US gamers who test out ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’ on Google’s Project Stream get free copy of the game

Google is enticing more people in the US to try out its Project Stream service by offering a free copy of the game they’re currently testing. Project Stream is the company’s first foray into a streaming video game service. It launched its test period back in October with Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Now, Google and Ubisoft are using this freebie and some free Helix Credits—the series’ in-game currency—to get more people to participate. Those who spend at least an hour playing the game on Project Stream before January 15, 2019 can get a free copy of the game on the PC. You need to have a Uplay and Google account to avail this. The link is tied to the user’s Uplay account.

The players also get 1,000 Helix Credits but these will only be available during the test period. What can be carried over to the full game is the items bought as well as all the game saves. If you’re in the US, you can find out more about this deal over at this link.

Source: Polygon

Epic pulls its ‘overpowered’ Infinity Blade from ‘Fortnite’

There’s getting a competitive advantage and then there’s just killing the game for everyone else. And that’s what the Infinity Blade did for Fortnite. The mythic item gave the player who wielded it. It gave them a health and shield boost, HP regeneration, faster movement, incredible damage-dealing potential, and the ability to smash through buildings in no time at all. But the problem was it was too strong, which meant those in the receiving end of it didn’t like it. It drew enough flak that Epic Games was forced to pull the weapon in no time. In a tweet, Epic said, “We messed up and rolled out the Infinity Blade overpowered / without good counters, especially in the end game. The Infinity Blade has been Vaulted and we are re-evaluating our approach to Mythic items.”

The company initially had plans to rework it but decided to just pull it out completely. Epic said it’s also rethinking its approach to mythic items and promises to release more details in the coming week about their “competitive philosophy when it comes to new items, updates, and seasons."

Source: Engadget

Nintendo’s NES and SNES Classic consoles are no longer in production

Looks like after the current stock is out, it’ll be hard, or possibly nearly impossible, to get your hands the Nintendo NES Class or SNES Classic consoles. Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo America, told The Hollywood Reporter, that both consoles won’t be returning to store shelves once the current stock runs out. “We’ve said that the current systems are the extent of our classic program,” Fils-Aime said. “We’ve also been clear that, at least from an Americas perspective, these products are going to be available through the holiday season and once they sell out, they’re gone. And that’s it.”

The company wants to put its focus on bringing its retro games to Nintendo Switch Online. Right now, though, the focus seems to be on select NES titles but we’re still keeping our fingers crossed they change their minds about bringing games from the other classic consoles. Or perhaps even bring back these consoles in the future.

Source: Polygon

These are the rumoured specs & price of Samsung’s upcoming foldable phone

It’s being called the Samsung Galaxy Fold and if this report from Korean analysts CCS-CIMB Research is to be believed, that is. Dutch tech blog Lets Go Digital discovered the substantial report that details the specs of Samsung’s upcoming foldable phone, which could be called the Galaxy Fold. The phone will have a 7.3-inch 2,125 x 1,536 foldable display and will be powered by two battery packs that total between 5,000 and 6,000mAh capacity. It’ll reportedly feature a dual camera setup in the back with 12-megapixel sensors and an 8-megapixel on the cover. It’ll reportedly be powered by an Exynos 9820 processor in Korean and Snapdragon 8150 in the US.

According to CCS-CIMB Research, all these information have been verified by the component suppliers listed in the report. And in the bill of materials shown, the Galaxy Fold will cost 70 percent more than the Galaxy S9+ at US$636.70 and that this will carry a 65% markup, meaning it’ll sell for a very, very expensive price of US$1,800. Now, whether any of these is true, we’re about to find out in February when the Galaxy Fold debuts at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Source: Tom’s Guide