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Accessibility Week This feature is part of PC Gamer's Accessibility Week (opens in new tab) , running from August 16, where we're exploring accessible games, hardware, mods and more. I've been speaking to Bryce Johnson, Inclusive Lead at Microsoft Devices and co-inventor of the Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC), about the process behind and reception of the accessible gaming device. And although he's happy about where the project ended up and where the accessibility industry is going as a whole, he's a little concerned about where things might go from here. The XAC is Microsoft's answer to making games more accessible for players with disabilities. That description makes it sound so simple, but making an accessible controller is definitely not straightforward, even with backing from a company whose net worth is about $1 trillion. Johnson explains that it was first important to recognise the limitations of current controller configurations. Without full fluid range of … [Read more...] about Microsoft inclusive lead reveals there’s a ‘bit of a plateau’ in accessibility tech

When the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law trailer debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, fans got quite the shock with the reveal that Charlie Cox is reprising his role as Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the series. This is incredibly exciting--especially when you consider the upcoming standalone series for the character on Disney+. However, Cox's portrayal of Daredevil so far has been decidedly serious and often dark. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law , on the other hand, is a half-hour sitcom about a lawyer who just happens to turn into a big, green rage monster. How, exactly, do those two pieces fit together? According to showrunner Jessica Gao, it wasn't as hard as you might think. "It's so fun to take these characters that you've only seen in these kinds of very serious dramatic roles and situations and [bring] them into our show where they get to kind of take a break from all that because in our show the universe isn't going to end," she told GameSpot. "It's slice of life. It's daily life. It's like a … [Read more...] about How She-Hulk Fits An Ultra-Serious Daredevil Into Its Comedic World

Sometimes, a whole game sprouts from a tiny seed of an idea. In the case of Dungeon Munchies, it's a simple, jokey premise: you're an unpaid zombie intern. A necromancer-chef named Simmer raises you as part of her plan to unleash a new generation of magical cuisine on the world. Why? How? You're not being paid enough to ask those questions, because you're not being paid at all. So off you go, searching the dungeon for ingredients. Don't worry about dying: endless, inescapable revival is part of your employee benefits package. This concept dovetails neatly into a mechanical foundation. You explore an (almost completely linear) side-scrolling world, marching along, avoiding traps and fighting monsters. Then you harvest ingredients from those monsters and cook magical dishes that visibly mutate your body, Binding of Isaac-style. That would be a fine little game by itself—maybe some sort of roguelite. But that's not what we've got here. During the three years Dungeon Munchies spent … [Read more...] about Dungeon Munchies is an RPG platformer where you’re a zombie, and worse, an unpaid intern

Audio player loading… There's no shortage of characters to romance in the Mass Effect trilogy. Depending on which version of Commander Shepard you're playing, you can enjoy deep relationships and clunky cutscene coitus with Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, Kaidan Whatsisname, Miranda, Jack, Garrus, Tali, Javik, that weird fish guy everyone stans, that non-fish guy everyone hates, and a handful of others. But when you're horny in space, is that really enough? How about one more? Thanks to The Hatboy Project mod, you can now add Jeff "Joker" Moreau to your seemingly endless list of intimate conquests in Mass Effect 3. The mod "creates an all-new romantic narrative for the player to explore" with the quick-witted and endearing pilot of the SSV Normandy. There are new branches of dialogue, custom-written romantic versions of conversations, new ambient voice lines, the option to go from flirting to a committed relationship, and yes, even a "romance scene that is in keeping with … [Read more...] about At long last you can get sexy with Joker in Mass Effect 3

Audio player loading… Historically, Twitch policy has been to not comment on individual streamer bans—even to inform those streamers themselves what, exactly, they did to warrant a ban. It's often not too hard to figure out in cases of obvious policy violations, but sometimes a streamer gets the boot and we're never told exactly why: An indefinite suspension of politics streamer Destiny (opens in new tab) in March, for instance, prompted some fairly solid speculation, but not actual confirmation, of the reason. But that may be changing, as Twitch vice president of trust and safety Angela Hession told the Washington Post (opens in new tab) that it is looking into including clips of infractions with suspension notification emails in the future. "Safety is a journey, and this is a number-one ask from our community," Hession said. "So we’re looking at how we can attach more details for people to understand—like the video itself. That’s something we’re definitely working … [Read more...] about Twitch may finally start telling people why they’ve been banned

Audio player loading… A politics-focused streamer called Destiny has been indefinitely banned from Twitch. A screenshot Destiny shared (opens in new tab) to his subreddit indicates that the ban can only be lifted on appeal, and that it was applied for "Promoting, encouraging, or facilitating the discrimination or denigration of a group of people based on their protected characteristics." Twitch has not provided a definitive motivation for the ban beyond that, but Destiny said in a Reddit post (opens in new tab) that he believes it was imposed "because of my claims that transwomen shouldn't compete with ciswomen in women's athletics," due of the likelihood that they'll dominate in their fields. That belief, expressed earlier this month, attracted widespread criticism on social media. Another potential cause, noted by Dot Esports (opens in new tab) , is a recent "debate" Destiny held with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Fuentes was banned from Twitch in 2019, and … [Read more...] about Politics streamer Destiny receives indefinite ban from Twitch

Audio player loading… Nine years after its initial reveal, Dead Island 2 will release on February 3, according to a listing for the PS4 version on Amazon. That's naturally subject to change and could just be placeholder—this being Dead Island 2, I wouldn't be surprised—but it does line up with recent hints by Embracer Group's CEO that the open world zombie game will be released in the company's 2023 fiscal year. The Amazon listing (opens in new tab) reiterates some of the points we've known about the game during its long stint in development hell. It's set in a version of Los Angeles "stained with horror", which means you'll get to bludgeon zombies in "the verdant suburbia of Beverly Hills" and "the quirky promenade of Venice Beach". Combat is "visceral and gory", naturally, and there will be "dozens" of different kinds of zombie to eviscerate, all with an LA theme, of course. It's been confirmed since 2014 that Dead Island 2 will have at least four playable … [Read more...] about Dead Island 2 is alive and coming in February

Morfydd Clark, who plays Galadriel in Amazon's upcoming The Rings of Power series, revealed she literally passed out when she found out she was cast in the Lord of the Rings show. Clark told Variety that she was informed of her casting as Galadriel during a screening and Q&A for her 2019 The Personal History of David Copperfield movie. "I suddenly realized what a big deal it was for me, and I passed out during the Q&A. I was caught by a lovely security guard," Clark said. "I knew I was auditioning for an elf but I didn't know which one," Clark said. "So me and my sister went mad trying to figure it out. I never dreamed it would be Galadriel." Galadriel was played by Oscar winning actress Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film series. Clark said she hasn't reached out to Blanchett as of yet, but she praised her performance. "Her performance was such a big part of my life. Those films have gotten me through exams, troubles, teenagehood. She was … [Read more...] about Galadriel Actress Morfydd Clark Passed Out When She Learned Her Role In The Rings Of Power