hear that they're being tweaked in an upcoming patch, which you can now test in a public beta on Steam, and even the lowest difficulty setting will be tweaked. Other changes include improved (hopefully) Steam Deck performance, balance tweaks, and better Joker-related Tags.
Remember when Redbox or Blockbuster would let you rent some of the newest titles for just a few bucks a day? A new trend has emerged to fill the void left behind by the loss of rental services. Many public libraries have started to collect video games, and it doesn't cost a cent to borrow them.
Roblox allows its players to create and monetise their own creations within its ecosystem. Across the entire breadth of Roblox game makers, a lot of money is made. At the individual level, however, the vast majority of creators making work within Roblox never earn enough to cash out their earnings - and some of those creators are children. This has long led to allegations that Roblox is exploiting child labour, generating huge profits for Roblox Studio and its shareholders in the process.
Goodbye, App Store Suika Game clones. The real thing has finally arrived on iOS for players outside of Japan. Suika Game, the watermelon puzzle game that went viral on Nintendo Switch last year, is available to download for $2.99 on Apple’s App Store, making it playable on iPhone and iPad. The title for the official version is “Suika Game-Aladdin X” and it comes from XGIMI Limited.
RPS was on holiday yesterday, which is fortuitous timing because it was April 1st and it meant we missed all the "jokes" (lies) the games industry likes to spread on that day each year.
I like horror, I like bunnies, I like cool little games. Hey, y'here that, Rental? You're alright, kid. It's a free (free!) little game originally made for 2022's 32bit jam that takes about 20 minutes to play through, wherein you play a child rabbit who has arrived at a holiday cabin with her family. You're the first to head inside and, oop, the door locks behind you. Classic twist. A further twist is that, while Rental is entirely free to download and play, you can buy a supporter zine as DLC to kick some funds to the devs. Noice.