The next generation of video game consoles are still slated to hit shelves later this year, and on Tuesday, Sony shared details about what will be in the sweaty hands of gamers on the PlayStation side of the console war.

Sony shared images and details about its “DualSense” controller for the PlayStation 5 on Tuesday, continuing the “Dual” naming convention and emphasizing touch sensitivity in a lengthy blog post about its features and design inspiration.

The DualSense controller is rounder than past PlayStation paddles and has “adaptive triggers” which can be adjusted to increase of decrease their sensitivity. The rumble technology you know and love from controllers of the past is replaced here by haptic feedback as well. Some design elements from the PS4 controller remain, like the center touchpad and a moved but still intact light bar. The controller is charged via USB-C, which is great for anyone who is looking to ditch the USB micro cables they may still have for some legacy devices.

One interesting note on the controller is that it will feature a quick-share function with some still-to-be-announced features.

For the buttons, you’ll notice there is no longer a “Share” button as we had with DualShock 4. Don’t worry – it’s not going away. In fact, we’ve built upon the success of our industry-first Share button to bring you a new “Create” button feature. With Create, we’re once again pioneering new ways for players to create epic gameplay content to share with the world, or just to enjoy for themselves. We’ll have more details on this feature as we get closer to launch.

It’s certainly a good idea, as the screenshot button on the Nintendo Switch has made it extremely easy to snap and share moments from Switch games online. It’s a big reason why you’re seeing so much Animal Crossing: New Horizons content out there, and so the ubiquity of that sharing is certainly something Sony is aware of. It also seems to understand the importance of a microphone in online games, and that sometimes you might be a bit too lazy to track down your headset, which is why it has a microphone built-in.

DualSense also adds a built-in microphone array, which will enable players to easily chat with friends without a headset – ideal for jumping into a quick conversation. But of course, if you are planning to chat for a longer period, it’s good to have that headset handy.

The movement of the joysticks is certainly the thing that will stand out to most gamers initially, but it’s hard to say how the controller will feel until it’s in your hands. That won’t happen for another few months, though, so for now looking over specs and wondering is the best we’ll do.

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Wheel of Fortune saw another impressive performance from a contestant on Monday night, but the player in question had a bit more experience than is usually allowed. Much like Jeopardy!, its syndicated game show sibling Wheel of Fortune only allows contestants to play in their regular games once. Jeopardy!, mind you, allows champions who go on long runs to return for its Tournament of Champions.

Wheel, meanwhile, is a one-and-done deal. Which is why Tony Harrison was a big exception on Monday night’s episode. Harrison appeared on an episode in 2017 and though it’s unclear exactly what happened, everyone was made aware that this wasn’t his first rodeo during player introductions.

“If Tony looks familiar, this is Tony Harrison, who’s been here before,” host Pat Sajak said. “We had a little production issue, and in the interest of fairness, we brought Tony back.”

Harrison tweeted about his appearance before it aired and seemed very excited to be back.

Tony was asked by a fan why he appeared twice on Twitter, and while he didn’t have a full answer he appreciated the show was upfront with him that he would eventually get another shot.

He certainly took full advantage of that shot, dominating the show and winning more than $100,000 in prizes for the effort, including a nice $45,000 payout for winning in the prize round and a trip to Barbados. Harrison was predictably thrilled, but not everyone was happy that he was given a second shot and won so big.

If those have a tinge of jealousy to them, well, you’re an astute observer. But not as astute as Tony, who certainly made the most of his second chance on Tuesday.

While most of the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, some areas are at different points of the outbreak and containment cycle than, say, the United States. In Taiwan, for example, some sports leagues are starting to reorganize and play games, albeit without fans in attendance.

To fix the problem of empty stadiums, one baseball team is trying something truly interesting. Namely, programming robots to sit in the stands and and root, root, root for the home team. According to the Taipei Times, the Rakuten Monkeys are getting ready for baseball again and will host the Brothers Baseball Club at Taoyuan International Stadium on Saturday. And if you take a look at their Twitter feed you’ll see that robot mannequins will be in Monkeys colors cheering them on.

Please click on that image to make it full size and really let its wonders soak in. A faceless robot stands sentinel over an unplayed drum, sticks frozen at rest. Some of the mannequins are wearing wild-colored wigs. Others, a group of fans who presumably came together and intentionally dressed alike, feature large eyes provided by the costume glasses they’re wearing. Another man is holding a large bottle of liquor. It’s terrifying and mesmerizing all at once. I love it so much.

The Monkeys in particular seem to be leading the way with innovations here, including these terrifying face masks with the actual faces of players on them.

It’s unclear just how much noise these soulless abominations of the human spirit will make, or if they will actually be more distracting to players than anything. But one does have to wonder how firmly they will be in place and whether a foul ball making contact with them could, say, bowl them over or possibly damage the robots in some way.

OK, the more I think about it Rakuten Monkeys games just became must-watch TV.

Tiger King has been the most-watched program in Netflix for 15 straight days, a new record for the streaming service. The big-cat fever isn’t expected to calm down any time soon, either, not with a new episode supposedly coming this week and a spin-off series about Carole Baskin’s missing husband. To capitalize on the popularity of Tiger King, the Alamo Drafthouse is re-releasing the 1981 cult classic Roar into virtual cinemas.

Once billed as the “the most dangerous movie ever made,” Roar was supposed to be a fun movie about a family living among big cats in Africa (what could go wrong???), but the “cast and crew endured countless injuries, with over 70 bloody attacks documented,” according to the Drafthouse. “While nobody was killed, there were several close calls, most notably [cinematographer Jan de Bont] being scalped by a lion resulting in 220 stitches on his head.” Maybe the ugly The Lion King remake wasn’t a bad idea after all.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

An unprecedented – and wholly unpredictable – action-adventure, Roar follows wildlife preservationist – and original #TigerKing – Hank (The Exorcist producer Noel Marshall in his sole and career-derailing turn as an actor and director), who lives harmoniously alongside a menagerie of over 100 untamed animals, including cheetahs, elephants, lions and tigers on a preservation in the African plains. When his wife and children arrive (real-life wife and The Birds star Tippi Hedren, and step-daughter Melanie Griffith) for a visit, a long-brewing battle for dominance between the lions erupts and threatens their very lives.

Roar will be available beginning April 15. For more information, click here.

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While most TV and live sports productions in America have temporarily shut down because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, two wrestling companies will continue to film. AEW stopped production a few days ago, but both WWE and Impact Wrestling will reportedly tape more TV this week.

According to reports by PW Insider and Fightful Select, WWE plans on taping the episodes of Raw, Smackdown, and NXT leading up to the May 10 Money In The Bank pay-per-view this week. Fightful says the filming will begin on April 10 and go through April 16, which PW Insider has it beginning on the eighth or the ninth. Like the pre-taped shows leading up to WrestleMania, these episodes of WWE TV will take place in the Performance Center with a closed set and no fans in attendance. WWE is reportedly changing the ropes, turnbuckles, ring canvas, etc., between every match to try and prevent the talent from contracting COVID-19.

PW Insider also reports that Impact Wrestling will tape between six and eight weeks worth of TV this week in Nashville, Tennessee. The tapings may include Impact’s next PPV, Rebellion, which was originally scheduled for April 19 in New York.

Both WWE and Impact will be taping in states that have stay-at-home orders, where non-essential businesses are closed. Pro wrestling (or contact sports, theatrical productions, TV tapings, or however else one could describe the artform) isn’t on Florida’s or Tennessee’s lists of essential activities, but it’s possible the companies could have gotten special exemptions.

No matter what permits the promotions get or safety precautions they take, wrestlers could still spread COVID-19, which can be passed on by people who are not yet displaying symptoms, amongst each other through the act of having professional wrestling matches.

If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.

Schitt’s Creek (Comedy Central, Pop TV 8:00 p.m.) — Fans of this cult-hit series should prepare to be wrecked as the sixth season winds down to an end. The good news is that beloved shows don’t die in the streaming era, and Dan Levy is open to a reunion down the road. With self-isolation being the name of the game right now, this (and the show’s unintentional pandemic banger) might truly end up being a collective viewing event.

Parasite (Hulu, Wednesday) — Alright, so this biting, social-class satire officially does not arrive on Hulu until midnight on Wednesday, but it’s worth celebrating Bong Joon Ho’s history-making masterpiece landing on a streaming service near you. The film received a hefty box-office bump after winning so many awards that the director apologized to Oscar engravers, so if you still haven’t watched, shoot your shot now.

The Resident (FOX, 8:00 p.m.) — Derek’s improvement falls into jeopardy when he suffers a severe complication, and Kit’s afraid that this might be more evidence of Cain’s cover-up.

The Conners (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) — Bev is spreading happiness through her finances and decides to fund Mark’s coding camp tuition.

Bless This Mess (ABC, 8:30 p.m.) — Jacob’s after-prom event sounds potentially dicey after Kay suggests that Rio and Mike step up as chaperones.

Empire (FOX, 9:00 p.m.) — Cookie and Lucious have Andre committed to a treatment facility following his breakdown. Meanwhile, Cookie’s feeling guilty about Andre’s whole situation and wonders how her own troubled history may have contributed.

For Life (ABC, 10:00 p.m.) — After Cassius put white supremacists in the hospital, Aaron comes to his defense, while Marie’s having more feelings for Aaron.

The Last O.G. (TBS, 10:30 p.m.) — The third season begins for Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish’s show about an ex-con attempting to readjust to the world after a 15-year prison stint.

Conan — Guest TBA

The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon — Kerry Washington, Russell Wilson, Ciara

A Little Late With Lilly Singh — Adam Rodriguez, Kelsey Cook

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah — Noah’s reporting live from his couch, and naturally, the subject of the night will be the ongoing pandemic and social distancing.

The coronavirus has obviously been a huge disaster for the economy and public health. However, there have been some positives that have come from the pandemic.

Traffic accidents and deaths are way down because no one is on the road.

A study by UC Davis found that since California’s stay-at-home order on March 20, vehicle collisions are down by half.

“The reduction works out to about 15,000 fewer collisions per month and 6,000 fewer injury accidents per month,” said Fraser Shilling, co-director of the Road Ecology Center at UC Davis.

The study also says the stay-at-home order resulted in a 60% drop in traffic volume.

A similar study out of the state of Washington, one of the first regions in the U.S. to feel the impact of the virus, yielded similar results. Washington State Patrol traffic data says that motor vehicle accidents in the last two weeks of March declined by 67% over the same period in 2019.

via Pixabay

Because of the drastic change in drivers’ behavior, two auto insurance companies, Allstate and American Family Insurance announced they will be returning a total of $800 billion to their customers.

Allstate says it will refund about 15% of premiums paid by customers in April and May. That amount comes to about $600 million.

American Family Insurance says it will return about $50 per car that a household has insured with the company which adds up to about $200 million.

“Given an unprecedented decline in driving, customers will receive a Shelter-in-Place Payback,” Allstate CEO Tom Wilson said in a statement. “This is fair because less driving means fewer accidents.”

Reports that Allstate has sent to insurance regulators show that it pays out a little more than a billion in claims every month. If Allstate returned all of the money it has saved in payouts due to the pandemic, the figure would be significantly higher than its $600 million pledge.

via Pictures of Money / Flickr

Dan Karr, a the CEO of ValChoice, an insurance company watchdog group, says the gesture is nice, but insurance companies should be more generous during these trying times.

“I think it’s great what Allstate did. But where’s the rest of savings?” Karr told CNN Business.

“Is it enough? Probably not,” J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, said according to CNN. “The actions by American Family and Allstate are the right thing to do to help policyholders beleaguered by Covid-19 restrictions and job loss. We urge other insurers to take similar actions quickly.”

Allstate and American Family Insurance may be profiting off the coronavirus, but that’s part of the risk-reward when being in the insurance game. They don’t have to give a dime back to anyone, so they’re actions are a lot more than we’ve come to accept from insurance companies.

Hopefully, others will follow suit and give more families a break at one of the most economically challenging times in American history.

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