PureDiablo has a video from the IGN Fan Fest where Blizzard's Joe Shely announces dates for two beta testing weekends for Diablo IV. Those who pre-purchase the action/RPG sequel on any platform will get an Early Access weekend with the beta beginning on March 17th. Everyone else can get in on an Open Beta the next weekend, beginning on March 24th. There are no plans for a wipe between the two weekends, but all progression will be lost upon the launch of the full game. It is noted that unlike some betas that come a week before a game's launch, the schedule here will allow the developers to incorporate feedback into the final game before its arrival on June 6th. Here are excerpts where the Diablo IV Game Director outlines the schedule, and a bit on what the beta will show us:

Remember, of course, that the game itself is coming out on June 6th. And you're going to be able to play the beta on March 17th through March 19th, so that weekend, if you've preordered… Now everyone, everyone in the world will be able to play it on March 24th through March 26th, the following weekend.
…
And the beta itself, it's quite extensive, it's quite a significant look at the game. It is limited by that period of time, the servers will shut down at the end of that time. But there's no time-limit within the game. You can level all the way up to 25, which is quarter of the way to the level cap of 100 in the full game. You'll be able to play all the way through the Prologue. You'll be able to play through Act I, which takes place in Fractured Peaks, one of our five areas in the game. And you'll be able to play through all the campaign and side-quests that exist in that area. So there's quite a lot to check out.

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A free weekend is underway on Steam for Book of Demons, a cooperative deckbuilder for Windows and macOS. This is a hack-and-slash game where your cards are your weapons. You can check it out for free for the next two days, and if you want, it can be picked up at an 80% discount. Naturally progress from the sample will carry over if you do make the purchase. Here's a trailer with a look. Here's more:

Book of Demons is a Hack & Slash in which YOU decide the length of quests. Wield magic cards instead of weapons and slay the armies of darkness in the dungeons below the Old Cathedral. Save the terror-stricken Paperverse from the clutches of the Archdemon himself!

• Procedurally Generated Dungeons
• Roguelike Mode for fans of extreme challenge
• 70+ different types of monsters, with different traits and custom mechanics
• Xbox and Steam controller support
• Dungeons & Streamers - Twitch and Mixer integration
• Monthly and all-time Leaderboards, 200+ Achievements

Book of Demons is the first installment of Return 2 Games - a series of original mid-core titles, inspired by the early golden days of PC gaming.

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• Humble Bundle: We’re actively working to support the people of Türkiye and Syria with an all-for-charity bundle.

• "Mario" Goes Short As "Dungeons" Goes Long. Thanks Ant.

Official patches.

• Hogwarts Legacy Patch Notes - February 17, 2023.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: February 17, 2023.

• Hogwarts Legacy - Live the Unwritten Official Trailer.

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

• Firearms Expert Reacts To Half-Life Franchise Guns.
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Game - Dunkey. Thanks VideoSift.
• Hawkeye in Wii Sports Resort. Thanks Ant.
• 13 Ways To End Lousy PC Ports in 2023 - Improved Settings, Smoother Gameplay, Essential Features. Thanks Simon.

• Roblox Is Bringing Generative AI to Its Gaming Universe (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Slashdot.

• Keyboard enthusiasts seem to click over love of their custom devices.

• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2308.230215-2000). Thanks Console General.

• T-Mobile Home Internet Users Hit With Modem-Busting Update, Report Says. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Microsoft “lobotomized” AI-powered Bing Chat, and its fans aren’t happy.
• How a fake news site with AI-generated reporters fanned panic about East Palestine derailment. Thanks Acleacius.
• Official: Twitter will now charge for SMS two-factor authentication.
• Twitter's Two-Factor Authentication Change 'Doesn't Make Sense' (may require registration or subscription). As opposed to other recent changes.
• Is Your Smart Home Controlling You? Thanks RedEye9.

Thanks Max and Ant.

• International military AI summit ends with 60-state pledge. Thanks DSLReports.
• AI is dreaming up drugs that no one has ever seen. Now we've got to see if they work.
• 3D Printing With Rice Might Be Nice
• Shape-shifting robot melts itself to escape lab jail. Thanks brother19.
• How to install Windows 98 from USB CD-DVD Drive - Not supported but we found a way (video).
• Stable Clonezilla live 3.0.3-22 Released. Thanks Ant.
• Meta cranks Zuckerberg's yearly security budget to $14m. Thanks DSLReports.
• StreamFab v6.1.0.8. Thanks Console General.

Thanks Ant.

• GoDaddy: Hackers stole source code, installed malware in multi-year breach. Thanks DSLReports.
• New ‘MortalKombat’ ransomware targets systems in the U.S. Thanks DSLReports.
• Atlassian and Envoy briefly blame each other for data breach. Thanks Slashdot.

• Germany Raises Red Flags About Palantir’s Big Data Dragnet (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Andrew Tate threatens to sue one of his accusers for $300m.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Headset/Earbuds: Audeze Euclid review- planar magnetic in-ears tested for gaming and more - Eurogamer.net.
• Keyboard: ASUS ROG Azoth Wireless Gaming Keyboard M701 Review - MMORPG.com.
• Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro review- More than enough buttons, too much software - Ars Technica.
• Laptop: Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ABA7 review- Enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU - NotebookCheck.net Reviews.
• Monitor: ASRock Phantom Gaming PG34WQ15R3A 34-inch Ultrawide Monitor Review - TweakTown.
• Monitor: ASRock PG34WQ15R2B 34-inch Curved Gaming Monitor Review- Efficient With Balanced Performance at an Attractive Price - Tom's Hardware.
• Mouse: G-Wolves Hati-S Plus ACE Review - TechPowerUp.
• Router: Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro Review - PCMag.
• Router: I tested MSI’s first gaming router — and the RadiX AXE6600 is blazing fast - Tom's Guide.

I recently mentioned my disappointment that Hulu had cancelled Reboot. There was brief talk of this being picked up by another network, but that apparently is not happenening, and the show is officially dead. Credit to Johnny Knoxville for saying he does not think this is because the show was biting the hand that fed it: "I know we made a lot of fun of Hulu in the show, but I give the executives more credit than to cancel it for such a silly reason." Even more credit for the perspective that while the cancellation can be viewed as a failure, it doesn't mean the show's only season didn't succeed. “Of course I would’ve liked it to end differently, but I realize I’m a very lucky human being," he explains. "We made a great show, and it’ll be there for people to watch forever. That’s a pretty great thing." For sure.

Obituary: Kyle Jacobs, songwriter and husband of singer Kellie Pickler, dead at 49.

Rebootless Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Brunch Link

• The Terrifying Plushie Taking Over Gift Shops Everywhere.

Stories

• Letter sent in 1916 finally arrives at destination.
• Wedding dress recovered from 17th century shipwreck. Thanks Max.
• Florida waste facility fire has been burning for nearly a week, forcing schools to close and residents to stay inside. Not technically a dumpster.
• A recount could mean Japan has 7,000 more islands.

Science

• Goffin’s cockatoo named third species that carries toolsets around in preparation for future tasks. Thanks Max.

Media

• How Donna Summer Changed Pop Music Forever. Thanks VideoSift.
• What Earthworms Expect When They're Expecting - Deep Look. Includes explicit dirty sex. Thanks VideoSift.

Creature Features

• "She Thought They Had a Bond" - When Animals Fight Back #11 (NSFW). Thanks VideoSift.