We’d rather have Starfield
(words by Duncan Pike)
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Sony’s subsidiary in charge of all things PlayStation, recently announced that it will acquire Audeze, an American high-end audio technology company, so that it may “continue innovating when it comes to the audio experience of PlayStation games.”
If you consider yourself an audiophile, you’ll already be familiar with Audeze’s planar magnetic headphones. They’re the cans you tell yourself you’d get if you ever won the lotto – its latest flagship, the LCD-5, is currently available in South Africa for R86,400 (down from its usual R115,000).
Earlier this week, Sony teased the Pulse Elite wireless headset and Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, its next PlayStation-focused audio products, in a blog post. That post was light on details, but we do know what they’ll cost – $150 (R2,800) for the headphones and $200 (R3,730) for the earbuds. We also know they’ll feature “custom-designed planar magnetic drivers” which makes a lot more sense now. That’s the sort of tech you’d find in Audeze’s headphones.
Before the Xbox-owning Audeze fans get upset, the announcement specifically states “Audeze will continue to operate independently and develop multi-platform products,” so take a deep breath. Future Audeze headphones will be compatible with the Xbox Series Y (or whatever the next one’s called) but they’ll still be beyond your financial reach.
WhatsApp in HD
Tired of the constant flow of low-quality memes flooding your WhatsApp inbox? Us too. Depending on how you look at it, WhatsApp’s most recent update – which adds the ability to share videos in HD – is changing that. Sure, it can’t fix an unfunny meme, but it’ll do its best to make its residency in your phone’s gallery tolerable.
On Friday, the Meta-owned messenger confirmed to TechCrunch that the update, following the app’s recent HD photo feature, would begin rolling out to Android and iOS users. Previously, high-def videos were compressed down to 480p. Now, users have the choice of bumping that up to HD – or more specifically, 720p.
The process is almost identical to sending an HD image across the app. Open a chat, find the video you want to send, and you’ll see a new ‘HD’ button at the top of the screen. Click it and you’ll be offered the choice of HD resolution, with the added caveat of using more bandwidth to complete the transfer. Videos sent in HD will automatically attach an ‘HD’ tag to the message and take up more storage on the receiver’s device.
The feature has begun rolling out and is live for many users so if you’re still waiting, you won’t have to do so for long.
Beware: Starfield has leaked
Starfield is almost upon us. It’s Bethesda’s next big title and what it’ll be shilling by the time the next console hits the market. We’re just five days away from diving into Bethesda’s first new IP in nearly thirty years after five years of hype. And, like clockwork for any big game, someone’s managed to get hold of the game early and spoil the fun.
This is your cue to hurriedly avert your eyes if you see anything Starfield-related for the next week or so. While the leaker’s 40 minutes of gameplay has already been taken down, we wouldn’t put it past a couple of angry PlayStation trolls to take it upon themselves to ruin the fun for everyone. Fortunately, according to Kotaku, the man behind the leak has been arrested. Just… not for leaking the game.
Instead, Darrin Harris was picked up in Shelby County, Tennessee on a felony charge of property theft (Starfield) and a misdemeanour charge for possession of some green, earthly contraband. Harris took things further after the leaked video was taken down and was caught trying to sell copies of the game on Mercari, though the listing has since been taken down.
Before being arrested, Harris posted a follow-up video to explain his (spoiler-free) thoughts on the game: “Todd [Howard], no offence man, that’s a good game,” he said at the time. “Perfect timing, about leaving the earth and all that, it’s good stuff. Pretty swell, good moves. They were saying I play like a beginner because I’m not a game expert, I was just trying something out. That’s a good game, y’all don’t want to miss it. Starfield for real.”
It’s not yet clear what sort of legal repercussions the leaker will face, after posting the $10,000 (R187,300) bail fee over the weekend.
This one’s for the Apex Legends foodies
What’s the one thing missing from the Apex Legends fandom? That’s right! South African servers An official Apex Legends cookbook. Respawn and Electronic Arts, along with Insight Editions, announced a “deliciously, delectable cookbook launching worldwide on October 17!”
Those who have played the game before will have seen the game’s loading screens, often plastered with in-universe recipes such as Mirage’s “Glazed Pork Chops” or Pathfinder’s “Leviathan Stew”. Both are included in the Apex Legends Official Cookbook, with “over 70 easy-to-make recipes inspired from Legends ranging from entrees, breakfast, appetizers, drinks, baked goods, soups and so much more.”
Better yet, the book is written from the perspective of our two favourite legends; Mirage and Pathfinder.
Unfortunately, the cookbook won’t be hitting Exclusive Book’s shelves when it launches. You’ll have to make do with the $35 pre-order price on Amazon or the Play Apex Shop and any additional import and shipping fees that come with it.