Hasbro can 3D print your face onto action figures from Marvel, Star Wars, and more

Source: Hasbro and Formlabs

Action figures are about to get personalized. Hasbro partnered with 3D-printer company Formlabs to announce a Selfie Series of action figures. According to its website, it's coming to the Hasbro Pulse app this Fall 2022 exclusively in the US for people 16 years and older. It'll allow you to use your face or that of a loved one to turn you into a character from big franchises like Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, Power Rangers, GI Joe, and Ghostbusters.

You will need the app to scan your face. It will then convert that data into a 3D model and upload it to Hasbro, which will print it out as part of a personalized action figure. Hasbro plans to sell these for US$60 (around CA$78). Hasbro will keep the 3D face scan data for 60 days after it ships in case a replacement is needed. According to the company, it won't use the data for any other purpose and deletes it after the 60-day period ends.

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Netflix partners with Microsoft for its ad-supported tier

Source: Netflix and Microsoft

Netflix recently announced it picked Microsoft to become its technology and sales partner for its new advertising-supported tier. This new tier should be a more affordable option for viewers while also drawing in additional revenue for the company. Its slowing growth has forced the streaming service to look at new ways to attract subscribers. And it is one solution it announced back in April after reporting a drop in its subscriber base.

The company set a tight time frame for this rollout, so it needed a third party to handle the sales and technology. Netflix has reportedly met with Google and Comcast, but these companies have rival streaming services. Microsoft will now be the exclusive server and seller of ads on Netflix. While Microsoft doesn't come to mind when you think about advertising sales, it generated US$10 billion in ad sales last year and bought Xandr, AT&T's ad business.

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You can play 'Wordle' as a multiplayer board game soon

Source: New York Times and Hasbro

We have more Wordle news for you. The New York Times is partnering with Hasbro to bring the popular word game from the digital world to the physical one. They plan to release Wordle: The Party Game later this year. While the game online is a solitary affair, the companies want to turn it into a party game. One player will think of a five-letter word the others have to try and guess. When people make their guesses, the one who thought of the word will slide yellow and green tiles over the correct letters. You'll make your guesses with a dry-erase marker on a small dry-erase board. When a round is over, you can just wipe the board clean and start again.

Wordle: The Party Game will be launched in North America in October, with preorder kicking off on Thursday for US$19.99 (around CA$26). Shipping might start on October 1, but the game's website cautions that shipping dates are subject to change.

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Razer Stream Controller competes with the Stream Deck

Source: Razer

Razer wants to take on the likes of the Elgato Stream Deck with its newest accessory. The Stream Controller, which the company co-developed with Loupedeck, is a touchscreen device designed to quickly launch shortcuts and control software and hardware on a PC. Twitch streamers use Elgato's accessory to control all parts of their stream. And Razer's new accessory is built mainly for live content creation. 

It has 12 haptic LCD touchscreen keys and three tactile analog dials on either side of the display for adjusting audio levels for mic, music, and more. You have eight programmable buttons at the bottom that can toggle between different layouts or launch commands. You can program its primary 12 switchblade keys to trigger commands or macros, with customizable icons and the ability to adjust haptic feedback from pressing a touchscreen key. Swipe gestures are also available to access more keys. The extra dials on the Stream Controller make this a unique device.

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