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'Watch Dogs: Legion' lets you be anyone, if you put in the work

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London has fallen. At least, that’s what you’re told when you first visit the dystopian future of England’s capital city in Legion, the third instalment of Ubisoft’s action-adventure series Watch Dogs. Navigating the underground corridors of the Hous…

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NASA-backed project could automatically fix 3D printing for Moon bases

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If humanity is going to 3D-print Moon bases, it can’t afford for things to go wrong — and NASA is backing technology to make sure those parts get built. According to Parabolic Arc, the agency recently selected a project from Relativity Space (which is working on 3D-printed rockets) that could detect and fix 3D printing in real time. If production of a habitat piece or radiation shield goes awry, the technology could automatically catch defects and repair them, determine if a print is still viable or even scrap work entirely.

This is the first phase of the project, and there are still details to address. NASA is giving Relativity Space $125,000 over six months to further its work.

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Watch Ubisoft’s summer games show right here at 2:40pm ET

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It’s Ubisoft’s turn to show off this summer, after live virtual events from Sony, Microsoft and EA. Ubisoft has prepared a 45-minute, pre-recorded stream that kicks off at 3pm ET — but we’ll be live on the Engadget YouTube channel at 2:40pm ET to put the entire show into context. Then, watch the show alongside Engadget UK bureau chief Mat Smith and myself, and we’ll break down the news and trailers afterward.

Ubisoft is poised to talk about a handful of major titles, including Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six: Quarantine. There’s always Beyond Good & Evil 2, too.

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VR time machine helps an inventor relive his past

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This wouldn’t be an easy project to recreate, and it’s not an ideal solution whether or not you can write VR software. Spectacles only record up to a minute at a time and have limited storage, so you aren’t going to capture everything even if you wear the glasses every waking moment. And then there’s archiving all that footage — Rizzotto needed a massive pile of hard drives to preserve everything.

It’s still a clever project, and it also raises philosophical questions as wearable technology matures. Privacy is a concern, of course — Google Glass sparked an uproar in 2013, and it would only get worse if people knew you were recording everything. And if that wasn’t an issue, would you really want instant access to your past knowing you could indulge in obsessions or stumble across a painful memory? Rizzotto appreciated the feelings the VR time machine evoked, but he was well aware of the dangers of being “stuck in the past.”

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Three Ubisoft executives leave amid misconduct allegations

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CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot reiterated that the moves were vital to put an end to “toxic behaviors” and help Ubisoft “improve and strengthen” its culture. He maintained that the misconduct was in stark opposition to values that he “never compromised — and never will.”

These additional departures come just days after a slew of allegations surfaced against numerous employees across Ubisoft’s offices. The accusations ranged from sexual harassment and intimidation through to abuse, racism and retaliation. Some of the accusers added that HR and management would disregard complaints, making it possible for staff to continue misconduct.

The unusual weekend timing likely isn’t coincidental. The executive resignations were announced just before Ubisoft’s Forward showcase, which takes place today (July 12th) at 3PM ET. In theory, this addresses the core issues plaguing Ubisoft and lets it focus more on upcoming games rather than internal turmoil.

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After Math: With the kids away, it’s time to play

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sonynite

Mike Blake / Reuters

In case Epic Games’ year wasn’t already going swimmingly, the team behind battle royale juggernaut Fortnite just received a quarter-billion dollar financial infusion from Sony. For its investment, Sony will hold a minority stake in the company and given the PS5’s imminent release, it’ll be interesting to see how Sony will leverage its newfound inside access to the Unreal 5 engine.

superhot

Superhot Team

Now that your controller has finally cooled down from the last time you tried Superhot’s hyperintense gunkata action, the team behind it is back with an all-new standalone sequel. Best of all, if you already own a copy of the original, the Mind Control Delete expansion will cost you absolutely nothing. However, if this is your first foray into the franchise, you’ll have to spend $25 when it drops for the PS4, Xbox One and PC on July 16th.

sims

TBS/EA

Twitch has pretty convincingly proven that letting people on the internet watch you play video games can be a successful and lucrative pastime. Now TBS hopes to get in on the gaming action with its upcoming reality game show, The Sims Spark’d, wherein, a dozen aspiring overlords will compete to create “the most unique characters, worlds and stories.” But where will it end? Are we destined for a future filled with SimCity 2000 showdowns or a Rollercoaster Tycoon Tournament of Champions? I really hope so.

soccer

Engadget

Now if you want to give your thumbs a rest and watch other people play games instead — especially if that game is fútbol — Peacock (NBC’s new streaming service) and CBS All access have you covered. While CBS All access will carry this year’s UEFA Champion’s League, Peacock has managed to acquire the rights to broadcast nearly 200 of next season’s EPL matches and that’s something to strut about.

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‘Fall Guys’ brings mini-game battle royale to PS4 and Steam on August 4th

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If you want a battle royale-like experience but want something more family-friendly than Call of Duty or Fortnite, you won’t have to wait much longer. Mediatonic and Devolver have announced that Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will be available on PS4 and Steam on August 4th. It’s not quite as ambitious as originally intended, with ‘only’ 60 players per round instead of 100, but it still appears every bit as frantic.

The title revolves around a collection of mini-games where only one player can emerge victorious, such as obstacle courses with falling fruit. While it’s relatively non-violent (unless you count being smacked by fruit as violent), much of the tension of a battle royale game remains — you’re still fighting to be the last one standing. In that sense, this might be viable for anyone who wants a large-scale party game but still has a vicious competitive streak.

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Microsoft and Google team up to bring more web apps to the Play Store

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Microsoft’s support for Android is going beyond native apps and devices like the Surface Duo. Thurrot reports Microsoft is collaborating with Google to help bring more (and importantly, better) progressive web apps to Android devices through the Play Store. Apps built using Microsoft’s PWABuilder tool will use Google’s Bubblewrap utility and library to take advantage of new features, including a new standard for web shortcuts, “deeper” push notifications and visual customizations. Web apps should feel more at home on your phone, to put it simply.

The expanded features shouldn’t require significantly more effort to implement, Microsoft said.

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Devolver made a free game about a canceled game convention

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E3 and virtually every other in-person gaming expo for 2020 has been canceled due to the pandemic, but that isn’t preventing Devolver Digital from doing something to fill the void in a very self-referential way. It just released a free Devolverland Expo game on Steam that — what else? — has you sneaking through a canceled convention. It’s ultimately a plug for upcoming games like Shadow Warrior 3 and Carrion, but it’s a real game that has you dodging “advanced security systems” to watch videos and find secrets.

The game itself isn’t violent (unless you count the kind of gun you’d use to shoot t-shirts), but the videos you see generally won’t be suited for kids.

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US court finds Russian national guilty of hacking LinkedIn, Dropbox

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According to Cyberscoop, Judge William Alsup questioned the evidence the prosecution provided and expressed doubts that the government could prove its case. Regardless of Alsup’s doubts, Nikulin is now scheduled to be sentenced on September 29th. He’s facing up to 10 years on prison for each count of selling stolen logins and installing malware, as well as five years for each count of hacking and conspiracy. US Attorney David Anderson said in a statement:

“Nikulin’s conviction is a direct threat to would-be hackers, wherever they may be. Computer hacking is not just a crime, it is a direct threat to the security and privacy of Americans. American law enforcement will respond to that threat regardless of where it originates.”

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