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British instrument manufacturer Unidentified Dancing Objects (UDO) has released pricing and availability information for its upcoming Super Gemini synthesizer after first teasing the device at Superbooth 2023. The Super Gemini is an absolute beast, with 20 voices, dual-layer polyphony, and a bi-timbral analog hybrid sound engine. This means you can play 20 notes at once, but the dual-layer polyphony lets you combine sounds, making ten “super” voices that deliver unique sound design combinations to the left and right stereo channels.

If you’re thinking this is a fantastic option for comprehensive sound design, well that’s the point. The stereo binaural signal path is equipped with effects processors, gate arrays and pedal connectors to allow for “glittering frequency” and “shattering harmonics”, with the company boasting that the instrument is great for creating both familiar and discordant soundscapes. There’s 256 performance and patch slots and a whopping 64 interchangeable waveforms to start your sound design journey. Sound design options include wave morphing, cross mod features, bi-directional sync and, of course, an all-analog signal path.

The sequencer stores 16 editable patterns and the exterior is equipped with dual control schemes that let you simultaneously sculpt sounds across both channels. The Super Gemini is sturdy with an exterior built from aluminum and steel, with UDO noting that the knobs and levers received the same attention to detail. The 61-note keybed is semi-weighted and boasts polyphonic aftertouch and the custom-engineered panel includes a ribbon controller for individual note articulation.

The Super Gemini follows the company’s well-received Super 6 synth, though improves upon it in nearly every way. The only downside here? This is a professional synth with high-grade components, so it’s gonna cost you. UDO’s Super Gemini costs $4,200 and preorders are available now at various music retailers, though it won’t ship until October.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/udo-details-super-gemini-synthesizer-a-20-voice-beast-perfect-for-sound-design-184500613.html?src=rss 

Almost three years into the Xbox Series X/S lifecycle, Microsoft says it is no longer making games for the Xbox One. While the company will continue to support ongoing previous-generation titles like Minecraft and Halo Infinite, no Xbox Game Studios teams are working on new titles for the older console. “We’ve moved on to gen 9,” Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty told Axios, referring to the Xbox Series X/S consoles. The company also makes its games for PC.

This move had to happen at some point to avoid newer and more complex games being hamstrung by the hardware limitations of the decade-old Xbox One. Still, it’ll be possible for those clinging onto an Xbox One to play Series X/S titles such as Starfield and Forza Motorsport through Xbox Cloud Gaming. “That’s how we’re going to maintain support,” Booty said.

The news comes in the wake of a strong showing for Xbox at its big annual showcase last weekend. It announced new titles such as Compulsion’s South of Midnight and InXile’s Clockwork Revolution, while providing fresh looks at the likes of Fable, Avowed and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.

The move away from Xbox One will free Microsoft’s teams from the shackles of the previous generation. However, some third-party developers have raised concerns that the Xbox Series S, which is less powerful than the Series X, is holding them back too.

Booty conceded that making sure games run well on the Series S requires “more work.” Still, he noted Microsoft’s studios (particularly those working on their second games for this generation of consoles) are now able to better optimize their projects for the Series S.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-no-longer-making-new-games-for-the-xbox-one-174452073.html?src=rss 

Twitch is giving livestreamers a considerably stronger incentive to grow their audiences. The service plans to roll out a Partner Plus program that will give more successful creators a 70 percent share of their net subscription revenue instead of the usual 50 percent, up to a $100,000 threshold in the calendar year. A partner will qualify by holding on to at least 350 recurring paid subscriptions (gifts and Prime don’t count) for three months. If they meet that standard, they’ll get that 70 percent cut for the next 12 months regardless of whether or not they stay above the 350-subscription mark. This can extend indefinitely.

Partner Plus launches October 1st, and will automatically include anyone who meets the requirements for the three prior months. The program will be available worldwide, and doesn’t offer anything beyond what Premium Partners (major creators who’ve negotiated special deals) receive.

This effort comes months after Twitch announced plans for an identical cap for Premium Partners. Twitch president at the time (now CEO) Dan Clancy claimed in September this wouldn’t affect 90 percent of relevant streamers, and that increased ad payouts would help make up the difference. However, that might still irk major streamers who depend on Twitch for a living — they’re effectively taking a pay cut. There’s a risk this may prompt other streamers to jump to YouTube and other platforms if they receive more lucrative terms.

Not that Twitch is necessarily concerned. Partner Plus increases the practical income for many more streamers than Premium, encouraging them to stick to the service — particularly if they’re in the early stages of a livestreaming career. That theoretically increases the overall number of available channels, and keeps viewers from drifting to rivals.

Twitch has faced some difficulties in recent months, including a backlash over the Premium revenue split and the impact of parent company Amazon’s mass layoffs. Partner Plus isn’t guaranteed to solve matters, but it does suggest Twitch is willing to significantly alter its strategy in response to these problems.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-will-give-smaller-streamers-a-bigger-cut-of-subscriptions-180903534.html?src=rss 

Cocoon is a game that makes perfect sense while you’re playing it. That would be an unremarkable achievement if it wasn’t also a game that forces you to use its levels to solve themselves. At Summer Game Fest 2023 I had around half an hour to play through the game’s opening, and it has stuck with me more than anything else I saw at the show.

Cocoon is the debut game from Geometric Interactive, a studio founded by former Playdead employees Jeppe Carlsen and Jakob Schmid. Carlsen was the lead gameplay designer of the award-winning puzzle platformers Limbo and Inside, and Schmid the audio programmer of Inside. The pair also collaborated on 140, a minimalistic indie platformer, and have been working on Cocoon with a small team in Denmark for over five years.

As in Limbo, Inside and 140, controls and interactivity in general are pared back to a minimum. On an Xbox controller, that means movement with an analog stick and interactions confined to a single button. The complexity comes from the environment, the narrative from exploration. It’s reminiscent of Tunic or Hyper Light Drifter in its lack of dialogue and tutorials.

Orbs are everything in Cocoon. They’re assets that open doors, trigger switches, reveal hidden paths and solve puzzles, but they’re also levels themselves. Remember that scene in Men In Black where there’s an entire galaxy in a little marble on a cat’s collar? Geometric Interactive has taken that idea and made it a core mechanic. Each orb is a distinct world with its own vibe, original puzzle mechanics and a boss fight. You can hop in and out of these worlds by placing an orb into sockets dotted around the game, and can even bring orbs into other orbs, which, given the abilities they unlock, will likely be critical to finding paths forward.

I say there’s a “boss fight” in every orb, but there is no conventional combat in Cocoon – there is just a single interaction button, after all. You defeat bosses by using something in the environment like a water spout or an exploding mine. These fights are also forgiving: I took a “hit” once, and it revealed a delightful mechanic: Instead of dealing damage or killing me, the boss booted me out of its world. I then had to traverse back to the fight to finish it off. Defeating the two bosses I found granted new powers of sorts, in classic Metroidvania style, which allowed progression to new areas and the discovery of more orbs.

There were other simple environmental puzzles to solve. One involved ascertaining the order in which to hit some switches, another had me pulling towers around to open a door. A slightly trickier one involved some doubling back to navigate a hidden path. Given this was the very start of the game, I’m sure the complexity will ramp up significantly. By the end of my playthrough, I was already jumping in and out of worlds in order to get orbs to where they needed to be. 

A colleague who was watching my demo said that they could tell I’ve “played a lot of these types of games” — thing is, I haven’t. Cocoon is a game where everything makes sense, but you can’t explain why. I’m sure, as in other puzzle adventures, I’ll get stumped in some places, but exploring this world felt completely natural. After a while I stopped being surprised that everything I tried just worked. Solving puzzles became a flow state as I giddily wandered around carrying my precious orbs.

Cocoon is firmly at the top of my wishlist already, and it’s tough imagining anything overtaking it. It’s being published by Annapurna Interactive, and will come to Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation and Xbox consoles later this year.

Catch up on all of the news from Summer Game Fest right here!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cocoon-is-worth-getting-excited-about-181529189.html?src=rss