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It's been a few years since Samsung took a crack at making a premium Chromebook. In 2020, the company released the first Galaxy Chromebook, a $999 laptop with a gorgeous 4K OLED screen that barely lasted five hours away from a charger. The company fixed some issues with its 2021 model, which had a more pedestrian screen and a thicker design while costing $300 less - a fair compromise given that battery life was significantly better. Since then, Google has also launched the Chromebook Plus initiative, which aims to standardize Chromebook specs to give people a more consistent experience. And now, Samsung has released its first entry to that lineup: the Galaxy Chromebook Plus. It's a bit different than most of the other laptops in that space, though, with a large 15.6-inch OLED screen and a design that's extremely thin and light for its size. It reminds me a little bit of the 15-inch MacBook Air, though its appearance is unmistakably Samsung. The Galaxy Chromebook Plus also has more of Google's AI capabilities baked into it than any Chromebook thus far, thanks to a new Quick Insert" key that grants fast access to Gemini. Finally, it's one of the most expensive Chromebook Plus options out there at $699. That puts it directly in competition with Acer's Chromebook Spin Plus 714, my current favorite in the premium Chromebook space. And while it's refreshingly different from the Acer and Lenovo models I usually use, there are a few quirks here you should know about. Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget Hardware and design: Not your typical Chromebook First, though, the good stuff. The Galaxy Chromebook Plus' 1080p, 15.6-inch screen is crisp and bright, with excellent viewing angles. Somewhat surprisingly, though, it doesn't have a touchscreen. Lots of Chromebooks do, as it makes interacting with some Android apps easier. But once I got used to the fact that poking the screen did nothing, I didn't really miss it. Samsung says it's the only Chromebook Plus with an AMOLED display, and while I wouldn't mind a higher resolution, I know that would lead to worse battery life. All told, I think Samsung made the right choice not to go for 4K, especially considering that a computer this thin doesn't have as much room for a bigger battery. Speaking of: this laptop is seriously thin. It's less than half an inch thick (0.46 inches to be precise) and weighs only 2.58 pounds. That's essentially the same thickness as the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air, and the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is lighter than both. It's well-suited to going anywhere without being too much of a burden, not something you get often on a laptop with a large screen. Despite its thin-and-light design, Samsung didn't skimp on ports here: it has HDMI, two USB-C ports (one of which you'll need for charging), a microSDXC slot (that I wish was standard microSD), a headphone jack and an old-school USB-A port. As part of the Chromebook Plus line, this laptop exceeds the minimum spec requirements. It pairs an Intel Core 3 100U processor released earlier this year with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That's more than enough power for a Chromebook in this day and age, and I had no qualms with its performance across the board. While the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is quite svelte, its 15.6-inch screen makes transporting it a little awkward. Thanks to its 16:9 aspect ratio, the laptop has serious surfboard vibes - it's just very wide, and it's a tight fit in my bag. Furthermore, the 16:9 aspect ratio makes the screen feel smaller than it really is. The 1080p panel defaults to a scaled resolution that works out to 1,600 x 900, almost 100 fewer vertical pixels than my 14-inch MacBook Pro. I've been yelling into the void for years now that the 16:9 aspect ratio is just not ideal for modern computing, given the verticality of basically every web site. I'd be much happier with a smaller panel that offered more vertical pixels, but that's just me. I have mixed feelings about the keyboard and trackpad. Since the Galaxy Chromebook Plus is so thin, the keys don't feel quite as comfortable as those on most other Chromebooks I use, to say nothing of my MacBook Pro. But, they're not bad at all; nothing like the terrible butterfly keyboards on the MacBooks of the prior decade. They have less travel and are a little clickier than I'd like but still easy enough to acclimate to. Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget My real issue is that Samsung chose to include a number pad on the keyboard. This might be my own personal quirk, but I generally can't stand number pads because I'd much rather have my hands centered below the display. I always feel slightly off-kilter and unbalanced using a laptop with a number pad, and it led to me making far more typos than I usually do. I'm sure if it was my only computer, I'd adjust and get used to it - but I don't think I'd ever really like it. For me, the tradeoff just isn't worth the number pad. I also found myself activating the trackpad by grazing it with the side of my palms while typing more often than I'd like. I eventually acclimated to how to type comfortably and avoid the touchpad, but between that and the number pad I found the Galaxy Chromebook Plus's typing experience isn't as good as some other Chromebooks I've used. Perhaps the most notable thing about the keyboard, though, is the new Quick Insert key that goes where the traditional search key is. (Chromebooks have always had this instead of a caps lock key.) Quick Insert pulls up a small menu similar in size to what you see if you right-click something. But it gives contextual suggestions based on what you're doing rather than showing the same options every time. In the very Google Doc where I wrote this review, it suggested various emoji (which would definitely be useful when using a chat app), links to a few Google Drive files it thought were relevant and a help me write" prompt using Google Gemini. The menu also shows quick links to your Files folder, Google Drive, browsing history and a few other potentially helpful options. Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget Samsung moved the traditional launcher key to the bottom row, nestled between Fn and Alt. That key still brings up the app launcher and a traditional search field for things on your computer; you can also easily search Google from here. The trickiest thing about this placement is that some shortcuts I was used to now require me to use the launcher in a new spot instead of Quick Insert. It's a bit of a learning curve, and the benefit of Quick Insert doesn't quite outweigh having to retrain my brain on new shortcuts. Hopefully the Quick Insert gets smarter and more useful over time, but right now it's mostly a shortcut to grabbing emoji quickly. I have zero interest in having Google's AI help me write anything, so for now its utility is limited. Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget ChromeOS and Gemini That's the good and bad of the hardware, but that's only part of the equation. By now, the usual caveats of ChromeOS are well-known: it's still a primarily web-based system, but Android applications can extend its features. There are also plenty of web apps that are well optimized for ChromeOS, and Google Docs has a comprehensive offline mode at this point. And if you have a recent Android phone, ChromeOS has a pretty robust feature set when you pair it to your Chromebook, including shared notifications and streaming of some apps directly to your laptop. Google has also added a lot of smart and useful features to ChromeOS over the last year or so that make it more useful. For example, clicking the date in the taskbar brings up your full Google calendar and anything in the Tasks app, making it a quick place to see what you have planned for the day without having to dive into the full Calendar or Tasks experience. There's also a new focus" mode for when you want to sit down and concentrate. It turns on Do Not Disturb, sets a timer and lets you pick a YouTube Music playlist or some focus sounds" like ambient or classical music, or even the sounds of nature. It's a small thing, but there are a lot of thoughtful tools like that now in ChromeOS that make it feel like much more than just a browser. The new Quick Insert menu in ChromeOS. Naturally, AI is a bigger part of ChromeOS than ever. In addition to the help me write" tools and suggestions that show up when you tap the Quick Insert key, Gemini is a click away with an app shortcut in the toolbar by default. There are also a few frivolous AI features thrown in, like a wallpaper generator with eight different categories to choose from (landscape, surreal, dreamscape, classic art and so on). Once you pick one, you'll get a few more fields you can edit to get a handful of AI creations you can set as your wallpaper. You don't get full creative control here; generally there are two things you can edit in each prompt. They're hit or miss, but I did like the classic art" avant-garde beach scene I created. There's also a beta test of the help me read" feature that'll summarize documents, PDFs and web pages. I made a PDF of this review from Google Docs and had the AI summarize it, which it did with no errors but also with very little detail. I asked it questions about the content of the document and it answered them accurately, as well. And the Magic Editor built into Google Photos on Pixel phones is also available on Chromebook Plus models, letting you alter the reality of your snapshots to your heart's content. None of this stuff is essential to me, but it's clearly the way we're headed, like it or not. One good thing is that Google includes a full year of its $20/month Google One with AI plan to Chromebook Plus buyers, this Samsung model included. That gets you 2TB of Drive storage and access to Gemini Advanced, Gemini in Google Docs and Gmail, as well as a few other AI perks. I don't think it's necessary at this point, but getting to try it for a full year is a pretty nice offer. Finally, there's the ever-present question of battery life. I'm getting between six and a half and eight hours off the charger, depending on what I'm doing; as usual, video calls really put a hurt on things. That's not bad, but it's still pretty far from the 13 hours Samsung claims. I don't know what I'd have to do to come close to that mark. One day, with concentrated use, I burned through two-thirds of the battery in less than four hours. That's pretty common for basically all Chromebooks I've tested in recent years, and my guess is that with Intel silicon we're not going to see things improve in any meaningful way. Wrap-up Despite some misgivings, I actually enjoyed my time with the Galaxy Chromebook Plus. I probably wouldn't pick it as my own personal computer, because the number pad I won't use simply makes things too awkward. But there's also a lot to like here - it's so much lighter and thinner than other Chromebooks I usually use that it is a delight to travel with, despite the fact that its width is a bit cumbersome. And while I wish there was more vertical screen resolution, I did enjoy having such a large display combined in a very portable device. For the right kind of buyer, the Galaxy Chromebook Plus might be just what you're looking for (especially if the idea of a number pad on the keyboard excites you). For me, though, the slightly more boring but reliable Acer Chromebook Spin 714 Plus remains my favorite premium Chromebook. But Samsung has put forward a solid effort here, and I hope they continue on this path with future Chromebooks - Acer and Lenovo could use the competition.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/samsung-galaxy-chromebook-plus-review-quirky-in-ways-both-good-and-bad-140036965.html?src=rss

One of the highlights from The Game Awards last night was the moment Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul and voice actor Laura Bailey took the stage to reveal Dispatch. Set to arrive in 2025, the narrative game is from AdHoc Studio, founded by former Telltale Games developers, and features a stacked cast including Paul, Bailey, Jeffrey Wright, Erin Yvette, Jacksepticeye and others - a mix of A-list Hollywood talent and top-tier game voice actors.The toon-style Dispatch offers narrative, dialogue-driven gameplay in the same vein as Telltale. According to the Steam page, you play as "Robert Robertson, AKA Mecha Man, whose mech-suit is destroyed in a battle against his nemesis, forcing him to take a job at a superhero dispatch center: not as a hero, but a dispatcher."There's more in the official synopsis, which explains that Dispatch is "a superhero workplace comedy where choices matter. Manage a dysfunctional team of misfit heroes and strategize who to send to emergencies around the city, all while balancing office politics, personal relationships, and your own quest to become a hero."AdHoc sprung up in 2019, when former Telltale devs joined forces to continue Telltale's adventure game legacy, after the Walking Dead studio laid off most of its staff in 2018. A rebooted Telltale worked with AdHoc on The Wolf Among Us 2, but last year, the developer announced that it had laid off most of its team. However, it recently said that The Wolf Among Us 2 has not been cancelled.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/dispatch-is-a-new-narrative-game-from-ex-telltale-developers-133031972.html?src=rss

New iPhone 16 owners can pick up an Apple charger for cheap right now. The latest, more powerful MagSafe charger has dropped to as low as $30. You'll get that price on the 1m (3.3 ft) model, but the better discount is on the 2m (6.6 ft) model, which is 29 percent off and on sale for $35. That's a return to the same low price we saw for the accessory during Black Friday. Apple refreshed its MagSafe charger alongside the iPhone 16 lineup this fall. Provided you own an iPhone 16 and an adapter that offers at least 30W of power, the charger reaches charging speeds of up to 25W. According to Apple, that's enough to allow iPhone 16 Pro users to charge their device to 50 percent in 30 minutes. With older iPhones and Qi-compatible accessories, power delivery speeds are limited to 15W. Apple's official MageSafe charger is one of our favorite iPhone accessories. Even at full price, it's a great purchase for getting a little more out of your new smartphone. With Amazon's current discount, there's no reason not to buy one if you prefer wireless charging. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-updated-magsafe-wireless-charger-is-on-sale-for-35-154041854.html?src=rss

With over 60 million PS5s sold, Sony is so far dominating this generation of game consoles. Four years since the PlayStation 5 debuted, the company has rounded out its gaming lineup with the refined PS5 Slim (both with and without a disc drive) and the more powerful (and expensive) PS5 Pro. At possibly the console's midlife, up against the Xbox Series S and X, ever-increasingly powerful gaming PCs, and Nintendo's Switch, it's a good time to reassess what the PS5, in pole position, is doing to hold gamers' attention spans and why the PS5 Slim is probably the right way to dive into Sony's rich gaming selection. Hardware Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget The PS5 Slim looks very similar to the original design but it's noticeably (thankfully!) smaller. In fact, it's 30 percent smaller by volume. Let's be honest, it's still big, but the PS5 Slim fits into the shelf in my home entertainment sideboard - the original PS5 did not. Sony has kept the weird finned design of the original here, so there's a shared aesthetic across all the PS5 consoles. In the box, there are also two transparent feet to mount the console horizontally. It's a simpler, more subtle way to lift the console than the original's awkward plinth with plastic hooks. The PS5 Slim can stand vertically on its own, but it might be worth getting a vertical stand for peace of mind, which unfortunately means laying down an extra $30. Inside, it's largely the same technical specs of the launch console: an AMD Zen 2 CPU, RDNA 2 GPU, 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, and both Wi-Fi 6 and gigabit ethernet. (Technically, the Xbox Series X packs more power and if you want more power, please see the PS5 Pro). The PS5 Slim, however, comes with a 1TB SSD, offering 25 percent more usable storage than the 825GB SSD inside the original PS5. Having said that, at a time when a AAA game install can circle 150GB, we'd advise preparing yourself to add further storage, especially if you get the majority of your games through the online store. Fortunately, it's easy to install an extra SSD (most of the best options have a preinstalled heatsink) and the prices for bigger storage have tumbled since 2020. If you're a disc-based gamer, the PS5 Slim has both a digital-only ($450) and disc model ($500), but you can upgrade' to a disc drive for an $80 premium. (It's the same drive that PS5 Pro users will have to pick up, if you're wondering why it's been recently sold out everywhere.) Even if you decide to add the disc drive, it's been designed to keep within the smooth lines of the console, if leaving it a little lop-sided. Curiously, Sony demands you connect the console to activate the drive, something to be aware of if you're planning to gift the console and want less stress. Sony also swapped around the port options, shifting to a USB-C duo, instead of a single USB-C port and a USB-A port. Given that the latter maxed out at 480Mbps speeds, it's another upgrade. (There are still two USB-A ports available on the back for older accessories.) Beyond any physical changes, since its launch, Sony has fed through some notable technical upgrades to PS5 through software updates. For one, catching up to the Xbox with support for TVs with variable refresh rates, dynamically syncing the (HDMI 2.1) display's refresh rate to the PS5 console's graphical output. This means games should output more smoothly and reduce the chances of screen tearing when your TV and PS5 aren't entirely in sync. The PS5 Slim also supports 1440p resolution screens, a middle option between 1080p and 4K. Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget Sony added more features like personalized 3D audio profiles for gamers using headphones and Party Share, where you can transmit gameplay in real time. There's also Remote Play, available on iOS and Android, as well as the company's standalone streaming device, the PlayStation Portal. When it comes to Remote Play, there haven't been any major changes since the PS4 iteration, but it does seem like the service is more stable in recent years. There have been changes to how PlayStation's separated out its subscription service. Starting with PlayStation Plus Essentials, $10 a month, this opens up access to online multiplayer, at least two free games each month, discounts, cloud storage and Share Play. PlayStation Plus Extra ($15 per month), adds a bigger library of PS5 and PS4 games for free, while PlayStation Plus Premium ($18 per month) adds cloud streaming functionality, so you can play PS5 games without having to use your PS5. You can also play a collection of PS4 games (and even older games from the OG PlayStation onwards) without having to download the game. Having said that, Xbox's Game Pass offers a bigger selection of games, and often includes first-party Microsoft games available to play on release day. PlayStation, unfortunately, doesn't do the same, and its biggest exclusive releases often only arrive free on PS Plus years later. Which tier is right for you will depend on how much you play, and whether you're regularly trying to game away from wherever your PS5 is. It's worth getting into PS Plus Essentials just for the dripfeed of free games. Since launch, the PS5 has picked up plenty of other small improvements too, like dimmable power indicators for the PS5's glow, and adaptive controller charging which should extend the battery life of your DualSense by optimizing charge time. A quick note to say that the DualSense remains the most comfortable, innovative controller that Sony has ever made - but the battery life is pretty appalling. Expect to plug it in pretty regularly. Software Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget The PS5's interface has also evolved since launch, with increased priority given to the customizable Welcome Hub, where you can choose the background, widgets and prioritze the games and features you're using most. It's also worth noting that the UI itself is far snappier and more responsive than it was at launch. While you won't get the back catalogue sharpening of the Pro console, the PS5 Slim will happily play most PS4 games, too. It's a double-edged sword, however, with both PS4 and PS5 versions of games clogging up PlayStation's online store. And the games! It indicates a great problem to have: so many strong titles, both internally and from third-party publishers. God of War Ragnarok, Spider-Man 2, and Astro Bot have all been platform exclusives, while long-running series like Final Fantasy have landed on PS5 first, with other platforms getting the game much later. Then, there's the likes of Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3 and anything on PSVR2 - not that there's all that much for the headset. Sony is now drip-feeding its games to PC, but it detracted from the console's exclusive grasp on its flagship games. So far, there have been lengthy multi-year gaps between a game launching on PlayStation consoles and its arrival on PCs. God of War took four years to move from PS4 to PC, while Horizon: Zero Dawn took three years. That could change in the next few years, however. Earlier this year, Sony launched Helldivers 2 on PS5 and Windows at the same time, and Lego Horizon Adventures was released on PS5, Windows and Switch simultaneously last month. Wrap-up Photo by Mat Smith/Engadget The PS5 Slim is the new normal for PlayStation gamers. It's smaller without being small and packs in many small improvements in specs and software-based features. Anyone craving more power (or bragging rights over their Xbox Series X-owning friends) can go for the PS5 Pro, but that demands a $200 premium. For most of us, this is the PlayStation we'll be playing for however many years it takes for the PlayStation 6 to appear.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation-5-slim-review-131542271.html?src=rss

As has been rumored for a while (and in line with Sony's promise to share exclusive titles in a timely fashion) PlayStation's The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is coming to PC on April 3, 2025, developer Naughty Dog announced. "We're all thrilled to bring The Last of Us Part 2 to the PC audience, including all the great new features we added in the Remastered version for PS5," said game Director Matthew Gallant.The PC version was made with Naughty Dog's development partners Nixxes Software and Iron Galaxy Studios. It will contain the same Remastered features added for PS5, like the No Return roguelike mode, the Lost Levels featuring developer commentary, a Guitar free Play mode and more. At the same time, it'll be "newly optimized and enhanced for PC," with PC-specific features to be revealed closer to launch.The PC release will come less than a year after the Remastered version came to PlayStation 5, following the launch of the original on PS4 in 2020. The release has reportedly been finished for awhile, but may have been delayed to coincide with The Last of Us Part 2 on HBO, which is also scheduled to arrive in the first half of 2025.In reviewing the Remastered version for PS5, Engadget's Nathan Ingraham highlighted the No Return mode and said "there's a lot of bang for your buck here." As before, it offers a thrilling but brutal adventure, with a bond between its broken survivors, Joel and Ellie, at the core.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-last-of-us-part-ii-remastered-comes-to-pc-on-april-3-2025-130036421.html?src=rss

At long last, iPhone users have access to Apple's AI image generation tools, Genmoji (for customized emoji) and Image Playground. But based on our testing, these Apple Intelligence features aren't fully baked. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss why these AI tools aren't very useful and dive into some of Apple's most egregious image generation fails.Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!Subscribe!

The Game Awards delivered. While the games I thought deserved to win did so (Astro Bot! Balatro! Metaphor!), we got some wildcard trailers, like an entirely new game from Last of Us studio Naughty Dog.Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet takes place thousands of years in the future, and it stars bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun, played by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actor Tati Gabrielle. Note: This is the first game from Naughty Dog since 2005 that isn't Uncharted or Last of Us .There was also, many years on, another Witcher game.Witcher 4will feature Ciri kicking magical ass, but there's no gameplay footage yet. Elsewhere, Virtua Fighter is getting a revival (part of Sega's push to mine and relaunch its biggest hits) and a new brawler game from the makers of the Like A Dragon series.Capcom too taps its gaming past, reviving the wolf god Okami and its magical ink strokes nearly two decades after the original, with the original game's director, Hideki Kamiya, still at the helm.And we have a new co-op game from the studio behind It Takes Two. Split Fiction is a co-op adventure where players leap between sci-fi and fantasy worlds. There is also a new sci-fi game from the creator of The Last Guardian, an Elden Ring co-op spin-off and, well, read on for even more.- Mat SmithGet this delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest tech stories you missed

And now for something completely different. Naughty Dog is pivoting from post-apocalyptic fungal drama to interstellar sci-fi bounty hunting with its newest game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The studio revealed its new title with a cinematic trailer at The Game Awards on Thursday.Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet takes place thousands of years in the future and it stars bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun, played by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actor Tati Gabrielle. Jordan finds herself stranded on the planet Sempiria, which has been cut off from the rest of the universe for more than 600 years. She's on a mission to escape Sempiria, but it looks like some vicious robots are going to get in her way.The reveal trailer is gorgeous, even if it is just in-game cinematics. It shows glittering galaxies and Jordan being sassy with her superiors in a Porsche spaceship, all set to droning lo-fi tones and upbeat '80s tunes. Once the camera reaches the planet level, there's a huge, multi-armed robot with a glowing red sword. Jordan pulls out her own weapon and the fight is on.This is the beginning of a new IP for Naughty Dog - it's the studio's first game that isn't Uncharted or The Last of Us since 2005. Game director and Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann shared just a little more insight into the game's story on the PlayStation Blog:

There were several major surprise announcements during this year's edition of The Game Awards, but perhaps none was quite as out of the blue as word of a sequel to Okami. Not only that, the original game's director, Hideki Kamiya, is at the helm."Okami is a game critically acclaimed for its unique world, heartwarming story, and exciting adventures," publisher Capcom said in the teaser's YouTube description. "Now, a new adventure in the same vein as Okami has been set in motion." Details are thin so far. Production is just about to get underway.Kamiya also directed Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe during his first stint at Konami, before leaving to form PlatinumGames. It emerged last year that Kamiya was departing the Bayonetta studio. Now we know that he's part of a new studio, Clovers, which is making this sequel alongside M-Two Inc Machine Head Works. (The shuttered Capcom subsidiary Clover Studio made the original.)Okami is one of the greatest examples of video games as an art form. As Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess that takes the form of a white wolf, you use a paintbrush to help solve puzzles and defeat enemies. The 2006 game had an unforgettable look, but it was stylized to bolster performance on the PlayStation 2. With much more powerful hardware at their disposal, Kamiya, the studios and Capcom have the potential to deliver a sequel that's visually more than worthy of Okami.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/an-okami-sequel-is-on-the-way-nearly-two-decades-later-041658276.html?src=rss

2K Games' consistently sporadic Mafia series will return in 2025. Mafia: The Old Country is set in Sicily in the 1900s and will explore the origins of organized crime. Developer Hangar 13 announced that a new Mafia title was in development back in 2022, but gave few details beyond that. Now, we know it's heading to PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in summer 2025.The game's first trailer, which debuted at The Game Awards on Thursday, is a melodramatic affair complete with a patriarch monologuing over candlelight, horses galloping across the plains and opera music as a backing track. This is drama, people.Mafia: The Old Country is a linear, narrative-driven game with stealth and gunplay mechanics in purposefully cinematic environments. It stars Enzo, a new, original protagonist. Here's how publisher 2K Games describes his journey: "Enzo has survived a childhood of indentured labor in Sicily's hellish sulfur mines. Now, through a twist of fate, he has the opportunity to join Don Torrisi's crime family, and will do whatever it takes to carve out a better life for himself. By swearing an oath, Enzo has committed himself to the Torrisi family's code of honor, with all the power and hardship it entails."The Mafia series started in 2002 as a more serious take on the GTA formula, set in a 1930s nod to Chicago. Mafia II landed in 2010 and took place in a fictionalized version of post-World War II New York City. Another long gap led to 2017, when Mafia III flashed forward to the '60s in not-New Orleans.In 2018, 2K merged Hangar 13, the developer of the third title, with 2K Czech, the team that made the first two games, and that combined studio is now working on The Old Country. A 2025 release window will give us eight years between Mafia installments, which is right on target for the series.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/mafia-the-old-country-is-a-sicilian-prequel-arriving-summer-2025-034422942.html?src=rss

There are two cool pieces of news here. First, the indie studio behind the Overcooked series, Ghost Town Games, is working on a new title called Stage Fright, and it'll support both online and couch co-op. Rad! Second, Stage Fright is being published by No Man's Sky studio Hello Games, a move that marks Hello's first foray into publishing other studios' projects. Double rad!Stage Fright is built around co-op, and its mechanics bring Overcooked-style chaos to a series of escape room environments in a spooky, Luigi's Mansion kind of world. It doesn't have a release date but it's available to wishlist now on Steam.Overcooked and its sequel have helped re-energize the co-op genre in recent years, serving up frantic restaurant gameplay that always feels more fun - and shouty - with a friend. Overcooked supports cooperative couch play and Overcooked 2 introduced online co-op to the series. Stage Fright represents the culmination of everything that Ghost Town has learned about co-op gaming from Overcooked, complete with local and online play."Nothing else really played like Overcooked when it came out and Stage Fright is just as innovative, but in a really different direction," Hello Games publishing lead Tim Woodley said.Ghost Town Games has a core team of just three people, founders Oli De-Vine and Phil Duncan plus writer Gemma Langford. They've been developing Stage Fright under the codename Project Attic - because they've literally been building this game in their attic - and their website lists six additional contributors. There's also the Hello Games of it all.Ghost Town GamesDe-Vine and Duncan have been friends with the Hello Games crew - including founders Sean Murray, Grant Duncan, Ryan Doyle and David Ream - for years. After Hello found success with Joe Danger in 2010, they helped connect Ghost Town with the eventual publisher of Overcooked, Team17. Overcooked came out in 2016 and the rest is culinary co-op history."Phil and Oli came to visit us for advice with the very earliest demo of Overcooked about ten years ago," Woodley said. "We have such fond memories of the four founders of Hello playing that Overcooked demo, screaming at each other about onions - it was instantly obvious this was something special."Hello Games is currently developing Light No Fire, a cooperative survival and exploration game that takes place on a fantasy planet as large as Earth, offering a mix of role-playing and sandbox mechanics. The studio is also still very much supporting and expanding its breakout hit, No Man's Sky (and things seem to be going really well). Stage Fright will be Hello's debut as a third-party publisher, but it doesn't mean the studio is pivoting to publishing full-time.Ghost Town Games"Hello Games has a bunch of experience we can lend behind the scenes, support we can give, but if we're honest it really appeals to us to have fun working with a bunch of creative people we just love spending time with," Woodley said. "When we played an early version of Stage Fright we got the same buzz as we had with Overcooked all those years ago. It's just something we wanted to be involved in."Expect more information about Stage Fright over the next 12 months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-overcooked-team-has-a-new-creepy-cute-co-op-game-called-stage-fright-030009063.html?src=rss

Netflix announced at The Game Awards that its Squid Game multiplayer mobile title will be playable on Android and iOS without an active Netflix subscription when it arrives on December 17. However, the free-for-anyone period will only be available for an unspecified limited time."Squid Game: Unleashed lets you play with friends online in a series of mini-games. The contests are either ripped directly from the series or thematically similar classic childhood activities" (only with added death).The party royale game takes cues from the Mario Party franchise, but its inspiration may have been much more direct... and circular. In 2021, indie developer Dani published Crab Game for Windows, macOS and Linux. The title didn't try to hide that it was inspired by the Netflix series (crab, squid... get it?), which was taking the world by storm at the time. Its Mario Party-style mini-games were initially Squid Game contests, presented in a cartoonish video-game form. However, it later expanded to include competitions distinct from the series.NetflixAlthough we haven't yet played Squid Game: Unleashed, the gameplay in its trailer bears an uncanny resemblance to Crab Game, including (roughly) its cartoon-like art style. To be fair, the two may play much more differently than Netflix's trailer suggests. But based on what we see now, Netflix appears to have taken inspiration from an indie dev who took inspiration from its series. (Cue Xzibit.) But hey, at least Netflix doesn't seem to have sued an indie dev into oblivion.Irrespective of such gaming industry tit-for-tats, Netflix's party royale game is timed to promote Squid Game Season 2. It starts streaming on December 26. Squid Game: Unleashed launches exclusively in the Netflix app for Android or iOS on December 17. You can check out its trailer below.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/squid-game-unleashed-will-be-playable-at-launch-without-a-netflix-subscription-025501236.html?src=rss

We told you back in 2021 that The Outer Worlds 2 was a thing that existed, and now, more than three years later, we have evidence in support of this claim: a gameplay trailer.The new trailer, which debuted at The Game Awards, shows off a vibrant universe of flora, fauna and firearms, with a layer of classic Obsidian cheekiness. The joke here is that The Outer Worlds 2 is just more of the original game - more action, more weapons, more graphics. You get the idea.All chuckles aside, that's not a terrible pitch for a new game. The Outer Worlds came out in 2019 and offered an engaging universe filled with quirky characters and strange adventures, complete with dystopian sci-fi vibes and a helping of dark satire. Obsidian is the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights, and The Outer Worlds 2 is an RPG in a similar vein.Notably, today's trailer confirms The Outer Worlds 2 is definitely heading to PlayStation 5. Obsidian is owned by Microsoft and, until now, it wasn't entirely clear whether the sequel would be exclusive to Xbox platforms. The Outer Worlds 2 is set to hit Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, PS5 and PC via Steam in 2025.Obsidian is also working on Avowed at the moment and it's looking like a fabulous entry in next year's lineup of fantasy RPGs. Avowed is due to his PC and Xbox Series X/S on February 18, 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-outer-worlds-2-gameplay-trailer-reveals-its-coming-to-ps5-as-well-as-xbox-022608769.html?src=rss

It's only been a short few months since Gearbox announced Borderlands 4, the next game in its long-running looter shooter franchise. Back in August, all we had was a cryptic teaser, but at today's Game Awards, we got a proper look at the new game.Gearbox says the new Borderlands game will arrive with four new Vault Hunters with "the deepest and most diverse" skill trees in the series' history. The game's story will focus on the Timekeeper, "a ruthless dictator who dominates the masses from on high." As with all the Borderlands games, 4 will support solo or co-op gameplay with up to three players.The last Borderlands game was 2019's Borderlands 3, which debuted on PS4, Xbox One and PC. It was well received - though less so than the first two mainline games - and sold over 5 million copies. Since then, Gearbox also developed and released Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, a fantasy-infused spinoff with a sizeable contingent of diehard fans, and took over development of Risk of Rain 2.Gearbox was acquired by Take-Two Interactive in March 2024, following the extended and expansive implosion of its former owner, Embracer Group. Borderlands 4 will be Gearbox's first release since the acquisition and there's something about this that feels like coming home, considering Take-Two's label 2K Games is the Borderlands series' longtime publisher.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/borderlands-4-gameplay-trailer-shows-four-new-vault-hunters-having-a-bad-day-021532109.html?src=rss

Resurrecting a beloved gaming series like Ninja Gaiden is always a tricky proposition. Anyone who might have worked on the franchise in its heyday has likely moved on to other projects or left the industry entirely. But judging by the talent working on Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, the new series entry revealed at the Game Awards, I think it's safe to say the franchise is in safe hands. That's because Ragebound unites two companies who know a thing or two about making quality games.The Game Kitchen - the Spanish studio behind Blasphemous and its excellent sequel, Blasphemous 2 - is developing the game, with Dotemu (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and Streets of Rage 4) on publishing duties.Right away, you can see the influence of The Game Kitchen. The studio's signature pixel art style looks gorgeous in the back half of the reveal trailer, and it looks like the game will reward tight, coordinated play from players. As for the story, it's set during the events of the NES version of Ninja Gaiden and stars a new protagonist, Kenji Mozu. It's up to him to save Hayabusa Village while Ryu is away in America.Ninja Gaiden Ragebound will arrive in the summer of 2025 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ragebound-is-a-new-ninja-gaiden-game-from-the-team-behind-blasphemous-015621718.html?src=rss

If you're a PlayStation fan, you're likely at least familiar with Shadow of the Colossus, Ico and The Last Guardian. They're three atmospheric and unique titles that have influenced plenty of games over the last decade. And we're going to get more from director Fumito Ueda, but it was quite the mysterious and brief reveal. All we know is that Ueda has a new title coming out, published by Epic, and it fits in right alongside with his prior work. It's about the most minimal game reveals I can think of - there's a spaceship taking off, and that's about all I can really say at this point - but Ueda fans will be excited for this nonetheless. There's no timeframe for release, but when it does arrive it'll be out on PC and Xbox for the first time as well as PlayStation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/fumito-uedas-follow-up-to-the-last-guardian-is-an-untitled-dark-sci-fi-game-014455329.html?src=rss

As the gaming industry preps for its night of awards, rampant layoffs continue to put a damper on an otherwise joyful pastime. The latest casualties are reportedly a group of 99 employees for WB Games Montreal.Radio-Canada says (via Game Developer) that many of the laid-off employees were subcontractors through Keywords Studios, a company that provides technical and creative services for gaming companies. Keywords worked on quality assurance for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.Speaking of which, the layoffs coincided with Rocksteady's announcement that it would stop supporting the Suicide Squad game on January 14. (WB Games Montreal helped develop the game.) The game launched last February, giving it the dishonor of lasting less than a year before its publisher pulled the plug. Its upcoming Season 4 Episode 8 will be its last.According to GamesIndustry.biz, one laid-off staffer told the French-language Radio-Canada that they were given eight weeks' notice before termination. WB Montreal is said to have given them a choice between joining a recall list for upcoming projects or receiving help from a job counselor. However, the source said the company doesn't expect the registry to have any opportunities until 2026. That's not much of a choice unless someone has savings to burn.The news follows recent layoffs at Ubisoft, Xbox / Activision Blizzard and... far too many others to list. The gaming industry is projected to generate over $187 billion in 2024, a 2.1 percent annual growth.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/wb-montreal-games-reportedly-lays-off-99-workers-ahead-of-the-holidays-214220373.html?src=rss

If you're looking for a place to watch the 10th annual Game Awards on Thursday, December 12, then guess what? You found it. Host Geoff Keighley will open the Game Awards at 7:30PM and you can watch it right here in this post.A total of 96 games, studios and developers received nominations for this year's awards. The two biggest contenders are Astro Bot from Team Asobi and Sony Interactive and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth from Square Enix, with seven nominations each including Game of the Year.The other nominees for Game of the Year include five-time nominee Balatro, the action RPG Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and six-time nominee Metaphor: ReFantazio. Silent Hill 2 didn't make the cut for Game of the Year but it also picked up five nominations.PlayStation is leading the publisher pack with 16 nods. Square Enix and Xbox each picked up 12 nominations and Sega finished third with 11.You can watch the Game Awards on its official YouTube channel, Twitch and a bunch of other places. You could also just stay put and watch the stream below in the embedded video.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/dont-miss-the-game-awards-2024-right-here-at-730pm-et-213044226.html?src=rss

Reddit is taking down posts linking to the manifesto of the suspected shooter of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The company says it's enforcing a longstanding policy, but its actions have angered and frustrated some users.Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old who was arrested and charged with murder earlier this week, has been the subject of widespread fascination online since New York police first released images of the suspected killer. Small excerpts of the 261-word manifesto were published by the New York Times, while journalist Ken Klippenstein obtained and published it in its entirety on his Substack Tuesday. Links to Klippenstein's newsletter containing the manifesto began to disappear off Reddit, with some being removed by individual subreddits' community moderators and some being taken down by Reddit staff.In a widely viewed post in r/popculturechat, a moderator explained that Reddit had instructed them to remove posts of the manifesto. We have officially been notified by Reddit that we must adhere strictly to their site-wide rules regarding violent content," moderator clemthearcher wrote. Specifically, Reddit has told us that we are not allowed to post Luigi Mangione's manifesto, even if it is reported neutrally."Reddit removed a post linking to the manifesto in r/interestingasfuck, which had nearly 20,000 upvotes, which was later detailed in a lengthy post in r/subredditdrama. Posts were also removed from other subreddits, including r/witchesVsPatriarchy and r/antiwork. Engadget confirmed that the site now automatically blocks posts attempting to link to the Substack post with the manifesto.Though the move has angered many Redditors, the company says it's not a new policy. A Reddit spokesperson confirmed that manifestos related to violent acts" violate the company's violent content rules, which state:

Threads is rolling out its take on the Starter Packs concept from Bluesky. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri's post about the update explains that collections of recommended profiles will be suggested when users start following topics and as part of the For You feed.Interestingly, Threads doesn't seem to have a name for this feature. But it's not the first time that Threads has adopted an idea that originated at rival platform Bluesky. Custom feeds were the last concept that made its way from Bluesky to a brief testing phase to an official release on the Meta-owned social network.Bluesky is aware of how many of its features have started popping up on Threads. Last month, when Meta's platform first announced that it would have its own take on Starter Packs, the company posted a dig at its competitor on its own Threads account. The pair of platforms have been vying to draw in disaffected former users of X (once known as Twitter). Bluesky reached 20 million users in November, while Threads reported 35 million signups just in that month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-take-on-bluesky-starter-packs-is-live-193106158.html?src=rss

The United States Postal Service unveiled a plan to buy a fleet of all-electric mail trucks for its mail carriers back in 2022, of which 3,000 were supposed to be delivered by now. Unfortunately, those plans aren't even close to fruition. The Washington Post reported that defense contractor Oshkosh has only delivered 93 vehicles so far.In 2022, The Postal Service announced its plan to buy at least 60,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles" (NGDV) for its mail carriers by 2028 and start replacing its aging fleet of trucks. The Postal Service's initial order called for 5,000 all-electric vehicles along with new, gas-powered vehicles, but calls from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Biden Administration pushed them to increase the share of NGDVs that would run on electricity.The Washington Post obtained nearly 21,000 government and internal company records and spoke with 20 people familiar with the trucks' manufacturing and design process. Its reporting shows that Oshkosh ran into significant manufacturing delays of the electric NGDVs that caused lower than expected delivery numbers. Some of the anonymous sources said that engineers struggled to calibrate the mail trucks' airbags, and the vehicles' body and internal components are unable to contain water leaks to an alarming degree.The turnaround time for building these new mail trucks is also very slow. The Post reports that the South Carolina factory can only build one truck per day even though Oshkosh hoped it could build at least 80 vehicles a day by now.Oshkosh also failed to inform the Postal Service about these delays. Four of the background sources say a senior company executive tried to update the Postal Service about these manufacturing issues only to have those efforts blocked by their corporate superiors.An Oshkosh spokesperson said in a statement that the defense contractor is still fully committed to being a strong and reliable partner" with the Postal Services and insists we remain on track to meet all delivery deadlines," according to The Post.The failure of these plans doesn't just affect the Postal Service's ability to modernize and update its fleet of aging mail trucks. It could also throw a wrench into President Biden's plans to combat climate change. Reutersreported on Friday that President Donald Trump's transition team is considering cancelling the electric mail truck program altogether.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/postal-services-plan-to-electrify-mail-trucks-falling-far-short-of-its-goal-190317071.html?src=rss

Epic Games has struck a deal with Telefonica to have its mobile storefront pre-installed on millions of compatible Android devices. As such, those who buy a phone from a Telefonica network such as O2 or Movistar in Spain, the UK, Germany and Spanish-speaking Latin America will immediately have the app, which offers access to Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League Sideswipe. Epic will bring third-party games to the storefront as well, while the partners plan to offer mobile gamers on Telefonica's networks extra perks over the next year or so.Telefonica has more than 392 million customers. As such, this deal could bring Fortnite and Fall Guys to an even bigger audience.Epic debuted its mobile games store a few months ago after years of wrangling with Apple and Google over the duo's purported smartphone and tablet duopoly - and having to give the companies a share of revenue from in-app purchases. Among other things, Epic accused Google of blocking OnePlus from offering users a way to install Fortnite without having to go through the Google Play store.However, Epic has had mixed results in its legal battles with Apple and Google. It won an antitrust case against the latter, with a judge determining last year that Google had an illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing on Android devices. The judge also ruled that Google's distribution deals with other games companies were anticompetitive. But it largely lost a similar case against Apple.The Epic Games Store mobile app is available on iOS in the European Union (where Apple was forced to open up iOS to third-party app marketplaces) and around the world on Android. Epic also plans to bring it to iOS devices in the UK in the second half of 2025.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/epic-games-app-store-will-be-preinstalled-on-millions-of-android-phones-175158241.html?src=rss

Remember when YouTube TV was supposed to be a scrappy disruptor that undercut cable prices and gave cord-cutters a cheaper and often better way to watch live television? Well, that dream died a long time ago, but cable may end up being a relative bargain if things continue at this rate. YouTube TV emailed subscribers on Thursday morning, announcing yet another rate change: from $73 to $83 monthly.The price hike is already in effect for new subscribers. Existing members will start paying the new rate during the first billing cycle on or following January 13.YouTube launched at a mere $35 in 2017. Subsequent price increases took the price to $40 in 2018, $50 in 2019 and $65 in 2020. Just when things had stabilized for a few years, 2023 brought yet another hike to $73. (That doesn't include all the optional add-ons, like 4K Plus and sports packages.) And here we are today with $83 cable TV by another name and through another pipe.If you're a YouTube TV subscriber facing an existential crisis now that the underdog hero you once rooted for has completed its heel turn, help is available. You can cancel your membership.Unfortunately, alternatives are either more expensive or limited. Hulu + Live TV offers a package that costs the same $83, but at least it also gives you Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ (all with ads) for that price. Sling TV is more customizable and can be had for as little as $40 monthly, but it's broken down into color-coded channel collections seemingly organized for maximum upsell potential.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/youtube-tv-completes-its-heel-turn-with-yet-another-price-hike-171518919.html?src=rss

Google's latest push into extended reality is taking shape. While the company isn't entirely ready to show off any products just yet, it has laid out a vision for a unified Android XR ecosystem that will span a range of devices - such as virtual reality headsets and mixed reality glasses - in partnership with Samsung and Qualcomm.This is evidently Alphabet's latest attempt to compete with the likes of Meta and Apple on the extended reality front. The company has dabbled in this arena in the past with the likes of Google Glass, Daydream and Google Cardboard, programs that have found their way to the Google Graveyard. Android XR seems much more ambitious, and having some big-name partners on board from the jump indicates that Alphabet is much more serious about extended reality this time around.Google has been beavering away on XR behind the scenes despite shutting down some of its higher-profile projects in that realm. "Google is not a stranger to this category," Sameer Samat, president of Android Ecosystem at Google, told reporters ahead of the announcement. "We, like many others, have made some attempts here before. I think the vision was correct, but the technology wasn't quite ready."One area where Google thinks that technology has advanced to the point where it's ready to try again with XR is artificial intelligence. Gemini will be deeply integrated into Android XR. By tapping into the power of the chatbot and having a user interface based around voice and natural conversation, Google and its partners are aiming to deliver experiences that aren't exactly possible to pull off using gestures and controllers."We are fully in what we refer to as the Gemini Era, and the breakthroughs in AI with muti-modal models are giving all of us totally new ways of interacting with computers," Samat said. "We believe a digital assistant integrated with your XR experience is the killer app for the form factor, like what email or texting was for the smartphone."Google believes that smart glasses and headsets are a more natural form factor to explore this tech with, rather than holding up your smartphone to something in the world that you want Gemini to take a look at. To that end, the wide array of XR devices that are popping up, such as VR headsets with passthrough (the ability to see the outside world while wearing one) is another factor in Google's push into that space.We'll get our first real look at Android XR products next year, including one that Google is developing in partnership with Samsung. The first headset, currently dubbed Project Moohan (which means "infinity" in Korean), will feature "state-of-the-art displays," passthrough and natural multi-modal input, according to Samsung. It's slated to be a lightweight headset that's ergonomically designed to maximize comfort.Renderings of the Moohan prototype (pictured above) suggest the headset will look a little like the Apple Vision Pro, perhaps with a glass visor on the front. Along with the headset, Samsung is working on Google XR glasses, with more details to come soon.GoogleBut nailing the hardware won't matter much if you can't do anything interesting with it. As such, Google is now looking to bring developers into the fold to create apps and products for Android XR. The company is offering developers APIs, an emulator and hardware development kits to help them build out XR experiences.On its side of things, Google is promising an "infinite desktop" for those using the platform for productivity. Its core apps are being reimagined for extended reality as well. Those include Chrome, Photos, Meet, Maps (with an immersive view of landmarks) and Google Play. On top of that, mobile and tablet apps from Google Play are said to work out of the box.On YouTube, it looks like you'll be able to easily transition from augmented reality into a VR experience. And in Google TV, you'll be able to switch from an AR view to a virtual home movie theater when you start a film.A demo video showed a headset wearer using a combination of their voice and a physical keyboard and mouse to navigate a series of Chrome windows. Circle to Search will be one of the many features. After you've used the tool to look up something, you can use a Gemini command to refine the results. It'll be possible to pull 3D image renderings from image search results and manipulate them with gestures.GoogleAs for AR glasses - essentially next-gen Google Glass - it seems that you'll be able to use those to translate signage and speech, then ask Gemini questions about the details of, say, a restaurant menu. Other use cases include advice on how to position shelves on a wall (and perhaps asking Gemini to help you find a tool you put down somewhere), getting directions to a store and summarizing group chats while you're on the go.Thanks to advances in technology, AR glasses look much like regular spectacles these days, as we've seen from the likes of Meta and Snap. That should help Google avoid the whole "Glass-holes" discourse this time around given that there shouldn't be an obscenely obvious camera attached to the front. But the advancements might give cause for concern when it comes to privacy and letting those caught in the camera's cone of vision know that they're perhaps being filmed.Privacy is an important consideration for Android XR. Google says it's building new privacy controls for Gemini on the platform. More details about those will be revealed next year.GoogleMeanwhile, games could play a major factor in the success of Android XR. They're a focus for Meta's Quest headsets, of course. On the heels of its various missteps with Stadia, Google is hoping to make it as easy as possible for developers to port their games to its ecosystem.Not only that, Unity is one of the companies that's supporting Android XR. Developers will be able to create experiences for it using the engine. Unity says it will offer full support for Android XR, including documentation and optimizations to help devs get started. They can do that now in public experimental versions of Unity 6.Resolution Games (Demeo) and Google's own Owlchemy Labs (Job Simulator) are among the studios that plan to bring titles built in Unity to Android XR. The process is said to be straightforward. "This is as simple a port as you're ever going to encounter," Owlchemy Labs CEO Andrew Eiche said in a statement.Meanwhile, Unity has teamed up with Google and film director Doug Liman's studio 30 Ninjas to make a "new and innovative immersive film app that will combine AI and XR to redefine the cinematic experience."Since gaming is set to play a sizable role in Android XR, it stands to reason that physical controllers will still be a part of the ecosystem. Not many people are going to want to play games using their voice.But that's the key: Android XR is shaping up to be a broad ecosystem of devices, not just one. This strategy has paid dividends for Google, given the spectrum of phones, tablets, cars and TVs that variants of Android are available on. It will be hoping to replicate that success with Android XR.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/google-lays-out-its-vision-for-an-android-xr-ecosystem-160001103.html?src=rss

Australia is not messing around when it comes to big tech. Last month the country introduced a law that, if passed, would ban all people 16 and younger from social media. Now, its coming after social media and search engines alike, ensuring they pay publishers for their content after Meta backed out of doing so, the Financial Times reports. The Australian Taxation Office would be in charge of collecting the money, though it shouldn't profit from the deal in any way, instead sending all the profits to media companies.The new amendments would require any platform that makes more an Australian revenue of more than $250 million (160 million USD) to pay a set fee or create a direct agreement with publishers. In 2021, Meta and Google made a deal to paid a range of large and small Australian media companies more than 200 million AUD (128 million USD) per year - though these agreements were pretty much forced by legislation. Meta backed out earlier this year, claiming its users don't come to its platforms for news content.Leaders in the industry like Michael Miller, executive chair of News Corp Australia, applauded the government's recent step, with Miller stating, "This will provide a foundation for rebuilding the media industry after the loss of an estimated 1,000 jobs this year, and ensuring Australian news media businesses will continue to deliver inquiring and professional journalism, which has never been more important to cohesive, democratic societies."Canada previously took a similar step, enacting a bill in 2023 that required social media platforms and search engines to pay publishers. Meta responded by pulling news in the country but, while Google first threatened to take action, the company agreed to pay news publishers about 100 million CAD (71 million USD) each year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/australia-demands-big-social-platforms-pay-local-news-publishers-153044135.html?src=rss

When the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter finally flew for the last time and went silent, many people thought that would be the last we heard about it. However, NASA engineers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California are assessing its final flight right now. This is the first-ever aircraft accident investigation performed on a craft on another planet. Ingenuity already had the distinct honor of being the first aircraft to fly on another world.Ingenuity was only meant to fly five times over 30 days, but it flew for almost three years, clocking 72 total flights. Flight 72, its last, resulted in a crash that caused it to be permanently grounded. All four of its rotor blades snapped as the helicopter fell onto a sand ripple and rolled, permanently grounding it.Since Ingenuity's vision navigation system couldn't find enough surface features in the Jezero Crater to track, it couldn't land properly. The hard landing likely caused the helicopter to roll, but this tragic final flight isn't all bad news. Today, scientists and engineers use data from Ingenuity's flights to work toward a better aircraft design. The Mars Chopper is one such example, a rotorcraft that could theoretically fly up to two miles a day.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/nasa-is-investigating-the-ingenuity-helicopters-final-flight-on-mars-152714096.html?src=rss

With a TikTok ban in the United States looking more and more likely, a new report from Pew Research on teen social media use underscores just how influential the app is among its youngest users. Not only is it one of the most-used social media services by teens, 57 percent of 13 to 17-year-olds scroll TikTok every single day, Pew reports.The report underscores the impact a ban would have on teens. Sixty-three percent of teens report ever" using the app, while 57 percent say they log on at least once a day. TikTok also has the highest percentage of teens reporting that they use the service almost constantly," with 16 percent. A little more than a third report checking the app several times a day."Pew Research CenterPew's report arrives as TikTok is running out of options to avoid a ban in the United States. The company lost its initial legal challenge to a law requiring that parent company ByteDance sell the app or face a total ban in the country. TikTok has asked the courts for a temporary delay of the law, which is currently scheduled to take effect January 19, while it looks to take its next appeal to the Supreme Court.Should the ban actually happen, Pew's report suggests that YouTube and Instagram are best-positioned to benefit. YouTube was once again the most-used app among teens, with 90 percent of 13 to 17 year-olds saying they use the service and 73 percent reporting daily use. Meta's Instagram, which ranked just below TikTok with 61 percent of teens, is another likely successor, though only half of teens said they check the app daily.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/most-us-teens-still-use-tiktok-daily-as-ban-looms-150002335.html?src=rss

LG has discontinued all of its Blu-ray players, including its UBK80 and UBK90 UHD Blu-ray players, according to FlatpanelsHD. Remaining stock will still be available, but the company doesn't have plans to make more. This decision isn't surprising, as LG isn't the first company to pull out of the UHD Blu-ray player market.UHD Blu-ray is a separate format from standard Blu-ray, as the former has a maximum resolution of 3840x2160 pixels (4K). Blu-ray is 1920x1080 (FHD) instead.The UBK80 and UBK90 UHD Blu-ray players were introduced in 2018, which was also the year Oppo exited this market. Samsung would make its own exit in 2019, giving consumers even fewer choices for UHD Blu-ray players. Even though LG is discontinuing all of its Blu-ray players, LG Korea has confirmed in a statement to FlatpanelsHD that a total exit isn't what's happening, as the company as a whole is leaving the door open for a comeback if demand grows.There's a bit of a silver lining for the UHD Blu-ray market still. Magnetar's UDP800 player can handle the format and more, even functioning as a hi-fi audio player. Plus, the PS5 can also handle the format, but it can't play Dolby Vision, a favorite of high-end video enthusiasts. And the Xbox Series X only plays Dolby Vision for games and streaming apps, not optical discs.Streaming has only become more popular by the day, and many people no longer own a functioning CD player, much less a Blu-ray one. With demand being so low, it's not hard to see why LG decided to discontinue its Blu-ray players.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/lg-will-stop-making-all-of-its-uhd-blu-ray-and-blu-ray-players-145054425.html?src=rss

There are far too many fads that are blown out of proportion, as if a single item could really change your life. The air fryer - arguably one of the most talked about devices of the past few years - does not fall into this category. Having an air fryer is as good or better than everyone makes it out to be. Yet, there are two barriers to getting an air fryer: cost and counter space. While, there's nothing we can do to expand your kitchen, we're happy to point out a great deal on the Cosori 6-quart 9-in-1 air fryer. Our runner up for best air fryer of 2024 is currently down to $88 from $120 - a 27 percent discount. This price is only $3 more than its all-time low as a Prime Exclusive a few months ago. The Cosori 6-quart 9-in-1 air fryer fits a ton of food considering its not a horrible footprint in your kitchen. It has nine present modes, including preheat, broil, bake, roast, proof and frozen settings. The air fryer also includes a touchscreen, basket-release button and spacious cooking basket. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-air-fryers-is-27-percent-off-right-now-144244059.html?src=rss

BeReal, the in the moment social media platform, is far from its 2022 heyday, but that hasn't stopped one organization from going after it. Austrian advocacy group Noyb has filed a complaint surrounding the platform's data consent banner practices. The organization claims that the banner disappears if users accept that their personal data can inform advertising practices, but if they click reject then the banner appears daily. Noyb filed its complaint with the French data protection authority (CNIL) as Voodoo, a French company, bought BeReal in June - the practice in question started in July."BeReal's daily attempt to pressure its users into accepting the tracking for personalised advertising has a significant impact on user behaviour. Consent given under these circumstances is not freely given, which means it doesn't meet the requirements established in Article 4(11) GDPR," Noyb argued in its complaint. It asked the CNIL to fine BeReal and force it to be compliant.Noyb also pointed to guidelines the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted in early 2023 around such a technique. "The continuous prompting deceptive design pattern occurs when users are pushed to provide more personal data than necessary for the purposes of processing or to agree with another use of their data, by being repeatedly asked to provide additional data or to consent to a purpose of processing," the EDPB stated. "Such repetitive prompts can happen through one or several devices. Users are likely to end up giving in, as they are wearied from having to refuse the request each time they use the platform. "This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/bereal-accused-of-annoying-users-into-sharing-their-data-160024570.html?src=rss

Spoilers for Lower Decks, Fissure Quest."It turns out you can have your cake and eat it.The penultimate episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks is an exercise in box ticking for the show's creative team. It does the grunt work of laying the table and raising the stakes for next week's series finale. But it's also the show's last - for now - chance to wring a gag or two out of all those deep-cut, Extremely Online Trek in-jokes. It's fortunate that while the episode is a little on the thin side, the stuff that's thrown at the wall is charming enough for it not to matter.For the second week in a row, we're pulling focus from the lead quintet to catch up on William Boimler. (That, if your memory isn't too sharp, is Bomiler's transporter clone, last seen faking his death to join Section 31.) He's now captain of the USS Anaximander on a secret mission to close up the interdimensional fissures the show has been encountering all season.Boimler, the show's avatar of a Star Trek fan, has been picking up stray figures from the canon during dimension hops. His crew includes T'Pol, Garak and an EMH version of Dr. Bashir, all played by their original actors.. And yes, Garak and Dr. Bashir are a married couple in this universe, because of course the show has to embrace that piece of fan lore that launched a thousand pieces of slash fiction.The ship picks up an escape pod with Lt. Harry Kim inside, who learns most of the rest of the crew is Harries Kim as well. He's the only one who's ever been promoted above the rank of ensign, nodding to the rumor that longtime series head Rick Berman said someone had to be the lowest-ranked member of the crew. And / or as punishment for clashing with the production team, as outlined in an interview Wang gave in 2011.They soon encounter an alternate universe Mariner who, unlike our version, is a timid engineer. She, however, has worked out a way to track the vessel that's punching holes in the fabric of the universe. So the Anaximander lays a trap, only to reveal that it's an old Enterprise-class ship called the Beagle. It's an exploration vessel with a human and Vulcan crew, led by Lily Sloane.Paramount+Sloane isn't trying to tear the universe to shreds, their universe just discovered to discover interdimensional travel ahead of warp. They've been leaping between universes exploring strange similar worlds, the same life and civilizations boldly... examining the differences. It's a mission statement that outrages Boimler, who's gorged himself on fanservice and is now looking for something, anything new to cleanse his palate.Naturally, this is Lower Decks winking toward its own major flaw, given its reverence for 90s era Trek. I've always found it quite successful in bobbing and weaving around simply milking the audience's memberberries. But that doesn't mean it isn't at least complicit in the concept of serving up the same old crap, again and again.Sloane disagrees, saying her crew looks to explore the ways in which people grow and evolve in different environments. She says she's met several different Boimlers, all of whom have their own Mariner, as their connection endures across the universes. And that exploration isn't just about exploring what's beyond us but finding what's true inside us. That's a journey that can be just as perilous, and rewarding, as traveling to the furthest edges of the universe.Kim, outraged at his namesakes' stalled careers, steals the Beagle with plans to return to his own dimension. The Anaximander pursues, and while the other Kims mutiny and beam back, the Beagle successfully makes a jump but explodes in the process. That sends a huge wave of energy that will wipe out every universe in existence unless it's dumped in a single place. Thankfully, Boimler knows where to send it - to his transporter twin and the crew of the Cerritos.See you next week for the finale.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/star-trek-lower-decks-sets-up-its-finale-elbowing-its-own-ribs-140054114.html?src=rss

Toyota just introduced a new compact electric SUV and dug into the past for inspiration. The new Urban Cruiser EV borrows its name for a car that first came along in the early 2000s and is based on the company's Urban SUV Concept unveiled last year. It looks like it's designed to compete with Volvo's EX30 and much like that vehicle, will come with a number of battery and drive options.To give you an idea of size, the Urban Cruiser will be slightly larger than Toyota's hybrid compact SUV, the Yaris Cross. It'll be built on a new battery electric vehicle (BEV) platform that frees up extra space for the battery and occupants.It'll come with two battery pack options, 49kWh and 61kWh, a bit smaller than the EX30's offerings (51kWh and 69kWh). The smaller pack supports up to 144 HP and 140 pound feet, while the larger pack option ups that to 174 HP and the same torque. If you upgrade to the dual-motor system, you'll see 184 HP and 221 pound feet of torque. Those power levels are far less than the EX30, which offers 268 HP as standard and a wild 422 HP on the twin-motor performance version.ToyotaThe Urban Cruiser will offer active safety features like adaptive cruise, active collision avoidance and lane-departure warning, along with a 360 degree camera. Inside, you'll get a 10.1-inch infotainment display along with a 10.25-inch driver's display, all in one unit. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be standard.ToyotaPrice and range have yet to be revealed, but Toyota will be in tough against the much more powerful Volvo EX30 if the sticker isn't substantially lower. The Urban Cruiser is also arguably less attractive as well. It's set to arrive in the UK and elsewhere in Europe in the third quarter next year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/toyota-takes-on-volvos-ex30-with-the-urban-cruiser-compact-electric-suv-143041000.html?src=rss

The American Civil Liberties Association (ACLU) is sounding a warning about the use of AI in creating police reports, saying the tech could produce errors that affect evidence and court cases. The nonprofit highlighted the dangers of the tech in a white paper, following news that police departments in California are using a program called Draft One from Axon to transcribe body camera recording and create a first draft of police reports.One police department in Fresno said that it's using Draft One under a pilot program, but only for misdemeanor reports. "It's nothing more than a template," deputy chief Rob Beckwith told Industry Insider. "It's not designed to have an officer push a button and generate a report." He said that the department has seen any errors with transcriptions and that it consulted with the Fresno County DA's office in training the force,However, the ACLU noted four issues with the use of AI. First off, it said that AI is "quirky and unreliable and prone to making up fact... [and] is also biased." Secondly, it said that an officer's memories of an incident should be memorialized "before they are contaminated by an AI's body camera based storytelling." It added that if a police report is just an AI rehash of body camera video, certain facts might be omitted and it may even allow officers to lie if they did something illegal that wasn't captured on camera.The third point was around transparency, as the public needs to understand exactly how it works based on analysis by independent experts, according to the ACLU. Defendants in criminal cases also need to be able to interrogate the evidence, "yet much of the operation of these systems remains mysterious." Finally, the group noted that the use of AI transcriptions might remove accountability around the use of discretionary power. "For these reasons, the ACLU does not believe police departments should allow officers to use AI to generate draft police reports," it said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/aclu-highlights-the-rise-of-ai-generated-police-reports--what-could-go-wrong-133030452.html?src=rss

United Airlines announced that it is integrating the Share Item Location feature from Apple into its mobile app. This development could make it easier to track down baggage equipped with AirTags or a Find My network accessory when it somehow winds up in Paris rather than arriving with you in Perth.The United integration will allow passengers to send information about their bag's location directly to the company's support staff in the mobile app. If a traveler isn't using the United app and their bag takes a detour, they will receive a text notification from the airline prompting them to submit a Share Item Location report.Share Item Location is part of Apple's iOS 18.2, which just began rolling out this week. When the resource was initially introduced in the public beta, air transport tech company SITA said that it would use the feature in its WorldTracer system for tracking airline baggage, so this isn't the first time travel brands are realizing the potential of Share Item Location. However, it will only be available to customers who are using an iPhone running at least iOS 18.2.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/united-airlines-will-integrate-apples-share-item-location-feature-into-its-mobile-app-130049823.html?src=rss

After a particularly lean week for tech news, yesterday exploded. We've got Google's next-generation AI model, Gemini 2.0, a barrage of games to intrigue us in 2025, MasterClass is going AI and, finally, Apple's most headline-grabbing AI tricks and features broke cover, built into the latest iOS update.That's what I want to kick off with. A lot of features in iOS 18.2 are only for the iPhone 15 Pro, 16 and 16 Pro, which pack the necessary chip smarts to run Apple Intelligence. (Access is also limited to users in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK for now.)Image Playground, available as a standalone app and through Messages, can generate image suggestions based on your text prompts or contents of your conversations. You can use a photo from your iPhone's camera roll as a starting point. Note Image Playground can't produce photorealistic images of people. That's by design.Then there's Genmoji, to make your own custom emoji. Tap the new Genmoji button and enter a description of the character you want to make. You can even type the name of a contact, and contextually, it'll ask if you want to use photos of that person (if you have them in your photos) to generate the emoji.Both Siri and Writing Tools can now call on ChatGPT for assistance, although devices will always ask permission before doing so.Anyway, back to creating an entire library of Genmoji, featuring... me.- Mat SmithThe biggest tech stories you missed

Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Messenger are coming back online after widespread "technical issues" took down many of Meta's biggest apps for several hours Wednesday. "We're 99% of the way there - just doing some last checks," the company wrote in an update on X nearly four hours after first acknowledging the outages.The company didn't elaborate on the source of the issue, or when the problems might be resolved entirely. As of 4:30 PM PT Wednesday, Meta's status dashboard still showed some "major disruptions" to its business and transparency tools, though other services were marked as "resolved" or "recovering." Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads and Messenger seem to have largely recovered, though.

Make your holiday plans now, because Sony has announced which games will be joining the Playstation Plus Game Catalog starting in December. The biggest highlight for PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra subscribers is Forspoken, a parkour and magic-filled RPG released by Square Enix in 2023. We didn't think the PS5 game fully matched the eye-popping visuals of other games like Horizon Forbidden West when we reviewed it, but a holiday vacation seems like the perfect time to bop around and experiment with some spells.For a different take on open-world running and jumping, Sonic Frontiers is also joining the catalog. The game fuses high-speed platforming with a Breath of the Wild-inspired open world full of enemies and collectables. If you miss more of the traditional Sonic experience, there are bespoke challenge levels inspired by past Sonic games to run through too.Both those games should hopefully be rewarding time sinks, but the two additions that most caught my eye were A Space for the Unbound and Coffee Talk. I've basically heard nothing but good things about A Space for the Unbound since it came out in 2023, primarily because of its unique setting in late 90s rural Indonesia." It's a slice-of-life adventure game," according to Sony, but with some supernatural elements for added drama. Coffee Talkhas been kicking around since 2020, and has some shared cultural DNA since its developer, Toge Productions, published Unbound and is based in Indonesia. Coffee Talk is a visual novel about running a coffee shop where you talk to patrons about their problems and make them drinks, a delightfully pleasant premise for a game.Toge ProductionsRounding out the new additions to the catalog are a grab bag of sequels, racing games, multiplayer puzzle games, and more than one title where you play as a rabbit: Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly, Rabbids: Party of Legends, WRC Generations, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow, Jurassic World Evolution 2, PHOGS and Biped.If you're a PlayStation Plus Premium subscriber, and like me, you're looking to blow the dust off your PSVR 2, Sony is also throwing in Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge. It's a virtual reality experience that gives you a sampling platter of Star Wars things to do in immersive" first-person, like training to be a Jedi, blasting enemies, and palling around with droids. It's much more cost effective to live" Star Wars than going to Disneyland.Premium members will also get to stream a few new games in the Classics Catalog, with the shared theme of PlayStation mascot duos: Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves, Sly Cooper 3: Honor Among Thieves, and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. I'm more of a Ratchet & Clank fan myself, but this is a great opportunity to play the very first Jak and Daxter game.PS Plus Premium and Extra subscribers will be able to play these games starting December 17. If you're a Premium subscriber with a PlayStation Portal, you'll be able to stream some of them directly to your handheld as part of Sony's cloud streaming beta test, too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/playstation-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-december-include-forspoken-sonic-frontiers-and-vr-star-wars-232621272.html?src=rss

MasterClass is expanding beyond pre-recorded video lessons to offer on-demand mentorship from some of its most popular celebrity instructors. And if you're wondering how the company has gotten some of the busiest people on the planet to field your questions, guess what? The answer is generative AI.On Wednesday, MasterClass debuted On Call, a new web and iOS app that allows people to talk with AI versions of its instructors. As of today, On Call is limited to two personas representing the expertise of former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss and University of Berkeley neuroscientist Dr. Matt Walker. In the future, MasterClass says it will offer many more personas, with Gordon Ramsay, Mark Cuban, Bill Nye and LeVar Burton among some of the more notable experts sharing their voices and knowledge in this way.This isn't just another generic AI chatbot pulling data from the internet," David Rogier, the CEO of MasterClass, said on X. We've built this with our experts - training the AI on proprietary data sets (e.g. unpublished notes, private research, their lessons, emails, [and] expertise they've never shared before)."Per Inc., MasterClasssigned deals with each On Call instructor to license their voice and expertise. Judging from the sample voice clips MasterClass has up on its website, the interactions aren't as polished as the one shown in the ad the company shared on social media. In particular, the voice" of Chris Voss sounds robotic and not natural at all. On Call is also a standalone product with a separate subscription from the company's regular offering. To use On Call, users will need to pay $10 per month or $84 annually.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/masterclass-on-call-gives-you-on-demand-access-to-ai-facsimiles-of-its-experts-215022938.html?src=rss

The US Supreme Court dismissed an NVIDIA case it previously agreed to hear as improvidently granted." In other words: Oops, we never should've taken this one." The decision lets most of the lawsuit, brought by shareholders against the chip maker, proceed.An investment firm and a pension fund brought the case against NVIDIA, claiming the company misled investors about its reliance on the crypto-mining industry. The suit claims NVIDIA concealed its dependence on the market before a 2018 crash that sunk the chip maker's stock prices. (For better or worse, cryptocurrency has rebounded, and Bitcoin recently passed the $100,000 plateau for the first time.)The court's unanimous dismissal reflected its apparent aversion to hearing the case's complex technical details. The writ of certiorari is dismissed as improvidently granted" is all the decision said. That language was identical to a remarkably similar dismissal in a case SCOTUS heard last month against Meta, which also accused it of deceiving investors.The Washington Post reports that the justices offered hints at the NVIDIA dismissal when they heard arguments in mid-November. It becomes less and less clear why we took this case ... and ... why you should win it," Justice Elena Kagan reportedly said. The New York Times says court members across the ideological spectrum sounded frustrated with the arguments. This is a highly technical subject," Justice Samuel Alito said at one point. It just seems to me that you're asking us to engage in a kind of analysis that we are not very good at and weren't expecting to when we took this case," Kagan said.As AI's thorny and ultra-high-stakes legal and ethical questions loom, we can take comfort in the fact that the highest court in the world's most powerful nation sounds... utterly uninterested in diving into Big Tech's often head-spinning technical details. At least the stakes are much lower in this case, only affecting the finances of a crazy-rich corporation and a group of (likely rich) Wall Street investors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/us-supreme-court-bails-on-nvidia-case-allowing-a-shareholder-lawsuit-to-proceed-214001377.html?src=rss

Microsoft has started a beta test that will finally bring cloud streaming to Xbox consoles. Participants in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha tiers of the Xbox Insiders program can start using this feature now on their Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles.This news is an extension of the "stream your own game" feature that Microsoft announced in November. That initial launch allowed Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to stream select games they've digitally purchased to their televisions, Meta Quest VR headsets and to some supported browser setups. The company said at the time that it planned to also bring streaming to Xbox consoles and to the Windows Xbox app in 2025.While this update is a welcome addition to the "stream your own game" hardware, there are still some caveats on the feature. First, it's limited to Game Pass Ultimate members. Second, the game needs to support cloud streaming. There's a short list of titles included in the program for now, but several of them are excellent ones that are well worth a look: Baldur's Gate 3, Balatro, Cyberpunk 2077, Animal Well, Stray and the first six Final Fantasy games, to name a few highlights. Once this goes live to the whole Xbox audience, it should be a useful way to streamline game downloads and to access your whole library without needing to shell out for external storage.In related Microsoft news, the Windows Xbox app is getting a couple updates. The new Home screen for the app will highlight curated game collections and suggested titles, as well as recent game news, releases and sales.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-previews-cloud-streaming-of-games-you-own-on-consoles-211008822.html?src=rss

The advent of Bluetooth trackers has made it a lot easier to find your bag or keys when they're lost, but it has also put inconspicuous tracking tools in the hands of people who might misuse them. Apple and Google have both implemented tracker alerts to let you know if there's an unknown Bluetooth tracker nearby, and now as part of a new update, Google is letting Android users actually locate those trackers, too.The feature is one of two new tools Google is adding to Find My Device-compatible trackers. The first, Temporarily Pause Location" is what you're supposed to enable when you first receive an unknown tracker notification. It blocks your phone from updating its location with trackers for 24 hours. The second, Find Nearby," helps you pinpoint where the tracker is if you can't see it or easily hear it.By clicking on an unknown tracker notification you'll be able to see a map of where the tracker was last spotted moving with you. From there, you can play a sound to see if you can locate it (Google says the owner won't be notified). If you can't find it, Find Nearby will connect your phone to the tracker over Bluetooth and display a shape that fills in the closer you get to it.Google / EngadgetThe tool is identical to what Google offers for locating trackers and devices you actually own, but importantly, you don't need to use Find My Device or have your own tracker to benefit. Like Google's original notifications feature, any device running Android 6.0 and up can deal with unknown Bluetooth trackers safely.Expanding Find Nearby seems like the final step Google needed to take to tamp down Bluetooth tracker misuse, something Apple already does with its Precision Finding tool for AirTags. The companies released a shared standard for spotting unknown Bluetooth trackers regardless of whether you use Android or iOS in May 2024, following the launch of Google's Find My Device network in April. Both Google and Apple offered their own methods of dealing with unknown trackers before then to prevent trackers from being used for everything from robbery to stalking.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/android-will-let-you-find-unknown-bluetooth-trackers-instead-of-just-warning-you-about-them-204707655.html?src=rss

Apple's Voice Memos app just got the promised layering functionality that was shown off back in September at the iPhone event. This allows people to layer another track on top of a pre-existing track, which turns the app into an extremely-limited, though still useful, recording tool. This update is part of iOS 18.2, which also brings more AI tomfoolery like a custom emoji maker.There's one major caveat here. The Voice Memos software tweak is only available for the iPhone 16 Pro and the Pro Max. This is a bummer, given that track layering isn't exactly rocket science, but the company says there's a good reason to exclude other models.The software lets people add that second layer without wearing headphones, which is possible thanks to some algorithmic wizardry, the A18 Pro chip and those new studio-quality" microphones that come with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. That's a pretty neat trick but, you know, not exactly necessary. I don't mind wearing headphones for a minute.The update can also split the voice memo into its two composite tracks, for use later with legitimate recording software. That's another neat little trick and sort of similar to what The Beatles did for their latest (and final) song. Singer Michael Buble and country star Carly Pearce used the Voice Memos app to make a little Christmas song, as seen below.As with all things recorded with Voice Memos, the files will be synced across devices thanks to Apple iCloud. These multi-layered tracks will also be available on Mac computers to drag-and-drop into a session with Logic Pro.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/apple-finally-launches-its-multi-track-recording-tool-for-voice-memos-194623218.html?src=rss

The Academy Awards ceremony is streaming live for the very first time in its 97-year history. The Oscars will stream on Hulu at the same time as it airs on traditional network TV via ABC. The ceremony starts on March 2 at 7PM ET, though there's a live red carpet show that kicks off a half hour before that.It's very strange that it took this long but, whatever, I'll take it. I don't even have regular TV, so Hulu will be the only way I'll be able to watch the telecast live, aside from picking up a shady stream somewhere. It's likely the same for many of you reading this.To that end, the Hulu stream could lead to a serious uptick in ratings, with some industry experts saying that the telecast will hit 30 million live viewers. The Oscars haven't gotten that many eyeballs since 2017 when Moonlight famously snatched victory from the jaws of La La Land defeat. The 2024 ceremony drew 21.5 million viewers, but this was a huge uptick from the COVID years.This year's broadcast is being hosted by the king of hot wings himself, Conan O'Brien. The awards nominees won't be announced until January 17 and there are plenty of flicks that could end up in the top spot. These include Wicked, The Brutalist, Anora and I Saw the TV Glow, among many others.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-oscars-will-stream-live-for-the-very-first-time-on-hulu-191638415.html?src=rss

Earlier today, Google debuted Gemini 2.0. The company says its new machine learning model won't just enhance its existing products and services. It will also power entirely new experiences. To that point, Google previewed Project Mariner, an AI agent that can navigate within a web browser. Mariner is an experimental Chrome extension that is currently available to select trusted testers."As you can see from the video Google shared, the pitch for Mariner is a tool that can automate certain rote tasks. In the demo, Mariner assists Google's Jaclyn Konzelmann with finding the contact information of four outdoor companies.Clearly, there's more work Google needs to do before the software is ready for public use. Notice that Konzelmann is very specific when prompting Mariner, instructing the agent to memorize" and remember" parts of her instructions. It also takes Mariner close to 12 minutes to complete the task given to it.As a research prototype, it's able to understand and reason across information in your browser screen, including pixels and web elements like text, code, images and forms," Google says of Mariner.If Project Mariner sounds familiar, it's because The Information reported in October that Google was working on something called Project Jarvis. The publication described it as a computer-using agent" that Google designed to assist with tasks like booking flights. In November, an early version of Jarvis was briefly available on the Chrome Web Store. A Google spokesperson told Engadget Jarvis and Mariner are the same project.The confirmation of Mariner's existence comes after Anthropic introduced a similar but more expansive feature for its Claude AI, which the company says can use a wide range of standard tools and software programs designed for people." That tool is currently available in public beta.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/jarvis-googles-web-browsing-ai-is-now-officially-known-as-project-mariner-191603929.html?src=rss

Sony's PlayStation 2024 Wrap-Up has a slight problem: It isn't working. The site for accessing your year-end PlayStation stats and achievements has been down for maintenance since it launched nearly 24 hours ago. Push Square reports that, although some folks could briefly access their summaries, it quickly began showing errors to many before eventually collapsing. It now displays the We'll be back soon" message in the above image. Oops!The year-end replay is similar to Spotify Wrapped and other year-end summaries. Assuming Sony eventually gets it back up and running, it will show stats like your most played games, achievements, monthly gaming breakdowns, personal gaming style and more.For the first time this year, Sony added historical data like the number of games played since creating your account and reflections on trophies you've earned. The 2024 edition includes a nod to PlayStation's 30th anniversary, with a retro PlayStation aesthetic and graphics that pay tribute to the brand's history.The year-end rewind will be continually updated until the end of the year, so (once the kinks are ironed out), you'll still have a chance to change it with some furious December marathon sessions.When Wrap Up returns, you can find it here. However, there are several requirements to be eligible. You'll need to be 18 or older with an active PlayStation Network account in your region and have played at least 10 hours on a PS4 or PS5 in the 2024 calendar year. Another point to consider is that you'll have to opt in to share Full Data" (or Additional Data" in some regions, including the EU) from your PS5 console. So, if you're (wisely) cautious about big corporations hoovering up your data, consider whether a few moments of profiled nostalgia justify that cost.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/playstations-2024-wrap-up-has-been-mostly-out-of-commission-for-24-hours-190522062.html?src=rss

The latest Day of the Devs showcase has come and gone, but the stream placed a spotlight on a whole bunch of promising indie games. The event is curated by Double Fine and iam8bit and this digital showcase highlighted dozens of in-progress titles to keep an eye on. The virtual show included some world premieres and release date announcements, along with a bunch of new trailers about games we already knew about.We winnowed down the list to our 14 favorites, so it's a baker's dozen plus one. These are all vastly different titles, with their own publishers, genres, budgets and visual styles. They have just one thing in common. These are indie games, in the truest sense of the word.New gamesNeon Abyss 2The hit run-and-gun roguelite is getting a sequel, and it looks like an improvement over the original in every major way. There's an updated weapons system and plenty of new melee and long-distance weapons to choose from, including a gun that quite literally shoots out a giant dragon. Item synergies are back, and are even crazier this time around. The sequel also includes many of the random elements from the original, like slot machines and claw games.There are brand-new minigames, such as a nifty-looking match-three puzzler. The graphics look similar to the original, but that's not a bad thing. I put like 80 hours into the first one on my Steam Deck, so this is definitely going on my wishlist. Neon Abyss 2 is due to hit early access in 2025.RecurThis goofy-looking puzzle platformer tasks players with controlling a postal worker that can manipulate time. Is a pack of angry dogs (they hate postal workers) harassing you on the beat? Rewind time and put them behind a locked gate. There look to be all kinds of unique puzzles that take advantage of the overlaying game mechanic. The graphics look gorgeous, with a cartoony art design, and the world looks both silly and dangerous. It's being published by Astra Logical, who released the well-received Rebots and Star Stuff. We don't have a release window for this one, but it's definitely worth keeping an eye on.PBJ - The MusicalAs the name suggests, this is a musical game that stars peanut butter and jelly. The handcrafted art style is breathtaking, calling to mind stuff like the recent Yoshi games. The title chronicles the invention of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so it follows a peanut and a strawberry on their journey to get grinded up, salted, sugared and spread between two slices of bread. We don't know exactly how this game will play, though I spied some quick-time events in the trailer, but the music sounds great and the child-like mangling of Shakespearean dialogue is super-cute.Read the full story here.TankheadThis is a third-person action game in which players control flying drones that can connect to robots and vehicles, allowing for unique vehicular combat scenarios. The title Tankhead is quite literal, as the drone typically sits atop the head of a tank. The trailer shows other bizarre combinations, like some kind of nightmare hybrid between a building and a horse. Customization seems to be the name of the game here, with a myriad of chassis and weapon combos available. Want some good news? Tankhead is available right now on the Epic Games Store.Blippo+Here's something really interesting from Panic, the publisher behind Untitled Goose Game and the creator of the adorable portable console Playdate. Blippo+ looks less like a game and more like those interdimensional cable episodes of Rick and Morty. The FMV title is a portal to an entire cable platform of made-up TV shows, complete with a directory of what's airing and more oddities than you can shake a stick at. It's being developed by YACHT and Telefantasy Studios, and seems to have a similar vibe to the latter company's archive, drag performer included. We aren't sure what the actual game will be, or if there even is one beneath the layer of public access grime, but the trailer sure has us intrigued. It'll be available for PC via Steam in the near future.Release date announcementHyper Light BreakerCan you believe it? The successor to the surprise hit Hyper Light Drifter is nearly here, as the game releases as an early access title on Steam on January 14. Notice I said successor" and not sequel." Hyper Light Breaker drops the retro 2D Zelda aesthetic in favor of an all-new 3D engine, while the story itself is positioned more as a prequel. It's also no longer a single-player affair, as this game places an emphasis on co-op play. One thing that hasn't changed? The action is still relentless and there will still be waves of enemies to slash through. This follow-up has faced some delays, so it's good to see we are only a month out from giving it a go.Read the full story on Hyper Light Breaker here.Other stuff that looks dopeKingmakersHave you ever wanted to change the course of history by going back in time with a few machine guns and laying waste to hordes of medieval-era bozos? That's the basic premise of Kingmakers. The game asks players to grab a gun and lead an army of thousands into massive, real-time simulated battles." It's a blend of action and strategy, like many medieval real-time strategy games, but with an exceptionally strong hook. Also, everything is destructible and can be blown up, which is always a nice touch. The game can be played solo or in a co-op mode with up to four players. It comes out sometime next year as an early access title.Bionic BayThis nifty-looking title takes its inspiration from games like Gravity Rush and Limbo. It's a side-scrolling platformer with a gorgeous aesthetic, just like the aforementioned Limbo, but the protagonist has the ability to control time and gravity. He can also teleport objects. This leads to all manner of precision-based platforming and plenty of unique puzzles, all set across an ancient biomechanical world. Publisher Kepler Interactive, who released the incredible Pacific Drive, are calling it a platformer like no other." It comes out on March 13 for PS5 and PC via Steam. It's available for wishlisting right now.FarawayLooking for something simple, yet hopelessly addictive? Faraway is a one-button affair that tasks folks with exploring the furthest reaches of space. This is done by drawing constellations and connecting stars together. It's a puzzle game, complete with various modes, a high-score counter and multipliers. The maps are procedurally generated and the graphics look appropriately minimal. This one has the Annapurna pedigree, so it's definitely worth keeping an eye on. We could all use a new iconic puzzle game. Faraway will be released for PC sometime in 2025.Read the full story on Faraway here.Sleight of HandThis is a third-person hybrid game that combines stealth action with deckbuilding, all set in a magical noir-tinged city. It's extremely easy on the eyes, with a darkened color palette and a cast of oddballs. Players control an occult detective pulled out of retirement to do one last job. You know the drill. It's noir. As for gameplay, the developer's say it's like Metal Gear Solid, only with the guns and tools replaced by cards. These cards dictate what moves and powers are available. The protagonist can disappear in a puff of smoke or set a bunch of nameless thugs on fire, so long as the deck is right. It looks fun! Sleight of Hand is available to wishlist right now and will be released for Xbox consoles and PC via Steam. It'll also be available on Game Pass when it launches.Read the full story on Sleight of Hand here.Blue PrinceThis game is described as a roguelike Gone Home mixed with a board game." From the trailer, that doesn't sound so far off. The game tasks players with exploring a large estate that changes every day, due to an ever-shifting blueprint (thus the title.) There are plenty of family mysteries to unravel and a strategy component that allows for purposeful rejiggering of the aforementioned blueprint. The vibe is appropriately eerie and, well, who doesn't like exploring a creepy old mansion? Blue Prince is a PC title that launches in the early part of next year.Read the full story on Blue Prince here.FeltopiaThis hand-felted stop motion" game looks absolutely stunning and it was developed by a pair of twin siblings. The felt. The fabric. It all looks so real. Feltopia is, basically, a shmup, but with some unique mechanics that set it apart from rival shooters. First of all, there will be no killing of enemies. Instead, players shoot positive vibes that transform monsters into friends. The developers are calling it a cute-em-up" instead of a shoot-em-up. Also, every single sprite in the game has been needle-felted by hand. That's some dedication. You can wishlist this one on Steam right now, but it doesn't actually come out until 2026. All of that fabric work takes time.Read the full story on Feltopia here.Incolatus: Don't Stop, Girlypop!Here's something I've never seen before. Incolatus: Don't Stop, Girlypop! is a first-person shooter inspired by early 2000s girly pop. The soundtrack is pumping, everything is pink and players communicate via a Nokia-style flip phone. There's another twist, beyond those retro-soaked vibes. The game encourages people to never stand still, like the early 2000s action flick Crank. Constant movement will reward players with bonus damage and healing. Finally, there's a dress up minigame that's inspired by CD ROM titles from the 1990s and early 2000s. Inject this game into my Y2K-loving veins please. It's available to wishlist on Steam right now and will be released soon."Read the full story on Incolatus here.LOK DigitalAs the name suggests, this is a digital version of a pre-existing puzzle book. It may look like a traditional word search puzzle, but players are dropped in without any guidance. We'll have to figure out the rules on our own, which can be deduced by working through the 90 puzzles. There's a legitimate story and an entire made-up language. That's right. The words that comprise each puzzle grid will not be in English, or in any recognizable language. Every time a player unlocks (or unloks) a new word, it provides a unique power up. The whole point is to use these power ups to black out the entire grid. It looks pretty fun and, guess what, it's available right now on PC. The devs say it'll be released for mobile devices next year. This does seem like the perfect tablet game.If those 14 games aren't enough, check out the whole Day of the Devs stream here!This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/here-are-the-14-most-interesting-titles-from-the-day-of-the-devs-game-awards-stream-183001600.html?src=rss

There's been a bit of a resurgence of stop-motion games in recent years. For one thing, The Spirit of the Samurai is set to arrive on Thursday and it looks pretty compelling (you can play as a cat in some sections!). During the Day of the Devs showcase, we got a look at another intriguing stop-motion game that's a bit further out. This one's animated entirely with felt.Feltopia is the first project from creative director Andrea Love and her team at Wooly Games. Love has long used needle-felted wool to create stop-motion animations for commercials, short films and social media, but hadn't seen the medium being used in a game before. "We realized there was a gap in the market for this type of aesthetic, and decided to fill it," Love said.Love describes Feltopia, a cozy spin on the side-scrolling shoot 'em up genre, as a "cute 'em up." You play as a sheep herder named Skyrider who uses magical powers to purge the world of an encroaching smog and save their Rainbow Flock. You're not killing enemies here. Instead, you're restoring infected creatures and bosses to their true forms.Wooly Games"Wool lends itself really well to the natural world, so I knew I wanted to create a game with sweeping landscapes and lots of elemental effects," Love said. "The classic side scroller mechanics mixed with our hand-felted, stop-motion techniques gives Feltopia both a novel and nostalgic feeling, which is a balance I like to hit with my animation work. Our goal is to take a typically violent genre and invert it so it is about transformation and healing rather than destruction and death."Feltopia looks charming as heck. It's immediately apparent that Love and her team have infused a ton of personality into their first game, and this could be one worth keeping your eye on.Wooly Games, which started work on Feltopia last year, is aiming to release the game in mid-2026. It'll hit Steam first and arrive on other platforms later.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/feltopia-is-a-side-scrolling-shoot-em-up-animated-in-felt-182353538.html?src=rss

What would it look like if you took the fast-paced arena shooter stylings of Doom Eternal and flipped the gory, grimdark aesthetics upside down? You might end up with something like Incolatus: Don't Stop, Girlypop!.It's a "Y2K girly-pop arena-style movement shooter where standing still is not an option," as game director Jane Fiona of Funny Fintan Softworks put it during the Day of the Devs showcase on Wednesday. "The faster you go, the more damage you deal and the more you heal."In Incolatus, a mining corp is trying to drain the world of love, its most precious resource. Trees are dying and fairies have been ejected into the world at large, and it's up to you to save their homes - so you might argue that it's even darker than Doom Eternal. Thanks, capitalism.Funny Fintan SoftworksAfter you (a revolutionary eco warrior) eliminate an enemy robot, you can grab the remaining love that it was running on to power up your weapons and deliver more damage. The love that you collect also plays a factor in the dress-up metagame. You can change the look of your character's arms to personalize things a bit. If you donate love to fairies you encounter, you'll get more customization options for your arms and guns.Five cool points to anyone who correctly guessed that movement is a critical aspect of Incolatus. The quicker you move, the more your guns expand with additional barrels and scopes.Funny Fintan has incorporated its own take on bunny hopping (a classic arena shooter movement technique that a player can use to boost their speed). It's called wavehopping, and you'll need to slam to the ground, double jump and dash - oddly enough, mimicking the form of a wave - to take advantage of it.Incolatus, which is coming to Steam "soon,"immediately stands out thanks to its hyperpop vibe with bright pinks and greens, as well as the era-appropriate soundtrack. As it happens, the "don't stop moving" mantra has lodged that one S Club song firmly in my brain.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/incolatus-dont-stop-girlypop-may-be-the-y2k-fever-dream-arena-shooter-you-never-knew-you-needed-182348483.html?src=rss

The much-anticipated follow-up to Hyper Light Drifter has a new early access date. At Day of the Devs, Heart Machine announced that Hyper Light Breaker will enter Steam early access on January 14.The project is a co-op action game where you can play alone or with up to two allies to face down enemies and bosses in the colorful biomes of the Overgrowth. In classic roguelike fashion, players can try different builds, weapons and abilities on each run, and it should be interesting to see how those skills combine when multiple people are in battle. There is also, and this is very important, a hoverboard.Hyper Light Breaker was first announced back in 2022 as a spiritual successor to the team's original indie hit. Since then, there have been a couple of delays slowing the game's arrival in early access, but today's announcement seems like the real deal. The studio hasn't shared any additional details yet about a full release date or additional platform support, but we're excited to see this latest installment of the neon universe Heart Machine has created.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/hyper-light-breaker-will-begin-steam-early-access-on-january-14-180858877.html?src=rss

"If Shakespeare lived today, what would he write about?" Philipp Stollenmayer asked the audience during this week's Day of the Devs 2024: Game Awards stream. According to Stollenmayer, Shakespeare would write about the invention of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the perspective of a rebellious strawberry and a disillusioned peanut. Also, it would be a musical. Oh, and it would take the form of an interactive scrapbook with kids as the main voice actors. Obviously.PBJ - The Musicalis the latest mobile game from Stollenmayer's studio, Kamibox, and it offers an utterly unique approach to interactive play. PBJ is a side-scrolling narrative adventure built out of real-life paper collages, with images cut from vintage cookbooks and stitched together via stop-motion. The vibe is modern Monty Python mixed with Julia Child, plus a dash of theater nerdery for balance.In PBJ, players can push, pull and drag everything to transform the story, which involves adorable, food-based interpretations of Shakespeare quotes and lots of singing. On the musical side of things, Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist Lorraine Bowen writes and performs all the songs in PBJ, and everything seems to have her signature upbeat, oddball feel. There are also unlockable remixes in each of the 10 stages.Mixing mediums is kind of Stollenmayer's thing: He's a papercraft artist who turned to game design, and many of his projects blend the two disciplines in some way. Under Kamibox, he's made the mobile games Sometimes You Die, Bacon - The Game, Song of Bloom and two dozen other titles, and he's picked up an Apple Design Award, nominations at the Independent Games Festival and other accolades since founding the studio in 2012.PBJ is due out in early 2025, and it's heading to iPhone and iPad.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pbj--the-musical-is-a-coming-of-age-game-with-shakespearean-sandwiches-175413688.html?src=rss