What is this? A console for ants?
We think we’re finally starting to get why those games you played back in the days of yore aren’t as readily available as we’d like them to be. Money. Duh. Atari’s latest project — the Atari 400 Mini — from Plaion and Retro Games Ltd proves our point. Are we that fussed? Not really. Do we still want one? Obviously.
How could you not? The 400 Mini is just that — a mini version of the Atari 400 that was released back in 1979 — that’s been retrofitted with a bunch of modern-day ports, a new controller, and 25 of the Atari’s best 8-bit games from the era. That means Star Raiders II, Miner 2049er, and Berzerk among others. That controller is essentially just an updated version of its predecessor, the CX40 Joystick with a USB port, meaning it’ll work elsewhere. We’re not exactly sure where, though.
The Atari itself is about half the size of its origin and comes rocking five USB ports — to fit that joystick, keyboards, and other USBs to sideload other games — and a traditional HDMI so you don’t need to wait for a Telefunken Mini or something similar. You’ll be paying around R2,300 ($120) to pick these up once Retro Games releases it at the end of March. Pre-orders are already live over on amazon.co.uk, but you’ll need to take a risk on South Africa’s postal service.
Steam’s done a 180
Last year, Steam had to decide where it stood in the wake of AI’s cultural birth. It eventually landed on a policy that would block games using artificially intelligent assets unless they could prove they were trained using data that does not “infringe on existing copyrights,” and that it was busy working out how it might incorporate AI into “[its] already existing review policies.”
Months later, that review is complete and the PC marketplace has announced some new developer policies that it says “will enable us to release the vast majority of games that use [AI tools].” These rules don’t come without some form of accountability, with developers looking to use AI in their tools being required to disclose that fact in the Content Survey when submitting the game to Steam’s storefront.
Developers will need to mark how the artificial intelligence is being used in their games, falling into two categories; “pre-generated content” which is “created with the help of AI tools during development” or “live-generated content” which is “created with the help of AI tools while the game is running.” Obviously, it’d prefer if that pre-generated content didn’t infringe on existing IPs or show anything illegal.
Those disclaimers will be viewable by Steam’s buyers right on the storefront when necessary, allowing buyers to avoid any AI content if they wish.
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, launches peer-to-peer payment system
It’s been a while since X.com grabbed our attention. Oh, what a peaceful time it was. Well, no longer. Now we’re back to hearing about Elon Musk’s grandiose vision for the future of the platform as an ‘everything app’ — which now includes a peer-to-peer payment system similar to that of PayPal or Venmo in the US.
It’s even got a release window attached — with the company confirming in a blog post that’s titled “Transforming the Global Town Square” (we’re not joking) that the feature would launch later this year in a bid to add “more user utility and new opportunities for commerce.” Can a blog post get more dramatic? We’ll have to wait and see what the company’s next looks like before we can answer that.
It also felt the need to mention that AI would be a part of the platform’s future — as if Grok wasn’t already enough of an indication. It didn’t bring up any specifics, only confirming that artificial intelligence would play a part in “enhancing search and improving ads to fueling a new level of customer understanding.” Whatever that means.
Nintendo Switch 2 – Releasing September Fall 2024?
Believe us, we’re about as tired of news of the not-even-confirmed Nintendo Switch 2 as you are at this point. But when there’s been a potential leak surrounding the release date for the successor of one of the most popular consoles of all time, we kinda have to cover it. It helps that the news is at least somewhat credible, coming from Altec Lansing, which announced AI Shark, an artificially intelligent successor to GameShark.
AI Shark is supposedly set to “redefine the gaming landscape with its revolutionary AI-enhanced technology,” according to a press release (via DigitalTrends). “The innovative gaming software is set to mark a significant leap forward in the gaming experience, bringing enhanced gameplay for beginner-level users. The official launch is planned to coincide with the Nintendo Switch 2 in September 2024,” the press release reads.
At least, it used to. We guess that Nintendo’s lawyers were given the opportunity to flex their muscles and hit Altex Lansing with a cease-and-desist that made their heads spin. Soon after the original press release went out, the company backtracked its statement in response to DigitalTrends and confirmed a tentative release window of “Fall 2024”, before eventually backtracking that to “Nintendo has not officially clarified launch.”
In a separate statement made to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, a spokesperson for the company said that it was merely guessing at the release date. Yeah, right.