You’d think grabbing a scoop of dirt off an orbiting space rock and then delivering it back to Earth would be the most complicated part of an asteroid sample collection mission, but the real challenge, it turns out, is actually opening that sample container once it’s back home.
Welcome back to our weekly gaming news roundup.
January is a magical time in the video game industry. We've just closed out 12 months of marketing hype and shifting production timelines, and the year ahead is filled with the promises of new titles and fresh hardware. During this special month, we can look at the 2024 release calendar with excitement and optimism, before the delays start rolling in. So, let's get to it — these hearts aren't going to break themselves.
New year, new... desktop setup?
Audio cues can sometimes be crucial for success in games. Developers frequently design the sound environment for their experiences to be not only rich and immersive, but to also contain hints about approaching enemies or danger. Players who are hard of hearing can miss out on this, and it's not fair for them to be disadvantaged due to a disability.
Bandai Namco’s Sand Land finally has a release date of April 26. This is a video game adaptation of a classic manga by artist Akira Toriyama. That’s the same Akira Toriyama who created Dragon Ball, and also created the character designs for Chrono Trigger and many entries in the Dragon Q
It’s the end of our CES coverage, wrapping up the week with more deep dives from the tech show and introducing our Best of CES 2024 winners.
It's once again that time of year when a bunch of dedicated gamers gather in a conference room to play through their favorite titles as quickly as possible in the name of charity. This year's Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) speedrunning marathon starts on Sunday, January 14. The week-long event is slated to last until the early hours of January 21. You can watch it live below and catch up on any runs you missed over on the Games Done Quick (GDQ) YouTube channel.
CES 2024 in Las Vegas had all kinds of tech, from attention-grabbing AI gadgets to, uh, whatever this is. There were also a whole bunch of laptops. Like, an endless array of laptops.
So much of what we see at CES tends to be focused on technological innovation for the sake of innovation, or obvious attempts to tap into whatever trend is gripping the internet's attention that year. In the last few shows, though, there has been a heartening increase in attention to assistive products that are designed to help improve the lives of people with disabilities and other different needs. At CES 2024, I was glad to see more development in the accessibility category, with many offerings appearing to be more thoughtfully designed in addition to being clever.
Nissan has unveiled its latest Nismo electric vehicle. The Ariya Nismo is based on the Ariya e-4orce and it's scheduled to be available in two trims. The B6 has a 66kWh battery, while the B9 has a 91kWh version. With Nismo being Nissan's performance division, it's no real surprise that the EV will offer a little more power than other Ariyas.