The Official Website for Marvel Rivals has details on closed beta testing of this team-based superhero shooter, saying it will commence on PC and consoles on July 23rd (thanks Wccftech). The Windows version is on Steam, and the plan is to open registration there on July 20th. Word is the test will cover North America, Europe, and Asia. Word is: "Additional content, including events, tournaments, and live streams, will be unveiled in July. Following the positive response to our Extra Invite Codes event during the Alpha test, we have similar plans for this CBT, expanding access to Marvel Rivals to more players. Stay tuned for updates." Here's a rundown on what will be included:

Test Content

• Available Characters: Adam Warlock, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Groot, Hela, Hulk, Iron Man, Loki, Luna Snow, Magik, Magneto, Mantis, Namor, Peni Parker, Punisher, Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, Storm, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, and Venom.
• Available Maps: Yggsgard: Yggdrasill Path, Yggsgard: Royal Palace, Tokyo 2099: Shin-Shibuya, and Tokyo 2099: Spider-Islands.
• Game Modes: Convoy, Domination, and Convergence.

GameMill Entertainment announces The Karate Kid: Street Rumble, an action fighting game based on the enduring martial arts franchise. This will come to Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, and Switch on September 20th. An Official Announce Trailer shows off pixel art graphics and gameplay where you can spot some signature moves if you crane your neck. We could wax on for hours with puns, but that would make no sensei, so here's the official word on this Jaden Smith-free project:

Set in the iconic locations of the first three classic The Karate Kid movies, The Karate Kid: Street Rumble lets you step out of the dojo and into the streets of the 1980s San Fernando Valley and Okinawa. Battle waves of challenging enemies in this fast-paced, side-scrolling beat ’em up adventure, brought to life with colorful pixel-art visuals and chiptune music.

Play as Daniel LaRusso, Mr. Miyagi, Ali Mills, and Kumiko as you take on Johnny Lawrence, John Kreese, Terry Silver and others intent on establishing dominance over Miyagi-Do Karate forever. Master intense martial arts combat in frenetic brawls inspired by iconic arcade beat ’em ups.

Continue here to read the full story.

Blizzard explains how the new Warband account-wide progression system will work when it launches in World of Warcraft this month along with The War Within expansion for the MMORPG. This will include the end of the Paid Character Transfer Service between accounts. Want to know more about Warband? Well there was this time at warband camp:

With the arrival of The War Within, upon first logging into World of Warcraft, the Warband conversion process automatically enables many of the game's progression systems to be account-wide. Players will not need to log into each character individually for all progression, items, etc., to convert; however, there may be a short wait for the system to completely process your Warband the first time you log in. The Warband conversion process can take up to 20 minutes or longer, and depending on the amount of data being processed, there could be a login queue.

The new Warbands system is effective for all characters on a player's Battle.net account and the items, Collections, and progression they share. It's important to note that your Warband is limited to characters within a single region (for example, the Americas or Europe) but spans every realm, faction, and even subscription you may have within that region.

• Overwatch Game Director Aaron Keller: Hey all. Still working on the 6v6 Director's Take. It's uhhh... going to be pretty long.

• Here’s how much Valve pays its staff — and how few people it employs - The Verge.

• Ubisoft says it’s ‘actively working’ on Driver franchise projects - VGC. Live action series cancelled.

Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Fallout 4 just got driveable cars-vehicles with Havok physics - DSOGaming.
• This mod adds 15 new & unique quests to The Witcher 3 Next-Gen - DSOGaming.

• Vision Pro- As Apple headset reaches Europe, will VR ever hit the mainstream? - BBC.

• Once Human dev promises fixes for lag and crashing issues are imminent - PCGamesN.

• Concord's persistent deployables have players building makeshift forts out of healing pads, shields, and walls - PC Gamer.

• THE TRACKMANIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP HITS LONDON FOR ITS FINAL STAGE. Thanks Frans.

• Diablo III — Season 32- Ethereal Memory – Now Live.

• World of Warcraft — TWiW: The War Within Pre-Expansion, Season of Discovery Phase 4, and More.

• What’s the Difference Between Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads? - Electronic Frontier Foundation.

• The world's first Miss AI has been crowned - TechRadar.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Keyboard: Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Keyboard review - PC Gamer.
• Keyboard: Quick Look: Jelly Key Dragons of Eden Ethereal Runes Artisan Keycaps - TechPowerUp.
• Laptop: Schenker VIA 14 Pro (M24) review - Compact AMD subnotebook now with Ryzen 8000 and brighter display - NotebookCheck.net Review.
• Laptop: Surface Pro 11 review- A stunning achievement by Microsoft and Qualcomm, making it one of the best Windows PCs of 2024 - Windows Central.
• Mini PC: ASRock DeskMini X600 SFF PC - TweakTown.

Wow! Around the end of the NBA season I mentioned how much Knicks fans love Jalen Brunson. So how could a player who's yet to win a championship improve his already impressive standing? By signing a team-friendly contract extension sacrificing over $100M to allow the team greater flexibility in future signings. If the Knicks manage a title or two out of the process, this guy may well end up the most beloved player in team history.

Obituary: Dr. Ruth Westheimer, pioneering sex therapist, dies at 96. I once sat in front of her at a concert that I'm sure she saw none of.

Sacrificial Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Stories

• The gods must be angry: Mexico 'cancels' statue of Greek god Poseidon after dispute with local deity.
• To celebrate 50 years of D&D, Royal Mail is selling monster stamps you can keep in a mimic's mouth. Thanks Cutter.
• Constellation talking to Pennsylvania on Three Mile Island restart, sources say.

Science

• Study Shows One Drug Performs Better Than Ozempic For Weight Loss. Meth has 'em all beat.

Media

• Kid blows up smokestack with B&B Wrecking. Thanks VideoSift.

Creature Features

• Golden retriever goes from "ick!" to best buddies with sick kitten in day-to-day clip (video) - Boing Boing.
• 🐣🦆Duckling sees his world for the first time. Thanks RedEye9.