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Undersea survival game 'Subnautica' hits PS4 this holiday season
Subnautica has been available on PCs and the Xbox One for years (albeit usually in rough form), but where's the love for PS4 owners? Don't worry, you're covered. Unknown Worlds' underwater survival title is now poised to reach the PS4 in the 2018 holiday season through the help of Panic Button -- the studio behind the superb ports of Doom and Wolfenstein II to the Nintendo Switch. There are teases of "special things" for the PlayStation crowd, although details of those will have to wait.
Co-op shooter 'Warframe' is coming to Nintendo Switch
Add another game to the list of seemingly unlikely Switch ports. Digital Extremes has announced that its cooperative free-to-play shooter Warframe is coming to Nintendo's console. There are precious few details -- not even a general release window. Doom and Wolfenstein port developer Panic Button is responsible for this conversion, though, so you can expect some creative software tricks to make the title play as well as its PS4, Xbox One and PC variants without sacrificing too much of the visual splendor.
Here's how 'Wolfenstein II' manages to run on Nintendo Switch
Now that Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is available on the Switch, there's a question many want answered: just how did Panic Button manage to squeeze such a visually intense game into a title you can play on the bus? You now have a clear answer. DigitalFoundry has produced a detailed examination of the many tweaks made to make the game work. The developer managed to preserve all the gameplay sequences, geometric detail and key visual effects (such as particles, volumetric lighting and motion blur) -- it's the less-than-essential features that get cut.
'Wolfenstein II' blasts its way to the Switch on June 29th
It's been a long time in coming, but the Nintendo Switch adaptation of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is (almost) here. Bethesda has announced that the Nazi-punching sequel will be available on June 29th for $60. You'll generally know what to expect, and that's likely to be a good thing. Panic Button's conversion appears to be on par with its well-received Doom port, with Switch-friendly motion controls and the kind of rich graphics detail you wouldn't expect from a portable console.
Mexico City's new hybrid taxis have a 'panic' button
While President Trump continues to claim Mexico will pay for his big, beautiful wall, our neighbors south of the border are busy spending money on making their largest city safer and less polluted. The Mayor of Mexico City, Miguel Ángel Mancera, has revealed new hybrid-electric taxis that feature WiFi and a "panic" button for passengers. When activated, officials will be alerted of your location and help could be sent immediately in case of an emergency. It's similar to what Uber started offering a couple of years ago in India, with the main difference being that the ridesharing service's panic button is built into its app.
Uber's panic button can let cops in India know where you are
Earlier this year, Uber launched an in-app panic button for people in India, which lets any user easily alert local police in case of an emergency. And now this safety feature is getting improved. The ride-sharing service announced today that the real-time SOS alert can start being accessed by law enforcement officials, allowing them to track the exact location of a passenger who may require assistance during a trip. Previously, the panic button would only connect Uber users with the cops over a phone call, so this is designed to save time for potential victims -- and that could turn out to be life-saving.
America's 'panic button' to wipe phones of democracy activists, perturb repressive governments
So, here's the scene. You're out at [insert city center here], completely neglecting any and all work duties, throwing Molotov cocktails at the building of the State you've grown to hate. It's a protest in every sense of the word, and you're rallying the troops via Twitter and Facebook. It's actually not an uncommon painting these days, and while America's not into promoting violence, it is into keeping the personal information of democracy activists secure. According to a fresh Reuters report, the US State Department is currently developing a software-based "panic button" that would wipe a phone's address book and beam out emergency alerts to fellow protesters if they were apprehended. The goal here is to protect the privacy of those captured while promoting their best interests, and to let others know that trouble is brewing. There's no clear indication of the status here, but something tells us that it'd be useful yesterday for a certain region of the globe.
Facebook's 'Panic Button' gives Britons a way out of unsavory conversations
Caving to pressures from just about everyone after a 17-year old gal was lured to her death by a 33-year old male posing as someone far younger on Facebook, the famed social networking site has just enabled a new "Panic Button" to be installed for those logging in from across the pond. The app, which is an opt-in service, was created by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center, and Facebook is now recommending that users under the age of 18 install it. If pressed, users will be put in contact with the aforementioned organization in order to report abuse, and potential predators will hopefully be turned off by notifications that the user they're about to initiate a conversation with is currently using ClickCEOP. Not exactly the type of panic remover found in H2G2, but it's certainly a lovely start.
Siemens AySystem utilizes GPS / GRPS for emergency tracking, alerting
While Siemens HQ is probably still dusting itself from last year's invasion, that's not stopping the whole show 'round those parts, as the firm is introducing a new form of emergency communication with its AySystem. By utilizing worldwide GSM / GRPS networks (and optionally, GPS), the pocketable device can be tracked, modified, and used as a channel of communication between a caregiver and patient, parent and child, boss and subordinate, or any other useful combination of individuals. Essentially, the Ay token is given to the person who needs monitored, and the other party can adjust various "thresholds" such as motion (or the lack thereof), temperature, and sound, and if that limit is surpassed (i.e. a patient stops moving), the token will sound an alarm whilst simultaneously texting / calling a user-selected individual. Moreover, it can be remotely controlled and tweaked via a web-based interface, and users can add "SnapOns" such as GPS receivers and cameras to extend its functionality even futher. Thankfully, the platform in which the device runs on is entirely Java-based, which should please those looking to code their own programs to take full advantage of what's being offered. As of now, we're not exactly sure how much this fancy panic button will end up costing, but it is slated to be made available "via mobile carriers or through pre-paid plans" in the not too distant future.[Via Gizmag]
