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It’s time to game. Kicking off June 6, with Summer Game Fest Live, SGF 2025 runs through to June 9, with the likes of Xbox Games Showcase and even Death Stranding 2 live game premiere likely to make headlines. There is a bunch of others in store, including Day of the Devs. Devolver Direct and Wholesome Direct are peppering the schedule.

For Xbox, games in the pipeline include the new Fable, Perfect Dark, Gears of War: E-Day, Everwild, State of Decay 3, Clockwork Revolution, Hideo Kojima’s OD and Contraband.

What about Nintendo (although it’s a bit busy) and Sony? Traditionally, both have their own presentations, but there is no word yet on either. Ubisoft usually does a thing too, but nothing’s on the docket.

The most recent headline-makers include a glimpse at The Witcher 4, courtesy of Unreal, and a closer look at IO Interactive’s 007 First Light, a James Bond game from the studio responsible for the incredible Hitman series. Hopefully, there are further surprises. Maybe a Silksong release date? Gosh, I can be silly.

— Mat Smith

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How SGF gave games media a better kind of trade event

Summer Games Fest kicks off at the end of the week. We’re sending a small team of editors to watch, play and interview their way through all the biggest reveals and experiences. While it doesn’t yet have the iconic weight of E3 — which is all but dead — SGF is a crucial lightning rod for most of the gaming industry. Jessica Conditt lays out why she prefers the new form of the gaming trade show — and how she might have cursed the whole thing with her witchy powers.

Continue reading.

28 Years Later used 20 iPhones at the same time

The film used three iPhone rigs.

Sony

Director Danny Boyle has discussed the use of iPhones for 28 Years Later in an interview with IGN. The movies used three special rigs for the iPhone sequences: one for eight cameras, which one person can carry, another with ten and another with 20.

“I never say this, but there is an incredible shot in the second half [of the film] where we use the 20-rig camera, and you’ll know it when you see it,” Boyle told IGN. He described the 20-iPhone rig as “basically a poor man’s bullet time.”

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Stranger Things 5 finally has a release date

Spread across three volumes.

Netflix

While I thought they’d keep the Stranger Things train rolling until Bobby Milly Brown morphed into Winona Ryder, this is the end. Netflix has finally revealed the release date for the show’s fifth and final season: November 26. Volume one has four episodes, followed a month later by three episodes for volume two on Christmas Day (December 25) and the final episode on New Year’s Eve (December 31).

Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111341868.html?src=rss

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will seemingly let players use a melee weapon featured in the game's announcement trailerThe game's ESRB rating page says players will get to use a "battle guitar"The battle guitar can be seen being used by Troy Baker's character, Higgs Monaghan, in the game's State of Play trailerDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach will seemingly let players use a unique melee weapon, which was featured in the game's announcement trailer.That's according to the game's ESRB rating page, which appears to confirm that Death Stranding 2 will allow players to use the "battle guitar" as a melee weapon (via IGN)."This is an action game in which players assume the role of a courier (Sam Porter Bridges) attempting to reconnect society in a post-apocalyptic world. From a third-person perspective, players traverse an open-world landscape to deliver various goods and packages," the rating summary reads."Along the way, players can engage in combat against human soldiers, battle androids, and ghostly apparitions. Players use melee weapons (e.g., battle guitar) and firearms (e.g., machine guns, sniper rifles) to kill enemies."If you're unfamiliar, the battle guitar was first shown being wielded by Troy Baker's character, Higgs Monaghan, in the game's first State of Play trailer.The trailer footage shows that it's a modified, orange and black electric guitar, and when the strings are strummed, it will shoot electric energy at enemies.In the sequel, you once again play as Sam Bridges, so it looks like players can obtain the melee weapon at some point in the story.Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to launch on June 26, 2025, for PlayStation 5. Sony has also revealed a new limited edition DualSense Wireless Controller inspired by Death Stranding 2, which will release alongside the game.You might also like...Best PC games 2025: the must-play titles you don’t want to missEA has canceled Cliffhanger Games' Black Panther game and closed the studio to 'sharpen our focus' elsewhereSony's Days of Play sale kicks off tomorrow and will bring price cuts to the PS5 Pro, DualSense Edge, the PS5 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 bundle, and a host of price cuts on accessories and games

Two 2014 Sticks and one 2016 model are no longer supportedNewer models aren't currently discountedThe 4K Max would be our choice of replacementA few weeks ago we reported that Netflix would stop supporting some older Fire TV devices from June 2025 – and that's coming into force today, 3 June.Netflix hasn't gone into detail about why it's ending support for the devices, but the usual explanations are that they're too old to handle the latest security updates, as well as more modern audio and video formats streaming services such as Netflix prefer: the affected Fire TV devices are from 2014 and 2016, which is an eternity in tech years.These particular Fire TV Sticks haven't been updated in years, so it's always been a case of when they'd go obsolete rather than whether they would.If you're going to get another Amazon device to replace yours and don't mind doing without Netflix for a while, I'd recommend hanging on for a little while: Amazon discounts its Fire TV devices all the time, but it isn't doing it today. I'll be very surprised if it doesn't discount at least one model in time for Father's Day.The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the most future-proof of the current models (Image credit: Amazon)What Fire TV Sticks has Netflix stopped supporting?From June 3, 2025, the first generation versions of the following models will no longer be Netflix-compatible:Fire TV (2014)Fire TV Stick (2014)Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (2016)And to be fair, Netflix has supported these devices for a very long time.If you're looking for a new Fire TV Stick, the model I'd recommend is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. The non-Max version has an official price of $49.99 / £59.99 / AU$79 while the Max is $59.99 / £69.99 / AU$119, and for not much more money the Max gives you more storage, a faster processor and better Wi-Fi connectivity too.The Max has been discounted several times this year so far, taking the US price to $39.99 and taking it under £50 in the UK. So if you don't mind pausing your Netflix watching for a little while, it's probably worth waiting for the next Amazon Fire TV Stick deal to pop up.You might also likeThe best streaming device for your TVThe best Android boxes for TV, gaming and moreBest streaming service: Netflix, Apple TV Plus, and more

Evidence mounts that Garmin will launch a screenless wearable on an armbandIt's said to be called the Garmin Index Sleep MonitorDetails are sketchy, but it looks likely to (as the name suggests) eschew fitness tracking to focus on sleepGarmin's latest wearable will not, in fact, be an entry into our best Garmin watches list. Instead, it's more likely to rank alongside our best sleep trackers.After reporting that a Whoop-style screenless band was en route from Garmin, we've now got more detail on the tracker. According to leak site Fitness Tracker Test based on "additional information" it has received, the tracker is called the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor, a similar naming convention to the Garmin Index smart scale, and it's designed to be worn on the upper arm.Although it's a screenless band using LED optical technology to measure heart rate, apparently there are more differences than similarities between this tracker and Whoop. Fitness Tracker Test reports this band is designed to be worn on the upper arm, while Whoop can be worn on the wrist, arm, or even chest.While Whoop combines sleep with detailed activity tracking, this band will reportedly be focused on sleep only, with features such as heart rate, sleep stages, Body Battery, women's health tracking and a smart-wake alarm. No basic step tracking, according to Fitness Tracker Test, making its use an activity tracker limited.If true, it will leave the fitness tracking to Garmin watches, acting as an add-on rather than a comprehensive all-in-one tracker in its own right.The5kRunner expects a release in the next couple of months, while Florian of Fitness Tracker Test expects a price point of around €170 (around $195 / £145 / AU$300).An expensive add-onThis is largely conjecture and hearsay, but the evidence is mounting that Garmin will launch the Index Sleep Monitor soon.If all the information above is true, and Garmin is looking to make a sleep tracker only, I would say that $200 would be a steep price for a wearable that would rely on an already-expensive Garmin watch to get a full picture of your health and activity levels.However, at this point, we need to take all rumors with a hefty pinch of salt. We'll know more if, or when, Garmin does release the Index Sleep Monitor soon.You might also like...watchOS 12: 3 things I expect to see Tim Cook announce at this year's WWDCGarmin may be about to bring users back to nature with new swimming and walking workoutsCoros Heart Rate Monitor review: An armband optical monitor that automates tracking

The FDA has launched the generative AI tool, Elsa, agency-wide to help its employees with everything from clinical reviews to investigations. Sure, we're living in a time of widespread disinformation and pushbacks against science, but why not rush things through with AI?

Elsa — yes, weirdly like the snow queen from Frozen — completed a "very successful pilot program with FDA’s scientific reviewers." According to the FDA, the AI tool can help with reading, writing and summarizing everything from adverse events to assessments. Elsa can also do label comparisons and generate code. It's already being used to speed up clinical protocol reviews and scientific evaluations, along with finding "high-priority inspection targets."

Elsa should be a secure platform, the FDA states. It's not clear how exactly the agency trained Elsa, but the FDA claims it's not through "data submitted by regulated industry." The information exists in Amazon Web Services' GovCloud that, again, should keep all information internal.

The FDA calls Elsa the first step in its AI journey. "Today marks the dawn of the AI era at the FDA with the release of Elsa, AI is no longer a distant promise but a dynamic force enhancing and optimizing the performance and potential of every employee," said FDA Chief AI Officer Jeremy Walsh. "As we learn how employees are using the tool, our development team will be able to add capabilities and grow with the needs of employees and the agency."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-fda-rolls-out-its-own-ai-to-speed-up-clinical-reviews-and-scientific-evaluations-120052323.html?src=rss

This guide was originally a simple list of products I’ve bought over the years that were good enough to warrant recommending to others. But over time, I wanted to expand things to include tools and gadgets that help solve life’s little challenges. After all, there’s nothing like the feeling of suddenly finding yourself in a jam only to realize the solution is already in your pocket or bag. Or at the very least, if they’re not solving problems, these gadgets will help you pass time more enjoyably. So if you’re looking for a gift for Father’s day, graduation or any other occasion where the recipient will appreciate a finely crafted tool, here’s a list of some of my favorite everyday carry products available today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/everyday-carry-gear-for-dads-133033554.html?src=rss