‘Among Us VR’ delivers virtual backstabbing on November 10th

After a bit of a wait, Among Us VR is nearly ready. Innersloth, Schell Games and Robot Teddy have confirmed the virtual reality betrayal game will be available November 10th on Meta Quest 2 and Steam. There’s no mention of a PlayStation VR version in the announcement (we’ve asked Innersloth for comment), but this is still a big deal if you’re hoping for a fresh take on the game’s core concept.

As in the 2D version, Among Us VR asks crewmates to identify impostors before they kill the entire crew. However, the move to a first-person perspective shakes up gameplay. Impostors will now have an easier time sneaking around, and you can now use hand expressions when you accuse others or protest your innocence. If you’ve grown tired of plain Among Us, this might give you a reason to come back.

That “if” is important, of course. Among Usthrived in the early days of the pandemic, when it was one of the more entertaining ways to play and connect with your isolated friends. While it still has its audience, it’s not the cult phenomenon it was in 2020. With that said, this may be a good example of what VR gaming can do — you can socialize with your buddies while running for your virtual life.

Google is shutting down its Assistant-powered Driving Mode

After announcing it at I/O 2019, teasing it in 2020 and finally launching it officially last year, Google is shutting down the Assistant Driving Mode dashboard, 9to5Google reported. The feature gives users an Android Auto-lite experience on their smartphone while driving, and was effectively a replacement for the Android Auto smartphone app, which itself was killed last year.

Assistant Driving Mode shows a home screen-style page with Google Assistant up top, a music player and volume controls below that, and buttons to make a call or send a message. It can be accessed from the Assistant by saying “Hey Google, launch Driving Mode,” or pinned to your home screen.

Google is shutting down its Assistant-powered Driving Mode
Steve Dent/Engadget

If you’re confusing the Assistant Driving Mode with the Google Maps feature also called Driving Mode (above), that’s understandable. Rather than launching from Assistant or the home screen, though, the Google Maps version launches from a four-dot menu at bottom right when you start navigation. Once open, it shows a row of large icons for calls, messages, and media apps that are easy to see and access while driving. Weirdly, when you first launch that mode within Maps, it offers to pin the other Driving Mode to your home screen.

Google is shutting down Assistant Driving Mode because it noticed that most people were just using the Maps version, it told 9to5Google. However, folks may not have even known the Assistant version existed because of the naming confusion and similarity between the apps. Google should maybe clarify the situation around navigation and entertainment for folks who don’t have Android Auto built into their vehicles, because it’s pretty darn confusing. 

Twitter and Instagram lock Kanye West’s accounts after a weekend of antisemitic posts

Kanye West’s return to Twitter has been short-lived. Less than a day after Elon Musk welcomed him back to the platform, the rapper saw his account suspended for posting an antisemitic message. On late Saturday night, West, who goes by Ye now, said he w…

First ‘Super Mario Bros.’ movie trailer shows trouble in the Mushroom Kingdom

It’s finally clear just what the long-expected Super Mario Bros. movie will look like. Nintendo and Illumination have shared a teaser trailer (below) offering a peek at the computer animated blockbuster. The clip shows Bowser (played by Jack Black) terrorizing a penguin kingdom in his quest for an invincibility star. Not surprisingly, we know who will come to their rescue — Mario (Chris Pratt) makes an abrupt entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom, while his brother Luigi (Charlie Day) makes a cameo.

The movie also stars The Queen’s Gambit‘s Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, among other big names. Super Mario Bros. is expected to premiere April 7th, 2023.

If the teaser is anything to go by, the creators aren’t taking any chances. This appears to be a straightforward CG movie meant to appeal to a wide audience — you won’t have flashbacks to the odd 1993 live action film. With that said, the top-tier actors and lavish visuals might help it stand out if the iconic gaming franchise isn’t enough by itself.

Now TikTok is copying Instagram with ‘Photo Mode’

At this point, we’re all pretty used to seeing Instagram copy TikTok. Now, in a new twist, TikTok is copying Instagram with a new feature called “Photo Mode.” The update allows TikTok users to share multiple still photos in a post, along with captions …