Tesla Model S Gets a Radically Redesigned Interior and 520-Mile Range

During its fourth-quarter earnings announcement, Tesla unveiled the long-rumored refresh for its Model S sedan. CNET reports: On the outside, the Model S has a new front bumper with slightly different intakes, a tweaked rear diffuser and new 19- and 21-inch wheel designs. All of the exterior trim is now finished in black to match the Model Y, but the paint…

Forgotten PS1 Game ‘Magic Castle’ Finally Emerges Two Decades Later

It might have taken more than 20 years, but a game intended for the original PlayStation has at last made its way into the world. Engadget reports: A group of Japanese developers worked on Magic Castle for eight months in the late ’90s. They used Sony’s Net Yaroze, a system with which hobbyists could make games for the console. The team…

Has ‘The Mandalorian’ on Disney+ Redeemed the Star Wars Universe?

Today a staff writer at Salon argues “The Mandalorian” has redeemed the Star Wars universe: The Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” has been both a critical triumph and commercial success. In my judgment, it’s the most compelling live-action story in the “Star Wars” universe since 1983’s “Return of The Jedi”. To that end, the story in “The Mandalorian’s” first two seasons about…

Facing Overwhelming Demand, Non-Profit ‘RPG Research’ Looks for Help

Software developer/sys-admin Hawke Robinson is the CEO of RPG Research, a 501(c)3 non-profit, volunteer-run, charitable organization founded in 1977. He’s also long-time Slashdot reader kmleon, and shares this story from the gaming-news site The Gamer: RPG Research recently sent out an urgent call requesting more volunteers, more warehouse space, and more donations to help meet the overwhelming demand it is currently…

Age of Empires 2, a 21-Year-Old Game, is Having an Incredible Year

Age of Empires 2, a 21-year-old game, could well be having its best year ever. From a report: Since its HD re-release in 2013 the game has had a steady growth in average player count, but with the release of Age of Empires 2: Definitive edition last year and COVID-19 lockdowns inflating player counts across the industry, Age of Empires 2…

TurboGrafx-16 Mini Launches In March With 50-ish Games

You’ll be able to complete the trifecta of tiny 16-bit throwback systems on March 19, 2020, when Konami releases the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. From a report: It’ll include Dracula X, Bonk’s Revenge, Gradius and many more games, including many Japanese exclusives. Konami said last week that it will sell the device exclusively through Amazon, with preorders opening up on Monday, July 15…

Netflix Unveils Plans To Develop Original Shows Into Video Games

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on Wednesday, Netflix shared details of its plans to develop its original shows into video games. Hollywood Reporter reports: Among the program of upcoming games, Stranger Things 3: The Game was highlighted, described by Netflix as “an adventure game that blends a distinctively retro art style with modern gameplay mechanics to deliver nostalgic fun with…

PlayStation Gamers Are Now Authoring Their Own Games With ‘Dreams’ For PS4

dryriver explains the new buzz around “Dreams” for PS4 (now in open access). Created by the studio that made PS4’s Big Little World, Dreams “is not a game. It is more of an end to end, create-your-own-3D-game toolkit that happens to run on PS4 rather than a PC… essentially an easy to use game-engine a la Unity or UnrealEngine.” Dreams lets…

AI is Helping Old Video Games Look Like New

Classic video games are getting a makeover. But it’s not big-name game developers making the improvements: it’s independent modders. From a report: The technique being used is known as “AI upscaling.” In essence, you feed an algorithm a low-resolution image, and, based on training data it’s seen, it spits out a version that looks the same but has more pixels in…

Altered Carbon Gets an RPG, Frankenstein Has an Heir, and More in Tabletop Gaming News

Welcome back to Gaming Shelf, io9's regular column all about the fantastic world of board games and tabletop roleplaying games—focusing on sci-fi and fantasy, of course. This time around we’ve got some exciting announcements in the worlds of Altered Carbon and Magic: The Gathering, as well as a Kickstarter for a story…Read more… Source: https://io9.gizmodo.com/altered-carbon-gets-an-rpg-frankenstein-has-an-heir-a-1833717831…