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I’ve been playing a lot of Monster Hunter Rise since it launched. Like, an unhealthy amount. It’s easily my new favourite in the series, serving as a great jumping on point for new players and a place for veterans to hone their skills. But while I’ve enjoyed zipping to and fro with the new Wirebug, and riding around with my Palamute dog companion, Rise still makes me uncomfortable every now and then. Rise’s monsters are easily some of the most creative, awe-inspiring beasts in all of gaming, which makes it all the more upsetting when you’re driving blades through their hides and making hats out of their wings.

I understand what Monster Hunter is, the clue is in the name after all. I do wish that there were more ways of interacting with the series’ beasties than straight up killing them, though. This got me thinking, wouldn’t a ‘Monster Hunter Snap’ game be wonderful?

This hypothetical Monster Hunter spin-off would of course follow Pokémon Snap’s approach to the Pokémon universe. Pokémon Snap was a natural evolution of the series, giving players a way to hang out with Pokémon without having to make them fight. This has always been something my partner has pointed out to me while watching me play Pokémon: ‘I love this Pokémon, why do you have to fight it?’; ‘I just wish I didn’t have to battle all the time, I think I’d really enjoy Pokémon otherwise’ — it’s clear that there’s a lot of space for Pokémon games that exist without having to lean into combat as a main focus. The reveal of Pokémon Legends: Arceus earlier this year is yet another indicator of this shift, offering more exploration and free-roam play, as well as the usual battles.

The Monster Hunter series has already started to take steps towards a more empathetic view of the monsters that inhabit its world. Monster Hunter Stories allows you to hatch monster eggs and befriend monsters, being more akin to the Pokémon series in the treatment of monsters. It still involves battling, but from a much more friendly angle than the usual stab, kill and carve loop featured in the core series. Monsters like the Rathalos, Mizutsune and Tigrex have become icons over the years, with distinct personalities that make them feel like real animals.

Imagine being tasked with photographing two monsters as they battle, having to set up your shots to get great pictures while also keeping at a safe distance

Stories gives players a new way to interact with these creatures, forging bonds and adding a spin on the way the series usually views its monsters. The lesser-known Monster Hunter Diary also took a new direction, with an emphasis on village-management and Animal Crossing-style interactions with Felyne characters.

Taking the monster-friendly ethos of Stories further could really work in a Monster Hunter Snap game. Snapping photographs is already a part of Rise, there’s even missions that specifically ask you to photograph monsters in certain ways, like catching a Bombadgy as it exhales gas and rolls around. The monsters of Monster Hunter already exhibit unique behaviours and follow strict routines, setting the stage for players to go in and photograph them. Imagine being tasked with photographing two monsters as they battle, having to set up your shots to get great pictures while also keeping at a safe distance. The new Wirebug is a great fit for a photography game, given that it allows you to reach cliff tops and hidden areas with ease. You can bet there’d be a cat running the photo hut where you develop your pics, too.

You could be a researcher tasked with writing the first Hunters Notes volume, filling it in as you photograph each monster as it goes about its day. This would be a way to have progression tied to something other than armour sets and weapons. Mostly, I just want an excuse to spend more time admiring the beautiful locales I’m usually riding through as fast as possible. These locales are also often filled with strange and interesting flora, as well as smaller creatures that hide away behind the scenes. I’d love to get all Planet Earth and slowly document each area, perhaps visiting locations from a variety of Monster Hunter games. The many games in the Monster Hunter series are rarely tied together, meaning the overarching universe can feel a little undefined at times. What better way to establish this world than by letting players explore it at their leisure, documenting the differences between regions and learning new things along the way?

More than anything, I’d like non-combative spin-offs to become more of the norm. It makes sense that as games become more complex, with better visual fidelity and AI, that the ways we interact with them should become more complex also. This is something that genres like military shooters have had to wrangle with recently, offering deeper explanations as to why you are doing the things you’re being asked to do. Nintendo has always been better at this than most, and with Monster Hunter having much of its history entangled with the platform holder, it’d be interesting to see the series broaden to appeal to a more diverse set of gamers. The Switch has sold extremely well, and has excellent gyroscopic controls that could really shine here. I’d bet a MH Snap game would be a much easier sell than the often-intimidating main games.

The last two Monster Hunter mainline games have both seen amazing sales, finally bringing the series to mainstream Western audiences. It’s clear that Monster Hunter is currently a very hot property indeed (hey, you saw the film, right), and I’m hoping that this success will allow Capcom to be a bit more daring with potential spin-offs. With New Pokémon Snap on the way, it will be interesting to see how well it sells, and whether this could be yet another sign to developers like Capcom that there is an appetite for these kinds of games.

After so many Monster Hunter games it’s surely time to build out the world a bit with some smaller, weirder titles. Stories is a great start, as is having the new entry tie into Rise through shared compatibility. I’ll honestly take any opportunity to jump back into the Monster Hunter universe but please Capcom, consider making Monster Hunter Snap.

Sony’s consistent output of critical and commercial smash hits is undoubtedly a key factor in PlayStation’s rise from the ashes after the troubled launch of the PlayStation 3. By doubling down on beloved franchises like Uncharted, a revived God of War, and more recent hits like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Ghost of Tsushima, Sony’s stable of first-party studios has become synonymous with chart-topping, award-winning games.But a new report from Bloomberg suggests that Sony’s upper management primary focus on blockbuster games that are ‘too big to fail’ comes at the expense of riskier, more inventive projects. If the picture painted is an accurate one, Sony may be losing a key facet of its identity that’s not only been a hallmark of the company since its earliest days, but is also directly responsible for some of PlayStation’s biggest hits over time.

Jason Schreier’s report covers a handful of allegedly canned or altered projects among Sony’s suite of first party studios, like a The Last of Us remake that changed hands several times, a Days Gone sequel that will never see the light of day, and more. It’s certainly fascinating to learn about the projects that have and haven’t materialized from a company that’s been notoriously quiet in recent years, but the report points towards a company and leadership ethos that leaves little room for a bedrock of gaming, experimentation.

Have you played PlayStation 5?

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The most damning example comes from what we learned about the development studio properly spinning up to be its own team within the Visual Arts Service Group, a Sony team that pinch-hit and assisted other Sony studios cross the finish line with their games. Rumors have abounded for years that they would be continuing the Uncharted franchise, but Schreier’s report states the team was allegedly working on a Last of Us remake that never got the support it needed there, and has since been moved to Naughty Dog. While the lack of support is troubling enough, The Last of Us – a benchmark of excellence at Sony – isn’t a game that screams the need for a remake eight years on, and in the wake of a perfectly good remaster.

The Best PS5 Games

A quality-over-quantity approach isn’t inherently a bad thing, of course, and Sony’s output of successful first-party releases this past generation is a big reason why people buy PlayStations. But as the Horizon Zero Dawns and the God of Wars became the focal point of PlayStation’s first-party stable, there was less and less to keep players entertained in between. That led to the odd showings in the later years of the PS4, where Sony trotted out the same group of exclusives for years at PSX, State of Play, and E3 showcases.

While almost every new Sony first-party launch has been coupled with a record-breaking sales headline, and later end-of-year accolades from around the industry, the report suggests that the quality bar came at the expense of games and potential franchises that weren’t hits right out of the gate. While Days Gone didn’t necessarily review as favorably as other Sony first-party games, it amassed a dedicated fanbase and was reportedly profitable. Developer Bend Studio has shown its dedication to the game, with consistent patches and post-launch support to improve the tech issues critics noted. But even despite all that, the years of marketing pushes it got, and all the work Bend did to create its Freaker horde tech and establish this world, Bloomberg reports a Days Gone 2 was not “seen as a viable option.”

In the case of Days Gone, it’s a particular shame because there was clearly a gem of an idea buried underneath its issues. Bend’s reverence for motorcycle movement made the vehicle a joy to ride, its Freaker hordes are both frightening and thrilling to tackle, and Sam Witwer delivered a strong performance as Deacon St. John. Game franchises can come back from shaky starts, especially when there’s a solid foundation. Just look at Assassin’s Creed, which debuted to middling reviews but found its footing with the fantastic Assassin’s Creed II. And even within the halls of Sony you can find sequels that drastically improved upon the first. Uncharted 1 was well received at launch, but Uncharted 2 crystallized what the series could accomplish on a spectacle and design scale in a way the first just couldn’t. Sequels are meant to be improvements, and it’s a shame Days Gone may never get to be proof of that.

The decision was reportedly enough to cause team members to leave while Bend was assigned to help Naughty Dog on both a multiplayer game and a new Uncharted, which led to fears “they might be absorbed into Naughty Dog, and the studio’s leadership asked to be taken off the Uncharted project.“

(The merits and timeliness of a Last of Us remake are another debate entirely, but it’s of course worth noting that a more modernized version of one of Sony’s most beloved games hardly counts as much of a risk as a brand new franchise would. More so, the alleged lack of funds or trust in the SVAG team feels emblematic of the larger problem – why should Sony bet on a new team, even if it’s working on a known property, when they can simply put it in the hands of one of their most successful teams? And sure, that might, on paper or in a boardroom, make sense, but then how does that new team find a chance to succeed?)

And if a project that, from the outside, seemed as sure a thing as a Days Gone sequel can’t move forward, how much room is there for new ideas, and risks that can lead to the next The Last of Us or God of War? Of course, these games were risks themselves! It’s almost a folly to think any one publisher can produce only hit after hit without some stumbles along the way, or experiments that, even if they don’t work on first blush, may lead to greater success down the road. It’s worrying to read about a laser focus on these big projects alongside something like first party studio Media Molecule’s Dreams, a creation-suite that, as Bloomberg notes, never quite got the marketing it deserved. Its dedicated audience is certainly there, but in an era where creation platforms like Minecraft, Roblox, and more become some of the biggest games in the world, it’s disheartening that Sony didn’t try to push Dreams into that stratosphere.

The Sony Japan Studio restructuring is further proof that Sony is hedging all its bets on only its most unflappable blockbusters. With the reorganization of Sony Japan to be focused around Team Asobi, undoubtedly due to the success and acclaim of Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Astro’s Playroom, the development house that has led to some of Sony’s most eclectic, memorable experiences is singularly focused on the series that sells consoles… or convinces players to buy into the innovative DualSense. Seemingly gone are the smaller, but no less worthy games like Gravity Rush, Ape Escape, Shadow of the Colossus, and the talent behind those franchises. The only, truly small-scale studio that exists within Sony these days is Pixelopus, the Concrete Genie devs whose latest game was certainly a charmer, but didn’t necessarily capture the same mindshare as Days Gone did in the same year. Does that studio’s creative wit have a place in modern-day PlayStation? I truly don’t know, and as a fan of their work, that worries me.

The Evolution of PlayStation Hardware

Despite all the worrying signs, the PS5 continues to sell out, the first party studios Sony is paying all its attention to are seemingly thriving and have massive sequels like the next God of War, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Horizon Forbidden West on the way that are, again, probably too big to fail. And PlayStation series seem to be of wider importance to Sony than ever, with Uncharted, The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima on the docket for film and TV adaptations. There is clearly a long, healthy life ahead for many of these series, and it would be hypocritical to say that I can’t wait for the sequels, both announced and assumed, to come.

But PlayStation has historically never rested on safe bets. Through its stumbles and successes, the lineup of PlayStation exclusives across the generations is marked by risks, some that worked and some didn’t, but all of which proved the company’s ethos of putting intriguing game experiences first. What the new report shows, more than anything, is the picture of a company more concerned with the bottom line and capitalizing on what’s already worked, rather than blending in new, bold steps to find renewed success elsewhere. It’s why, in the wake of the report, a video of former PlayStation Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden has been circulating widely on social media.

Talking about Vib-Ribbon at E3 several years back, Layden said “A personal favorite of mine that really embodies the PlayStation spirit. It wasn’t a multi-million seller, but that’s not the point. Vib-Ribbon was unafraid to go against the tide. It was courageous in its ambition, and it brought a completely new experience to gamers. It’s an incredible time to be part of the PlayStation family… After all, guys, it’s all about the games, isn’t it?”

It’s a broad statement, and of course, I’m sure Layden would agree, it’s equally about the people making those games, and the audiences who play them. But the spirit of what he’s saying rings so true: Vib-Ribbon wasn’t an exception to the rule but rather emblematic of it. Would it be released today, though? It sure would feel like an exception. Creating art within a commercial space will also have to conform to some amount of oversight, but it seems that art disconnected from a guaranteed, monumental win doesn’t even have the room to be imagined in the first place. And with the loss of space for those ideas to grow, it’s natural to worry that some of the PlayStation legacy will be lost, too.

Jonathon Dornbush is IGN’s Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush and check out his new Persona 5 podcast.

John Clabburn, a TV director for three decades on such Australian shows as Home And Away, Underbelly, Survivor, LoveChild, The Wiggles and Wonderland, died April 6 at his home in Sydney.

Clabburn was trimming hedges with a new power saw at his home when he cut his hand. He fell ten feet from his ladder and was soon discovered by his wife. He had just bought the chain saw that day.

His death was attributed to cardiac arrest from the blood loss from his slashed hand.

“When I went out to the back garden, he was crawling on the ground on his stomach, said Clabburn’s wife, Melissa, speaking to the Daily Telegraph. “There was so much blood, he was clutching his torso.

“I kept getting towels to stem the flow, but the blood wouldn’t stop.”

“All he said was, ‘Call an ambulance now,’” she said. “One minute we were admiring how straight the hedge was looking and what a great job he had done — he was so meticulous, he had a great eye for detail — the next, John was in an ambulance. He kept it together for me, but I know he would have been in incredible pain.”

Survivors include his wife and two sons, Josh, 23, and Lewis, 21.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to assist the family with expenses.

After going a long time without any hardware updates, Logitech has finally announced what many of us suspected was coming. TechHive points out a post on the support forums confirming that Logitech will no longer manufacture Harmony remotes. 

Logitech:

While Harmony remotes are and continue to be available through various retailers, moving forward Logitech will no longer manufacture Harmony remotes.

We expect no impact to our customers by this announcement. We plan to support our Harmony community and new Harmony customers, which includes access to our software and apps to set up and manage your remotes. We also plan to continue to update the platform and add devices to our Harmony database. Customer and warranty support will continue to be offered.

The company’s universal remotes have been among the best options — and in recent years, almost the only options — for home theater users who want a traditional style remote that can connect almost anything in a living room and smart home. However, especially as companies like Google, Apple and Amazon have extended their reach into home control and HDMI-CEC connects controls for more devices, the market for universal remotes is more of a niche than ever. 

While Logitech considered selling off the division in 2013 before keeping it in-house, this time the product line is just coming to an end, with remaining products sold through retailers until they’re all gone. If you’re thinking about picking up a Harmony remote, or just grabbing one as a possible replacement, we broke down the current lineup of controls late last year to help you decide which one fits your setup the best. For now they’re available “while supplies last” with Logitech setting a goal to provide service and support (but probably not any new features) for “as long as customers are using it.”

The nine-year old male macaque, named Pager, has a Neuralink device implanted in both sides of its brain, according to a YouTube video posted by the company on Friday.

Neuralink feeds the information from the monkey’s neurons into a decoder, which can then be used to predict Pager’s intended hand movements and model the relationship between brain activity and joystick movements.

After a short calibration period, the output from the decoder can be used to move the cursor, instead of Pager manipulating the joystick. Then the joystick is disconnected and Pager is shown moving the cursor using only his brain.

“Our goal is to enable a person with paralysis to use a computer or phone with their brain activity alone,” says the narrator, explaining that people would calibrate their decoder by imagining hand movements.

Musk also discussed plans for the devices on Twitter on Thursday.

“Later versions will be able to shunt signals from Neuralinks in brain to Neuralinks in body motor/sensory neuron clusters, thus enabling, for example, paraplegics to walk again,” he added.

• The Elon Musk-owned Neuralink has a video seeming to show a monkey playing “Pong” with its mind.
• Musk has boasted of getting monkeys to play video games with brain chips before.
• Musk tweeted that the first Neuralink product would let people with paralysis control smartphones.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Elon Musk finally got to show off his monkey.

Neuralink, a company founded by Musk that is developing artificial-intelligence-powered microchips to go in people’s brains, released a video Thursday appearing to show a macaque using the tech to play video games, including “Pong.”

Musk has boasted about Neuralink’s tests on primates before, but this is the first time the company has put one on display. During a presentation in 2019, Musk said the company had enabled a monkey to “control a computer with its brain.”

In August 2020 the company did a live demonstration of the technology in a pig named Gertrude.

Neuralink says the monkey, named Pager, had a chip implanted in his brain six weeks ago. In the video, he was given a joystick that was hooked up to a video game in which he moves a cursor to a colored square. When he successfully moves the cursor, he’s given some banana smoothie through a tube.

While Pager uses the joystick, the Neuralink chip records his brain activity and sends it back to a computer for analysis of what his brain does when he moves his hand. The joystick is then unplugged from the machine, but the monkey continues to control the game, with brain signals being relayed by the Neuralink chips.

Theoretically, the same tech could be used to give people control of synthetic limbs via a Neuralink brain implant. In a tweet Thursday, Musk said the first Neuralink product would let people with paralysis control a smartphone.

—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2021

Andrew Jackson, a neuroscience expert who is a professor at Newcastle University, told Insider that getting primates to control video games via neural interfaces was not new — comparable demonstrations were done in 2002 — but said it was a good test of the tech.

“If you invent a new telescope, it makes sense to first point it where you know what you will see,” he said. “So they are following a very sensible route to validate their device. I am sure this device will contribute to new scientific discoveries in future (especially if they make it widely available to scientists), as well as improving the usability of existing neural interface technologies for people with paralysis.”

Jackson added that the engineering of the device, being implanted wirelessly in Pager’s skull, was a significant advance.

“What is definitely new and innovative is that there are no cables coming through the skin, and the brain signals are all being sent wirelessly,” Jackson said. “This to me is the advance here, and is important both for improving the safety of human applications (wires through the skin are a potential route for infection) and also as a way of improving the welfare of animals used in neuroscience studies. The Neuralink team has definitely made progress in this regard.”

Rylie Green, a bioengineering researcher at Imperial College London, also praised Pager’s apparent welfare. “The best thing I can see from that video is that the macaque is freely moving,” she said. “There’s also no visible package connected to it. I would say that is definitely progress — not super innovative but a nice positive step forward.”