The secrets to most of the mind’s mysteries may still elude us, but we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress in reading signals produced by the brain. We may not understand exactly what is going on, but we can see the result and utilize it. And now you can start exploring biosciences and experimenting with brain-computer interfaces on a budget thanks to Ildar Rakhmatulin’s ardEEG shield for the Arduino Uno R4 WiFi board.
The ardEEG is an eight-channel shield with support for electroencephalograph (EEG), electromyograph (EMG), and electrocardiograph (ECG) sensor input. Those all measure biopotential, but at different levels generally suited to different areas of the body. EMG is most often used for specific muscles (detect flexing!), ECG is for the heart (detect elevated heart rates!), and EEG is for the brain (detect certain thought patterns!). Instead of an expensive dedicated device for each, you can measure any of them with this single affordable shield.
The shield fits onto an Arduino UNO R4 WiFi board and provides connections to electrodes. For safety reasons, power must only come from a 5V battery!
Once connected with the Arduino sketch uploaded, users can easily record and visualize readings. This is just raw data, so it is simple to filter, manipulate, and visualize in whatever way makes the most sense for a project. If you want to control something with your mind, for example, you’d just look for the corresponding reading to exceed a threshold.
The ardEEG is now available through Elecrow for $240, though the design is open-source should you want to build it yourself. The possibilities are almost endless and this looks like another big win for citizens scientists!
Crafted with meticulous attention to player feedback, this electrifying track is a direct response to the clamor for more verticality in our racing experience. We heard you loud and clear after the release of our first Racing circuit, and Titans’ Alley delivers in spades. Prepare to navigate hairpin turns, dizzying ascents, and heart-stopping descents as you vie for victory in this thrilling new desertic environment.
Harness the power of your Dragons and ascend to victory in the ultimate test of speed and skill!
Ready for an unparalleled adrenaline rush? Get set to soar with the wind and command the strength of Dragons as you plunge into the depths of the Titan’s Alley desert.
The Circuit of Champions event not only unveils the new desert-themed circuit, but also two new Pick Ups:
Blast ability: This ability works like the one used in PvP modes on the Phantom & Windguard: You first launch a projectile with a visible “bubble” to display its blast radius (grey for the caster, red for the enemies). The projectile explodes when colliding with a surface or when you press the ability key again for manual activation.
Dash Ability: This ability is similar to the Feral Charge used by the Rimeblood in PvP modes. You can lock a target in front of you and quickly dash towards them upon activation. If you hit the target, they are struck while you continue forward.
You can also experiment with two new features added to the Dragon Racing game mode:
Double Pickup System: You can now carry up to two abilities at the same time. The UI now displays an active slot in the foreground and a reserve slot in the background.
Draft System: The Dragon Racing mode now features a Draft System, similar to other racing games. Staying behind a dragon for a short time (1.5s) will trigger a small speed boost.
The swiftest Dragoneers will not only claim victory but also unlock amazing prizes as a testament to their triumph! 🎁
As Dragoneers take flight atop their majestic dragons, navigating through challenging laps and outmaneuvering rivals, their quest extends beyond mere glory. They’re racing towards the promise of incredible prizes, awaiting those bold enough to seize victory with skill and determination.
Dragoneers will not only etch their names into the annals of dragon racing history but also gain access to exclusive rewards that will leave them in awe. From legendary Dragon gear, legendary and epic chests to scarce in-game currency and beyond, every triumph in the Circuit of Champions event propels you closer to a vault of jolly rewards.
Don’t wait another moment—leap into action today and claim your place as the quickest Dragoneer in this time-limited challenge!
Century: Age of Ashes
Playwing LTD
☆☆☆☆☆326
★★★★★
Century: Age of Ashes, the multiplayer dragon battle game is now available for free! Customize your dragon, dive into the arena and compete to become a legendary Dragoneer. Burn your enemies and rule the skies! ——-
INTENSE ARENA BATTLES
Dive into the arena alone or with friends and fight for your survival in exciting game modes:
– Outbreak (PvE): team up and protect the towers of Hel’s Breach against waves of horrific enemies.
– Carnage (PvP): A killing spree with special power ups. It’s Team Deathmatch, Dragon riders style!
– Gates of Fire (PvP): Two teams clash over possession of the flag. Gain points by flying through gates while holding the flag!
– Spoils of War (PvP): Steal gold from carriers & the enemy while protecting your own nest, and adapt to unexpected situations!
– Survival (PvP): It’s every dragoneer for themselves! Pit against other players in a ferocious and unforgiving free-for-all clash. ——-
CHOOSE YOUR CLASS
Experience different play styles with unique classes, each with their own abilities! Shield and disorient as the Windguard, track and destroy as the Marauder, stealth and trap as the Phantom, rush and thunder-shock your opponents as the Stormraiser, vine-trap them as the Thornweaver or frost-charge them as the Rimeblood! How will you choose your path to victory? ——-
FULL CUSTOMIZATION
Your dragon, your style! Century: Age of Ashes offers carefully designed cosmetic items to stand out in the arena. Gain experience as you play and unlock awesome skins to customize your dragon and its rider! Don’t worry, these items are purely cosmetic and offer no advantage in battle. ——-
FREE TO PLAY
Century: Age of Ashes is completely free-to-play. In order to keep the experience fair and equitable, in-game purchases are purely cosmetic. Battles are won by skill and teamwork alone.
A magical roguelike deckbuilder where strategy is king and cats are the pawns.
Innovative card gameplay featuring a diverse deck of 100 unique magical cats.
Enchanting narrative set in a world where cats wield elemental powers.
Experience a magical convergence of strategy and chance in Spellcats, where mystical felines rule and tactics triumph. In this innovative roguelike deckbuilder, you are the catalyst in a spellbound world dominated by a group of humans called Nekocasters. Dare to venture into mysterious dungeons and the shadowy lairs where you must use your strategic skills to overcome your adversaries and free your four-legged siblings. Traverse mysterious dungeons, make card combos, and free your companions combining cards and cats.
As the Only Cat with Free Will, You are the Hope for Your Species.
Harness the raw power of over 100 diverse cat cards. Each cat comes to life with extraordinary abilities, from the stealthy Alley Pouncer to the majestic Thunderclaw. Build your deck with a mix of tactical prowess and random fortune, ensuring each dungeon run is filled with thrilling unpredictability.
Five Elements, Twenty Amulets, and Endless Meows
Spellcats also offers a unique gaming experience with five different elements: Water, Electricity, Fire, Ice, and Earth, each with its unique gameplay style that enriches the player’s experience through a myriad of mystical landscapes. Additionally, over 20 amulets await to be discovered and used. These will enhance the army of kittens and give an advantage in battles.
Strategy and Magic Combined in a Unique Rogueline Card Game
Empower your journey with unique trinkets, each adding layers of depth to your strategic maneuvers. These artifacts are imbued with capabilities that amplify your feline summons, turning the tide of battles. Dive into the heart of darkness and light in Spellcats, where each play is a step towards liberation or doom. The fate of the Nekos rests upon your shoulders—will you rise as their savior, or will the shadows of Nekocasters eclipse the land forever? Prepare to cast, conquer, and ascend in this enchanting saga of survival and sorcery, launching this May. Are you ready to unleash the true power of the paw?
Spellcats: Auto Card Tactics
NintaiStudios
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
$13.99
Calling all cat lovers and card game aficionados!
Step into the paws of the only sentient feline in a human-dominated world. Gifted with the extraordinary magic power to summon other cats, you alone hold the key to freeing your kind. Fight the Nekocasters, a cadre of humans exploiting innocent ‚Nekos‘ for their own nefarious gains, serving a greater evil. Embark on an enchanting journey through mysterious dungeons, the grim lairs of the Nekocasters. Outplay your adversaries with a powerful combo of summoned kittens. As the world’s only self-aware cat, uncover the mystery behind your origins. Are you the product of an ancient spell, a botched experiment, or something more profound? This vibrant, cat-filled world teems with secrets waiting to be unraveled. Brave through the perilous dungeons, outsmart the cunning Nekocasters, and liberate your feline brethren in ‚Spellcats‘. The future of the Nekos rests in your paws. A Vibrant Deck of 60 Diverse Cats Experience the excitement of collecting and summoning a wide variety of magical cats, each with their own unique abilities. Use these feline allies strategically to overcome challenges and vanquish enemies. From a small alley kitten to a majestic mountain cat (literally a mountain), the power of these cats will be at your command! Five Elements with Unique Gameplay Dive into the diverse mechanics of five unique elements: Water, Electric, Fire, Ice, and Earth. Each element offers a distinct playstyle that adds to the richness of the gameplay. The strategy you employ is entirely up to you! Roguelike Trinkets Discover and utilize over 20 unique trinkets to enhance your gameplay experience. These powerful items can power up your kitten army, granting them new abilities or augmenting their existing ones, giving you the upper hand in battles. Each trinket’s unique effect adds an extra layer of strategy to your dungeon runs, ensuring that no two playthroughs are the same.
We’re excited to announce a brand-new feature called “Custom Branding,” which allows Enterprise plan users to white label their workspace and enhance the overall user experience.
This announcement is exciting because it empowers businesses to create a truly tailored environment within the Arduino Cloud platform, reflecting their brand identity and providing a cohesive experience for their team members and stakeholders.
Customize the platform look and feel
Arduino Cloud is a comprehensive IoT platform designed to help businesses simplify the development, deployment, and management of IoT solutions. Custom Branding enables users to customize various aspects of the platform’s user interface (UI) within a workspace according to their preferences. This white labeling feature offers two levels of customization: Basic and Advanced.
By leveraging Custom Branding, businesses can:
Reinforce their brand identity across the entire IoT platform experience
Provide a personalized and seamless experience for their team members
Enhance user engagement and adoption within the organization
Streamline onboarding and compliance processes with custom legal URLs
How to configure Custom Branding
1. Use the basic configuration
The Basic configuration allows users to upload their company’s logo (icon and banner) and control the visibility of the Arduino logo within the customized workspace.
To set up the Basic configuration, users can navigate to the “Custom Branding” section within their workspace settings. Here, they can upload their company’s logo (icon and banner) and toggle the visibility of the Arduino logo.
2. Advanced configuration
The Advanced configuration takes it a step further, offering the ability to create a custom URL with a company name and subdomain, configure social sign-in options, and set up legal URLs for terms and conditions and privacy policy.
The Advanced configuration offers more extensive customization options. Users can create a custom URL by specifying their company name and desired subdomain. This custom URL will become the primary access point for their team members, providing a branded experience from the start.
Additionally, users can configure social sign-in options, allowing team members to authenticate using their existing social media accounts or corporate credentials.
The final user journey
With Custom Branding enabled, the user journey within the Arduino Cloud platform becomes a seamless and branded experience:
1. Access with the custom URL: Users can access the platform using the custom URL, which incorporates the desired custom subdomain (https://<Custom subdomain>.app.arduino.cc), creating a unique and recognizable entry point. The page will also show the configured Company Name.
2. Accept user terms and conditions: Upon accessing the platform for the first time, users will be prompted to accept the company’s custom terms and conditions and privacy policy, ensuring compliance and setting clear expectations.
3. Start the tour: After accepting the legal agreements, the first time users will be offered to begin their exploration of the platform.
4. Access to the customized platform: The user finally gets into the platform with the custom UI.
Use cases
Custom Branding can benefit businesses across various industries and scenarios, including:
Maintain brand consistency across all platforms: It enhances the user experience by providing a familiar and comfortable environment for users
Multi-tenant environments: For companies managing multiple projects, each one can have its own branded workspace.
Managed service providers: It allows the ability to sell a branded IoT platform to clients.
Channel partner platforms: Provide a custom experience for your channel partners, further strengthening brand alignment.
Enhanced customer experiences: Develop a more professional and brand-consistent experience for your end users.
Wrap and CTA
The Custom Branding feature in Arduino Cloud empowers businesses to create a truly personalized IoT experience, reflecting their brand identity and fostering user engagement. To learn more about this white label feature and explore the capabilities of Arduino Cloud, contact our sales team.
Remember, Custom Branding is available for users with an Arduino Cloud Enterprise plan. Unleash the full potential of your IoT initiatives with a branded and tailored platform experience.
Willkommen bei Next Week on Xbox! Wie immer stellen wir Dir alle neuen Spiele vor, die bald für Xbox Series X|S und Xbox One, Windows und im Game Pass erhältlich sind. Klick Dich einfach durch die Spiel-Details, um mehr zu möglichen Vorbestellungen zu erfahren (Änderungen vorbehalten).
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S
Ein rundenbasierter Action-Dungeon-Crawler. Mache von Deinen Skill-Combos und Waffen Gebrauch, um Dir Deinen Weg durch die Unterwelt namens Annwn zu bahnen. Mache spannende Erfahrungen und entdecke die Geheimnisse dieser mythologischen Welt.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Ein Comedy-RPG, in dem Du die verrückte Welt von Athen erkundest. Dein Ziel besteht darin, Deine ganz eigene Rhapsodie zu erschaffen – die Geschichte von Dir und Deiner epischen Reise durch diese Welt. Aber Vorsicht: Du wirst mit zahlreichen Herausforderungen konfrontiert und musst Dir Deinen Weg durch die Welt erkämpfen, indem Du entweder die Fäuste schwingst oder versuchst, Dich mit Deinen Gegner*innen durch esoterisches Halbwissen, abstrakte Witze oder Gedächtnisspiele anzufreunden.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S
Ein klassisches Tennisspiel im Arcade-Stil mit anpassbaren Charakteren, einem vielseitigen Equipment sowie mehreren Spielmodi, wie dem Bombenmodus, bei dem der Ball nicht auf den Boden fallen darf. Der Koop-Modus legt derweil die Basis für spannende Duelle mit Deinen Freund*innen.
In diesem Spiel geht es darum, zu springen, zu rutschen und die Kraft des Dashs zu entfesseln. Meistere mehr als 30 herausfordernde Level und kröne Dich zur/zum ultimativen Meister*in von Ziggy!
Xbox One X Enhanced
Das letzte Kapitel der Reihe kommt in Form eines rasanten Präzisionsplattformers, der in erster Linie das richtige Timing erfordert. Was Du in diesem Spiel auf jeden Fall finden wirst, sind fast 70 verschiedene Stages, in denen Du Dein können unter Beweis stellen musst – inklusive stylischer Pixelgrafiken und einem Chiptune-Soundtrack, der im Ohr bleibt.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Kontrolliere den Fluss der Zeit und löse verschachtelte Plattform-Rätsel in diesem Upgrade des Indie-Klassikers Braid, das sich durch ein überarbeitetes Artwork und einen ausführlichen Kommentar des Entwicklers auszeichnet. Starte Deine Reise von einem Stadthaus durch eine Reihe miteinander verbundener Welten, in denen Dir die Zeit Streiche spielt und eine schwer zu greifende Prinzessin auf Dich wartet.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Nutze Dein verborgenes Ingenieurstalent, um die kniffligen Schaltkreise des Electronic Puzzle Labs zu überprüfen. Deine Aufgabe in diesem lehrreichen 3D-Puzzlespiel besteht darin, die Schaltkreise unter die Lupe zu nehmen und LED-Lampen zu justieren. Nimm an Deiner Werkbank Platz, kürze Drähte, lege Schalter um und vieles mehr, während Du den Weg des Stroms verfolgst.
Die Straßen sind schon wieder kaputt. Und die Gehwege auch, oh je! Und nun liegt es an Dir, sie alle zu reparieren! In jedem Level steht Dir eine begrenzte Anzahl an Werkzeugen zur Verfügung, mit denen Du dafür sorgen musst, dass alle Autos, Boote, Züge und Tiere wieder von A nach B kommen. Zu den Tieren zählen neben Kätzchen und Hunden natürlich auch süße rosa Lamas.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Time Trap ist ein Wimmelbildspiel, das eine Kriminalgeschichte mit realistischer Grafik, Rätseln und Herausforderungen erzählt. Ein Journalist ist verschwunden, nachdem er eine gefährliche Tragödie untersucht hat. Jetzt ist es Deine Aufgabe, seinen Spuren zu folgen und die Geheimnisse des Unglücks aufzudecken.
Xbox Play Anywhere
Wähle Deine*n Champion-Fahrer*in, optimiere Dein Fahrzeug und dominiere auf den herausforderndsten Strecken, um Dir die Krone des Rennsports aufzusetzen! Kombiniere strategische Intuition mit Geschicklichkeit hinter dem Steuer, um die schnellsten Runden in den Asphalt zu brennen.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S
ES88 ist ein Esper, die den Auftrag hat, Golden Butterfly zu fangen – ein übersinnliches Wesen, das sich in den Erinnerungen anderer versteckt. Schlüpfe in die Rolle von ES88 und bringe gemeinsam mit ihrer Cyborgkollegin GATE und einem Wesen namens NEURODIVER die gestörten Erinnerungen wieder in Ordnung, um Golden Butterfly in diesem “Psy-Fi”-Abenteuer zur Strecke zu bringen.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Ein adrenalingeladener Weltraum-Shooter mit Gameplay-Elementen, die von den bekannten Klassikern Doom und Quake inspiriert sind. Du spielst einen Koch, der auf einem außerirdischen Planeten abstürzt und dort von außerirdischen Feind*innen heimgesucht wird.
Ein alter Mann erwacht aus dem Schlaf und findet sich auf einem Luxusdampfer wieder. Bei seinem Versuch, von dem sinkenden Schiff zu fliehen, trifft er auf Passagiere, die nostalgische Gefühle in ihm wecken. Nutze jede Veränderung wie die Neigung des Wasserstandes, um einen Fluchtweg zu finden.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Die Vögel und Katzen sind zurück in einem brandneuen Rätselabenteuer, das Dich auf der Suche nach einem neuen Zuhause quer durch die Galaxie schickt! Als eine Zombie-Apokalypse Deinen Heimatplaneten verwüstet, machen sich die Vögel auf den Weg zu den Sternen. Aber sie sind nicht allein. Ihre ewigen Rivalen, die Katzen, haben sich an Bord geschlichen und werden alles dafür tun, um die Reise so unangenehm wie möglich zu machen!
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Foxy ist ein kleiner Fuchs, der gerne Kirschen isst. Eines Tages wurden jedoch all seine Vorräte gestohlen! Jetzt muss er viele Level meistern und die Kirschen einsammeln, um seine Vorräte wieder aufzufüllen. Renne, springe, und rutsche an Wänden entlang, klammere Dich an Seile und weiche verschiedenen Fallen und Feind*innen aus!
Xbox Play Anywhere
Bist Du bereit, die Grenzen Deines Gehirns auszuloten und Deine Intelligenz auf die Probe zu stellen? Die ultimative Herausforderung für den Denkapparat ist endlich da! Mache genau das, was der Würfel sagt in einer bestimmten Zeit, um Deine Reflexe und die Verarbeitungsgeschwindigkeit Deines Gehirns zu testen.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Mit Morbid: The Lords of Ire findet der von der Kritik gefeierte isometrische Souls-like ARPGs Morbide: The Seven Acolytes seine Fortsetzung. In der Rolle des heldenhaften Strivers ziehst Du erneut in den Kampf gegen bösartige Kreaturen, in einer dunklen Welt voller Schmerz und Leid.
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S
Übernatürliche Phänomene auf der ganzen Welt werden offiziell geleugnet. In den Vereinigten Staaten werden diese Phänomene jedoch von einer Elitetruppe an Agent*innen untersucht, die im Namen der Federal Disaster Organic Response Agency, FEDORA, arbeiten. Dies sind ihre Geschichten…
Optimiert für Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Weißt Du eigentlich, wie viel Spaß es machen kann, eine Vielzahl magischer Katzen zu sammeln und zu beschwören, von denen jede einzigartige Fähigkeiten hat? Setze Deine schnurrenden Verbündeten strategisch ein, um Herausforderungen zu meistern und Feind*innen zu besiegen. Vom kleinen Gassenkätzchen bis hin zur majestätischen Bergkatze, die ihrem Namen alle Ehre macht – die Kraft der Katzen hilft Dir auf Deiner Reise!
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
A turn-based, rogue-lite action dungeon crawler. Use powerful skill combos and stylish weaponry to battle your way through the Underworld known as Annwn. Enjoy challenging dynamic encounters and discover the mysteries of this mythological world.
A comedy RPG in which you’ll explore the World of Athens. Your goal is to build your very own Rhapsody – the story of you (the player) and your epic tale in this world. You’ll be faced with many challenges, and you’ll have to fight (or hug) your way through the world by either battling, or awkwardly trying to make friends with your opponents through esoteric knowledge, abstract jokes, memory games, and other strange and funny interactions.
A classic arcade-style tennis game with customizable characters and equipment as well as a wide variety of game modes to choose from, like Bomb mode where you don’t let the ball hit the ground. You can also play co-op with your friends.
Ziggy
Afil Games
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
Ziggy – May 14 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Get ready to jump, slide, and unleash the power of the dash in a game that will test your abilities and your capacity for triumph. Conquer the 30 challenging levels and become the ultimate master of Ziggy!
The final chapter, now in shape of a fast precision platformer where you must run and jump through a series of challenging stages. What you’ll definitely find in this game: nearly 70 different stages to show your skill, stylish pixel graphics, and a chiptune soundtrack.
Control the flow of time to solve subtle platform puzzles in this update of the indie classic Braid, featuring refreshed artwork and seriously in-depth creator commentary. Travel from a city house through a series of interconnected worlds where time behaves strangely, searching for an elusive Princess.
Awaken your inner engineer with the brainteasing circuitry of Electronics Puzzle Lab! In this fun and educational 3D puzzle game, your task is to inspect circuit boards and adjust power LED lights. Take a seat at your workbench, cut wires, flip switches and more as you trace the path of the current.
The roads are broken again. And so are paths. Sidewalks. Lakes. Oh dear. And now it’s your job to fix them all! Each level gives you a limited set of tools that will help you get all the cars, boats, trains or animals from point A to point B. The mentioned animals include, of course, kittens, dogs and… cute ‘ol pink llamas.
Time Trap is a hidden object game telling a detective story with distinct realistic visuals, puzzles, and challenges. A journalist has gone missing after investigating a hazardous disaster. Now it is your job to follow in his steps and uncover the secrets of the danger zone.
Get ready for the ultimate adrenaline rush with our action-packed kart racing game. Choose your champion driver, customize your ride, and dominate challenging tracks to become the undisputed ruler of the asphalt jungle! Buckle up for a heart-pounding adventure where strategy and skill meet lightning-fast laps.
ES88 is an esper tasked with capturing Golden Butterfly, a psychic entity hiding in the memories of others. Play as ES88 and join her cyborg colleague GATE, and the creature known as a NEURODIVER to help repair the memories Golden has damaged and stop them in their tracks in this “psy-fi” adventure!
An adrenaline-pumping space shooter that features gameplay elements inspired by generational powerhouses Doom and Quake. Play as a chef who crash lands on an alien planet infested with extraterrestrial foes.
A fast-paced action game where you take control of Musashi, the most famous warrior from feudal Japan, as he fights for his life against unspeakable monsters. The enemies come from both sides of the screen and must be attacked with precise blows to bulging weak spots shown in their bodies. Challenge your friends to see who the most precise warrior.
The birds and cats are back in an all-new puzzle adventure that sends them soaring across the galaxy in search of a new home! When a zombie apocalypse ravages their home planet, the birds set off for the stars. But they’re not alone. Their eternal rivals, the cats, snuck on board and will do everything they can to make the journey an unpleasant one!
Foxy is a little fox who loves to eat cherries. One day, his supplies were stolen! Now he must go through many levels and collect all the cherries to get his supplies back. Run, jump, slide on walls, cling to ropes, and dodge various traps and enemies!
A third-person, story-driven game set in a strange world where religious visions clash with harsh reality. It tells the story of a young nun who sets off on a journey of self-discovery with the most unusual, horn-headed companion by her side.
Ready to push the limits of your brain and challenge your intelligence? The ultimate brain-busting challenge is finally here! Do exactly what the cube says in a limited amount of time to test your reflexes and your thought processing speed.
Morbid: The Lords of Ire is a continuation and reinvention of the critically acclaimed isometric Souls-like ARPG Morbid: The Seven Acolytes with the heroic Striver returning once more to do battle with horrific creatures in a dark and twisted world of pain and suffering
Super and extra-natural phenomena around the world are officially disavowed. In the United States, these phenomena are unofficially investigated by an elite squad of agents known as the Federal Disaster Organic Response Agency, FEDORA. These are their stories…
Experience the excitement of collecting and summoning a wide variety of magical cats, each with their own unique abilities. Use these feline allies strategically to overcome challenges and vanquish enemies. From a small alley kitten to a majestic mountain cat (literally a mountain), the power of these cats will be at your command!
Hi everyone, Dom Matthews here, Studio Head at Ninja Theory. On May 21 we releaseSenua’s Saga: Hellblade II on Xbox Series X|S and on PC. It will be a proud moment for our team and those that have contributed to our development journey. Today, I’d like to celebrate the contribution of our mental health consultants, with the release of ‘Senua’s Psychosis’, a feature video that details how, by way of collaboration, Senua’s experiences of psychosis in Hellblade II are rooted both in neuroscience and in real lived experience.
When the idea for telling the story of a character who experiences psychosis was first thought of, we knew instantly that we had a responsibility to understand the subject thoroughly. With this intent in-hand, we started a collaboration with Professor Paul Fletcher, Professor of Health Neuroscience at University of Cambridge, which in-turn led to us building a partnership with Recovery College East and other groups of people who, like Senua, have had real lived experience of seeing and hearing things that others don’t and having unique beliefs about the world. What started off as an exercise in hoping to learn, quickly transitioned into a creative collaboration where the openness, honesty and enthusiasm of our collaborators gave us the chance to not only portray Senua’s experiences truthfully – but enhance our character, her world and her story.
In Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, we were so honored to hear from fans that Senua’s journey had helped them understand psychosis a little more. For some, it helped them to understand their own experiences. For others, it helped them to understand the experiences of loved ones. And for many, it helped them to build empathy for the millions of people who struggle daily with mental health challenges.
As we approach the launch of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II my hope is that once again we can, for some, give a taste of what it can be like to hear voices, to see things that only you can see and to be driven by beliefs that may be unusual to others. Several weeks ago, I was excited to share the stage with our collaborators at Hellblade: A Journey of the mind, a conference, hosted in partnership with Cambridge Neuroscience, dedicated to exploring the theme of how Senua’s psychosis has come to life in Hellblade. For those interested, you can watch the full conference here. The conference was a reminder to me of how fortunate we have been to work with our mental health collaborators, a special group of people that have, throughout our development, dedicated themselves to helping us tell Senua’s story as someone who’s experiences could very well be those of a real person.
In today’s video, I’m proud to introduce you to Paul, Eddy and Kathy and I thank them, and all our collaborators, for their immense contribution to Hellblade.
For further information on the themes discussed in this video, please visit hellbladehelp.info.
This clever and very cheap robot is great for clearing minefields, which hopefully is not something you’ll have much need for. If you do, though, know it’s made of cardboard and does move like a turtle.
This robot uses facial recognition to greet people at the door, and was created during COVID lockdowns. It alerts the home owner when someone arrives, and even talks to them
Weeding can be a long task that requires a sharp eye and precision, a perfect use case for machine learning on a robot in a big field, which uses computer vision to detect and then pick weeds
The theory behind Rubiks cube solving is fascinating, and so is the sport of doing it with speed. While this robot won’t be beating any world records, it’s very fun to watch.
This fortune teller uses ChatGPT to predict your fate. It’s probably not going to be correct, but it’s also about as accurate as star sign horoscopes, so your mileage may vary
This full-size replica of the classic Doctor Who prop recreates the original and adds several features the older version didn’t have, such as touch sensors
Enjoy this guide to help you think more like a cat and get the most out of your shenanigans in Little Kitty Big City.
Is there anyone more curious than a cat? We don’t think so!
Little Kitty Big City is available now for Xbox, Windows, and with Game Pass.
Little Kitty Big City is an open-world exploration game which lets you play as an adventurous — and willful — little cat. You’ll make your way back home eventually, but not before you find distractions aplenty, a cast of quirky animals to befriend and so much mischief to get into! But we know it can be hard to let go of human ideas like “responding to emails” and “not tripping people up to see what’s in their briefcases,” so here is a little guide to help you think more like a cat and get the most out of your cat shenanigans.
Engage Your Curiosity
Is there anyone more curious than a cat? We don’t think so! In the world of Little Kitty, Big City, there are always new places, people, and collectibles to discover. You just have to stay curious to find them all, and the best way to stay curious is to keep asking yourself questions! What’s under that wall? What happens if I tread painty paw prints all over this human’s art canvas? Will this thing smash when I push it off a ledge? Finding the answers is a vital part of being a little cat.
Interact With Humans
If you’ve ever met a cat, you’ll know that they each have their own unique personality and their own way of interacting with humans. Being a cat in Little Kitty, Big City is no different — how you interact with the people around you is up to you. Are you feeling a little mischievous? Time to trip an innocent pedestrian by weaving between their legs in a very unhelpful way and then steal their phone! Feeling in need of affection? You can rub against those human legs instead and give a little purr. Humans eat that stuff up. And if you’re feeling annoying, you can meow meow meow the day away! Who doesn’t love a very noisy cat following them around for no reason?
Navigate The World
Cats are graceful (sometimes), small, can climb ivy walls, squeeze into tight spaces and always land on their feet! Since you’re no longer a clumsy human in this game, all those tiny little spots you never thought you’d be able to fit into are now open to you as a little kitty. From the rooftops to ground below, all the vents, awnings, cars, and fences are your domain. Except those big puddles. Let’s just stay far away from those…
Express Yourself
As you explore the city, you will meet other cats who will offer new ways to immerse yourself in the mind of a cat. You’ll learn crucial kitty emotes like how to make muffins, have a biiiiig stretch, take naps, sits where you fit, and even gag at gross smells or unpalatable tasks! These gestures are an invaluable part of your toolkit for self-expression and can be combined with Kitty’s extensive wardrobe of collectible hats to create the perfect reaction to a situation.
Try the Sunflower hat with the biiiiiiig stretch for Kitty’s attempt at the traditional Sun Salutation yoga flow. Follow that up by swapping to the Crab hat and making a yuck face in the greengrocer’s – you must protest her lack of seafood. Then round off the day by donning the Sheriff’s hat and lashing out with a paw swipe at a board game. How else will the humans know that you’re not into chess?
Relax
Humans don’t understand how hard cats work to find the perfect nap spot. In fact, if cats didn’t spend so much energy looking for new places to sleep, perhaps they wouldn’t be so sleepy in the first place…? But that’s a topic for a different blog! What you need to know for Little Kitty, Big City is that, when you find a good nap spot, you want to get in there immediately, and in whatever pose fills the space. After all, when a nap is at stake, who cares which way the humans say your spine and limbs are “supposed” to be facing!
Will you make your way home or will you explore what the big city has to offer first? I mean, getting home is obviously your main priority. Obviously. Well, it’s one of your priorities. Maybe more of a guideline… It’s definitely on your To-Do list somewhere! But first? Exploration!
Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and the Windows Store.
Interrogate suspects and pilfer evidence to find clues and quack the case!
Two to three hours of light-hearted narrative adventure mystery.
Fully voice-acted cast of eccentric suspects to inspect and interrogate.
Solving crime is no walk in the pond.
We’re very excited to announce that Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and the Windows Store! Duck Detective is Aggretsuko meets Return of the Obra Dinn, in a cozy mystery setting where a down-on-his-luck duck is tasked with exposing a sinister sausage-based conspiracy.
You play as Eugene McQuacklin, part-time private investigator, full-time duck. As a recent divorcee and ex-police detective, you must use your supreme powers of deduc(k)tion to save your ailing career and maybe, just maybe, pay next month’s rent.
Our small team at Happy Broccoli Games have been greatly inspired by the classic Agatha Christie novels. While they take a darker and more suspenseful approach, we wanted to create something that would keep you guessing as much as it will make you smile. It has been fantastic fun for our team to write such an energetic and twisty tale. A pompous detective, mismatched characters, and cramped environment, all mixed together surely makes for a big hoot!
Justice is a dish best served at the bottom of a pond. And you’re sure to get your flippers wet when it comes to the case of The Secret Salami.
We are very much looking forward to having all you detectives quack the case on release! We don’t have a firm date just yet, but we’ll work hard to get it in your hands as quackly as possible. Please look forward to more puns and more fun when the game launches on Xbox!
Hey, I’m Pac-Man! Maybe you’ve heard of me? I’m always running around the maze and chomping everything in sight — sometimes I even go exploring bigger worlds! But one thing that hasn’t changed is my hunger for dots, fruit, cereal, pasta – you name it! You may have seen me in action, but my recent dance moves have made my appetite even more insatiable. So much that maybe a single maze won’t be enough for me!
That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about the 64-maze action happening now in my latest game, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs. I’m not sure how many dots that is per match – but believe me when I say, it’s a tasty buffet of competitive fun! Waka waka! It’s 64 players per match in an eating competition across many connected mazes to see which Pac can not only chomp the most dots, fruit, and Ghosts – but also survive long enough to be the last Pac standing!
Allow me to recap for you one of my more recent adventures within my latest game…
For starters, I kicked things off in the Classic-themed maze — it reminds me of my roots and allows me to focus on warming up. I intended to keep it vanilla and go accessories-free for this match… but I couldn’t resist those radical sunglasses.
When the match started, the Ghosts wasted no time in coming after me! I could tell there were other players in the mazes around mine, but first I wanted to rack up some points by chomping Ghosts. I ate a Power Pellet and chomped Blinky, then Clyde. On my way to catch Pinky, a Dazer power item emerged from the Warp Tunnel and I held it to use later. Just before I could chomp Pinky, another PAC entered my maze and ate one of my Power Pellets… and Pinky! Then they came after me. I took some tight corners, but they stayed close. But, they didn’t know about my Dazer! In a flash the other player was stunned, and I continued through a Mega Tunnel to another maze, leaving everyone behind. Power up and push forward, as I always say!
The next maze I entered had a spacey Galaga theme, I love space! Three players were already here just finishing up the dots, so the maze refreshed, setting all four of us to the Ready-point. We started chomping and raced to the first Power Pellet! The other three went left, but I went right. One Pac used a Speedy power item to reach the Power Pellet first before instantly chomping the other two! Meanwhile, I camped at a Power Pellet on the right side and waited for the other Pac’s energizer to wear-off. Then I ate the Power Pellet, took the Warp Tunnel to the other side where I surprised the other player with some chomping time! Then a fruit caught my attention! Winning does taste sweet!
Later, I partied-up with friends, but I had to remind them that even though we’re dropping into the same match together, it’s still every Pac for themselves! Before the match we wanted to take a fun group screenshot, so we all selected accessories that made us look like a rock band! Maybe our band name would be the Waka-Stars?
Our party queued for the same match together. I chomped from maze to maze, chomping Ghosts, dodging other Pacs, and barely escaping a maze that glitched-out! Then I found my pals in a candy-themed maze. Mmm, candy! I recognized them from their accessories! But as I said before: it was every player for themselves! I don’t want to embarrass my pals by telling who got chomped, but I will say that my rank went up after this match.
I kept playing after my friends dropped off; I was hungry! This time, I changed my look with some fun 3D specs! With my natural talent and a little luck, I found myself in the final four of the match… and I was holding a Shield power item. When one of the other players thought they could chomp me, the Shield was my defense! Then I learned the Shield can be used to push Pacs and Ghosts across the maze! The other players were so confused that the Ghosts caught them all and I became the last Pac standing! Waka waka!
Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs is my latest outing in chomping fun, and I couldn’t help dancing to the game’s catchy new music. Hmm, this might give me some new dance video ideas! In the meantime, I hope to see you in game! Stay hungry, friends!
PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs – Deluxe Edition
Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
☆☆☆☆☆10
★★★★★
$29.99
The Deluxe Edition includes:
• PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
• Lunar Animals PAC
– 12 bodies: Mouse, Cow, Tiger, Bunny, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig
– 1 maze: Lunar
• Namco Pals PAC
– 2 bodies: Fyger, The Prince
– 2 faces: Pooka’s Goggles, Pooka’s Goggles – Rare
– 2 heads: Klonoa, Dig Dug Helmet
– 3 mazes: Dig Dug, Mr. Driller, Galaga
– 6 icons: PAC-MAN 3D, Inky 3D, Blinky 3D, Pinky 3D, Clyde 3D, Frightened Ghost 3D PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs is an online-only PAC-MAN eating competition! Eat your way through multiple interconnected mazes using Power Pellets and a variety of Power Items to chomp the GHOSTS and opponent PAC-MAN players! Be the last PAC standing at the end of each match in this 64-player Battle Royale to be the Chomp Champ! • EAT TO COMPETE
The only PAC-MAN Battle Royale with cross platform play! • CONSUME ALL
Eat everything in your maze! Then tunnel to other PAC-MAN players’ mazes and munch even more for the high score! • PAC-MAN À LA MODES
Elimination Mode features arcade style action against players of any rank where you earn Tokens to trade for cosmetics. Ranked Mode features serious competition against players of similar ranking where you earn Rank XP to place on the leaderboards! • MISSIONS ADD META
Fulfill specific conditions during the match for a score boost! • TRUE PAC VS. PAC ACTION
Munch Dots and Fruit, then eat a Power Pellet to chomp the GHOSTS… and even chomp other PAC-MAN! • POWER TO THE PACS
Power Items add to the action with shields, speed, and more to give you the upper hand against the GHOSTS as well as other PAC-MAN players! Some Power Items help PAC-MAN, but others help the GHOSTS! • ELIMINATING MAZES
Beware of flashing mazes as they drop out one by one during each match! Escape before they’re eliminated! • PERSONALIZE YOUR PAC
With a fun variety of body, head, and face cosmetics you can stand out from the pack with your own style! • GET YOUR PACS TOGETHER
Add players to your Friend list, track friends’ progress, spectate friends’ plays, and even invite them to play in the same match as you! • PLAY OR SPECTATE
Spectate ongoing matches from the general player-base or observe your friends’ skills. Elimination Mode spectators can even vote on what Power Items will be released to the players! • BE THE CHOMP CHAMP!
Out-maneuver, out-last, and out-PAC to be the last PAC standing against 63 other PAC-MAN opponents! *In addition to this edition, a Standard Edition is also available. Please be careful not to purchase the same content twice.
*This product is a multiplayer game that is played mainly through online matches between players. The only mode that allows single play is the tutorial.
PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs
Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
☆☆☆☆☆10
★★★★★
$19.99
PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs is an online-only PAC-MAN eating competition! Eat your way through multiple interconnected mazes using Power Pellets and a variety of Power Items to chomp the GHOSTS and opponent PAC-MAN players! Be the last PAC standing at the end of each match in this 64-player Battle Royale to be the Chomp Champ! • EAT TO COMPETE
The only PAC-MAN Battle Royale with cross platform play! • CONSUME ALL
Eat everything in your maze! Then tunnel to other PAC-MAN players’ mazes and munch even more for the high score! • PAC-MAN À LA MODES
Elimination Mode features arcade style action against players of any rank where you earn Tokens to trade for cosmetics. Ranked Mode features serious competition against players of similar ranking where you earn Rank XP to place on the leaderboards! • MISSIONS ADD META
Fulfill specific conditions during the match for a score boost! • TRUE PAC VS. PAC ACTION
Munch Dots and Fruit, then eat a Power Pellet to chomp the GHOSTS… and even chomp other PAC-MAN! • POWER TO THE PACS
Power Items add to the action with shields, speed, and more to give you the upper hand against the GHOSTS as well as other PAC-MAN players! Some Power Items help PAC-MAN, but others help the GHOSTS! • ELIMINATING MAZES
Beware of flashing mazes as they drop out one by one during each match! Escape before they’re eliminated! • PERSONALIZE YOUR PAC
With a fun variety of body, head, and face cosmetics you can stand out from the pack with your own style! • GET YOUR PACS TOGETHER
Add players to your Friend list, track friends’ progress, spectate friends’ plays, and even invite them to play in the same match as you! • PLAY OR SPECTATE
Spectate ongoing matches from the general player-base or observe your friends’ skills. Elimination Mode spectators can even vote on what Power Items will be released to the players! • BE THE CHOMP CHAMP!
Out-maneuver, out-last, and out-PAC to be the last PAC standing against 63 other PAC-MAN opponents! *In addition to this edition, a Deluxe Edition is also available. Please be careful not to purchase the same content twice.
*This product is a multiplayer game that is played mainly through online matches between players. The only mode that allows single play is the tutorial.
We’ve got a jam-packed weekend for you with Free Play Days! Crime Boss: Rockay City, Cities Skylines – Remastered and From Space are available this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday May 9 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, May 12 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
Additionally, expansions for Destiny 2 including Shadowkeep, Beyond LightandThe Witch Queen are free for all Xbox members from May 7 until June 4 (Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate not required).
Game Pass Core will give players access to our advanced multiplayer network, a select collection of over 25 games to play with friends around the world, and exclusive member deals! Read more about Game Pass Core at Xbox Wire.
How To Start Playing
Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and navigate down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Keep The Fun Going
Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event! Please note that discounts, percentages, and title availability may vary by title and region.
Free Play Days (Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate Required)
Crime Boss: Rockay City
505 Games
☆☆☆☆☆218
★★★★★
$39.99$19.99
Crime Boss: Rockay City Play Crime Boss: Rockay City for FREE! This co-operative, organized heisting game can be played either solo in the single-player campaign or with friends in multiplayer. Start levelling up and earning rewards in the new progression system and enjoy tons of new content from our latest update.
Cities: Skylines – Remastered
Paradox Interactive
☆☆☆☆☆256
★★★★★
$39.99$9.99
Xbox Game Pass
Cities: Skylines – Remastered Cities: Skylines – Remastered puts you in charge of a growing city, from the ground-breaking of its first streets to the ever-changing needs of thousands of citizens. Design, build, and manage the city of your dreams, from public services to civic policies, and challenge yourself to grow from a simple town to a bustling metropolitan hub.
From Space
Curve Games
☆☆☆☆☆208
★★★★★
$14.99$11.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
From Space From Space is a solo and co-op action-shooter for squads up to four players. Take on the challenge of liberating the earth from an alien infestation with your friends, using over-the-top weaponry in a post-apocalyptic world with awesomely stylized graphics. The apocalypse has never been so much fun!
Free Play Days For All
Destiny 2: Legacy Collection (2023)
Bungie
☆☆☆☆☆104
★★★★★
$59.99$11.99
Destiny 2 Expansions (Shadowkeep, Beyond Light, The Witch Queen) During Destiny 2’s Expansion Open Access month, you can play through Shadowkeep, Beyond Light, and The Witch Queen, along with all four Year-6 Seasons. Enjoy the updated New Light experience by exploring the Cosmodrome or skip it and join your friends right away. Open Access Month ends when The Final Shape launches, but any rewards you collect are yours to keep.
Don’t miss out on these exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.
Blues Wireless and Arduino have joined forces to create the game-changing Blues Wireless for Arduino Opta, unveiled this week at the Automate Show in Chicago. The expansion module is an affordable solution to enhance connectivity options for Arduino Opta micro PLCs, and marks a significant milestone in PLC technology and in making technology more easily accessible to all.
“The IIoT is on the cusp of a revolution in democratized connectivity and computing not unlike the PC era of a generation ago,” said Brandon Satrom, Senior Vice President of Product & Experience at Blues. “Products like Lotus Notes, Microsoft Access, and FrontPage sparked a revolution, offering teams and organizations a red tape-free path to connect with one another. With the Opta and Blues’ Wireless Expansion, Blues and Arduino are fueling a similar revolution, empowering OT teams with a direct path to cloud-connected PLC systems.”
The expansion module adds cellular or LoRa® connectivity to any Arduino Opta micro PLC, in addition to existing Ethernet, RS485, or Wi-Fi®/Bluetooth® capabilities (depending on the specific variant). It is easy to connect via the Opta’s standard AUX expansion port in a daisy-chain setup with other modules, and allows users to quickly and securely communicate with the Cloud.
“The market is seeking effective, manageable embedded solutions for routine industrial challenges, as exemplified by the Arduino Opta micro PLC,” said Marcello Majonchi, Chief Product Officer at Arduino. “With Opta, Arduino empowers engineers to swiftly create professional-grade solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing systems and connect to their chosen cloud platforms. The partnership with Blues Wireless expands these connectivity possibilities into the cellular realm, enabling comprehensive remote monitoring and control with just a few clicks. If you think about a remote plant, a solar farm, a water well pump, an industrial vehicle or a large machine, like an air compressor, that you want to monitor and control, these are the scenarios we are targeting.”
In November, we introduced Compact Mode, a feature available via the Xbox app on PC that enhances your gaming experience by providing a more intuitive user interface on smaller screens, including Windows handhelds. We’re excited to announce that the Jump back in feature and enhancements to the Friends panel are rolling out to all Xbox Insiders enrolled in the PC Gaming Preview starting today!
When we launched Compact Mode, we focused on giving you more space to browse content by simplifying the sidebar. We are now taking it further with Jump back in, our latest feature that allows you to quickly access the games you have recently played on your Windows device when you are immersed in Compact Mode.
Jump back in will feature the last nine games you played from the app. When you click on any game card, you will go directly to its game hub where you can jump into game play. You can also right-click or press the menu button on your controller to launch directly into game play from the context menu.
Enhancements to the Friends panel
With Compact Mode, we have also made it easier to access the Friends panel via controller navigation, with quick access directly from the sidebar, and consistent with other panels like Notifications. We are looking forward to hearing your feedback as we continue to improve the experiences related to Friends in the app.
Starting next week, a new survey will be available in the Xbox Insider Hub (open or install clicking here) for players enrolled in the PC Gaming preview to give us your feedback on Jump back in and the updated Friends panel access with Compact Mode. As a reminder, you can always give us suggestions for the app or leave feedback by clicking on your Profile card inside the Xbox App and then selecting Feedback from the dropdown menu. We can’t wait to hear from you as we work to bring more enhancements to Compact Mode and the Xbox App on PC for you to enjoy seamless Xbox gaming experiences across all your Windows devices.
How to get Xbox Insider support and share your feedback
If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join our community on the Xbox Insider subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help. We always recommend adding to threads with the same issue before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Also, you can provide direct feedback to Team Xbox by following the steps here under the “Report a problem online” section. For more information on the Xbox Insider Program, follow us on Twitter at @XboxInsider. Keep an eye on future Xbox Insider Release Notes for more information regarding the PC Gaming Preview.
Like what you see but not an Xbox Insider?
If you’d like to help create the future of Xbox and get early access to new features, join the Xbox Insider Programtoday by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub forXbox Series X|S & Xbox Oneor Windows PC. (Note: The features outlined in this article are currently only available for PC-based Xbox Insiders.)
Breakfast cereal is controversial. Milk or cereal first? Best cereal to milk ratio? Favorite cereal? Most attractive mascot? The opportunities for debate never end. But we can all agree that consistency is key when it comes to the milk:cereal ratio — nobody changes that up from day to day. To ensure that every pour is perfect, Engineering Dads built this cereal and milk dispensing machine.
This machine pours dry breakfast cereal from a hopper and pumps milk from a jug, so the hungry user only needs to place the bowl and lift the hopper door. That is nice and automatic, but the more important feature is the ratio adjustment. The user can turn a dial to tweak the amount of milk dispensed with each serving, while controlling the cereal quantity by lifting the hopper chute door to a specific height. A movable sensor detects that door and triggers the milk pump when the door reaches that desired height.
Engineering Dads designed an Arduino UNO Rev3-based circuit to control that functionality. It reads the voltage from the potentiometer to determine the amount of time to power the milk-dispensing pump and it starts that process when it detects a change from the photoresistor. The hopper door moves in front of the photoresistor, blocking the light to kick everything off.
The hopper and electronics enclosure were 3D-printed, which brings up an important point about food safety. 3D-printed parts are generally not food-safe (even if the filament material is), because bacteria can collect in the layer lines and sanitization isn’t easy. But Engineering Dads coated the prints in a layer of epoxy to create a smoother surface and that may help — though they’re not making any guarantees.
Through Code Club and CoderDojo we support the world’s largest network of free informal computing clubs for young people.
Code Club is a global network of after-school coding clubs for learners aged 9 to 13, where educators and other volunteers help young people learn about coding and digital making
CoderDojo is a worldwide network of free, open, and community-based programming clubs for young people aged 7 to 17, where they get the opportunity to learn how to create fantastic new things with technology
The clubs network reaches young people in 126 countries across the globe, and we estimate that the 4,557 Code Clubs and 771 CoderDojos are attended by more than 200,000 young people globally.
All these clubs are run by incredible volunteers and educators who help young people to learn computing and coding. Every year, we ask the volunteers to tell us about their experiences in our annual clubs survey. Below we share some highlights from this year’s survey results.
About the survey
We want to know more about volunteers in the network, how they run their clubs, and what impact the club sessions have for young people. Understanding this better helps us to improve the support we give to volunteers and young people around the world. This year we received over 300 responses, which has given us valuable insights and feedback.
What are the clubs like?
Improving gender balance in computing is part of our work to ensure equitable learning opportunities for all young people. Girls’ participation in the CodeDojo community has risen from 30% to 35% between 2023 and 2024, while 40% of Code Club attendees are girls.
Clubs are using a wide variety of technologies and tools to support young people with their coding. According to the survey, the most popular coding tool was Scratch, which nearly all of the volunteers said they used in their club. Over 60% of volunteers reported using micro:bits, and over 50% mentioned Python.
What impact is the clubs network having?
We asked volunteers to tell us what changes they had seen in young people as a result of being part of a club. Volunteers fed back to us about the positive community created by clubs where young people felt safe and included. This was evidenced by the way young people felt able to share their ideas and support other young people:
“The more experienced members are both capable and competent to demonstrate their skills to less experienced children. For example, they recently ran a full-day session for the whole school to complete the Astro Pi Mission Zero project.” – Code Club volunteer
Volunteers reported increases in young people’s skills and confidence in digital making and engaging with technology (see graph below). They also agreed that young people developed other skills, with nearly 90% noting improvements in problem solving, personal confidence, and creative thinking.
How are we supporting volunteers?
These positive outcomes are the result of the hard work and dedication of the club volunteers. Based on the survey, we estimate that at the time of the survey, there were over 6000 Code Club leaders and almost 3000 CoderDojo champions around the world. Many of the volunteers are motivated to volunteer by a love of teaching and a desire to pass on their skills.
These volunteers are part of a global network, and 80% of volunteers said that belonging to this global community of clubs was motivating for them. Volunteers particularly valued the access to resources and information being part of a global community offered, as well as opportunities to share ideas and problem solve.
The majority of Code Clubs are mostly or always using our digital making pathways and projects as part of their clubs. Volunteers value the projects’ step-by-step structure and how easy they are to follow.
We plan to do more to ensure that clubs around the world find these projects and pathways accessible and useful for their sessions with young people.
What’s next
The survey has helped us to identify a number of areas where we can support club volunteers even better. Volunteers identified help getting equipment and funding as the main things they needed support with, as well as recruitment of volunteers and young people. We are looking at the best ways we can lend a hand to the clubs network in these areas.
We take impact seriously and are always looking to understand how we can improve and increase the impact we have on the lives of children and young people. To find out more about our approach to impact, you can read about our recently updated theory of change, which supports how we evaluate what we do.
This has caused me a little bit of a quandary though. My desk in the office is my home away from home and I want to make it feel comfy and welcoming when I visit. However, I’m not there that often, so I can’t bring in stuff I need at home, where I do most of my work.
Sparse
Currently I’ve brought in an original Raspberry Pi Zero from the cover of an issue 40, still in its blister pack, a 3D POP camera, some jingle bells I found, and a little ceramic hedgehog with a fake succulent plant growing out of it. It’s also got some prizes there for future competitions but they’ll come and go so that’s a bit different. The benefit of bringing stuff in also means I won’t have it filling up my home any more, but don’t tell the boss that.
I’ve been thinking about having little Raspberry Pi and/or Pico-powered devices to keep there – I have threatened to make a mini set of two drums and a cymbal so I can make a rimshot machine to punctuate my steady stream of bad jokes – and as we have a fancy new maker lab here with lots of toys – er, I mean serious tools – I feel I should make use of that while I’m visiting. Send me suggestions for simple little machines to the usual places!
Something to call your own
This is clearly a fairly unique and low-level problem, but I wanted to bring it up because it is important to be able to have a space to work/indulge in hobbies at while being comfortable. I have the luxury of being able to personalise my working space at home as well as my hobby space, which is full of boom arms holding cameras, lights and microphones though. I may have chosen the wrong hobby.
It’s taken me a while to get to this stage, so don’t get frustrated if it takes a while for you to get a space you can feel comfy in. Just like learning any skill, it can take practice as well as some trial and error. Also, money.
I now need to figure out the work policy on how many hedgehog plushes I can keep on my desk.
Der Xbox Wireless Controller – Fire Vapor Special Edition ist neben dem Stormcloud Vapor, Dream Vapor und Nocturnal Vapor die neueste und auffälligste Ergänzung unserer Vapor-Serie. Das faszinierende Design, das bei jedem Controller einzigartig ist, wurde von Flammen inspiriert und jeder rote und orange Farbwirbel steht für ein loderndes Feuer. Spüre die Kraft des Feuers in Deinen Händen, während Du die Hitze mit den roten, gummierten Grips mit Rautenmuster auf der Rückseite fest im Griff hast. Mit seinen leuchtenden Farben bringt der Fire Vapor Controller garantiert Schwung in Dein Gaming-Setup. Hol ihn Dir noch heute exklusiv im Microsoft Store.
Erlebe mit dem Fire Vapor Controller Spitzenleistung und Stil. Die texturierten Griffe an den Seiten und auf der Rückseite sorgen für einen sicheren Halt beim Spielen. Verbinde Dich über Xbox Wireless und Bluetooth nahtlos mit Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, iOS- und Android-Geräten (weitere Informationen unter xbox.com/controller-compatibility) und genieße eine Akkulaufzeit von bis zu 40 Stunden (variiert je nach Nutzung und anderen Faktoren). Über die 3,5-mm-Audiobuchse kannst Du Dein kompatibles Lieblings-Headset anschließen, um Deinem Spiel zu lauschen oder mit Freund*innen zu chatten. Teile Deine Spielmomente ganz einfach mit der Share-Taste und personalisiere Dein Spielerlebnis mit der Xbox Zubehör App.
Verbessere Dein Xbox-Erlebnis mit dem exklusiven dynamischen Fire Vapor Hintergrund! Verbinde Deinen neuen Controller einfach mit Deiner Xbox Series X|S und schalte einen dynamischen Hintergrund mit roten und orangen Farbwirbeln frei. Dieser verleiht Deinem Spiel ein neues, aufregendes Design. Um auf diese Funktion zuzugreifen, wähle Einstellungen auf dem Dashboard Deiner Konsole. Unter Allgemein klickst Du auf Personalisierung und dann auf Mein Hintergrund. Dort findest Du Dynamische Hintergründe und kannst zwischen diesem und anderen Designs wählen, um Dein Xbox-Erlebnis noch individueller zu gestalten.
Below the surface of any body of water, harmful amounts of toxic gases and contaminates can accumulate, which leads to a loss in fish and plant populations if not fixed quickly. But because most water testing, especially in aquariums, is done primarily on the surface, vital information gets missed. Kutluhan Aktar’s automated testing system aims to address these concerns through its harnessing of both ultrasonic sensors and computer vision data being fed into two AI models.
Everything started with an Arduino Nano ESP32 board connected to a 75KHz ultrasonic sensor and DS18B20 temperature sensor. Aktar then took many readings of his aquarium utilizing the sensor to produce several 20×20-point maps, which were uploaded to the Edge Impulse Studio and used to create a classification model. Once trained, the model was deployed to the Nano ESP32 so that it could inform the user if there were any toxin-containing bubbles present in the tank.
The other half of the monitoring system consists of a DFRobot UNIHIKER single-board computer running a RetinaNet model that detects and classifies chemical tests as either sterile, dangerous, or polluted. The results from it and the Nano ESP32 are combined, presented on a large screen, and sent to users via a Telegram bot.
When Google Glass launched in 2013, the public opinion seemed to be “interesting technology, but the world isn’t ready yet.” Now that more than a decade has passed, the world may finally be ready — especially with the omission of controversial features like video recording. If that appeals to you, then Akashv44 has a great tutorial that will walk you through building your own affordable Arduino-based smart glasses.
The biggest challenge for a project like this is the geometry of the heads-up display optics. Our eyes cannot focus on a screen that is too close. The screen has to be at least a few inches away to comfortably read. But those few inches don’t need to be in a straight line, so this device uses a mirror, a lens, and a piece of glass to project screen content in front of the user’s eye. The total distance along that path is enough for the user to focus on the content without eye strain.
That content comes from a small monochrome OLED screen chosen for its high contrast. The dark pixels of the screen are essentially invisible, while the lit pixels are easy to see. The content on that screen comes from an Arduino Nano board. It receives power from a 300mAh lithium battery (this design doesn’t contain a charging circuit) and an HC-05 Bluetooth module lets the Arduino communicate with external devices.
In theory, the Arduino can display any alphanumeric digits that it receives via Bluetooth. So, the content shown will depend on the user and there are many possibilities. It could, for example, reveal incoming text messages or information about whatever song is playing.
Last year, we launched the Arduino Pro Opta: it was an instant success with our community, and allowed us to reach PLC engineers with a new solution specifically designed for their needs.
To further expand Opta’s capabilities, today the Arduino ecosystem welcomes various expansions that allow you to add new I/Os in the simplest and fastest way possible.
Meet the Opta Digital Expansions
The digital expansions, Arduino Pro Opta Ext D1608E and Arduino Pro Opta Ext D1608S, are ideal to multiply the number of real-time control points in the manufacturing sector and in any building automation project. The new, ready-to-use I/Os are seamlessly adopted by the Opta controller, giving you a native-like management experience. Each expansion offers 16 programmable inputs and eight relay outputs (electromechanical or solid state), and up to five expansions can be mixed to obtain the best fit for each project.
Stay tuned for the Opta Analog Expansion!
We are also finalizing an analog option: the Arduino Pro Opta Ext A0602 (coming soon) will allow you to diversify your data acquisition capabilities, and expand your devices’ actuation possibilities with great flexibility and process efficiency. Configuring new inputs/outputs to acquire 0-10 V and 0/4-20 mA signals and temperature values through PT100 will help you take Opta’s monitoring and control capabilities to a new level.
The Opta is our industrial-grade micro PLC, developed in partnership with Finder to provide engineers with a durable, reliable, secure and high-performance hardware, while still maintaining our signature flexibility and ease of deployment in production.
All three variants of Opta are based on a powerful STM32H747XI Dual ArmARM® Cortex® microcontroller and can be programmed using C++ in Arduino sketches, but also offer the flexibility of incorporating any or all of the 5 traditional IEC 61131-3 PLC automation control languages.
To find out more, check out the three variants in our Store:
• Opta Lite: with Ethernet onboard and USB-C® programming ports (SKU: AFX00003)
• Opta RS485: which also adds RS485 half duplex connectivity interface (SKU: AFX00001)
• Opta WiFi: the most versatile option, featuring also Wi-Fi®/Bluetooth® Low Energy connectivity (SKU: AFX00002)
“I was working at Heathrow Airport developing controls software for a baggage handling line in 1999 when we decided it would be useful to attach a dot matrix printer to keep track of errors and how the code was treating each piece of luggage passing through the system,” he explains.
“The choices for a dot matrix printer with a Centronics connector were very limited and still cost more than £500. From using a Sinclair QL at home I also knew the problems of finding a suitable printer which understood plain text and realised this was going to pose an increasing issue for home-computer users and industry.”
Having talked with two fellow electrical engineers, he tried in vain to work out a low-cost solution. “It was only with the release of the earliest Raspberry Pi that I realised an affordable printer emulator could be developed,” he says. This prompted him to begin work on the Retro-Printer project – a HAT designed to plug into a Raspberry Pi computer that allows data captured from the Centronics (or parallel) port on a retro machine to be sent to a modern printer.
Bit by bit
Most personal computers released from the 1970s to the 2000s had Centronics ports for connecting the machines to printers and other devices. Data would be sent eight bits at a time in parallel to each other at 150 kilobytes/sec. Rich figured he could develop working hardware that acted as an interface between the port of any one of those computers and the Raspberry Pi. Software would then convert the captured data into a PDF, ready for printing.
“The Retro-Printer HAT is simply an interface to convert the incoming data signals from the Centronics output to the GPIO pins on a Raspberry Pi computer,” Rich says. “The hardware incorporates some hard-wired signals so that the busy signal is asserted as soon as any data is received from the Centronics port, and we found that we needed to add jumpers to allow 5v to be enabled on three different pins of the Centronics port as this was expected by some computers. We also initially added an offline switch as a nod to the fact that many old printers had one but we’ve since changed the software to support different functions on that switch such as swapping page sizes or printer types.”
The software is written in C and it makes use of a single capture process that runs constantly. “It watches for incoming data, spooling it to a temporary file and sending the acknowledge and ready signals as we process each byte,” Rich continues. “That process also has to deal with 7-bit or 8-bit data, the position of an offline switch and different timing mechanisms.”
There are two background processes: “One handles the three LEDs on the HAT which can be controlled externally by the user if they wish and the other is the all-important printer emulator.” Since there have been so many different printer types over the years, testing has been a major challenge. “We’ve had to work alongside users to identify and address issues particularly around equipment which does not fully implement the Centronics protocol or where there is little or no information about programming.”
Ink-spiring
Such is the lack of information about some original printers, Rich has sometimes had to rely on old faded printouts or photos on the internet. “We’ve been able to reverse engineer the printouts mainly using a Sinclair QL emulator in the first instance to understand what the data means,” he says. As a result of all of this, different printer emulators have been developed for each printer type.
“They all include standard classes for reading the captured bytes from the temporary file and graphics routines and creating the PDFs,” Rich explains. “The printer emulator is responsible for interrupting each captured byte and determining whether it is data for processing, text or a printer command – for example, an ESCape code sequence.
“We then create a PNG of the printed page in memory using those printer commands to set the position on the page and draw any text or graphics. Once the capture process indicates that it thinks the end of the print job has been reached, or we have filled a page of data, the PNG is converted to a PDF for printing or storage.”
Given the amount of work involved, it’s surprising to hear that the project was created rather quickly. “Thanks to a contact in Germany who had previously developed hardware for the Sinclair ZX81, the initial hardware and basic Epson printer emulator only took six months to develop,” Rich says. “Getting the product readyfor manufacture by a well-known Raspberry Pi supplier took a further 12 months, although thanks to a production issue picked up after the initial batch of boards were received and sold, it took another six months before we had a v4 Retro-Printer.”
Not that the work is complete. Development is still ongoing as Rich meets new challenges and old printer technologies. “We have found a niche among retro computer users and industry alike, with uses from the humble ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 through to various commercial flight simulator and industrial production lines,” he says. “In some cases, we have extended the useful life of multi-million pound equipment which would have needed complete replacement for the sake of a working printer.”
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