Respawn Entertainment has released a new trailer for Apex Legends ' latest season, Defiance. It showcases the game's newest character Maggie being dumped into the Apex Games.
The trailer is a ton of fun and leads directly on from a previous trailer from this week that had Maggie being captured . As part of her capture, she's being forced to participate in the Apex Games against her will. What's more, it's pretty clear the other Legends have an ax to grind.
The trailer is full of Apex's trademark carnage, as well as some fun character interactions that the series is well known for. You can watch the new trailer here:
Apex Legend's Defiance is going to be the game's 12th season of content, and it's set to go live on February 8, 2022, across all platforms. The game's 20th character, Maggie is the headlining act, but the trailer also seems to hint that Olympus is seeing a major rework.
In the trailer, the Battle Royale arena is seen plummeting from the sky, and several portals being set off causing disarray around the arena. While not confirmed, it seems like there is plenty of reason to believe Olympus will see a shake-up. This does also probably hint that this season won't bring a new map with it.
Who is Maggie?
Maggie has been floating around the Apex Legends universe for almost exactly a year now. She was introduced alongside Fuse in late January 2021 in Season 8. She played a part in his reveal trailers where it was revealed the two being thick as thieves (well, because they were) when they grew up on a planet called Salvo.
However, as their power grew, they drifted apart, and eventually, Fuse decided to join the Apex Games, which Maggie didn't take too well. This led to a tussle where a grenade was detonated and Fuse lost his arm.
In retaliation to Fuse joining the games, Maggie ended up attacking the arena celebrations that had civilians present. This resulted in her blowing up a massive ship which ended up crash-landing into King's Canyon.
Ironically that stunt has gotten her into the Apex Games herself as once she was captured, her punishment was to take part in the bloodsport she hates.
In terms of what to expect from Maggie in-game, we don't quite know yet. Respawn hasn't yet shown off her kit, so as of now, her abilities, as well as other additions to the game, such as a potential weapon, remain a mystery.
Whatever the case, it's clear that the other characters in Apex Legends have a grudge against Maggie for crashing the ship into King's Canyon. That is bound to create a ton of fun character interactions in the game.
DJI Mini 2 will soon get third-party apps for subject-tracking and more
Three of DJI's most popular drones, including the DJI Mini 2 , will soon be compatible with third-party apps, thanks to a big update to DJI's mobile SDK (Software Development Kit).
The Mobile SDK, which gives developers access to a drone's core functions, now supports the DJI Mini 2 , DJI Mini SE , and DJI Air 2S drones. This is currently only the case on Android, although a similar update to the iOS SDK should be en route.
The news means that popular apps like Litchi and Drone Harmony are now working on updates that will bring useful features like subject-tracking and advanced flight planning to the three drones.
Drone Harmony told us that its Android app update will land "at the end of January or beginning of February". And Litchi is working to a similar timescale, telling us that "we hope to release the update to public this month, if testing goes well which so far is promising".
When we asked Litchi about a timescale for iOS support, though, it warned us that the DJI SDK team had revealed iOS SDK support "is still being planned, with no specific release date". A Litchi spokesperson added that "unfortunately it is anyone's guess when it will be – in the past they always released both at the same time".
Still, while iPhone users have been strangely left out in the cold, the news is good for anyone who owns one of DJI's more affordable drones along with an Android phone. The older DJI Mavic Mini has long benefitted from third-party apps, and it's about time its newer siblings benefitted from the same features.
Analysis: A timely boost for the DJI Mini 2
One of the biggest missing features on the DJI Mini 2 is ActiveTrack subject-tracking, which allows more expensive DJI drones to continuously track a person or object.
The reason for its absence on the Mini 2 is because that drone lacks obstacle avoidance sensors, which can make using autonomous modes a little more tricky. But third-party apps like Litchi include 'track and follow' modes that are similar to ActiveTrack, along with other features like creating Waypoint routes for the drone to automatically fly through.
This means DJI's long-awaited Mobile SDK update is a pretty big deal for the Mini 2 in particular, along with the Mini SE, as it brings more advanced features that are usually only available on DJI's pricier drones.
It's a shame, and a little strange, that DJI hasn't yet updated its iOS SDK yet, but the new Android version suggests it's at least in the pipeline. And with rumors about a possible DJI Mini 3 still very thin on the ground, it makes the DJI Mini 2 – which we still rate as the best drone for beginners – an even more tempting proposition for anyone who's looking for their first drone.
Ed Sheeran and Green Day could appear in Warner's musical metaverse theme park
Warner Music Group is creating a music concert venue in the metaverse , teaming up with The Sandbox , a virtual world in which players can build and monetize their gaming experiences on the Ethereum blockchain.
Set to feature artists from its roster, Warner's virtual 'land' inside The Sandbox will be a "combination of musical theme park and concert venue", according to the company.
While Warner has yet to confirm which artists will be appearing in the virtual venue, its large and varied roster includes the likes of Ed Sheeran, Camilla Cabello, Dua Lipa, and Green Day – so some huge stars could appear as avatars in the metaverse.
The Sandbox has already seen some big artists play its virtual venues, with Snoop Dogg and Deadmau5 both teaming up with the platform as individuals, but this deal with Warner Music Group will be the biggest musical partnership so far.
There's no word yet on when the Warner venue will debut in The Sandbox, but players will have the chance to buy real estate next door – and you can expect these properties to reach very high prices. Last year, a virtual property next to Snoop Dogg's Sandbox estate was purchased for $450,000 (around £330,000).
Does the future of music lie in virtual concerts?
Virtual concerts – whether they're based in the metaverse or in games like Fortnite – emerged as a way for the live music industry to mitigate some of the losses it suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic.
And, just as video conferencing has become second nature to today's workers, virtual concerts are still going on as the world begins to open up again.
Rather than being a solution to a temporary problem, virtual concerts could be a huge money-maker for companies like Warner Music Group, especially now that virtual reality and gaming metaverses like The Sandbox are becoming accessible to a wider audience.
Facebook – now known as Meta – recently showed us its vision of the metaverse , which would use a mixture of virtual reality and augmented reality to combine the physical and digital worlds. The company's current products, like Instagram and Whatsapp, are so widely used that it's not hard to imagine the metaverse being opened up to those who aren't super tech-savvy.
If the metaverse opens up to an audience this wide, music companies would be foolish to not try to monetize virtual concerts – and, innovations in virtual reality means these concerts could be as lifelike, or as wacky, as they like.
Concerts based in virtual reality don't have the limitations of real-life concerts –there's nothing stopping you from flying around the stage or standing next to your favorite artist as they perform.
Virtual concerts don't, however, offer the grit or energy of a real-life performance – and we can't see Warner Music making more money from avatars of its artists than it does from real-world tours and shows.
But it's clear that the metaverse presents another revenue stream for artists, labels, and publishing groups, and we daresay that Warner will be the first in a glut of music companies eager to partner with virtual platforms like The Sandbox.