How mobile games crushed consoles by Financial Times on 2020-07-03 14:00 (#55B3K) Revenues set to hit $100B this year as locked-down masses flock to casual gaming.
Stellar deepfake thriller The Capture lands in USA thanks to NBC Peacock by Ars Staff on 2020-07-03 13:00 (#55B1B) Spoiler-free take on why the show's worth watching—and some streaming questions for BBC.
The bat-virus détente by Ars Staff on 2020-07-03 12:00 (#55AYZ) Bats cope with myriad viruses—including what caused COVID-19—so how do they do it?
Rocket Report: SpaceX faces South Texas review, the Angara A5 costs too much by Eric Berger on 2020-07-03 11:00 (#55AV8) "Ariane 6 is a necessary step, but not the ultimate aim."
EVO 2020 game tourney canceled, co-founder fired [Updated] by Sam Machkovech on 2020-07-03 00:55 (#55AFT) Co-founder has apparently acknowledged vile accusations: "I was young and reckless."
NY partygoers get subpoenas after stonewalling COVID-19 contact tracers by Beth Mole on 2020-07-02 22:07 (#55AC2) County executive vows to keep "ignorance, stupidity, or obstinance" from risking lives.
Commerce Inspector General says “Sharpiegate” report being blocked by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-07-02 19:36 (#55A8N) A redacted summary memo has appeared, but the full report has been held back.
Can’t afford to fly to space? Settle for smelling like it by Jim Salter on 2020-07-02 19:10 (#55A6J) There are no smells in vacuum—but recycled air in an orbiter is another story.
Heated seats as a service? BMW wants to sell car features on demand by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-07-02 18:55 (#55A6K) BMW says it's a way to try before you buy, but do people want an extra monthly fee?
Police infiltrate encrypted phones, arrest hundreds in organized crime bust by Kate Cox on 2020-07-02 18:42 (#55A6M) Police in UK and EU got “millions” of explicit criminal messages from Encrochat.
Grab an excellent Razer Viper gaming mouse for a new low of $50 by Ars Staff on 2020-07-02 18:16 (#55A4D) Dealmaster also has deals on the Sega Genesis Mini, Anker chargers, and more.
Undulating their bodies keeps flying snakes from tumbling out of control by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-07-02 17:48 (#55A4E) The work could eventually lead to a new control template for flying snake-like robots.
House OKs $100B broadband plan with $50 monthly discounts for poor people by Jon Brodkin on 2020-07-02 17:33 (#55A0Y) House broadband plan is not guaranteed to pass in Republican-controlled Senate.
Apple throws in another Mac Pro GPU configuration: The AMD Radeon Pro W5500X by Samuel Axon on 2020-07-02 17:23 (#55A0Z) It’s a step down from the W5700X in almost every way—including price.
RIP to the Google Pixel 3a, which is officially discontinued by Ron Amadeo on 2020-07-02 17:13 (#55A10) The Pixel 4a missed its May launch date. Now Google isn't selling any budget phones.
2K breaks gaming’s de facto $60 ceiling, asks $70 for next-gen NBA 2K21 by Kyle Orland on 2020-07-02 15:56 (#559XY) Inflation has eroded big-budget gaming’s $60 standard for about 15 years now.
LIGO is so sensitive it shudders with the quantum noise of light by John Timmer on 2020-07-02 14:16 (#559Q8) The gravitational wave detector's sensitivity can be boosted with the right light.
Tesla stock leaps again on unexpectedly strong delivery numbers by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-07-02 14:04 (#559Q9) Most other carmakers have suffered double-digit year-over-year losses.
Iron Man VR review: A sad, painful end to the PlayStation VR era by Sam Machkovech on 2020-07-02 12:00 (#559J9) Ambitious attempt to recreate the superhero flying experience falls flat.
The ~$100 tablet shootout—Amazon Fire 8 HD Plus vs. Walmart Onn 8 Tablet Pro by Ron Amadeo on 2020-07-02 11:30 (#559G0) The benchmarks are comparable to 2015 phones, but $100 Android tablets have come a long way.
COVID-19 vaccine must protect 50% of people for approval, FDA says by Beth Mole on 2020-07-01 22:25 (#558Y3) FDA sets rules for vaccine approval amid concern of hastiness and political pressure.
Upper-level winds force a seven-week delay for the Vega rocket by Eric Berger on 2020-07-01 21:58 (#558Y4) “We understand the impatience of our 21 customers, and we share it.”
Vizio’s 2020 TV plans: HDMI 2.1, FreeSync, eARC, and—at long last—OLED by Samuel Axon on 2020-07-01 21:37 (#558W1) They're not as pricy as LG and Sony's OLEDs, but the spec sheets are similar.
Dish buys Boost prepaid biz from T-Mobile, finally enters wireless market by Jon Brodkin on 2020-07-01 21:16 (#558W2) Dish buys former Sprint prepaid business amid plans to build its own 5G network.
Sweeping climate-crisis plan would bring US to zero emissions in 30 years by Kate Cox on 2020-07-01 21:07 (#558W3) Not even the authors expect it to become law right now—but they hope for next year.
Unscheduled fixes released for critical flaw in optional Windows codec by Dan Goodin on 2020-07-01 19:46 (#558SE) Company uses Microsoft Store to fix remote code-execution bugs in codecs library.
Hyundai’s super-efficient 2020 Sonata Hybrid sedan is best in class by Jonathan M. Gitlin on 2020-07-01 19:30 (#558KM) How does 52mpg for under $28,000 sound?
Google Glass 3.0? Google acquires smart glasses maker North by Ron Amadeo on 2020-07-01 19:10 (#558KN) North picked up where Google Glass left off, and now it's a part of Google.
Twin Galaxies says Billy Mitchell “flirts with perjury” in high-score case by Kyle Orland on 2020-07-01 18:39 (#558KP) Mitchell says TG’s case “rests on a conspiracy” akin to “the Kennedy assassination.”
Spotify Duo for couples is cheaper than the standard family plan by Jim Salter on 2020-07-01 17:39 (#558HW) Couples with no kids can save $7/mo and get access to middle-ground playlists.
Small ISPs “stunned” by FCC move to ban Huawei/ZTE gear during pandemic by Jon Brodkin on 2020-07-01 17:03 (#558FZ) Huawei/ZTE ban’s timing “puts rural carriers in a precarious situation.”
Did huge eruptions actually help during the end-Cretaceous extinction? by Scott K. Johnson on 2020-07-01 16:07 (#558DQ) Modeling habitat indicates volcanic warming actually offset the post-impact chill.
Stock surge makes Tesla the world’s most valuable automaker by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-07-01 15:37 (#558B8) Market cap rise above $200 billion could get Musk another huge payday.
Uncovered: 1,000 phrases that incorrectly trigger Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant by Dan Goodin on 2020-07-01 13:47 (#5588R) “Election” can trigger Alexa; “Montana” can trigger Cortana.
Even amidst a pandemic, SpaceX is launching more than ever by Eric Berger on 2020-07-01 13:08 (#5586T) SpaceX’s 11 launches match the total this year by Russia, Europe, and Japan combined.
Why this month’s PC port of Death Stranding is the definitive version by Sam Machkovech on 2020-07-01 12:27 (#5584M) Sadly, we can't show you our tests just yet. But what we've seen is exciting.
Tracking COVID-19’s spread through an Italian town by John Timmer on 2020-07-01 10:45 (#5582Z) About 40 percent of cases were asymptomatic, and viral load didn't seem to matter.
Tesla driver blames Autopilot for crash, faces negligent driving charge by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-07-01 01:59 (#557RB) The driver reportedly told police he “must not have been paying attention.”
NASA’s next Mars mission has now burned nearly half of its launch window by Eric Berger on 2020-06-30 22:29 (#557KY) The $2.1 billion rover has a limited amount of time to launch this summer.
Amazon’s latest PC game to be delisted from Steam after less than two months by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-30 22:07 (#557KZ) Crucible will still be live for its tiny playerbase of
The Apple TV is getting 4K YouTube, and Macs are getting 4K HDR Netflix by Samuel Axon on 2020-06-30 21:46 (#557M0) Is your Mac supported, though?
Lady of the Lake takes center stage in Netflix’s Arthurian retelling Cursed by Jennifer Ouellette on 2020-06-30 21:29 (#557H9) Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler co-created the series and accompanying illustrated YA novel.
Supreme Court says generic domains like booking.com can be trademarked by Timothy B. Lee on 2020-06-30 21:12 (#557HA) No one can trademark "Wine Inc.," but now domains like wine.com can get trademarks.
YouTube TV jumps 30% in price effective immediately by Sam Machkovech on 2020-06-30 20:47 (#557HB) YouTube's price hike hits new and existing members; AT&T joins in the fun.
Foreign adversaries likely try exploiting critical networking bug, US says by Dan Goodin on 2020-06-30 20:16 (#557EV) The window of opportunity to fix critical security bug is rapidly closing.
Qualcomm made a modern smartwatch chip: Meet the Snapdragon Wear 4100 by Ron Amadeo on 2020-06-30 19:55 (#557EW) Are there any Wear OS manufacturers and customers left to buy Qualcomm's new chip?
Comcast’s data cap and overage fees return tomorrow after 3-month break by Jon Brodkin on 2020-06-30 19:31 (#557C6) ISPs can also re-impose late fees and disconnect customers as FCC pledge expires.
A bunch of microSD cards and other storage devices are on sale today by Ars Staff on 2020-06-30 19:08 (#557C7) Dealmaster also has deals on portable SSDs, Steam games, USB-C hubs, and more.
China moves forward with COVID-19 vaccine, approving it for use in military by Beth Mole on 2020-06-30 18:35 (#55794) Early trial data suggests that vaccine is safe, but efficacy still unclear.
After Tuesday’s launch, SpaceX expands its fleet of used rockets [Updated] by Eric Berger on 2020-06-30 18:20 (#556V2) SpaceX has gotten good enough at reuse that it's building fewer rockets.