Twitter Removes 140-Character Limit From Direct Messages
Twitter has officially removed the 140-character limit from Direct Messages.
"If you’ve checked your Direct Messages today, you may have noticed that something’s missing: the limitation of 140 characters," the company revealed in a blog post. "You can now chat on (and on) in a single Direct Message, and likely still have some characters left over."
The announcement for such a change was made back in June, and was initially said to be coming in July, but Twitter has decided to implement the changes today, which expands the character limit from 140 to 10,000. The expansion marks "another big step towards making the private side of Twitter even more powerful and fun," but it will not alter the rest of the social platform - actual Tweets will still be limited to 140-characters.
Receive a Shiny Rayquaza in Pokemon ORAS
Nintendo is distributing a free Shiny Rayquaza for a limited time to Pokemon Omega Ruby Version and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire Version players.
The Shiny Rayquaza is available now until September 14 through Nintendo Network, thanks to the mystery gift option on the main menu of the handheld game. The powerful Pokemon already has the Dragon Ascent move, meaning the Shiny Rayquaza can Mega Evolve without a Mega Stone.
For more on the Nintendo 3DS game, be sure to check out IGN's review of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as well as the easter eggs we found in the handheld remakes.
Free Xbox One TV DVR Launch Territories Confirmed
Microsoft has confirmed Xbox One’s TV DVR feature will first launch in the US, Canada, and the UK, according to VG247.
DVR recording was first revealed at this year’s Gamescom. The functionality lets Xbox One users record TV shows in the background while playing games, or while you’re out.
Any recorded program can then be streamed to any device running Windows 10, or can be downloaded to it directly.
In terms of when it’ll be available, subscription-free DVR recording is due for release in 2016. If you’re wondering what extra kit you’ll be needing to take advantage of the new feature, the newly-announced Xbox One 2TB HDD is a good place to start. Following that, Podcast Unlocked has everything you need to know.
League of Legends Lag Fix Leaves Pro Unhappy
Riot Games is attempting to come up with a solution for lag in League of Legends in North America and pro players aren’t happy.
Last week, Riot revealed that North American game servers would be migrated from the West Coast to “a more centralized location” in Chicago, Illinois. The idea is connections would improve for the majority of League of Legends players.
According to Kotaku, the problem with this solution is the majority of professional League of Legends gamers live in or near the West Cast in order to be closer to the game’s servers. Closer proximity to the servers offers the players the best ping, or least amount of lag and moving the servers potentially alters the connections for West Coast players training in-game.
CBS Seems More Open to Supergirl/Arrow/Flash Crossovers
The question keeps coming up about whether Supergirl could crossover with Arrow and The Flash, despite airing on different networks. Given they share the same production company, Warner Bros., and several of the same producers – including Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg – and given the CW is co-owned by CBS, the belief is they might be more open to a crossover occurring than they might otherwise. Back in January, CBS president Nina Tassler seemed resistant to the idea, but this week at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour, sounded at least a bit more open to it.
What If SPECTRE Starred Roger Moore Instead?
While Daniel Craig is reprising his role as James Bond in SPECTRE, one person has wondered what the upcoming spy thriller would look like with classic 007 actor Roger Moore instead.
YouTuber user Mars VFX has created a new version of the SPECTRE trailer (seen below) that cuts in footage from Moore when he played Bond from 1973 to 1985. Moore's 007 is definitely a more light-hearted take on the character compared to Craig's portrayal, but this mash-up still works rather well.
For those unfamiliar, Moore played Bond in seven different films. He started his 007 duty in Live and Let Die, followed by The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, and A View to a Kill.
The Joker Is Only Coming Back Under One Condition
Batman writer Scott Snyder has revealed that he has plans for another Joker-centric Batman story, but not in the pages of the monthly Batman comic. If Snyder writes the Clown Prince of Crime again, he wants it to be in the form of a standalone story set outside current DC continuity.
In our recent interview with Snyder, he told us, "I have another Joker story, but it's kind of an out-of-continuity one. I feel like I've said so much with the character at this point. And I really love that character. Like I said, I'm doing one more, but I'm looking to do it out-of-continuity. So no, he's not coming back to fight Gordon. But you might get a glimpse of his future in a later issue somewhere."
App Store Update: August 12
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 – ($4.99)
From our Review of the PC Version (Published 11 Years Ago): The RollerCoaster Tycoon series holds a very special place in my heart. Not only was it my gateway game to the wonderful world of economic simulations (I'm serious) and the joy of strategy and planning they can bring, but it was also among the best of the genre for the simple fact that it had personality and involved something that I absolutely love. Roller coasters are a blast. They're fun to ride and they're fun to watch. It must be pretty nice for these real theme park owners to be able to sit back and watch people have fun in their park and empty their pockets while doing so. While the development team has changed from Chris Sawyer and co. to Frontier development, it's pretty obvious that the new team was pretty dedicated to keeping the feel and personality intact while wanting to move the series forward in a few areas.
IGN Presents the History of Awesome: 1989
Welcome back to IGN's History of Awesome - a year-long look back at all the coolest and most influential games, movies, TV shows, comic books, toys, and tech that have shaped pop culture, and shaped the lives of an entire generation. Up this week is 1989 - the year that brought us the Game Boy, SimCity, and Mega Man 2.
Catch up on IGN's History of Awesome:
Agent Reyes Returning to The X-Files
The X-Files continues to bring back familiar faces for next year's six-episode event series -- now with the addition of Annabeth Gish (Sons of Anarchy), who's set to return to her role as Agent Monica Reyes from the original series.
Annabeth Gish and Robert Patrick in The X-Files.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, next year's X-Files revival will be the first time we've seen Gish's Agent Reyes since the finale back in 2002. Gish was originally hired on the show as a recurring cast member in Season 8, and was promoted to series regular by the ninth (and final) season, where she co-starred alongside Gillian Anderson's Agent Scully and Robert Patrick's Agent Doggett.