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by Matt Tate on (#70Z40)
The last 12 months have been pretty depressing for anyone invested in the long-term future of Xbox and the general health of the games industry. Back in May, Microsoft laid off 3 percent of its global workforce, with the company's gaming division being one of the big casualties, and a number of upcoming titles were subsequently canceled. It painted a picture of a brand in crisis, but according to a new report, Microsoft has been setting its gaming division unrealistic profit targets for several years.Sources told Bloomberg that in 2023, Microsoft implemented an "across-the-board goal" of 30 percent profit margins, which the report says Microsoft calls "accountability margins" internally. As Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reports, this target, which was set by Microsoft's Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood in fall 2023, is well above the recent industry average of 17-22 percent quoted by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Schreier adds that Xbox's own average in the last six years is between 10 and 20 percent.S&P Global analyst Neil Barbour told Bloomberg that Microsoft's 30 percent target is the kind of margin "usually reserved for a publisher that is really nailing it." This is despite its gaming division only landing at 12 percent in the first nine months of 2022, as quoted in the report.A Microsoft spokesperson told Bloomberg that it views individual games and projects differently with regards to what constitutes success, adding that it sometimes has to making tough decisions, including ending development on games, so it can shift its resources toward the projects that are "more aligned with our direction and priorities."The new profit targets were introduced in the same year that Microsoft finally completed its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, landing it hugely popular franchises such as Call of Duty and Diablo. Back in 2020 it acquired ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda, which means that long-running series like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout also now sit under the umbrella of Xbox's gaming division.Since 2018, Microsoft has been putting all of its first-party releases on Game Pass from day one, but this model has contributed to games failing to hit their 30 percent profit margin targets, according to Bloomberg's sources. Xbox does offer developers a credit it calls "member-weighted value," which takes into consideration factors such as the collective number of hours Game Pass subscribers have spent in a game, although this formula tends to benefit multiplayer titles the most. Going forward, Bloomberg's sources said Microsoft is likely to favor funding games with cheap development costs and proven revenue-generators over riskier projects.Xbox has been successful in bringing some of its first-party games to other platforms, including its primary rival in Sony's PS5, with major titles such as Forza Horizon 5and Indiana Jones and the Great Circlemaking the jump in the last 12 months. In the wake of Microsoft raising the price of Xbox consoles in the US last month, the second time it has done so in 2025, it also slapped Game Pass Ultimate with a 50 percent subscription fee hike at the start of October. This week the company increased the cost of Xbox dev kits by $500.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-reportedly-ordered-its-xbox-division-to-boost-profits-to-an-unrealistic-level-150210398.html?src=rss
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| Updated | 2025-11-15 08:17 |
by Jessica Conditt on (#70Z42)
Maxi Boch isn't done with Baby Steps. Boch has enjoyed a productive career in game development and she knows how it feels to be creatively finished with a project. She experienced it at various points with Rock Band, Dance Central, Fantasia: Music Evolved and Ape Out, but on Baby Steps' launch day, done was not the vibe.I've been in the industry for a long time; I shipped broken strumbars for Rock Band," Boch told Engadget. I know that things change over time in this world, and it's not to say that Baby Steps is not done. It's done. But whether I'm done with Baby Steps, this is a different story."To make a long one short: Boch's collaborators, Bennett Foddy and Gabe Cuzzillo, were ready and excited to ship the game before she was, and so they did. Baby Steps hit PC and PlayStation 5 on September 23, 2025 (following one strategic delay to avoid the Hollow Knight: Silksong release window).From the player's side, Baby Steps feels like a finely honed experience. It's a walking simulator that follows Nate, a manchild in a gray onesie, as he attempts to scale a mountain and symbolically escape his parents' basement. The player controls Nate's legs individually, lifting each knee and carefully placing one foot in front of the other, learning how to walk in the very literal sense. Baby Steps succeeds because of its mechanical precision, but it excels because of its irreverent tone, magically surreal setting and AAA levels of polish. The mountain is a mix of childhood memories and adult anxieties represented by giant chess pieces, rude graffiti, and a crew of drinking, smoking, anthropomorphic donkeys who wander the cliffs with their dicks swinging free. Improvised dialogue between Nate and the NPCs turns each cutscene into a comedy sketch, but his journey also includes shocking revelations of existential numbness.In Baby Steps, falling is just as much of a mechanic as walking. You will fall - dramatically, drastically, down crevasses that took hours to climb - and Nate will bounce and slide and eventually just lay there, mumbling to himself while his onesie fills with mud. And then you'll pick him back up and start walking again. You'll settle his steps into a soothing cadence. You'll marvel at the way his sweat slowly saturates the material at the base of his spine, just above his bulbous butt. You'll try to skip a cutscene and realize that in order to do so, you need to play a minigame with the X prompt. You'll learn how to run. And somewhere along the way, you'll remember what it feels like to just enjoy play.Baby StepsDevolver DigitalAs a former marching band member, I appreciate the sense of rhythm that's built into Baby Steps, spurred by the animal sounds and natural-world musical cues that are tied to Nate's footfall in specific areas. This is Boch's area of expertise, and also the main reason she doesn't feel finished with the game. Boch and her collaborators ended up using a slapdash mosaic of audio middleware and low-level software for Baby Steps, and a series of late-stage issues infused all of the songs in the game with incorrect samples. On launch day, the music and audio cues weren't reacting as intended when Nate stepped, stumbled and fell.On September 23, the day that Baby Steps came out, Boch and I talked for an hour about its development process. Our conversation gently circled the topic of perseverance, the game's core theme, but we only directly acknowledged it at minute 59. It's not something you need to scream or repeat - tenacity is the obvious message in a game about climbing a mountain on wobbly feet - but it was fascinating to learn why Boch in particular was inspired to build a game about endurance.Making Baby StepsBoch, Foddy and Cuzzillo started working on Baby Steps right after they released Ape Out and cemented their names in the annals of frenetic, bloody and slightly silly indie history. Foddy was already known as the creator of QWOP, GIRP and Getting Over It, and Boch as the rhythmic and hardware mastermind behind the largest AAA music games of the mid-2000s. The trio worked out of Boch and Foddy's shared office at the NYU Game Center, where they were instructors and Cuzzillo was finishing up a graduate degree with Ape Out as his final project. They began prototyping Baby Steps around March 2019.At that point, I also started manifesting more symptoms of my chronic illness, and so I was in the midst of a period of an attempt at really intense reconditioning, which ultimately failed," Boch said. But when that period was over, I joined up with the crew again."Boch lives with a trifecta of chronic illnesses: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that affects the entire body, and it can cause hypermobility, fatigue, vision issues, fragile skin and an increased risk of vascular ruptures. People with POTS experience an abnormally large increase in heart rate when changing posture, and MCAS is a disorder that releases excessive amounts of histamine and similar chemicals in the body, causing random and potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. It's common for people with one of these diagnoses to also receive the others.It's been an incredible challenge," Boch said. I think, easily, the hardest thing I've had to deal with in my life. I think there's something very singular about each one of us, the three core members of this crew, and part of that is our ability to work fluidly across disciplines and the like. But another part of it is just a level of stick-to-it-iveness that my body has handily rejected, and so I'm in a fight with it all the time."Baby StepsDevolver DigitalBoch has an arsenal of specialized tools to help her create games, including ergonomic (and very expensive) keyboards and a pair of glasses that act as a mouse.I have found that most of what game development is about and is oriented around is kind of hostile to those of us with poor fine-motor skills, and it's an odd thing to be experiencing alongside the making of a thing that is stridently difficult," Boch said. There's odd moments in it, where I have been going through physical therapy processes to retrain my actual walking, alongside working on this thing that is deconstructing walking. A very odd subset of feelings."Boch said the hardest thing for her to contend with is the moment-to-moment unpredictability of her health. But by the fall of 2019, she was back in the office with Cuzzillo and Foddy, iterating on the ideas that would eventually become Baby Steps. Cuzzillo and Foddy were feeling slightly discouraged at this point: They were four or five ideas deep, messing around with a competitive, real-time strategy game or a SimCity type of experience, but nothing was quite right. Boch encouraged them to return to their ridiculous, mechanically-driven roots.I think it started to become a lot clearer in everyone's mind when it started to take on aspects of Bennett's work," Boch said. The first handful of years of Baby Steps' development, we were all playing various sorts of roles. The work of VO direction, recording and narrative development was something we were all working on together. Some of the foundational narrative premise things are concepts that I brought to the table as ways to try and prop up some world around this character. Lots of tools building and infrastructural work and all of the foundational stuff that makes it possible for a team that's so tiny to make a thing that's so strong."The Baby Steps crew shared a house in upstate New York during the first winter of the pandemic in 2020. They hiked together and worked on the game at one big folding table, enjoying the mountain air with their partners and each other. There were no strict roles on the game development side, with Boch, Cuzzillo and Foddy contributing to all aspects at once, including voice work.Over time, there are aspects of the narrative development that became increasingly more personal to my collaborators," Boch said. And they started to feel more comfortable in a director-less environment in terms of coaxing naturalistic performances out of themselves, and so that work became more disjointed."By the time they were recording voices and finding characters through improvisation in the sound booth, Boch happened to be in the early stages of transitioning. Vocal training and voice acting are a tricky mix, it turns out.I kind of recognized what it was going to take to be doing voiceover performance myself in the midst of my early transition, and I made the call that it was not the right activity for me," Boch said. So my characters were cut - it was like one or two - and I endeavored to strike up some novel collaborations on the audio side."For the past year and half in particular, Boch has been focused on all things audio in Baby Steps, as well as overseeing big-picture production tasks. She brought on a collaborator from the world of hardcore techno music, Jack Schlesinger, and he primarily handled system architecture details while Boch dealt with creative aspects. DJ Ashe Kilbourne and harpist Emily Hopkins rounded out the list of audio contributors. When she was able, Boch took an improvised sound kit into the wild and collected nature noises, and the team stitched together a reactive audio system using middleware and leftover bits of software from the Harmonix days.When Baby Steps' dynamic audio kicks in, and the boops, chirps and thunks start layering on top of one another as Nate waddles along, it adds a delicious sense of hypnosis to the game. Unfortunately, the audio systems fell apart in the final weeks before launch. The VO was fine, but many of the sounds and beats weren't populating in the right places at the proper times, and Boch's vision wasn't being clearly communicated day-one.The foundations of game audio tooling are terrible," Boch said. She continued, The world of game audio, from my perspective, is a bunch of people who are sitting on top of a bunch of work they've done to write drivers to talk to consoles, and a bunch of work they've done to forge relationships with console manufacturers so that their audio technology will be licensed by the two major engines. But they're both trash. I will not endorse either one, and I will not say that either one is capable of doing the kind of work that I need done."Since launch, the Baby Steps audio team has released patches addressing the sampling issues and adjusting dynamic audio cues across the game. An imminent update will introduce animals singing along with the songs, outdoor and indoor reverb simulations across all sounds, and other fixes. Boch has additional updates and surprises planned, including a Baby Steps Fi Beats livestream to showcase the game's music on YouTube. By November, the audio team will be focused on composing.Baby Steps is only going to get more immersive as the audio improvements roll out. And if you listen closely, you'll be able to hear Boch voicing a few small roles throughout the game.I play, like, a baby and a hypothetical gay partner for Nate and a bunch of other random characters," Boch said. There's some cosmic sadness on my part, that the timing worked out in exactly the ways that it did. But I don't know, it's the cards you're dealt. It's important to do the thing that's true to you."One glaring truth that shook out during the Baby Steps development process was the supremely close and infectious bond between Cuzzillo and Foddy. The game's dialogue and cutscenes are composed of off-the-cuff conversations and rambling inside jokes between Cuzzillo and Foddy, and each of these moments is delightful in a chaotic kind of way. Like a classic comedy duo, these developers share an undeniable resonance. They're even born on the same day and they have older brothers with the same birthday, two facts that Boch finds adorable.I'm not a horoscope person at all, but they have a kind of cosmic level of synchronicity that they both acknowledge, but also are a little bit like, What, this?'" Boch said. They have plenty that they disagree about and plenty that they bicker about, but there's something about their orientations toward the world that's perplexing and generative. They are immensely talented folks."Taking Baby StepsIn the end, Cuzzillo and Foddy felt finished with Baby Steps before Boch. She didn't want to hold their joy hostage, so the audio team made it work and they shipped the game on September 23, 2025, published by Devolver Digital.That kind of dream-deferred shit is emotional torture, and so I had no interest in putting them through that, they had no interest in going through that," Boch said. It makes sense to me to be landing in the place that we are."Baby StepsDevolver DigitalI caught up with Boch three weeks after Baby Steps' release date to see if she was feeling more done, now that the launch-day dust had settled. She said it was a hard question.There is so much more that I am interested in exploring, and so much more that I have set up in terms of pins to knock down," she said. I think this is a struggle that highlights the inherent tension of trying to make art at this boundary between a fine art practice and a commercial art practice. I think that for the sake of the work, and for the sake of me and my team as artists, the tech I have built deserves to continue to be refined in a different context, one wherein sound is more paramount. That's where we're headed."This is a tease of what's next for Boch, even though she's still finishing up Baby Steps. She's planning on leaving NYU, spurred by the unpredictability of her health, but she's not done making games. Her next one will be more personal.It's important to me to share what I'm doing with people," Boch said in September. I think that there is not enough in the world of games that puts audio at its very center. I think that my personal ambitions and future ambitions are definitely leaning more in that direction by the day. I had a long time of needing to get some space from interactive audio as The Thing. Where my winds are blowing is in that direction."Baby Steps exists in its current form because Boch and her teammates were able to adapt and endure. They were honest about what was working, what wasn't and what could, and they leaned into the aspects that felt the most natural to them. Boch in particular set aside her ego, listened to her body, and took things day by day. You know, baby steps.The process of transition is one that involves an enormous amount of self-reflection and a growing sense of self knowledge," Boch said. Ultimately, that process for me was kind of orthogonal to the storytelling of Baby Steps. There's a lot that comes from lived experience, and from commiserating and sharing that lived experience between Bennett and Gabe, and you can see that very clearly in the work. There's also just ways in which that process was illuminating to me in terms of inherent differences. There's an aspect of it that came alongside the necessity of slowing down, and then the subsequent necessity of staying inside that hit with my chronic illness and then Covid. There was a way in which I was more with myself at that moment than I've ever been."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/baby-steps-isnt-done-with-maxi-boch-140000613.html?src=rss
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by Mariella Moon on (#70Z0Z)
Tesla said it "achieved record vehicle deliveries globally" for the third quarter of 2025 with a total of 497,099 vehicles delivered. It also reported a record-breaking revenue of $28.1 billion, which is 12 percent higher than the same quarter in 2024. Tesla's net income, however, slid by 37 percent year-over-year, due to several factors, namely lower EV prices, an increase in spending on AI and other R&D projects, and of course, tariffs. Vaibhav Taneja, the automaker's finance chief, said during the earnings call that tariffs on imported car parts and raw materials cost the company more than $400 million in the third quarter. Taneja added that he expects research and development spending to continue to grow.During the call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he expects the company to deploy its first robotaxis with no drivers behind the wheel by the end of this year, starting with some parts of Austin. If you'll recall, Tesla launched its first robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas back in June. There have been several reports of the robotaxis running into issues since then, including an instance wherein one drove into a parked car. Musk said Tesla was "obviously being very cautious about the deployment," but that he expects his company to be operating fully driverless vehicles in eight to ten new states before 2025 ends.Musk revealed, as well, that Tesla's homegrown AI5 artificial intelligence chip will be manufactured both by Samsung in Texas and by TSMC in Arizona. Tesla is apparently aiming to manufacture more than it needs for its electric vehicles and upcoming Optimus robots so that it can use the excess units in its data centers. He clarified that Tesla isn't going to stop using NVIDIA chips, but that it will continue using them in combination with AI5.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/teslas-profits-plunge-despite-record-revenue-and-deliveries-133004231.html?src=rss
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by Mariella Moon on (#70Z10)
Meta has removed a deepfake AI video of Irish presidential candidate Catherine Connolly, which featured a false depiction of the politician saying that she's withdrawing from the election. According to The Irish Times, the AI-generated video was shared nearly 30,000 times on Facebook just days before Ireland's election on October 24 prior to it being removed from the website. Connolly called the video "a disgraceful attempt to mislead voters and undermine [Ireland's] democracy" and assured voters that she was "absolutely still a candidate for President of Ireland."The video was posted by an account which had named itself RTE News AI, which is not affiliated with the actual Irish public service broadcaster Raidio Teilifis Eireann. It copied the likenesses not just of Connolly, but also of legitimate RTE journalist Sharon Ni Bheolain and correspondent Paul Cunningham. "It is with great regret that I announce the withdrawal of my candidacy and the ending of my campaign," the AI version of Connolly said in the fake video. Ni Bheolain was shown reporting about the announcement and confirming the candidate's withdrawal from the race. The AI version of Cunningham then announced that the election was cancelled and will no longer take place, with Connolly's opponent Heather Humphreys automatically winning. Connolly, an independent candidate, is leading the latest polls with 44 points.Meta removed the RTE News AI account completely after being contacted by the Irish Independent. The company told The Irish Times that it removed the video and account for violating its community standards, particularly its policy prohibiting content that impersonates or falsely represents people. Irish media regulator Coimisiun na Mean said it was aware of the video and had asked Meta about the immediate measures it took in response to the incident. Meta has been struggling to keep deepfake and maliciously edited videos featuring celebrities and politicians under control for years now. The company's Oversight Board warned it earlier this year that it wasn't doing enough to enforce its own rules and urged it to train content reviewers on "indicators" of AI-manipulated content.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-removes-ai-deepfake-video-of-irish-presidential-candidate-130059996.html?src=rss
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by Mariella Moon on (#70Z11)
Dropbox is integrating some of Dash's AI features into its main app, giving its users access to a smarter search function, summaries and contextual answers from the files they've uploaded to the app. The company launched Dash back in 2023 as an "AI-powered universal search bar" that people can use to find information in their work-related apps like Slack, Canva, Google Workspace and Microsoft Outlook. However, it's primarily a tool for larger businesses that use Dropbox. This time, though, the company is bringing its search capabilities into the main app for everyone to use.For now, the Dash AI-powered capabilities in the Dropbox app are only available to a small group of users, but they will be widely available in the coming months. Like most other AI chatbots, the AI in the app will allow users to use natural language to describe what they're looking for, whether it's a PDF or a photo. They can also ask the AI to summarize or find what's new in specific files already in their account. Dropbox is working with a startup called Mobius Labs, as well, to give Dash AI the capabilities to search within videos, audio and images "soon."Those who'd like to give Dash's AI features in the Dropbox app a try can sign up for the waitlist if they haven't been invited to test them out yet. Meanwhile, the Dash app itself is now available to teams of all sizes even if they don't have a Dropbox plan.DropboxThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/dropbox-is-bringing-its-dash-ai-features-into-the-main-app-130013854.html?src=rss
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on (#70Z12)
After detailing its plans to revamp its game streaming service at the beginning of October, Amazon is finally ready to relaunch Luna. The new Amazon Luna is available at no additional cost for Prime subscribers, and now includes new beginner-friendly multiplayer games.If you've tried Luna in the past - or most other game streaming services for that matter - the biggest change Amazon is making is the addition of GameNight. It's a collection of multiplayer games reworked so they can be controlled with a smartphone, to make it as easy as possible for friends and family to play. GameNight includes titles likeThe Jackbox Party Pack 9, and reimagined versions of Tetris Effect: Connected and Angry Birds, among other options. GameNight also adds at least one original game, Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg , which places players in faux-courtroom battles judged by an AI-powered facsimile of Snoop Dogg.As before, Luna also gives you access to games that need to be played with a controller (either connected over Bluetooth or over Wi-Fi in the case of Amazon's Luna Controller). To pair with the update, Amazon is adding Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Hogwarts Legacy to the Luna library. For an additional $10 a month for Luna Premium (formerly known as Luna+) you can also unlock an even larger library.If you already have a Prime subscription, these changes make Luna an easy sell. You might have to deal with some buffering, but in exchange, you get access to free entertainment for your next party, and a premium Xbox game without a Game Pass subscription.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/amazons-revamped-luna-streaming-service-is-available-now-130000613.html?src=rss
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by Sarah Fielding on (#70XCV)
A portable battery is a necessity now, especially if your phone's battery has seen better days. But a portable battery is useless if you don't have the proper cords to connect your devices to it, so you often need to remember to pack more than just one thing. A few battery packs solve that problem, including Anker's Nano Power Bank. Now our choice for best portable charger for Android is even more tempting, thanks to a 36 percent markdown. The Anker Nano Power Bank is down to $19 from $30 in the USB-C model. The discount is available in the classic Black or White and the more fun colors Ice Lake Blue, Lilac Purple and Sprout Green. You can use Anker's Nano Power Bank with devices such as the iPhone 15 and newer, Samsung S22 and S23 series, AirPods and the iPad Pro or Air. It's good for a quick boost: we found that its 5,000mAh battery can charge a depleted Galaxy S23 Ultra to 65 percent in about an hour. It also has four indcator lights on it that show how much it's charged. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-anker-5k-power-bank-with-built-in-usb-c-connector-is-on-sale-for-less-than-20-145408299.html?src=rss
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by Steve Dent on (#70Z13)
Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment, the developer of The Division series, Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is offering some employees volunteer buyouts as it attempts to "realign" its teams, the company said in a post on X. The move is designed to "strengthen our roadmap," Massive wrote, as it focuses on The Division series along with its Snowdrop engine and Ubisoft Connect. Ubisoft notably didn't mention Star Wars and Avatar in that statement, an omission that may effectively spell the demise of those franchises.Massive framed the layoffs as a "voluntary career transition program... supported by a comprehensive package that includes financial and career assistance." Workers at the Massive studio in Malm, Sweden can volunteer until December 13 for the package, which primarily targets people between projects waiting for new assignments, according to the French news site Le Figaro.Another Ubisoft studio, Helsinki-based RedLynx, also announced that it was restructuring "as part of Ubisoft's global efforts to simplify, reduce costs and ensure a stronger prioritization and efficiency." If implemented, the proposal would result in a maximum of 60 workers being let go, RedLynx said.Following the underperformance of key titles like Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Ubisoft has shuttered offices and laid off workers at offices in San Francisco, London and Leamington. Last year, the company's headcount dropped from 20,279 to 18,666 at the end of September. Earlier this month, Ubisoft partnered with Tencent to launch Vantage Studios, which now houses the company's tentpole franchises: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-is-laying-off-more-workers-and-offering-voluntary-buyouts-120030931.html?src=rss
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on (#70YY6)
So Samsung made a "Vision Pro Lite." That was my immediate takeaway after this week's debut of the Galaxy XR, the first Android XR device to hit the market. While Samsung deserves credit for offering something close to the Vision Pro for nearly half the price, an $1,800 headset still won't get mainstream consumers rushing out the door to experience the wonders of mixed reality. And with the limited amount of content in Android XR at the moment, the Galaxy XR is in the same position as the Vision Pro: It's just a well-polished developer kit.The only logical reason to buy a Galaxy XR would be to test out apps for Android XR. If you just want to experience VR and dabble in a bit of augmented reality, you're better off spending that money on a gaming laptop and the excellent $500 Meta Quest 3. (The Meta Quest Pro, the company's first high-end mixed reality device, was unceremoniously killed after launching at an eye-watering $1,500.)But even for developers, the Galaxy XR feels like it's lacking, well, vision. Samsung has done an admirable job of copying almost every aspect of the Vision Pro: The sleek ski goggle design, dual micro-OLED displays and hand gesture interaction powered by a slew of cameras and sensors. But while Apple positioned the Vision Pro as its first stab at spatial computing, an exciting new platform where we can use interactive apps in virtual space, Samsung and Google are basically just gunning to put Android on your face.There aren't many custom-built XR apps, aside from Google's offerings like Maps and Photos. (Something that also reminds me of the dearth of real tablet apps on Android.) And the ability to view 360-degree videos on YouTube has been a staple of every VR headset for the last decade - it's not exactly notable on something that costs $1,800. Samsung and Google also haven't said much about how they plan to elevate XR content. At least Apple is attempting to push the industry forward with its 8K Immersive Videos, which look sharper and more realistic than low-res 360-degree content.For the most part, it seems as if Google is treating Android XR as another way to force its Gemini AI on users. In its press release for the Galaxy XR, Samsung notes that it's "introducing a new category of AI-native devices designed to deliver immersive experiences in a form factor optimized for multimodal AI."...What?In addition to being a crime against the English language, what the company is actually pitching is fairly simple: It's just launching a headset that can access AI features via camera and voice inputs.Who knows, maybe Gemini will make Android XR devices more capable down the line. But at the moment, all I'm seeing in the Galaxy XR is another Samsung device that's shamelessly aping Apple, from the virtual avatars to specific pinch gestures. And Google's history in VR and interactive content doesn't inspire much hope about Android XR. Don't forget how it completely abandoned Google Cardboard, the short-lived Daydream project and its hyped up Stadia cloud service. Stadia's death was particularly galling, since Google initially pitched it as a way to revolutionize the very world of gaming, only to let it fall on its face.There's no doubt that Samsung, Apple and Meta have a ton of work left ahead in the world of XR. Samsung is at least closer to delivering something under $1,000, and Meta also recently launched the $800 Ray-Ban Display. But price is only one part of the problem. Purpose is another issue entirely. After living with the Vision Pro since its debut, I can tell that Apple is at least thinking a bit more deeply about what it's like to wear a computer on your face. Just look at the upgrades its made around ultra-wide Mac mirroring, or the way Spatial Personas make it feel as if you're working alongside other people. With Android XR, Google seems to just be making a more open Vision Pro.Honestly, it's unclear if normal users will ever want to use any sort of XR headset regularly, no matter how cheap they get. The experience making these headsets could help Google, Apple and Meta develop future AR glasses, or eyewear that offer some sort of XR experience (Samsung already has something in the works with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster). But while Apple and Meta have broken new ground in XR, Google and Samsung just seem to be following in their footsteps.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/samsungs-galaxy-xr-doesnt-give-me-much-hope-for-android-xr-110000129.html?src=rss
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by Billy Steele on (#6M9DQ)
Whether you're working in a noisy office, commuting on a packed train or just trying to focus at home, a good pair of noise-canceling headphones can make all the difference. The best noise-canceling headphones block out distractions and let you enjoy your music, podcasts or calls in peace - all while delivering great sound quality and all-day comfort. From models with plush cushions to wireless cans with loads of extra features, there's something here for every style and budget. Table of contents
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by Steve Dent on (#70YTB)
When Fujifilm launched the X-T50 last year, no one was sure what would happen with its aging X-T30 lineup. The company just answered that question with the launch of the X-T30 III, boosting the speed and improving autofocus of the last model, while adding a film simulation dial seen on other recent models. It's very light for travel or street photography, but has some powerful features like 6.2K video and subject-detect autofocus, all at a reasonable price. The original X-T30 first arrived in 2019 and was replaced in 2022 by the X-T30 II that was more of a mild update than an all-new camera. However, the X-T30 III has a number of key updates that bring it in line with other recent models like the X-M5 and X-T50. It does have the same 26.1MP X-Trans sensor as before (with a 1.5x crop compared to a full-frame camera), but now uses Fujifilm's latest image processor that doubles image processing speed and significantly improves video capabilities. Ryan Tuttle for Fujifilm The X-T30 III is meant to be taken on adventures, so it's still very light at just 378 grams or 13.33 ounces, a touch less than the previous model. Control-wise, the biggest addition is a film simulation dial just like the one on the X-M5 and X-T50, replacing the mode dial from the X-T30 II. It's designed to make it easy to switch between film simulations like Reala Ace and Nostalgic Neg, while offering three customizable positions to let users save "recipes" of their own making. Otherwise, the X-T30 III has a generous complement of dials and buttons something that allows for precise control but may intimidate newbies. The rear display tilts up but doesn't flip out, and the 2.36-million-dot electronic viewfinder is on the low end for resolution. The main feature missing on the X-T30 III is in-body stabilization, so you'll need either a stabilized (OIS) lens or electronic stabilization for video. Fujjifilm Burst shooting speeds are the same as before at 8 fps with the mechanical shutter and 20 fps in electronic mode. However, more of your shots are likely to be sharp thanks to the updated, faster autofocus. Along with the extra speed, Fujifilm introduced new AI subject detection modes including Auto-Tracking, Animals, Birds and Vehicles. Video also gets a big upgrade. The X-T30 III can now shot 6.2K 30 fps video using the entire sensor (up from 4K 30p before), or 4K at 60 fps with a mild 1.18x crop. All of those resolutions are available with 10-bit modes to boost dynamic range. However, the X-T30 III lacks in-body stabilization, has a weird 2.5mm microphone input and a display that only tilts and doesn't flip out. That makes it fine as a hybrid camera, but if you mostly shoot video, a model like the X-S20 may be a better choice. Fujifilm Other key features include a microHDMI port for RAW video output, a single SD memory card (that's of the low-speed UHS-I variety unfortunately), and improved battery life with up to 425 shots to a charge. Fujifilm also introduced a new lens, the Fujinon XC13-33mmF3.5-6.3 OIS that offers an interesting ultrawide full-frame equivalent zoom range of around 20-50mm. The X-T30 III is now on pre-order for $999 in multiple colors (black, charcoal silver and silver) with shipping set to start in November 2025. The Fujinon XC13-33mmF3.5-6.3 OIS will also ship around the same time for $399. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/fujifilms-x-t30-iii-adds-a-film-simulation-dial-and-6k-video-072148245.html?src=rss
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by Billy Steele on (#5NRJ8)
Wireless earbuds have become the go-to choice for listening on the move. Whether you're at the gym, commuting or relaxing at home, the best wireless earbuds give you comfort, freedom and solid sound quality without tangled cables. They're lightweight, slip easily into your pocket and connect quickly to your phone, tablet or laptop.
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by Mariella Moon on (#70YR0)
Amazon has revealed that it's currently working on smart glasses designed for delivery drivers, confirming previous reports about the project. The company said that glasses use AI-powered sensing capabilities and computer vision to detect what their cameras are seeing. Drivers then get guidance through the glasses' heads-up display (HUD) embedded right into the lens. Based on Amazon's announcement, it's been working on the glasses for a while, and hundreds of delivery drivers had already tested early versions to provide the company with feedback.The glasses automatically activate after the driver parks their vehicle. They then show users the right packages to deliver, according to their location. Users will see the list of packages they have to take out on the HUD, and the glasses can even tell them if they pull out the right package from their pile. When they get out of their vehicle, the glasses will display turn-by-turn navigation to the delivery address and will also show them hazards along the way, as well as help them navigate complex locations like apartment buildings. Simply put, the device allows them to find delivery addresses and drop off packages without having to use their phones. Drivers will even be able to capture proof of delivery with the wearable.Amazon's glasses will be paired with a vest that's fitted with a controller and a dedicated emergency button drivers can press to call emergency services along their routes. The device comes with a swappable battery to ensure all-day use and can be fitted with prescription and transitional lenses if the drivers need them. Amazon expects future versions of the glasses to be able to notify drivers if they're dropping a package at the wrong address and to be able to detect and notify them about more hazardous elements, like if there's a pet in the yard.In the annual event wherein the company announced the device, Amazon transportation vice president Beryl Tomay said it "reduces the need to manage a phone and a package" and helps drivers "stay at attention, which enhances their safety." She also said that among the testers, Amazon had seen time savings of 30 minutes for a given shit.The company didn't say anything about developing smart glasses for consumers, but The Information's previous report said that it's also working on a model for the general public slated to be released in late 2026 or early 2027.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/amazons-smart-glasses-with-ai-will-help-its-drivers-deliver-packages-faster-041009681.html?src=rss
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on (#70YD5)
Ever since Rivian spun off its "micromobility business" into a standalone startup called Also earlier this year, there's been much speculation about what kind of vehicles the company is working on. Now, Also is showing off its first products: a lineup of e-bikes and two pedal-assisted electric quads.The TM-B e-bike is Also's attempt at a do-it-all e-bike that can adapt to different use cases whether that's daily commuting, trail riding or kid and cargo-hauling. It sports a modular frame that can also accommodate a bench seat or rear cargo rack that supports up to 35KG of weight.The different seats can be easily swapped out without extra tools. Instead, a button on the bike's touchscreen display controls a latching mechanism that releases the seat. It only comes in one frame size, but Also says it should be able to adapt to "multiple body sizes," thanks to different seat sizes and styles.The bench seat for the TM-B.Karissa Bell for EngadgetThe removable USB-C battery comes in two sizes: standard, which can power up to 60 miles of riding, and large, which maxes out at 100 miles of range. When you're not riding, the batteries can also be used as a large external battery pack.In terms of power, the TM-B's throttle tops out at 20MPH though the bike can reach speeds up to 28MPH with added pedaling. Also is taking an interesting approach to its drive system, with a setup it's labeled "DreamRide." Instead of a mechanical connection between the bike's rear wheel and the pedals, the TM-B uses "software-defined pedaling,"In practice, this means that you pedaling is actually feeding the generator that powers the bike's battery rather than directly pushing you forward. However, an Also rep told me that there is also a limp mode" for when the bike runs out of juice so riders won't get stranded. In those situations, pedaling will give the bike enough juice to hopefully get you to a spot where you can recharge.Also has envisioned the TM-B in a lot of scenarios, many of which involve hauling a lot of cargo.Karissa Bell for EngadgetSoftware-controlled pedaling probably won't appeal to purists, but Also says it enables a much more customizable riding experience. When in auto mode, the bike will adapt to the speed you're pedaling, though you can push on the throttle to get a boost. There's also a manual mode that lets you select a gear" (these are also software-controlled).It also uses regenerative braking, so tapping on the brakes helps recharge the battery. Though in my short test ride I found that I didn't need to use the brakes much, because when I stopped pedaling the bike slowed down pretty quickly, kind of like taking your foot off the accelerator in an EV.The Also app and Portal display.AlsoGiven the bike's roots at Rivian, it's not surprising that there are also a bunch of other tech-enabled features, including a 5-inch touchscreen display, called "Portal," that supports navigation, music playback and calling features via an accompanying app. There's also a built-in security system that automatically locks the frame and rear wheel when you walk away. On the handlebars, there are customizable controls that can be used to adjust the volume and music playback, answer calls or navigate through display.Customizable controls on the left side fo the handlebar and a throttle on the right.Karissa Bell for EngadgetAlso is selling the TM-B in three configurations. The first to ship next spring will be the $4,500 TM-B Limited Launch Edition, which has a range up to 100 miles, support for standard and sport ride modes and features transparent purple accents. The $4,500 TM-B Performance has the same features as the limited edition model, but has a slightly different color scheme, and will be available within the "first half" of 2026. Finally, there's a base-level TM-B model with a range of up to 60 miles that only comes with standard ride modes. Also hasn't announced an exact price, but says it will cost less than $4,000 when it ships "later in 2026."Pre-orders for the Launch Edition are open now and the other two bikes are available to reserve with a $50 deposit.The bikes will also be on display in Rivian showrooms later this year,Also's quad for commercial uses cases (left) and a smaller quad for families (right).AlsoThe company also previewed two electric, pedal-assisted quads it's calling TM-Q. The smaller quad is apparently meant for "families and individuals seeking a safe, compact alternative to cars" that can still haul significant loads." The larger TM-Q, on the other hand, is meant for commercial deliveries.Also has partnered with Amazon to develop fleets of such vehicles that can be used by delivery drivers. Both quads are intended to be used in bike lanes, according to Also.Also will partner with Amazon for a Prime-branded TM-Q.Karissa Bell for EngadgetThe company didn't share details about when these vehicles might be available or how much they'll cost.Update, October 22, 2025, 2:29PM PT: Added more details and photos from Also's launch event.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/the-first-e-bike-from-rivian-spinoff-also-has-a-virtual-drivetrain-173000250.html?src=rss
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on (#70YJB)
Reddit is suing companies SerApi, OxyLabs, AWMProxy and Perplexity for allegedly scraping its data from search results and using it without a license, The New York Times reports. The new lawsuit follows legal action against AI startup Anthropic, who allegedly used Reddit content to train its Claude chatbot.As of 2023, Reddit charges companies looking access to posts and other content in the hopes of making money on data that could be used for AI training. The company has also signed licensing deals with companies like Google and OpenAI, and even built an AI answer machine of its own to leverage the knowledge in users' posts. Scraping search results for Reddit content avoids those payments, which is why the company is seeking financial damages and a permanent injunction that prevents companies from selling previously scraped Reddit material.Some of the companies Reddit is focused on, like SerApi, OxyLabs and AWMProxy, are not exactly household names, but they've all made collecting data from search results and selling it a key part of their business. Perplexity's inclusion in the lawsuit might be more obvious. The AI company needs data to train its models, and has already been caught seemingly copying and regurgitating material it hasn't paid to license. That also includes reportedly ignoring the robots.txt protocol, a way for websites to communicate that they don't want their material scraped.Per a copy of the lawsuit provided to Engadget, Reddit had already sent a cease-and-desist to Perplexity asking it to stop scraping posts without a license. The company claimed it didn't use Reddit data, but it also continued to cite the platform in answers from its chatbot. Reddit says it was able to prove Perplexity was using scraped Reddit content by creating a "test post" that "could only be crawled by Google's search engine and was not otherwise accessible anywhere on the internet." Within a few hours, queries made to Perplexity's answer engine were able to reproduce the content of the post."The only way that Perplexity could have obtained that Reddit content and then used it in its 'answer engine' is if it and/or its co-defendants scraped Google [search results] for that Reddit content and Perplexity then quickly incorporated that data into its answer engine," the lawsuit claims.When asked to comment, Perplexity provided the following statement:
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on (#70YFN)
Apple has removed dating apps Tea and TeaOnHer from the App Store for violating rules related to content moderation and user privacy. The company told TechCrunch that it pulled the apps as they broke several of its rules, including one mandating that apps can't share or otherwise use an individual's personal info without getting their permission first.Apple said they also violated a rule concerning user-generated content, which stipulates that apps need to allow for reporting offensive or concerning material, an option to block abusive users and the ability to filter "objectionable material from being posted." In addition, Apple claimed the apps broke rules related to user reviews. It told TechCrunch they had an "excessive" volume of negative reviews and complaints from users, including ones related to minors' personal details being shared. The company noted that it raised these issues' with the apps' developers, but they were not resolved.As it stands, both apps are still available on Android through the Google Play Store. Tea (which is formally called Tea Dating Advice) enables women to post details about men they've met or dated. It allows them to post and comment on photos, look up public records on individuals, carry out reverse image searches, share their experiences and rate or review men. Users can, for instance, say whether they'd give a man a "green flag" or a "red flag."TeaOnHer flips that format on its head, with men sharing info about women. Both are pitched as dating safety apps, with Tea telling users they can "ask our anonymous community of women to make sure your date is safe, not a catfish and not in a relationship."Tea first emerged in 2023 and it went viral this year. In July, hackers breached the app and leaked tens of thousands of images, including around 3,000 selfies and photo IDs that users submitted to verify their accounts. The other images included posts, comments and private messages. A second hack exposed more than a million private messages.Days after TeaOnHer went live in August (ripping off text from Tea's App Store description in the process), it emerged that app had its own security issues. It was possible to view photo IDs and selfies that users had submitted for account verification, as well as their email addresses.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/apple-dumps-dating-apps-tea-and-teaonher-from-the-app-store-over-privacy-and-moderation-issues-191305457.html?src=rss
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by Lawrence Bonk on (#70YFP)
YouTube is adding a timer to Shorts to help curb all of that incessant doomscrolling, according to a report by TechCrunch. This feature is rolling out to all users after being spotted in an Android APK file earlier this year, which was originally reported on by Android Authority.Here's how it works. Users set a daily time limit for Shorts via the app's settings. Once reached, they'll see a pop-up reminding them to take a break. This pop-up is easily dismissed with a tap, but it's the thought that counts. At the very least, it'll remind people of just how long they've been laying in bed and watching random Curb Your Enthusiasm clips.This doesn't currently integrate with parental controls, but that's coming next year. At that point, parents or guardians will be able to set specific time limits on how long kids can scroll the Shorts feed. That pop-up will not be dismissible by children.This isn't the first move by YouTube to help improve digital well-being. There's a way to set "take a break" reminders at various increments, and the same goes for a pop-up at bedtime.Why the renewed focus on limiting user engagement? Well, there are nearly 2,000 lawsuits floating around right now directed toward social media companies, according to a report by Bloomberg Law. Many of these suits accuse the companies of intentionally designing their platforms to be addictive.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/youtube-is-adding-a-timer-to-shorts-so-you-dont-scroll-the-day-away-185204383.html?src=rss
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on (#70YFQ)
Enabled by the introduction of its Willow quantum chip last year, Google today claims it's conducted breakthrough research that confirms it can create real-world applications for quantum computers. The company's Quantum Echoes algorithm, detailed in a paper published in Nature, is a demonstration of "the first-ever verifiable quantum advantage running the out-of-order time correlator (OTOC) algorithm."A core belief in quantum computing is that developing computer systems with qubits - which can represent multiple states at once, as opposed to binary ones and zeroes - could lead to greater understanding of the quantum systems surrounding us. Google believes its new algorithm is further proof of that assumption. The Quantum Echoes algorithm is able to illustrate how different parts of a quantum system interact with each other, in a way that's repeatable by other quantum computers and that "runs 13,000 times faster on Willow than the best classical algorithm on one of the world's fastest supercomputers."The "echo" in Quantum Echoes comes from how Google's algorithm interacts with a quantum system, in this case the Willow chip. "We send a carefully crafted signal into our quantum system (qubits on Willow chip), perturb one qubit, then precisely reverse the signal's evolution to listen for the 'echo' that comes back," the company explained in its announcement blog. That echo is magnified by the "constructive interference" of quantum waves, making the measurement Google is able to take extremely sensitive.That sensitivity suggests quantum computers could be an important tool in modeling things like the interaction of particles or the structure of molecules. In a separate experiment with the University of California, Berkeley, Google tried to prove that by running the Quantum Echoes algorithm to study two different molecules, and comparing it to the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) method currently used by scientists to understand chemical structure. The results from both systems matched, and Google says Quantum Echoes even "revealed information not usually available from NMR."In the longterm, a full-scale quantum computer could be used for everything from drug discovery to the development of new battery components. For now though, Google believes its Quantum Echoes research means real-world quantum computer applications could arrive within the next five years.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/google-says-it-made-a-breakthrough-toward-practical-quantum-computing-183502245.html?src=rss
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by Lawrence Bonk on (#70YD4)
Google Gemini is coming to GM vehicles in 2026. The company will be integrating a conversational AI assistant powered by Google's platform into many of its cars, trucks and SUVs.GM says this assistant will be able to access vehicle data to suss out maintenance concerns, alerting the driver when necessary. The company also promises it'll be able to help plan routes and explain various features of the car. It should also be able to do stuff like turn on the heat or air conditioning, even before entering the vehicle.This will replace the "Google built-in" operating system that already exists in many GM vehicles. This OS already offers access to stuff like Google Maps, Google Assistant and related apps. The upcoming Gemini-based chat assistant will do the same type of things, but it should perform better.One of the challenges with current voice assistants is that, if you've used the, you've probably also been frustrated by them because they're trained on certain code words or they don't understand accents very well or if you don't say it quite right, you don't get the right response," GM VP Dave Richardson told TechCrunch. What's great about large language models is they don't seem to be affected by that."One brand-new feature that Gemini will bring to the table is web integration. This will let drivers ask the chatbot questions pertaining to geographic location and the like. GM gives an example of someone asking about the history of a bridge they are passing over.The Gemini assistant will be available via the Play Store after launch as an over-the-air upgrade to Onstar-equipped vehicles. It won't be limited to newer releases, as GM says it'll work with vehicles from the model year 2015 and above. The company also says it's working on its own AI chatbot that has been "custom-built for your vehicle." There's no timetable on that one.GM ran into hot water recently when it was found that it had been selling some customer information sourced from its OnStar Smart Driver program to insurance companies without user consent. This led to the FTC banning the company from selling any driver data for five years. Richardson says the Gemini integration will be privacy-focused and the software will let drivers control what information it can access and use.GMThe company made these announcements at the GM Forward media event, where it also discussed other forthcoming initiatives. It has scheduled a rollout of its self-driving platform for 2028. It's also developing its own computing platform, also launching in 2028. This does mean that GM will be sunsetting integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This software will be phased out over the next few years.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/google-gemini-will-arrive-in-gm-cars-starting-next-year-181249237.html?src=rss
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by Matt Tate on (#70YD6)
It's shaping up to be a shockingly good year for former arcade-dwelling beat-em-up fans. This month saw the arrival of the excellent Absolum, which infuses old-fashioned 2D combat in a cartoony high fantasy setting with roguelike elements to great effect. And now we also have a release date for Marvel Cosmic Invasion.Out December 1 on practically every platform, Marvel Cosmic Invasion lets you choose a team of two superheroes from a playable roster of 15, and you can switch character mid-fight. The new release date trailer rounds off the roster with the Invincible Iron Man (heard of him?) and Phoenix/Jean Grey (played by Jennifer Hale, who also voiced Jean in X-Men 97), who join a list of previously announced characters that includes Spider-Man, Wolverine and Captain America.With its gorgeous pixel art visuals and obvious '90s-era Marvel comics inspiration, it's hard to see Marvel Cosmic Invasion being anything other than a hit, and it's fair to say that the license is in very good hands. Developer Tribute Games' last game was the excellent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, while publisher Dotemu has already put out the aforementioned Absolum this year, as well as Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, which also got a big tick from Engadget.You can play with up to four players, local or online, with crossplay also supported. Marvel Cosmic Invasion will be available for PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS5/PS4 and Xbox on December 1.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nostalgic-beat-em-up-marvel-cosmic-invasion-is-out-on-december-1-172217400.html?src=rss
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on (#70YD7)
Nintendo has announced a free update for Pikmin 4 that could remedy one of fans' biggest complaints about the game. (Yes, free. From Nintendo. We're shocked too, but we'll take it.) The update, which arrives in November, adds Fierce mode to make the game more challenging for those who want it. We don't know exactly what that will look like yet, but a higher difficulty level is a welcome addition to a game that is, for many players including myself, absolutely delightful but much too easy. It may not reach Pikmin 2 heights still, but maybe we'll see enemies respawn?On the opposite end, for players who want to breeze through an even chiller experience than Pikmin 4 already offered, the update also brings Relaxed mode, where enemies won't bother you unless you attack them first. This mode could go hand in hand with another new feature, the Field Camera, which puts a Pokemon-Snap-style spin on things. With this, you'll be able to take photos of your Pikmin and squad in the wild, and "set the scene with various angles, hide characters, and decorate your pics with filters, frames and stamps." It might be nice not to have enemies pestering you while you're just trying to have a photoshoot.The update also brings a Pikmin Bloom staple over to the mainline game: Decor Pikmin. You'll soon be able to find Pikmin that are decked out in little costumes, and can add these characters to your squad. The announcement hints that snapping a picture of them may be the way to do this. And, Pikmin Bloom players will be able to send these special Decor Pikmin to the app to join their squad over there too. There's more news for Pikmin Bloom players as well. The mobile game is finally getting Ice Pikmin on November 1. These will sprout from new blue seedlings that will be found, to start, at Restaurant and Roadside locations.An Ice Pikmin with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on its head and a pink spoon sticking out sits on a rocky ledgeNintendoAt the beginning of October, Nintendo got us all worked up about the possibility of new Pikmin content when it dropped an animated short that at first seemed to be Pikmin related, and was later confirmed to be. The company eventually put the hype to rest, explaining that the videos were indeed just the first short films from Nintendo Pictures Co., which will "explore new creative possibilities through video content" - not a promotion for a new game, as fans hoped. But with a new reason to dive back into Pikmin 4 now on the horizon, maybe all the excitement wasn't for nothing.
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by Matt Tate on (#70Y9T)
One of the greatest comeback stories in the history of video games just keeps writing itself new chapters. If you've checked in on the wildly ambitious space sim, No Man's Sky, in the last few years then you'll know just how much UK-based developer Hello Games has turned things around for a game that was once the subject of a false advertising investigation. And its latest update introduces fully explorable space wrecks.The follow-up to August's substantial Voyagers expansion, the new Breach update adds floating wrecks that you're invited to salvage to your heart's content. The materials you find can be used to unlock new ship-building parts, and after Voyagers - which finally allowed players to build their own fully crewed spaceships - was such a hit with the No Man's Sky audience, Hello Games says it has also improved and expanded its workshop feature in the latest update.Breach also introduces a new expedition, which are No Man's Sky's time-limited story-driven events. In this one, players will "traverse a desolate and abandoned universe to discover what happened to a mysterious abandoned wreck." Those able to successfully voyage to the edge of space and ransack the remains of the ship will be rewarded with rare parts to use on their own creations, including "glowing Atlas-themed wings." The expedition looks suitably spooky for a Halloween playthrough with your pals.No Man's Sky celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2026, and the Breach update seemingly rounds off what Hello Games founder Sean Murray calls a "crazy year" for his team. It seems unlikely that we won't get more updates in what will be a landmark year for the game when 2026 rolls around, but Murray also appeared to tease the studio's next project, the open-world survival game Light No Fire, when announcing the arrival of the Voyagers expansion back in August. In a message, he seemed to suggest that the ship construction tech introduced in the expansion will also be utilized in Light No Fire, which is currently without a release date.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/no-man-skys-latest-update-let-you-explore-a-space-wreck-164042151.html?src=rss
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by Lawrence Bonk on (#70Y9V)
The Spotify app has been freezing and crashing on some Android devices, according to multiple users and a report by 9to5Google. This is happening only when a phone or tablet is connected to Wi-Fi, so keep on listening to Spotify while out and about.Users first took note of the problem around two weeks ago, taking to Spotify forums to address their concerns. Many folks say that the app becomes essentially unusable on Wi-Fi due to the constant crashes and freezing.
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by Will Shanklin on (#70Y9W)
If you use ChatGPT in WhatsApp, it's about time to make other plans. OpenAI said its ubiquitous chatbot will stop working in Meta's ubiquitous chat app on January 15, 2026. According to OpenAI, the change is due to a policy and terms change from WhatsApp.OpenAI announced the change in a blog post. "While we would have much preferred to continue serving you on WhatsApp, we are focused on making the transition as easy for all of our users as possible," the company wrote.WhatsApp doesn't support chat exports, and there won't be an automatic way to transfer your chats after the cutoff date. Fortunately, there's a simple workaround to migrate your chat history right now. Under the 1-800-ChatGPT contact profile in WhatsApp, you'll see an option to link your ChatGPT account. Select that, and all your queries on WhatsApp will merge with your ChatGPT history.As for why this is happening, well, we can only speculate. But the term "turf war" comes to mind. After all, Meta is now an AI company, too. And 50 million people using another company's chatbot inside WhatsApp must not be good for business. Fortunately, ChatGPT is available on the same platforms as WhatsApp: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and the web.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-in-whatsapp-will-stop-working-in-january-161335173.html?src=rss
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by Mariella Moon on (#70Y9X)
Sonic Rumble has a new worldwide launch date: November 5. The game, which we've previously likened to Fall Guys, was supposed to come out last winter before its release was rescheduled for May 8 this year. By the end of April, however, Sega announced that its global launch had been postponed yet again because its developers needed more time to "build the kind of high-quality, long-lasting Sonic game [their] players deserve." At the time, the company said it had blasted past its goal of 1.4 million pre-registrations and that it had received "amazing positive response" from players in pre-launch regions. Players who pre-register will receive bonuses when the game launches globally.Similar to Fall Guys, Sonic Rumble is a battle royale-style game that can accommodate up to 32 players at once. Players will race against each other in worlds inspired by the Sonic franchise while collecting Rings they can use to buy new skins and stickers. It has several different modes, including Run wherein players compete for the top spot and Survival wherein they compete to stay in the game. Players can choose between various Sonic characters, including Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow and Dr. Eggman, and form a team of four to race against other teams around the world.Sega developed Sonic Rumble for mobile devices and PC, and it will be available to play on iOS and Android, as well as on Google Play Games on PC and Steam.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/sonic-rumble-is-coming-out-november-5-160031039.html?src=rss
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by Katie Teague,John Falcone on (#70Y1N)
With Galaxy XR, you can split screen between a game like Stardew Valley and a real-time video chat.SamsungAfter dropping hints for over two years, Samsung, in partnership with Google, finally revealed its first-ever Android extended reality headset Tuesday night. The new device, dubbed Galaxy XR, will run you $1,800 and you can actually buy it today.Due to its collaboration with Google, it's not a surprise that the headset comes fully equipped with Gemini AI built in. "Android XR is the first Android platform built entirely for the Gemini era, and we are incredibly excited to take a significant leap forward today with the launch of Galaxy XR," Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem at Google, said.What are the features of the Galaxy XR headset, and how does it differ from its main competitor, the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro? Glad you asked!What is the Galaxy XR?The Samsung Galaxy XR is the first-ever Android XR headset, created by Google and Samsung. If Apple's Vision Pro is the "virtual reality iPhone," the Samsung is basically its "virtual reality Galaxy S phone" alternative. The headset looks like a pair of snowboard goggles, but it comes with a whopping total of 12 cameras and six microphones. And because it's 2025, AI is a big part of the Galaxy XR's upsell: It has Google's Gemini AI assistant built in, so while you're wearing the headset, it can see and hear everything around you.Google's "XR" designation stands for "extended reality," which is effectively an "all of the above" term encompassing augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality. That means the Galaxy XR can put a virtual overlay on the real world (thanks to all those cameras), or it can completely shut out your space to immerse you in a totally virtual environment. In other words, you can customize your own workspace or turn your room into your own personal theater, or you can transport yourself to an international locale with a first-person "you are there" viewpoint.What can you do with the Galaxy XR?For watching videos on apps like YouTube, the headset offers a library of 180- and 360-degree VR content. You can also watch movies using Google TV on a large, resizable screen. Plus, if you have a question about whatever you're watching, you can ask Gemini since it sees everything you see. And when you're looking at your photos and videos, you can convert them to 3D so it feels like you're back in the memory.While using Google Maps, you can use Immersive View to go anywhere in the world (virtually, of course). Visiting somewhere historical? You can ask Gemini to tell you more information about the landmark. Spot a weird-looking plant or bug around your house? You can use Circle to Search to find out what it is while wearing the headset.The Immersive View feature of Google Maps lets Galaxy XR users zoom across cityscapes.SamsungAs for getting work done efficiently, you can arrange your most-needed apps all around your screen - for instance, your web browser, favorite music app, important documents and video conferencing app. And if things start to feel cluttered, you can ask Gemini to organize your windows. Even better, you can link your PC to your headset, as well as your keyboard and mouse.The headset uses two passthrough cameras for real-time viewing, six world-facing tracking cameras and four eye-tracking cameras, as well as depth and flicker sensors. It also supports iris recognition so you can unlock the device and enter passwords within some apps.What apps work on the Galaxy XR?"Almost all" Google Play Store apps will be available on the Galaxy XR headset. That means hundreds of thousands of apps should be available on the headset on day one, including basic streaming apps (for watching things like Netflix, HBO Max or Peacock on that giant virtual display) as well as "new versions" of some of Google's key first-party software, from Photos to Chrome and YouTube. And, of course, the aforementioned Google Maps is on board, too.Using the Galaxy XR as a PC monitor, you can stream in a game -- such as this "Assassin's Creed" tile -- from an external source. SamsungAs you'd expect, Google is also focusing on gaming. In addition to the full panoply of Android games, the Galaxy XR's PC Link also lets you use it as a monitor for PC-based games, too.How does it feel to wear the Galaxy XR?Engadget Senior Reporter Sam Rutherford wearing the Samsung Galaxy XR headset. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetEngadget's Sam Rutherford got some hands-on time with the Galaxy XR recently, and had some notable first impressions on its comfort and usability:
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on (#70Y9Z)
After nine years as CEO of the studio behind Control and Alan Wake, Tero Virtala has departed the role. Remedy cofounder Markus Maki is taking over on an interim basis (and stepping down as chairman of the board) while the company looks for a permanent CEO. Henri Osterlund, a board member since 2017, is Remedy's new chairman.I want to thank Tero Virtala for his substantial contribution to the management of Remedy since 2016," Maki said in a statement. "I personally thank Tero for good cooperation and wish him all the best for the future." Virtala will remain at Remedy for a transition period to help with the handover of CEO duties.Remedy didn't spell out the reasons as to why Virtala is leaving as CEO, but said it was by mutual consent. However, it's been a rough year for Remedy after its latest game, FBC: Firebreak, failed to meet sales expectations. Earlier this month, the company issued a profit warning to investors and lowered "its long-term sales forecast for the game." Remedy now expects its operating profit for the year to be in the red after recognizing a "non-cash impairment" of 14.9 million ($17.3 million) related to FBC: Firebreak development costs as well as publishing and distribution rights.FBC: Firebreak (a co-op Control spinoff) arrived in June and while the game reached half a million players in its first 10 days, most were on consoles, where it was available via PlayStation Plus and Game Pass Ultimate. Remedy said in August the game had underperformed on Steam, which the company had intended as its "primary consumer sales channel on PC."After feedback from players, Remedy swiftly rolled out multiple patches for FBC: Firebreak - its first multiplayer title - to try to improve the game. It released the first major update for FBC: Firebreak last month to revamp the core gameplay and overhaul the onboarding experience. However, that didn't fully turn the tide. "Despite improved player and sales metrics after the update, sales have not reached Remedy's internal targets," the company said in its profit warning.Another major FBC: Firebreak update is planned for November, which will add a new game mode as well as cross-platform voice chat. Remedy also has Control 2 in the oven, as well as remakes of the first two Max Payne games.
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by Matt Tate on (#70Y7E)
Uber Green is rebranding to Uber Electric, and to coincide with the name switch - a move designed to make it clearer for Uber users preferring to hail zero-emissions rides - the company will incentivise its drivers to swap their current vehicle for an EV by way of a $4,000 grant. According to Uber's numbers, there are currently more than 200,000 EVs on its global network, and drivers are switching to electric up to 5x faster than regular motorists in the US, Canada and Europe.Uber's carrot for drivers is particularly timely given that President Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" recently wiped out the federal tax credit on used EVs, which was worth (at its maximum value) the same amount as its new "Go Electric" EV grant. The grant automatically qualifies drivers in New York City, California, Colorado, and Massachusetts to receive $4,000 when they switch to an EV. Grants are available for both new and used electric vehicles, and Uber drivers nationwide can also get $1,000 when they purchase any new or used EV through TrueCar.Uber has also announced that it's rolling out its battery-aware matching (BAM) feature to EVs made by Kia, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz in 25 countries including the US and Canada. This allows drivers to connect their vehicle to the Driver app, and will subsequently only receive ride requests that they are able to fulfill with their remaining range at the time. Uber said that 49 percent of non-EV drivers on its platform are put off switching to an EV due to battery-related concerns, which the expansion of BAM should help alleviate.The Uber Electric rebrand follows Uber transitioning Uber Green to fully electric in the US earlier this year, where previously it has consisted of a mix of hybrids and all-electric vehicles. Riders are also being enticed to seek EV drivers, with Uber offering them 20 percent off (up to $8) their next electric ride with code GOELECTRIC20, which is valid for a week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/uber-will-pay-drivers-4000-to-switch-to-an-ev-144704532.html?src=rss
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on (#70Y7F)
If I had a dollar for every time a vehicle manufacturer launched a new in-car software experience designed to achieve the same levels of user experience as your average tablet or smartphone, I'd probably have about enough cash for a decent lunch at a middling restaurant. It's a common refrain, and yet after years of hearing that same story over and over, I still find myself firing up Android Auto or Apple CarPlay as soon as I get into just about every new car I evaluate.At the launch of the 2026 Toyota RAV4, I heard that story yet again, about how they'd rewritten their in-car software to deliver an experience like that found in modern mobile devices. And I have to say, for once, they might have actually delivered. Toyota's latest SUV has voice and touch capabilities that are not only quick and responsive but genuinely pleasant to use. And thankfully, the rest of the SUV has been upgraded to match.The RAV4 has been in production for over 30 years now. This, the sixth generation, comes hot on the heels of its predecessor becoming the world's best-selling car in 2024. Over 1.1 million were sold last year, which goes a long way towards explaining why you can't kick a pebble in a grocery store parking lot without hitting a RAV4.The overall changes for the 2026 RAV4 aren't radical, but they are appreciated. For starters, every trim of this SUV is a hybrid, with base models powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that drives the front wheels, offering 226 horsepower. Those wanting all-wheel drive can add another electric motor at the back, adding a little more power (10 hp) and a good bit more drive for low-grip situations.For 2026, every trim of the RAV4 is a hybrid. Tim Stevens for EngadgetFrom there, buyers can step up to a revised plug-in hybrid model, which now makes 324 horsepower, up 22 from before. Fuel economy is up too, up to 48 mpg depending on what trim you choose, and you can now get up to 52 miles of range from a 22.7 kWh battery pack in the plug-in.And that's usable range. I took a RAV4 XSE plug-in edition out for a morning drive and covered nearly 20 miles without spinning up the engine. Even at highway speeds the RAV4 was slow but perfectly manageable. With that much range and even reasonably quick DC charging (50 kW maximum), it's easy to see this as the introduction to EVs for many.For better or worse, that DC charging is handled on a CCS port, not the newer NACS ports that most manufacturers (even Toyota) are using on their EVs. The lack of any kind of vehicle-to-load functionality is a bummer, too, especially on the rugged-ish Wilderness edition, which would seemingly be a perfect machine for powering a campsite.Regardless of which trim you go with, you'll get that new software system running on either a 10.5-inch touchscreen on the lower trims or a 12.9-inch display on higher-end machines. The overall experience is the same, looking bright and crisp either way, just with more finger-friendly controls on the bigger panel.Toyota's revamped software is quick and responsive, especially the voice assistant. Tim Stevens for EngadgetToyota's software layout is familiar, with a vertical column of icons on the left for toggling between major sections like media or navigation, and then a row of controls along the bottom for controlling the car's heating, ventilation and cooling system. The rest of the display is taken up by a customizable series of panels. As you swipe from left to right, you swing through different pages, which you can move around and rearrange as you like. None of this is particularly revolutionary, but is pleasantly responsive. Swiping from page to page was quick and easy, without any annoying lag waiting for content to load.That responsiveness continued through to the voice assistant, which is the quickest I've ever used in a car. Just say "Hey, Toyota" and ask for whatever you want. When asked for pizza, the voice assistant listed nearby joints, even quoted their star rating and offered navigation, all without the annoying round-trip processing lag that's common in these systems. Some of that speed might be thanks to the addition of 5G connectivity (provided by AT&T), but there's surely some quicker hardware running beneath the skin powering the Linux-based software.The car's integrated navigation was also easy to use, quick to route and re-route and features all the points of interest you could ever want. There's even an integrated dashcam feature that will record any incidents on the road, or whatever else you feel like highlighting, while also storing the footage from the SUV's other cameras.Despite the quality experience through the touchscreen, Toyota didn't take this as an opportunity to delete all the car's buttons. You'll still find physical controls for all the major features, including (praise be) a volume knob. It was all good enough to make me not feel compelled to reach for my phone, but of course, I did in the interest of testing. Both wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are supported, not only in the main touchscreen but also able to feed navigation details into the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. That, too, is customizable, with a series of panels of information that hover over your phone's map view.The meaner, sportier GR Sport edition. Tim Stevens for EngadgetSo, even if you still prefer your phone, you're covered, and powered, too. The RAV4 has a pair of Qi wireless chargers, conveniently situated in the center stack just below the HVAC controls. You'll also find two 45-watt USB-C ports up front, plus a pair of 15-watt ports in the back for rear-seat passengers.The new RAV4 has a roomy, comfortable cabin with some fun touches, like a neoprene-like insert in the dash that's pleasant to touch. The overall interior design won't win any awards for dramatic styling or eye-catching flair, but it's comfortable and seems like the kind of thing that'll stand up to whatever you or your kids throw at it.In terms of driving dynamics, the extra power offered by the RAV4 doesn't turn it into a rocket ship, but the PHEV trim in particular feels more than quick enough. There's also a new GR Sport edition for those who aspire to something even more engaging, but despite a more aggressive grille up front and a big wing hanging off the back, it still feels like a RAV4 from behind the wheel. That is to say: It's not the most exciting thing on the road.But people don't buy RAV4s to be wowed, they buy them because they're practical and comfortable and priced right. Price, unfortunately, is one thing we don't know about the new model, with Toyota only saying that it'll start somewhere in the low $30,000 range. But all the SUV's other virtues carry forward into 2026 with upgrades. Add to that a massively improved software experience, and you have an SUV that doesn't disappoint.
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by Mariella Moon on (#70Y7G)
You'll be able to play the first game in the Luigi's Mansion series on the Nintendo Switch 2 starting on October 30, just in time for Halloween. The gaming company is adding the title to its GameCube library for the Nintendo Switch Online streaming service. Take note that that service's GameCube titles are exclusively available on the Switch 2 and require a subscription to the $50-a-year Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier. A basic Switch Online subscription with no access to GameCube, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Advance classics costs $20 a year.Since both Luigi's Mansion 2 (HD version) and Luigi's Mansion 3 are compatible with the new console, the whole series is now playable on the Switch 2. Nintendo released the first Luigi's Mansion in 2001 as a launch title for GameCube. It was also the first title in the Mario franchise for the system. The story revolves around Luigi, who wins a mansion in a contest he never joined and finds out that it's located in a dark, mysterious forest. Inside, he has to fight and capture ghosts and solve puzzles in order to unlock doors and explore the entirety of the mansion.Luigi's Mansion sold 257,000 units in its first week and was the top-selling GameCube launch title. It was remade for the Nintendo 3DS in 2018, but if you're a fan, we'll bet you would love to be able to play it again on a newer console.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/luigis-mansion-will-soon-be-playable-on-nintendo-switch-2-132045389.html?src=rss
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on (#70Y44)
The iPad Pro is about to turn 10, so hopefully you'll forgive me for pulling out this well-worn Apple truism one more time. No, it's not Steve Jobs saying if you see a stylus, they blew it" (a quote continually used out of context.) It's the tale of how since day one, the iPad Pro's hardware often felt far more powerful and capable than the software it runs. If you recall, iPadOS was initially a scaled-up version of iOS, with most of the limitations inherent in software designed first for a phone. Apps could take great advantage of the larger screen, but working across multiple apps was just nowhere near as simple as doing the same thing on a Mac. Yes, the iPad has always been more portable, and accessories like the Apple Pencil make it better-suited for some tasks than a Mac, but the knock is always that the iPad - even the Pro - isn't ideal for getting real work" done.The combination of the just-launched iPad Pro's M5 processor and the massive iPadOS update might finally quiet that debate. Sure, some people will never want to replace their laptop with an iPad, but it's more feasible than ever thanks to iPadOS 26. It brings a totally revamped windowing and multitasking system, a background tasks API that lets you run heavy processes like rendering video while working in other apps, more robust audio input support and a far better Files app, making the iPad Pro closer in its feature set to a Mac than ever before.As Apple's premium tablet enters its second decade, I spoke with the company's Ted Merendino (from the iPad Product Marketing team) and Ty Jordan (Product Manager for System Experiences) to learn more about the evolution of the iPad Pro and iPadOS.Given how many Mac-like features came to iPadOS 26 this year, I was curious to hear how the company approached putting all that Mac DNA into the iPad while still keeping it distinct, as well as the engineering challenges it presented. One of the things that makes iPad such a unique device is it's extremely versatile, right?" Jordan said. You can use it with touch, you can use it with a trackpad or a keyboard or the Apple Pencil, and that's really powerful. But it also actually makes an extremely challenging engineering and design problem to try and solve when you're thinking about something like the new windowing experience."Jordan went on to describe a multi-year effort" to reconfigure the underlying iPadOS architecture. Apple worked to maintain the immediacy that you've come to expect with a touch device, while still allowing users to have this freedom and flexibility to work across so many more windows at once," he said. From there, the company had to figure out how to bring a bunch of familiar tools from the Mac together and make sure they work across touchscreens, trackpads and keyboards.An iPad running multiple windows in iPadOS 26Nathan Ingraham for EngadgetJordan pointed to Expose (a tool in macOS that shows you all your open windows by swiping up on the trackpad with three fingers) as a good example of something they wanted to bring to iPadOS in a way that felt native. We leveraged the home gesture that people have been familiar with on iPad for a long time," he said, so you can easily see a bird's eye view of all your windows."Swiping up on the iPad's screen with one finger has brought you home for years, but now swiping up and holding for a second drops you into Expose, the same way it invokes open apps on an iPhone. And you can use the same three-finger swipe up on an iPad with a trackpad as you can on a Mac. All these pieces have to be reconsidered over and over again in order to make sure that they do feel distinct to iPad," Jordan said.While iPadOS 26 is a major revision that was just released less than a month ago, the iPad Pro M5 is more of an iterative update, at least on the outside. That's not a big surprise given that the M4 model released in May 2024 was a complete redesign. The iPad Pro M4 is more capable thanks to the big software update, but this year's M5 update pushes the tablet even further into a world where AI performance is paramount.M5 has a faster Neural Engine, which continues to be the most power efficient location on the chip to run on-device AI," Merendino said, citing features like Live Text and Subject Lift that have been in iOS and iPadOS for a while now. He also noted that the faster CPU in the M5 has had neural accelerators for a few generations, things that help with low-latency AI tasks like speech recognition.But the M5's redesigned GPU is where the big changes can be found. Within each GPU core is the new Neural Accelerator that dramatically speeds up GPU-based AI tasks," Merendino continued. So if you are segmenting super high-resolution video, this is much, much faster. For on-device image generation, this is much faster." Benchmarks I took while reviewing the iPad Pro M5 back this up - all the GPU-based measurements showed huge improvements over the M4.Merendino noted that Apple invited the developer for image generation app Draw Things into its labs to test the app with the M5's GPU neural accelerators and it provided about double the performance of the M4 chip and four times the performance of the M1. My testing with Draw Things backed this up. I ran four different image generation prompts on both the M4 and M5 iPad Pro, and the M5 was more than twice as fast. It typically finished the default prompts I tried in the app in about 50 seconds, while the M4 took about 2 minutes and 25 seconds. Other tasks, like large language model token generation, are six times faster on the M5 compared to the (much older) M1.Impressive, for sure, but it's also fair to say that most iPad Pro users are likely not going to be pushing to the edge of the M5's computational powers. The flip side of this, though, is that the iPad Pro will likely remain fast enough for all but the most demanding tasks for years. Apple knows this, and it's evident in the way it's positioning this new iPad Pro - it's for demanding customers who've been using an M1- or M2-powered iPad Pro for years now and are ready for an upgrade.One of the main hardware differences between the redesigned M4 and M5 iPad Pros and their predecessors is that Apple made the tablet even thinner and lighter than ever, while packing in the company's latest silicon. It's a wild engineering feat, one that impressed me from the very first time I picked up the iPad Pro M4 last year. There is one somewhat humorous thing about the iPad Pro, which is that it's thinner and lighter than the iPad Air - despite the Air name having historically been used for Apple's most portable products. Just look at the iPhone Air for the latest example.That made me ponder if a more pro" iPad should be a little thicker and heavier to accommodate a bigger battery, like what you'll find in the MacBook Pro. The iPad Pro's 10-hour battery life for basic tasks like web browsing and watching video isn't short, but if you push it harder it'll drain a lot quicker. Merendino said that the ongoing thought process behind balancing battery life, performance and size comes down to a focus on portability and versatility.One of the things that has defined iPad since the very beginning is portability. For creative pros, the iPad Pro is untethering them from a workstation," he said. It's letting them create and be productive wherever they may be. And what's unique is that over the years we've made iPad more and more portable." That's undeniable; the first iPad was about 1.5 pounds with its 9.7-inch screen and the 13-inch iPad Pro is a quarter of a pound lighter. But we have also made it vastly more powerful," Merendino continued, even though it's a more portable device, a vastly faster device. We have still maintained that all day battery life that we know users depend on." So while we're probably not getting an iPad Pro with 15- or 20-hour battery life any time soon, I can respect the trade-off of making the tablet as portable as possible. It's one of its main differentiating features compared to a Mac, after all.A rumor that started making the rounds just after the iPad Pro M5 was released puts the Mac versus iPad" debate into a new territory, though. A few reliable sources including Mark Gurman at Bloomberg and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo both say that the M6 refresh of the MacBook Pro will usher in touchscreens for the first time on a Mac. If this happens, it'll likely upend the debate yet again. But in the same way an iPad doesn't really replace the Mac, I don't think a touchscreen MacBook will necessarily be better than an iPad for some things. The iPad is still the most versatile device Apple sells, and the company believes that versatility is something people recognize and want.With the windowing system that we built, it [still] starts with every app being fullscreen," Jordan says. And the idea behind that philosophy is making sure you can be the person who has iPad and is just using it on the couch to watch a show, and then can seamlessly transition to being a professional who's connected to an external display with a Magic Keyboard and a bunch of windows open. And that versatility is really interesting, and I think customers who gravitate towards iPad are looking for that device that can go across those worlds."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/after-10-years-the-ipad-pro-has-finally-carved-out-its-own-identity-130108169.html?src=rss
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by Steve Dent on (#70Y45)
These days, thanks to smartphones, almost everyone has a camera with them and that's mostly a good thing. At any time, you can capture memories with family and friends, painterly sunsets and crazy spontaneous moments. The problem is most of us have endless bland photos in our camera rolls because we simply don't know how to take great shots.When you're on vacation or gathering with friends and family, a good photo will provide memories you can proudly share and go back to time and again. And if you're active on social media, they're crucial. In this article, I'll show you how to set yourself up for photo success with the optimal settings and simple but effective composition tips from myself and a pro photographer. And if you're interested in going further, I'll highlight several third-party apps that provide even greater manual control. Note that this is focused only on taking photos - I'll cover video in a future article.Take advantage of your smartphone's camera setupRhonda Dent for EngadgetMost smartphones have two or more cameras, each with different lenses, sensors and resolution. They're usually called the wide (or main), telephoto and ultrawide cameras. These work seamlessly together: You can simply pinch to zoom on the viewfinder to fit your subject into the scene and your phone will switch between the lenses automatically.Most smartphones offer shortcuts on their viewfinders for you to quickly jump between these, and you'll usually see numbers like 0.5x, 1x, 2x and 5x to denote the levels of zoom. Ideally, you should use each camera at its optimal setting and avoid in-between digital zooms (like 2.7x) that reduce quality.You should also know which camera is best for a given subject. People shots are best done with the main or telephoto cameras as those focal lengths flatter the subject and reduce distortion. They also allow for naturally blurred backgrounds and bokeh" that helps your subject stand out. Since it creates weird warping around the edges of photos, the ultrawide camera is best reserved for landscape shots. Lastly, the telephoto lens is best for distant scenes, but avoid the most extreme settings (above 10x on most cameras) as your photos may become blurry or pixelated.When it comes to your phone's portrait mode, there are caveats. While it does create a soft blurred background and bokeh," it does so using computational tricks. That can create issues like pixelation around your subject or an overly artificial look. To get natural blur, switch to the main or the telephoto camera, increase the zoom level and move farther away from your subject to frame them.Finally, this should go without saying, but clean your lens. Whenever you set your phone down, the camera can pick up grease or dirt that will ruin your photos. If you don't have a microfiber cloth, clean it with any soft cotton fabric - just avoid tissue as it's rougher than it looks and can mar your lens.Nail your settingsExposure is the only adjustment you needSteve Dent for EngadgetOne big plus with smartphones over dedicated cameras is that they have bigger, sharper displays. To start, boost your screen brightness when taking photos so you can easily see your subject and compose your shot.Take a few extra seconds to decide whether to snap a vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) photo, depending on the subject. Get in the habit of holding your phone in a way that keeps your fingers away from the lenses, as that's another great way to ruin a shot.Most recent iPhone and Android models automatically focus on a subject quickly and accurately. However, if multiple people are in a shot, the AI may focus on the wrong person, so be sure to tap on the correct one.Exposure, or the brightness or dimness of a subject, is typically selected automatically by your phone. Most devices will automatically average the levels across multiple faces so all the people in a shot are well-exposed.Steve Dent for EngadgetOne thing that smartphones are nearly as good at as cameras is macro or closeup photography. Most iPhones and Android devices let you focus very close to subjects from the main (1x) or ultra wide (0.5x) cameras. This can help you produce cool shots of insects, leaves, seashells and other things in nature.Selecting a new subject automatically changes both focus and exposure. If you tap on a dark part of the image, the camera will automatically brighten it and vice versa, but you can manually change that. On iPhones, tap a subject to bring up the sunshine icon, then move the slider to change brightness. You can also open up extra settings with the down arrow on iPhone and then select the +/- symbol. On a Pixel, open the settings (gear) icon, select brightness and move the slider.Sometimes, you might want to lock the focus and exposure when taking multiple photos of the same scene. That's done on both iPhone or Android by clicking and holding for a couple of seconds on the desired subject. Then, the exposure and focus will stay locked until you tap again. You may need to enable this feature in your phone's settings before it can be used.What about using the flash? It's best to use it only when you truly don't have enough light to capture a moment, as it can make shots look overly bright and unnatural. Below is a good example of a shot taken with and without a flash at night when there was barely enough natural light.iPhone 16 photo taken with flash (left) and without flash (right)Steve Dent for EngadgetMost smartphones let you take photos nearly instantly from the lockscreen so you can easily capture when something unexpected occurs. It's a good idea to learn how so you can snap a shot without too much delay.Recent iPhone models have a dedicated camera button on the right side. First, ensure the settings are configured so that you can activate it without unlocking the phone. Then, push the button once to open the camera app and then again to take a shot (the main 1x camera is selected automatically). On earlier models, simply swipe left from the lockscreen to instantly access the camera. For Pixel and other Android devices, double pressing the power or volume button will usually bring up the camera app from the lockscreen.Some iPhone and Android phones have a setting that allows you to take RAW photos. That gives you image data straight off the sensor without any sharpening or other adjustments, so it can provide a more natural look. However, editing RAW photos requires practice and the photos take up a lot of extra space on your camera roll.Most smartphones allow you to tweak settings like saturation, brightness and contrast, but it's best not to get too in the weeds. Even the experts, like my pro photographer friend Nathanael Charpentier, stick to the basics, No complex settings, no artificial portrait mode. I just occasionally adjust the brightness when necessary," he told me (one exception for him is black & white photos). This then frees him to focus entirely on what matters to me: composition."CompositionNathanael Charpentier for EngadgetSmartphones don't have the same quality as dedicated cameras, but that forces you to think about lighting and composition. Pro photographers like Charpentier will tell you that, whether you're using a phone or $8,000 camera, the most important part of capturing a shot is the framing.Many photographers use the rule of thirds." This stipulates that key elements like people and geographical features should be placed in thirds across a photo because it's pleasing to the eye. Simply cutting a landscape in half between the sky and the ground should often be avoided to keep the framing interesting.To help with this, many smartphone cameras include a grid that divides the screen into thirds (turn on the Grid" setting on iPhone or Grid Type" on a Pixel device and choose 3x3). When that's enabled, you can place your primary subject and other elements near where those lines intersect. These grids can also help you keep shots level.Sometimes, though, a symmetric composition is best. If you want to shoot down a dock, for example, you can center it to take advantage of the converging lines. Then, you can slightly break that symmetry with other objects like a mountain, tree or bird.Rule of thirds used to divide a photo's elementsSteve Dent for EngadgetOther composition tips include the use of diagonal rather than horizontal or vertical lines to break up a composition, or curved roads or paths that guide the viewer's eye. Another popular technique is to use converging lines in architecture when shooting up at buildings. You can also try using foreground objects close to the camera (tree leaves, a pole or a person) to frame a scene. To create dramatic shots using the wide or ultrawide cameras, hold your phone as low as possible - you can even turn it upside down to get it right next to the ground.Interesting photos also come from strong lighting contrast, particularly shadows. To emphasize that, you can use the exposure compensation (brightness) settings mentioned earlier to make the shadows even darker while keeping your subject well exposed. To find the ideal subject or environment, look for patterns and punchy colors. Don't be afraid to shoot straight into the light source to create dramatic, backlit silhouettes.Smartphones do almost everything well except scene exposure; usually the photos are too bright," Charpentier says. And that's why I very often correct the exposure of my photos. It's a basic setting and done very simply on iPhone and most Android devices."Many smartphone cameras also take great macro photos. You can use that to get close-up shots of subjects ranging from insects in nature to food. Finally, try using the black and white settings on your camera to create a nostalgic mood or emphasize forms and lines.Take your photography further with appsTaken with Lightroom MobileNathanael Charpentier for EngadgetIf you want to play with settings like shutter speed and ISO, reduce automatic or AI settings, take RAW photos or change noise reduction settings, you'll usually need a third-party app. Here are three I'd recommend.VSCOVSCO is a popular editing and camera app for both iOS and Android that had a moment on TikTok several years ago. It gives you control of basic settings like exposure (via a nice slider), shutter speed, ISO and white balance. It also lets you separate focus and exposure points, so you can keep one subject in focus but change the lighting in another area of the scene. It offers RAW support and filters, though many of the latter require a subscription.Lightroom MobileTo focus on lighting and exposure, check out Lightroom Mobile. It automatically highlights overexposed areas of an image and then lets you easily dial brightness up and down, change settings like ISO and shutter speed and even apply filters. Once you're done shooting, you can continue editing your photos afterwards using many of the tools offered in the desktop version. Though no subscription is required, a paid plan is needed for some of the content.If you're on iPhone, Adobe has an impressive new experimental app called Indigo that you can try for free. It uses computational photography to improve things like exposure and detail to make photos look more natural.Halide Mark II (iOS only)For control over just about every aspect of your smartphone camera, Halide is the best choice. Unfortunately, it's only available on iOS. For those in Apple's ecosystem, it lets you shoot RAW photos with minimal processing (sharpening, etc.) and, according to the developer, has zero AI right out of the camera." At the same time, its Depth Mode" lets you capture portrait shots (ie, artificial depth of field) with any subject. It also comes with a manual mode and tools like color zebras and waveforms to aid with exposure. Halide Mark II isn't free, though, as it's $60 for a one-time purchase or $20 yearly.Before you dive into using an app, I'd recommend that you practice the basics until you feel confident taking photos in any situation. That means making the best use of your smartphone's camera setup for a given situation, nailing your settings each time and mastering composition. Then, apps like Lightroom Mobile will let you take your photos to another level - like an artist graduating from water colors to oil paint.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/how-to-improve-your-smartphone-photography-010037588.html?src=rss
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by Steve Dent on (#70Y46)
More than 800 public figures including Steve Wozniak and Prince Harry, along with AI scientists, former military leaders and CEOs signed a statement demanding a ban on AI work that could lead to superintelligence, The Financial Times reported. "We call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and strong public buy-in," it reads.The signers include a wide mix of people across sectors and political spectrums, including AI researcher and Nobel prize winner Geoffrey Hinton, former Trump aide Steve Bannon, one time Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen and rapper Will.i.am. The statement comes from the Future of Life Institute, which said that AI developments are occurring faster than the public can comprehend."We've, at some level, had this path chosen for us by the AI companies and founders and the economic system that's driving them, but no one's really asked almost anybody else, Is this what we want?'" the institute's executive director, Anthony Aguirre, told NBC News.Artificial general intelligence (AGI) refers to the ability of machines to reason and perform tasks as well as a human can, while superintelligence would enable AI to do things better than even human experts. That potential ability has been cited by critics (and the culture in general) as a grave risk to humanity. So far, though, AI has proven itself to be useful only for a narrow range of tasks and consistently fails to handle complex tasks like self-driving.Despite the lack of recent breakthroughs, companies like OpenAI are pouring billions into new AI models and the data centers needed to run them. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently said that superintelligence was "in sight," while X CEO Elon Musk said superintelligence "is happening in real time" (Musk has also famously warned about the potential dangers of AI). OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he expects superintelligence to happen by 2030 at the latest. None of those leaders, nor anyone notable from their companies, signed the statement.It's far from the only call for a slowdown in AI developement. Last month, more than 200 researchers and public officials, including 10 Nobel Prize winners and multiple artificial intelligence experts, released an urgent call for a "red line" against the risks of AI. However, that letter referred not to superintelligence, but dangers already starting to materialize like mass unemployment, climate change and human rights abuses. Other critics are sounding alarms around a potential AI bubble that could eventually pop and take the economy down with it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/steve-wozniak-prince-harry-and-800-others-want-a-ban-on-ai-superintelligence-123040020.html?src=rss
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by Sam Rutherford on (#5XBAD)
Tablets are the perfect middle ground between your phone and laptop, giving you the best of both worlds. Whether you want a lightweight device to binge your favorite shows, a larger screen for mobile gaming or a portable way to get some work done on the go, a tablet can do it all. They're also great for keeping kids entertained, managing work tasks or sharing family moments through video calls. When a phone feels too small and lugging around a laptop is just too much, that's where tablets fit into the mix.
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by Sam Chapman on (#70Y47)
I came into this review thinking of Private Internet Access (PIA) as one of the better VPNs. It's in the Kape Technologies portfolio, along with the top-tier ExpressVPN and the generally reliable CyberGhost. It's one of the cheapest VPNs out there, its interfaces hold together and it boasts plenty of server locations. Sadly, I was either misremembering PIA, or it used to be better until someone at Kape fell asleep at the switch. The more I tested this VPN, the more I came to terms with the fact that it's much harder to recommend these days, especially compared to the entries in our best VPN guide. The biggest culprit is unmoored download speeds that swing wildly from acceptable to unusable, but I also encountered dropped connections, high latencies and dead ends in the UI. I want to make it very clear that this PIA review is a snapshot of a moment in time. I don't think this is an inherently bad service, but it needs to do a lot of work to right the ship. As I go through my usual 11-point testing plan, I'll make a (hopefully) cogent case for why you should give PIA a miss as of now. Editor's note (10/20/25): We've overhauled our VPN coverage to provide more detailed, actionable buying advice. Going forward, we'll continue to update both our best VPN list and individual reviews (like this one) as circumstances change. Most recently, we added official scores to all of our VPN reviews.Check out how we test VPNs to learn more about the new standards we're using. Table of contents
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by Steve Dent on (#70Y48)
As the holiday season approaches, Sony is offering exceptional deals on two of its best full-frame mirrorless cameras. The A7R V, which offers exceptionally sharp photos thanks to the 61MP sensor, is on sale for $3,298 ($902 off), its lowest price ever. And the mainstream 33MP A7 IV, great for both video and photos, has also dropped to a new low of $1,998 or $702 off (28 percent). Sony's A7R V has one of our highest Engadget review scores ever thanks to its exceptional image quality, speed and versatility. With a 61-megapixel sensor, it shoots sharp and beautiful images at a very respectable speed for such a high-resolution model (10 fps). It has equally fast and reliable autofocus, the sharpest viewfinder on the market and in-body stabilization that's much improved over the A7R IV. Video has even improved, with 8K and 10-bit options now on tap, albeit with significant rolling shutter. Even after a few years, it's still one of the best high-resolution full-frame cameras on the market and is an exceptional steal at this price. Steve Dent for Engadget Though also released a few years ago, Sony's A7 IV also received an excellent Engadget review score and is still one of the best mainstream cameras available. Resolution is up considerably from the 24-megapixel A7 III to 33 megapixels, with image quality much improved overall. Video is now up to par with rivals with 4K at up to 60p with 10 bit 4:2:2 quality. Autofocus is incredible for both video and stills, and the in-body stabilization does a good job. The biggest drawbacks are rolling shutter that limits the use of the electronic shutter, plus the relatively high price. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/sonys-61mp-a7r-v-mirrorless-camera-is-on-sale-at-its-lowest-price-ever-113045739.html?src=rss
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by Devindra Hardawar on (#5P2ZC)
Choosing the best laptop can be a bit of a challenge - there are so many models, sizes and specs out there that it's easy to feel lost in the shuffle. But the good news is that modern laptops are better than ever. Whether you're looking for a powerful AI PC, a travel-ready ultrabook or an affordable machine that can handle everyday tasks, there's something out there for everyone. Today's systems combine improved performance, longer battery life and smarter features in sleek, lightweight designs that are built to keep up with work, play and everything in between.
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by Steve Dent on (#70XVH)
As part of its Galaxy XR headset presentation, Samsung also briefly teased another wearable product. It's working in collaboration with two eyewear companies, Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, on AI-powered smart glasses to go up against Meta's Ray-Ban models, Samsung's head of customer experience Jay Kim announced at the end of the livestream."We're also really excited about the AI glasses that we're currently building together with Google," Kim said. "We're working with two of the most forward-thinking brands in eyewear, Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, to introduce new devices that fit into your lifestyle."Samsung will focus on two different markets with those brands, though both will include "cutting-edge" AI features co-developed with Google. With Gentle Monster, it's developing "fashion-forward" glasses that will likely be aimed at the higher end of the market. The Warby Parker collaboration, meanwhile, will yield eyewear designed for general consumers, probably at a lower price point.Samsung only said that the AI glasses will bring "style, comfort and practicality" to everyday life via Android's XR ecosystem. As we saw in May with Google's prototype XR smart glasses, it will likely employ a Gemini-powered display that will show notifications and small snippets of info from your apps, like the music you're listening to or turn-by-turn GPS directions. It should also have a built-in camera, of course, along with speakers and a microphone.Design and appearance will also be key, but Samsung has yet to show any images of the upcoming smart glasses and didn't reveal a release date. However, it will have a tough climb against Meta's lineup given the Ray-Ban branding and that company's head start on the technology. Last week, Meta introduced its Ray-Ban Display model that includes a screen for a true extended reality experience.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/samsung-is-working-on-xr-smart-glasses-with-warby-parker-and-gentle-monster-042632170.html?src=rss
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by Lawrence Bonk on (#70WNS)
Editor's Note: Samsung has officially announced the $1,800 Galaxy XR headset. You can read our hands-on here and how to order the device here.Samsung is set to officially reveal its long-anticipated Android extended reality (XR) headset, which has been codenamed Project Moohan. The company has scheduled a livestream event for October 21 at 10PM ET. That's just a few hours away, which is pretty much nothing compared to the years of lead-up to this reveal since Samsung and its partners have been teasing this device.The event will be streamed live via the company's YouTube page and on the official Samsung Newsroom site. We don't know how long the stream will be, but Samsung promises that Project Moohan will open up the "true potential" of mixed-reality devices. You can bookmark this page and watch it right here.This isn't just a reveal for a mixed-reality headset. Moohan is the very first device that uses Google's new Android XR operating system, which has been specifically designed for XR, VR and AR devices like glasses and headsets. Google has also shown previews of the ecosystem at its I/O developer conference before, and while we've seen bits and pieces of the software (and hardware) before, the final pieces should be available with the keynote today.We don't have official specs about the headset itself, but there have been plenty of leaks and rumors that will be confirmed or refuted during the stream. Leaks have suggested it includes a high-end display, advanced tracking and Gemini integration. These same leaks indicate a potential price tag of $1,800 to $2,800, making it more of a rival to the Apple Vision Pro than Meta's new Ray-Ban Display glasses.Update, October 21 2025, 11:02PM ET This story has been updated with links to Samsung's announcement and to our hands-on of the Galaxy XR.Update, October 21 2025, 2:48PM ET: This story has been updated to point out the event is happening tonight in a few hours and talk about how Google has previously shown previews of its Android XR platform at its developer conference.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/how-to-watch-samsung-unveil-its-android-xr-headset-184820772.html?src=rss
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on (#70XT0)
The Samsung Galaxy XR is designed to be a showcase for Android XR, Google's new AR / VR operating system, but unlike competing mixed reality headsets, Google says there will be few limits on the apps the Galaxy XR will actually be able to run. In fact, a Google spokesperson tells Engadget that "almost all Android apps will automatically be made available without any additional development effort."Obviously, Google and Samsung would love deliberately designed spatial experiences for their new hardware, but almost all existing Android apps, regardless if they were made for phones or not, will be considered "Android XR compatible mobile apps" once the headset launches. That means they'll run in a floating spatial panel that can be moved around the virtual space surrounding you, and per Google's Android XR developer guidelines, will automatically support core XR input methods like eye and hand tracking, along with the usual suspects like controllers, mice and keyboards. They should also run and look like they would on a smartphone or tablet. "Apps that specify compact sizes show up accordingly and apps that allow for resizing can be resized in XR. These apps do not run in compatibility mode and won't be letterboxed," Google says.The only apps that won't make the cut are ones that require features a given Android XR device doesn't support, like GPS. And in the case of apps that are already updated to work on large screens, or that are "adaptive apps" designed to reflow and change size depending on the Android device they're running on, things will be even smoother. Google says adaptive design will be expected to be the default going forward, an effort that started with this year's release of Android 16. Many APIs restricting size will be ignored on larger screens (which includes Android XR)," Google's spokesperson said, because the company ultimately wants Android apps to feel responsive whether they're on a phone, an in-car display or an XR headset.Apple tried a similar, but more limited approach with the launch of visionOS and the Vision Pro by letting developers list their iOS and iPadOS apps in the visionOS App Store. The move produced mixed results, and a dearth of real visionOS apps. An app designed with a device in mind is better than one that's not, but Google does at least appear to have set Android developers up for a slightly smoother ride. Considering the Galaxy XR's cheaper price when compared to the Vision Pro, they might also have a bigger audience to make apps for, too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/why-the-samsung-galaxy-xr-can-support-almost-all-android-apps-021000889.html?src=rss
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by Sam Rutherford on (#70XT1)
Apple's Vision Pro was meant to usher in a new era for headsets. However, its high price and somewhat limited utility resulted in what may be the company's biggest flop in years. Now it's time for Samsung to give things a go with the Galaxy XR. It's a fresh take on modern mixed reality goggles developed through deep partnerships with Qualcomm and Google and it attempts to address some of the Vision Pro's biggest shortcomings.The hardwareWhile both Apple and Samsung's headsets have a lot of similarities (like their basic design and support for features such as hand and eye tracking), there are also some very important differences. First, at $1,800, the Galaxy XR is essentially half the price of the Vision Pro (including the new M5-powered model). Second, instead of Apple's homegrown OS, Samsung's headset is the first to run Google's new Android XR platform, which combines a lot of familiar elements from its mobile counterpart but with a bigger emphasis on AI and Gemini-based voice controls. And third, because Samsung relied more on partners like Google and Qualcomm, the Galaxy XR feels like it's built around a larger, more open ecosystem that plays nicely with a wider range of third-party devices and software.The Galaxy XR fundamentally doesn't look that much different from the Vision Pro. It features a large visor in front with an assortment of 13 different exterior sensors to support inside-out tracking, passthrough vision and hand recognition. There are some additional sensors inside for eye and face tracking. There's also a connector for the wire that leads to its external clip-on battery pack alongside built-in speakers with spatial audio. The one big departure is that unlike the Vision Pro, the Galaxy XR doesn't have an outward-facing display, so it won't be able to project your face onto the outside of the headset, which is just fine by me.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetHowever, the devil is in the details because while the original Vision Pro weighed between 600 and 650 grams (around 1.3 to 1.4 pounds) depending on the configuration (not including its battery pack), the Galaxy XR is significantly lighter at 545 grams (1.2 pounds). And that's before you consider the new M5 Vision Pro, which has somehow gone backwards by being even heavier at 750-800 grams (around 1.6 pounds). Furthermore, it seems Samsung learned a lot from its rivals by including a much larger and thicker head cushion that helps distribute the weight of the headset more evenly. Granted, during a longer session, I still noticed a bit of pressure and felt relief after taking off the Galaxy XR, but it's nothing like the Vision Pro, which in my experience gets uncomfortable almost immediately. Finally, around back, there's a simple strap with a knob that you can twist to tighten or loosen the headband as necessary. So even without extra support running across the top of your head, getting in and out of the Galaxy XR is much easier and comfier than the Vision Pro.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetOn the inside, the Galaxy XR is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip with dual micro OLED displays that deliver 4K resolution (3,552 x 3,840) to each eye at up to 90Hz. I wish Samsung was able to go up to a 120Hz refresh rate like on the Vision Pro, but considering the Galaxy XR's slightly higher overall resolution, I'm not that bothered. And I must say, the image quality from this headset is seriously sharp. It's even better than Apple's goggles and it might be the best I've ever used, particularly outside of $10,000+ enterprise-only setups. Once again, when you consider that this thing costs half the price of a Vision Pro, this headset feels like a real accomplishment by Samsung to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if the company is losing money on every unit it sells.In terms of longevity, Samsung says that for general use the Galaxy XR should last around two hours. If you're only watching videos though, that figure is more like two and a half. Thankfully, if you do need to be in mixed reality for longer, you can charge the headset while it's being used. As for security, the Galaxy XR uses iris recognition to skip traditional passwords, which is nice.The platform: Android XRSometimes, trying out a new software platform can be a little jarring. But that's not really the case for Android XR, which shouldn't present much of a learning curve for anyone who has used other headsets or Google's ubiquitous mobile OS. After putting the goggles on, you can summon a home menu with an app launcher by facing your palm up and touching your index finger and thumb together. From there, you can open apps and menus by moving your hands and pinching icons or rearranging virtual windows by grabbing the anchor point along the bottom and putting them where you want.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetNotably, while there is a growing number of new apps made specifically for XR, you still get access to all of your standard Android titles. Those include Google Photos, Google Maps and Youtube, all of which I got a chance to play around with during a 25-minute demo. In Photos, you can browse your pictures normally. However, to take advantage of the Galaxy XR's hardware, Google created a feature that allows the app to convert standard flat images (with help from the cloud) into immersive ones. While the effect isn't true 3D, it adds distinct foreground, midground and background layers to images in a way that makes viewing your photo roll just a bit more interesting.In Maps, you start out with a view of the world before using hand gestures to move and zoom in wherever you want or voice commands to laser in on a specific location. The neat new trick for this app is that if you find bubbles over things like restaurants and stores, you can click those to be transported inside those businesses, where Android XR will stitch together 2D photos to create a simulated 3D environment that you can move and walk around in. Granted, this doesn't have a ton of practical use for most folks unless you want to take a virtual tour of something like a wedding venue. But, the tech is impressive nonetheless.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetFinally in the YouTube app, the Galaxy XR did a great job of making standard 360 videos look even better. While quality will always depend on the gear that captured the content, viewing spatial clips was a great way to show off its resolution and image quality. Google says it will also put a new tab on the app to make finding 360 videos easier, though you can always watch the billions of standard flat videos as well.Interestingly, you can use and navigate the Galaxy XR entirely with hand gestures, but voice commands (via Gemini) are also a major part of the Android XR platform. Because the goggles sit on your head, unlike with mobile devices, there's no need to use a wake word every time you want to do something. You just talk and Gemini listens (though you can choose to disable this behavior if you prefer), so this makes voice interactions feel a lot more natural. Because Gemini can also do things like adjust settings or organize all the apps you have open, in addition to answering questions, it feels like Google is starting to deliver on some of those Star Trek moments where you can simply ask the computer to do something and it just happens. Yes, it's still very early, but as a platform, Android XR feels much more like a virtual playground than VisionOS does at the moment.Other featuresSam Rutherford for EngadgetWhile I didn't get to test these out myself, there are some other important features worth mentioning. In addition to apps, you can also play your standard selection of Android games like Stardew Valley or connect the headset to your PC (like with Steam Link) to play full desktop titles. Furthermore, I was told that the Galaxy XR can be tethered to a computer and used like a traditional VR headset. And while Samsung is making optional wireless controllers for the Galaxy XR (and a big carrying case), you may not need them at all as you'll also have the ability to pair the goggles with typical Bluetooth-based gamepads along with wireless mice and keyboards.Google also says it's working on a new system called Likenesses that can create personalized avatars for use in video calls and meetings that use data from interior sensors to deliver more realistic expressions. Additionally, you'll be able to use tools like Veo3 to make AI-generated videos while providing prompts using your voice. But this is just scratching the surface of the Galaxy XR's capabilities and I want to use this thing more before offering a final verdict.Early thoughtsSam Rutherford for EngadgetIn many ways, the Galaxy XR looks and feels like a flagship mixed reality headset in the same vein as the Vision Pro, but for the Android crowd (and Windows users to some extent as well). On top of that, Google has done some interesting things with Android XR to make it feel like there's a much wider range of content and software to view and use. In many ways, the addition of a dedicated AI assistant in Gemini and voice controls feels much more impactful on goggles than a phone because you can't always count on having physical inputs like a mouse or keyboard. And with the Galaxy XR being half the price of the Vision Pro, Samsung and Google have done a lot to address some of the most glaring issues with Apple's rival.In case the price drop wasn't enough, it feels like all the companies involved are doing as much as possible to sweeten the deal. I actually started laughing when I first heard all the discounts and free subscriptions that come with the headset. That's because in addition to the goggles themselves, every Galaxy XR will come with what's being called the Explorer Pack: 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, 12 months of YouTube Premium (which itself includes YouTube Music), 12 months of Google Play Pass, 12 Months of NBA League Pass and a bundle of other custom XR content and apps. So on top of a slick design, top-tier optics and a new platform, Google and Samsung are basically tossing a kitchen sink of apps and memberships in with the headset.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetMy only reservation is that when it comes to mass adoption, I think smartglasses have supplanted headsets as the next big mainstream play. Granted, there is a lot of technology and software shared between both categories of devices (Google has already teased upcoming Android XR smartglasses) that should allow Samsung or Google to pivot more easily down the line. But the idea that in the future there will be a headset in every home seems less likely every day. Still, as a showcase for the potential of mixed reality and high-end optics, the Galaxy XR is an exciting piece of tech.The Samsung Galaxy XR is available now for $1,800 on Samsung.com.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/samsung-galaxy-xr-hands-on-a-smarter-more-open-take-on-apples-vision-pro-for-half-the-price-020044642.html?src=rss
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by Will Shanklin on (#70XT2)
Samsung's take on the Vision Pro is here - and you can already order it. Costing just over half as much as Apple's reality machine, the Galaxy XR has a 4K micro-OLED screen and a 100-degree horizontal field of view. The $1,800 mixed reality headset is available now for pre-order on Samsung's website.The Galaxy XR isn't only a Samsung product. The company developed the long-rumored headset alongside Google and Qualcomm. It's the first Android XR product, a line that will eventually include AI glasses "and beyond." You can read more about the headset and its ecosystem in Engadget's news coverage.Given Google's connection to the Galaxy XR, it isn't too surprising that the company has bonuses for early orders. If you buy the headset before the end of 2025, you'll get "The Explorer Pack." That includes a year of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium and Google Play Pass. Also included until the end of the year is the "XR Pack." This adds three months of YouTube TV, a year of NBA League Pass, NFL Pro Era, Adobe's Project Pulsar, Asteroid and Calm.You can order the Galaxy XR now from Samsung's website and in Samsung Experience Stores. The headset costs $1,800. An optional Galaxy XR Controller costs $250. And somehow, the official Galaxy XR travel case also costs $250, which is - yikes - a lot. Perhaps consider waiting for third-party alternatives on the case front.Samsung is offering a 24-month financing plan for the headset ($75.01 monthly) on its website. Meanwhile, Samsung's stores have that plan as well as a 12-month one ($149 monthly).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/how-to-order-the-samsung-galaxy-xr-headset-020008173.html?src=rss
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by Kris Holt on (#70XT3)
We've known for a while that the first extended reality (or XR) headset from Samsung and Google would debut in 2025. During an event on Tuesday night, Samsung at long last shared more details about the first Android XR device that you'll be able to purchase.The company got really wild and original with the headset's name. You're truly not going to believe what it's called... Actually, it's got the most unsurprising name of all time: Galaxy XR. What's more, you can buy the headset right now in the US and Korea for $1,800. That's just over half of what the Apple Vision Pro costs.Aside from an Android-powered headset that looks very much like an Apple Vision Pro, you might be wondering exactly what you'll be getting in return for forking over 1,800 smackeroos. As expected, Galaxy XR is powered by the Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chipset. Qualcomm worked with Samsung and Google on the headset.The micro OLED display has 29 million pixels (6 million more than the Apple Vision Pro), a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840 and 96 percent of the DCIP3 color gamut - four percent more than the Vision Pro. Where Apple does have Samsung beat on the display front is with the refresh rate: the Galaxy XR tops out at 90Hz and the Vision Pro can hit 120Hz.Galaxy XR has dual high-res passthrough cameras to support mixed reality use, six other external cameras for tracking things in the environment and two eye-tracking sensors. The device supports iris recognition for unlocking the headset and entering passwords in some apps. As with the Vision Pro, you can capture 3D photos and video using the headset.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThe cameras allow for hand tracking and gesture control, though it's possible to operate Galaxy XR with physical controllers as well. If you prefer, you can pair a keyboard and mouse to the headset or link it to your PC and access your desktop that way.The dual speakers support Dolby Atmos and there are six microphones built in. As for battery life, Samsung says you'll get up to two hours of general use and 2.5 hours of video playback on a charge. That matches the original battery life promises of the original Vision Pro, but Apple said its latest model (which has the new M5 chipset) offers an extra 30 minutes or so of usage.The interpupillary distance of the Galaxy XR's optics is 54~70mm, and it's possible to buy insertable prescription lenses if needed. As for connectivity, the headset supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Even with a forehead cushion attached, Galaxy XR weighs 545g (1.2lbs), while the latest Apple Vision Pro has a minimum weight of 750g (1.7lbs). The Galaxy XR's battery pack - as with competitor's offerings, the battery is external - weighs 302g (0.7lbs).Samsung claims the Galaxy XR was designed with comfort in mind. "The headset's ergonomically balanced frame distributes pressure across the forehead and the back of the head, minimizing facial discomfort while providing steady support," the company said in a press release. There's also a detachable light shield that you can employ to block out external light.Google/UnityWhat you can actually do with Galaxy XRThere are no prizes for guessing that Google's generative AI chatbot Gemini is at the heart of Android XR. "Android XR is the first Android platform built entirely for the Gemini era, and we are incredibly excited to take a significant leap forward today with the launch of Galaxy XR," Sameer Samat, Google's president of Android Ecosystem, said.Every Google Play Store app works out of the box on the headset, though of course Google has reworked some for mixed reality. You can use Gemini to navigate Google Maps and ask for personalized recommendations while checking out 3D visuals with Immersive View. Google Photos can bring an extra dimension to 2D photos and videos via auto spatialization.On YouTube, you can ask Gemini to find videos and tell you more details about what you're watching. And, while using the passthrough mode, you can look at any object in your environment and use Circle to Search to look up more info about it. Google has also made new versions of Google TV, Chrome and Meet (because what is mixed reality for if not conference calls?) for Android XR.Multitasking is a factor here as well. The operating system allows users to have multiple, resizable apps open at once. These can be arranged in a virtual space, or you can simply ask Gemini to do that for you.On the entertainment front, you'll be able to stream shows and movies in 4K in a virtual theater setting. You'll have access to a library of 180-degree and 360-degree VR content, and you can view 3D content via a "spatial" tab. Some streaming platforms have reworked their apps for Android XR, including Crunchyroll, HBO Max and Peacock.There's a multi-view option for watching sports, with apps from the likes of MLB and Fox Sports available. With Adobe's Project Pulsar (an immersive video editing app), you'll be able to add 3D depth to videos and seemingly place captions behind subjects with ease, if that's something you're interested in.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetGalaxy XR has games too. NFL Pro Era - an NFL-licensed virtual reality title that's also on Meta Quest, PlayStation VR and Windows - is available for Android XR. So too is Inside [JOB] by Owlchemy Labs (Vacation Simulator, Job Simulator). For compatible games, Samsung says Gemini can offer real-time coaching, tips and "enhanced gameplay experiences."The arrival of Galaxy XR is an important next step for Google and its grand vision of an Android XR ecosystem. But the company isn't stopping with headsets. It's also making smart glasses, a product category that Meta has been trying to conquer. Samsung and Google are working with Warby Parker on Android XR smart glasses. At I/O earlier this year, we got some hands-on time with a prototype of Google's Android XR glasses.Once again, Galaxy XR will run you $1,800, and Samsung is offering financing options. The Galaxy XR Travel Case and Galaxy XR Controller will each run you $250 - at those prices, they almost need financing options too. Ouch.Anyone who buys Galaxy XR by the end of this year will get an Explorer Pack at no extra cost. This includes 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium and Google Play Pass. The NFL Pro Era, Project Pulsar, Calm and Asteroid apps are bundled in too. You'll also get NBA League Pass access for the 2025-26 season in the US or 12 months of the Coupang Play Sports Pass in Korea. Charging $1 for each of the first three months of YouTube TV seems a little cheap considering the outlay for Galaxy XR, but it's still a decent perk. YouTube TV typically costs $83 per month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/google-and-samsungs-first-android-xr-headset-is-the-1800-galaxy-xr-020004449.html?src=rss
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on (#70XMS)
Brian Haidet, a scientist creating videos on YouTube under the handle AlphaPhoenix, showed off a camera in a new video that can capture footage of a laser pointer at the speed of light. The camera is an update on a previous design that could capture footage at one billion frames per second, but it comes with a major caveat: it can only shoot one pixel at a time.Haidet's camera is made from a gimbal-mounted mirror, two tubes, a simple lens, a light sensor and some Python code to tie it all together. Pointed at a laser pointer, the camera's able to capture a beam of light at two billion frames per second, showing it smoothly traveling between mirrors, with speeds that vary depending on where the camera is in relation to the laser pointer. "Light moves about six inches, or 15 centimeters, per frame of this video," Haidet says. "This beam of light is traveling at the Universe's speed limit. Light in any reference frame will never move any faster or any slower than this speed."Pixels had to be tiled together to create what looks like normal video footage.Brian HadetWhile it's theoretically possible to create a more traditional camera that can capture footage at two billion frames per second, as Haidet explains, you can't do it with the tools most people have in their garage. His solution was to capture one pixel at a time, and then tile that footage together to create something viewable. According to Haidet, "if all these videos are synchronized and we take many, many, many, one pixel videos, we can tile these videos next to each other and play them all back at the exact same moment and give something that looks like a video."While it's not the same thing as a true two billion frames-per-second camera, "that's just a significantly more expensive way to do it," Haidet says, "and it really wouldn't get us any better of a result."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/someone-made-a-camera-that-can-shoot-at-two-billion-frames-per-second-202259391.html?src=rss
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on (#70XJC)
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel will have to testify in an upcoming trial that deals with social media safety and whether the executives' platforms are addictive. A Los Angeles judge ruled that the three men will need to testify in the trial set to begin in January, according to CNBC."The testimony of a CEO is uniquely relevant, as that officer's knowledge of harms, and failure to take available steps to avoid such harms could establish negligence or ratification of negligent conduct," Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl wrote. As CNBC points out, the January trial will be closely watched as it's the first of many lawsuits alleging harms to young social media users that will head to trial.Lawyers for Meta and Snap had argued that the executives should be spared from testifying at the upcoming trial. Meta's lawyers reportedly argued that forcing testimony from Zuckerberg and Mosseri would "set a precedent" for future trials. Meta is currently facing numerous lawsuits over alleged harms to younger users of its platforms. The company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.Snap is also facing a number of lawsuits over alleged safety issues. In a statement, the law firm representing Snap said that the judge's order "does not bear at all on the validity of Plaintiffs claims" and that they "look forward to the opportunity to explain why Plaintiffs' allegations against Snapchat are wrong factually and as a matter of law. "This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-adam-mosseri-and-evan-spiegel-ordered-to-testify-in-trial-over-social-media-addiction-190500907.html?src=rss
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on (#70XJD)
Players aren't the only ones facing higher price tags from Xbox. According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft has upped the cost of the Xbox Development Kit from $1,500 to $2,000. That's a 33 percent jump in cost for these custom hardware kits, which are essential for devs to make and test games for release on the console."The adjustment reflects macroeconomic developments," Microsoft said in an email sent to Xbox devs and seen by The Verge. "We remain committed to providing high-quality tools and support for your development efforts." Although the macroeconomics in question are almost certainly the tariffs enacted by the US, it appears this is a blanket increase that will impact developers in other countries as well. The new kit costs appear to be effective immediately.The change caps off a series of price increases for the Xbox ecosystem. Game Pass prices recently rose, with the Ultimate tier now costing $30 a month compared to the previous $20. And Microsoft has upped the cost of the Xbox twice this year, once in May and again in September. Between these additional expenses and the little matter of cutting thousands of gaming jobs earlier this year, a lot of us are giving up on Xbox before Microsoft can disappoint us yet again.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-increases-the-price-of-xbox-dev-kits-by-500-190000419.html?src=rss
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on (#70XJE)
Netflix, no stranger to adapting games into streaming hits, has announced that it's partnering with game publisher Asmodee to create new TV shows and films based on the board game Catan, with multiple projects already in development. While the streamer has primarily specialized video game adaptations, the belief in post-Barbie Hollywood is that any recognizable IP could be the source of a future TV show or movie.In Catan, players are tasked with collecting resources and building out a civilization on a remote island, with multiple ways to win or obstruct fellow players from doing the same. It's not too hard to imagine the game being converted into some kind of competitive reality TV show, though apparently animated and live-action narrative projects are also on the table. "Anyone who has played Catan knows [that] the intense strategy and negotiation at the core of the game has endless opportunities for some serious drama," Jinny Howe, Netflix's head of scripted series for the US and Canada, shared in the press release announcing the deal.Whichever Catan project ultimately heads into production, Netflix says it'll be produced by Darren Kyman from Asmodee, Pete Fenlon from Catan Studio, and Guido and Benjamin Teuber, the sons of Catan creator Klaus Teuber. If Asmodee sounds familiar, it might be because Netflix has partnered with the publisher in the past. Exploding Kittens, another Asmodee published game, was adapted into both a mobile game for Netflix Games and an animated series with the help of its original creators.Catan joins a Monopoly adaptation and several shows based on video games at Netflix, including the recently released Splinter Cell: Deathwatch and an upcoming series based on the Assassin's Creed franchise.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/netflix-is-adapting-catan-into-movies-and-tv-shows-185133712.html?src=rss
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by Lawrence Bonk on (#70XJF)
GM is ending production of the Chevy Brightdrop electric van, according to portions of a transcript of a recent earnings report published by The Verge. The decision was made due to slowing demand in the EV market, as hundreds of Brightdrop vans have begun piling up in dealer lots.This is not a decision we made lightly because of the impact on our employees," CEO Mary Barra said in the earnings call. However the commercial electric van market has been developing much slower than expected, and changes to the regulatory framework and fleet incentives has made the business even more challenging."Those changes to the regulatory framework she mentions likely refer to the recent disappearance of the federal EV tax credit. The policy offered prospective buyers a $7,500 tax credit and was supposed to wind down in 2032, but the Trump administration killed it back in September as part of the so-called Big, Beautiful Bill. Brightdrop vans were also eligible for a $7,500 rebate for commercial EVs under 18,000 lbs, which went away along with the tax credit.In other words, Brightdrop electric vans are simply too expensive for most consumers. They started at $74,000. The double discount brought the starting price down to $59,000, but that's gone now. Additionally, rival Ford's E-Transit van starts at $51,600.GM first launched the Brightdrop vans back in 2021, and this seemed to be a serious attempt to capture the commercial EV market. The company made its own fleet management software and inked deals with Walmart, FedEx and others. Money is money, however, and not too many commercial customers have an extra $15,000 laying around to make up for those lapsed credits and rebates.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/gm-to-end-production-of-its-chevy-brightdrop-electric-vans-183622673.html?src=rss
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on (#70XFX)
When AI tools first began proliferating around the web, worries about deepfakes quickly rose alongside them. And now that tech such as OpenAI's recently released Sora 2 is getting more capable and more widely available (and being used exactly as irresponsibly as you might have guessed), both famous and ordinary people may want more control over protecting their likenesses. After teasing the feature last year, YouTube is starting to launch a likeness detection tool to combat unwanted deepfakes and have them removed from the video platform.Likeness detection is currently being rolled out to members of the YouTube Partner Program. It's also only able to cover instances where an individual's face has been modified with AI; cases where a person's voice has been changed by AI without their consent may not be caught by this feature. To participate, people will need to submit a government ID and a brief video selfie to YouTube to ensure they are who they say they are and give the feature source material to draw from in its review. From there, it works similarly to YouTube's Content ID feature for finding copyrighted audio, scanning uploaded videos for possible matches that the person can then review and flag infringing videos for removal.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-is-rolling-out-likeness-detection-tool-to-combat-deepfakes-175917315.html?src=rss
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by Will Shanklin on (#70XFY)
Apple's war of words with Europe over its Digital Markets Act (DMA) is bleeding into the court system. Bloomberg reports that the company criticized the regulations at the General Court in Luxembourg. The European Commission is currently conducting its first formal review of the law. Apple lawyer Daniel Beard told the court reviewing the DMA that it "imposes hugely onerous and intrusive burdens."The language echoes Apple's go-to framing of the regulations as an anti-consumer, anti-privacy hardship on the nearly $4 trillion company. "Over time, it's become clear that the DMA isn't helping markets," the company wrote in a September blog post. "It's making it harder to do business in Europe." Apple even cited porn as one of the law's alleged dangers. "For the first time, pornography apps are available on iPhone from other marketplaces - apps we've never allowed on the App Store because of the risks they create, especially for children."Apple also claimed the DMA caused it to delay several features. These include AirPods Live Translation, iPhone Mirroring in macOS, and the Visited Places and Preferred Routes features in Maps.The iPhone maker asked the EC to repeal the law in September. In response, the commission essentially told the company to shove it. "Apple has simply contested every little bit of the DMA since its entry into application," EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier said. He added that the EC had "absolutely no intention" of ditching the law.Bloomberg reports that Apple is challenging the DMA on three fronts. First is its requirement that rival hardware (like earbuds and smartwatches) work with the iPhone, which Apple claims is a security risk. The company also objected to the App Store's inclusion under the rules and a probe into whether iMessage should have been included.In response, EC lawyer Paul-John Loewenthal highlighted Apple's immense power in Europe. He said the company's "absolute control" over the iPhone has led to "supernormal profits" in markets where competitors can't possibly compete on equal footing."Only Apple has the keys to that walled garden," Loewenthal told the court. "It decides who gets it and who can offer their products and services to iPhone users. And through such control, Apple has locked in more than a third of European smartphone users."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-steps-up-its-attacks-on-europes-dma-regulations-175332390.html?src=rss
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