The Morning After: Play Halo Infinite's free multiplayer mode, now
And Xbox pulls some more classic games out of retirement.
Yes, you can play Halo Infinite now, but only multiplayer. That's only part of the Xbox news, however.
To celebrate the Xbox’s 20th anniversary — beyond the Gucci console — Microsoft announced its final additions to the Xbox backward compatibility program, a heady 76 games. Highlights include the entire Max Payne series and F.E.A.R franchise, as well as Skate 2.
Many will look much better, too: The Xbox Series X and Xbox One X will render those titles at four times their native resolution, while 11 of the titles will support FPS Boost, which increases the framerate of a game up to 60 frames per second.
Microsoft says this is the final update. Games that haven’t quite made it were limited by “licensing, legal and technical constraints,” said Xbox Compatibility Program Lead Peggy Lo.
— Mat Smith
Roku's new $15 LE streaming stick is a Black Friday exclusive for Walmart
Its other sticks are discounted, too.
That’s hardly any money for a streaming stick. The new Roku LE is an IR-controlled 1080p HDMI-connected streaming player with an included HDMI cable. And I repeat: It’s only $15.
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Halo Infinite's free multiplayer is available to play now
The campaign is still scheduled to land on December 8th.
As rumored, Microsoft confirmed it’s releasing the free Halo Infinite multiplayer mode before the full game. The standalone mode is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Players can access it through Xbox Cloud Gaming later today. The Halo Infinite campaign release date is still set for December 8th, and your multiplayer progress will carry over. A few features will be missing at launch, however. Both campaign co-op and Forge modes will arrive later after launch.
Apple offers $30 million to settle off-the-clock bag search controversy
The fight has dragged on since 2013.
Last year, California's supreme court ruled that Apple broke the law by failing to pay employees while they waited for mandatory bag and iPhone searches. Now, Apple has offered to pay $30 million to settle the suit, and lawyers for the employees have urged them to accept it.
Employees launched the suit way back in 2013, saying they weren't paid while being searched for stolen merchandise or trade secrets. The workers felt they were still under Apple's "control" during that five- to 20-minute process and should, therefore, be compensated. Apple, in turn, argued that the employees could choose not to bring their bags or iPhones, thus avoiding a search in the first place.
A look back at the strengths of the OG Xbox on its 20th birthday
Not the controller, though.
20 years ago today, the original Xbox arrived. Back then it was pretty risky. Microsoft, the company that brought us gaming hits like Solitaire and Minesweeper, was the first American firm to release a gaming system in eight years. We take a look back at what Microsoft did right. Oh, and that huge controller.
Continue reading.
Adobe discounts Creative Cloud plans by 40 percent for Black Friday
First-time subscribers can get the All Apps plan for $30 per month.
Between today and December 3rd, Adobe’s Creative Cloud All Apps plan is 40 percent off for first-time customers. The bundle includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro and Acrobat. With the discount, it costs $30 per month, down from $53. If you're a student, you can get almost 70 percent off the plan, making it $16 per month.
Samsung update brings some Galaxy Watch 4 features to older smartwatches
Both older Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Active models will benefit.
Along with the release of its One UI 4.0 update for its Galaxy phones, Samsung has revealed new Galaxy Watch software that brings features from its latest Watch 4 model to four older smartwatches. With the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung introduced Fall Detection with more levels of sensitivity and the ability to enable detection even if you're standing still. It will also send an SOS alert to approved contacts. That update is now available on the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2. It also adds 10 new watch faces and more accurate health tracking, too.
OnePlus made a Pac-Man edition of its Nord 2 smartphone
It’s still a Nord 2.
OnePlus has dabbled in special-edition phones for years, but this time, it's moving from iconic cars to iconic video games. The company has unveiled the OnePlus Nord 2 x Pac-Man edition with custom covers, themed wallpapers and even a Lego-like smartphone holder.
It goes on sale tomorrow for £499/€529/₹37,999 in the UK, Europe and India respectively, and as with the regular Nord 2, isn't available in the US.
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