Bethesda explains why it isn’t using Steam for ‘Fallout 76’

Fallout 76 is coming to all platforms next month, including Xbox One, PS4, and PC. But just like it did with the beta, the game isn’t coming to Steam. The game will officially be launched on Bethesda.net. The reason behind this is the developer’s ability to communicate with its players. While Fallout 76 is just the second time the company released an online-based game (first was Elder Scrolls: Online), it seems they are much more confident in their own platform moving forward.

Bethesda’s Pete Hines explains, “It’s an online, always-on game, and is a service. That was also based on our experiences with other online games as well. We felt that having a direct relationship with our customers was super important to use. And so doing it through Bethesda.net exclusively allows us to have that one-to-one relationship with customers, that quite honestly you don’t always have when you go through another third party where they might own the relationship with the customer in terms of being able to email them or to reach out directly and contact them.”

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Media player Winamp plans to make a comeback in 2019

Remember this?

You may or may not remember Winamp but we sure as heck do, and it seems the media player we grew up on is making a comeback in the coming year. Its parent company Radionomy announced plans of bring a “completely new version” of the media player. While the original Winamp player still works, it was last updated in 2013. What Radionomy’s CEO Alexandre Saboundjian promises is it will let you “listen to the MP3s you may have at home, but also to the cloud, to podcasts, to streaming radio stations, to a playlist you perhaps have built.” How they are going to accomplish this is something he didn’t elaborate on. How it would work in the age of streaming services is going unanswered for now. And now we just have to wait and see when the revamped app is going to be like.

Source: TechCrunch

‘Pokemon Go’ AR+ mode comes to Android

If you’re on Android and still playing Pokemon Go, you might want to check if your device supports ARCore (Google’s AR kit). The game now supports AR+ mode, which scales the pocket monsters to their accurate dimensions as you move closer or farther to them. This mode also makes it easier for them to detect your movement, so you need to get close before you can throw that Poke Ball. Again, as we mentioned, this will only work if you have ARCore. And that is something you can download on the Play Store—if your device supports it.

Source: Nintendo Life

Essential lets go of 30 per cent of its staff

A year ago, Essential was the most exciting new entrant in the smartphone space. Their innovative yet undercooked Essential PH-1 brought a new level of luxury and design thinking to the market plus it had the smallest notch on a edge-to-edge display, something that's easy to overlook in today's notch riddled smartphone market.

Essential reportedly let go of 30 per cent of its staff as it continues to wrap up operations. The cuts were mostly to its sales and hardware divisions after the company was unable to find a buyer. Essential cancelled its follow up to the PH-1 and said it would focus on smart home product although nothing has materialized.

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