‘Overwatch 2’ won’t have loot boxes

Overwatch 2 will get rid of one of the first game’s most infamous elements. Blizzard has confirmed at a reveal event that that the new team-based shooter won’t have loot boxes when it premieres October 4th. Instead, you’ll get the items you want through either a Battle Pass or a “consistently updated” in-game store. You won’t have to roll the dice wondering if you’ll get a special character skin or emote.

Blizzard also used the event to show what you can expect for the first two seasons. The developer will provide free updates every nine weeks to keep things fresh, with progression applying across game platforms. The first season will include three new heroes (Sojourn, Junker Queen and an unidentified third), six more maps, 30-plus extra skins and a new game mode. The second season, kicking off December 6th, will add a new take hero, another map and still more cosmetics. In 2023, you can expect a new “PvE experience” that advances the story.

The approach to loot boxes is a relative about-face. The company has kept the random boxes in Overwatch ever since launch, and has been defensive. Blizzard even refused to release Diablo Immortal in Belgium and the Netherlands due to those countries’ laws banning loot box mechanics as a form of gambling. With Overwatch 2, the team is acknowledging the backlash.

There might not have been much choice. Overwatch has maintained a largely steady player count and even grown slightly over the years, with ActivePlayer.io data indicating an average of 7.2 million players per month as of May. However, it’s no secret that some players hate loot boxes and might be wary of playing the new game if they persist. As it stands, US agencies like the Federal Trade Commission have investigated loot box systems in the past. Whatever the motivations for scrapping the boxes, the decision could help Blizzard avoid legal trouble in its home country.

Instagram is testing a new full-screen TikTok-like feed

Instagram is testing a new full-screen version of Instagram’s feed that would make scrolling through posts look and feel a lot more like TikTok. Mark Zuckerberg shared a preview of the test on his Instagram Story, saying that the new look would be available to some people “soon.”

The app began testing a version of a “full-screen” feed last month, but in that test feed posts didn’t actually take up the entire screen of the app. But with the latest version shared by Zuckerberg, posts extend all the way to the top of the screen, much as they do on TikTok. The new look also tweaks the shortcuts for accessing your inbox and creating new posts.

Though still an experiment, the new look is in-line with Meta’s stated desire to make competing with TikTok a top priority. On instagram, that’s meant inserting more Reels and “suggested” content into users feed, as well as emphasizing video more than static images. “Photos are still an important part of Instagram, and we’re working on ways to improve the way they show up in a full-screen Feed too,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Meta is also planning a major revamp of Facebook’s app that would insert more “recommended” content in users’ feeds, rather than posts from friends and pages they follow. Zuckerberg has said the changes are part of broader pivot toward AI-driven recommendations rather than simply relying on users existing social graphs.

Anna Sorokin wants to move away from her ‘scammer’ persona… by selling NFTs

Infamous grifter Anna Sorokin, who spent four years in prison for fraud, says she is “trying to move away from this, like, ‘scammer’ persona” that has “been pushed upon me by the prosecution and by the following media and by the Netflix show [Inventing Anna].” What better way to do that than by selling a collection of NFTs?

The socialite told NBC News that she has minted 10 NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Holders will somehow have “exclusive access” to Sorokin, who is in a correctional facility under the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The NFT holders will seemingly have the chance to meet Sorokin, who has appealed her pending deportation. Holders will also receive a bundle of “personal items” from Sorokin, who, again, is in detention.

Sorokin is attempting to control her narrative after she was the focus of Inventing Anna, which was released earlier this year. The NFT collection is called “Reinventing Anna.”

“It’s kind of one of the first steps I’m taking to start to tell my own story,” Sorokin said. She claimed that “blockchain will be very helpful for the artist” to “reclaim the ownership and [profit] from future sales.” It’s not as if the NFT market has completely bottomed out.

Sorokin went by the name Anna Delvey and claimed to be a German heiress with a $60 million inheritance. She claimed she was raising capital to open a social club in Manhattan, but that wasn’t the case. She scammed friends and businesses out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s just as well NFTs aren’t part of a massive Ponzi scheme or anything like that.

SpaceX employees say Elon Musk is an ’embarrassment’ as he waffles on work-from-home

Elon Musk’s disdain for remote work doesn’t fully extend to Twitter. As The New York Times and The Verge note, Musk told Twitter staff in an inaugural all-hands meeting that employees at the social network who produce “excellent” work at home should be permitted to keep their positions. While the aspiring new owner stressed that he would much rather have people working in the office, he thought it “wouldn’t make sense” to fire someone who was a net positive for the company. He added he would verify with managers that those remote employees were making useful contributions.

Musk gave Tesla and SpaceX employees an ultimatum in late May, warning that they had to work at least 40 hours a week their main offices unless they had “particularly exceptional” reasons to stay remote. The executive felt it was particularly important for more senior-level members who needed an in-person “presence.” This stands in sharp contrast to Twitter’s existing stance allowing many employees to stay remote indefinitely, not to mention policies at Apple, Google and other tech heavyweights that allow staff to spend some or all of their workday at home.

The statements also come as Musk is facing a mounting backlash from his rank-and-file. The Verge says it has seen an open letter from SpaceX workers criticizing their CEO, accusing Musk of becoming a “frequent source of distraction and embarrassment” through his public actions. They also said the spaceflight firm wasn’t living up to either its “No Asshole” mantra or a zero-tolerance policy on sexual misconduct. The letter writers wanted SpaceX to condemn Musk’s behavior, hold all leaders accountable for their actions, and clarify its policies while enforcing them more consistently.

There was no mention of the exact issues that prompted the letter. Musk has drawn increasing criticism, however. A SpaceX flight attendant reportedly accused Musk of sexual misconduct, prompting a $250,000 settlement. That’s on top of ongoing claims Musk’s companies allow horrible behavior, including lawsuits from multiple women alleging Tesla fostered sexual harassment in the office. Musk has further been accused of posting transphobia on Twitter (such as blasting the pregnant man emoji) and supporting trucker protests in Canada that were laced with harassment and racist incidents. The entrepreneur isn’t on great terms with many people at the moment, and his dislike of remote work underscores this.

Arturia’s FX Collection 3 adds classic distortions, plus granular and lo-fi effects

A couple of years ago Arturia ventured simulations of vintage synths and into audio effects territory. The FX Collection wasn’t as clear of a must have as the V Collection, but the company has slowly built out its stable of effects with the new FX Collection 3 growing to 26 from the original 15.

New to the collection are Dist Tube-Culture, Dist OpAmp-21, Fragments and Tape Mello-Fi. Now, the latter two were already available — Mello-Fi originally as a free offering during the 2021 holiday season, and Fragments launched in March of this year. I won’t spend too much time talking about them since I’ve already covered them. But the TL;DR is that Mello-Fi delivers excellent tape emulation ranging from subtle saturation and warble, to full on broken cassette deck, while Fragments is one of, if not the most approachable granular effects processor I’ve ever encountered.

The two distortion circuits are completely new, though. OpAmp-21 is based on the now cult-classic SansAmp pedal originally introduced in 1989. It was one of the earliest amp and speaker simulators put in a guitar pedal format. Unlike today’s digital emulators that rely on code and impulse response models, the SansAmp was an all analog circuit that 

Tube-Culture is based on the Thermionic Culture Vulture, which I’m slightly ashamed to admit I’d never even heard of before this. It’s an all-tube rack mount distortion unit that covers everything from subtle saturation to busted-speaker fuzz. 

While the rest of the effects have largely stayed the same under the hood there have been a few nice improvements. For one, many now have A-B comparison, so you can quickly compare different settings or even bounce back and forth between them live. The interfaces have all been revamped as well. Some of the changes are subtle, but navigation is a bit easier and load times seem faster.

FX Collection is available now at a discounted introductory price of $299 (or less if you’re an existing Arturia customer) until July 7th, after which it will go back up to $399.

Microsoft’s Defender online security tool is now available to consumers

It took awhile, but Microsoft Defender is now generally available for all your personal devices, not just Windows PCs and businesses. The new Defender for individuals gives Microsoft 365 subscribers an online tool that bolsters the existing malware and phishing security measures you’re (hopefully) using. It extends Windows’ anti-malware safeguards to Android, iOS and macOS. You’ll also receive security alerts, as well as solutions and tips. You can manage a whole family’s security from a central dashboard, and view the antivirus systems you already use (including third-party software).

Microsoft cautioned that new malware protections aren’t available when they already exist on iOS and Windows. Advice is only available on Macs and Windows systems.

Defender for individuals is included with Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans in most countries. Prices start at $70 per year for a Personal account in the US. The company vowed that this was “just the start” of its efforts, and that it planned to introduce features like identity theft protection and secure connections.

This won’t necessarily replace all your other defenses. You’ll still want to be on guard, particularly for fraud and other digital crimes that Microsoft’s tool doesn’t currently cover. It may be a useful supplement, though, and it’s an easy choice if you were already using Microsoft 365.

Report reveals half of Japan’s businesses had yet to ditch Internet Explorer

Microsoft has been sounding the death knell for Internet Explorer for months, but many businesses in Japan seemingly did not take heed. Almost half were said to still be using the browser, for which Microsoft ended support yesterday, as of March. According to Nikkei, many of those companies have dragged their heels on switching to other browsers, which some have warned may cause chaos for months.

IT provider Keyman’s Net conducted a survey of Japanese companies earlier this year and found that many were forced to use Internet Explorer because of systems their clients used to handle orders. Some were also using the browser to handle things like employee attendance and expenses. Over a fifth of the respondents didn’t have a plan for how to move their businesses onto alternative browsers, such as Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.

The issue extends beyond companies to government agencies, which the report notes have been especially slow to address the shift. For instance, notices related to Japan Pension Service online applications must be viewed in the IE Mode on Edge, according to the report. That mode will be supported through at least 2029, so websites that are incompatible with modern browsers should still be accessible for several more years. Here’s hoping Microsoft officially ending support for IE after almost 27 years will prompt organizations to get their act together and make their services work on Edge, Chrome, Firefox and other browsers too.

Discord’s AutoMod can automatically detect and block offensive words for servers

Discord is giving admins and moderators a new tool to keep their servers safe. On Thursday, the company introduced AutoMod, a feature that can automatically detect and block harmful messages before they’re posted. Accessible through Discord’s “Server Settings” menu, the tool allows admins and moderators to create a list of words and phrases they want Discord to look for, along with a set of repercussions for those who use them.

For instance, you can configure AutoMod to prevent a user from sending messages or joining voice channels after triggering the bot’s safeguards. It’s also possible to set up the tool to automatically notify you when someone writes something offensive. Discord has put together three starting lists that cover “certain categories of not-nice words or phrases.” Moderators can add up to three additional custom filter lists to suit the needs of their users. At launch, AutoMod is only available to Community servers.

Alongside AutoMod, Discord is introducing two new resources to help admins. The first is a dedicated hub with articles penned by experienced community builders. “Whether you’re just getting started or need help onboarding the newest round of moderators to the team, the Community Resources page is here to help your team thrive at any stage of your journey,” Discord says of the hub.

The other new resource is a dedicated admin community server run by Discord staff. Here, the company says moderators can gather to chat and learn from one another. Discord also plans to run educational events and share news through the space.

Discord also announced today it’s expanding the availability of Premium Memberships, a monetization tool the company debuted at the end of 2021, to more US servers this summer. With the expansion, the company is also adding new features to the suite, including an updated analytics dashboard and the option to offer free trials to people.