Lucy, a supporting character from the Netflix show Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, is now available as a guest character in the fighting game Guilty Gear Strive. 

There isn’t much backstory as to how Lucy wound up in the Guilty Gear universe other than that she was in a deep dive on the net and wound up somewhere else. Lucy is a high-mobility character with ranged attacks thanks to her whip (called a monowire, familiar to cyberpunk veterans). Her hacker’s toolkit allows her to apply debuffs to her opponents and hack them when making certain special moves. She has strong aerial mobility, as well. Arc System Works released a guide video showing off her moves.

Fighting games have been around since the arcades. In the past, new characters were only made available via sequels and other iterations. Thanks to the internet, however, games now behave like a service, with expansions and new characters available for those who pay up for extras. 

Like Street Fighter VI, Fortnite and Overwatch 2, Guilty Gear uses season passes to give players new content and features. Lucy is the final character for season 4. Creating that trickle of content not only keeps players engaged for longer, it also offsets development costs and adds to publishers’ bottom line.

The latest update to Guilty Gear Strive introduces a new online mode called Ranked Match. Here, players can battle opponents of similar rank with the goal of reaching the highest rank, vanquisher. The newest update also brings balance adjustments.

The season 4 pass costs $25 and is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox and PC. Lucy can also be bought individually for $9. Guilty Gear Strive was released on Nintendo Switch earlier this year, but the season 4 character pass won’t arrive until fall. There’s no word on a Switch 2 version.

Google revealed its newest phone lineup during this week’s Made by Google event: the Pixel 10 series. We loved the previous Pixel 9 series, and this one is primed to be even better. Though you can’t get one in your hands for another week, you can preorder the phone and score a nice freebie.

The Pixel 10 series consists of the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL and 10 Pro Fold. It has a similar build to the Pixel 9 series, with a glass back, shiny edge and pill-shaped camera bar. The phone is made with a Tensor G5 processor and 16GB of RAM.

Amazon and Best Buy are both offering up to $300 in gift cards when you purchase a phone from the lineup. Since the phone has been revealed but not released, orders will start shipping on Aug. 28.

You’ll get a free gift card with the purchase of a Pixel 10 series phone at Amazon. The exact amount depends on the phone you choose, with the base Pixel 10 landing a $100 credit. The dual-screen Pixel 10 Pro Fold gives you $300 back. If you want something in between, the Pixel 10 Pro comes with a $200 gift card. Keep in mind that if you return the phone, you must return the gift card too, or you’ll be charged for it. 

You can also get a gift card worth up to $300 with the purchase of a Pixel 10 series phone at Best Buy. Like at Amazon, the exact amount depends on the phone you choose. It matches Amazon’s deal range, with the Pixel 10 offering $100 in value, the 10 Pro offering $200, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold offering $300 in value back.

You can also get an extra $100 off when you connect to Verizon or AT&T. Finally, Best Buy also has a trade-in program, where you can get up to $575 off the Pixel 10 or 10 Pro when you trade in an eligible device. For the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, you can get a $350 gift card and up to $760 back when you trade in. 

Why this deal matters

The Pixel 10 series isn’t even shipping yet, and we’re already seeing some great preorder offers. A gift card of up to $350 can be a big help when buying a new phone, as those don’t come cheap. Take advantage of these offers before it’s too late. 

How much does the Pixel 10 series cost?

Pricing on the new models is similar to the Pixel 9 lineup. The base Pixel 10 costs $799, the Pixel 10 Pro costs $999 and the premium Pixel 10 Pro XL costs $1,199. There’s also the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which starts at $1,799 and will be available on Oct. 9.

Deals are showing up at multiple retailers and carriers, helping you save on the latest flagship devices. 

When will the Pixel 10 series be available for purchase?

The Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL will be available for purchase online and in stores on Aug. 28. However, if you want the Pixel 10 Pro Fold or the Pixel Watch 4, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer. Those won’t be available online or in store until Oct. 9. 

Late last year, we were treated to four consecutive supermoons, where the moon is the biggest and brightest that it can possibly be in the night sky. Have you ever wondered what it’s called when the opposite happens? There is a name for it, and it’s happening this weekend — the emergence of the black moon.

The term black moon isn’t an official term, but rather a nickname for when a new moon fulfills certain conditions. Typically, each season has three new moons just like it has three full moons. However, when the stars align — pun intended — there is an extra cycle squeezed in. When this happens to full moons, it’s referred to as a «seasonal blue moon,» and this happens to a new moon, it’s called a black moon.

The weekend of Aug. 22 is such an occurrence. The first new moon of the summer came relatively early, on June 25, followed by the next one on July 24. The final new moon of the season comes on Sept. 21, which is the day before summer officially ends. Since there’s an extra new moon, the third new moon in the set of four is referred to as the black moon, which means August’s moon gets the distinction.

Two types of black moons

According to Dr. Shannon Schmoll, manager of Michigan State University’s Abrams Planetarium, a black moon is essentially the same as a blue moon, but for new moons instead of full moons. Thus, the same rules apply to both. 

«A black moon tends to have two common definitions,» Schmoll tells CNET. «The less cumbersome one is the second full moon in a month. Because thelunar cycle is a bit shorter than most months, every once in a while, there will be a full moon at the very beginning and very end of amonth.»

Since the solar cycle is 29.5 days, as Schmoll notes, this can happen, and it does soabout once every 29 months. 

The next occurrence of that type of blackmoon is slated for August 2027, when new moons will appear on Aug. 2 and Aug. 31. The last time this happened was in the spring of 2023.

«The other definition is the third full moon in a season with four,» says Schmoll. «So, a season here is the time between an equinox and a solstice. Becausethat is three months, we typically get three moons in that time. Every once in a while, we get four, and the third one is the ‘extra’ one. «

This occurs once every 33 months and is the rarer of the two types of black moons, making August’s new moon a little extra special. The next time this type of black moon is slated to happen is in summer 2028, when June and September’s new moons will take place during the summer once again, like they did this year.

For reference, blue moons are also fairly rare. The next blue moon is coming in May 2026 on the 1st and 31st of the month. 

In the grand scheme, though, Schmoll says that these instances are quirks of our calendar system and «there isn’t anything astronomically significant about it» aside from it being a fun little coincidence. 

You can’t see it, and that’s OK

We see the moon because it reflects light from the sun. During a new moon, our closest celestial neighbor is hidden behind the Earth, so sunlight can’t reach it. That means you won’t be able to see this rare celestial phenomenon even if you try, so for once, we recommend not bothering to look for it. 

Per Schmoll, the only way to see a new moon is if there’s a solar eclipse when it slips in front of the sun. 

However, there are other ways to enjoy a new moon: the moon is often cited as one of the most common and unavoidable sources of light pollution, making it harder to find things in the night sky. The Perseids meteor shower had its peak during August’s full moon, which made the more dimly lit meteors more difficult to see, even if you left the city and suburbs to get a darker sky. 

With this year’s black moon, stargazers will get one additional night this summer of serene, moonless darkness in the night sky. This will give enthusiasts another great chance to spot six planets in the sky for the last six-planet parade we’ll see for a few years, and for photographers in the northern hemisphere to get some outstanding shots of the Milky Way galaxy. Since Perseids ends on Aug. 23, there’s also a chance you may see one of the final shooting stars from that meteor shower.

So, if you’ve been waiting for the darkest possible night to see some stars, this weekend is a great opportunity thanks to this year’s black moon.