Jan 11, 04:00


GamersHeroes Wednesday, January 10, 2024 9:54 PM
    

The team at Nexon has detailed the new content dropping today as part of Warhaven's Pre-Season 2 mid-season update.

The post New Map and Game Mode Coming to Warhaven appeared first on GamersHeroes.


Kotaku Wednesday, January 10, 2024 10:00 PM
    

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is happening this week in Las Vegas and buried inside the massive convention floor—filled with new computers, a car you can drive with a PlayStation 5 controller, monitors, and other tech—is a strange, horrible, holographic Mario powered by AI and sponsored by AARP (formerly the…

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PCGamesN Wednesday, January 10, 2024 11:29 PM
     This motherboard innovation is going to revolutionize gaming PC design

Not long ago, several motherboard manufacturers revealed concepts for motherboards that have all the cable connectors on the rear of the board, allowing the visible side of your PC to be completely cable clutter-free. Honestly, we didn't think these hidden connector motherboard ideas would make it to market, but now Asus and MSI have both shown off new products that will actually see the light of day.

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ review, Asus ROG Raikiri review, Best gaming motherboard

Siliconera Thursday, January 11, 2024 12:00 AM
    

honkai star rail spa

Toshimaen Garden Spa has announced an upcoming collaboration with HoYoVerse's Honkai: Star Rail. The campaign will run from January 17 to February 18, 2024. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

The Honkai: Star Rail spa collaboration will focus on Dr Ratio, since he canonically likes to take baths. You'll be able to get an exclusive Dr Ratio towel for every collaboration entry ticket you have. For a limited time, you'll also be able to eat at the spa's restaurant and order from a collaboration menu. There will be a seafood pasta (1680 JPY) that's supposed to make you smarter, as well as either grape juice or apple juice (700 JPY each). You'll also be able to get stickers and postcards featuring the key visuals for Kafka and Dr Ratio.

Dr Ratio will be a free 5-star Imaginary Hunt unit that everyone will receive when the second phase of Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.6 starts. Players got to see and play as him for a little bit during the first phase's Trailblaze Continuance as well. As for why Kafka will also appear in the merchandise, it's because Dr Ratio's banner will run alongside her re-run banner. Currently, the banners in Honkai: Star Rail are Ruan Mei's debut and Blade's re-run.

The Toshimaen Garden Spa will have a Honkai: Star Rail event from January 17 to February 18, 2024. The spa is in Tokyo's Nerima City. Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.

The post Honkai: Star Rail Spa Collaboration Stars Dr Ratio appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, January 10, 2024 11:43 PM
    

Nijisanji Vtuber Selen Tatsuki Anime Impulse Appearance Canceled

Nijisanji and Anime Impulse announced that Vtuber Selen Tatsuki will not be a part of the Nijisanji EN Block Party. She was set to be part of a Saturday Night Vibes event, the HOPCONcert 3 concert, and a sold-out meet and greet.

This comes after a chain of events that started at the end of December 2023. Nijisanji pulled a cover of "Cup of Coffee" by LilyPichu that Selen created and sang. The performer encouraged unofficial uploads. Almost immediately after, Selen and Nijisanji announced she was on medical leave. She was released from the hospital the first week of January 2024.  

Here's the official announcement from Nijisanji, which confirmed that only the Selen Tatsuki Anime Impulse meet and greet, which was supposed to take place on January 13, 2024 and cost $50 for a three-minute visit, will be refunded. People who purchased tickets to the other events to see her will not get refunds. 

https://twitter.com/NIJISANJI_World/status/1745294482281807902

Note that while Selen won't be appearing, a piece of merchandise with her on it will still be sold. Her and the other Nijisanji EN girls and their signatures appear on a skate deck. It costs $100.

In addition to the individual meet and greets on various days, here are the events that will be a part of the Nijisanji EN Block Party at the convention.

  • January 13, 2024 at 1:30pm PT: Niji Medley Special Concert
  • January 13, 2024 at 5:15pm PT: Saturday Night Vibes
  • January 14, 2024 at 12:45pm PT: Sunday Sunshine
  • January 14, 2024 at 5pm PT: Future Nostalgia Q&A Panel
  • January 14, 2024 at 6:15pm PT: HOPCONcert 3

While Pomu Rainpuff is set to graduate from Nijisanji on January 20, 2024, she will still appear at the event. Like Selen, she will be appearing at multiple events during the convention.

Anime Impulse will be held January 13-14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. 

The post Nijisanji Vtuber Selen Tatsuki Anime Impulse Appearance Canceled appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, January 10, 2024 11:30 PM
    

sag-aftra AI voice

SAG-AFTRA reached an agreement with AI voice technology company Replica Studios that will allow voice actor members to "safely create and license a digital replica of their voice." Voice actors responded with confusion and outrage, stating that this would affect their livelihood and that no one ever approved of this agreement. [Thanks, Metro!]

The agreement with Replica Studios will allow voice actors to license a digital voice replica that can later be used in game development and other media projects. According to SAG-AFTRA's website, this will allow AAA video game studios and other companies to access SAG-AFTRA talent via Replica. This is, according to the statement, "an important step towards the ethical use of AI voices."

Though SAG-AFTRA claims that "affected members of the union's voice-over performer community" approved of this agreement, it appears that many video game voice actors did not actually get a choice in this decision. Steve Blum (Spike in Cowboy Bebop and the most prolific video game voice actor in 2012) stated that he didn't know anyone who approved of this. Khoi Dao (Albedo in Genshin Impact) jokingly voiced his disapproval by asking, "Did your wife leave you for a voice actor?" Veronica Taylor (Ash in Pokemon) also asked why studios wanted to use an AI replica instead of hiring the actual actor. Many other voice actors have reacted negatively either under the Tweet or through a QRT.

SAG-AFTRA has responded in a statement to GameCentral stating that this deal will only be with one company (Replica) and it sets the groundwork for future ethical usage of AI.

The post Voice Actors Respond With Outrage to SAG-AFTRA AI Deal appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, January 10, 2024 11:20 PM
    

Lego Animal Crossing

Lego will open up pre-orders for its Animal Crossing-themed sets from January 20, 2024 in Japan. They'll come out on March 1, 2024. [Thanks, Hobby Watch!]

Each Lego set will allow you to recreate your Animal Crossing house or community locales. You'll also be able to get little Lego figures of the various characters, such as Isabelle or Julian. As well, there will be limited supply of "Maple's Pumpkin Garden," which will come with Maple, a watering can, a fence, a pumpkin, a tree, and a ladder. This is going to be a bonus with orders while supplies last for Lego Japan.

Maple's Pumpkin Garden will be a polybag, as it was one of the ones that Lego revealed for 2024. But we do not yet know the release window for it. It also does not say on the North American store whether or not it'll come as a bonus when you order. As a note, the January 20, 2024 pre-order date is for Lego Japan. As the release dates for both countries are the same, though, there's a high chance that the North American store will also open up pre-orders on that date.

The Animal Crossing Isabelle's House Visit Lego set will come out on March 1, 2024. Other new Animal Crossing Lego sets that'll come out on that date include Julian's Birthday Party and Nook's Cranny and Rosie's House.

The post Animal Crossing Lego Sets to Open Up Pre-Orders Soon appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, January 10, 2024 11:00 PM
    

kingdom hearts wayfinder necklaces

Square Enix will re-release the Wayfinder necklaces from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. You can pre-order them from the Japanese Square Enix website and they'll ship out from April 27, 2024.

Each necklace costs 2750 JPY, which is about $18.90. However, the Square Enix e-Store does not offer international shipping, and the North American store doesn't have the Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Wayfinder necklaces. Those outside of Japan who wish to purchase it will likely need to employ some sort of proxy service.

There are three variations of the necklaces for the three main characters: Ventus, Terra, and Aqua. Ventus's is green, Aqua's is blue, and Terra's is brown. Each pendant is about 45 x 45 millimeters, and the cord portion that goes around your neck is around 200 millimeters long.  In the game, the Wayfinders are star-shaped necklaces that the characters wore out of friendship and so that they could stay with each other. The idea of star-shaped object serving as a charm to keep your friends with you is in the first game as well with the paopu fruit.

The Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Wayfinder necklaces will come out again on April 27, 2024. These necklaces originally appeared in 2021.

The post Kingdom Hearts Wayfinder Necklaces Will Return appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, January 10, 2024 10:30 PM
    

laplus darkness hiatus

Laplus (La+) Darkness will go on a streaming hiatus due to health reasons. It might take her about two weeks to recover, though she will post more details on her Twitter (X) account in regards to when she'll return.

According to the Tweet, she went to the hospital where the doctors diagnosed her with vocal cord nodules. These are benign white masses that form in the vocal folds, which can cause throat pain, vocal hoarseness, and vocal fatigue. They can also restrict airflow levels while talking. Because of this, she cannot stream or sing, thus will take a break in order to recover. The doctors told her that it would take about two weeks for the nodules to go away. However, that's just an estimate, which is why her return window is unknown.

Over the past few years, Laplus has taken several breaks from streaming in order to focus on her health. In May 2023, she contracted COVID-19, for example. However, issues with her throat have started cropping up from around late 2023. In November 2023, she stated that she might take a small break from streaming since she'd been singing and yelling so much.

Laplus Darkness will take a break from streaming for an unknown period of time.

The post Laplus Darkness Will Take Hiatus Due to Health Issues appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Wednesday, January 10, 2024 10:00 PM
    

bungo stray dogs sanrio

Sanrio has announced a collaboration with Bungo Stray Dogs. You'll be able to find merchandise of eight different character and mascot pairs in the Sanrio Anime Store from January 10 to 24, 2024. [Thanks, PR Times!]

The merchandise are all available as part of the Sanrio Anime Store lottery. It will cost 880 JPY per attempt, and you'll receive your prizes from early March 2024. If you don't want to test your luck, you can also purchase items directly from the Sanrio Anime Store. However, there are some exclusive prizes in the lottery that you can't buy.

The prizes are:

  • S Prize: Cushion
  • A Prize: Mug
  • B Prize: Acrylic standees
  • C Prize: Acrylic charm (chainable)
  • D Prize: Square can badges
  • E Prize: Acrylic card
  • Bonus: Postcard (only available if you purchase five lottery tickets in one transaction)

As for the character pairs, it's:

  • Akutagawa: Badtz-Maru
  • Atsushi: Hello Kitty
  • Chuya: Tuxedosam
  • Dazai: My Melody
  • Fukuzawa: Pokopon
  • Fyodor: Cinnamoroll 
  • Kunikida: Keroppi
  • Ranpo: Pompompurin

The Bungo Stray Dogs Sanrio collection will be in Sanrio online stores until January 24, 2024. Sanrio does not seem to offer international delivery. You can watch Bungo Stray Dogs on Crunchyroll.

The post Bungo Stray Dogs Sanrio Goods Appear in Stores appeared first on Siliconera.


Gamer Empire Thursday, January 11, 2024 3:55 AM
     Along with Sand, Clay is an essential material in Raft and is needed to make the Smelter. Without it, you can't produce metal materials or use the Cooking Pot properly. Many decorative items also require Clay as their main material. So, here's how to get Clay in Raft! Recommended Read: How to Get Sand in […]

Gamer Empire Thursday, January 11, 2024 3:29 AM
     Nobody wants their nosey neighbors coming into their backyard and snooping around. That even holds true for space-faring mega-nations with populations in the trillions. If you don't want other space empires to enter your space, you can close your borders to them and prevent access. This guide will teach you all the different ways to […]

iDev Games Feed Thursday, January 11, 2024 2:38 AM
     Game for fun :)...