Tech
HHW Gaming: Significant Improvements Coming To ‘NBA 2K21’, Demo Release Date Announced
Source: 2K / NBA 2K21 Last week we got our first look at NBA 2K21 current-gen gameplay thanks to the “Everything Is Game” trailer. Thursday (Aug.13), we now know some of the changes players can expect in the game. As we inch towards the launch of the next installment in the number one basketball video game franchise, information about the game is starting to spill out. In a 2K Courtside Report, written by NBA 2K Gameplay Director Mike Wang, he revealed the new improvements and influences for the significant changes coming to NBA 2K21. When players take the court for the first time in NBA 2K21, they can expect a plethora of improvements to the game. In the report, Wang revealed that he spoke with a big fan of the franchise and the game’s current-gen cover athlete Damian Li...
HHW Gaming Preview: The Yard Hopes To Bring Much-Needed New Energy To ‘Madden NFL 21’
Source: EA Sports / Madden NFL 21 Madden games have become a yearly tradition but, at the same time, have grown a bit stale among avid sports gamers. Madden NFL 21 hopes taking things to The Yard literally in a new game mode will bring much-needed new energy to the game. Last week EA gave us our first look at The Yard in regards to how it works on the mobile iteration of the video game, and now its time to see the console and PC version of the new game mode. Hip-Hop Wired was able to get hands-on with the new game mode in a virtual preview led by The Yard’s developer JP Kalloway, and honestly, it was entertaining to play. So again, what is The Yard? Well, it’s a new way for players to enjoy Madden but taking the complexity of professional football out of the game and swapping i...
Spotify Allies With ‘Fortnite’ in Apple App Store Battle
Spotify is backing Fortnite developer Epic Games in its new clash with Apple and the tech giant’s App Store, highlighting its own lawsuit over similar issues. After Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store on Wednesday because Epic Games had introduced a way for players to purchase its virtual “V-bucks” currency outside the payment marketplace, Epic Games filed a lawsuit that could have legal ramifications in the music industry. {“nid”:”9416468″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Sony Takes Minority Stake in Fortnite Maker With $250 Million Investment”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/business\/9416468\/sony-minority-stake-fortnite-maker-epic-250-million-investment\/”,”media”:{“width”:&...
HHW Gaming: Apple Gives ‘Fortnite’ The Boot From App Store After Epic Games “Violates” In-App Payments Rule
Source: Epic Games/Fortnite Just like that, Fortnite is gone from Apple’s App Store after Epic Games announced it was giving players a discount if they purchased V-Bucks directly from Epic. Apple’s decision literally comes hours after Epic Games revealed it would be bypassing the 30% revenue cut that both the App Store and Google Play store takes when players purchase V-Bucks in Fortnite. In a statement released earlier today announcing its new mobile direct payment system Epic stated: “If Apple or Google lower their fees on payments in the future, Epic will pass along the savings to you.” Apple, of course, didn’t care for the decision and subsequently has pulled the game from the App Store and in its own statement, the company said: “Today, Epic Games ...
HHW Tech Review: Turtle Beach’s New Stealth 600 Gen 2 Offers Premium Sound For Under A $100
Source: Bernard Smalls / Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 PS4 Global gaming accessory manufacturer Turtle Beach is dropping updated versions of its Stealth 600 and 700 gaming headsets. Here is the lowdown on the new peripherals. The second generation of both the Stealth 600 and 700 have been revealed. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 arrives for both consoles on September 20 and is a bit pricier than the 600 Stealth model, costing $149.99, offering premium features like leather earcups and the ability to connect to your consoles via Bluetooth. Source: Turtle Beach / Stealth 700 Gen 2 Focusing on the Stealth 600 Gen 2 model, which was revealed by the San Diego based company, the two headsets come two new sleek styles, with some updates from the previous iteration. There are two different variations for...
Reelz v. Reels: Network Sues Instagram, Facebook for Trademark Infringement
Instagram last week launched a new short-video feature called Reels — capitalizing on demand in the market amid privacy concerns surrounding TikTok and a looming ban of the ByteDance-owned app — and it’s already facing troubles of its own. ReelzChannel says the feature’s name infringes on its longstanding trademark. The network, which launched in 2006, says it reaches more than 50 million homes in the U.S. The suit, which was filed Tuesday in Minnesota federal court, where the network’s parent company Hubbard Broadcasting is based, claims Reels usurps Reelz’ goodwill and is likely to confuse consumers. {“nid”:”9429589″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Instagram Launches TikTok Competitor Reels”...
HHW Gaming Preview: ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Beta Left Us Cautiously Optimistic About The Game
Source: Bernard Smalls / Crystal Dynamics Crystal Dynamics Marvel’s Avengers is easily one of the year’s most anticipated titles dropping this year on consoles. PlayStation 4 players, including us, got a chance to take the game for a spin during its closed beta over the weekend first, and we walked away with some mixed reactions. After spending hours with the game, we are still cautiously excited to play the game revolving solely around Earth’s mightiest heroes, but the game’s multiplayer aspect has us a bit worried. Before you jump into the game’s multiplayer experience, Crystal Dynamics gives you a crash course by allowing you to play the game’s Golden Gate Bridge mission. The mission which will be in Marvel’s Avenger’s promising story camp...
Universal Music Group & Tencent Music Launch New Label in China
Universal Music Group and Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME) are strengthening their ties with a new joint venture music label that will develop, produce and showcase Chinese artists, the companies announced Monday (Aug. 10). The news came with announcements UMG had reached a multi-year licensing extension with Tencent, as well as a new multi-year licensing deal with Chinese streaming platform NetEase Cloud Music. Under the renewed agreement between Tencent and UMG — first signed in May 2017 — Tencent will continue to distribute UMG content on its associated streaming platforms QQ Music, Kogou Music and Kuwo Music, as well as the karaoke platform WeSing. {“nid”:”9399541″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Universal Musi...
Facebook Removes Numerous Fugazi Pages & Instagram Accounts Pretending To Be Black Trump Supporters
Source: SOPA Images / Getty Finding Black Trump supporters not named Diamond and Silk is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, so it should be hard to believe that there was actually Facebook groups full of them. Facebook removed numerous Facebook groups that social network says were a part of a troll farm that were pretending to be African Americans supporting the occupant in the White House, Donald Trump, as well as QAnon supporters. The company said the groups were in violation of its policies against coordinated inauthentic behavior. In the report, Facebook revealed that it removed 35 Facebook accounts, three pages, and 88 Instagram accounts for “violating our policy against foreign interference, which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign entity.”...
Roland Celebrates The 40th Anniversary of the Iconic TR-808 Drum Machine
Source: Roland / Roland TR-808 The TR-808 drum machine help crafted many classics records, to celebrate the device’s 40th anniversary, Roland decided to bless beat junkies with some freebies. Roland celebrated the anniversary of its famed device, which first arrived back in 1980 on 8/08, now forever known as 808 day, by dropping a slew of freebies. When you head over to Roland’s landing page dedicated to the TR-808, you can watch a documentary. It features Arthur Baker, A Guy Called Gerald, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jermaine Dupri, the Avila Brothers, Cozmo D, and Carl Craig discussing the device’s impact when used to craft classic records we have come to love. Songs like Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” is one of those legendary records that were broug...
Digital Media Company LiveXLive Had an OK Quarter, But It’s Got a Long Way to Go
What three letters best explain the modest gains LiveXLive unveiled during its quarterly earnings call Thursday? The would be P-P-P as in the Paycheck Protection Program. Nearly all of the company’s $3.5 million reduction in spending for the quarter appeared to have come from the almost $2 million federal loan it received in March, coupled with $1.4 million in reductions of employee salaries and other expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. That helped LiveXLive achieve its “best quarter in the history of the company,” according to CEO and chairman Rob Ellin, who reported a 11% increase in revenue and a quarterly loss of $7.5 million, or $0.13 per share. That missed the consensus estimate of a loss of $0.12, but marked a significant improvement from a loss of $0.21 per share a year ago (tot...
HHW Gaming: Rocksteady Studio’s New Game Will Focus Around The ‘Suicide Squad’
Source: WB Games / Rocksteady Studios It’s been five years since Rocksteady Studios has blessed the masses with a Batman game leaving fans wondering when is the next DC Comics-based title would arrive. Early Friday (Aug.7), we finally learned what the game-studio has been working on during its absence. Today, Rocksteady announced that the next game it is working on will focus on the Suicide Squad by revealing a poster featuring Superman with a crosshair on his head. It’s been long speculated that Rocksteady’s next game might star the Man of Steel or just be another Batman game. Well, it would seem that the rumors about Superman are somewhat accurate, BUT if the game will have players take control of the ragtag team of supervillains, Kal-El is going to be one of your targe...
