BLIZZARD'S Overwatch looks set to take another step into the real world this winter with the launch of a new cereal, Lucio-Oh's. Lucio, a boombox-wielding support hero from the competitive team-based shooter, has long had in-game graffiti promoting the fictional cereal, while Kellog's has been running Overwatch-themed packaging and promotions with existing products for some time. A listing for the sugary day-starter was spotted on a catering supply website by The Junk Food Aisle and reveals quite a few details about the product. It will be (artificial) Sonic Vanilla flavour, have 10g of sugar per US cup (roughly half what you get from, say, Coco Pops), and is coming on December 3. Anyone who buys a box will be able to get a Loot Boost in Overwatch too, which grants players an extra loot box of goodies for each of the next three levels they complete in game. It is unclear if the cereal will be released outside of the US, though. Kellog's and Blizzard already have a marketing deal … [Read more...] about Overwatch CEREAL on the way as video game’s Lucio-Ohs spotted in the wild
Tech
Apple ‘makes your MacBook INOPERATIVE’ if you get it fixed at local repair shops
APPLE has allegedly designed its new MacBook Pro computers to becoming "inoperative" if they're fixed at an independent repair shop. It potentially means that MacBook owners can't shop around for the best repair prices – and have to rely on Apple instead. Apple devices are famously difficult to repair. Tech blog iFixit regularly cracks open Apple products to rate their "repairability' and with some MacBook models earning a lowly 1/10 score. That makes it near-impossible for users to repair their own devices – and now one report suggests Apple is making it difficult for genuine repair shops to help solve your gadget woes too. Vice's Motherboard claims that Apple has introduced software onto new MacBook Pro models to make them useless if repaired by an independent store. The Sun has not been able to verify this claim, but Apple has not denied the this system exists. Instead, fixes will reportedly only work if they're performed at an Apple Store, or by an Apple Authorised … [Read more...] about Apple ‘makes your MacBook INOPERATIVE’ if you get it fixed at local repair shops
Microsoft Project xCloud to let you play Xbox One games ANYWHERE, on any device
MICROSOFT today revealed a new game streaming service that will let you play Xbox One games on "any device you own". The Xbox-maker's has installed Xbox hardware into data centres as part of what it calls Project xCloud. "Project xCloud’s state-of-the-art global game-streaming technology will offer you the freedom to play on the device you want without being locked to a particular device," the firm claims in a blog post formally revealing the new service. The service is already being rolled out, but public testing isn't going to kick off until 2019. "The test runs on devices (mobile phones, tablets) paired with an Xbox Wireless Controller through Bluetooth, and it is also playable using touch input," according to the post. At this stage, according to Microsoft, the test is running at 10Mbps, comparable to standard home broadband speeds for much of the UK. The service had previously been teased at E3 2018, with many industry experts predicting a streaming-only option for … [Read more...] about Microsoft Project xCloud to let you play Xbox One games ANYWHERE, on any device
Nintendo patents Game Boy case for smartphones
A trademark filing by Nintendo back on September 15 suggests that after the NES Classic we'll be getting a Game Boy Classic. (Reuters: ES/JO/SB) The success of the NES Classic and SNES Classic pretty much guarantees Nintendo will release an N64 Classic and maybe even a GameCube Classic. But launching a Game Boy Classic handheld would surely set new sales records in this category. Unfortunately, it looks as though Nintendo may have other plans for its original portable gaming device. As Siliconera reports, a new patent has been filed by Nintendo for a Game Boy case that a touchscreen device such as a smartphone sits inside. The buttons on the case would tap the touchscreen when pressed and therefore register as button presses in whatever game is being played on the section of the touchscreen visible through the cutout where the Game Boy screen would be. Filed back in March, this clearly looks like a play by Nintendo to offer up a library of classic Game Boy games for anyone with a … [Read more...] about Nintendo patents Game Boy case for smartphones
Fortnite is a worldwide megahit – but the battle royale bubble is about to burst
THERE is no denying that Fortnite is a phenomenon. It has hooked millions of players across the world, made its developer hundreds of millions of dollars and made the firm's founder a billionaire. But signs point to the playground fad going the way of loom bands, snap bracelets and pog. Experts at Argos analysed their sales data and recently predicted that Fortnitemania would peak by Christmas, while even the biggest streamers such as Ninja are suffering from an endless flow of negativity about the game 'dying' or losing pace. This July, profits for Fortnite were still up on the month before -- but only by a minuscule 2 per cent, despite the game's recent launch on iPhone. The month before that it had climbed 10 per cent, and roughly 30 per cent the month before that. Not only that, there's competition on the horizon. Call of Duty's Black Ops IV's Blackout mode looks set to seize a chunk of players, with the beta getting rave reviews as popular players and streamers dived in and … [Read more...] about Fortnite is a worldwide megahit – but the battle royale bubble is about to burst