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Teenage Engineer’s OP-1 Field synthesizer/groovebox/thingamajig just got a fairly substantial system update. Software version 1.5.0 brings a fun new effect to the instrument and a long-requested feature.

First up, there’s a new effect called Terminal. This is a bit crusher, finally bringing distortion to the synthesizer. The OP-1 Field and its lower-powered sibling have always been known for a stellar effects lineup, but these instruments have never had a bit crusher or any real way to add color via distortion. As an avid player, I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to use workarounds to fake overdrive and distortion.

It looks simple enough to operate, with an aesthetic that calls to mind an old PC. You should be able to use this tool for gentle distortion and all-out audio mangling. Like all OP-1 effects, there are four parameters to fiddle with.

The update also brings a much easier way to bounce, or merge, tracks. Teenage Engineering’s calling it “tape merge drop” and the tool includes a shortcut that automatically combines all of the audio from copied tracks into one track, so you can drop it down and continue building out a song. You could always bounce tracks on the OP-1 and Field, but it required some menu diving and a lot more time.

Teenage Engineering has always been good about supporting the OP-1 line. It dropped a vocoder for the Field earlier this year and released multiple system updates for the original OP-1 in the recent past, and that thing came out in 2011. Obama wasn’t even in his second term yet.

The company has had a busy month or so. It set music gear internet ablaze with the surprise launch of the EP-133 sampler and did the exact opposite with whatever this is. The new OP-1 Field update is available now.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/teenage-engineerings-op-1-field-just-got-a-nifty-bit-crusher-effect-185232932.html?src=rss 

Don’t hold your breath waiting for Baldur’s Gate 3 to show up on Game Pass. It’s not happening, according to Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke in an interview with IGN. The game designer said point blank that “it’s not going to be on Game Pass.” Vincke went on to note that this was always the plan and that the title had never been considered for placement in Microsoft’s subscription gaming platform. These statements occurred just one week after the game officially launched on Xbox Series X/S consoles.

At the root of this decision is perceived value. Vincke says that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a “big game” that’s available for a “fair price.” He also touted the title’s lack of microtransactions and its complete story, saying “you get what you pay for.” To that end, a completionist run in Baldur’s Gate 3 takes more than 140 hours, according to HowLongToBeat. That breaks down to about 40 cents an hour, which seems like a good value to me.

Larian Studios isn’t Microsoft. This is a small company that needs all the money it can get, with Vincke suggesting that players who pay full-price for Baldur’s Gate 3 will allow the developer to “continue making other games.”

This speaks to a larger issue within the gaming community regarding the “all-you-can-eat” nature of streaming subscription platforms like Game Pass. Obviously, paying $10 each month for access to hundreds of games is a great deal for consumers, but it remains to be seen how it impacts developers. Some smaller developers praise the added exposure that comes with launching on Game Pass, while others like Take Two call it a “lost opportunity” for publishers. Sony head Jim Ryan even called the platform “value destructive,” but he’s speaking about a primary competitor so, grain meet salt.

Microsoft has held steady to the idea that Game Pass actually increases sales of included titles, as players fall in love with certain games and want to own them outright. There’s some evidence to support this. Starfield was available on the subscription service since launch day but still managed to be the best-selling title of September, according to figures published by VentureBeat. However, that old adage about cows and free milk must apply to some gamers.

Most importantly, Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t need Game Pass. It’s one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed releases of the year, racking up a boatload of trophies at The Game Awards and selling around 20 million copies on Steam alone. The game’s also available on PS5 and, as mentioned, Xbox Series X/S.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/larian-studios-chief-says-baldurs-gate-3-will-never-come-to-game-pass-175245059.html?src=rss 

Twitch has quickly taken back its policy update that permitted users to post sexual content as long as it was labeled. In another update, the company said it is not going to allow any depictions of real or fictional nudity on its streaming platform. After giving users the green light to post “artistic nudity,” Twitch says some streamers created content that violated policy.

The media streamed in response to the initial approval of sexually explicit content on Twitch was “met with community concern,” according to the update. The company said, “We have decided that we went too far with this change.”

While a huge part of the initial decision was to allow for the “digital depiction” of artistic nudity, the company clarified that digital depictions of sexual content is a concern when artificial intelligence can be used to develop realistic images and that it can be difficult to discern between what’s been digitally produced and real photography.

Recently at TwitchCon in Las Vegas, the company introduced new moderation measures meant to keep inappropriate content out of stream chats. The issue of sexual abuse and inconsistent moderation policies through the site has been a recurring problem for the live-streaming platform. The company even dedicated a Safety Advisory Council in 2020 meant to tackle the site’s bad reputation for its moderation practices.

Twitch’s back and forth stance on the issue of sexually explicit content has enraged some users. @Saruei_, a user on X wrote, “I got banned wrongly under your new policy for drawing a nude character without any visible genitalia. This is your own responsibility for not thinking through before establishing a new TOS and it is incredibly unfair to a lot of artists who fell into the same situation as myself.” Another Twitch user @LuxDenizen took to X to complain, “Sucks for the artists who were actually following all of the rules. THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-rescinds-policy-that-allowed-artistic-nudity-171140189.html?src=rss