News

Samsung might launch the Galaxy S9 in February

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It’s that time of the year again: Everyone’s guessing what next year will bring to the world of flagships.

Reports predict that you might not have to wait long for news from one of the world’s biggest phone makers, Samsung.

Usually, the Korean brand reveals their flagship phones for the year during an exclusive event in March. They then release them for retail in April.

Previous rumors said that next year’s Galaxy S9 might officially appear at the CES event in January. However, new reports push this back to late February with a release date in March. Despite moving the rumored launch forward, the new date is still earlier than the usual March timeline.

This also hints that Samsung is pushing for an iPhone X contender as soon as possible. Despite being the most expensive Apple phone to date, the iPhone X has been getting positive reviews, much to Samsung’s dismay. Given the reception, it’s natural that Samsung wants to compete as early as possible.

The Galaxy S9 is expected to offer minor updates to the S8, rather than overhauling its entire design. This follows Samsung’s usual pattern of launching unique designs with every even-numbered S phone and updating them with odd-numbered ones.

Regardless, the Galaxy S9 may use the latest Snapdragon 845 processor chip, which launched only earlier this month. The expected upgrade will, at the very least, put the S9 on 2018 phone wish lists.

Samsung has also recently patented some tech they’ve been developing behind the scenes including an under-screen fingerprint sensor and fully-curved display. Only time will tell if these features will have a cameo in the coming months.

SEE ALSO: Alleged Samsung Galaxy S9 case render shows up online

[irp posts=”24701″ name=”Alleged Samsung Galaxy S9 case render shows up online”]

Gaming

The Steam Controller literally screams when you throw it

Please throw it at padded surfaces only.

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We love harmless Easter eggs. Think of Chrome’s jumping dino or Android’s yearly quirk. It’s always fun when a device or app hides a special surprise for those in the know. Today, Valve is keeping the tradition alive by putting a screaming Easter egg in its new Steam Controller.

The first of its trio of new hardware, the Steam Controller converts the iconic layout of the Steam Deck into controller form. Besides offering an accessible controller, it also connects seamlessly to Steam, offering an easy doorway to plug and, literally, play.

Since it launched on May 4, users have already been playing around with their Steam Controllers. Presumably, this also includes a few rage moments that involve throwing the controller over a frustrating game.

If you threw your controller already, you might have heard an interesting surprise. As spotted by users online, the Steam Controller lets out a Wilhelm scream whenever it’s thrown.

For the unaware, the Wilhelm scream is the world’s most iconic scream. If you’ve watched a few movies, there’s a high chance that you’ve heard it before, as it’s often used as a background scream in many, many movies.

Notably, this has a cooldown of approximately one minute, so you can’t spam it over and over again. This also works on padded surfaces, so you don’t need to throw your controller at a hard wall. It’s just one of those nice Easter eggs that add a little spice to a favorite controller.

All that said, please don’t throw your Steam Controller at hard surfaces.

SEE ALSO: The Steam Controller is coming out on May 4

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Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Hexe leak reveals the return of a major character

Is Ezio Auditore coming back?

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Assassin’s Creed Nintendo

Undoubtedly, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is the most hype that the franchise has enjoyed in a while now. A lot of gamers are excited to replay one of the most prolific entries in the vast history-hopping series. But Black Flag isn’t the only entry getting some eyeballs. The mysterious Codename Hexe is also getting some love, and we might finally have some more information about the game, thanks to a new leak.

In 2022, Ubisoft teased Codename Hexe as a darker entry in the franchise. Four years later, the game is still shrouded in mystery. Today, a leaker (@xj0nathan on X) has shared some interesting details about the game.

For one, the game will reportedly be set during the Wurzburg Witch Trials in the 17th century, confirming earlier rumors that the setting would be dark one. Adding to that, Codename Hexe might have most of its gameplay in forest biomes, using a lot of trees to parkour around.

The return of an icon

Confirming rumors is just a tiny part of the leak. The more interesting bit is the alleged return of the franchise’s most beloved character: Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Ezio has not been seen in an Assassin’s Creed game in over a decade. His story concluded in Revelations (with a neat epilogue in a short film called Assassin’s Creed: Embers).

In Codename Hexe, the iconic assassin will reportedly return to mentor the game’s protagonist named Anika. Currently, it’s unclear how he appears in the game’s setting. Some rumors hint that Isu technology might be involved.

Finally, the leak concludes with a blurry photo. Unfortunately, Ubisoft has been taking down reposts of the photo, so we won’t include it here. The original leaker himself took it down as well. It can, however, be described as a female assassin trudging through a dark forest with creepy lights in the background. It doesn’t reveal a lot of details, but it’s substantial enough to warrant takedowns.

SEE ALSO: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9

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Apps

Instagram takes on Snapchat yet again with new Instants feature

Posts disappear after they’re viewed once.

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The popularity of Snapchat’s competitors is as fleeting as their disappearing messages. However, despite how volatile the market is, Instagram wants to try again with a new feature (and app) called Instants.

Pardon me if you’ve heard this premise before. Instants is a feature that lets users share disappearing photos. However, unlike the 24 hours allotted for Stories, Instants will disappear right after a friend views them, but they can still react and reply to them.

The idea of Instants is to trim the excess fat from what Instagram is these days. Instagram’s Adam Mosseri admits as much when he said users want as easier way to shoot content.

As such, users won’t have access to Instagram’s editing tools. They also can’t upload pre-shot content from their camera roll. Like its contemporaries like BeReal, the new Instants feature is about living in the moment and sharing exactly what users see.

Despite disappearing after a single view, Instants will be automatically archived, so they can be reuploaded as normal Stories later on.

It isn’t the Wild West, though. Even if it pares down all the extra features, Instants will still use the safety features available to all of Instagram. Users, especially young ones, can mute and block others’ Instants. Likewise, parents will have control over when and how their young children interact with the feature.

SEE ALSO: Instagram wants a feature that works like Discord

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