Technology

Google is announcing some changes to its Workspace suite of apps and services today, including availability for anybody who has a Google account. Google says that there are over three billion users of its Workspace apps — though it’s probably a safe bet that Gmail accounts for a healthy chunk of that userbase. A lot of people will soon have the option to switch over to Google’s more modern system for Gmail, Docs, and Chat. All of them can be integrated in a single tab more easily, for example with chats sliding over to the left to reveal a shared spreadsheet. It’s also related to the company’s new “smart canvas” push, which is also designed to interlink its various apps via “smart chips.” To get started, Google is now officially offering the setting to turn on Google Chat to all users. It’...

LG is offering an extended 5-year warranty on its 4K G1 OLED in the US, covering any problems that develop with its panel after the standard one-year warranty. In the UK the company says the extended warranty also applies to its Z1 8K OLED. It’s unclear in how many other countries LG is offering the extended warranty, and the company did not immediately respond to The Verge’s questions. The extended warranty appears to be an attempt to upsell customers from LG’s popular lower-end sets like the C1 to its more premium G1 model. But it should also allay any fears that the new brighter Evo OLED panel LG is using in the G1 won’t last as long as its previous OLED panels. Or, as LG said in a statement given to TechRadar, “The warranty is designed to offer peace of mind to customers purchasing our...

Samsung has downplayed a report that claimed the company has suspended production of an upcoming phone called the Galaxy S21 FE. Korean publication ETNews alleged over the weekend that production of the unannounced phone had stopped because of a shortage of semiconductors, and that Qualcomm processors had been reallocated to foldable devices. The report has since been deleted, and Samsung now says it hasn’t made a decision on whether to halt production. In a statement texted to Bloomberg, the company says “While we cannot discuss details of the unreleased product, nothing has been determined regarding the alleged production suspension.” The Galaxy S21 FE — the FE stands for Fan Edition — was expected to be a cut-down, more affordable version of the regular S21. Last year Dieter Bohn gave t...

Among Us lobbies will be expanding from a maximum of 10 to 15 players as part of a new update coming out on June 15th (a date that happens to be the game’s third birthday). The update will also bring new colors for crewmates, support for mobile controllers, and the ability to honk the horn on the game’s airship level. Here’s a look at all of the player colors being added to the game: tan, coral, banana, rose, gray, and maroon. (I’m a big fan of the coral and maroon colors, personally.) The update will be available on all platforms where you can currently play Among Us, which include PC, iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. PlayStation and Xbox versions are also in the works and are expected to be released this year. As part of Thursday’s Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live event, developer Innersl...

The team behind the Deus Ex games is tackling one of Marvel’s most famous superhero groups next. At its E3 2021 keynote, publisher Square Enix revealed that Eidos Montreal, the studio behind games like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, is working on a game titled simply Guardians of the Galaxy. The game puts players in the role of Star Lord (aka Peter Quill) in a third-person action-adventure experience. In a unique twist, Peter will be joined by the rest of the Guardians at all times, with the likes of Groot and Rocket being AI companions. The story takes place several years after some kind of intergalactic war, when the Guardians are still a relatively fresh group, having been together for less than a year. Eidos also says that choice will play a large part: as the team’s de factor leader, you’...

The second day of E3 2021 has been busy with Xbox and Bethesda’s joint conference followed by Square Enix’s showcase, but plenty more game announcements came from the PC Gaming Show. If you don’t have time to catch up on the whole 90 minutes, we’ve rounded up a few of our highlights of intriguing and upcoming games that you’ll want to wishlist on Steam. Rawmen [embedded content] Basically Splatoon but with food, Rawmen is a third-person arena shooter where instead of guns, you fight with food against up to two to eight players. Sling soup at your opponents, become a human meatball by jumping into meat juice and rolling your way back home, or launch yourself in the air with doughnut bombs. They Always Run [embedded content] This space Western 2D action game sees you playing a three-armed mu...

Square Enix announced that the first six mainline Final Fantasy games are getting remasters for Steam, Android, and iOS. The games will each be released individually as part of the “Pixel Remaster Series,” but Square Enix hasn’t shared release timing beyond the fact that they’re “coming soon.” In a tweet, Square Enix said that the games will be getting a “pixel-perfect makeover,” which makes it sound as if these games will be improved versions of the originals that retain the original visual style (as opposed to the 3D remasters). But because Square Enix hasn’t shared much info just yet, we’ll just have to wait for the company to announce more information until we can be sure. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It...

The next Final Fantasy spinoff is heavy on the action, and certainly doesn’t skimp when it comes to giant swords. At its E3 2021 keynote, Square Enix revealed Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin — yes, that’s the actual full title — which is billed as a collaboration between Final Fantasy veterans Tetsuya Nomura and Kazushige Nojima, and renowned action game studio Team Ninja. You can get a sense of the action in the trailer above. It’s not clear how, exactly, the game ties back to the rest of the franchise, but the description certainly sounds very Final Fantasy: With the memory of their struggle buried deep in their hearts… Jack and his allies, Ash and Jed, burn with resolve to defeat Chaos as they throw open the gates to the Chaos Shrine. Yet doubts remain — are they truly t...

Babylon’s Fall finally has a substantial gameplay trailer, which was revealed at Square Enix’s E3 2021 Showcase. The new trailer is the first time it’s been seen since the game was first announced in 2018. Players will team up tackling challenging dungeons in an attempt to scale the titular tower. The co-op title is developed by PlatinumGames and can be played solo or with up to four players. Besides the studio’s trademark hi-octane melee action, the new footage from the fantasy title shows that players can wield ranged weapons like magic staffs and bows. Their powers and customization is also based on a special equipment called the Gideon Coffin worn on their backs. The developers confirmed that Babylon’s Fall is a live-service title that will feature a range of post launch game modes at ...

Previously announced for Marvel’s Avengers, today’s Square Enix E3 Showcase gave a first proper look at Black Panther who joins the superhero roster in a brand new expansion, War For Wakanda. A new cinematic trailer introduces the King of Wakanda himself — although his face is not shown clearly until he puts on his Black Panther mask. He will be defending Wakanda from Klaw, who has infiltrated Wakanda in order to steal Vibranium for his own plans. The trailer page indicates that War For Wakanda will release this August. The Black Panther expansion will be free to players who already own Marvel’s Avengers on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. The expansion had supposedly been planned for release earlier but was delayed due to the sad and sudden passing of Chadwick Boseman, who pla...

Forza Horizon 5 is the next title in the Forza franchise, and it’s coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC on November 9th, and will also be available from day one on Xbox Game Pass. Developed by Playground Games, the open-world driving game 5 transports players to the diverse and stunning landscapes of Mexico, featuring rainforests and even driving on a dormant volcano. While Forza Horizon 5 will also be available Xbox One — and surely the last Forza title for the platform — this latest installment promises to leverage the power of the Series consoles, with features like ray-tracing. After all, the stunning trailer really speaks for itself. During the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, Phil Spencer also confirmed that Turn 10 Studios are hard at work on developing the next mainline Forza Mot...

Microsoft ended its E3 2021 presentation with a brand-new title: Redfall, the latest release from Dishonored developer Arkane Studios. It’s a co-op shooter that looks a bit like Left 4 Dead, but with dangerous vampires in place of zombies. Here’s the premise: The quaint island town of Redfall, Massachusetts, is under siege by a legion of vampires who have blocked out the sun and cut the island off from the outside world. Trapped with a handful of survivors against diabolical enemies threatening to bleed the town dry, choose your hero from a diverse roster, grouping up with others to create the perfect team of vampire slayers. The game is being developed by Arkane’s studio in Austin, Texas, and it’s slated to launch in 2022. It’ll be an Xbox exclusive for the Series X/S, as well as PC. When...