iOS 16.3.1 Released February 13, 2023

Apple has just released an important update for all their devices tonight including Apple TV, Watch and Mac computers. The new update, which is referred to as 16.3.1 on the iPhone and iPad, includes important bug fixes and security patches.

Depending on your device, the update weighs in between 150-550MB.

THEATRHYTHEM: Final Bar Line Demo Released February 1, 2023

After that disappointing last piece of news, I wanted to share some good news with all of you. I’ve been a huge fan of the THEATRHYTHEM games since they launched on the 3DS so many years ago, and was awash with glee to discover that a new game would be coming to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation platforms. Today, they’ve confirmed a demo of the game is now available as a free download on your platform of choice.

I was able to snag the demo off the Nintendo eShop and I can confirm its a ton of fun! It includes thirty songs including tracks from Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy VII. Square Enix does promise that progress from the demo will carry over the full version of the game.

THEATRHYTHEM: Final Bar Line is coming to the PS4 and Nintendo Switch February 16th, 2023.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Delayed February 1, 2023

Just wanted to give you guys the bad news personally. Respawn Entertainment has confirmed there will be a delay of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the highly-anticipated sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is coming April 28th, 2023 to Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

iOS and iPadOS 16.3 Released January 23, 2023

An incremental but important iOS update has been released for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch devices earlier today. The new update includes (on top of the usual bug fixes) the ability to add hardware keys to Apple ID.

The update weighs in at around 750MB. A similar update has been released for the Mac but there does not appear to be an Apple TV update at this time.

Marvel’s Avengers Ending Support, All In-Game Paid Content to Become Free January 22, 2023

Big announcement from Crystal Dynamics this weekend. Marvel’s Avengers will receive its final official patch in March 2023. They will be ending updates for the controversial game shortly afterwards. The game will continue to function after the patch, and the single-player and multiplayer games will continue to work. However, all in-game cosmetics that were previously locked to paid credits will automatically become unlocked at no cost to players. However, the playable character of Spider-Man will remain exclusive to PlayStation platforms (including PS4 and PS5) and will not be added to Xbox or PC copies of the game.

Crystal Dynamics did state that the game would become delisted from online stores in September 2023. However, physical copies of the game (as well as purchases made on digital platforms before that date) will still function. Sadly, the Stadia version of the game was dissolved with the fall of Stadia last week.

I have to admit…as someone who owns a copy of this game on the PlayStation since Day 1, beta tested the game, and played through the entire campaign…I think this is fantastic news. The original game had an incredible story, and while the gameplay did have the tendency to go a little stale in a few levels, they did not deter me from continuing to play. The biggest deterrent for me to continue playing wasn’t the fact that content would continue to be produced, but the fact that I would need to pay huge amounts of money to continue unlocking in-game skins or nameplates left an awful taste in my mouth. Now that the content is being unlocked for free, that concern is now over.

Marvel’s Avengers is out now for the PC, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S.

How to Convert Stadia Controllers to Bluetooth January 19, 2023

RIP Stadia, you were a good idea executed poorly. By the time you read this, the Stadia service is defunct. If you were an owner of the Stadia Premere Edition (which included a Google Chromecast Ultra and Stadia Controller) you will have some gaming hardware that doesn’t have to be boxed up and forgotten. People who purchased Stadia hardware (or got it for free) will still be able to use the other functions of their Chromecast Ultra, and the Stadia controller can be converted to a wireless gamepad.

Instructions for converting a Stadia controller to Bluetooth gamepad can be found here. You MUST visit this website using the Google Chrome browser on a computer with an open USB port. You’ll also need your controller’s charge cable. Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be any other requirements. We’ve tested this on a Chromebook and it worked just fine. Google says this is irreversible, but now that Stadia is dead there is literally no reason not to do it.

Stadia’s controller is fantastic and probably the best part of the entire Stadia experience. I will be using this as a controller for other platforms for quite some time. The website to convert your Stadia controller to support Bluetooth wireless connectivity will remain live until December 2023.

Reminder: Stadia Ends Tomorrow January 17, 2023

This is a heads up. The Google Stadia service will reach end of life tomorrow. After that, users will no longer be able to play their games or access their save information. The Google Chromecast Ultra that shipped with Stadia Premiere Editions will continue to function as a Chromecast, however it will no longer be able to interface with your Stadia controller to play Stadia games.

If you’re like me and still have a Stadia controller hanging around you’ll be happy to know Google will be releasing an update to turn the controller into a wireless one. The Stadia Controller itself is a fantastic one and I am happily anticipating using it with various games on PC. We’ll post a follow-up about that later on.

Dragon Quest Treasures Demo Released January 13, 2023

Square Enix has released a demo for the recently released Dragon Quest Treasures which can be downloaded right now on the Nintendo eShop. Here’s the announcement trailer!

Progress from the demo will carry over to the full version of the game.

Dragon Quest Treasures is out now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Don’t Bother Shopping for Meta Quest Gift Cards, No Retailers Sell Them December 17, 2022

Christmas is a week away and I’m sure a lot of families are interested in offering gift cards to their respective gamer friends and families. There are a lot of options out there regardless of your respective platform, and people interested in buying gift cards for their friends or family that own Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles should have no problem finding gift cards for their console’s online-store. That is, unless, your relative is a Virtual Reality (VR) Enthusiast.

If you happen to be a user of the Meta Quest or Rift platforms (which includes devices such as the Quest 2 and Quest Pro) games for those platforms are purchased digitally through the Meta Quest Store, which is run by Meta. The application will accept Meta Gift Cards in exchange for software purchases. Unfortunately as of the time this article is being posted, no major retailers in the US currently sell them. That includes stores ranging from Best Buy, GameStop and Target, big box stores that will actually sell Quest hardware and peripherals. You may be able to purchase a digital gift card through one of those retailer’s websites but if you’re a kid who does not have access to a credit or debit card, you’re entirely reliant on others who do to help you get games on the platform you use.

I know a lot of people have been writing off the Meta Quest line as a rounding error in Facebook’s coffers but I must say I’ve been honestly impressed by the Quest Pro headset so far. So much so that I’ve been trying all sorts of games for it, even ones I had played on other platforms like the PlayStation VR. Its been the VR device I’ve always hoped for. Surely Meta will someday decide to start shipping physical cards to retailers. But that is not today, and is unlikely to come this season.

iOS 16.2 Released December 13, 2022

It’s Apple update night! Apple has released important updates for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. The new update includes the highly anticipated Freeform Application as well as bug fixes and improvements to several first party applications that are included with the device.

The new update can weigh in between 750MB-1.3GB depending on what you’re updating. You can get it right now through your device’s software update feature. Just make sure you have plenty of free space to fit the update.