In 2015, Apple Harry Potter-ized our pics with the introduction of photos-as-moving-pictures, aka "live photos."   Live photos capture three seconds of video in total, with one and a half seconds recorded both before and after the shutter clicks. To view the whole sequence, you just press and hold the live photo. You'd think this would be a video, but it's actually a High Efficiency Image File (HEIF) format; the file automatically selects one still as the lead image. But what if you want to share the whole sequence of moving images on a device other than a smartphone, or as a .GIF? To do this, you need to convert a live photo into a video. This previously required downloading a third party Shortcut, such as the Convert LivePhotos to Video shortcut. You could also use another third party app to turn live photos into .GIFs: Twitter introduced this in 2019. Read more...More about Videos, How To, Live Photos, Tech, and Consumer Tech

Halo? Jack Sparrow in Sea of Thieves? A proper first look at Bethesda's long-awaited Starfield? A new batch of Game Pass games for subscribers? All here, and then some. Microsoft and Bethesda Softworks kicked off their E3 2021 on Sunday afternoon with an extended onslaught of reveals and new trailer drops from the two storied publishers. It was notably the first E3 press conference for either of them since Microsoft's blockbuster Bethesda acquisition in 2020. That's especially notable because both brands have, in recent years especially, tended to dominate many of the headlines coming out of E3 with their surprises and big-name exclusives. Now, with everything from Elder Scrolls to Halo to Doom to Minecraft all under the same corporate stewardship, two blockbuster press conferences have merged into one. Read more...More about Gaming, Xbox, Bethesda Softworks, E3, and Entertainment

Previously announced for Marvel’s Avengers, today’s Square Enix E3 Showcase gave a first proper look at Black Panther who joins the superhero roster in a brand new expansion, War For Wakanda. A new cinematic trailer introduces the King of Wakanda himself — although his face is not shown clearly until he puts on his Black Panther mask. He will be defending Wakanda from Klaw, who has infiltrated Wakanda in order to steal Vibranium for his own plans. The trailer page indicates that War For Wakanda will release this August. The Black Panther expansion will be free to players who already own Marvel’s Avengers on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. The expansion had supposedly been planned for release earlier but was delayed due to... Continue reading…

Ready for a Marvel surprise? Square Enix has a Guardians of the Galaxy game coming, and it's totally separate from the publisher's 2020 Avengers game. In fact, this game couldn't be further from the online super team-up gameGuardians of the Galaxy is a solitary, story-driven adventure that puts players in the role of Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, at a time when he and his misfit family of teammates are still getting to know each other after only a year of working together. Based on what we've seen so far, it looks like the game delivers a pretty familiar mix of combat, exploration, and character interactions, with the choices you make influencing the plot to some extent. You'll also notice stuff like health bars and ability menus in the footage. Like I said, familiar stuff, but excitingly, it's playing out here in a Marvel universe. Read more...More about Gaming, Square Enix, E3, Entertainment, and Gaming

Babylon’s Fall finally has a substantial gameplay trailer, which was revealed at Square Enix’s E3 2021 Showcase. The new trailer is the first time it’s been seen since the game was first announced in 2018. Players will team up tackling challenging dungeons in an attempt to scale the titular tower. The co-op title is developed by PlatinumGames and can be played solo or with up to four players. Besides the studio’s trademark hi-octane melee action, the new footage from the fantasy title shows that players can wield ranged weapons like magic staffs and bows. Their powers and customization is also based on a special equipment called the Gideon Coffin worn on their backs. The developers confirmed that Babylon’s Fall is a live-service title... Continue reading…