Technology News for Monday 15th November 2021

1. 70 Classic Games Are Coming To Xbox, Some of Them With Performance Boosts

Today during Microsoft's 20th anniversary Xbox event, the company announced that 76 new games are being added to the Xbox backwards compatibility library, including the entire Max Payne franchise, F.E.A.R series, multiple Star Wars games, and more.

2. Amazon's New World Pauses Economy Again To Stop Cheaters

The latest game-breaking bug in New World has been allowing players to duplicate items. Amazon locked down the MMO's entire economy (again) after concerned players started posting about the situation on its official forums.

3. Animal Crossing Players Do Great And Terrible Things With The New Polish Tool

The item polishing mechanic introduced in the excellent Happy Home Paradise DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons starts off harmlessly enough, giving players a way to add a bit of sparkle to their home furnishings. But when all of the new features' ...

4. Battlefield 2042 Players Join XP Farm Not Knowing They Are The XP

So the new Battlefield has this mode called Portal that's like a great big sandbox, where players can customise games to basically be whatever the hell they want. And at the moment, because we live in the world we live in, a lot of those games are XP ...

5. Call Of Duty Cheaters 'May' Be Banned From Every Call Of Duty Game Ever Made

In a blog post published last week innocuously titled Ricochet Anti-Cheat Progress Report, the Call of Duty team slipped in some drastic news about how their anti-cheat system is going to work going forwards. Advertisement.

6. Modders, Not Rockstar, Have Fixed The GTA Trilogy's Ugly-Ass Rain

The recently “remastered” GTA trilogy has some of the ugliest rain I've ever seen, and a handful of days later, modders have fixed it. No longer will you walk the streets of Vice City at night, only to be covered in the drippings of Spiderman's leaky ...

7. Pokémon Fan Makes Epic Paper Dioramas

In honor of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl's release, Twitter user Uma decided to create a paper diorama version of Twinleaf Town, the first town players encounter in the game. Advertisement. Uma hoped that people who see his diorama will ...

8. Microprocessor

The first ever single chip CPU was introduced by Intel on this day in 1971. The Intel 4004 was advertised as “a new era in integrated electronics” and combined functions including arithmetic, logic, controlling, and input/output operations which had ...

9. Tobii's TD Pilot brings gaze-based typing, text-to-speech and app navigation to iPad

IPadOS 15 brought native integration of eye-tracking hardware to these popular devices, and Tobii is probably the most familiar name in that space. I've checked out plenty of their devices, both all-in-one slates and standalone peripherals for PCs, and ...

10. Xbox at 20: The story of where gaming goes next

The original Xbox, coupled with its chunky controller (nicknamed The Duke) burst onto the scene to compete with Sony and Nintendo. The console was home to games like Halo: Combat ...

11. Two gamers aim to keep arcade games alive with soon-to-open arcade bar

That one machine inspired him and Chris Welch to take their gaming expertise to 1442 E. Washington Ave., where they are opening Aftershock Classic Arcade, a vintage arcade bar and family entertainment center, on Dec. 1.

12. Gaming consoles, smartphones harder finds for holidays

If you're planning to buy a tech gadget as a holiday gift this year, you might want to purchase it right now. Shoppers are having a hard time finding some of the holiday's hottest gifts like video game consoles and smartphones.

13. Save up to $350 on Peloton bikes, treadmills and accessories

The Peloton Bike is exactly what you need if you're looking to improve your cardio. The stationary bike has a smaller footprint than a typical yoga mat and features a 21.5-inch touchscreen to access the catalogue of Peloton classes and workouts.

14. All the latest Amazon features for your home: Alexa Together, 'Hey, Disney' and more

Behind those flashy new devices were several noteworthy updates to Alexa and the Echo platform itself. Let's round up everything new you'll soon be able to do with your voice assistant.

15. A new iPad accessory adds assistive eye tracking

Eye tracking has enabled people with paralysis or with conditions such as cerebral palsy and ALS to connect to computers for years. A new iPad accessory made by Swedish eye-tracking company Tobii Dynavox will do the same for Apple's tablets.

16. Best early Black Friday 2021 deals happening now: TVs, laptops, kitchenware and more

It seems like Black Friday starts earlier and earlier every year. And this season is no exception. Both in-store and online, companies like Walmart, Target, Amazon, Best Buy and pretty much every other major retailer are getting a jump on the holiday ...

17. Microsoft Xbox at 20: Looking back at the original 2001 review

Sony, Nintendo and Sega were the main living room console players at the time, led by the PlayStation 2, released a year earlier in 2000. Since then, we've seen multiple generations of Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles jousting for our attention and ...

18. Xbox Series X restock: Halo Edition consoles are at Best Buy this morning, but only in stores

Expect more updates here as restocks happen. xbox series x console. A new era of Xbox is here. Andrew Hoyle/CNET ...

19. Apple's iPhone 13 is great, but these missing features are a letdown

Apple's new iPhone still doesn't have an in-screen fingerprint sensor, always-on display and these other desired features. Lisa Eadicicco headshot.

20. Samsung knows the pandemic changed tech, so Galaxy phones are changing too

Samsung Galaxy S21 (left) and Galaxy S21 Ultra (right). Sarah Tew/CNET. The COVID-19 pandemic required us to to work, attend school and socialize from home -- meaning our smartphones gained a new level of importance. Although the shutdown period is ...

21. When Pac-Man meets OnePlus, green glowy things happen

In my full review of the OnePlus Nord 2 I explained why its power, camera and battery performance are all beyond what you would expect for such an affordable handset. I liked its look, too, although not as much as I like this new version, ...

22. Take control of your privacy online with the Off-Facebook Activity tool

No, the Off-Facebook Activity tracking rumor is not a hoax. We'll show you how to keep the social media platform from tracking your web browsing. Katie Teague ...

23. 28 beauty products you should honestly just gift yourself

When it comes to finding the perfect gift for the beauty lover in your life, the options seem endless. Whether it's a collection of gorgeous nail polish shades or a jaw-dropping makeup bundle, there's one thing we know: you can't go wrong with a gift set.

24. Video game consoles and smartphones will be harder to find this holiday season

(CNN Business) The global chip shortage is making it harder for shoppers to get their hands on some of the most sought after tech gadgets of the holiday season. In the six weeks leading up to Christmas, some of Apple's biggest new products -- including ...

25. After Facebook Leaks, Here Is What Should Come Next

Next, following a painful news cycle for the company, Mark Zuckerberg puts on a sobering presentation for Congress about the value that Facebook provides to its users, and the work that they've already done to resolve the issue.

26. Is 'Halo Infinite' Multiplayer Surprise Launching Today Or Not?

All weekend, we have been tracking rumors and datamines and subtle nods about the same thing: the idea that Microsoft is going to spring the launch of Halo Infinite's free multiplayer component on everyone as an anniversary surprise.

27. Call Of Duty: Vanguard

Best MP-40 loadout · Mercury Silencer Muzzle · Krausnick 317MM 04B Barrel · M1930 Strife Angled Underbarrel · Removed Stock · 7.62 Gorenko 32 Round Mags · FMJ Rounds · Stippled Grip · Perfectionist ...

28. With Halo Infinite, Microsoft Hopes to Rekindle Its Flagship Game

When Microsoft released its first Xbox console 20 years ago, executives did not think that Halo, a new game set in a 26th-century galactic war pitting humans against alien invaders, would become the face of the tech giant's gaming aspirations.

29. Apex Legends devs have “stuff in mind” to tackle the growing weapons list

The earliest moments of Apex Legends can feel like a lottery. When you touch down in a contested area at the start of a match, landing near a good weapon can make the difference between you winning a fight and taking that momentum through the game or ...

30. New World's economy gets turned off (again) after (another) dupe exploit

Those exploits have apparently not been difficult to find. After another duplication exploit started circulating over the weekend, the devs at Amazon have once again disabled the in-game economy. “We are aware of ...

31. New House bill targets backdoor and mega-Roth strategies

While a provision requiring employers offer a retirement plan was dropped from Democrats' Build Back Better Act, several other retirement measures that had been cut were added back to the House version of the bill that came out Nov. 3.

32. Animal Crossing: New Horizons: The final review

When New Horizons launched in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had just shut down large swathes of the globe. Many of us spent more time at home, while others — deemed essential — risked their health by trekking into an uncertain world.

33. Back 4 Blood's developers think the game is too hard

To achieve its goals, Turtle Rock said it will pair back several aspects of the game's difficulty. Ridden Mutations will spawn less frequently in the future. The studio has also recently fixed a bug that was causing players to receive Trauma damage at an ...

34. OnePlus' Nord 2 Pac-Man Edition pays tribute to the arcade classic

OnePlus has announced a special Pac-Man Edition of the Nord 2. It's a new version of the company's latest mid-range smartphone with design tweaks inspired by the classic '80s arcade game. But underneath the new theme this is fundamentally the same ...

35. Microsoft's Xbox backward compatibility program returns with 76 new games

Every original Xbox or Xbox 360 game added today will support Auto HDR on Xbox Series X / S consoles, and original Xbox games will include a resolution increase, too. Xbox One X and Xbox Series X ...

36. Microsoft surprises with early Halo Infinite multiplayer launch today

Halo Infinite's cross-platform multiplayer mode should now be live for everyone on Xbox One, Xbox Series S / X, and PC to try out in beta. This beta includes access to season one with all the core maps and battle pass features. Any progress in the ...

37. Microsoft blocks EdgeDeflector to force Windows 11 users into Edge

Third-party apps like EdgeDeflector and even Firefox have offered workarounds to Microsoft forcing people to use Edge in Start menu search results, even if their default browser is not Edge. Microsoft has been forcing Windows ...

38. How to watch the Xbox 20th anniversary event

Microsoft is holding a special Xbox anniversary event today to celebrate 20 years to the day since the original Xbox debuted alongside Halo: Combat Evolved. “While we won't announce any new games, this broadcast will be a special look back at all the ...

39. The Halo-themed Xbox Series X is available today at Best Buy

They expect to see the Halo Infinite Xbox Series X restocked along with a number of PS5s and Nintendo Switch OLEDs, however, those sales may only be available to people who are a part of Best Buy's $200 Totaltech support membership program.

40. 20 years of Xbox: a visual history

Twenty years ago today, Microsoft released the original Xbox in North America, marking its bold entry into the world of console gaming. Since then, the design of Xbox consoles have changed almost beyond recognition. What started with a piece of big and ...

41. Amazon releases Prime Video app for Mac with downloads, AirPlay, and more

(At the “best” setting, Amazon estimates around 5.8GB of data usage per hour when streaming. The figure is slightly lower for downloads, with Amazon quoting 2.9GB per hour of downloaded video.).

42. Now Alexa can tell Netflix to just 'play something'

If you're in the US or Canada, just say “Alexa, Play Something,” and if you have an Echo speaker or app listening in, plus a Fire TV device with Netflix activated, then that's what will happen.

43. Walmart Black Friday 2021 ad shows PS5, Xbox Series X as online only. How to get early access.

Walmart has released its third – and official – Black Friday ad of 2021, along with details of its most anticipated sale of the year. After holding two previous sales this month as part of its “Black Friday Deals for Days," the retailer posted the sale ...

44. Smartphones and video game consoles will be harder to find this holiday season

The global chip shortage is making it harder for shoppers to get their hands on some of the most sought-after tech gadgets of the holiday season. In the ...