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Want More Story In Your Stardew? Fields Of Mistria Is Right Up Your Valley
Despite first hitting storefronts a decade ago, Stardew Valley still remains king of the farming simulators. Solo developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone struck gold when he took the formula established by games like Harvest Moon and improved on just about every facet, weaving charming visuals and music with a rewarding gameplay loop that sees players restore…
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You can now turn off Google Gemini’s visible watermarks
Google has made its visible “sparkle” watermark optional for AI-generated images, videos and music created through Gemini and its Flow video tool. The change may make AI content harder to identify at a glance, although Google says underlying provenance markers will remain available for verification. Users can disable the new “Media watermark” setting in Gemini,…
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Apple TV’s Biggest Sci-Fi Series Ever Gets Official Return Update
Apple TV’s science-fiction series Pluribus, created by Vince Gilligan and starring Rhea Seehorn, is set to begin filming its second season within the next few months. The update confirms that the streamer is moving ahead quickly with its newest major sci-fi success after the show overtook Severance as Apple TV’s most-watched sci-fi series. Gilligan revealed…
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Unforgetful is a new reminders app for people who can’t stop hitting snooze
Unforgetful is a new iOS and Mac reminders app from Marco Arment, creator of Overcast and Instapaper, aimed at people who routinely snooze or dismiss tasks. It uses Apple’s existing Reminders database but changes the notification experience so tasks are harder to overlook or accidentally lose, offering an alternative for users who dislike Apple’s Reminders…
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Ars Live recap: How can we stop publishers from killing their own games?
Ars Technica hosted a live discussion with Stop Killing Games organiser Ross Scott about how to keep online games playable after publishers close their servers. Scott argued that publishers should plan for a game’s end of life from the outset, rather than removing access with little notice, saying the current approach leaves players without meaningful…
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Judge gives Google one week to fix “anticompetitive” app store download in Google Play
A US judge has ordered Google to make third-party Android app stores easier to find and install through Google Play within a week, finding that its current approach adds unnecessary anticompetitive barriers. The ruling matters because it strengthens remedies from Epic Games’ successful 2023 antitrust case and could give Android users more practical access to…
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Rideshare Stimulator finally gets its genAI disclosure after much Saber-rattling, and it turns out the game also uses the tech for in-game music
Saber Interactive has added a generative-AI disclosure to the Steam page for Rideshare Stimulator after a public dispute with former lead writer Stella Sacco. The disclosure says the game uses AI for passenger dialogue and in-game music, making the issue significant because Saber had initially denied replacing writers while acknowledging AI in an experimental mode.…
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HBO’s Harry Potter Officially Returns to Hogwarts 2 Weeks Early
Filming on HBO’s second season of Harry Potter appears to have started two weeks earlier than expected, after actor Asha Soetan said she was back on set. The development suggests HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery are moving quickly on the adaptation, which plans to devote one season to each of J.K. Rowling’s novels. Soetan, who…
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A Queensland man enjoyed soaring profits from a crypto trading app. Then his money started disappearing
A 29-year-old Queensland man lost more than A$166,000 after investing through a seemingly legitimate cryptocurrency trading app whose displayed profits encouraged him to deposit more money. Unauthorised transfers later drained his crypto wallet, and he discovered that the platform’s customer service was only a basic chatbot, revealing it as an AI-built investment scam. Experts warn…
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Beast of Reincarnation is a Pokémon-inspired soulslike without the cruelty of Dark Souls – and it’s better for it
GamesRadar argues that Beast of Reincarnation borrows the precise, parry-focused combat associated with soulslike games while avoiding their most punishing conventions. The article presents this as a significant choice because it could make Game Freak’s new action RPG more welcoming without removing the satisfaction of mastering difficult encounters. The game follows Emma and her dog…