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Bethesda's Head of Publishing, Pete Hines, has hit back at World of Warcraft designer Mark Kern after Kern said Starfield's start screen suggests it "either shows hasty shipping deadlines by a passionate team overworked, or a team that didn't care".

"The physiognomy of start screens. The start screen of a game can reveal a lot about how rushed the team was and how much pride they took in their work," Kern tweeted. 

"Starfield's start screen either shows hasty shipping deadlines by a passionate team overworked, or a team that didn't care.

"Start screen [sic] are often done at the very end of development," they added in a follow-up tweet. "Teams are too busy making the core game. It's quite common for the start screen to completely change once the game is shipping or on patch 0.

"Teams that take pride want to put a good face forward and will often redo these just prior to game going live," Kern concluded.

Or they designed what they wanted and that’s been our menu for years and was one of the first things we settled on. Having an opinion is one thing. Questioning out a developer’s “care” because you would have done it different is highly unprofessional coming from another “dev”August 20, 2023

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After a commenter alerted them to Kern's tweets, Hines responded in kind earlier today, saying: "Or [the development team] designed what they wanted and that’s been our menu for years and was one of the first things we settled on. 

"Having an opinion is one thing. Questioning out a developer’s 'care' because you would have done it different is highly unprofessional coming from another 'dev'."

Kern bit back earlier today with a snide comment about Fallout 76 and Redfall. 

There's no point asking any of the developers making Starfield for sneaky info about the highly-anticipated action RPG – according to Bethesda Game Studio's studio design director, Bethesda boss Todd Howard is the only person "authorized" to give away "unreleased game information".

What we do know, however, is that the sci-fi game recently went gold, and you can preload Starfield right now on Xbox Series X|S and PC (though Steam players will need to wait until August 30) if you've pre-ordered the game, or are planning on downloading it from the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

You may have to free up some space beforehand, though – Starfield will take up a sizeable 100.19GB on Xbox Series X|S for Standard Edition players and 117.07GB for those rocking the Premium Edition. PC and Steam users have it worse still, with Bethesda's spacefaring RPG taking up an eye-watering 139.84GB.

Want to go all-in on Starfield hardware for your Xbox before the game launches? Here's where you can buy the Starfield Xbox Wireless Controller, as well as where to buy the Starfield Xbox Wireless Headset.

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One of Call of Duty's longest-serving and best-known developers, David Vonderhaar, is leaving Treyarch and Activision for new pastures.

Whilst he stopped short of revealing what studio or game had tempted them away – Vonderhaar could only say that they were staying in the games industry, "working on an undisclosed project they can't discuss yet" – the developer thanked both their colleagues and the community for their support over the last 18 years. 

"Today I am sharing that I have left Activision and Treyarch after an incredible 18 years and 8 Call of Duty games," Vonderhaar said via their LinkedIn profile.

"To my co-workers at Treyarch, I am immensely grateful for the time we invested working to improve our craft, never sitting on successes, and always wondering how to improve what we design and how we produce it."

As for the community? Vondehaar thanked players for their "passion and enthusiasm". 

"That energy has often fueled our determination as a studio and individuals," Vonderhaar added. "I will always be grateful for the opportunity to interact with so many of you directly online and in person. This energy will always be a massive part of me."

Vonderhaar finished by saying that they were moving on to work on "a rare and unique opportunity".

Earlier this week, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023) was finally fully unveiled, with a trailer giving fans their first glimpse of the FPS in action. A November 10 release date was also confirmed, which means we have just three short months to wait.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Modern Warfare 3 (2023) is a direct sequel to Modern Warfare 2 (2022), with the former's campaign picking up exactly when its predecessor's left off. New to Modern Warfare 3 (2023) is the addition of ‘open combat missions’, which will face players with a number of choices regarding how they approach certain story quests. 

As suspected, it also features all 16 launch maps from the original Modern Warfare 2 (2009), although each one has been modernized with new modes to get stuck into, such as the competitive 3v3v3 mode, Cutthroat. Expect over 12 totally fresh 6v6 arenas will be introduced in post-launch seasons, too.

Will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 make our list of the best shooters on PC and the best FPS games?

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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off. 

Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I'm still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it's good fun, but also difficult.

What's more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently. 

But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for this game too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #573 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #573) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #573) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 6.

Quordle today (game #573) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #573) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 16.

Quordle today (game #573) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #573) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #573) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• W

• P

• F

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #573) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #573, are…

• WIMPY
• PLUNK
• FORAY
• SHAKE

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Daily Sequence today (game #573) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #573, are…

• ZESTY
• BREAK
• STALK
• GUEST

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #572, Saturday 19 August: STIFF, QUOTH, MUCKY, WEDGE
• Quordle #571, Friday 18 August: EXPEL, ROGUE, PATCH, MINTY
• Quordle #570, Thursday 17 August: OLDEN, HASTY, ADULT, OLIVE
• Quordle #569, Wednesday 16 August: BOOST, QUARK, ADULT, ANGST
• Quordle #568, Tuesday 15 August: IONIC, DAUNT, BRIBE, NORTH
• Quordle #567, Monday 14 August: CARGO, PATTY, BARGE, MELON
• Quordle #566, Sunday 13 August: SAUCE, DEIGN, HARDY, FLUNG
• Quordle #565, Saturday 12 August: APRON, STALE, GUILT, PARTY
• Quordle #564, Friday 11 August: REPEL, MANOR, MONEY, ZESTY
• Quordle #563, Thursday 10 August: OVERT, RALLY, SENSE, ATOLL
• Quordle #562, Wednesday 9 August: FEAST, APING, LIMIT, GIRTH
• Quordle #561, Tuesday 8 August: CREPE, CADDY, DRIER, TANGO
• Quordle #560, Monday 7 August: SMITE, GRIND, CRAWL, FIBRE
• Quordle #559, Sunday 6 August: QUASH, MOULT, STALK, EDICT
• Quordle #558, Saturday 5 August: SPASM, TRAWL, LEVER, BIRTH
• Quordle #557, Friday 4 August: SHAKY, OWING, HOMER, PICKY
• Quordle #556, Thursday 3 August: BIGOT, AMPLE, LAUGH, EASEL
• Quordle #555, Wednesday 2 August: SLUMP, FLUTE, RUMBA, REACH
• Quordle #554, Tuesday 1 August: ANNOY, TAPER, TRIAL, HOUSE
• Quordle #553, Monday 31 July: SQUAT, CHOSE, SNORT, THERE

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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Specifications for the Pixel Watch 2 have recently surfaced in what may be the most credible leak for the wearable to date.

This information comes from 9to5Google which unearthed it from the “Google Play Console device catalog”, an official resource for Android developers. The specs sheet reveals what appears to be the Pixel Watch 2, under its codename “Eos”, and that it will come equipped with the Qualcomm SW5100. That chip identification is believed to be a reference to the base model of the Snapdragon W5 SoC (system on a chip). 

A Snapdragon W5 Plus does exist and can be found on the TicWatch Pro 5. The difference is the Plus version comes with a second “co-processor”. You may think the Pixel Watch 2 will, based on this difference, won't perform as well as the TicWatch Pro 5. However, an Android Authority report from early August suggests Google’s new wearable will indeed have a second processor. Instead of a third-party component, the company will use a "custom co-processor... similar to the first-generation Pixel Watch."

Better performance

Assuming this is true, we do question the decision to use the base W5 silicon as opposed to the more energy-efficient Snapdragon W5 Plus. In fact, Qualcomm claims this chipset could “double the battery life” of a smartwatch. Having the regular Snapdragon W5 will almost certainly result in a shorter battery life.

Why might Google do this? It could be a matter of finding the right balance between wearable price and the probably higher cost of more energy-efficient components.

Continuing with the leaked specs sheet, Android 13 will come pre-installed on the smartwatch. 9to5Google is taking this reveal as confirmation the Pixel Watch 2 “will launch [sporting] Wear OS 4.” They go on to claim there’s evidence the device will have the “new ‘Backup’ feature… one of the key upgrades of Wear OS 4.” Backup, as the name suggests, would give users a way to save their data and then securely transfer everything “from an old watch to [a] new one.” 

Staying the same

Compared to the two aspects we just covered, the rest of the leak is relatively minor. The screen on the Pixel Watch 2 is said to have a resolution of 384 x 384 pixels with a screen density of 320 ppi (pixels per inch) – just like the first Pixel Watch. The RAM is even staying the same at 2GB. As you can see, not everything is getting an upgrade.

We should mention the Google Play Console listing has a picture some online reports have said is the Pixel Watch 2. It’s actually a placeholder image of the original Pixel Watch. In fact, you can head over to the official Pixel Watch page on Google’s website and find the exact photograph there.

As with any leak, take this information with a grain of salt. Or maybe not. Considering all this is coming from an official source, there could be more truth in it than we realize.

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WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging and voice/video applications in the world, announced that it's rolling out the option to send photos in HD quality. And according to Meta, videos will receive the same treatment later down the line.

According to the announcement made through Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s broadcast channel on Instagram, “Sharing photos on WhatsApp just got an upgrade. Now you can send in HD.” The new feature will be rolled out worldwide over the next several weeks, with the option to send HD photos on Android, iOS, or the desktop version. Recipients will know it’s HD by the icon highlighted at the top of the screen.

(Image credit: WABetaInfo)

Photos from WABetaInfo (seen above) back when this feature was still in beta show how the formatting will look after it officially rolls out. When tapping the HD icon, two resolution options will appear: standard quality (1600 x 1052) and HD quality (4096 x 2692). And the HD images will still have the end-to-end encryption that WhatsApp is known for.

Recipients can choose between keeping standard quality photos or upgrading to HD quality, which is a relief for those on slower connections. And for those worried about storage space issues that could arise from too many HD photos sent, standard quality will remain the default for senders.

WhatsApp’s HD upgrade is late but still great 

It’s almost shocking that with all the WhatsApp quality of life changes and updates  over the years, the option to send photos and eventually videos in HD is only coming to users now. Sending high-quality photos seems to be such a no-brainer in terms of enhancements, but it’s better late than never.

And this isn’t the first time that a company looked over such an obvious and oft-requested feature either. Back in April 2023, Discord announced that it would be raising the upload limit from 8MB to 25MB, which was in response to images and file sizes becoming larger over time.

And unlike many other applications, WhatsApp is a completely free-to-use service with zero paywalls for any of its features. So any updates it receives will be available to its over two billion user base. Features like transferring chat logs, sending video messages, allowing the app to edit and add new contacts, and more. 

So hopefully we'll be seeing more of these kinds of upgrades to sent content, keeping WhatsApp current with the quickly moving times.

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