Lavega News / Tech & Game Nexus: Daily Updates

Fortnite Players Band Together to Pick on In-Game Tesla Cybertrucks: ‘Destroy on Sight’ Tesla’s polygonal Cybertruck has entered Fortnite, and fans have mixed reactions. The vehicle joined Epic Games’ battle royale game and Rocket League on July 23. It’s a free reward for completing the Summer Road Trip quest before August 6, unlocking the Cybertruck in both games. Completing all challenges also rewards players with a Green Day Jam Track, Back Bling, wheels, and decals, including a broken window cosmetic. While some players are happy with the rewards, others are mocking Tesla’s angular truck, planning to destroy any Cybertruck they encounter in-game. One Reddit user called it “overpriced,” while another said it reminds them of Cyberpunk 2077’s texture issues. Epic Games developers are also chiming in. Fortnite associate producer Robby Williams tweeted, “Destroy on sight [middle finger emoji].” Producer Kyle Wynn supported the sentiment, emphasizing that individual opinions vary within companies. Despite the controversy, Fortnite continues to introduce new content, including Pirates of the Caribbean skins, the Fortnite Reload mode, and Fallout content. Chapter 5 Season 3 is ongoing, with Season 4 expected in mid-August. Additionally, Fortnite recently announced LEGO sets featuring a purchasable Battle Bus and Supply Llama.

Long-Delayed Hands-On with Essential's Skinny Android Phone A Unique Device An individual recently got their hands on Essential's unreleased smartphone, known as the PH-2 or "Project Gem." This device takes the "candy bar" style phone to the extreme, resembling what you’d get by splitting an already tall Sony Xperia 1 in half. The phone's design evokes memories of memes from the slightly taller 4-inch iPhone 5 screen, humorously speculating on phones getting taller instead of wider. How It Was Acquired Rob Wainwright, a software engineer for Nova Launcher, purchased the phone on eBay. In his video, he demonstrates the mostly operational PH-2, featuring card-style widgets for apps like Spotify and Uber, and a smartwatch-style clock at the top. Why It Never Released The first Essential phone, released in 2017, reportedly sold only about 150,000 units. Before a follow-up could be launched, disturbing reports from The Information and The New York Times emerged about sexual misconduct claims involving company founder Andy Rubin's departure from Google. These issues led to the cancellation of the second phone's plans. In early 2020, Essential shut down, stating it had "no clear path to deliver" the device to customers. Features and Design The PH-2 boasts a tall 5.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,160 by 560 pixels and a hole-punch camera on the front. The rear features a protruding camera and a non-functional fingerprint reader. Much like its predecessor, the PH-1, this phone is a fingerprint magnet. User Interface The video showcases a custom Android launcher with swipe-up gestures from the bottom corners for navigation. The homescreen features many card-style widgets that are essentially web apps. However, these web apps look awkward when opened, with elements like YouTube videos appearing as tiny postage stamps on the top half of the screen, while the rest is filled with descriptions, comments, and other suggested videos. Despite its intriguing design, Essential's PH-2 remains an interesting piece of tech history, illustrating what could have been had the company not faced its challenges.

Microsoft Creates Xbox Controller Shaped Like Deadpool’s Ass In anticipation of the upcoming Marvel movie Deadpool & Wolverine, Microsoft has designed a new Xbox controller shaped like Deadpool’s rear. The "Cheeky Controller" Revealed on Xbox Wire, the new Xbox Wireless Controller is fashioned after “Deadpool’s much-discussed, perfectly rounded tush.” Dubbed the “Cheeky Controller,” Microsoft described it as channeling “Deadpool’s buns of steel” with a grip that is both firm and surprisingly comfortable. How to Get One Unfortunately, this unique Deadpool ass controller is available only through a sweepstakes. Fans aged 18 and older worldwide can enter by following Xbox on X (formerly Twitter) and retweeting the official Xbox sweepstakes tweet. Additional Collaborations Alongside the cheeky controller, there are more Deadpool-themed goodies: Exclusive Offer: On July 22, the first 1,000 fans to purchase an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 – Core from the Microsoft store will receive an exclusive Cable Guys Deadpool Controller Holder by EXG Pro. Custom Xbox Series X: There's a special Deadpool-inspired Xbox Series X, complete with foam versions of Deadpool’s katanas, Bea and Arthur, and two Xbox Wireless Controllers. This custom console is also available as a competition prize. Deadpool & Wolverine Teaser The latest teaser trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine introduces Lady Deadpool and other members of the Deadpool Corps, such as Dogpool and Cowboy Deadpool, who will make their big-screen debuts. Marvel has yet to reveal the actress playing Lady Deadpool. Movie Release Deadpool & Wolverine is set to premiere on July 26. With the first 35 minutes already generating buzz, it promises to be a film that could reignite the MCU as it progresses into the second half of Phase 5.

2025 Steam Sales and Festivals Announced for First Half of the Year Valve has unveiled the schedule for the 2025 Steam Sales and Festivals, covering the first half of the year. This includes significant seasonal sales like the Spring and Summer events, as well as themed festivals such as Steam Next Fest and Fishing Fest. Overview of Sales and Festivals *Major Seasonal Sales: Steam hosts four seasonal sales annually, allowing all released games to offer discounts. *Themed Sales Events (Fests): Several times a year, Steam holds events focused on specific themes, providing diverse categories and chances for many games to participate. *Next Fest: Occurring three times a year, this event highlights upcoming games with free demos, enabling developers to engage with players. 2025 Steam Sales and Festivals Schedule Real-Time Strategy Fest: January 20 – 27 Idler Fest: February 3 – 10 Couch Co-Op Fest: February 10 – 17 Steam Next Fest: February Edition: February 24 – March 3 Visual Novel Fest: March 3 – 10 Steam Spring Sale: March 13 – 20 City Builder & Colony Sim Fest: March 24 – 31 Sokoban Fest: April 21 – 28 Wargames Fest: April 28 – May 5 Creature Collector Fest: May 12 – 19 Zombies vs. Vampires Fest: May 26 – June 2 Steam Next Fest: June Edition: June 9 – 16 Fishing Fest: June 16 – 23 Steam Summer Sale: June 26 – July 10 Remaining Events for 2024 Tower Defense Fest: July 29 – August 5 Fighting Games Fest: August 5 – 12 Rhythm Fest: August 19 – 26 Space Exploration Fest: September 2 – 9 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Fest: September 16 – 23 Turn-based RPG Fest: September 30 – October 7 Next Fest: October Edition: October 14 – 21 Steam Scream Fest 3 (name pending): October 28 – November 4 Cooking Fest: November 11 – 18 Steam Autumn Sale: November 27 – December 4 Steam Winter Sale: December 19 – January 2 Look forward to these upcoming sales and events on Steam, offering a great opportunity to explore and purchase games at discounted prices.

Insane Xbox 360 Store Sale Live Now Ahead of Permanent Shutdown On July 29, the Xbox 360 digital marketplace will permanently close, marking the end of an era. Before it goes offline, Microsoft is offering users one last chance to purchase games at significantly reduced prices, with many classic titles available for just a dollar or two. This sale presents a final opportunity to add these games to your library. Prepare to Leave The Xbox 360 marketplace is set to close on Monday, July 29, so now is the time to grab any games you've always wanted but never bought. Many of these games are backward compatible with newer consoles like the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, ensuring your purchases remain valuable. Microsoft detailed the sale in a blog post on Xbox Wire, with the team periodically updating the list of discounted games. Notable Deals Here are some of the best deals currently available: *Dead Island – 95% off *Dead Island Riptide – 95% off *Metro 2033 – 95% off *Metro: Last Light – 95% off *Bionic Commando – 90% off *Dead Rising – 90% off *Resident Evil 4 – 90% off *Skyrim – 85% off *Child of Light – 80% off *Nostalgic Offerings For those feeling nostalgic, Microsoft offers the "Xbox 360 Heritage Collection," a range of t-shirts, goodies, and other items featuring classic Xbox 360 branding. Additionally, users can download a dynamic background for their consoles that mimics the original "Blades" background from nearly 20 years ago. This sale is a rare chance to own a piece of gaming history at a fraction of the cost before the Xbox 360 marketplace disappears forever.

Steam Is Run by Fewer Than 80 Staff, Lawsuit Docs Reveal Documents from the ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Steam, initiated by Wolfire in 2021, have revealed that fewer than 80 employees were managing Steam in 2021, a figure unlikely to have changed significantly. This information came to light from mostly redacted documents but highlighted the surprising small size of the Steam team compared to its massive user base and workload. The Numbers The lawsuit documents, detailed by GamesIndustry.biz, showed that Valve had 336 employees in 2021, with only 79 dedicated to Steam. This small team handles an enormous volume of activity on the platform, with over 10,000 games released annually and millions of daily users. Steam, the largest PC gaming platform by market share, is known for its frequent and large-scale sales events. Team Distribution The 79 Steam employees are likely divided among various critical functions, including: *Technical operations *User interface (UI) design *Networking *Sales and purchasing *Provider management *Security *Customer experience (CX) *Onboarding This revelation underscores the efficiency and scalability of Steam's operational model, managed by a relatively small team despite its vast global presence and high traffic.

VALORANT PATCH NOTES 9.01 Riot Games has unveiled VALORANT Patch Notes 9.01, introducing several updates and bug fixes across all platforms. Weapons Updates The animation for the Outlaw and its skinlines has been updated to clearly indicate when the weapon is ready to fire. Bug Fixes General *Fixed a bug where Neon could equip faster out of her slide than intended by manually inputting an equip action. Gameplay Systems *Resolved an issue where AFK players could initiate a surrender vote. *Fixed a brief stutter for Spectators when exiting Cypher’s Spycam. *Corrected Tactical Callouts displaying in chat despite being turned off in Settings. *Bullet tracers for guns picked up will now adhere to the Settings. *Fixed visibility issues with Sage and Clove resurrections for Spectators and Observers. *Addressed performance degradation caused by auto-respawn by spike explosion in Custom Game modes. Maps: Abyss *Cleaned up many of Cypher’s Spycam spots to prevent visual issues or unintended placements. *Improved Wingman’s Spike plant pathing on A site. *Cleaned up ability and player collision in various spots across the map. *Fixed the Minimap orientation bug with certain settings active. *Corrected a visual bug when falling off the map on A site. *Fixed an issue where Viper’s Pit could spread farther than intended on A site. KNOWN ISSUES Social Party changes may occasionally display “<MISSING STRING ENTRY TABLE>” in your chat log. For the full details, visit the official VALORANT website.

Focus Entertainment Comments on Space Marine 2 Leak On Monday, news broke that a fully playable development build of Space Marine 2 was leaked online. In response, Focus Entertainment has issued a statement expressing their dismay over the situation, emphasizing that the leaked build is nearly a year old and not representative of the final product set to release on September 9. "We are deeply touched by the overwhelming support we’ve received from our community following the leak of an old build of our upcoming game, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2," Focus Entertainment stated. The studio expressed sadness over the leak, highlighting the impact it could have on players’ first impressions of the game. They urged the community to avoid playing the leaked build, which does not reflect the years of hard work, passion, and dedication their teams have invested into the project. Focus Entertainment emphasized their commitment to delivering the best possible game experience, which was the reason for extending the development period. They also asked fans to refrain from spoiling the game for others and to wait for the official release. “Space Marine 2 will release on September 9, and the best way to support our teams’ hard work is to play the game as they’ve always intended,” the studio concluded.

Get Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League for Free – With a Catch Released in January 2024, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League quickly disappointed, failing to retain its player base and losing interest shortly after launch. Recently, its second season was unexpectedly delayed, leaving few remaining players disheartened and ready to abandon the game. For those curious about experiencing Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League firsthand, there’s an opportunity coming up. Amazon’s Prime Gaming will be offering the entire game for free—but there's a catch. Act Quickly Prime Gaming's promotion during Amazon’s Prime Day on July 16–17 will grant subscribers a chance to snag a free copy of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Despite costing Warner Bros. Discovery a staggering $200 million, you'll have just 48 hours to claim it and keep it forever. The promotion also includes other games like Chivalry 2 and Rise of the Tomb Raider, significantly more popular titles, making it a well-rounded offer. This means you can test Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League risk-free, avoiding any financial investment. To put its popularity in perspective, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League peaked at 13,459 concurrent players on Steam at launch but has dwindled to an average peak of only 239 users over the past month.

Our Favorite Indie Game of 2023 is Now on Game Pass Tchia, initially launched in March 2023 for PlayStation and PC, made its way to the Nintendo Switch in June 2024. Now, it's available on Xbox Series X|S and has been added to Game Pass, allowing subscribers to enjoy this exceptional indie game at no extra cost. Tchia Has Arrived Developed by Awaceb and published by Kepler Interactive, Tchia is a magical adventure set across a series of islands inspired by New Caledonia. Players discover that Tchia, a brave and curious girl, possesses the ability to "soul jump," allowing her to inhabit inanimate objects and various animals at will. The game evokes the feel of titles like The Legend of Zelda, offering vast regions to explore via climbing, gliding, and sailing. It also features unique mini-games, including rhythm challenges played on a charming ukulele. With extensive customization options and abundant side content, Tchia is a worthwhile experience—and now, with its addition to Game Pass, it's more accessible than ever. Within six weeks of its release, Tchia achieved one million sales, underscoring its captivating entertainment value.