If you're looking to upgrade your home theater experience, you'll want to consider adding a soundbar to your setup--a TV's built-in speakers can only do so much. Good soundbars can cost you hundreds of dollars, but you can get your hands on a really solid one for less than $100 today. The Amazon-owned online store Woot is running a steep markdown on the TCL Alto 8+ 2.1 channel soundbar, dropping its price to $75. That's $125 off its usual $200 list price. Amazon itself has the same soundbar on sale for $157, as a point of comparison.

The deal is available for the next 8 days or until it sells out, and the latter is more likely--Woot's hottest deals usually disappear fairly quickly. It comes with free standard shipping for Prime members with estimated delivery between March 15 and March 17.

HTC has launched an upgraded Vive Tracker and brand new Vive Facial Tracker to expand its range of VR tech. ...

Today Just Flight released its much-anticipated PA-28R Arrow III aircraft add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The aircraft can be purchased from the developer’s own store for €37.95, and it promises to be one of the most detailed general aviation aircraft released for Microsoft Flight Simulator to date.

To celebrate the launch, we get to see a brand new video showing off the startup sequence (which is rather appropriate) and providing a sample of the sounds.

You can watch it below.

Recently, we published our massive interview with head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann, who provided a lot of new info about the present and future of the sim.

Nintendo has given its official Animal Crossing: New Horizons Dream Island a Mario makeover. Following the arrival of Mario-themed furniture and clothing to the game, Nintendo has added a dedicated Mario section to its Animal Crossing island, complete with a small obstacle course that leads to a flagpole (with a confetti machine ceremoniously spewing confetti behind it).

The redesign is related to one of Nintendo's Super Mario 35th anniversary My Nintendo missions, which asks you to simply visit Nintendo's Dream Island between March 9-24. To visit the island, all you need to do is lay down on any bed in your house, select Search by Dream Address when prompted by Luna, then input 6382-1459-4417. You'll get credit for completing the mission within seven days of the event ending.

Introducing We Were Here Forever

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New Dungeons & Dragons dice should hit the market by this time next year

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The Humble Bundle video game store, which donates a portion of sales to charity, had a gigantic year in 2020. The company announced that it raised more than $30 million in 2020, supporting 224 charities in total.

Of the $30 million, Humble Bundle raised more than $8.1 million for COVID-19 campaigns that supported charities like Direct Relief, Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health, and the International Rescue Committee, according to GI.biz.

Another major focus for 2020 was the Australian bushfire crisis, and Humble raised $2.2 million to support the firefighting efforts there.

Humble also released a Fight for Racial Injustice bundle in June 2020 following the death of George Floyd; this bundle raised $4.6 million in one week. The storefront, which is owned by IGN, also pledged $1 million to help release new games from Black developers.

Since its founding in 2010, Humble Bundle has donated more than $176 million to charity.

HTC has announced two new accessories for its HTC Vive VR headset, iterating on an existing add-on while introducing a new one for an entirely new way to interact in a virtual space.

The first is the third iteration of the Vive's VR Tracker, which you can use to add tracking to additional parts of your body or bring in new items into your virtual space entirely. Previous versions were rather big and heavy, making multiple attachments to your limbs challenging. HTC says this latest version is around 33% smaller and 15% lighter, with the benefit of improved tracking, too.

The VR trackers are roughly four inches smaller than the previous iteration, released back in 2018. Despite this, HTC says that the battery will last around 75% longer, with charging now handled with a new USB-C port instead of the old microUSB one. The device is also backwards-compatible with other VR Trackers you might have, as well as the full suite of HTC Vive accessories, making it an easy replacement or addition to your current setup.

The more interesting announcement is the HTC's new Vive Facial Tracker. The device is like a small sensor and camera array that clips onto the front of the Vive headset, allowing you to capture facial movements from your eyes down. HTC says it tracks 38 facial movements across the lips, jaw, teeth, tongue, chin and cheeks, which developers can then map onto characters for increased immersion.

The Children of the Atom arrive surrounded by mystery

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Get ready to bring villagers home from the island, as an Animal Crossing collection of stuffed toys will appear at Build-a-Bear.

The post Animal Crossing Build-a-Bear Collection Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

The Magnificent Trufflepigs is a walking, talking, metal-detecting narrative adventure game from the lead designer of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. Doesn't that sound cozy? As someone who just yesterday tossed on this background-noise video of cows grazing in the mountainside, I'd say so!

The upcoming game – a collaboration between Andrew Crawshaw's new studio Thunkd and publisher AMC Games – will set you loose on an English farm with a metal detector and a walkie-talkie.

You're looking for a long-lost earring, a sort of "local treasure," before the farm is taken over by an energy company. Playing as Adam (voiced by Arthur Darvill), you'll chat with Beth (Luci Fish), who found the first half of the pair years back and hopes to feel a "childhood sense of adventure" again.

Beyond the easygoing premise, there are hints that this seemingly simple task might spiral out of control by the end. It's tough not to point to Firewatch even if the comparisons are probably surface-level, but either way, there's plenty of room for more games in the conversing-in-nature space.

The Magnificent Trufflepigs is coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch in early summer 2021.

Developer Hi-Rez Studios is launching its latest Rogue for its popular third-person multiplayer shooter Rogue Company. Called Seeker, he will join the roster from today and will be available free for all players.

A new cinematic trailer teases his abilities; in particular, his archery skills that server as both intelligence-gathering surveillance darts and offensive grenades.

Hi-Rez’s own character description tees up Seeker’s backstory and playstyle:

At age 21, Seeker is already an Olympic medalist in archery. As a young prodigy, he caught the public eye—and the attention of the Rogue Company.

Seeker was brought into the elite organization to help with the assault on Jackal’s Hollow base, also out today as a new map.

In the field, Seeker excels at providing intel for his team. With his signature bow ability, he fires an arrow scanner that reveals enemies. He can also deploy Sticky Sensors in strategic locations and play deadly tricks on enemies using Bounce Grenades.

Upbeat and positive, Seeker is a backline asset that every team will be grateful to have.

Here’s the trailer:

Call of Duty: Mobile changes in a big way with the launch of the game's first major update of 2021. The Season 2: Day of Reckoning update has landed on iOS and Android, bringing with it a new Operator, Charly, along with new maps and more battle pass content.

Charly comes to Call of Duty: Mobile as a free unlock for everyone--all you have to do is log into the game and she will appear in your inventory. Activision said there are no restrictions or time limits for the new Operator.

Also of note, the Day of Reckoning update introduces two more maps that may be familiar to players. Shoot House from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is now in the game, along with the Modern Warfare classic Shipment map that is among the smallest Call of Duty maps ever. This leads to some fast and frenetic gameplay.

The Day of Reckoning update also adds new battle pass rewards to unlock, including weapon blueprints and calling cards. Additionally, the Napalm Strike scorestreak has been added as an unlockable bonus in the battle pass.

A new mode, Gunfight: Sniper, has been added to multiplayer with the update. As its name suggests, this mode challenges players to take down enemies and capture objectives with only a sniper rifle.

The Day of Reckoning update also makes some changes to the battle royale mode of Call of Duty: Mobile. A new vehicle, the cargo truck, has been added to the mix. It has two seats for a driver and a co-pilot, while the bed of the truck can accomodate multiple soldiers standing on it. Additionally, the Tank Battle mode has been added as a "featured" mode in battle royale.

The update also makes a number of bug fixes and tuning changes. One very notable-sounding change is that ADS accuracy for all weapons in the game has been increased. Additionally, horizontal recoil control for all weapons has been increased as well.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla has fallen steadily in price since it launched alongside the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S last November. Now, it's finally fallen below the $30 mark at Amazon, which has Valhalla on sale for just $28 today. This is a pretty awesome deal on one of the best games currently available for PS5 and Xbox Series X, and for PS5 owners, you can even pick up the PS5-specific physical copy at that price. As usual with Amazon, there's no telling how long this deal will be available, and it's possible some versions will sell out soon.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is set in the ninth century and follows a Viking leader named Eivor, who leads their clan to England after being driven out of Norway. It received an 8/10 in GameSpot's Assassin's Creed Valhalla review. "Despite its strong connection to past games, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is more than capable of standing on its own," wrote editor Jordan Ramée.

"It takes a little while to build momentum, but when it hits its stride, Valhalla is a confident Assassin's Creed title that takes a few narrative risks which, as a whole, pay off. Eivor is a good hero with an identity that drives the mystery behind the main narrative, and she shines in the self-contained arc structure of Valhalla's story. The supporting cast may not shine as brightly, but it's easy to forgive that when exploring England and discovering new nuggets of worldbuilding is so rewarding."

Meyers Leonard also loses sponsors after using anti-Semitic language in Call of Duty match

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge will bring back the original animated TMNT beat'em ups' appearance and gameplay.

The post Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

Back when Destructoid nominated its favorite new characters of 2020, I talked about Yakuza: Like a Dragon's hapless hero, Ichiban Kasuga. Nobody but nobody, it would've seemed, could successfully fill the role of long-term Yakuza protagonist Kazuma Kiryu - one of the coolest, likable, and most beloved protagonists in Sega's, nay, in gaming history.

But, somehow, new boy Kasuga hit the ground running, masterfully blending stoicism, bravery, pathos, heroism, and just the right amount of complete and utter idiocy to immediately win the hearts of the Yakuza faithful. The boy came good, and despite having only been around for a single release, it already feels like Kasuga has been around for the franchise's full 15 years.

Speaking in a (spoilery) interview with The Verge, Team Yakuza writer and designer Masayoshi Yokoyama reflected on the impact created by the burgundy-suited maniac. Yokoyama noted that, having spent the past 18 years in prison, Kasuga has a whole life to catch up on, with more than enough time to get tangled up in a hell of a lot of dramatic and catastrophic shenanigans as he readjusts to the outside world.

"I think that Yakuza: Like a Dragon is only the first chapter of Ichiban Kasuga's life," mused Yokoyama on his character's future. "Since he was in prison for 18 years, he has only just begun his life as an adult man. I'm sure there’s probably many trials and tribulations that await him."

Nintendo gift cards and the PS5 DualSense lead Wednesday’s best deals.

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A fire that broke out overnight in Strasbourg, France destroyed one of OVHcloud’s data centers and damaged a second, Reuters reports. The French government and Centre Pompidou, which houses a public information library and modern art museum, had their data affected by the fires, as did Facepunch Studios, maker of the…

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The price of bitcoin has hit record prices this month, and that’s bad news for the climate. As the price of the currency shoots up, so does the energy consumption as people are incentivized to mine more bitcoin. And a new paper published Wednesday in the journal Joule estimates that by the end of the year, bitcoin…

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COMING SOON! Our Animal Crossing™: New Horizons collection is full of fun for all ages. Sign up for free email and text updates so you don’t miss a thing!

25 servers were lost in a fire at the datacenter

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Today Playism announced that the anime Metroidvania game Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is finally exiting early access and heading toward its full release.

The game will launch on Steam on March 27, and below you can check out a few screenshots that accompanied the press release.

The full release adds stages 5 and 6 to the game, as the story unfolds toward its finale.

Do keep in mind that purchasing Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth before release will let you grab it much cheaper, as the price will be adjusted to $19.99 on March 27. There’s even an additional 20% daily deal discount going on right now and until March 12

On top of that, to celebrate the upcoming release, you can grab it together with Team Ladybug’s other game Touhou Luna Nights with a 35% discount.

The heroes in a half-shell are set to make a big comeback as publisher Dotemu and developer Tribute Games have today announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, a side-scrolling brawler inspired by classic TMNT games.

Its debut trailer certainly invokes nostalgia, with animation that looks as though it’s been pulled straight from a 1980s tape.

A press release sent to Twinfinite today tees up the game’s story premise:

With Bebop and Rocksteady amassing gizmos to support Krang and Shredder’s latest scheme, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge finds the turtles battling through a breathless tour of iconic TMNT locations to thwart their nemeses’ most diabolical plan yet.

Armed with shell-shocking new abilities built on a foundation of classic brawling mechanics, the gang are in for an exhilarating, Foot Clan-stomping romp leading them through the sewers and bustling boroughs of New York City all the way to Dimension X.

Shredder’s Revenge is coming to consoles and PC, though there’s no firm platforms or release date yet specified. You can, however, already wishlist the game over on Steam.

Here’s today’s trailer:

In a new trailer, developer People Can Fly has given a brief explanation as to how Earth fell apart and how all hopes for the continuation of the species rested on the shoulders of the most outstanding survivors who were evacuated from the planet.

Unfortunately, that plan went awry when the spaceship carrying the A-team of explorers exploded, leaving the fate of humanity up to the best of the rest instead.

Fast forward a few decades to where Outriders begins, and the future looks grim. The planet of Enoch is far more hostile than originally imagined, strange storms have killed numerous people and enhanced others with wild new powers, and decades of civil war have pushed the colonists closer to extinction than ever before.

That's where the story of Outriders truly begins as players find themselves caught in the middle of a massive conflict and begin fighting back at anything that threatens their survival.

In an interview on the PS Blog, Outriders creative director Bartek Kmita said that what was seen in the demo was only a small sample of all the story and lore to come in the full game. "In the Outriders Demo, you're really only seeing the tip of the iceberg; the starter that only gives you a taste of what's yet to come," Kmita explained. "There's far more depth and complexity to come here."

PlayStation Plus - 12 Months | $24 | Eneba | Use code TWENTYSIXPLUS 

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It's a big day for Roblox, as the game's owner is now listed on the New York Stock Exchange as part of a business move that marks the next stage in the developer's growth.

Founder David Baszucki was on-hand in New York to ring the opening bell to mark the start of trading for Roblox, which will trade under RBLX. In a statement, Baszucki said, "In 2004, we founded Roblox with the vision of connecting the world. Today, as we celebrate our direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange, we recognize the potential ahead of us: to build the platform where billions of people come together to learn, work, and play."

A direct listing differs from an initial public offering (IPO). With a direct listing, outstanding shares are sold, compared to an IPO where new shares are created and sold to the public.

Roblox Corp. has an estimated value of $30 billion, and this could grow substantially with the direct listing, or it might not. Nothing is guaranteed on the stock market.

What will happen is that Baszucki is expected to become a multi-billionaire due to the direct listing and his 70% ownership of the voting power, according to Fortune.

I would like to stuff a heart into Raymond

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People might start seeing Denuvo technology used in PS5 games, as it is part of the system's Tools and Middleware Program now.

The post Denuvo Is Now Part of the PS5 Tools and Middleware Program appeared first on Siliconera.

As a huge Castlevania: Symphony of the Night fan, I feel honor bound to check out Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. It has looked fantastic in Early Access, but you know me, I like to wait. Now's the time to strike as Team Ladybug's action-platformer is about to fully launch on March 27.

Better yet, there's still an early-bird discounted price – how does $10.39 sound?

I don't know the source material (I'll leave that to Chris), but I'm convinced I'll enjoy this adaption. When a not-insignificant part of the HUD is devoted to a future boss's health bar, I'm in my happy place.

This is an older trailer, but a good starting point nonetheless. You'll know if you're feeling it.

What's up with the Early Access build? I've heard mostly good things about Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. That said, I've also seen comments about it being too short even for an unfinished game. The final version will further round out the experience by adding Stage 5 and Stage 6 with the March 27 update.

If for whatever reason you want to wait it out, the final game will cost $19.99 on Steam.

Quick, name a memorable modern Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game. It’s okay if you can’t, those turtle teens peaked during the age of the four-player side-scrolling beat-em-up, which is why it’s so exciting that Dotemu and Tribute Games have teamed up to make a completely new old game for PCs and consoles, Teenage…

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The lingering question from Marvel Studios’ movie-adjacent TV series

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A new trailer has dropped for People Can Fly’s Outriders, and it’s all about shedding light on the lore of the game’s world.

Streamed through the official PlayStation YouTube channel on Mar. 10, the trailer offers a cinematic explaining how the game’s characters ended up on a hostile alien world. Following the downfall of humanity on Earth, the best and brightest were selected for a mission to travel to a new world and restart civilization.

Unfortunately, this ended in failure, with all of those exemplars of the species dying when their ship exploded shortly after takeoff. Earth then decided to enact a new plan: The worst outcasts of civilization would be sent out to space instead, clearing the way and making sure it was safe for the more upstanding members of society to follow after them.

This is how Outriders’ main characters wound up on Enoch, where the game takes place. After they landed, they were then altered by unknown cosmic powers that granted them new abilities, allowing them to fight back against the hostile elements of the world humanity plans to call home.

It’s a solid cinematic, and the exposition is told with the tongue-in-cheek tone one would expect from a People Can Fly title. The trailer can be viewed in its entirety down below.