Slade Watkins

  • “Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain” Free to Download, Source Code on GitHub

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    The Extremely OK Games team, on the project’s GitHub, writes (minor grammatical edit by me):

    “Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain [is] a game made by the original Celeste developers in under 2 weeks for Celeste’s 6th Anniversary. We haven’t done a lot of 3D development so much of this is not very optimized, it’s coded in libraries mostly intended for 2D games, and we put it all together very, very quickly. Consider this similar to a weekend jam game, so experiment and learn at your own risk!”

    A prebuilt version of the game is available for Windows on itch.io for free, too!

  • Reminder: Gurman Says Embargo for “Non-Curated Reviews” of Apple Vision Pro Lifts Tomorrow

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    Just a heads up… Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that “the first wave of non-curated” reviews for Apple Vision Pro will release tomorrow, since the headset launches on the 2nd of February (Friday). I’m excited for the concept and how it potentially pushes the industry forward–though not the headset itself because of that price tag. That’ll get better as it ages, though!

    I’m more curious how they’re going to show things from the headset–is there a way to screen record within visionOS? There’s a lot of questions I have as well about visionOS that I hope get answered in some of these reviews.

  • Johanna Faries Named Next President of Blizzard Entertainment, Starts February 5th

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    Johanna Faries, in an email to Blizzard staff:

    “Dear Blizzard,

    Though my official first day with you all is February 5, I want to let you know immediately that it is an honor to join you next week in this new capacity. I do so humbly and in awe of all that Blizzard has stood for and delivered to the world for over thirty years. Today also brings some mixed emotions. The loss of talented teammates in recent days is hard to hold side-by-side with the immense excitement I feel about joining Blizzard – and building on the momentum you’ve created for Blizzard’s next chapter.”

    The “introduction” Faries mentions in her message was handled by Matt Booty, President of Xbox Content and Studios. You can read his email here.

  • Xbox’s Sarah Bond on Twitter: Apple’s Policies “Step in The Wrong Direction”, Calling on Company to Listen to Feedback

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    Previously on Slade’s Corner: Apple’s “Core Technology Fee” Raises Two Giant Middle Fingers at EU’s DMA

    Sarah Bond writes on Twitter:

    “We believe constructive conversations drive change and progress towards open platforms and greater competition. Apple’s new policy is a step in the wrong direction. We hope they listen to feedback on their proposed plan and work towards a more inclusive future for all.”

    This Tweet was in a response to Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, stating in part “While Apple has behaved badly for years, what they did yesterday represents a new low, even for them.” Microsoft and Spotify have long been vocal of Apple’s restrictive rules, and this time is no exception.

  • Please Don’t Follow “How To Make Your Android Phone Feel Way Faster” Tutorials

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    Scrolling on YouTube, I came across this Short from creator Parker Burton on how to make an Android device feel “way faster.” The method involves unlocking developer options and changing the window, animation, and transition scales from 1x to .5x.

    For whatever reason, Parker Burton doesn’t show what this reduced animation scaling looks like in the Short, but another creator did a video comparing them on One UI:

    Truth is: while this will make it seem “way faster,” it can have other side effects on certain devices, as it’s not really a good substitute to Apple’s “Reduce Motion” accessibility setting. In my experience, it can make Google Messages experience technical issues displaying videos or animated emojis, and apps like Facebook and Twitter also have issues (the latter especially on the latest release).

    My advice to readers is this: don’t follow these tutorials. Instead, just clear up the storage on your device–and don’t have too much running in the background. Also stay up to date with the latest patches from your vendor in case one of those updates includes performance improvements!

  • Two Games Leaving Xbox Game Pass on January 31st, 2024

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    Xbox Game Pass will be losing two games — Hitman: World of Assassination and F1 2021 — on January 31st, 2024. If you’re in the middle of a playthrough, now might be the time to either finish it, or purchase the full games. F1 2021 has been replaced with F123 instead.

    Pure Xbox writes:

    “If you want to grab either of these permanently, Hitman: World of Assassination is slightly discounted for Xbox Game Pass members right now, while F1 2021 isn’t actually available to buy anymore – so you’ll have to get 22 or 23!”

  • “Switch 2” to Have 8-inch LCD Screen, Says Analyst Hiroshi Hayase

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    As Bloomberg reports:

    “The new device from the Kyoto-based games maker will be responsible for a doubling in shipments of so-called amusement displays in 2024, Hayase said in Tokyo on Friday. His research focuses on small and medium displays and he bases annual forecasts on checks with companies in the supply chain.”

    If Hiroshi Hayase is to be believed, then Nintendo seems to be gearing up to potentially introduce the successor to its popular Nintendo Switch console. It will have an 8-inch LCD screen, with the OLED model to come at a later date after launch, similar to how Nintendo handled their Switch lineup. Additionally, data from this analyst would suggest that the company plans to ship 10 million or more units of its next-gen console in the first fiscal year.

    According to Bloomberg, the Switch has now shipped 132 million units.

    And worth noting, a spokesperson for Nintendo told Bloomberg they “had nothing to comment on” when asked by the publication for comment on their report.

  • Friend of The Blog Riley Testut Talks to 9to5Mac about Alternative App Stores

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    Friend of the blog Riley Testut recently joined 9to5Mac Overtime to discuss iOS 17.4’s new sideloading capabilities and support for “alternative app marketplaces” now that the March deadline for complying with the EU’s Digital Markets Act is drawing nearer. I highly recommend giving this a listen wherever you get your podcasts (or the embed above!)

    For those who don’t know, Riley Testut is the creator of both the Delta emulator and AltStore, the latter of which allows users to sideload apps onto their iOS devices with just an Apple ID associated with the free tier of the Apple Developer Program.

    I really don’t think 9to5Mac could have picked a better guest to talk about this with!

    (Disclosure: As mentioned, Riley Testut is a friend of the blog, has given me access to the TestFlight version of Delta, and is one of the people I look up to in the developer and tech communities! I honestly and truly consider him a mentor.)

  • Look at This Cute Stitches Model Someone Made

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    Stitches AC Garden OC
    byu/Accomplished-Top4709 inAnimalCrossing

    This is one of the cutest things I’ve seen from the Animal Crossing community in a while! Stitches is one of my favorite villagers from the series, and one of the cutest, and someone made a cute little model with Stitches and various fauna found in the Animal Crossing series. Take a look! It’s worth the smile!

  • DYKG Shares The Story of Shigeru Miyamoto, One of My Personal Heroes

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    DYKG took to YouTube to share the story of one of my personal heroes–Shigeru Miyamoto. To say he’s a legend would be an understatement. Both Miyamoto-san and Katsuya Eguchi are responsible for my love of Nintendo. While he’s not in the director’s chair often anymore, he’s still in the producer seat, guiding the next generation of developers.

    His story is one that will be told for generations to come. There’s truly no one else like Shigeru Miyamoto.