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Spotify is getting into gameplay kind of through a partnership with EA Sports. The music streaming platform has teamed up with the sports video game maker to give users integrated streaming access while playing EA Sports FC 25. This partnership should allow players on the PS5 and Xbox Series X or S to access Spotify music, podcasts and audiobooks. The only catch? It's currently a pilot program and only available to users in Australia and Saudi Arabia. Oh and it's exclusive to Spotify Premium subscribers. Applicable players will see a new Spotify tab in the main menu section and can log into their accounts there. They can then access Spotify from the set-up or pause menus so they will have to interrupt gameplay to choose a song. The latter is also where gamers can skip or pick a new track. These tracks will show up as a small icon at the top of the screen. Players can opt out of the game's default audio in favor of their Spotify playlist. However, Spotify cautions that "certain music" won't be available right now. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-lets-ea-sports-fc-players-stream-music-during-gameplay-140733183.html?src=rss
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The free story DLC for Sea of Stars, the excellent Chrono Trigger-inspired indie RPG, will be available to download starting May 20. You might fear that a free expansion is going to be light on content, but the new Throes of the Watchmaker quest clocks in at eight hours. Its a substantial add-on for those who have rolled credits on the main campaign, which youll need to do before the quest unlocks. The DLC reunites the main games protagonists Zale and Valere, who journey into a miniature clockwork world designed by the titular Watchmaker. His magical invention is threatened by an ominous cursed carnival, and its up to the now experienced Solstice Warriors to save the day. As well as a brand new area to explore, the expansion introduces a new playable character in Artificer, a laser-wielding robotic sharpshooter who joins the party on their quest to save the land of Horloge. And to really drive home the circus theme of the piece, Zale swaps his sword for juggling balls, while Valere becomes an acrobat. There are new combat abilities and combos to master for each character, tied together by a progression loop that is separate from the main game. Sea of Stars composer Eric W. Brown returns for the DLC with an all-new score that includes additional original songs from co-composer Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger fame. Sea of Stars made a huge splash when it arrived back in August 2023. Heavily inspired by SNES-era RPGs, it cleverly takes the best bits of the genre gorgeous pixel art, a proper overworld map, memorable music while doing away with the more controversial 90s tropes, like grinding and random battles. The turn-based combat system incorporates Mario & Luigi-style timed button inputs, and allows you to reduce the damage received from incoming attacks by breaking locks with specific attacks of your own. Throes of the Watchmaker is the second Sea of Stars DLC add-on, following the (also free) Dawn of Equinox update, which added local co-op and combat refinements. The full game is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, and costs $35.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-upcoming-sea-of-stars-expansion-throes-of-the-watchmaker-arrives-on-may-20-140025090.html?src=rss
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US automakers will get some relief from US President Donald Trump's tariffs, according to a new White House fact sheet. Prior to his new executive order, manufacturers had to pay a 25 percent tariff on any parts used in any US-assembled vehicles. Now, they'll be able to deduct up to an amount equal to 3.75 percent of the price of a new US made car until April 30, 2026, and 2.5 percent until April 30, 2027. In addition, automakers will only be required to pay tariffs on steel or auto parts (not both as before), depending on which is higher. The new rules reportedly came at the request of manufacturers, who said they need time to move parts production to the US. "We just wanted to help them during this little transition, short term. We didnt want to penalize them," Trump told reporters. The 3.75 percent figures was reached by multiplying 15 percent of imported parts that make up a vehicle's sale price by the current 25 percent import tax. So if a $40,000 car had $6,000 or 15 percent of imported parts, the manufacturer would effectively pay no tariffs, but any higher percentage of foreign parts would result in some tariff being paid. The White House said the rebates wouldn't cost taxpayers anything since they'd come out of tariffs collected. The White House pointed out that the US trade deficit on auto parts was $93.5 billion in 2024. A large chunk of those ($19.5 billion worth) came from Canada, and large numbers of US vehicles are also built in that country. However, the reason that US automakers manufacture cars and car parts in Canada is because it's cheaper, largely because of the high cost of employee healthcare in the US. So, even if automakers manufacture more parts in the US, car prices are still likely to go up. The average price for a new vehicle in the US was $47,462 last month, according to The Associated Press. One noted analyst predicted that the original 25 percent tariffs could add $4,711 to the cost of a vehicle, while also boosting the cost of ownership and maintenance. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/trump-temporarily-eases-car-tariffs-following-automaker-complaints-130011086.html?src=rss
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