Technology News for Friday 5th November 2021

1. Letter: Microsoft's vision of the metaverse is to stick with what works

There is a virtual chasm between Facebook and Microsoft's ventures into the metaverse. Facebook's rebranding to Meta is a combination of future gaming and an attempt to distance itself from the data privacy travails and poor governance ...

2. What is the max level in Lost Ark?

The highly anticipated beta test of Korean MMO Lost Ark began in the west yesterday, and thousands of new players have joined the game for the very first time. There is a ton of content to explore during this week-long closed beta, but there will also ...

3. Best classes to choose in Lost Ark

Like all MMO titles, classes are extremely important not just to quest through the game alone, but also to synergize with other players in team-based fights. There are five different classes in the beta: Gunner, Warrior, Mage, Martial Artist, and Assassin, ...

4. 'JioPhone Next' sale starts. Here are EMI plans and how to get at Rs 1999

The made-for-India smartphone, jointly designed by Google and Jio, can be bought at Reliance Retail's JioMart Digital stores, jio.com or by sending a WhatsApp message. However, buyers need to first register on the Jio site or on WhatsApp to buy the phone.

5. Japan Game Maker Nintendo Sees No Quick Fix for Chips Crunch

TOKYO (AP) — The shortage in computer chips needed to make the Nintendo Switch machine is a serious problem unlikely to be resolved soon, the president of the Japanese video-game maker said Friday.

6. Is This the Beginning of a Turnaround for Activision Blizzard?

Share prices of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) are down about 12.7% week-to-date through Thursday after management announced the departure of Jen Oneal as co-lead of Blizzard and said that the highly anticipated releases of Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 ...

7. Call of Duty: Vanguard reviews – our roundup of the critics' takes

Gamespot puts it a little lower on the scale, giving it a seven-out-of-ten. The highlights cited in the review include the Vanguard multiplayer mode's destructible environments, great-feeling guns, ...

8. Konami's New Soccer Game Continues To Be An Utter Fiasco

Things aren't going well for eFootball, and keep getting worse. Konami's Friday news dump cannot bury how bad things are. Right now, this is a complete fiasco. It seems like it's been a complete disaster from the get-go, starting when Konami dropped ...

9. All the Good Early Black Friday Deals Available Right Now

This OLED TV is in a 48in size and comes with all the bells and whistles like HDR10, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and uses OLED tech for its display. You'd need not lift a finger while in your couch-potato state either, with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

10. The iPhone 13 is impressive, but Google's Pixel 6 is surprisingly more exciting

Find the best phones, apps and accessories with our CNET Mobile newsletter. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays. Yes, I also want to ...

11. DJI releases new flagship Mavic drones — Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine

The cheaper $2,199 Mavic 3 doesn't come with ProRes or a built-in SSD but shares the same dual-camera system powered by a 4/3 CMOS sensor. Both drones are capable of filming in 4K at up to 120fps and capturing 20MP photos. In addition to the main 24mm lens ...

12. The 10 Worst Missions From The Classic GTA Trilogy

Replaying classic Grand Theft Auto games with new-and-improved graphics and controls sounds great. But with the just-revealed Grand Theft Auto Trilogy drawing closer, I'm worried about having to play some of the franchise's most annoying missions once ...

13. Xbox Series X restock: Walmart to have consoles at 3 pm ET today

Each retail partner releases its available consoles in whatever way it deems appropriate. Most of the time, this means announcing ahead of time when you'll be able to buy the console online and then releasing it for anyone to purchase.

14. Black Friday TV deals are here from LG, Samsung, Sony and TCL

Ahead of Black Friday, shoppers can already find discounts on nearly every type of TV, from budget HD and 4K sets from Samsung and Hisense, all the way to top-of-the-line OLED TVs from LG, Vizio and Sony.

15. Code suggests Google's folding Pixel will return to 12-megapixel camera next year

These latest details have emerged thanks to code discovered in the Google Camera app. In particular, they suggest that the foldable will use a 12.2-megapixel IMX363 sensor for its main camera. That suggests the foldable ...

16. eFootball benches v1.0 update till 2022, refunds DLC pre-orders, and apologises

eFootball's update v.0.9.1 is now out across platforms and fixes plenty of bugs, but its release comes with the news that v1.0.0 of the game, i.e. the full release, has been delayed from November 11 to Spring 2022.

17. A Second Nintendo Store Is Opening In Japan

While you'd think Nintendo would have a slew of official shops in Japan, the Kyoto-based game company only has one. Located in Tokyo, the store, cleverly called Nintendo Tokyo, opened in November 2019. But that is going to change because now, ...

18. Best laptops and tablets to give as holiday gifts for 2021

This is our go-to recommendation for those in search of a MacOS laptop for everyday basic use. The MacBook Air was updated in the first half of 2020 with new Intel processors and, most importantly, a new keyboard.

19. The Windows 11 taskbar is an annoying step backward

There's a ritual among dedicated PC users. We watch new Apple events closely (whether we admit it or not), just to see what weird stuff the other side of the computer aisle is up to. A few weeks ago we scoffed as Apple moved its “iconic” screen notch ...

20. EA Believes That NFTs 'Will Be an Important Part of the Future' of Gaming

In an earnings call this week, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked about the company's stance on "play-to-earn" games and NFTs. "I think the play to earn or the NFT conversation is still really, really early," he said. But he went on to note "I do think it will ...

21. The 18 Things You Should Do In Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Big Update

With the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update out (early, even!) there is a ton of stuff to do and new features to explore. Before you get overwhelmed, we've figured out the best possible order of operations so you don't waste any valuable time ...

22. Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack: How to play Animal Crossing's expansion, N64 games

It also includes support for cloud backup of game data, access to the Nintendo Switch phone app and a few exclusive offers. Let's take a look at the whole lot. CNET ...

23. Total War: Warhammer 3's Ogres just want meat

The Ogre Kingdoms, as has been theorised for some time, are the early-adopter bonus for players who pre-order Total War: Warhammer III, and developer Creative Assembly has now shed light on how these hungry lads will work on the campaign map.

24. Konami's atrocious eFootball won't get a 1.0 launch until spring

The monthslong delay also means Konami is canceling preorders for one of the few premium items under eFootball's new format. Anyone who bought the 2022 Premium Player Pack, “which includes items that can only be used in-game after the update,” is getting a ...

25. Wyze Cam Pan V2 Review

The Wyze Cam Pan V2 is an inexpensive indoor security camera that lets you pan and tilt to see an entire room, with support for Alexa, Google, and IFTTT integrations, as well as color night vision. MSRP $39.99.

26. It's Finally Time To Talk About Elden Ring's Gameplay

"Elden Ring" has been keeping fans waiting with bated breath since it was first announced through a trailer at E3 2019. But as of Nov. 4, 2021, the spiritual successor to the "Souls" games finally has a full-fledged gameplay preview, with Bandai Namco ...

27. Pokémon Go Festival of Lights field research tasks explained

The Festival of Lights is the perfect time to send gifts to your friends in Pokémon Go - the amount of gifts you can send has been increased to 45 per day, you'll receive more rewards from opening rewards and progress for friendship levels has been doubled ...

28. To Build the Metaverse, Meta First Wants to Build Stores

The social networking company has discussed opening physical stores to showcase its virtual reality and augmented reality devices.

29. Halo Infinite's battle pass won't have “Master Chief flossing”

While Halo Infinite will have a battle pass in line with other modern multiplayer games, it won't let you disgrace the Master Chief by making him floss – you can just go play Fortnite and buy some Halo cosmetics for that. The devs at 343 Industries ...

30. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are now available online at Walmart (update: sold out)

Update 3:50PM ET, November 5th: Walmart's restock of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles came and went in about 40 minutes, which seems to be par for the course these days. We saw its newer queue system at play, and while the first 20 minutes ...

31. Microsoft fixes Windows 11 features failing due to an expired certificate

Microsoft has fixed several Windows 11 features failing to load after an expired certificate was discovered earlier this week. Some Windows 11 users haven't been able to open apps like the Snipping Tool, touch keyboard, or emoji panel since a ...

32. Bungie is donating all profits from Pride Pin sales this month to Trans Lifeline

Bungie is showing support and raising awareness for the transgender community by donating all profits from the Pride Collectible Pin in November. As reported by Eurogamer, players received an in-game message in Destiny 2 about raising transgender ...

33. Nintendo says its next 'gaming system' will release in the year 20XX

The Nintendo Switch with an OLED screen isn't even a month old, but the company is already talking about some kind of successor to its wildly popular console / handheld hybrid — although vaguely. In a presentation to investors, Nintendo hints toward ...

34. Before You Start: Five Settings To Change in Forza Horizon 5

Some of you get to start playing Forza Horizon 5, a big, beautiful Xbox racing game, today. Like most big, beautiful games, there's an impressive suite of options spread across a ton of submenus. Tweaking a handful of them makes the game more enjoyable ...

35. Frustrated Ubisoft Workers Are Asking For Your Help So The Company Doesn't Ignore Them

Game developers associated with the ABetterUbisoft group are petitioning the Assassin's Creed publisher for a seat at the table, and a “meaningful say in how Ubisoft as a company moves forward.” The move to enlist the support of fans and other ...

36. The DJI Mavic 3 is the company's best consumer drone yet

Dual-camera system that features a custom Hasselblad L2D-20c aerial camera. It has two lenses: a 4/3 CMOS sensor with a 24 mm prime lens and a 28x hybrid zoom telephoto lens.

37. Easy-read guide to the COVID-19 booster vaccination

Coronavirus can make older people and people with some health conditions more poorly. People with a learning disability are also more likely to become poorly if they get coronavirus. It is really important to keep ourselves ...