The next update for Xbox One Insiders doesn't have any one huge feature defining it. Rather, the collection of them outlined on Xbox Wire add up to something noteworthy as a whole. Perhaps the addition that's most emblematic of that is Captive Portal support. With it, you'll be able to use the built-in browser for logging into WiFi networks at places like college campuses and hotels. Finally.
Just months after the Nintendo 3DS launched in 2011, it faced patent infringement allegations. Tomita Technologies was accusing Nintendo's new handheld of using its glasses-free 3D display technology without paying royalties. Like most patent lawsuits, it dragged on for years -- first awarding a victory to Tomita before handing the win to Nintendo in appeals. Now, a higher court has confirmed Nintendo's victory. On Friday, the Federal Circuit court ruled that the Nintendo 3DS does not infringe Tomita's patent.
The Switch blew us away when it launched earlier this month, but our enthusiasm for the console's possibilities has been tempered by its seriously limited game library. Lucky for you fighting game fans, brand-new 3D brawler Arms is coming to the console this spring. Nintendo dropped a pair of videos teasing a few characters and mechanics from the upcoming title, which looks about as gleefully competitive and bizarre as you'd expect a first-party Switch game to be.
In the real world, an ocarina is a lot less functional than the magical one Link has in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. As Nintendo 64 lovers know, the Hyrulian hero can use his instrument to do things like manipulate the rain and switch between night and day. In our realm, ocarinas just sound nice. Allen Pan, better known as Sufficiently Advanced on YouTube, decided he was tired of playing his ocarina without mystical results. So, he did what any Zelda fan with the technological know-how would do: create a smart home setup controlled by an ocarina.
Is there such a thing as a good Monday morning? Hopefully, you've managed to calibrate to the clock changes last week, as we kick of this one with the weekend's highlight. After all that bad Uber news, its president has quit, while Tesla is killing its (slightly more) affordable 60kWh Model S. Our weekly After Math breaks down all the numbers from the last seven days too -- no calculators required.
South by Southwest isn't just about cool tech, movies and music... gaming is a big deal, too. The Austin festival has unveiled its fourth annual gaming award winners, and the top picks definitely reflect SXSW's emphases on storytelling and out-of-the-ordinary concepts. The leader, by far, was Uncharted 4. Naughty Dog's swashbuckling action game took home five prizes, including video game of the year as well as excellence awards for a memorable character, narrative, animation and visuals. It's not surprising, to be honest -- U4 has been an awards darling for months, and its combination of sophisticated characterization with breathtaking vistas was bound to be appealing to SXSW's panel.
The next update for Xbox One Insiders doesn't have any one huge feature defining it. Rather, the collection of them outlined on Xbox Wire add up to something noteworthy as a whole. Perhaps the addition that's most emblematic of that is Captive Portal support. With it, you'll be able to use the built-in browser for logging into WiFi networks at places like college campuses and hotels. Finally.
Squad isn't done adding to Kerbal Space Program just because the game's protracted development is over... if anything, the studio is just getting started. The company has unveiled KSP's first expansion, Making History, and this is definitely represents more than your usual downloadable add-on. It earns its namesake from the ability to reenact real-life space missions (insofar as you can in a fictional universe, anyway), but the real highlight is the option to create your own missions. There's a simple "drag and drop" interface, Squad says, and you can throw players for a loop by introducing everything from arbitrary limits (such as fuel or time) to surprise events.
Android users won't have to wait much longer to find out whether or not Super Mario Run has justified any of the hype. Nintendo has made good on its earlier promise and revealed that the Android edition of the touchscreen runner will arrive on March 23rd, in sync with version 2.0 of the game. That update will give you more character choices beyond the current six, and will throw free players a bone by letting them tackle World 1-4 if they complete a challenge. There's more to 2.0 than that, Nintendo teases, but you'll have to wait to learn the rest.