Monthly Archives: July 2018
Nintendo Issuing Lawsuits, The Pokemon Controversy, Blade Strangers, and More! – NVC Ep 417
New Joy-Con Makes Switch Gaming Better, But There’s a Catch
Editors Note: Hori has announced a problem with the D-Pad Controller – if left connected to the Switch in sleep mode, the Joy-Con may drain the Switch battery fast.
Released July 26 in Japan and eventually slated for a Western release, Hori’s new D-Pad Controller (L) for Nintendo Switch answers the prayers of many Nintendo fans, offering a traditional plus-shaped pad for the left thumb. We tested the D-Pad Controller extensively with several games and can highly recommend it – with a few major caveats.
Hori’s controller is designed for use in place of your left Joy-Jon in handheld mode. It features a D-pad in place of the official lefthand Joy-Con’s arrow buttons, along with an analogue stick, the Minus button, capture button, and L and ZL buttons, just as on the regular controller.
Play Faster Than Everyone Else with The Best 240Hz Gaming Monitors
If you’re an Esports gamer or just play one online, a gaming monitor’s refresh rate is of utmost importance. Though newbies are content with a traditional 60Hz, more advanced users typically opt for the much-faster 144Hz, and the most discerning go even beyond that, all the way up to a stratospheric 240Hz.
But what does this glorious refresh rate get you compared to a monitor with a lower refresh rate? First, it will help significantly with motion blur. The more times a moving image can be refreshed in a second the smoother it will appear. Second, since the image is being updated a greater number of times you have the possibility of reacting quicker to whatever is happening on screen.
Don’t Expect YouTube to Drop Big Bucks for the Next Game of Thrones
At the 2018 Television Critics Association summer press tour, YouTube's global head of original programming, Susanne Daniels, detailed her financial strategy in regards to original programming and how it will differ from the company's competitors, like Amazon and Netflix.
"You’re probably not gonna see us spend that level of money for a Game of Thrones or a comparable series like Westworld," Daniels said. "But I’ve always been a believer that you can make great shows for less and it’s not the episodic spend that can make something great."
It's no secret that streaming giants Netflix and Amazon are spending large sums of money to strengthen their footholds in the digital video landscape. Netflix will reportedly outspend every studio in Hollywood this year, while Amazon is dropping a whopping $1 billion on five seasons of their newly acquired Lord of the Rings franchise. Even Apple has been moving aggressively into scripted programming, with big development deals for an Amazing Stories reboot from Steven Spielberg, a thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, an adaptation of Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels, and a futuristic sci-fi drama starring Jason Momoa from the creator of Peaky Blinders, among others.
Star Wars: Episode IX Will Feature Unused Footage of Carrie Fisher
Lucasfilm has announced the major returning and new cast members for Star Wars Episode IX, including how Carrie Fisher will be featured in the film.
Among the most notable inclusions is Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa. According to StarWars.com, unused footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be used to include Fisher in the upcoming sequel, which Lucasfilm is billing as "the final installment of the Skywalker Saga."
"Finding a truly satisfying conclusion to the Skywalker saga without her eluded us," J.J. Abrams said in a statement. "We were never going to recast, or use a CG character. With the support and blessing from her daughter, Billie, we have found a way to honor Carrie’s legacy and role as Leia in Episode IX by using unseen footage we shot together in Episode VII."
Fortnite for Android Might Be a Timed Exclusive on the Galaxy Note 9
Fortnite has been playable on iOS since April, and Epic Games announced in May that it would arrive on Android devices this summer. But, if a pair of new reports are to be believed, Fortnite on Android will get a 30-day timed exclusive on Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 before coming to other Android devices.
Both 9to5Google and XDA Developers reported the supposed timed exclusivity. Rumors peg the release date of the Galaxy Note 9 – which Samsung won't even reportedly officially announce until August 9 – as August 24. If all of these reports and rumors are accurate, that would mean all other Android users would have to wait until at least last September before being able to play Fortnite on their devices.
How to Watch Today’s Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse
Today's blood moon lunar eclipse will be visible to every continent except North America - but there are ways to view it if you're stuck in the New World.
The blood moon is caused by the moon being fully engulfed in Earth's shadow, and today's lunar eclipse will be this century's longest at 103 minutes. As reported by Wired, the next one near this size won't come until 2029, and there won't be a longer one until 2123 - so don't hold your breath for that.
According to NASA, the best viewing areas for the eclipse are in Eastern Africa, India and Southeast Asia. For the rest of us, there are alternative options.
MoviePass Suffers Outage After Temporarily Running Out of Money
MoviePass suffered an outage on Thursday after its parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics temporarily ran out of cash.
As reported by Variety, MoviePass has encountered an issue that prevents some users from checking-in to movies. The service tweeted about the issue, stating "We've determined this issue is not with our card processor partners and will be continuing to work on a fix throughout this evening and night."
Netflix Acquires Andy Serkis’ Live-Action Mowgli Movie
Andy Serkis' live-action Mowgli film has moved to Netflix.
Deadline reports the streaming giant has acquired the rights to the movie from Warner Bros. Mowgli was originally set to hit theaters later this year on October 19, but will now premiere on Netflix sometime in 2019 instead.
Mowgli is described as a gritter and darker take on the classic Jungle Book story. It stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, and Benedict Cumberbatch, among quite a few others.
Jon Favreau also directed his own version of the story for Disney. The 2016 movie went on to gross nearly $1 billion at the global box office. In our review of the film, we say "Disney's return to The Jungle Book is a stunning take on a classic tale."
Disney/Fox Deal Takes One Major Step Closer to Completion
The $71.3 billion Disney/Fox deal has taken one major step to being completed.
CNBC reports both companies' shareholders have now officially approved a deal to allow Disney to purchase Fox's entertainment assets. The deal will include Fox's film and television studios, alongside partial ownership of Hulu, Sky TV, and India's Star. The merger is expected to be completed by the first half of 2019.
Comcast was also interested in purchasing Fox's assets after offering $65 million, forcing Disney to increase its offer to $71.3 billion. However, Comcast has reportedly pulled out of the bidding and are now focusing on acquiring Britain's Sky instead, of which Fox owns 39% percent.