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The Federal Trade Commission has published a report that aims to warn people about Bitcoin ATM (or BTM) scams, which have apparently increased tenfold from 2020 to 2023. Americans had lost $65 million to fraud losses involving BTMs within the first six months of this year alone, and the actual amount may be a lot more than that, since most scams go unreported. Further, losses due to BTM scams have been exceptionally high, with people reporting a median loss of $10,000 over the past six months.In most of the BTM scams reported, the bad actors impersonated government and business entities, as well as tech support representatives. Almost half of the instances reported started with a phone call, though some victims were fooled by fake security warnings from online ads, pop-ups and emails from scammers pretending to be from Microsoft or Apple.Some scammers pretend to be government agents or employees from utility providers, for instance, and tell people that they have to settle their bills by paying through a nearby BTM. Others pretend to be feds or bank agents and scare would-be victims into believing that their accounts are being targeted by hackers, so they have to transfer their money to a "secure account." Those are just some examples of how the bad actors can fool their victims.According to the commission's warning, scammers tend to send their targets to specific BTM locations, showing that they prefer some operators over others. Those preferences have changed over time, though, likely due to the fraud prevention measures crypto companies introduce to their systems. Whatever operator the scammer chooses, they send QR codes to their victims, since BTMs typically require depositors to scan one linked to the recipient's account. Those QR codes, of course, send money straight to the scammers' wallets.As you can guess, most of the BTM scam victims are older people. The FTC says $46 million of the total losses involving BTMs in the first half of 2024 - that's 71 percent of the overall amount - came from people over 60. If you take BTMs out of the equation, most of the losses from cryptocurrency fraud were reported by people between 18 and 59 years old who fell victim to fake investment opportunities.If you have an older person in your life, it's best to warn them about potential BTM scams before they get targeted, because recovering the money they lose from these schemes would most likely be impossible. In addition, it may be time for all BTM operators, as well as the supermarkets, convenience stores and other locations where the machines are installed, to post warnings next to BTMs about these scams.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/bitcoin-atm-scams-have-cost-americans-over-10-million-per-month-this-year-140031675.html?src=rss

Microsoft has been working on improving small-screen and touchscreen input, focusing on making it more accessible to Windows handheld console users (think the ASUS ROG Ally). Typing with a controller isn't convenient, but Microsoft's latest small update introduced a new onscreen keyboard layout that's a lot easier to use with an Xbox controller, or the controls on a portable gaming PC.WindowsThe new layout isn't confined to moving cursors and selecting specific keys anymore. For example, the X button can be used to backspace, while the Y button is a space bar. The left trigger opens the symbols and numbers page as well. It's almost like a mobile keyboard but optimized for Xbox controller usage. Most importantly, all keys are vertically aligned, making navigating the keyboard easier.The target users for this change include Windows-powered handheld users and PC gamers who prefer to stick to an Xbox controller while playing games. This latest update follows another change Microsoft made a few weeks ago that makes the Windows Game Bar easier to use on handhelds.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/microsoft-is-testing-a-new-on-screen-keyboard-layout-that-works-better-with-game-controllers-135058122.html?src=rss

According to Microsoft, it's time for the "next phase of Copilot innovation." On September 16, the company is live streaming an event called Microsoft 365 Copilot: Wave 2. Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella and corporate vice president of AI at work, Jared Spataro, will host the event on LinkedIn (It is "your AI assistant for work," so it's a fitting platform). The stream starts at 8 AM PT/11 AM ET and is available here.Spataro first announced Microsoft 365 Copilot in early 2023 to create responses, draft presentations, and break down data - to name a few of its uses. In the year and a half since, CoPilot has folded in Microsoft's chatbot Bing and expanded to serve entire teams, generate images, and reference multiple documents when it writes. It currently costs $360 annually per user.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-is-sharing-copilots-next-phase-in-a-september-16-livestream-134451868.html?src=rss

My nighttime, dim lamp is just out of reach from my bed, forcing me to get up every night just as I've gotten cozy and turn it off. I finally need to pull the trigger and get smart plugs. Thankfully, our favorite smart plug, the Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25, is currently on sale with a four-pack costing $35, down from $50 - a solid $15 savings. The deal comes courtesy of a 22 percent discount and a $4 coupon you can tack on (just remember to click it). It's only $2 more than the four-pack's all-time low price on Prime Day. The Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25 is our top choice thanks to its reliability and fuss-free setup. The plug connects to Wi-Fi and works with iOS and Android devices, letting you access assistant support from Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa and Samsung SmartThings. The assistants can do tasks like turning your plug on and off. The EP25 also lets you track your device's power consumption and see your real-time energy usage. The setup is straightforward for the Kasa Smart Plug Mini EP25. You can choose a name for each plug and designate which room it lives in (so you don't accidentally turn the kitchen lights off on someone). Then, program it to switch on at certain times and enjoy getting to stay in bed while turning the light off down the hall. 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/our-favorite-smart-plug-drops-to-only-35-for-a-four-pack-131535200.html?src=rss

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom feels like a kindred spirit to the 2019 remake of Link's Awakening, both in challenge and in vibes. It's a far cry from the incredibly intricate and complex worlds in Tears of the Kingdom, and while I only played for about 90 minutes (spread over two different parts of the game),I came away from the demo charmed by the gorgeous, tilt-shift art style. Not to mention being quite pleased to finally be playing as Zelda for the first time in the series that bears her damn name. And while plenty of adults will surely enjoy The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, it also feels tailor-made as an entry point for younger players.We already knew about the art style and playing as Zelda - what was most important about this preview was that I got a chance to see just how Zelda's echoes" worked in the game itself. As you'd expect, there's a gentle tutorial that shows you the ropes. My playthrough started not long into the game, with Zelda imprisoned; my first challenge was finding a way to sneak her out of the dungeon. Fortunately, Zelda is equipped with the Tri Rod, a tool that lets her clone objects and beasts alike. Shimmering objects on the screen can be saved as echoes, the first of which was a humble crate. Once you learn an echo, you can summon it with a tap of a button - but echoes use up power so you can only have a few on the screen at once. Along with the Tri Rod is a little spectral creature Tri who helps you along and indicates how much power you have to make echoes at any given time.NintendoI was surprised at how many random things I could turn into echoes and how useful they ended up being. After learning the crate, I also learned how to create an old bed" - something that doesn't provide as much height as the crate, but is long enough to span small chasms. Making three of them on top of each other made for a solid little bridge.But you can't fight off enemies with a crate - that's where learning echoes of monsters comes in. The first bad guy I encountered was defeated by clobbering it with a boulder. But after that, I was able to summon the same gelatinous little bad guy with the Tri Rod and sic him on other enemies. Beating more monsters greatly expands your attacking capabilities. I soon took down a Keese, which I could then use to attack other aerial baddies. I further expanded my arsenal by taking down a spear-throwing Moblin and a powerful knight who has a wicked swing attack.I'm very much looking forward to seeing what other echoes you can learn throughout the adventure and how you can combine them to bizarre and hilarious effect. For example, I was able to learn an echo for a trampoline, and then drop a Moblin on it and have him bounce up to a higher level in a dungeon to go after enemies up there. I'm sure that there are going to be a ton of wacky and creative ways that people combine echoes, especially as Zelda's capabilities grow and you're able to have more on the screen at one time. It's not nearly as complex as the Ultrahand ability from Tears of the Kingdom, but it does allow players to figure out puzzle solutions in a variety of ways - there won't always be a right" way but there may be lots of ways to get the job done.NintendoZelda also has a bind" ability, which lets her attach herself to objects that then follow her movements. The example of this shown off in a recent trailer is a great intro to the new power: after grabbing a giant boulder, you can just walk down" the screen; the boulder follows and is then perched over a chasm that you can drop it into, clearing the path forward. You can also bind yourself to moving objects, like floating platforms, and grab a ride along with them.Sometimes, though, just relying on echoes to do your dirty work for you won't be enough. Fortunately, Zelda picks up a crucial new ability in the first dungeon I played: the ability to switch into swordfighter" mode. To do this, I had to beat up a possessed version of Link, who you might remember as the hero in literally every other Zelda game. Once you defeat this pseudo-link, Zelda is outfitted with a cute shield and sword and can attack enemies head-on. The only catch is that she can only stay in this mode for a limited time. If you run out of power, you'll need to grab crystals from downed enemies to refresh yourself and switch modes again.This adds a fun way to get some of the classic Zelda experience in this game, but with a time constraint to make sure players don't abuse it. Further complicating things is that you can't use echoes when you're wielding a sword, so you'll need to pick your sports. The boss at the end of the Suthorn Ruins dungeon I played through was a great example of how you can use your powers in concert - using echoes and the bind ability, I was able to make the cartoonishly menacing Seismic Talus vulnerable, and then I switched to sword mode and walloped it until I took it down.NintendoWhile most of my demo took place in the aforementioned dungeon, I was able to explore a relatively small slice of Hyrule. Rest assured, this map is quite different from other versions of Hyrule you've explored, though there are some classic traits from other games (mountains to the north, a castle smack in the center, a beach to the south). What I saw was colorful and vibrant, and tailor-made to using your echoes to get around more efficiently.As for difficulty, this feels like one of the most approachable Zelda games I've played in a while - but it'll present some challenges of its own. The first dungeon was short and sweet, but I did die a few times while I tried to figure out which echoes I needed to combat some powerful enemies. Similarly, the environmental puzzles aren't too tough, but they differ significantly from other games because you need to use echoes to solve them. For me, it wasn't always obvious what solution the game was pushing me towards. But I think that was primarily because I often forgot about some of the echoes I had at my disposal. Once I remembered the right tools, the solution was pretty evident.NintendoProbably the biggest challenge that I can see is going to be managing all of those echoes. At the end of the demo, I had picked up more than a dozen, and the linear menu system that I used to switch between them could get extremely unwieldy once that list grows. If you've played Tears of the Kingdom, it's similar to the menu you use to choose an item to attach to an arrow before you fire it, another pretty unwieldy system. I believe you can access different echoes through the pause menu, sort of like selecting weapons or items in the Zelda games of old, but I didn't spend too much time messing around with such things.From what I've seen so far, Echoes of Wisdom is simultaneously a throwback and a new adventure. The top-down presentation and overall vibe remind me of plenty of old Zelda games besides the obvious Link's Awakening comparison. But the gameplay is completely different in a way that should provide experienced players with a totally different challenge, and the lower difficulty level will make it, along with Link's Awakening, a great first Zelda game for younger adventurers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-legend-of-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-plays-like-a-traditional-zelda-game-remixed-130053301.html?src=rss

Acer is expanding its line of Swift laptops with four new models, and they each have AI capabilities built in. They share functions such as Microsoft Copilot+, Acer User Sensing technology, Windows Studio Effects, PurifiedVoice 2.0 and PurifiedView. Other features include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity.We'll take a look at the Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T) first, a 14-inch 3K or 2K OLED laptop powered by either Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 5 processors and Intel Arc Graphics. There's also a model with a 2K IPS touchscreen. Its NPU's AI performance is rated at 48 trillion of operations per second (TOPS). You get up to 29 hours of video playback and 23 hours of web browsing thanks to the 65Wh battery, perfect for those working on the go.The Swift 16 AI is the beefier brother of the Swift 14 AI with a 16-inch 3K OLED screen or a 3K touch screen with edge-to-edge glass. The processor is either an Intel Core Ultra 9 or Ultra 7 CPU, and graphics are also handled by the Arc GPU. The NPU's AI performance is the same as the Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T), but it has a 75Wh battery.Those who like AMD CPUs will love the Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T), which has the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 GPU (designed to reach 50 TOPS) and AMD Radeon 880M GPU. The 14-inch display is either an OLED 2880x1800 (WQXGA) screen, IPS WQXGA screen or WQXGA touch screen. The first one has DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification, helping reach 500 nits, but the others have a maximum brightness of 400 nits. The laptop has a battery life of 75Wh and is rated for 27 hours of video playback and 18.5 hours of web browsing.Finally, we have the Swift Go 14 AI powered by a Snapdragon X Plus GPU with eight cores up to 3.2 GHz, while the Hexagon NPU can reach 45 TOPS. A Qualcomm Adreno GPU is responsible for the graphics. The 14.5-inch display comes in WQXGA or 1920x1200 (WUXGA) resolutions, with the former having a 350-nit brightness and the latter 300 nits, both with a 120Hz refresh rate. The 75Wh battery allows for similar battery life as the Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T), but Acer claims the Swift Go 14 AI has 28 hours of video playback and 19.5 hours of browsing time.AcerThe Swift 14 AI (SF14-51/T) will be available in the US, EMEA and Australia this September, while the Swift 16 AI comes out during October unless you're in Australia, where it comes out Q1 2025. Both the Swift Go 14 AI and Swift 14 AI (SF14-61/T) will come out in the US and EMEA during September, but Australian customers must wait for a bit, as the release date is slated to be during Q4 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/acer-expands-swift-line-with-four-new-ai-laptops-130037605.html?src=rss

Acer has just announced its latest Predator and Nitro UltraSpeed gaming monitors while also introducing two new smart monitors. We'll take a look at the latest Nitro UltraSpeed screens first.Starting off, we have the 24-inch Nitro XV240 F6 monitor rated for 1080p600Hz (FHD) and up to 0.1ms GTG response time. It has VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, AMD FreeSync Premium technology, 400-nit brightness and covers 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. If frames are what you want, then frames are what you'll get with this one. Unlike all the other IPS monitors announced here, this one has a TN panel.The Nitro XV270 F5 has a 27-inch IPS panel rated for FHD resolution and maximum refresh rate of 520Hz. Its response time is slightly slower at 0.5ms GTG. Other features include HDR10 certification, 400 nits maximum brightness, and 100,000:1 contrast ratio to separate the whites and blacks.Acer's third new Nitro monitor is the Nitro XV270U F5. It's a 27-inch monitor with a screen resolution of 2560x1440 (WQHD) and a 500Hz refresh rate. The response time and HDR rating are the same as the XV270 F5, but it differs by having a brightness of 250 nits and 99 percent sRGB color gamut support rating. Its dynamic contrast ratio is also 100,000:1.Moving on to the first of the two smart monitors, we have the Acer CS322QK 31.5-inch monitor. It's a 4K monitor with 98 percent DCI-Pe coverage, HDR10 support and 350 nit brightness. Acer says it's great for remote workers and those who stream content frequently. Interestingly, the refresh rate is only 60Hz.The Nitro GS272U M smart monitor measures 27 inches and has a WQHD screen resolution, but the refresh rate is 180Hz. It's more suitable for gaming, but the 5ms GTG response time might be slower for power users. The maximum brightness is also 250 nits.The Predator XB273U F5 has a WQHD resolution paired with a refresh rate of 360Hz. It measures 27 inches. To prevent screen tearing, it's equipped with NVIDIA's G-SYNC Pulsar. Other graphical features include HDR support, 90 percent DCI-P3 color gamut and a peak brightness of 550 nits.For those who prefer gaming in 4K resolution, the Predator XB273K V5 (also 27 inches) is available. Its 160Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium capabilities are sure to impress, but you can also run it at up to 1080p320Hz if you want more frames at the cost of screen resolution. Acer also kitted this monitor with a contrast ratio of 100,000:1, 400-nit maximum brightness, VESA DisplayHDR 400 support, and a 95 percent rating for DCI-P3 color gamut.The Predator monitors and Acer CS322QK will be available starting Q4 2024, while the Nitro UltraSpeed and Nitro GS272U M have a Q1 2025 release date. The UltraSpeed monitors also have a Q4 2024 release date, but only if you live in China.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/acer-announces-its-latest-predator-and-nitro-monitors-130035964.html?src=rss

IFA is upon us, which means that along with offering us some truly ridiculous new concepts, a whole bunch of manufacturers are giving their gaming laptops iterative upgrades and introducing some fresh variants. Acer is one of the companies doing just that (though in fairness, it has some more exciting announcements elsewhere, such as its first gaming handheld). The company is refreshing the Nitro V 16 system and introducing the Nitro V 14, though which one you opt for will be determined by more than just screen size.The Nitro V 16 configurations max out with an Intel Core i7-14650HX CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU, 32GB of memory and a 2TB SSD. The previous model bore an AMD processor. On the display side, you can have a 16-inch 180Hz 16:10 WQXGA panel with a resolution of 2,500 x 1,600, if you desire it.Acer says it has optimized performance with a dual-fan, quad-intake and quad-exhaust thermal system that draws cold air from the the top keyboard and button cover and expels heat through the rear and side vents to prevent throttling. You can activate an MUX (multiplexer) switch to manually toggle the iGPU to boost graphics performance for gaming when needed.AcerThe 14.5-inch Nitro V 14 model is a new addition to the Acer lineup. It comes with an AMD CPU instead, up to a Ryzen 7 8845HS Processor. If you're willing to go for a high-end configuration, you can trick out the laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, 32GB DDR5 memory and a 2TB SSD. You can have a WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) or WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 3ms overdrive response time and 100 percent sRGB color gamut support. There's an MUX switch here too, while the pearl white chassis is quite fetching.Both laptops come with support for NVIDIA's ray-tracing and DLSS 3.5 upscaling tech. As with all new Windows laptops, there's a dedicated button to open Microsoft's Copilot assistant (if anyone's ever pressed that on purpose on their laptop yet, please do let me know). There are some other fairly standard AI-powered features too, such as noise reduction tech that's employed when you use the triple microphone array.The Nitro V 14 will hit North America in September and it will start at $1,100. The Nitro V 16 will arrive the following month and start at $1,300.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-acer-nitro-v-16-gaming-laptop-now-comes-in-an-intel-flavor-130030058.html?src=rss

GoPro's latest action cam has officially broken cover, after a few leaks spoiled some of the surprises. With the Hero 13 Black, the company is bolstering its position as the go-to action cam with more versatility and features aimed at high-level users who've probably owned a GoPro or two for years. GPS is back, the battery is bigger and there are upgrades to slow-motion capture and more, but the big news might be outside of the camera unit itself.The biggest upgrade may be the new family of modular lenses it's calling the HB Series. In addition to ultra-wide, anamorphic (unfortunately not ready for testing) and macro, GoPro is introducing an ND (neutral density) filter four-pack, aimed at amping up motion blur.Photo by Mat Smith/EngadgetIf you're a GoPro fan, you're probably aware that the company has already dabbled in filters with the Max Lens Mods for the Hero 12, but the company has taken it a lot further here. All the new HB-Series lenses are waterproof and compatible with GoPro's HyperSmooth video processing. Crucially for non-professionals, the Hero 13 Black will automatically adjust camera settings, including resolution, frame rate and even your Protune settings to match what's attached. This means you may be locked out of certain capture modes, frame rates or resolutions if the lens isn't compatible. But that's preferable to recording something special with a lens, only to discover afterward that it looks like a mess or cropped the best parts out.Depending on how you plan to use your new GoPro, some lenses will offer more utility than others. While I've only had the camera for a few days, the Ultra Wide Lens ($100) seems like the most tempting addition. With a new 1:1 aspect ratio, it means you can decide whether your video is vertical or horizontal after capture. The lens expands the field of view to 177 degrees and can still capture 4K at 60fps. During my testing, I liked the flexibility to use footage in both orientations, and not having to fuss so much about framing.If you're looking at the Hero 13 Black as an additional camera for interesting cutaway shots and close-ups, the Macro Lens ($130) might tempt you. With a minimal focus distance of 11cm (4.3 inches), that's four times closer than the GoPro's original lens. This lens also includes its own rotating ring to hone in on the right focal length. (There's even a focus peaking option, hidden away in Protune settings).During GoPro's presentation, it was the Anamorphic Lens Mod ($130) I was most intrigued by, but I'll have to wait to test that out. Able to capture video with a 21:9 aspect ratio, it's pitched as a lens for professional-level artistic filmmaking."The footage is de-squeezed while being captured, making for easier editing. (De-squeezing is the process of correcting any oval-shaped image distortion caused by anamorphic lenses.) I like the notion of an action-cam cropping those mushy stretched edges for punchier footage. Plus, it'll capture lens flares, too.When it came to ND filters, I found them challenging to work with in the past, even when they were built into traditional cameras. This is where GoPro's auto-detection makes a lot of sense. Alongside adjustments to shutter speed to suit the filter and available light, the Hero 13 Black will even indicate arrows if it thinks a stronger (or weaker) ND filter would be better within the four-pack ($70). However, you can't combine these HD-series accessories, so you can't use an ND filter with the Macro lens, for example. There's a new AutoCinematic" shutter option to optimize motion blur while holding onto image stabilization, while a Motion Blur Protune option lets you tweak exactly how much blur you want.So what about the camera itself? The Hero 13 Black has a 10-percent bigger battery than its predecessor and can capture around one and a half hours of 4K video at 30fps. There's also improved thermal performance both when it's static or moving with airflow. GoPro says the new camera has longer runtimes in both hot and cold environments, claiming that some of the biggest improvements will come if you're used to capturing in 10-bit video, another nod to pro users.Photo by Mat Smith/EngadgetGoPro has boosted ultra-slow-motion capture to 400 frames per second at 720p resolution. However, this is burst capture, limited to 15 seconds of real-time recording. At its maximum resolution of 5.3K, the Hero 13 Black can capture 120fps for up to five seconds. The Hero 13 Black also supports Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG), an industry-standard HDR format that should yield the highest dynamic range yet on GoPro video.As I teased earlier, GPS is back, too. This means you'll be able to search for footage based on location, but the camera can capture telemetry data like speed, path and altitude, pulling that data into your video file. You can then bring this stuff to life with overlay graphics added through GoPro's Quik app.There are a lot of smaller, useful UI improvements and upgrades. I won't touch on all of them, but the most notable may be compatibility with AirPods and other wireless headphones over Bluetooth. The Hero 13 black can capture sounds in a Standard Audio Mode, what GoPro calls balanced, true-to-life sound," or there's a Voice Audio Mode to prioritize speech. With WiFi 6 compatibility, you can also transfer your videos and shots up to 40 percent faster to your smartphone. That's a true quality-of-life upgrade you'll notice immediately if you've ever had to wait around for files to transfer from action cams (or any camera) over WiFi.If you're used to extended shooting (or time-lapse capture), the Hero 13 Black's new Contacto magnetic door and power cable could be very useful, too. With a pogo-pin style latch, the cable can charge or power the camera from external USB-C battery packs or an adapter plugged into the wall. Notably, it will power the camera even if there's no battery inside.GoPro has also decided to add a third mount, a magnetic latch system that works with several new mounts (sold separately). If you're not here for the peripheral upsell, however, there are still fold-down mounting fingers for extra-secure installation and the standard 1/4-20 mounting threads for your existing tripods and mounts. I love the new magnetic mounts, but now I want one for my tripod, one with a clamp, one for everything. (In the company's defense, its newest camera is compatible with over 60 GoPro mounts and accessories. It has identical proportions to the Hero 12 Black.)Photo by Mat Smith/EngadgetIf you were hoping for a 1-inch sensor you'll have to wait a little longer. Current GoPro users may be slightly disappointed by what seems to be the same camera sensor. Many devotees online hoped for a larger sensor to boost low-light performance and picture quality. A lot of the upgrades and additions here seem aimed at high-level users, but it's those same people hoping for a substantial hardware upgrade beneath all the UI improvements and peripheral additions.The Hero 13 Black is priced at $400 for the standalone camera, while a Creator Edition ($600) bundles the camera with a Volta Power Grip, Media Mod and Light Mod. The company has teased more bundles that will combine its new camera with lenses and other accessories.All are available for preorder today at GoPro.com and will ship on September 10.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/gopro-hero-13-black-release-date-price-hands-on-impressions-130027978.html?src=rss

Since the dawn of time, gaming laptops have relied on third-party controllers or the trusty mouse/keyboard combo. Acer, however, could be looking to change this paradigm. The company just announced a truly wild gaming laptop with a built-in controller.Project DualPlay features a full-sized gamepad that inserts below the keybed, where the trackpad rests. You pop the controller out to play games and slide it back in when you want to do more conventional laptop-type stuff. It's honestly not a bad idea, as it solves the problem of having to pack a third-party controller when traveling with a gaming laptop.The detachable controller even splits into two joysticks for on-the-go multiplayer, sort of like the Joy-Cons from a Nintendo Switch. Here's hoping these particular joysticks don't suffer from drift. We also have some questions as to where the joysticks go when the laptop is closed.AcerThere are also two speakers that pop out on each side of the machine to deliver heart-pounding audio." This is another nifty feature, as gaming laptops aren't exactly known for offering the most immersive audio. Acer says the speakers pop out automatically when you remove the controller.There's not much by way of specs. This is a concept design, so the internals haven't been ironed out yet. The laptop does, however, feature customizable RGB lighting that's all over the place. There are lights on the keyboard, along the bezels, on the back and the trackpad, among other locations.While Acer hasn't announced its intention to actually manufacture this thing and sell it to consumers, it does look like a neat twist on modern gaming laptops. Acer calls it a bold step forward in gaming innovation, promising to deliver unique experiences and engagements for gamers of all levels." We'll let you know if the company ever decides to make this laptop a reality. If it truly delivers on its promise, it could become one of the best gaming laptops out there. Unfortunately, it's just as likely that Project DualPlay remains a glitzy, if memorable, concept.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/acers-project-dualplay-is-a-truly-wild-gaming-laptop-with-a-built-in-controller-130027845.html?src=rss

One of the most common criticisms against Snapchat is that it's not very intuitive and is quite hard navigate as a new user. Personally, I never quite got the hang of it and find TikTok much, much easier to use. Apparently, Snap is aware of the issue, because it's currently testing a "simplified version of Snapchat." Snap CEO Evan Spiegel has revealed the existence of an experimental Snapchat app in a lengthy blog post discussing the company's highs and lows over the past 13 years, as well as its most recent earnings and future plans.The simplified app "aims to improve accessibility and usability," he wrote, adding that it's been positively received in early tests. In addition, the app could lead to better app performance and faster load times overall. Even so, Spiegel said that the company "will be thoughtful and deliberate about making a change of this magnitude" despite the app's reception. That most likely means that Snap is still testing the app more thoroughly and that we won't be seeing it anytime soon.In addition to revealing the existence of a simpler Snapchat, Spiegel has also revealed that the company is testing new advertisement formats. One of those formats called Sponsored Snaps will show up as new Snaps in your chat inbox, alongside your friends' messages. The good news is that you won't get a notification for those Snap ads, and opening the messages is optional. As The Verge notes, though, the ads could sit above your actual friends' messages if you never open them.The company most likely cooked up the new and potentially more intrusive ad placement as a response to its lagging share performance in the ad market. Spiegel said that the company has managed to reverse two years of declining year-over-year revenue growth, but its advertising business is growing slower than its competitors'. He also said that expanding the company's digital advertising business is key to its long-term revenue potential and that Snap's investors are getting concerned that it's not growing faster.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/snap-is-testing-a-less-confusing-version-of-its-app-113007479.html?src=rss

The X TV app - teased earlier this year - is out in beta on Amazon Fire TVs, Google TVs and some LG sets. The short teaser video included in the beta app announcement shows a typical-looking streaming video interface sewn into what looks like Google's version of the X app. There are rows of links to videos for the very small number of original videos on the platform, like content from SpaceX, Tesla and... Tucker Carlson. Naturally, there might (should?) be a bigger range of video once it gets out of beta, but if you're not a Musk fan, you're probably long divorced from X anyhow.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedHow to watch the new iPhone 16 unveiling at the September Apple eventInstagram Stories are getting commentsBluesky added 2 million new users in a week following Brazil's X banYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!Android 15 is here, a month later than expectedThe source code is in the Android Open Source Project.Strangely missing from last month's Google Pixel launch event, Android 15's source code is finally out. Android 15 will be available on select Pixel models soon, with support for phones from Samsung, Motorola, Nothing, OnePlus and Oppo coming in the next few months. Some of the more interesting features include smart volume adjustment and improved split-screen app access.Continue reading.Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold reviewA grown-up, glowed-up foldable.EngadgetGoogle's second foldable has arrived. The Pixel 9 Pro fold has refined hardware, superior cameras and a long-lasting battery. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold's internal display has an almost square 1:1 aspect ratio, 8 inches wide diagonally, larger than its predecessor's 7.6-inch panel. Google just needs to iron out a few software quirks - something we're saying about most foldable.Continue reading.

If you want a new Surface Pro with 5G, you'll have to order it through Microsoft's commercial store for business customers. Today, the company announced that 5G versions of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Pro (Copilot+) for Business will be available on September 26. Last month, Microsoft also kicked off pre-orders for the Wi-Fi Surface Pro and Surface Laptop for Business, which will both start shipping on September 10th. And before you ask, yes these are pretty much the same devices Microsoft launched for consumers in June. The difference now is that IT workers will be able to buy them in bulk via the company's enterprise resellers.Still, the 5G news could be compelling for anyone who wants instant internet access while travelling around the US. And, at the very least, both the 5G-equipped Surface Pros for Business will be far more capable than the ill-fated Surface Pro 9. That machine was powered by a slow Qualcomm chip and also didn't have the advantage of Microsoft's recent Windows on Arm upgrades, which includes a faster emulator for older apps. It's just a shame that, once again, Microsoft is stuck with an older Intel chip - the Surface Pro 10 for Business still runs the first Core Ultra chips, not the newly-announced Core Ultra 200V.In other Surface news, Microsoft is also launching a new full-sized Surface Keyboard with a Copilot key on October 11. Surely this will make some corporate drone happy.The Copilot+ Surface Pro for Business system will cost $1,400 with a 10-core Snapdragon X Plus, 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, while the Surface Pro 10 for Business will run you $1,800 with a Core Ultra 135 and the same specs. It's a good thing those machines have 5G, because you won't be storing much video on those paltry SSDs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/microsoft-brings-5g-to-its-latest-surface-pros-for-business-110033856.html?src=rss

Qualcomm is moving to make AI PCs more affordable. Following the company's 12-core Snapdragon X Elite and 10-core Snapdragon X Plus, it unveiled a toned-down eight-core version of the Snapdragon X Plus on Wednesday. The chip includes the same Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU) from the higher-end variants, capable of 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS) for powerful on-device AI.The 4nm AI-focused chip has a custom Qualcomm Orion CPU built for mainstream" (i.e., cheaper) Copilot+ PCs. Its eight cores can reach speeds of up to 3.2GHz, with single-core performance at up to 3.4GHz. Qualcomm says it enables days-long battery life in laptops.The chip includes an integrated Adreno GPU, which supports up to three 4K 60Hz monitors or two 5K 60Hz displays. It supports an internal display of up to UHD 120Hz with HDR10.The chart below shows how the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core's specs compare to other AI chips in the line:QualcommCopilot+ PCs, powered exclusively today by Snapdragon X Series platforms, launched the new generation in personal computing, made possible by our groundbreaking NPU," Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon wrote in a press release. We are now bringing these transformative AI experiences, along with best-in-class performance and unprecedented battery life, to more users worldwide with Snapdragon X Plus 8-core. We're proud to be working with our global OEM partners to restore performance leadership to the Windows ecosystem."The first PCs with the 8-core Snapdragon X Plus include laptops from Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and others. They'll be available starting today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/cheaper-copilot-pcs-are-coming-with-qualcomms-8-core-snapdragon-x-plus-chip-110013598.html?src=rss

Dell revealed details for new models in its Inspiron and Latitude laptop lines at IFA 2024. The company announced in May that it would be powering several of its new devices with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus, and now we have more information about how those processors will work in Dell's collection of Copilot+ PCs.The Inspiron 14 and the Latitude 5455 can have either the 8-core or 10-core Snapdragon X Plus processors. The 10-core option has clock speeds up to 3.4GHz while the newly announced 8-core goes up to 3.24 GHz. Both versions have the same NPU for AI tasks, which offers up to 45 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) in machine learning performance in support of Microsoft's Copilot AI platform.Inspiron 14DellBoth 14-inch laptops are equipped with Qualcomm's Adreno GPUs. The machines have 16:10 FHD+ displays with a 1920x1200 resolution. Dell also highlighted "up to 27 hours" of battery life for the Latitude 5455, which will be available starting September 24, although it hasn't shared pricing information yet. The Inspiron 14 will also be available on September 24 and will retail for $899 in the US.Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon X Plus line earlier this year. It's a lower-end series than the Snapdragon X Elite, but it still promises enough power to handle the increasing number of AI tasks being asked of modern computers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dell-brings-qualcomms-snapdragon-x-plus-to-inspiron-and-latitude-laptops-110009714.html?src=rss

Lyft is rolling out a new price lock feature that caps the cost of rides, in an attempt to solve the problem of cost unpredictability for those who rely on the platform for daily commutes. The company says this tool will even work during peak hours, when rides are usually at their most expensive. There are, however, some caveats.First of all, there's a required monthly subscription price to use this service, though it's only $3 per month. There's also a curious lack of details regarding how exactly the cap works. Does it just average past rides and exclude peak pricing? Is there a limit to just how much can be capped? We reached out to Lyft and will update this post if we hear anything.LyftOne thing is certain. Lyft is planning on this feature being a hit. It has suggested that commuters will take 40 percent more rides once the price lock tool becomes commonplace. However, it's worth noting that Lyft is the one that sets the prices in the first place, so it caused the instability that this tool sets out to solve.There's also a promotion to advertise the price lock mechanism: 100 customers who are starting new jobs will receive free first day" rides. This will be handled via LinkedIn. Just 100 rides? That seems pretty stingy for a company as large as Lyft, but what do I know?This isn't the first time Lyft has tried its hand at a subscription-based service. The company's Pink subscription service has been an on-again/off-again thing for years. This is more or less a bundle of add-ons at this point. Pink stopped offering ride discounts but began offering perks like free priority pickups and three free cancellations per month. This program is still live, at $10 per month or $100 per year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyfts-new-price-lock-feature-caps-the-cost-of-rides-even-during-peak-hours-100014522.html?src=rss

One of the great universal annoyances of life is that TV explosions and soundtracks are always mega-loud, while dialogue is quieter than a church mouse. This is especially true of modern action movies and TV shows that seem to have been mixed primarily to make our walls shake while remaining mostly indiscernible.So we dive into the settings. We adjust soundbar placement. We turn on the subtitles. We do it all. Some of this helps, but never enough. DTS is trying to solve this problem once and for all with some well-placed AI. The company just announced its DTS Clear Dialogue feature, which is an AI-powered solution designed to enhance the clarity of spoken dialogue on TVs."DTS says the AI algorithm identifies and boosts dialogue in audio streams, thus eliminating the aforementioned problems. The system also allows for personalized audio settings, as one person's perfect" is another's please make it stop."This is an on-device toolset, meaning it'll eventually get adopted by TV manufacturers. DTS hasn't announced any partnerships yet, but the company's tech is usually adopted by all of the bigwigs, like Sony, Hisense, Philips, LG and Vizio, among others. We'll be on the lookout for the first televisions that incorporate this feature. For now, the company's demoing the service at the IFA tech conference in Berlin.DTS has partnerships in place with content providers, bringing theater-grade audio to home releases. It's recently teamed up with Disney to enhance the sound of MCU movies and to provide an IMAX-like experience. Boy, could those MCU flicks use a bit of that AI-enhanced dialogue magic the company's promising.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/dts-built-an-ai-powered-system-to-make-dialog-sound-clearer-080032541.html?src=rss

DraftKings and White Hat Gaming must pay the state of Connecticut a total of $22,500 in fines after its online slot machine failed to issue players a win for a whole week. NBC News reported that the state's Department of Consumer Protection uncovered the non-paying slot machine and issued the fines.The sports betting and gambling website received a $19,000 fine and White Hat Gaming received a $3,500 fine. The website promised its players that its Deal or No Deal Banker's Bonanza online slot machine would pay out 95 cents for every dollar it took from players. However, a Department of Consumer Protections report found that the slot machine didn't pay out one red cent from August 15-21 last year. A total of 522 players put almost $24,000 into the machine for more than 20,569 spins during the period the machine refused to pay out any winnings.An improperly loaded file caused the machine to glitch and refuse to let players win the advertised amount. Once the faulty file was located and identified as the cause of the glitch, DraftKings and White Hat Gaming relaunched the game on August 22, 2023.The report also found that DraftKings and White Hat Gaming did not disclose the faulty machine to state officials until the Consumer Protections department requested the information last year. One player told the gaming website that they played a couple hundred spins" at 20 cents per spin and the machine never paid out a single winning spin or partial win," according to the report. DraftKings officials responded to several complaints with messages like I understand it can be frustrating to have a bit of a cold streak, but I can assure you there is nothing wrong with the game itself."The slot machine continued to withhold its winnings for another week until White Hat Gaming identified the glitch and repaired the software a second time. White Hat also says in the state's report that all customers received refunds without any notification from DraftKings," according to the report.A spokesperson for the Department of Consumer Protection also told NBC News that White Hat Gaming responded swiftly" to investigators' inquiries. However, DraftKings' response was not satisfactory" hence the higher fine.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/draftkings-gets-slapped-with-fine-for-online-slots-that-paid-zilch-222651632.html?src=rss

There's a big trend in electric SUVs right now, and it probably isn't what you think. It isn't a longer range. It's not more advanced battery construction, super-fast charging or even NACS plugs. No, the real trend in electric SUVs is being delayed. Porsche's electric Macan took its sweet time going to production, as did its sibling the Audi Q6 E-Tron, which was also delayed for months.Volvo's EX90 has suffered from the same fate. Originally slated to be on the market in 2023, it, plus its corporate cousin the Polestar 3, are only now finally starting to stumble out of Volvo's manufacturing facility near Charleston, South Carolina. Finally, Volvo let me behind the wheel of a pre-production model on a test drive to see whether it was worth the wait.Was it? Yes and no, but I'm happy to say it's mostly yes.Let's start with what it is. As the name implies, the EX90 is something of a battery-powered counterpart to the brand's XC90 SUV, the biggest in its lineup. Like the XC90, the EX90 is a three-row SUV with seating for six or seven, depending on configuration, a big, upright stance, and, of course, more safety features than you can shake a stick at.But Volvo didn't just gut an XC90 and slap a big battery pack in where the engine, exhaust, and fuel tank once lived. This is a dedicated EV platform, an all-new one, designed from the get-go to be electric. It houses a 111-kilowatt-hour battery pack (107 kWh usable) and has a pair of electric motors, one at the rear and one at the front, delivering all-wheel drive.VolvoWhether you go for the base, the $79,995 Plus, or the more luxe $84,345 Ultra trim, you get the same dual-motor configuration making 402 horsepower and 568 foot-pounds of torque. If that's not enough, you can spend $5,000 more for the Twin Motor Performance option, which turns the wick up to 510 hp and 671 lb-ft of torque. Both versions are rated for up to 310 miles of range on the EPA test, depending on which options you select.Interestingly, though, the two models have exactly the same motors and other related hardware. What do you get with the extra $5,000 then? A different set of software and a little white badge on the back that says "TWIN PERFORMANCE." Welcome to the future.InteriorAt six feet tall, I could barely squeeze into that third row. There just wasn't anywhere for my feet or knees to go. The second row was much more comfortable, with plenty of headroom, but I still wouldn't call it spacious, with nothing like the generous legroom found in the second row of a BMW iX or even a Hyundai Ioniq 5.VolvoThankfully, I spent most of my time in the front seats, which are excellent. Volvo offers a pair of interior fabrics, Dawn Quilted Nordico, which has a leather-like feel, or Tailored Wool Blend, which feels like a higher-end woven upholstery. My favorite is the latter, by far. Those seats offer generous adjustment and a surprisingly comprehensive massage. Ventilation is about the only thing missing, and that is a bit of a shame.The rest of the interior is quite stark and clean. The white trim over the charcoal fabric on the machine I drove looks fantastic, as does the raised grain on the wooden dash insert, let down only a bit by the unfortunate bands of chrome running around it.The highlight of the dash, though, is the 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen that sits upright in the middle. On it, you have access to the Android Automotive system that controls the entirety of the user interface, including the 9.0-inch gauge cluster behind the steering wheel and the projected heads-up display.Volvo's interface here looks similar to what they started offering about five years ago, but it's so much more comprehensive and responsive to use than before. Google Maps running natively is a great experience, as is being able to do things like adjust vehicle settings via voice with Google Assistant. The inevitable Gemini integration should only make it more powerful.Android Automotive also gives access to numerous media apps, including Tidal, which offers Dolby Atmos streaming. For the first time, Volvo has a sound system capable of taking advantage of it. A new Bowers & Wilkins system with a whopping 25 speakers fills the cabin with rich, crisp sound. It's available as part of the Ultra trim, which nearly makes it worth the upgrade cost over the base EX90 on its own.Drive timeThe EX90 I test drove was outfitted with the company's largest wheels, 22 inches, and those were wrapped in sticky, European-spec summer tires instead of the more moderate all-season tires American EX90s will feature. Despite those two factors, the EX90 offers superb ride quality.It was smooth, quiet, and comfortable over every separation joint on the highway and the few broken bits of asphalt I could find. Only a hint of wind noise at the highway speed betrayed the fact that I was moving through space and time and not just the latter. All that conspires to make it an even better soundscape for each of those 25 speakers.VolvoThe suspension is tuned for compliance, and the EX90 tends to float a bit after striking larger bumps or the like. But, despite that, it was still reasonably engaging on tighter, twistier canyon roads. I wouldn't say it was sharp or necessarily sporty, but it was genuinely fun.It turns well and has minimal body roll for such a tall thing, thanks in part to situating that big battery pack down in the floor. And, yes, it has plenty of acceleration. Perhaps too much, actually. The throttle pedal is a bit sharp, which may have rear-seat passengers with sensitive stomachs turning green. Perhaps another reason to skip the white interior, lovely as it is.The one-pedal driving mode is likewise quite sharp, promptly bringing the EX90 down to a complete stop. If that's not to your liking, you can disable it. When off, the EX90 is happy to coast along. There's a third option, too: Automatic. Here, the car coasts most of the time, but if there's a car ahead, it'll more aggressively apply regen to maintain distance.That's just one aspect of the car's advanced driver systems, which were a bit hit-or-miss.Big sensorsThe most interesting styling cue of the EX90, an SUV that is very smart and sophisticated looking but rather understated, is the sensor pod perched above the windscreen. Inside lives a Luminar Lidar pod, scanning the road ahead and generating a 3D point map of every obstacle. Or, at least, it will.Right now, that little bit of roof decor is just that. But Volvo said they'll light that sensor up and start collecting data via software update next year. At some point in the future, it'll start integrating better into the car's adaptive safety system, basically acting as another point of reference to augment the other sensors.VolvoWhat's in there now feels more or less like Volvo's current machines. The Pilot Assist system provides comprehensive active lane-keep assistance, meaning it'll keep the car centered in the lane. Volvo has also added an automatic lane-change feature, but you still need to trigger it manually with a full press of the turn stalk. It's all good enough, but a decided step behind the hands-off systems available from Ford, General Motors, and BMW. I also had some issues during my drive, with the lane-centering system refusing to engage on secondary roads.There were other problems, too. The car uses UWB (ultra-wide band) connectivity with smartphones to work without a key, but our car struggled to detect the phone, leaving me stuck for a few minutes of annoying fiddling every time I got out of the car. It also struggled to detect that my hands were on the wheel, going so far as to disable the active steering system at one point because it thought I wasn't paying attention. (I was.)Finally, the entire active safety suite threw errors twice, once requiring a technician with a laptop to fix.Wrap-upAfter all the delays for the machine, I have to admit I was expecting a more polished experience. That said, I'd suggest not holding that against the EX90. I'm confident Volvo's engineers can fix these issues before the SUVs start showing up at dealerships, which Volvo says will happen sometime before the end of the year.That the active safety suite lags behind the competition is a bit unfortunate, but surely Volvo has bigger plans for the EX90. The company didn't throw that Lidar sensor on the roof just for looks. Those things are expensive.Which brings us to the price. Again, the EX90 starts at $79,995 for a dual-motor version with up to 310 miles of range, which puts it in the same ballpark as the Rivian R1S or the Tesla Model X, two other premium three-row SUVs. However, the upcoming Polestar 3, built on the same platform but lacking the Lidar sensor on the roof and the third row of seats out back, starts at $5,000 less.Is the Volvo worth the extra cost? We'll have to wait until we get some seat time in its corporate cousin until we can say for sure. Stay tuned for that.Update, September 3 2024, 6:01PM ET: This story has been updated to remove two paragraphs that inaccurately described the dimensions of the EX90 due to a conversion error.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volvos-ex90-suv-was-mostly-worth-the-wait-153035616.html?src=rss

Update, September 3, 5:15PM ET: Starlink has reversed course on its decision to not comply with Brazil's block of X. In a statement posted to X, the company said:

Less than two weeks after it launched, Concord is dead.Sony announced this morning that the game would be taken offline on September 6, and said it will issue refunds to the few people who chose to buy it. The team-based shooter was one of a scant few new first-party PlayStation games scheduled for release this year. Sony released it on both PS5 and PC on August 23. As for the scale of its failure, the company doesn't typically reveal detailed player numbers for its own platforms. However, Steam does. The numbers there are not pretty.A Steam player count isn't entirely reflective of a game's success, Still, it's a key data point from which we can extrapolate some assumptions. In its first weekend, Concord failed to break 700 concurrent players on Steam. That's a dismal figure for a reasonably high-profile launch, especially one from a major publisher.For perspective, Galaxy Burger, an indie cooking sim I'd never heard of that came out on the same day, had more than four times the number of concurrent players on Steam (469) as Concord (104) at one point on August 28. As far as a comparison for a supposed blockbuster from this year goes, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League peaked at more than 13,400 simultaneous players on Steam. That co-op game was a notorious flop that led to a $200 million loss for Warner Bros. Discovery.In addition, Concord has amassed 766 reviews on Steam at the time of writing. Some analysts estimate that each Steam review translates to between 30 and 50 sales. At the midpoint of the scale, that would put Concord's volume of sales on Steam at around 30,000. Given its concurrent players never surpassed its disastrous opening weekend figures, that feels like a generous estimate.We don't have a strong idea of the sales numbers on PlayStation just yet, but its swift shuttering suggests things were not much better. Either way, it's clear sales didn't remotely come close to covering the development and marketing costs for a game that took Firewalk Studios (which Sony bought last year) eight years to make.There are a bunch of reasons why Concord just didn't grab people's attention. I played a few rounds during the open beta and thought it was so-so. The combat was okay and some of the core ideas - such as a cool, lore-filled map - were interesting, but it felt like there was not enough novelty.The first wave of characters was bland, which is not ideal for a hero shooter when Apex Legends and Overwatch 2 (vastly more popular rival titles that are free-to-play) each have dozens of distinct, engaging personalities for fans to connect with. The influence of Guardians of the Galaxy is keenly felt, for better or worse, which makes it seem even more like Firewalk and Sony chased after trends that were popular in 2016.The biggest mistake of all looks to be the price point. With players able to access so many similar games without paying a penny, having to shell out $40 for Concord was evidently not an enticing proposition for the vast majority of PS5 and PC owners.It's likely that we haven't heard the last of Concord. Sony says it plans to explore options, including those that will better reach our players," which sounds a lot like a free-to-play pivot.And yet, Concord seems to only be the one real sour note on what's actually been a quietly strong year for PlayStation overall so far.The Sony-published Helldivers 2 is the second-best selling game in the US so far this year, according to industry analysts at Circana. Only College Football 25 has sold more copies in the country. In fact, Helldivers 2 is the fastest-selling game Sony has ever put out, with more than 12 million copies sold in its first 12 weeks.Opting to release the game on PS5 and PC simultaneously paid off, as most of the initial wave of sales came via Steam, per analysts. However, the Steam player count has dropped off significantly in recent months, in part because of a controversial account-linking requirement.Stellar Blade, another Sony-published game from a third-party studio, received a generally positive response from critics and it's doing well commercially too. Developer Shift Up estimated that sales topped 1 million units within the first two months and said in June that a PC port was under consideration as a result.Sony's strategy of bringing its major exclusives to PC in the years following their PlayStation debut has been paying off over the last few years. It's released two somewhat older games on Steam this year in the form of Horizon Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima. Both are excellent, faithful ports that perform well on my high-end PC as well as my Steam Deck. They were successful sales-wise too, with the former cracking the list of the top 10 best-selling games in the US in its first week. Ghost topped the overall US game sales charts for May overall, per Circana, just after Stellar Blade did the same thing in April.Sony has at least two more blockbuster PC ports on the way this year. God of War: Ragnarok will hit that platform on September 19. The previous game sold more than 2.5 million units on PC as of last February, per the major Insomniac leak, so the sequel seems primed to do well too. The Until Dawn remake is coming to PC and PS5 just a couple of weeks later.And then there's the small matter of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which arrived on PS5 earlier this year with a great new roguelike mode included. There's no PC release date yet, but TLOU Day (Naughty Dog's annual celebration of the series on September 26) is fast approaching. That seems like a prime opportunity for an announcement ahead of the second season of the HBO adaptation debuting in 2025.A cautious approach seems wise for Part 2. Sony will want to make sure the PC port has nothing like the kinds of technical issues Part 1 had when it arrived on that platform, so giving developers as much time as they need for polish is important.Sony even has a couple more first-party games lined up for the last chunk of the year. It might not have to wait long to wash off the stink of Concord as the highly anticipated and completely adorable platformer Astro Bot lands on PS5 on September 6. Lego Horizon Adventures- a more family-friendly take on the Horizon series - is headed to PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch in a notable multi-platform debut this holiday season.And then there's the hardware side of the equation. In the first half of the calendar year, Sony sold just under 7 million PS5s. That's down from 9.3 million over the same period in 2023, but a dip's to be expected at this point in the system's life cycle.How the PS5 stacks up against the competition tells a bigger story. Although Microsoft has long kept quiet about how many Xboxes it's selling, earlier this year some analysts pegged the ratio of PS5 to Xbox Series X/S sales at more than five to one. Yeesh. Given Sony's larger install base, it's little wonder why Microsoft is increasingly eager to bring its first-party games to PlayStation.Meanwhile, at first glance, the PlayStation Portal seemed like an edge-case peripheral for the diehards. All it does is let you play games from your own PS5 remotely without even supporting Sony's cloud gaming service.However, the Portal has proven to be a surprising hit. Sony said the device, which was often sold out for months, exceeded its expectations. It's the best-selling games accessory so far this year by dollar amount, according to Circana. And rumors are swirling that Sony is "paying very close attention to the current handheld market," perhaps suggesting that the company is finally ready to work on a proper Vita/PSP successor. One can hope.Even the beleaguered PS VR2 seems to have had an upturn in fortunes after a recent sale and the release of a dongle that lets owners use it to play virtual reality games on PC. According to one report, the lower price led to a sudden 2,350 percent spike in sales. Sony may have even sold more units in a single day (July 28) than it did in the previous seven months overall, according to The Shortcut. Reports suggest that PS VR2 sales have been disappointing for Sony, but such a sharp increase (or anything close to it) would be astonishing. Along with the discount, the extra utility of being able to use the headset for PC gaming surely helped, as the actual PS VR2 games library remains fairly small.There's one other piece of hardware that could make 2024 even more of a barnburner for Sony: the widely rumored PS5 Pro. For months, leaks have been suggesting that a mid-generation refresh is coming this holiday season. Rumors point to the PS5 Pro being able to deliver higher speeds, faster game rendering, improved graphics, better ray-tracing performance and an 8K performance mode. Given that Microsoft's new Xbox variants either add internal storage, change the box's color or take away a disc drive, the PS5 Pro may look like an even tastier option for current-gen holdouts.Update, September 3, 3:15 PM ET: This article was originally published on August 28, six days before Sony announced it was taking Concord offline. It has been updated and republished to reflect that news.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/concord-aside-playstation-is-having-a-great-year-171506490.html?src=rss

Qualcomm's exclusivity period on Copilot+ PCs is winding down. Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that Intel's new 200V processors and AMD's Ryzen AI 300 series chips will add Copilot+ AI capabilities beginning in November.Copilot+ PCs include features like Live Captions (real-time subtitle generation, including translations), Cocreator in Paint (prompt-based image generation), Windows Studio Effects image editing (background blurring, eye contact adjustment and auto-framing) and AI tools in Photos. Of particular interest to gamers is Auto Super Resolution, an Nvidia DLSS competitor that upscales graphical resolution and refresh rates in real time without stunting performance.The AI PCs will also eventually include Recall, Microsoft's searchable timeline of PC activity. This feature was delayed to enhance security after an initial blowback. (Who'd have thought a history of everything you do on your PC might need to be locked down as tightly as possible?) The company said the revised Recall would start rolling out to beta testers in October.IntelIntel's 200V series processors, revealed today, include a powerful neural processing unit (NPU) that supports up to 48 TOPS (tera operations per second) for locally processed AI models and tools. With up to 32GB of onboard memory, the 200V is the most efficient x86 processor ever," according to Intel, with 50 percent lower on-package power consumption.Microsoft's Windows and devices lead, Pavan Davuluri, confirmed that Intel's new chips will support Copilot+. All designs featuring Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors and running the latest version of Windows are eligible to receive Copilot+ PC features as a free update starting in November," Davuluri said onstage at Intel's IFA launch event in Germany.Meanwhile, according to a Windows blog post, AMD's Ryzen AI 300 series chips, revealed earlier this summer, will also receive Copilot+ features in November. The NPUs in AMD's chips can reach up to 50 TOPS for AI performance and have 16 percent faster overall performance than their predecessors.The first Copilot+ PCs arrived in June, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip. The initial batch of Arm-based PCs include laptops and 2-in-1s from Microsoft, Acer, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Asus and Dell.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/copilot-features-are-coming-to-ai-pcs-powered-by-intel-and-amds-latest-chips-190707475.html?src=rss

Instagram is rolling out comments for Stories. Previously, the short-lived Stories could only be replied to in direct messages. This new feature offers a more visible way for users to interact with their friends' posts. The original poster will not receive the comments in a DM; a rep from Meta said that "comments live only on your Story."Story comments can be turned on or off for any individual post. If enabled, comments can be seen by anyone following an account, but only mutuals can leave comments. As with the Story post type, the comments will disappear after 24 hours. Small profile images of the commenters will appear at the bottom of a person's Story icon, so you'll know there are comments attached before you tap to view the post.People can still choose to respond to Stories with a DM if the user has their account set to accept those messages. There's also an option to send a DM in response to a Story comment, which you can do by swiping left on the text and tapping the DM icon.Instagram has been giving users more ways to snazz up their Stories. The posts can be created with customizable templates, get an AI-generated background or use a growing number of interactive stickers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-stories-are-getting-comments-183051677.html?src=rss

Folks who are looking to upgrade their livestreaming setup or become more productive on their PC or Mac may be interested in picking up an Elgato Stream Deck Neo. The desktop device allows you to set up all manner of commands and shortcuts that you can trigger with the press of a button. The Stream Deck Neo strikes a good middle ground between the Mini (which has just six buttons) and the full-size model. The Stream Deck Neo typically costs $100. However, it's currently on sale at Amazon for $85. The Stream Deck MK.2 has long been one of our recommended accessories for folks who stream gameplay on the likes of Twitch or YouTube. But the smaller Neo can do the trick too. The larger model has 15 LCD keys compared with the Neo's eight, but you can set up multiple pages of shortcuts for the Neo and navigate between them with the press of a button. Setting up commands and shortcuts through the Stream Deck PC and Mac app can be as simple as dragging and dropping actions into place. There are a ton of presets for you to get started with too. The Stream Deck Neo offers integrations with a bunch of apps, such as Zoom, Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Google Workspace, Photoshop, Adobe Creative Apps, Spotify and Music. You can use it to control smart home devices as well, including lights and speakers. An info bar along the bottom can persistently display key information, such as the date and time. What's more, you can customize the image that appears on each LCD button to be just about whatever you want for that ultra-personal touch. 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/elgatos-stream-deck-neo-is-15-percent-off-right-now-181501365.html?src=rss

We're used to hearing about new Android versions during Google Pixel smartphone launch events, but Android 15's source code is finally out at the Android Open Source Project. It was strangely missing from the Google Pixel launch event last month, but it's better late than never. Check out the go-live link from the developers here.Android 15 will be available on select Pixel models soon. Some devices from Samsung, Honor, iQOO, Lenovo, Motorola, Nothing, OnePlus, Oppo, realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo and Xiaomi will receive support in the coming months. Some of the more interesting features are smart volume adjustment and dynamic range compression for apps with AAC audio content containing loudness metadata. Besides improved split-screen app access, there's also edge-to-edge app display if the app targets SDK 35.The developers are also starting a series called Spotlight Weeks to explore Android-related technical topics. They'll start by covering what's new on Android 15.Ever since Android 10, Google has stopped naming its latest releases after desserts. Ending the tradition with Android 9 Pie, Google is now focusing on more conventional branding and regular feature releases. While these may be a sign of a mature OS, some of us miss the wilder days filled with anticipation. Take us back, maybe?This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/android-15-is-now-here-a-month-later-than-expected-180045026.html?src=rss

Google is expanding Android Earthquake Alerts to the entire US and six territories. The feature first launched in 2020, using the United States Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeAlert system to send warnings in California, Washington, and Oregon. The expansion will use built-in accelerometers - a tool that senses vibrations - in Android phones to issue early alerts.The Android Earthquake Alerts System will then look at crowdsourced data to determine if it's an earthquake. If the earthquake registers at a magnitude of 4.5 or higher, you will get either a "Be Aware" or "Take Action" alert. The first warns you that there's light shaking but that stronger shaking could come. Take Action is a call to immediately find protection, as moderate or extreme shaking is expected. The system will also provide information on how to proceed once the earthquake ends.Google teamed up with leading experts in the earthquake field to improve its Android Earthquake Alerts System. "Earthquake alerts on your device reduce milling and the verification pause that often occurs during crises, when people lose valuable time seeking confirmation from unreliable sources," said Dr. Jeannette Sutton, a professor at the University at Albany specializing in disasters, risk and public alerts. "Expanding this system enhances public safety during earthquakes by providing crucial information to even more users."Google is releasing a series of new features alongside the Earthquake Alerts, including offline Maps on your Wear OS smartwatch. The update allows you to access maps you've downloaded on your phone right on your watch. You can also use Circle to Search to identify music playing on social media or speakers near you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/androids-earthquake-alert-system-expands-to-the-entire-us-180030553.html?src=rss

The studio behind the upcoming PlayStation 5 and PC remaster of the PlayStation 4 survivor horror game Until Dawn has let go some of its staffers just a month before its release on October 4. Eurogamer reported the unfortunate news on Sunday, and Ballistic Moon confirmed the layoffs in a statement posted on its LinkedIn page on Labor Day, of all days.It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that we must make the tough decision to significantly scale down our team to secure the future of our studio," the statement reads. This comes after our development of Until Dawn for PS5 and PC." Ballistic Moon did not state how many staffers were being cut, or what percentage of the team were let go.Two former staffers broke the news on their social media accounts over the weekend. Former junior game designer Cassy Cornish and former technical designer Harry Williams posted news about their respective job losses on LinkedIn.Like many others in this wonderful but turbulent industry, I am sadly being made redundant from my role as a Junior Game Designer at Ballistic Moon," Cornish wrote. The team have been wonderful and I'm so excited for our game to release in October!"Ballistic Moon is just one of the latest in a long line of game studio and tech company layoffs. Take-Two Interactive, the Behaviour (Dead By Daylight), Bungie (Destiny 2 and Marathon's) and Humble Games have all seen staff cuts recently.Eurogameralso reported on Monday that Rocksteady, the studio behind the iconic Batman Arkham games, reduced the size of its QA department from 33 to 15 employees over the past month following the disappointing release of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League; One of the laid-off employees was on a scheduled paternity leave.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/until-dawn-remake-studio-lays-off-staffers-before-the-games-even-out-172910650.html?src=rss

Major League Baseball's virtual ballpark is back. Like a metaverse experience for traditional (non-VR) devices, it lets you watch actual games as they're happening in real time, albeit recreated in a 3D environment. MLB will host interactive watch parties in the environment for select games each Wednesday in September.Like a baseball-centric take on Second Life (for the old folks in the back), it includes 3D avatars corresponding to players' movements. The plays and athletes' precise positions are tracked using the same Sony Hawk-Eye cameras used for the league's Statcast analytics system. The experience sounds tailor-made for headsets like the Vision Pro and Meta Quest, but it's limited to traditional screens for now. Improbable, a London-based company known for metaverse experiences, created the tech.There's also an audio element, as you can hear the play-by-play and game sounds and chat with other fans in spatial audio. New for this season is a party system that lets you talk directly with your friends. The league is also bringing back a virtual scavenger hunt to keep you interested in case the game is a bore.MLB's virtual ballpark debuted during the 2023 season, first for an All-Star exhibition and then for a late regular-season game and a Postseason matchup. This season's virtual lineup kicks off on Wednesday, with three more games following throughout September:

Sony's new team shooter Concord is not going to be playable for much longer. Developer Firewalk Studios says it will take the game offline on September 6, just two weeks after its release, to "explore options, including those that will better reach our players."You can no longer buy Concord digitally and Sony will refund everyone who bought the $40 game on PlayStation 5, Steam and the Epic Games Store. Those who bought a physical copy can return it to the point of purchase to get their money back."While many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn't land the way we'd intended," game director Ryan Ellis wrote on the PlayStation Blog.While Sony hasn't disclosed sales figures, all indications suggested that Concord was a flop out of the gate. The game debuted to middling reviews. It never had more than 700 concurrent players on Steam after its official launch, which is an abysmal result for a fairly high-profile game. Some analysts estimate that it sold just 25,000 copies across Steam and PS5 in its first six days - nowhere near enough to make it sustainable as a live-service game.It's very uncommon for a major publisher to pull a game offline so soon after its debut. The most recent one that springs to mind is Amazon's Crucible back in 2020.There are lots of reasons why Concord didn't take off, from its so-so gameplay and lack of captivating characters to heavyweight competition from other free-to-play team shooters including Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone and Sony's own Destiny 2. Firewalk (which Sony bought last year) may well try to retool Concord as a free-to-play game, but this is nothing short of a major failure for Sony as things stand.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/concord-is-going-offline-two-weeks-after-its-ps5-and-pc-launch-163134728.html?src=rss

If you need another sign that it's a very strange year for PC hardware, consider Dell's latest XPS 13 revision with Intel's just-announced Core Ultra 200V processors. It's the third time Dell has revamped its popular ultraportable over the past year. First, it got the original Core Ultra chip in April, and then in July Dell released a Snapdragon-equipped Copilot+ variant. And, as is usually the case with PC hardware, it pays to wait.The new processors sport a 48 TOPS (tera operations per second) NPU (neural processing unit) for AI tasks, as well as dramatically faster performance and efficiency cores. Intel also claims its new Xe2 GPU, which is built into the chips, is 32 percent faster than the previous Core Ultra, 16 percent faster than AMD's HX 360 and a whopping 68 percent faster than Qualcomm's 12-core X Elite chip.And since the Core Ultra 200V is an x86 processor, it doesn't have any of the app compatibility and performance issues i saw on the Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ XPS 13. The only major downside over the previous Intel XPS 13 is that you can't upgrade the new system's memory - Intel's Core Ultra 200V chips feature built-in RAM, which isn't upgradeable at all.Outside of the new chip, Dell says this latest XPS 13 is the first laptop to feature a tandem OLED display, a technology which basically stacks two OLED panels atop each other for better brightness. The new XPS 13 should also be able to get up to 26 hours of battery life while streaming video on its 1080p+ screen.You can pre-order the XPS 13 with Intel's Core Ultra 200V chips today starting at $1,400.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/dells-xps-13-gets-its-third-update-in-a-year-with-intels-core-ultra-200v-160055759.html?src=rss

The race to build the most compelling AI PC processors continues with the launch of Intel's Core Ultra 200V. At Computex in June, we learned these "Lunar Lake" laptop chips would feature a powerful 48 TOPS (tera operations per second) neural processing unit for AI work, and, surprisingly enough, they'd also sport up to 32GB of built-in memory for faster performance and lower power consumption. Today at Germany's IFA trade show, Intel has given us an even closer look at its next-generation AI PC hardware.According to Intel, the Core Ultra 200V will be "the most efficient x86 processor ever," with up to 50 percent lower on-package power consumption. In addition to bringing memory directly on the chip, Intel also doubled the cache and core count (reaching 4MB and 4 cores) for its "Low Power Island," which handles less demanding work. Performance per watt has also more than doubled across general performance and gaming, thanks tot he new Xe2 built-in GPU. (One example: Intel claims the Core Ultra 200V uses 35 percent less power than the previous generation, while also getting 32 percent faster performance.)IntelIt's clear that Intel is gunning directly for Qualcomm, whose Arm-based Snapdragon chips have traditionally been more power efficient than x86 processors. Intel even claims it has a lead in battery life. In one test performed on the same laptop model, the Core Ultra 7 268V lasted for 20.1 hours in the UL Procyon Office Productivity benchmark, compared to 18.4 hours with a Qualcomm X Elite chip. The Snapdragon system still maintained a lead in a Microsoft Teams 3x3 test, lasting 12.7 hours compared to the Intel 268V's 10.7 hours.IntelIn practically every way, the Core Ultra 200V is a rethinking of Intel's traditional x86 processor design. For example, the company has given up on its Hyperthreading technology, which virtually allowed a single CPU core to support multiple task threads. Instead, Intel is optimizing the new chips for single-threaded performance. The company claims the Core Ultra 200V's P-cores (performance) are 14 percent faster than the last generation, and its E-cores (efficiency) are a whopping 68 percent faster.Unlike Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips, Intel's Core Ultra 200V processors can also run legacy x86 software without any issue. There's no emulation slowdown or Arm incompatibility to worry about. While I was impressed by the Snapdragon X Elite chips on the Surface Pro and XPS 13 Copilot+ systems, Windows on Arm performance issues remains, like their inability to play games with strong anti-cheat protection like Fortnite. If you're at all worried about running older software or games, it makes sense to stick with an x86 chip for the next few years.While the Core Ultra 200V series tops out with 8-core 8-thread processors, Intel says it's up to three times faster than its previous chips when it comes to performance per thread. And if that's not boastful enough, Intel also claims its new Xe2 GPU is 32 percent faster than before, 68 percent speedier than Qualcomm's 12-core X Elite chip and 16 percent better than AMD's HX 370. The Xe2 also adds an additional 67 TOPS of AI compute performance, in addition to the NPU's 48 TOPS.IntelWhen it comes to AI, Intel claims the Core Ultra 9 288V's NPU is 79 percent faster denoising in Adobe Lightroom compared to its previous chip. The Snapdragon X Elite 78-100, meanwhile, was 66 percent slower than Intel's last chip. As always, we'll need to do our own testing to confirm the company's figures, but it's clearly not being shy about its potential performance leads.IntelThe Intel Core Ultra 200V family tops out with the Ultra 9 288V, which features eight cores (4P + 4E) with up to 5.1GHz Max Turbo speeds on the P cores. That model also comes stacked with hte most powerful 8-core Xe2 Arc 140V GPU and 32GB of RAM. While all of the 200V chips feature 8-cores, their respective GPU, NPU and RAM all scale down across the line. The bottom-rung Core Ultra 226V, for example, sports a 7-core Arc GPU, 40 TOPS NPU and 16GB of RAM.Just like Apple's M-series chips, the Core Ultra 200V's built-in memory means you won't be able to upgrade your memory down the line. That's a particular shame, as we're finally easily upgradable LPCAMM2 memory making its way to notebooks. At least Intel isn't forcing anyone to permanently live with 8GB of RAM, though.Intel Core Ultra 200V systems will be available on September 24th from major manufacturers like Dell, ASUS and Acer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/intels-core-ultra-200v-chips-aim-for-ai-pc-dominance-160029852.html?src=rss

While you can do pretty much anything on your phone or tablet, sometimes having a dedicated device is the way to go. Opting for an ereader can help reduce eye strain compared with looking at a smartphone screen for hours on end. The battery will last longer too, and you won't have notifications popping up to distract you. So if you're someone who reads digital books and hasn't picked up an ereader yet (or you're tired of lugging around bulky paperbacks), it's worth considering Amazon's entry-level Kindle. The Kindle has dropped from $100 to $85. While that's not an all-time-low price, it matches the offer that we saw during Amazon's Prime Day sale in July. The standard Kindle is our pick for the best budget ereader. With its six-inch, 300dpi E Ink display, it's the lightest and most compact model in Amazon's lineup at the moment. The Kindle comes with 16GB of storage, which makes it handy for audiobooks. When you buy both an ebook and an audiobook from Amazon, you can swap between the two easily enough on your Kindle. Thanks to the Whispersync feature, you can read for a bit in a park then continue where you left off with the narrated version while you're on your way back home. You can customize the reading experience by adjusting factors like the margins, font and text size, and even save your preferences as a theme or preset. While page turns are speedy, we felt that the touchscreen gestures didn't always consistently carry out the intended action. It's also worth bearing in mind that unlike other Kindles, this one has no waterproof rating, so you'll want to be careful with it at the beach or pool. Meanwhile, there's one other thing worth noting here. This model debuted in 2022 and Amazon is expected to host its annual fall hardware event in the coming weeks. The Kindle is due for a refresh so we may see an updated model there. That said, if you're just looking for a relatively inexpensive ereader, this is a solid deal. 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/amazons-kindle-is-back-on-sale-at-its-prime-day-price-145649848.html?src=rss

Soccer fans (or football to me, a Malaysian) who want to catch up on the latest Major League Soccer (MLS) matches for the rest of the 2024 season can now purchase the MLS Season Pass through Apple TV for $10. For Apple TV+ subscribers, the MLS Season Pass is free. The pass will last until the end of the 2024 season, October 19, and includes playoffs. All matches will have English and Spanish audio, but you can also listen to the home club's local radio announcers if you like. Additionally, the season pass includes MLS 360, the show completely covering each matchday, including pre-and post-game coverage, highlights, interviews and more. You can also stream up to four matches at once thanks to Multiview, but the option is limited to 4K Apple TV devices or iPads. The Catch Up feature helps fans stay updated through automatically selected plays, going through goals, penalty kicks, red cards, notable shots and saves. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-mls-season-pass-on-apple-tv-is-now-10-for-the-rest-of-the-season-145100471.html?src=rss

Although the holiday weekend has come to a close, some Labor Day sales are still available. Historically, Labor Day isn't a boon for tech deals but there are always a few decent ones that pop up, particularly in the outdoor tech space. Labor Day sales often overlap with back-to-school sales as well, so you're usually able to save on tech like tablets, speakers, kitchen gear, charging accessories and other items that can help make for a smooth return to campus.Regardless of if you're going back to school or not, we've collected the best Labor Day tech sales that you can still get today, including discounted gear from Apple, Amazon, Samsung and others. If you're an Amazon Prime member, just be mindful that the company's "big deal days" will return in October - if something on your list isn't on sale now, there's a chance it will be in a few weeks' time.Labor Day sales: Engadget top picks

The last time we checked in on Noble Audio, the company had developed a set of wireless earbuds with xMEMS drivers inside. Now, the company is back with its first set of wireless headphones, and it created a unique driver arrangement for this product too. The FoKus Apollo is the first set of cans to offer a hybrid speaker setup that pairs a 40mm dynamic driver alongside a 14.5mm planar magnetic driver, according to the company. The duo should offer "top-end clarity of planar with the power and body achieved by dynamic drivers," thanks to the inherent sonic capabilities of each. Planar magnetic drivers provide improved accuracy through better treble and mid-range performance over dynamic drivers. However, dynamic drivers have the power to move lots of air for booming bass. Noble argues putting the two of them together creates "stunningly blissful" sound that no other headphones can generate. This model supports both LDAC and aptX HD for high-quality audio over Bluetooth. Of course, audio quality is only part of the equation with wireless headphones, and the FoKus Apollo's spec sheet looks solid. Noble promises up to 60 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation (ANC) on, with an additional 20 hours of use if you turn it off. Multipoint Bluetooth connectivity and transparency mode are available, and you can customize the EQ via an app. The ANC setup is powered by an ADI chip and a collection of six microphones. Noble says this arrangement is enough to cancel out 35dB of environmental noise. Noble didn't cut corners on design either. The FoKus Apollo is built with an anodized aluminum frame, and the Alcantara headband and replaceable protein leather earpads complete the look. In addition the built-in mic for calls, the company also offers the option to use a removable boom mic and there's a 3.5mm audio jack for wired use. Noble's gear doesn't usually come cheap, and that's the case with the FoKus Apollo too. The headphones are $649 (599/699) and shipments are scheduled to begin this month. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/noble-audio-pairs-dynamic-and-planar-magnetic-drivers-in-its-first-headphones-133330144.html?src=rss

Soundbars may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Klipsch, but the company has a lot of experience with the living room devices. The company already has two models in its Flexus Core lineup and now it's adding a third, flagship-level option to its stable. The Flexus Core 300 is a 5.1.2-channel soundbar that will offer more immersive sound than the 3.1.2-channel Flexus Core 200 and 2.1-channel Flexus Core 100. It will also be the company's most expensive soundbar in the current group at $999.Klipsch says the Flexus Core 300 will be the first soundbar that's equipped with Dirac Live room calibration tech. Dirac is an audio company based in Sweden with years of experience in room correction and headphone calibration. It even teamed up with Dolby for more immersive in-car audio systems. In the case of this soundbar, Dirac Live uses an included microphone to adjust "the magnitude and phase" of the speaker to any room in order to to provide "more transparent, balanced sound" with "tighter bass, improved staging and enhanced clarity." Klipsch also provides the Dirac Live license at no extra cost, which isn't always the case with compatible products, according to the the company.Our collaboration with Klipsch on their all-new Flexus Core 300 sound bar proves that cutting-edge room correction technology is no longer just for the high-end AVR market - it's now also for the mainstream consumer audio market," Dirac's Vice President of Home and Pro Audio Fredric Tapper said in a press release.KlipschInside, 12 speakers power Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio, including four 2.25-inch front-firing drivers alongside two 2.25-inch up-firing and two 2.25-inch side-firing units. There are also four 4-inch subwoofers for the low-end tone and a dedicated center channel with Klipsch's horn-loaded tweeter tech for clear dialogue across different volumes. Like the Flexus Core 100 and 200, the 300 is powered by Onkyo electronics as both it and Klipsch (among other brands) are owned by VOXX International.Around back, there's an HDMI 2.1 output with 8K passthrough as well as an HDMI eARC input. An RCA jack can be used to connect a subwoofer, and both Blueooth 5.3 and WiFi connectivity are here. Standard soundbar audio features like Dialog Boost and Night Mode are on the spec sheet as well, as is compatibility with the Klipsch Connect Plus app for customization and various settings.The Flexus Core 300 will be available this winter for $999. Klipsch will also offer a new set of surround speakers for $399 and a new 12-inch subwoofer for $499, but nothing extra comes with the soundbar unless you add them on.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/klipschs-latest-soundbar-is-the-first-to-come-with-dirac-live-room-calibration-130010808.html?src=rss

Clearview AI is back in hot - and expensive - water, with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) fining the company 30.5 million ($33.6 million) for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The release explains that Clearview created "an illegal database with billions of photos of faces," including Dutch individuals, and has failed to properly inform people that it's using their data. In early 2023, Clearview's CEO claimed the company had 30 billion images.Clearview must immediately stop all violations or face up to 5.1 million ($5.6 million) in non-compliance penalties. "Facial recognition is a highly intrusive technology, that you cannot simply unleash on anyone in the world," Dutch DPA chairman Aleid Wolfsen stated. "If there is a photo of you on the Internet - and doesn't that apply to all of us? - then you can end up in the database of Clearview and be tracked." He adds that facial recognition can help with safety but that "competent authorities" who are "subject to strict conditions" should handle it rather than a commercial company.The Dutch DPA further states that since Clearview is breaking the law, using it is also illegal. Wolfsen warns that Dutch companies using Clearview could also be subject to "hefty fines." Clearview didn't issue an objection to the Dutch DPA's fine, so it is unable to launch an appeal.This fine is far from the first time an entity has stood up against Clearview. In 2020, the LAPD banned its use, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Clearview, with the settlement ending sales of the biometric database to any private companies. Italy and the UK have previously fined Clearview 20 million ($22 million) and 7.55 million ($10 million), respectively, and instructed the company to delete any data of its residents. Earlier this year, the EU also barred Clearview from untargeted face scraping on the internet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/clearview-faces-a-%E2%82%AC305-million-for-violating-the-gdpr-124549856.html?src=rss

It sounds like Hopoo Games, the developer of cult hit and roguelike platformer Risk of Rain, is going on a hiatus. In an announcement on X/Twitter, the company has announced that its co-founders Paul Morse and Duncan Drummond, "alongside many other talented members at Hopoo Games," will now be working for Valve. The company is stopping the production of an unannounced game called Snail as a result, and it's not quite clear if it will ever pick up from where it left off in the future. Hopoo also didn't say how many of its staff members are joining Valve and how many chose to leave or had been left out of the deal. "...[F]or now - sleep tight, Hopoo Games," one of the company's tweets reads.

British tech billionaire Mike Lynch died in August after the yacht he was on capsized off the coast of Sicily. Yet, Hewlett-Packard is continuing its UK lawsuit, seeking up to $4 billion in damages -just against his estate instead. In a statement, HP said it intended "to follow the proceedings through to their conclusion."Lynch and HP have been at odds since the entrepreneur sold his company, Autonomy, to HP for $11 billion in 2011. One year later, a new management team at HP valued the company at only $8.8 billion and accused Lynch of inflating sales, accounting improprieties and misleading HP overall. In June, a US jury found Lynch not guilty on all 15 counts of fraud.However, in 2022, HP won its civil claim in the UK when a high court judge found Lynch and his former finance director, Sushovan Hussain, had defrauded the company - a claim Lynch denied until his death. The amount paid out to HP should be decided soon, though the judge stated in his initial ruling that the damages would likely be "substantially less than is claimed."Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and five others died when Bayesian, an 183-foot super-yacht, was caught in a violent storm early in the morning on August 19. Fifteen other passengers were rescued, including Lynch's wife, Angela Bacares. The outing had been a celebration of Lynch's recent acquittal, with a mix of loved ones and business associates joining him on board.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hp-is-seeking-up-to-4-billion-from-mike-lynchs-estate-120027940.html?src=rss

No stranger to heady prices, Bang & Olufsen is taking its high-end design (and price multiplier) to headphones with the Beoplay H100. Following the $999 Beoplay H95, the H100 is over 50 percent more expensive, at $1,549.In B&O tradition, the Beoplay H100 is made of premium materials, with lambskin leather pads and a scratch-resistant glass touch interface on the outside of the ear cups. The company says it was inspired by fine jewelry for the black, sand and apricot color options. B&O says it doubled the active noise cancellation (ANC) performance of the H95 for this set, with 10 microphones to help offer an improved transparency mode.The company says the H95 has been its most successful headphones to date," but it didn't specify whether that was units sold or sheer insane profit margins. Still, I want to try a pair.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedStarlink is refusing to comply with Brazil's X banResident Evil mobile ports now require an online check-in before you can playDisney cuts DirecTV customers' access to ABC, ESPN and moreYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!NYT Connections bot uses AI to highlight the top wrong answersYou'll get a daily skill score.The New York Times' daily word game isn't exactly easy. The solve rate dips below 50 percent some days, apparently, so why not rub it in? I mean, highlight the most common mistakes? After winning or losing each day's game, you can saunter to the Connections Bot. As with the bot for Wordle, you'll see how well you did compared with other players and receive a skill score out of 99. This is primarily based on how few mistakes you make.Continue reading.The UK government is looking into Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing modelIt's after maddening prices for Oasis' reunion tour.The UK government will look into the company's dynamic pricing model after millions of Oasis fans scrambled over the weekend for tickets to the band's reunion tour . Once fans got through hours-long queues to make their purchase, some found the price of a standing ticket was suddenly 2.5 times more expensive - in one case, going up from 135 to 337.50 ($177 to $444). Ticketmaster often gives customers just seconds to decide whether to complete a purchase once tickets are in their cart, so they don't have much time to determine whether such a hefty price increase is worth it. It was also a great time to resurface a vintage Liam Gallagher tweet from 2017, complaining about ticket prices to see his brother's band, which was touring the US.Continue reading.Thank Goodness You're Here is a vibrant, funny, unashamedly silly gameIt's a very northern English edition of TMA.Coal SupperIt's called a slap-former.'Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-bang--olufsens-new-headphones-cost-over-1500-111432298.html?src=rss

Luxury audio brand Bang & Olufsen is know for its high-end design and equally exorbitant prices. Typically the company's earbuds and headphones are more expensive than most competitors, but not astronomically so. That's changed with the company's flagship noise-cancelling headphones though. Following the $999 Beoplay H95, B&O has announced the Beoplay H100 that will cost you $1,549. The company says the H95 have been its "most successful headphones to date," and the H100 has a number of improvements over that model. Like most B&O headphones, the Beoplay H100 is crafted with premium materials, from the lambskin leather ear pads to the use of aluminum and knitted cloth. There's even a scratch-resistant glass touch interface on the outside of the ear cups. The company says it was inspired by fine jewelry for the black, sand and apricot color options, all of which combine the "solid sheen of aluminum, softness of leather, and cold-to-the-touch glass" for what B&O describes as "design excellence." The inner headband and ear pad are both detachable, so you can replace them if they become overly worn or dirty. Inspired by the company's Beolab 90 speaker, the Beoplay H100 packs in 40mm drivers with "sound clarity and dynamic performance that you normally only hear on high-end loudspeakers." High-resolution audio is in the mix, with support for 96 kHz/24-bits tunes. Dolby Atmos is also in play, with head tracking available if you're into that. B&O says its adaptive audio tech, which it calls EarSense, monitors the fit of the headphones and adjusts the sound profile in real time. Bang & Olufsen B&O says it doubled the active noise cancellation (ANC) performance of the H95 for this set, employing 10 microphones that also provide what the company describes as its best transparency mode yet. What's more, a dial on the outside of the ear cups rotates to find your preferred level of so-called TrueTransparency. There's also a Quick Listen mode when you need to pay attention to your surroundings at second's notice, but don't necessarily want to leave transparency enabled. Of course, there are also lofty claims of crystal clear calls "even in very demanding situations," but that's the expected refrain from any headphone company. The company has been designing its speakers and other audio gear for longevity for a while now. B&O says its building products to they can be updated for years before becoming obsolete. It's also making them easier for technicians to service, and all of this applies to the H100. That's definitely something you need to harp on when you're asking over $1,000 for a set of cans. Aside from the aesthetic upgrades users can complete themselves, the company says the design of the headphones enables quick access for service to batteries, glass surfaces, drivers and circuit boards. Software "won't be surpassed by new technology," the company explains, with key features like wireless high-resolution audio and three-device multipoint Bluetooth among the future updates. Similar to AirPods Max, the Beoplay H100 enters a low-power mode when it's outside of the carrying case but not being worn. The company says the headphones can remain in this state for up to 90 days, ready to be used as soon as you put them on. If you store them in the case though, the headphones will fully power off. The H100 will last up to 34 hours on a charge with ANC on, which is four hours less than the more affordable H95. The Beoplay H100 is available today from B&O stores and the company's website. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bang-and-olufsen-debuts-beoplay-h100-headphones-that-cost-1549-070041891.html?src=rss

A federal judge has ruled that social media companies can't be required to block certain types of content from teens. The ruling will prevent some aspects of a controversial social media law in Texas from going into effect.The ruling came as the result of tech industry groups' challenge to the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, a Texas law that imposes age verification requirements and other policies for how social media companies treat teenage users. But, as The Verge points out, the measure also requires companies to prevent the known minor's exposure to harmful material," including content that glorifies" self-harm and substance abuse.It's that latter requirement that was struck down, with the judge saying that a state cannot pick and choose which categories of protected speech it wishes to block teenagers from discussing online." The judge also criticized the language used in the law, writing in his decision that terms like glorifying" and promoting" are politically charged" and undefined."At the same time, the judge left other aspects of the law, including age verification requirements and bans on targeted advertising to minors, in place. NetChoice, the tech industry group that challenged the law, has argued that measures like the Scope Act require major tech companies to increase the amount of data collected from minors.The Texas law, originally passed last year, is one of many across the country attempting to change how social media platforms deal with underage users. New York recently passed two laws restricting social media companies' ability to collect data on teenage users, and requiring parental consent for younger users to access addictive" features like algorithmic feeds. California lawmakers also recently passed a measure, which has yet to be signed into law by the governor, that requires social media companies to limit notifications to minors and restrict them from addictive" algorithms.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/social-media-companies-cant-be-forced-to-block-teens-from-seeing-harmful-content-judge-rules-221321184.html?src=rss

It's not only Taylor Swift fans and the US government who aren't happy about Ticketmaster. The UK government is set to look into the company's dynamic pricing model after millions of Oasis fans scrambled for tickets to the band's reunion tour over the weekend.Once fans got through hours-long queues to make their purchase, some found that the price of a standing ticket was suddenly 2.5 times more expensive - in one case, going up from 135 to 337.50 ($177 to $444). Ticketmaster often gives customers just seconds to decide whether to complete a purchase once tickets are in their cart, so they don't have much time to determine whether such a hefty price increase is worth it.Many fans didn't manage to buy Oasis tickets before they sold out on Ticketmaster. So, if they really want to see Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage together for the first time in 16 years, they may have to resort to resale sites where some touts are trying to sell tickets for nearly $8,000 each.The chaos and complaints about the dynamic pricing model caught the attention of Lisa Nandy, the UK's culture secretary. Nandy said it was "depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having a chance of enjoying their favorite band live," according to The Guardian.This government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of music. So we will include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queueing systems which incentivise it, in our forthcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales," Nandy said. "Working with artists, industry and fans, we can create a fairer system that ends the scourge of touts, rip-off resales and ensures tickets at fair prices."Before the Labour Party won July's general election, leader Sir Keir Starmer vowed to cap resale ticket prices for music and sports events. The government announced it would hold a consultation into the secondary-ticket market this fall and the issue of dynamic pricing will now be factored in.Ticketmaster doesn't set prices itself. The company said that's a decision for event organizers. In other words, the promoters. But artists have a say as well. Swift, Ed Sheeran and The Cure are among the big names who have opted not to use dynamic pricing on recent tours. However, Bruce Springsteen caused a stir in 2022 when he said he'd use the model.Meanwhile, Ticketmaster is in hot water Stateside. In May, the Justice Department and dozens of state and district attorneys general filed an antitrust suit in an attempt to break up Ticketmaster owner Live Nation, claiming it held an unlawful monopoly over the live entertainment industry.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-uk-government-will-investigate-ticketmasters-dynamic-pricing-model-after-oasis-chaos-195446622.html?src=rss

Starliner is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station and make its return trip to Earth uncrewed in just a matter of days, but it apparently still has a few new mysteries left in it to throw at the team before it departs. On Saturday, astronaut Butch Wilmore alerted NASA's Mission Control about an unexplained strange noise" coming from a speaker in the spacecraft, which you can hear in an audio clip of the conversation shared on a NASASpaceflight forum by meteorologist Rob Dale (spotted by Ars Technica). It starts at around the 45-second mark, ringing out on a steady beat. I don't know what's making it," Wilmore said.NASA has since said that the sound has stopped in a statement to SpaceNews' Jeff Foust on Monday, and attributed it to an audio configuration between the ISS and Starliner. It was just speaker feedback, according to the space agency.The noise was a bit of a head-scratcher over the weekend. After confirming with Mission Control on Saturday that they could hear the sound too, once Wilmore brought his mic over to the speaker, the flight controller in Houston said, It was kind of like a pulsing noise, almost like a sonar ping." Wilmore then let it play for about 20 seconds more before wrapping up the call. Just to make sure I'm on the same page, this is emanating from the speaker in Starliner," Mission Control asked, you don't notice anything else, any other noises, any weird configs in there?" The astronaut noted at the time that everything else seemed normal.The space station audio system is complex, allowing multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected, and it is common to experience noise and feedback," NASA said in its explanation to Foust on Monday. The crew is asked to contact mission control when they hear sounds originating in the comm system." The incident had no impact to the crew or Starliner's departure schedule, it added.The Boeing spacecraft has been docked with the ISS since early June, and engineers have since had their hands full trying to get to the bottom of the issues that arose during its first crewed flight. When Starliner finally heads back to Earth on September 6, it'll be leaving its crew - Wilmore and NASA astronaut Suni Williams - behind on the ISS, where they'll continue to work for the next few months while they wait for a ride home from SpaceX in February 2025.Update, September 2 2024, 2:30PM ET: This story has been updated to include a statement and explanation from NASA.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/now-theres-a-creepy-sonar-like-sound-coming-through-one-of-starliners-speakers-184751210.html?src=rss

Capcom has updated the mobile ports of several Resident Evil games to now require an internet connection when the apps are opened. As noted by Eurogamer, patch notes for the latest Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Villageupdates read, "Due to changes to the startup process, an internet connection is now required when starting this app."It's unclear why Capcom added this requirement, but it stinks. It prevents anyone taking a flight without Wi-Fi or those hoping to sneak in a little game time while camping in the middle of nowhere from playing any of these games on their phone or tablet. It mitigates the notion that mobile games can be played anywhere, but you can avoid the issue if you already have the games you want to play on your device and automatic updates are off.Several commenters on a Reddit thread that flagged the change said they'd be asking for a refund. However, Capcom may not have to be too worried about having to pay back a ton of players. There are reports that the mobile versions of the three games haven't been very successful. For instance, data suggests that just 2,000 people had paid for the iOS port of Resident Evil 7 in its first two weeks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/resident-evil-mobile-ports-now-require-an-online-check-in-before-you-can-play-161156065.html?src=rss

Connections, the daily word game from The New York Times, isn't exactly easy. In fact, the solve rate dips below 50 percent some days. To help highlight where players are going wrong, a new bot is employing AI to guess the thought process they're using for the most common mistakes every day.For the uninitiated, Connections is a word/logic game that the paper of record debuted last year. Every day, you're presented with a grid of 16 words that you have to split into four categories. There's only one solution and after four mistakes, the game is over. However, there's some trickiness afoot. There are often red herrings galore and frequently at least five viable answers for a group.I'm hooked and I've played every day since last July. It's one of our favorite games of 2023 overall (though it's perhaps not entirely original).After you win or lose each day's game, you can saunter over to the Connections Bot. As with the bot for Wordle, you'll see how well you did compared with other players and receive a skill score out of 99. This is primarily based on how few mistakes you make, but you'll get extra credit for solving the more difficult purple and blue categories first.After you see the skill score and other details (such as whether a red herring caught you out), the AI feature comes into play. This will highlight the most common incorrect guesses from that day. It will also try to guess a description for the group that players had in mind. So, for a failed guess of gutter, bowl, alley and lane, the bot might believe you were looking for a list of bowling-related terms. This is a real example from a recent game in which I made that exact mistake. Alley and lane were actually types of streets.New York TimesYour own failed guesses might not show up in the bot, though. That's because there are around 2.6 million different ways to group each grid together. Bear in mind that while you don't need a Times account to play Connections, you'll need to be logged into one to use the bot and track your scores.One other interesting thing about the bot is that it marks the first time that the Times' newsroom will regularly publish AI-generated English text. Before publication, the paper's editors will review all AI-generated responses and may edit them for style and clarity. That said, the Times notes that there's no way to use math or even artificial intelligence to reliably solve the game," so you can't really use the likes of ChatGPT to cheat at it quite yet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nyt-connections-bot-uses-ai-to-highlight-each-days-top-mistakes-145242525.html?src=rss

Thank Goodness You're Here is here; a gravy-flavored palate cleanser from all the action-adventures, Souls-likes and Metroidvanias I've played the last few months.Published by Panic Inc., the same company that unleashed Untitled Goose Game into the world, there's a certain throughline, even if the aesthetic and tone is very different. Presented in cartoon style somewhere between Cartoon Network and educational toons for preschoolers, it's an aggressively English, charmingly northern slap-former", where you play as an unnamed tiny man, who's come for a job interview at town hall. After being fobbed off by the receptionist, he has to kill time in the fictional northern-England town called Barnsworth, which is definitely 80 percent Barnsley, 20 percent plausible deniability.Thank Goodness You're Here is almost the opposite of the anarchy introduced by Untitled Goose Game: you're trying to help. Despite having no connection to Barnsworth, our little hero - in varying degrees of tininess - is inadvertently pulled into plumbing tasks, fetch quests and surreal dream-sequence meat-mangling, without ever being asked if he can help.Coal SupperWhile it is a video game, it's more like a loosely connected bunch of set pieces and vignettes. Controls are simple: you steer the little guy around the town, able only to punch (well, slap) and jump. There are a few low-stakes platforming sections, but he isn't attempting to be Mario. A lot of the joy comes from Barnsworth itself, with its nodding in-jokes, posters and signage running the comedy gamut from buttock slapping and visual gags, through to Yorkshire dialect gags and even a few digs at gaming - ludonarrative be damned!There's a running joke about wheelie-bins (in the UK, most of our garbage cans are on wheels) that made me laugh on a Sunday evening - the most dour part of my week.It's all actually funny. The writing and voicing help enrich this surreal little town as you explore, with Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) headlining and a lot of UK comedy talent including The Delightful Sausage's Chris Cantrill, currently co-creator of BBC's Icklewick FM, which shares a similar surreal northern" kind humor. (Cantrill was also just nominated for Best Show at this year's Edinburgh Fringe.)The only drawback, one that comes from the on-the-rails style of play, is that it's tragically short. But it's dense with jokes and knowing nods I'm on my second playthrough, taking in all the details, like the horny elderly couple who are never involved with any of your tasks, but always on the sidelines; the cheesy dad-jokery if you linger in a scene and let the characters to talk (I'm eating for two now... Plus I'm pregnant"); the lightly barbed references to economic decline in the north, and the unashamed exaggeration of northern or working-class stereotypes, many of which will go over American (and south-of-England) players' heads.A great example is when you launch the game, and it'll ask a question in a heavy Yorkshire dialect. Answer wrong', and the game will play out with standard english text, answer right and all the menus will be loaded with northern slang. There's nowt to panic 'bout, mind: you can flip between 'em in t' menu at any time.It's a short but rich experience. It's worth playing for the sheet lunacy of the final set piece, possibly my favorite gaming moment of the year.Thank Goodness You're Here is out now on Mac, PC, PS5 and Switch.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/thank-goodness-youre-here-is-a-vibrant-funny-unashamedly-silly-game-133030648.html?src=rss

ESPN's broadcast of the US Open was cut short for DirecTV users on Sunday after Disney issued a blackout midway through on all of its networks. It occurred after a 2019 deal expired without a new agreement for a licensing deal between the two companies.Unsurprisingly, DirecTV and Disney disagree on which company is to blame. "The Walt Disney Co. is once again refusing any accountability to consumers, distribution partners, and now the American judicial system," Rob Thun, chief content officer at DIRECTV, said in a statement. "They want to continue to chase maximum profits and dominant control at the expense of consumers - making it harder for them to select the shows and sports they want at a reasonable price."DirecTV's release also claimed that Disney mandated at the last minute that it "must agree to waive all claims that Disney's behavior is anti-competitive" to proceed with a deal. The provider further called out Disney for being unpopular with many of DirecTV's customers. It also took issue with Disney putting its "best programming," like The Bear and Only Murders In The Building, directly on streaming services while filling ABC with "cheap-to-produce primetime gameshows, unscripted spinoffs, old former ABC hits, or simulcast content."In contrast, Disney claimed that DirecTV "chose" to deny their subscribers access to content. "While we're open to offering DirecTV flexibility and terms which we've extended to other distributors, we will not enter into an agreement that undervalues our portfolio of television channels and programs," stated Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, co-chairmen of Disney Entertainment, and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN. "We invest significantly to deliver the No. 1 brands in entertainment, news and sports because that's what our viewers expect and deserve. We urge DirecTV to do what's in the best interest of their customers and finalize a deal that would immediately restore our programming."A similar disagreement occurred at the same time last year. In that instance, Disney pulled its networks from Spectrum for 12 days until making a new deal with Charter, Spectrum's parent company. The agreement brought back channels like ABC and ESPN, and Spectrum TV Select and Select Plus subscribers also got access to the Disney+ basic tier and ESPN+ (only Select Plus users). In its release, DirecTV called out this pattern, claiming that "Disney is again taking an anti-consumer approach."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/disney-cuts-directv-customers-access-to-abc-espn-and-more-123047594.html?src=rss

It's Labor Day, so tech news typically slows down. We've still got some intriguing headlines to share, though, like, er, a new Tamagotchi. Bandai's newest digital pet is made with recycled eggshells. The Original Tamagotchi Celebration digital pet is even colored like a tan/brown egg, with green and white designs with pink accents and buttons.In ways, it's a bit of a throwback compared to the recently released Tamagotchis. In May, the company re-released Tamagotchi Connection, the model with a faux antenna, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Last year's Tamagotchi Uni had WiFi connectivity and gave users access to the Tamaverse.This one is a little more basic, and it's available at Amazon, currently on pre-order for $30.- Mat SmithThe biggest stories you might have missedEngadget Podcast: iPhone 16 and Apple rumors with Bloomberg's Mark GurmanSeeking Mavis Beacon is a wild search for a lost tech iconApple reportedly plans to drop USB-A ports with the M4 Mac miniYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!There's a creepy, sonar-like sound coming through one of Starliner's speakersMission Control is trying to help figure out the source of a pulsing noise.Starliner is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station and return to Earth, uncrewed, in just a matter of days, but it's keeping the team busy before it departs. On Saturday, astronaut Butch Wilmore alerted NASA's Mission Control to an unexplained strange noise" coming from a speaker in the spacecraft. You can hear the mystery sound right here, around the 45-second mark.Continue reading.Engadget review recapThe Pixel 9 phones are surprisingly great.Given the speed of tech news and announcements, sometimes our more involved reviews might pass under the radar. Our bi-weekly (ish) recap should make sure nothing gets missed. This second edition includes our reviews of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and the latest CoPilot+ laptop from Dell.Continue reading.The best Labor Day sales from Apple, Amazon, Samsung and moreWasn't it just Prime Day?EngadgetThe final summer holiday weekend is here, and there are Labor Day sales. Historically, Labor Day isn't a big deal for tech bargains, but there are usually a few worth your time. Some good deals cut a chunk of change off several MacBook models.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-a-tamagotchi-made-with-real-egg-111507644.html?src=rss

Heart-warming little adventure games have really found a place to thrive in the Playdate. I picked up Electrolight this weekend while looking for something in the same vein as the bite-sized puzzle/exploration game, Eyeland - cute, low-commitment, not particularly difficult - and found it to be utterly charming.Electrolight is described as a tiny game about a tiny piece of light on a tiny adventure." In it, you're just a twinkle of light trying to find your way out of a computer so you can see the world. There are only a handful of rooms to explore, with a few simple puzzles to solve and items to collect that will help you advance on your mission. And there are some inspirational messages sprinkled throughout to encourage you on your journey toward new experiences.WeaktyIt's a short game that's perfect for a moment when you just want something lighthearted to keep you busy for a half-hour or so. I completed it in about 20 minutes. Electrolight only costs $2 on the Playdate Catalog.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/electrolight-is-a-short-and-sweet-playdate-adventure-game-about-branching-out-213656431.html?src=rss