NASA chief to scientists on budget cuts: “I feel your pain”
- August 13, 2024
“I can’t go and print the dollars.”
Hamas Will Not Attend Gaza Cease-Fire Talks as Mediators Try to Secure Deal
- August 13, 2024
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Halloween’s Michael Myers and Ash vs. Evil Dead’s Ash Williams are getting their own throwback games
- August 13, 2024
Michael Myers may be dead and Ash Williams may be flung far into the future, but they aren’t done slashing up the screen here and now. Boss Level Games announced the upcoming release of two new retro style games under its RetroRealms banner based on the classic slasher flick Halloween and the Starz horror comedy series Ash vs. Evil Dead.
The retro Halloween and Ash vs. Evil Dead titles will be released on October 18 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PCs via Steam.
The Halloween game puts players in control of the murder machine Michael Myers during the events of the original John Carpenter film as he hacks and slashes his way through Haddonfield, Illinois with his iconic butcher knife. The Ash vs. Evil Dead game pits players as the horror movie and TV series hero with his arm-mounted chainsaw and his beloved boomstick against an onslaught of Deadites unleashed by the Necronomicon.
The games will be sold separately, or together as part of a special “Double Feature” bundle. There’s also a special “Collectors’ Edition” that includes a physical copy of the game for your chosen console, two extra playable characters — including Laurie Strode for Halloween and Kelly Maxwell for Ash vs. Evil Dead — and a bunch of other Halloween goodies like a 12-inch plush Michael Myers doll, a digital copy of the Halloween game’s soundtrack, a pack of Halloween trading cards and more. The games connect to each other when both are installed through crossover access in which characters can be brought to either game and “an ever-expanding universe of popular characters that unlocks additional gameplay,” according to Boss Team Games.
Boss Team Games is one of the studios behind the popular asymmetric survival horror multiplayer slasher Evil Dead: The Game. The studio’s press release also notes that these two games will be “the first two releases in a new series of games for console and PC” implying that more throwback game projects are in the works.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/halloweens-michael-myers-and-ash-vs-evil-deads-ash-williams-are-getting-their-own-throwback-games-193000903.html?src=rss
Classic PC game emulation is back on the iPhone with iDOS 3 release
- August 13, 2024
Apple amended its App Store rules to allow PC emulators, not just console ones.
Baby twins killed in Gaza as father registered births
- August 13, 2024
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Father says baby twins killed by Israeli strike in Gaza as he registered births
- August 13, 2024
The twins were just four days old when their home was reportedly hit in an Israeli strike.
Google Unveils Pixel 9 Phones to Beat Apple’s iPhone
- August 13, 2024
The internet giant unveiled the next generation of Pixel phones, headphones and watches to stand out in a hardware market that has mostly ignored it.
BBC Verify analyses footage of Ukraine’s incursion into Russia
- August 13, 2024
It’s been a week since the start of the country’s largest and most significant incursion into Russia since the war began.
Researchers figure out how to keep clocks on the Earth, Moon in sync
- August 13, 2024
A single standardized Earth/Moon time would aid communications, enable lunar GPS.
Waiting for a new Fitbit smartwatch? Google says that’s the Pixel Watch 3
- August 13, 2024
It's been three years since Google completed its acquisition of Fitbit. Since then, the company has launched three new smartwatches under the Pixel brand, including the Pixel Watch 3 at today's Made By Google event. Meanwhile, Fitbit's not launched a single new smartwatch since the unceremonious announcement of the Sense 2 and Versa 4 two years ago. The writing has been on the wall for years that Fitbit might not make smartwatches anymore, instead focusing on lower-profile activity trackers that last long. Engadget can confirm that this is indeed true moving forward.
In an interview with the senior director of product management for Pixel Wearables Sandeep Waraich, I asked whether we would ever see another Fitbit-branded smartwatch anytime soon. Waraich said "Pixel Watch is our smartwatch part of the portfolio." He confirmed that moving forward everything from Fitbit would focus on the more minimalistic, long-lasting trackers the brand has become synonymous with.
While the Sense 2 and Versa 4 will continue to be available in the market, a Google spokesperson said "Pixel Watches are our next iteration of smartwatch for Fitbit."
As for the devices Fitbit continues to make, "trackers is where users clearly tell us they want something discreet," Waraich said. "They want longer battery life, they want a simple experience and we are very proud of our Inspire line."
Waraich also shed some light on how the Google and Fitbit teams have collaborated to build Pixel watches, referencing the former's AI prowess and the latter's established expertise in interpreting heart-rate sensor data for greater insights. According to him, Google brought its expertise in machine learning, providing "advanced models that otherwise probably externally weren't readily available." Fitbit, of course, had deep knowledge on things like data and signal capture and how that translated into how your hands are moving or what you're doing. "HIIT has a very different heart rate algorithm [and] implications than a running workout," Waraich explained.
There's little doubt that the Fitbit brand remains valuable to Google and the industry at large, given the fact its name is basically the catch-all noun for activity trackers. While it can be jarring to see the Fitbit name and app in devices like the Pixel Watch, where integrations should feel more seamless and unified, Waraich told me "it's not an app in Pixel Watch. It's deeply integrated at a system level."
Outside of the Pixel portfolio, the Fitbit app and Fitbit Premium both still exist to the large chunk of the population that want something simple that can help them stay on top of their overall health. With the trackers and Pixel watches having now matured into devices that can log your activity very well, Waraich said "There is a tremendous opportunity in terms of going from tracking to coaching, real-time guidance included."
Time for everyone's favorite buzzword and trend for 2024: AI. With the Pixel Watch 3, Fitbit Premium users can get AI-generated customized workouts based on their activity and recovery. Of all the features Fitbit Premium has offered (and paywalled) in the past, this feels like a more-suitable use of AI and charging for it. Fitbit and Fitbit Premium are unlikely to be going away, and while we may not see a Fitbit-branded smartwatch again, this feels like a smart move.
Catch up on all the news from Google’s Pixel Watch 3 launch event right here!
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/waiting-for-a-new-fitbit-smartwatch-google-says-thats-the-pixel-watch-3-202314838.html?src=rss
