Here's How to Watch the Fortnite World Cup Finals

If you didn’t know that Fortnite World Cup Finals was a thing, don’t worry because I didn’t either. But if you’re interested, Melissa Locker tells us how to watch it.

Over the course of three days this week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), the world’s most elite Fortnite players will be competing in front of a live audience at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Duos final is set for Saturday with 50 teams of two competing, while Sunday features the Solo competition, where 100 players will battle it out over the course of six matches, with points awarded for match placement and number of kills. Winners of the Solo and Duo finals will receive $3 million each.

New Game Pathless Challenges You With Puzzles

In the futuristic dark world of Pathless it is easy to get lost, will you find the way out? Watch, memorize, repeat. Is your memory as good as you think it is? Memorize the different paths and try to repeat them in the same order. You must repeat the sequence of steps precisely to succeed. Features: One-finger control, 140 unique levels with more to come, player records and ladder system, randomly generated endless gameplay. It’s a coo game that reminds me of Bop It and that Simon Says toy. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases).

Link Your YouTube Account to Fortnite for Fornite Drops

Epic Games is adding a new rewards system to Fortnite called Fortnite Drops. Link your Epic Games account and YouTube account to earn special rewards.

In order to get the special cosmetic rewards in Fortnite, you’ll need to watch 20 minutes of footage from specific YouTube Premier streams. There are going to be multiple times that you can accrue the needed 20 minutes of time watched, though if you want to get every single reward, you’ll have to watch 20 minutes from each individual stream.

Minecraft Earth Registration Now Open

Speaking of Minecraft, registration for Minecraft Earth is now open for those who have iOS 10 or later.

Alas, since it’s a closed Beta, registering doesn’t guarantee you access — but in its FAQ about the Beta, the team notes that they’re planning to open it up to “hundreds of thousands of players” eventually, so your odds of getting in probably aren’t too bad. You’ll need to be over the age of 18, have a device running iOS 10/Android 7 or newer, and a Microsoft or Xbox Live account to get registered.

The registration page is here.

Apple Texas Hold'Em App is Back for 10 Year Anniversary

In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the App Store, the Apple Texas Hold’em game is back. Apple Texas Hold’em Apple released its game in 2006 for the iPod and eventually the App Store. Now it’s back: Apple’s Texas Hold’em is back! To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the App Store, we’ve brought…

Pokémon Masters Coming to iOS Later This Summer

A new game called Pokémon Masters is heading to iOS this summer. On the island of Pasio, players will form teams of Trainers and their partner Pokémon and engage in 3-on-3 real-time battles.

Players can team up with duos such as Korrina & Lucario, Brendan & Treecko, Clair & Kingdra, and many more. With all sorts of Trainers on Pasio, there are sure to be some exciting and unexpected encounters in this new story. At launch, there will be 65 sync pairs to recruit in Pokémon Masters, with additional sync pairs to come following the game’s release.

Niantic Surprises Us: Harry Potter Wizards Unite Available NOW

Niantic has decided to surprise us. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is available to download now, with the original launch date being tomorrow, June 21. I’ve spent a couple of minutes playing and reached level 2. Certain aspects of the game are slow, like UI-wise, like when you level up. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is set in J.K. Rowling’s fictional universe where players help protect the wizarding world from exposure to muggles. Players will use their smartphones to capture magical creatures running loose, hunt potion ingredients, and use portkeys to travel to popular locations in the wizarding world. Download it hereApp Store: Free

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Launches July 21

Niantic announced that its upcoming augmented reality game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, will launch this Friday, June 21. In a press conference outside Universal Studio’s Wizarding World in Florida, Niantic said it would hold Wizards Unite events similar to its Pokémon GO Fests. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is set in J.K. Rowling’s fictional universe where players help protect the wizarding world from exposure to muggles. Players will use their smartphones to capture magical creatures running loose, hunt potion ingredients, and use portkeys to travel to popular locations in the wizarding world.

League of Legends Coming to iOS, Unlikely in 2019

Popular game League of Legends is coming to iOS and Android, but it’s unlikely it will appear in 2019.

One of the sources said Tencent and Riot have been working on a mobile version of “League of Legends” for more than a year, although a separate source said it was unlikely to be launched in 2019.

The sources declined to be identified as details of the project were confidential. A spokesman for Tencent declined to comment. Representatives for Riot did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

AR Game Minecraft Earth Launches This Summer

This summer Microsoft will be launching an augmented reality game called Minecraft Earth. And it wants to be bigger than Pokémon Go.

Microsoft says it will kick off a closed beta of Minecraft Earth this summer on iOS and Android. Naturally, there are going to be limited slots, and you’ll also have to be 18 or older to sign up. And while the plan is to get Minecraft Earth completely global, it’s going to start off with a gradual rollout in select locations. You can also expect it to support all the languages in the original game, at least.

I never got into Minecraft, but I look forward to trying this game out.

Valve’s Steam Link app is Available on iOS

Valve’s Steam Link is back on the App Store, this time maybe for good. The Android app launched in May 2018, but when Valve submitted it to the App Store, Apple rejected it, citing business conflicts. The Steam Link app brings desktop gaming to your iPhone or iPad. Just pair an MFI or Steam controller to your device, connect to a computer running Steam on the same local network, and start playing your existing Steam games. Requirements: iPhone or iPad using iOS 10 or higher Computer running Steam – Windows, Mac, or Linux. * iOS device must be on the same local network as the computer running Steam. For best performance: Connect your computer using Ethernet to your 5Ghz WiFi router Connect your iOS device to the 5GHz band of your WiFi network. * Keep your iOS device within a reasonable range of your router. App Store: Free

Apex Legends Coming to iPhone

Popular game Apex Legends is coming to iPhone. The Verge reported on EA Games announcing its desire to bring the game to mobile during its earnings call Tuesday.

According to EA, the Respawn-developed battle royale game is “easily the fastest-growing franchise we’ve ever had.” What might be surprising, though, is that EA said it’s looking to bring the game from PC and console to mobile platforms. “We are in advanced negotiations to bring Apex Legends to China and to mobile,” the company said during today’s call….There’s no word on when this might happen for Apex, nor what form the mobile iteration will take. But it appears that EA is trying hard to keep the game’s early momentum going. “We are hugely excited about the future of Apex Legends,” the company said today.

Apple Security Tool Unveiled at RSA Conference 2019

The RSA Conference is a series of computer security conferences. This year, security researcher Patrick Wardle announced a new tool for Macs called GamePlan.

…GamePlan, a tool that watches for potentially suspicious events on Macs and flags them for humans to investigate. The general concept sounds similar to other defense platforms, and it hooks into detection mechanisms—has a USB stick been inserted into a machine? has someone generated a screen capture? is a program accessing a webcam?—Apple already offers in macOS. But GamePlan, cleverly written with Apple’s GameplayKit framework, collects all of this data in a centralized stream and uses the videogame logic engine to process it.

I use a couple of Mr. Wardle’s security tools. I look forward to downloading GamePlan.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Will Bring Generation 8

Nintendo announced the arrival of Pokemon Sword and Shield that will come to the Nintendo Switch later this year. It brings with it the eighth generation of Pokemon. We saw a sneak peak of three starter Pokemon: Grookey, a chimp full of boundless curiosity; Scorbunny, a rabbit bursting with energy; and Sobble, a timid water lizard.

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be set in Galar, an expansive region with many environments—idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forests, and craggy, snow-covered mountains. The people and Pokémon live together in this region, and they’ve worked together to develop the industries here.

I recently bought a Switch and I’m currently playing Pokemon Let’s Go: Eevee. I haven’t kept up with the previous generations but I look forward to getting this game.

Civilization 6: Gathering Storm Won't Be Coming to iOS

In Polygon‘s review of Civilization 6: Gathering Storm, it sounds like the expansion pack won’t be coming to iOS. I find this incredibly sad because I love the game and I was looking forward to Gathering Storm. The iPad version also doesn’t include the Rise and Fall update which came out last year.

So I’m going to just say that if you’re looking for a better, more advanced, more complicated Civ 6, then Gathering Storm is just fine. But if you’re looking for value, if you don’t want to feel like you’re being gouged and punished for being a fan, I’m inclined to suggest you wait for a price cut.

Technobabylon is a Cyberpunk Game Full of Adventure

Technobabylon is a cyberpunk game that I recently came across. I haven’t played it yet but it’s downloading as I type, due to its large, 1.4GB file size. In the city of Newton, 2087, genetic engineering is the norm, the addictive Trance has replaced almost any need for human interaction, and an omnipresent AI named Central powers the city. CEL agents Charlie Regis and Max Lao are investigating a serial Mindjacker who is tapping into the neural wiring of seemingly ordinary citizens, stealing their knowledge and leaving them dead. An agoraphobic net addict named Latha Sesame might be the next target. But when Charlie’s past comes back to haunt him, he and his partner find themselves on opposite sides of the law, with Latha’s fate in the crossfire. App Store: US$4.99