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The hottest game of 2017 might not show up on PlayStation 4 until mid-2018 — or later

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playerunknown's battlegrounds

The biggest game of 2017, "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" ("PUBG"), won't arrive on PlayStation 4 until some point in mid-to-late 2018.

That's according to a new report from Bloomberg, citing "people familiar with the matter" who say Microsoft is currently in talks with the game's creators to keep it exclusive to the Xbox One for longer than usual.

The standard terms of an exclusivity agreement tends to be three months, so extending that deal could mean six months or more in total — meaning that "PUBG" may not show up on the PlayStation 4, the most popular console in the world, until some point in mid-2018 or later. Notably, "PUBG" still isn't available on the Xbox One; it's scheduled to launch by the end of 2017 on the console, where it will be a "console exclusive" (the game is already available on PC). 

"PUBG" is still in production, yet it's already made nearly $400 million for Bluehole, the South Korean game company behind it. It's currently being sold in "Early Access" form, which means it's still being made but you can buy and play it right now. The game's only available on one platform (PC), and it's sold over 13 million copies at $30 apiece. It's beyond a breakout hit — it's the hottest game of 2017 by a longshot. 

The game is literally setting new records on the world's largest game platform, Steam, which over 200 million people regularly use:

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (Steam Stats, 10/17)

All of which is to say that console owners are clamoring for the game on their platform of choice — and many, many more people own the PlayStation 4 than the Xbox One. Over 60 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been sold, and estimates of Xbox One sales (which Microsoft no longer reports) put it at around half of what Sony's sold. 

Bluehole and Microsoft didn't respond to a request for comment on the extended exclusivity talks as of publishing.

With a new, more powerful Xbox One just about to launch in early November, it's no surprise that Microsoft's reportedly looking into extending exclusivity with the biggest game in the world right now — it's bad news for PlayStation 4 owners, no doubt, but potentially a major coup for Microsoft's ailing Xbox One.

SEE ALSO: Forget 'Call of Duty' — the hottest game of 2017 is an insane 100-player battle royale

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NOW WATCH: Everything you need to know about 'Battlegrounds' — an unfinished game that’s already made $60 million


Jason Aldean writes emotional tribute after the shooting at his Las Vegas concert: 'Something has changed in this country'

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jason aldean

Country star Jason Aldean described the shooting at his Las Vegas concert as "beyond horrific" on Monday, and he has now written a moving tribute about the tragedy.

Aldean was performing at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday night, when the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history took place. 

In an Instagram post with an image that reads, "Pray for Vegas," Aldean wrote an extended message recounting his emotions of the past day, and his desire for the US to "come together and stop the hate."

Read the full caption below: 

Over the last 24 hrs I have gone through lots of emotions. Scared, Anger, Heartache, Compassion and many others. I truely dont understand why a person would want to take the life of another. Something has changed in this country and in this world lately that is scary to see. This world is becoming the kind of place i am afraid to raise my children in. At the end of the day we arent Democrats or Republicans, Whites or Blacks, Men or Women. We are all humans and we are all Americans and its time to start acting like it and stand together as ONE! That is the only way we will ever get this Country to be better than it has ever been, but we have a long way to go and we have to start now. My heart aches for the Victims and their families of this Senseless act. I am so sorry for the hurt and pain everyone is feeling right now and there are no words i can say to to take that pain away. Just know u all are in my heart and my prayers as we all go through this together. Time to come together and stop the hate! 
#stopthehate #prayforlasvegas

A post shared by Jason Aldean (@jasonaldean) on

SEE ALSO: Rock legend Tom Petty dead at age 66

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NOW WATCH: 'We don't have to accept this as normal': Watch Mark Kelly and Gabby Gifford's powerful speech after the Las Vegas shooting

'Blade Runner 2049' is a stunning piece of sci-fi art, but don't compare it to the original

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Blade Runner 2049 Warner Bros

35 years ago, director Ridley Scott blessed us with a sci-fi movie that, to this day, is still one of the most beloved works in the genre.

“Blade Runner,” based on the Philip K. Dick novel, is a futuristic film noir starring Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, an officer in the LAPD who works a specific beat: tracking down rogue "replicants" (bioengineered androids who work as slaves on off-world colonies). On the streets, he’s called a “blade runner.” By the end of the movie, Deckard falls for an advanced replicant named Rachel (Sean Young), which causes him to become a fugitive as well.

Scott’s vision of a dreary Los Angeles in the future, mixed with the cinematography of Jordan Cronenweth, and the synthesized score of Vangelis, gave us a sci-fi movie that — five years after the release of “Star Wars: A New Hope” — was as technically advanced, but grittier than George Lucas’s Buck Rogers-inspired space opera. And story-wise, "Blade Runner" was more layered than Scott’s other sci-fi landmark, “Alien,” three years earlier.

So that’s the kind of greatness director Denis Villeneuve (“Sicario,” “Arrival”) was up against when he signed on to make a sequel to “Blade Runner.”

Blade Runner 2049 Warner Bros. 3“Blade Runner 2049,” opening in theaters on Friday, is a tremendous achievement by a director who is quickly becoming one of the handful of filmmakers who can bring an auteur vision to Hollywood blockbusters. But it’s extremely difficult to compare it to the original.

The movie opens with us being introduced to a new blade runner, K (Ryan Gosling). The year is 2049 and things have gotten even more complex in a decrepit Los Angeles. The replicants are more advanced, but there are still those older models running around unaccounted for, which K seeks out.

I don’t want to give too much away because you should really go in fresh to appreciate the movie, so here’s the bare-bones version: K discovers information in his latest case that leads him on an investigation that will redefine the replicants, and take him to the whereabouts of Deckard.

Gosling delivers another powerful performance by doing something that he’s quickly become the master of: minimalist acting. K, like Deckard, works alone. And though he wants desperately to have a relationship, all he has is a beautiful computer-generated woman (Ana de Armas) who greets him when he gets home every night. The inner turmoil of K’s life and profession is displayed by Gosling with looks and few words.

Now, for some actors this type of style could come off as lazy and uninspired — and put audiences in a snooze. But Gosling does it in a way that, when his character explodes with emotion or a fit of rage, it’s exhilarating to watch. If you loved Gosling in “Drive” (and tolerated him in “Only God Forgives”) then get ready to see the perfect chill Gosling performance.

What Gosling lacks in energy is made up for with an ear-drum busting score by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, along with lush cinematography by the great Roger Deakins.

Blade Runner 2049 4 Warner BrosWhile the first “Blade Runner” explores LA with mostly night shots and a handful of wide exteriors, Villeneuve (who previously worked with the legendary DP on “Prisoners” and “Sicario”) has Deakins go crazy in “2049.” Thanks to the technology since 1982, we see the world through epic vistas and rich colors. And in paying homage to Scott (who is a executive producer on the movie) a good amount of rain. Does Deakins deserve a long-awaited first Oscar for his work on the movie? Yeah! But I feel I’ve been saying that about almost every movie he’s done in my lifetime.

Don’t expect anything earth-shattering with the performance by Ford as Deckard. He shows up, does his Harrison Ford thing (like hit Ryan Gosling in the face … a lot), and gets the job done like a pro. Honestly, there wasn’t much more he could do in this movie.

There are a few head-scratching moments with the plot. Mackenzie Davis’ Mariette role is forgettable. I still have no clue what purpose she served in the story (which is sad, because Davis deserves better). And Jared Leto as the overseer of the replicants, Niander Wallace, is just a few scenes of some A+ scenery chewing. There are moments when it almost seemed Villeneuve was letting Leto go full Colonel Kurtz in “Apocalypse Now” with his performance, as Leto goes off on tangents and is shot in shadows.

I left watching “2049” feeling extremely satisfied. With a running time of over two and a half hours, you have the feeling that you went through an epic journey by the end. This is definitely an event movie. But I also felt that I saw something that was so distant from the original in story, style, and structure that it’s unfair to connect them.

Sure, there are moments that “Blade Runner” fans will fully appreciate, but I’m going to keep the original on high and celebrate “2049” for its own individual strengths.

SEE ALSO: 34 movies you have to see this fall — including "Justice League," "It," and "Blade Runner 2049"

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NOW WATCH: A Dungeons & Dragons master shows us how to play the classic game featured in 'Stranger Things'

This photo shows Harrison Ford accidentally punching Ryan Gosling in the face on the 'Blade Runner 2049' set

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As "Blade Runner 2049" draws nearly universal critical acclaim in advance of its release on Friday, the film's stars, Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling, have been talking about an infamous, accidental punch that occurred on its set. 

Gosling first described the "fight scene" punch to GQ in December. After Ford accidentally clocked Gosling in the face, Gosling said that the "2049" director Denis Villeneuve told him, "'Look at it this way — you just got hit by Indiana Jones.'"

Ford and Gosling have since discussed the punch on several late-night shows.

Ford recounted the punch on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" this week. "I threw 80 punches," he said. "Seventy-nine of them missed him, which is the way you're supposed to do it in a movie."

Later in the week, Ford and Gosling revealed the actual image of the punch on the "Graham Norton Show." 

"That's the face of, 'Oh sh-t, I'm in deep doodoo,'" Ford told Norton of the image.

Watch a segment of the interview below:

SEE ALSO: 34 movies you have to see this fall — including 'Justice League,' 'It,' and 'Blade Runner 2049'

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NOW WATCH: A Dungeons & Dragons master shows us how to play the classic game featured in 'Stranger Things'

Stephen Colbert implores Trump to pass gun-control legislation after Las Vegas shooting

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stephen colbert

Stephen Colbert made a direct plea to the president for stricter gun control in his opening monologue on "The Late Show" Monday night.

“This afternoon the president called [the Las Vegas mass shooting] an act of pure evil. And I think he’s right,” Colbert said. “So what then are we willing to do to combat pure evil?” Colbert asked.

Colbert expressed his sympathies to victims of the shooting that took place in Las Vegas Sunday night, which left 59 dead, and 527 people injured, before addressing Trump directly. 

Colbert asked Trump to consider a number of different approaches, such as universal background checks, denying mentally ill people from purchasing guns, reinstating the assault weapons ban, or anything else Trump deems to be a "better answer."

“Doing nothing is cowardice. Doing something will take courage,” Colbert said.

Colbert advised Trump to ignore the Republican party, saying that Trump owes it nothing, and that it never wanted him to be president in the first place. 

"Do something the last two presidents haven’t been able to do: Pass any kind of common sense gun legislation that the vast majority of Americans want,” Colbert said, addressing Trump.

Colbert concluded the segment by imploring Trump to consider the possibilities and make a change. "Think about what you need to do, and then pray for the courage to do it,” Colbert said.

You can watch Colbert's monologue here:

SEE ALSO: CBS exec fired after making insensitive remarks about Las Vegas shooting victims

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NOW WATCH: Jaleel White played Steve Urkel on 'Family Matters' for 9 years — here’s what he’s up to now

Jared Leto will play Hugh Hefner in an upcoming movie about the Playboy mogul

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Jared Leto will star as the late Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner in an upcoming biopic from director Brett Ratner, according to The Hollywood Reporter

Hefner died last week at the age of 91, but Ratner has reportedly been set on directing the project since 2007.

Ratner acquired the rights to the film in 2015, after its previous rightsholder, Jerry Weintraub of Warner Bros., passed away. 

Leto, who stars in the upcoming "Blade Runner 2049," will take on a role that THR writes was once meant for Robert Downey Jr. 

"Jared is an old friend," Ratner told THR. "When he heard I got the rights to Hef's story, he told me, 'I want to play him. I want to understand him.' And I really believe Jared can do it. He's one of the great actors of today."

The film is still in early development with Ratner's RatPac Entertainment.

SEE ALSO: Here's who will most likely inherit Hugh Hefner's millions

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NOW WATCH: Here's why people are afraid of clowns — and what you can do to get over it

Since moving from Britain, James Corden has been shocked by the scale of mass shootings in the US

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James Corden

Following Sunday night's mass shooting in Las Vegas, "Late Late Show" host James Corden used his opening monologue to address his unique perspective: as an immigrant in this country, the frequency of these tragedies is shocking to him.

And Corden said there's a huge reason why these shootings happen in the United States and not other developed countries, like his home of Britain. 

"Last night was the biggest mass shooting in United States history," Corden said. "That's a record that's been set twice in just the two and a half years that I've been living in America."

Corden claimed that easy access to guns in the US sets the country apart from nations like Britain, where mass shootings are rare and do not occur as often as they do in the US. 

“I come from a place where we don't have shootings at this frequency, so it’s hard for me to fathom. But it should be hard for everyone to fathom,” he said. “Gun violence should not be a staple of American life. Some say it's too early to talk about gun control. For those victims last night, it's far too late.”

Corden mentioned a quote he saw by Robert Kennedy that stuck with him: "Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live."

"Now is the time for gaining that wisdom," Corden said. "Somewhere, it has to stop. Maybe the time for the thoughts and prayers of congress members and the president have passed. We need to look to them to actually do something to prevent this from ever happening in the future." 

You can watch Corden's monologue below:

SEE ALSO: Miley Cyrus and Adam Sandler sung a moving tribute to Las Vegas victims on 'The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon'

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NOW WATCH: Scientists won the Nobel Prize for detecting gravitational waves — here's why that matters

Hugh Hefner's 31-year-old widow, Crystal Hefner, mourns her late husband: 'He saved my life'

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hugh and crystal hefner

31-year-old widow Crystal Hefner says she is "still in disbelief" after the loss of her husband, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who passed away at 91 on September 27.

"We laid him to rest Saturday. He is in the place he was always certain he wanted to spend eternity," she told US Weekly Monday.

Crystal Hefner expressed her love and gratitude to her husband who she called an "American hero," and a "pioneer." 

The pair tied the knot on New Year's Even in 2012. She was the media mogul's third wife.

"I felt how much he loved me. I loved him so much. I am so grateful," she said. She also said Hugh had given her "direction," and "saved" her life.

Hugh Hefner reportedly left Crystal 

Crystal Hefner thanked everyone for their condolences and said that she too is joining "the world in mourning" her late husband.

SEE ALSO: Everything we know about Hugh Hefner's 31-year-old widow, Crystal Hefner

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NOW WATCH: A Dungeons & Dragons master shows us how to play the classic game featured in 'Stranger Things'


Oscar voters held a rare members-only meeting to discuss the Netflix problem

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Oscars Christopher Polk Getty

Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held a members-only meeting for only the second time in its 90-year history — and one of the big reasons for the rare event was to discuss Netflix.

The success of the streaming giant's original content has already become a staple at the Emmys, and now Academy members are trying to figure out if they should allow more Netflix titles into the Academy Awards. Netflix has received Oscar nominations for its documentaries in the past, but never for its narrative originals.

According to Deadline, the 300 members who attended the meeting (the total number of members is around 8,500) spent a good deal of time discussing if a Netflix narrative title should be eligible for the Oscars if it only screens for the required one-week New York and Los Angeles theatrical run.

Netflix will likely have at least one title this year with a lot of Oscar buzz, Dee Rees' drama "Mudbound" (that begins streaming on Netflix, and presumably also in select theaters, on November 17).   

One Oscar member voiced in the meeting that allowing Netflix into the major categories could lead to "a cheapening of the the Oscar" — especially if a title won an Emmy and was Oscar eligible in the same year.

But frankly, it's hard to see the Academy shutting out Netflix if the company has a worthy title, and abides by the rules of releasing it theatrically for eligibility. 

Mudbound Steve Dietl Sundance InstituteNetflix has ruffled the feathers of the movie establishment for years now.

The trouble started in 2015, when Netflix released its first original movie, "Beasts of No Nation," simultaneously in theaters and on streaming. The major chains boycotted the movie because it did not respect the 90-day exclusive theatrical window.

Then, earlier this year, many in the industry were upset that Netflix titles were in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, as the titles would not get theatrical releases in France (the festival rules have since changed so only titles with intended theatrical releases in France can be eligible to be in competition). But seeing that many Academy members (especially the new crop of 700-or-so that just joined) are working or want to work with Netflix, it's hard to imagine the 300 people at this meeting spoke for the majority of the membership.

The biggest controversy is that Netflix is not playing by the rules like it's main competition, Amazon, and respecting the traditional theatrical window. This, for some Academy members, defines a real movie.

Amazon Studios, with its three Oscar wins earlier this year, has quickly been welcomed by the establishment because it acts like a traditional movie studio: theatrical release, followed by home video, and then streaming. Netflix has always wanted to disrupt the industry, and has done so by never doing a theatrical release before putting one of its original movies on streaming. 

Netflix has been able to get away with that style with documentaries like "The Square," "What Happened, Miss Simone?," and "13th," but when the heavily Oscar-buzzed "Beasts of No Nation" didn't get a single nomination, it was obvious the Hollywood establishment was only going to allow so much change. 

The Oscars already get a lot of heat for not recognizing enough of the movies in a year that are major box office performers (i.e., the movies general audiences went to see), so neglecting Netflix titles will only make the Academy look more elitist and out-of-touch. 

This debate will only build as we get closer to the 90th Academy Awards, which will take place March 4, 2018. 

SEE ALSO: "Blade Runner 2049" is a stunning piece of sci-fi art, but don't compare it to the original

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A CEO spent $6 million to close the gender pay gap at his company

Jim Carrey recounts the time Tommy Lee Jones told him 'I hate you'

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batman forever warner bros

Jim Carrey has been on a string of memorable interviews recently.

At New York Fashion week in mid-September, he told a reporter "there is no me," and that there's no meaning to anything in life. The remarks instantly went viral. A few weeks later at the Toronto International Film Festival the internet went crazy when he revealed how "Her" director Spike Jonze almost directed "Ace Venture: When Nature Calls." 

Now get ready for this one.

The legendary funny man has shown up on Norm Macdonald's podcast and revealed how much Tommy Lee Jones hated him while the two made "Batman Forever."

Jones revealed this to Carrey one evening in the middle of production, before the two had a major scene together. They happened to be at the same restaurant.

This is how Carrey told it:

"The maitre d' said, 'Oh, I hear you're working with Tommy Lee Jones. He's over in the corner having dinner.' I went over and I said, 'Hey Tommy, how are you doing?' and the blood just drained from his face. Like he had been thinking about me 24 hours a day. And he got up shaking  — he must have been in mid kill-me fantasy or something like that. And he went to hug me and he said, 'I hate you. I really don't like you.' And I said, 'What's the problem?' And pulled up a chair, which probably wasn't smart. And he said, 'I cannot sanction your buffoonery.'"

In the 1995 Batman movie directed by Joel Schumacher, the two played villains across then-Batman Val Kilmer. Carrey played the Riddler and Jones played Two-Face.

Macdonald told Carrey after hearing the story that he believes Jones acted that way because Carrey was at the height of his fame at that time, and Jones didn't like him getting all the attention. 

Carrey, who was on the podcast to promote his upcoming Netflix documentary, "Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - With a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton," had another theory.

"He might have been uncomfortable doing that work, too," Carey said. "That's not really his style of stuff."

Watch Carrey's appearance on Macdonald's podcast below. Carrey talking about Jones starts at the 1:08:27 mark:

SEE ALSO: "Blade Runner 2049" is a stunning piece of sci-fi art, but don't compare it to the original

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A Dungeons & Dragons master shows us how to play the classic game featured in 'Stranger Things'

Watch Tom Petty play an incredible set of hit songs in his final performance

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Rock legend Tom Petty died at age 66 on Monday after suffering cardiac arrest. 

Petty and his band, The Heartbreakers, had just concluded a 40th anniversary tour with a September 25 performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It was Petty's final concert. 

High-quality, fan-shot footage of the show is now available, as Consequence of Sound notes. 

In the concert, Petty and the Heartbreakers ran through an incredible, 18-song setlist that featured most of Petty's enduring hits, including "American Girl," "I Won't Back Down," and "Free Fallin.'"

Find the footage and full set-list below:

SEE ALSO: Musicians pay tribute to rock legend Tom Petty, dead at 66

"Mary Jane's Last Dance"

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"I Won't Back Down"

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"Free Fallin'"

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Microsoft is rescuing a beloved virtual reality social network from the brink of extinction (MSFT, FB, GOOG, GOOGL)

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bill nye altspace

Microsoft has announced the acquisition of AltspaceVR, the Silicon Valley startup behind a virtual reality social networking service of the same name. The deal will be announced at a Microsoft press event on Tuesday morning.

This news marks the likely finale of a dramatic few months for AltspaceVR — and gives Microsoft's Windows 10 its own virtual reality social networking service as it moves to compete with Google, Facebook, and others in the nascent market for virtual reality.

Originally founded in 2013, AltspaceVR raised $15 million from investors including GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Comcast Ventures. The service provided virtual reality meeting spaces for people to hang out, play games, and watch videos together. Celebrities like Reggie Watts and Bill Nye held virtual performances in AltspaceVR. 

The app is available for VR headsets including Facebook's Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and the HTC Vive, plus the web browsers. The company claimed 35,000 active users by the summer of 2017.

In July 2017, though, AltspaceVR suddenly announced it was closing its doors entirely after a funding deal fell through at the last second. Employees were laid off, and the service was slated to be shut down.

altspacevr

A month later, AltspaceVR got an unexpected stay of execution: The company said that it had received some help from "third parties," and was able to bring back a few employees and keep the virtual lights on. TechCrunch reported that Palmer Luckey, the controversial founder of Oculus, hinted at his involvement in the last-minute save.

At the time, AltspaceVR said it was "deep in discussions with others who are passionate about AltspaceVR who want to guarantee that our virtual oasis stays open." Now, with word of this Microsoft acquisition, it appears those discussions were successful. s

Now, Microsoft tells Business Insider that AltspaceVR will be sticking around, with no major changes in the immediate horizon. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A Microsoft representative says:k

AltspaceVR will stay AltspaceVR. Microsoft is most interested in preserving the current community that uses AltspaceVR to connect and interact with n9ew and old friends. These first few months will focus on fostering our community and making sure AltspaceVR remains a friendly, welcoming and vibrant place to hang out in virtual reality.  

Other announcements from the Microsoft event include a new Samsung virtual reality headset for Windows 10, called the Odyssey, as well as the availability of a new "Halo" game for virtual reality to be released as a free download in the Windows Store on October 17th. Additionally, pre-orders for the previously-announced lineup of Windows-powered virtual reality headsets from manufacturers including Acer, Asus, HP, and Dell are now open.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft's new partnership with Valve looks like a win-win

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Watch what happens when kids try virtual reality for the first time

17 jokes that only smart people will really appreciate

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There's a special glee that comes from getting a really nerdy joke.

You feel both smart and dorky at the same time.

Redditors took turns sharing their best intellectual jokes, and we've gathered our favorites here.

From chemistry to art to music, these are the jokes you can pull out at your next dinner party — if you want to hear a bemused groan from the crowd.

Time to test your knowledge, though don't worry, there's an explanation if you don't get it.

Here are 17 of the best jokes for smart people: 

Dylan Love contributed to an earlier version of this post.

SEE ALSO: With its $10-a-month service, MoviePass has changed my relationship to movie theaters

A photon is going through airport security. The TSA agent asks if he has any luggage. The photon says, "No, I'm traveling light."

It's funny because: "Traveling light" is a turn of phrase used to indicate traveling without much (or any) luggage. In science, a photon is a particle of light (almost always moving).

It's on this list because: Air travel!



Pretentious? Moi?

It's funny because: Only a pretentious person whose daily life doesn't require French would actually say "moi" and mean it.

It's in this list because: Clocking in at two words, it's the shortest joke in the English language.



A logician's wife is having a baby. The doctor immediately hands the newborn to the dad. The wife says, "Is it a boy or a girl?" The logician says, "Yes."

It's funny because: Processing that question through Boolean logic, "yes" is technically correct. How would you answer if the question were "Is it a boy AND a girl?"

It's on this list because: Logicians don't get enough love.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The Las Vegas gunman may have planned to attack Chance the Rapper and Lorde concert, report says

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Before committing the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas on Sunday night, Stephen Paddock may have had his eyes set on a different Las Vegas music festival, The Daily Beast reported.

A law-enforcement source told the outlet that Paddock had rented condos overlooking the Life Is Beautiful festival, which took place in Las Vegas in late September.

The annual festival was headlined this year by Chance the Rapper and Lorde.

On Thursday, days after the Life Is Beautiful festival, Paddock checked into a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Three days later, from a broken window in his room, he shot into a crowd of about 22,000 concertgoers during the performance of the Route 91 Harvest festival's headliner, Jason Aldean. Paddock's shooting spree left 59 people dead and more than 520 others injured.

Police recovered a total of 42 guns from Paddock's home and hotel room. His motive remains unclear.

SEE ALSO: The Las Vegas gunman used a legal device allowing him to fire 400 rounds a minute

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NOW WATCH: Here's why people are afraid of clowns — and what you can do to get over it

Disney confirms that it looked at buying Twitter last year but went with BAMTech instead (TWTR, DIS)

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Jack Dorsey and Bob Iger

Disney looked at acquiring Twitter last year but decided to buy video streaming firm BAMTech instead, CEO Bob Iger said onstage at Vanity Fair's New Establishment conference on Tuesday.

"We thought Twitter had global reach," Iger said, adding that Disney's interest wasn't "about social media" but rather "distribution" for Disney content.

Reports from last year said that Disney decided to back down because of rampant bullying and so-called troll activity on Twitter's platform, and Tuesday's comment from Iger marked Disney's first public confirmation that it looked at an acquisition.

It's been well known that Twitter held acquisition talks with multiple would-be suitors, including Salesforce and Disney, last October, all of which ended up losing interest in a deal.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently hinted that the company turned down an acquisition offer one year ago, but didn't specify who the offer was from.

Twitter failed to add any new users last quarter, and its stock is down roughly 25% from one year ago.

SEE ALSO: Twitter is doubling the length of tweets to 280 characters for some people

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NOW WATCH: Disney revealed what Star Wars Land will look like


5 numbers that demonstrate the meteoric rise of the $400 million game that's dominating 2017

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In six months, one game has already made nearly half a billion dollars — and the complete version isn't even out yet.

That game is the bizarrely named "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" ("PUBG"), a unique shooter game that pits 100 real players against each other on an abandoned island. As each match progresses, the game forces survivors into closer and closer quarters. Whoever survives — and there can only be one — is crowned the winner.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

There is no story, and no mode other than the one described above. It may sound like a bare-bones game, but the way each match plays out is what makes it so impressive.

Though "PUBG" itself has no real story, the insane tale of how it rose from obscurity to money-printing machine is fascinating.

Copies sold: Over 13 million

That's in just six months.

Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene launched "PUBG" on March 23, calling it a "very special day." But he released the game in what's called "Early Access," which meant that while consumers could buy and play it, it wasn't yet complete. 

Six months later, Bluehole, the South Korean game company Greene joined to make "PUBG," is still selling the "Early Access" version of the game. Bluehole has promised to release the completed version of the game by the end of 2017. But it hasn't yet announced a release date.

That "PUBG" is still incomplete hasn't seemed to affect its sales. Bluehole had topped the 13 million figure by the end of September. 



Current (as in earlier today) player count: 1.3 million

That's just a snapshot from the middle of the day on Tuesday. At one point in the past 48 hours, over 1.6 million people were playing "PUBG" at once. That's an absurdly high number for any game, including widely popular ones such as "Minecraft" and "League of Legends."

"PUBG" is so popular that it has become the most actively played game on Steam, which is a big deal, considering that the Valve-owned PC gaming service is huge, with more than 200 million users and thousands of available games. It's even set an all-time record on Steam for the most concurrent users on the system. 

In fact, "PUBG" is the first game ever to beat out Valve's own Steam games, which include "DOTA 2" and "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive," in terms of users playing at the same time.



Approximate revenue: $390 million

We don't know the exact amount that "PUBG" has made so far, but we do know that Bluehole has sold more than 13 million copies. At $30 apiece, that's at least $390 million gross revenue in just six months — a ton of money to make on a game that isn't even finished.

And that's just a rough guestimate. That figure doesn't include the money the company's made by selling in-game items.

To be sure, that's sales, not profit. It doesn't take into account Bluehole's costs, including the commission it pays Valve — which is typically around 30% for most games — or what it's spending to run its studio and continue developing the game.

Still, that's a ton of money to make on a game that was built by a relatively small team (fewer than 100 people), in a relatively short time (about 18 months).



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A drug-resistant E. coli contributed to Hugh Hefner's death — and it's part of a terrifying global epidemic

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hugh hefner sailor cap

Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner died last Wednesday at age 91 of two main causes — cardiac arrest (a sudden stopping of the heart) and a bacterial infection.

The infection was triggered by E. coli, a common bacteria that is often survivable in adults but can cause complications in older people and young children, according to a Los Angeles Health Department death certificate obtained on Tuesday by TMZ and reported by the Los Angeles Times. Hefner's infection — which lasted six days — failed to respond to antibiotics; the certificate listed it as "highly resistant" to the drugs.

This is part of a growing problem. After years of antibiotic abuse in people and animals — with doctors practically doling them out like candy and farmers stirring them into animal feed — antibiotics have virtually stopped working. In January, a woman died after a raging infection she had failed to respond to 26 different kinds of antibiotics. The bacteria have outsmarted us, and they’re stronger than ever.

Most people are exposed to E. coli in contaminated food or water. Raw vegetables and undercooked ground beef are two of the most common sources. Typically, the infection only lasts about a week, but in older people and young children, the infection can go on to cause a life-threatening form of kidney failure.

It's unclear whether or not Hefner suffered from any kidney issues. None are listed on his death certificate. Another cause of death that is listed, however, is septicemia — a severe and sometimes deadly complication that results from a severe infection. As part of the body's attempt to fight an infection, it unleashes inflammation. But this reaction can go into overdrive, triggering swelling throughout the body and sometimes causing multiple organs to fail.

PLAYBOY HUGH HEFNER 1Hefner was born on April 9, 1926 and founded Playboy magazine in 1953.

"I'm never going to grow up," Hefner said in a CNN interview when he was 82. "Staying young is what it is all about for me. Holding on to the boy and long ago I decided that age really didn't matter and as long as the ladies ... feel the same way, that's fine with me."

SEE ALSO: A growing threat could kill 10 million people by 2050, but one company thinks it can stop it

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NOW WATCH: Animated map shows what would happen to Asia if all the Earth's ice melted

RANKED: Netflix's 5 original animated series for adults, from worst to best

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bojack horseman

For the most part, Netflix has won over critics with its innovative approach to adult animation. 

Since the premiere of "BoJack Horseman" in 2014 — which is CEO Reed Hastings' favorite Netflix show— the streaming service has released four other original animated shows that deal in mature themes.

Its latest, comedian Nick Kroll's series "Big Mouth," came out on Friday.

To find out which of these five shows critics liked the most, we turned to reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Here are Netflix's five original adult animated shows, ranked from worst to best, according to critics:

 

SEE ALSO: RANKED: Netflix's 5 original Marvel superhero shows, from worst to best

5. "Neo Yokio" — 33%

Critic score: 33%

Audience score: 52%

Netflix description: "Joined by his faithful mecha-butler, Kaz Kaan pursues love, fashion and supernatural forces amid Neo Yokio's sinister high society."



4. "F is for Family" — 81%

Critic score: 81%

Audience score: 90%

Netflix description: "Follow the Murphy family back to the 1970s, when kids roamed wild, beer flowed freely and nothing came between a man and his TV."



3. "Castlevania" — 85%

Critic score: 85%

Audience score: 89%

Netflix description: "A vampire hunter fights to save a besieged city from an army of otherworldly beasts controlled by Dracula himself. Inspired by the classic video games."



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Kate Winslet will star in 'Avatar' film series, reuniting with 'Titanic' director James Cameron after 20 years

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Two decades after working with director James Cameron on the box-office smash "Titanic," Kate Winslet is now joining Cameron's series of "Avatar" sequels in a starring role, Deadline reports. 

"Kate and I have been looking for something to do together for 20 years, since our collaboration on 'Titanic,' which was one of the most rewarding of my career," Cameron told the outlet. "I can't wait to see her bring the character of Ronal to life."

In the meantime, Winslet stars alongside Idris Elba in "The Mountain Between Us," which opens Friday. 

She also stars alongside Justin Timberlake and Juno Temple in Woody Allen's upcoming movie, "Wonder Wheel," which opens November 30. 

Production for the four "Avatar" sequels began in late September, with a reported production budget of over $1 billion, making it the most expensive film series in history. The first "Avatar," released in 2009, is the highest-grossing worldwide release of all time with $2.7 billion

20th Century Fox plans to release the first "Avatar" sequel on December 18, 2020, while the next movie is to be released a year later. The last two are slated for December 2024 and 2025.

SEE ALSO: 8 years after the original, the 'Avatar' sequels have finally begun production on a $1 billion budget

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NOW WATCH: We played the highly-anticipated new Super Mario game and were blown away

Every HBO show ranked from worst to best, according to critics

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Curb your Enthusiasm Larry David

HBO has brought us some of the greatest TV shows of all time — like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Wire," and "Game of Thrones" — throughout its history of original programming, which started in the early '80s.

But which HBO shows are the best?

We ranked its shows according to their ratings on Metacritic, which aggregates critic reviews and assigns each season of a show a score.

For shows with multiple seasons, we averaged their scores. And to break ties, we brought in the audience score.

The list is competitive. But like any other television network, HBO has released some stinkers in its lifetime.

Does your favorite HBO show top the list?

Here's how HBO's shows rank, from worst to best, according to critics on Metacritic.

(Note: We left off animated, children's, documentary/reality, and foreign programming, as well as miniseries, with a few notable exceptions.)

SEE ALSO: This is one of the worst fall TV seasons in years — but here are the 18 shows worth watching

72. "Ja'mie: Private School Girl" (2013), one season

Metacritic score: 40

"It's a painfully obvious shtick, so camp and arch it's impossible to enjoy the joke." — TV Guide



71. "Real Time with Bill Maher" (2003-present), 15 seasons

Average Metacritic score: 43

"Why would HBO, cable's most innovative network ... think it's a good idea to let Bill Maher bring the skeleton of his canceled ABC show, 'Politically Incorrect,' and stuff it into the tattered corpse of 'Dennis Miller Live'?" — Entertainment Weekly



70. "Lucky Louie" (2006), one season

Metacritic score: 47

"A show so vile, it makes you think the company's arrogant It's Not TV — It's HBO slogan isn't a brag — it's a threat." — USA Today



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