A trio of viral deepfake videos of actor Tom Cruise just hanging out, being Tom Cruise, but saying some strange things like repeating jokes told to him by former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev were recently revealed to be the handiwork of Belgian video visual effects specialist Chris Ume. After leaving the internet to puzzle over these mysterious clips for about a week, Ume took credit on LinkedIn for the videos without much elaboration.For those who are unfamiliar, deepfakes are an emerging form of media in which an existing image or video is replaced with someone else's likenesses. The technique leverages techniques from machine learning and artificial intelligence to manipulate or generate visual and audio content with a high potential to deceive--or, as you most often run into it on the internet, hopefully just entertain. Fortune reached out to Ume for comment on the videos, who said only, "We're looking for the correct way to communicate about this." Ume's work was also cross-posted onto Twitter, which means you can check out the videos below. Again, remember this is not actually Cruise in these clips.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Nintendo is holding another event in Tetris 99 event this week. The online puzzler's 20th Maximus Cup kicks off at 11 PM PT on March 4, and it gives players a chance to unlock a new theme based on Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, complete with Fury Bowser's awesome theme music.Like previous Tetris 99 events, this week's Maximus Cup is a point competition. You'll receive a number of points depending on how well you place each round, with the Mario 3D World theme unlocking once you've amassed at least 100 points. Nintendo shared a preview of the theme in action below.The #Tetris99 20th MAXIMUS CUP event runs from 11pm PT, 3/4 - 10:59pm PT, 3/8! Once you’ve accumulated a total of 100 event points, a new theme will unlock, featuring art, music and Tetrimino designs inspired by the #SuperMario3DWorld + #BowsersFury! @Tetris_Official pic.twitter.com/QknqMuZbDX — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 2, 2021The Maximus Cup event runs until 10:59 PM PT on March 8 (1:59 AM ET on March 9), so you'll have until then to earn enough points and unlock the Mario 3D World theme.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Microsoft has revealed a brand-new platform for its future of augmented and mixed reality development named Mesh. Microsoft Mesh will enable users to truly experience shared virtual spaces with holograms.At Microsoft Ignite, the company unveiled its vision of the future for HoloLens 2 and the devices that succeed it, where users will be able to occupy shared virtual spaces and interact with holograms that are persistent between users. This means being able to toss a key, for example, from your hand to that of another participant, something which was demonstrated by guest James Cameron (director of Avatar) and Cirque du Soleil co-founder Guy Laliberté.Introducing Microsoft Mesh. It enables presence and shared experiences from anywhere – across devices – through mixed reality applications. #MSIgnite pic.twitter.com/xbyO6trHdS — Microsoft (@Microsoft) March 2, 2021Mesh looks like an extension of the work Microsoft has done with HoloLens 2, seeking to expand its collaborative possibilities that have already been useful in numerous enterprise applications. For games, however, it still seems rooted in proof of concept. Much like the old Minecraft HoloLens demo from E3, Microsoft only briefly touched on gaming with a demo of Pokémon Go. The game wasn't running natively on HoloLens or Mesh but presented the idea of being able to walk in a park, feed a Pikachu, and engage in trainer battles within a shared virtual environment.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Peacock has ordered the science series The End is Nye, hosted and co-executive produced by pre-eminent science guy, Bill Nye. According to a release, each episode will dive into the mystery and reality of both natural and unnatural threats, "from viruses to volcanoes, asteroids to authoritarianism, and climate change to chemical warfare."The show, the release promises, is intended to explore "worldwide catastrophes" and their ability to provide both "thrills, but also hope and a way forward… The End is Nye offers a scientific blueprint for surviving anything that comes our way." No release date has yet been announced, nor has it been disclosed how many episodes of the new series will be in the works. Previously, Nye's Bill Nye Saves the World ran for three seasons on Netflix. Brannon Braga (Cosmos: Possible Worlds, Star Trek) will serve as showrunner, director, and co-executive producer of all episodes. Fuzzy Door Production's Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy) and president Eric Huggins will round out the co-executive production duties. The series is coming about via Fuzzy Door's current overall deal with NBCUniversal.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

A new patch is available now for the hit Norse multiplayer game Valheim. Among a handful of smaller changes, it makes a big change for dedicated servers and also tweaks the game balance so wolves are less horny.Starting with the dedicated servers, this new update makes it so dedicated servers now always use direct connections instead of using the Steam Datagram Relay (SDR) system."This should result in much lower latency for most players," developer Iron Gate said. "I really hope this patch solves a lot of connection issues introduced in last weeks patches (due to switching socket backend)," the studio said.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Square Enix has shared more details on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, including story info on the Yuffie DLC episode. The company also outlined some of its enhancements and new features for the PS5 port.The Japanese publication Game Watch (translated via Gematsu) explains the background of Yuffie and her partner, the new character Sonon. The two are elite operatives for Wutai, and are dispatched to Midgar to steal the "Ultimate Materia" from the Shinra company. Yuffie herself is a ninja who uses a shuriken weapon. Yuffie is the commanding officer to Sonon, though he's older, and he is said to have trained under Yuffie's father.The new episode starring the pair will take place over two chapters: first as the two hook up with Avalanche, and then the Shinra heist attempt. Yuffie has both short- and long-range combat capabilities, and she can perform special contextual actions like breaking Shinra boxes and crossing a wire fence. Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans are always expressing their creativity through the game's building mechanics, and they can sometimes achieve goals that seem impossible to casual players. That is definitely the case with Twitter user doom_mori, who managed to create a Mario-like platformer experience on their island using the themed items added for Mario's 35th anniversary by a recent update.While parts of this build are not possible without hacking the game--which we don't recommend, as it can get your island's Dream Address taken down, among other consequences--it's still incredibly impressive. Especially lucky is the fact that the warp pipes work in the order they intended; the direction you exit a warp pipe is random, and if you have more than two on your island at a time, the connection between pipes is random, too. The Super Mario Sunshine music also adds a bit of atmosphere to the clip.AC is a Mario platformer game now#AnimalCrossing #ACNH pic.twitter.com/OpMVI6wYfL — doom desire (@doom_mori) March 1, 2021In other Animal Crossing news, an enthusiastic fan recently recreated the first act of the megahit musical Hamilton in New Horizons, and it's quite elaborate. An upcoming update for the game will add Sanrio-inspired villagers and items to the game, and that's set to release later in March.Info from Gamespot.com

Players of one of the hottest PC games right now, Valheim, are finding ways to exploit the title to make new experiences--like using the ocean as a giant trampoline to launch themselves.Reddit user HotGuuuuu uploaded a clip of their exploit: hurtling a massive longboat down a tree-constructed ramp and using the vast ocean as a springboard to catapult themselves into the air. The ramp is built atop a mountain, so you can really see the speed they accumulate.Curiously, despite the ocean looking very much like real water, the longboat simply bounces off the surface as if it's made of rubber. HotGuuuuu bounces off the water's surface a couple of times, launching several hundred feet into the air, before plummetting into a nearby forest.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Respawn has released a new gameplay trailer for the Nintendo Switch port of Apex Legends. The trailer reveals a new Pathfinder skin as well, which will be exclusive to the Switch version of the game for a limited time.As seen in the trailer, the new legendary P.A.T.H. Pathfinder skin recolors the happy-go-lucky robot with a sleek red-and-white paint job. The trailer doesn't mention how long this skin will remain exclusive to the Switch version.Apex Legends makes its long-awaited debut on Switch March 9! Switch players, get ready for🙌 30 free Battle Pass levels✌ Double XP for the first two weeks after launch 🤖 Limited-time Legendary Pathfinder skin - P.A.T.H. - We can't wait to welcome you to the Outlands. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zVUgbuDvIM — Apex Legends (@PlayApex) March 2, 2021Interestingly, this trailer may also tease more, currently unannounced additions to Apex Legends. At 0:26, you can see Rampart dancing with a microphone and at 0:38, you can see Mirage, Bangalore, Lifeline, Gibraltar, Pathfinder, and Wattson also all doing emotes that aren't present in the game.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Batman director Christopher Nolan's big-budget action movie Tenet opened in theaters back in August 2020, but the film never played in New York City because cinemas there were closed. Now that they are opening again this weekend, Tenet will get to play in one of the biggest movie markets on the US east coast.Deadline reports that Tenet will play in the following cinemas starting this Friday, March 5: AMC Lincoln Square, AMC Empire, AMC Kips Bay, Village East by Angelika (70mm), and Showcase Cinemas Jamaica.Tenet will be available in both IMAX and 70MM at the AMC cinema in Lincoln Square.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Best Buy is hosting a sale on Samsung and LG soundbars that runs until March 28. If you've been looking to upgrade or get a new soundbar, there are a number of options, including higher-end models and more budget-focused options. Some of the soundbars even support Dolby Atmos, a type of surround sound tech that is utilized in many of the biggest movies, including Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and many more.We've highlighted some of the best soundbar deals below. Both LG and Samsung make quality audio products, so you can't go wrong with either company--though each speaker has its own unique features and output power. If you're looking for a more immersive sound experience, the Samsung HW-Q850T is a great system. Those on a budget, however, have some excellent options in the LG SL4Y and the Samsung HW-T550 soundbar systems.If you're looking for a new screen to pair with a sound system, check out our guide to the best 4K TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X. While this guide has been created to specifically focus on utilizing the new consoles' unique features, they're excellent 4K TVs for watching movies and shows as well.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

It seems the location for the next entry in DICE's Battlefield series, Battlefield 6, has been teased as the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan, according to supposed GPS coordinates.As reported by Battlefield YouTuber DANNYonPC (via a now-deleted Reddit post), the location's teaser was hidden in plain sight: on the nose of a 3D-rendered character model during a Battlefield tech demo shared at EA Play 2020 and on the medallion of a legendary Battlefield 5 outfit called Eidolon that can only be unlocked by completing a secret challenge.Allegedly, the numbers located on these two spots pull up a nondescript place in Kazakhstan when plugged into a GPS coordinator. Kazakhstan is a rather large country with a population of approximately 18 million people, making it one of the 10 biggest countries in the world.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Go's Season of Legends has officially begun, and as part of the new content season, Landorus is back in Raids for a limited time. The Legendary Abundance Pokemon is appearing as a five-star Raid boss from now until March 6, and this time, you'll have a chance to encounter Shiny Landorus. To help you add the Legendary Pokemon to your collection, we've rounded up some tips on how to beat and catch Landorus below.Landorus Raid ScheduleIncarnate Forme Landorus is appearing in Pokemon Go again until 8 AM local time on March 6, giving you only a few days to capture it. To participate in a Landorus Raid, you'll need to have either a Raid Pass (to join the battle in-person) or a Remote Raid Pass (to join the battle remotely). You can get one Remote Raid Pass as part of Niantic's free weekly item bundles, which are available in Pokemon Go's in-game shop every Monday in March.Incarnate Forme LandorusFollowing Landorus's departure, Incarnate Forme Tornadus will appear in Raids again until March 11, while Incarnate Forme Thundurus will be available from March 11-16. After that, the Legendaries will each return to Raids in their Therian Formes--the first time these variants will be available in Pokemon Go. Therian Forme Landorus will appear sometime in April.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The PlayStation Vita is poised to receive a new game next month despite having been discontinued for two years. Developer Flying Oak Games announced that its roguelite ScourgeBringer is coming to the handheld on April 22.The news comes via the developer's Twitter account, where Flying Oak Games also confirmed that ScourgeBringer hits the PlayStation 4 on the same day. The studio said there will be physical versions on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, with PS4 preorders for the Standard and Collector's edition now live on PS Vita preorders opening "in a few days." It's unclear if the game will feature cross-save support. All versions are region-free and include all languages.ScourgeBringer is a challenging roguelite similar to Dead Cells and Forgone. Players control the female warrior Kyhra to uncover the truth of what happened to the world and her people. It's on all the major platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com

The Rock's Black Adam, which will introduce the Justice Society of America to the DC movie universe, is now expected to start production in April according to a recent interview. Speaking with ComicBook.com, Black Adam executive producer Hiram Garcia revealed that the film is gearing up and counting down the days to get started next month."We begin filming in April, we'll be in Georgia, home away from home," Garcia says. "We're really excited, man. We have everything ramped up. We're so fired up for this."Continue Reading at GameSpotInfo from Gamespot.com