Fully Charged: iOS 9 app thinning disabled, and October’s free Xbox games revealed

iOS 9 app thinning disabled

One of the most interesting additions in iOS 9 is that of app thinning (or app slicing), with which the App Store offers different versions of a single app automatically tailored for various devices. That way, you’ll get a smaller file that doesn’t have all the extra assets designed for other phones or tablets. And it’s perfect for 16GB entry-level phones. Unfortunately, it’s not working right now.

"App slicing is currently unavailable for iOS 9 apps due to an issue affecting iCloud backups created from iOS 9 where some apps from the App Store would only restore to the same model of iOS device," reads an update to Apple’s developer portal. So when you download an app via iOS 9, you’ll just get the standard, one-size-fits-all version – but Apple says it will reenable the feature in a future update.

[Source: Apple Developer]

October’s free Xbox games

Looking forward to another month of free Xbox One and Xbox 360 games? Well, Microsoft just announced October’s slate for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, so you can plan out your month of free gaming.

On Xbox One, you can grab the great adventure game Valiant Hearts: The Great War all month for free, while the superb The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season is free from 16 October until 15 November. Note that Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is still available for free until 15 October, and you should definitely grab that if you haven’t already.

Over on Xbox 360, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (prequel to The Phantom Pain) is free from 1-15 October, while The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season finishes out the month from 16 October. Free games! Get them. And be sure to snag September’s free games while you still can.

[Source: Major Nelson]

Adr1ft delayed into 2016

We were really looking forward to playing intense-looking first-person space adventure Adr1ft this year, but we have some bad news: it’s been delayed into 2016. Sorry, your Gravity-esque nightmares will have to wait.

We also have some good news, however: it’ll launch alongside the Oculus Rift, which is surely the best way to experience that sort of game, in Q1. The PC version will debut on the same date, but the console versions will come sometime later in the year.

[Source: PC Gamer]

Star Wars Battlefront beta dated

And one last tidbit: the Star Wars Battlefront open multiplayer beta, previously promised for October, will debut on 8 October for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. It’ll run until 12 October and feature 40-player battles on Hoth, 8-on-8 skirmishes in the Drop Zone control mode, and a two-player survival mission. This is your best chance to try the game before the 17 November release, so… we’ll see you on the servers in a couple weeks.

[Source: EA]