Former President Donald Trump is back on Twitter (now X) more than two years after he was banned from the platform in the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol riot. On August 24th, 2023, Trump tweeted for the first time since the website reinstated his account on November 19th, 2022. His first post? An image with the mug shot taken when he was booked at the Fulton County jail in Georgia on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of 2020 Presidential elections.The image also says "Election Interference" and "Never Surrender!," along with the URL of his website. Trump linked to his website in the tweet, as well, where his mug shot is also prominently featured with a lengthy note that starts with: "Today, at the notoriously violent jail in Fulton County, Georgia, I was ARRESTED despite having committed NO CRIME."
Wing, Alphabet's aviation subsidiary, is partnering with Walmart to kick off drone deliveries from the retail chain in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metro area. The flights will begin taking off in the coming weeks" from a Walmart Supercenter in Frisco, TX, and the companies plan to expand to a second DFW location before the end of the year. The companies say the coverage area from both stores will cover 60,000 homes.The service will be available to homes within about six miles of the supported stores. Residents in those areas can order things like quick meals, groceries, essentials and over-the-counter medicines. The drones can fly up to 65 mph, and Wing says you'll get your items in under 30 minutes. They use a retractable tether to gently deliver even delicate items" - including challenging products like eggs and frozen treats.Wing's drones are largely automated and monitored remotely. Wing's technology allows operators to oversee the system from a remote location, which means pilots won't need to be stationed at stores or customer homes," Alphabet's company wrote in an announcement blog post. The aircraft essentially fly themselves, so each operator is approved to safely oversee many drones at the same time."Wing has already partnered with Walgreens for drone deliveries in the DFW region. Meanwhile, Walmart said in 2022 that its own DroneUp delivery service had covered around four million households in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia. However, the retailer reportedly laid off 418 DroneUp employees earlier this year.If you live in the DFW metroplex, you can check eligibility by installing the Wing Drone Delivery app from the App Store or Google Play. You'll need to create an account and enter your address to view the results. A coming soon" message means you'll be covered as soon as deliveries begin. If the app tells you you're not eligible, Wing says it will add new DFW neighborhoods soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wing-and-walmart-will-offer-six-mile-drone-deliveries-over-dallas-204501938.html?src=rss
Dropbox is killing off unlimited storage in its business-focused Advanced plan following a surge in shady activity. It wrote in a blog post that as other services made similar changes to limit storage capacity, it has seen an increase in people using Advanced plans "not to run a business or organization, but instead for purposes like crypto and Chia mining, unrelated individuals pooling storage for personal use cases or even instances of reselling storage."While there will of course be legitimate outliers when it comes to unlimited storage plans, Dropbox says bad actors "frequently consume thousands of times more storage than our genuine business customers, which risks creating an unreliable experience for all of our customers." It already has policies that prohibit abusive behavior, but the company says that creating a set of acceptable-use restrictions is unworkable. To that end, Dropbox is moving to a metered model.The company will gradually move current users over to the modified Advanced plan starting on November 1st. Customers will get at least a 30-day heads up before Dropbox migrates them to the new policy.Over 99 percent of customers on the Advanced plan each use less than 35TB of storage per license. Dropbox says those teams can continue to use however much storage they're taking up at the time they get migration notification, plus an extra 5TB of pooled storage for five years with no price increase to their current plans.The minority of users taking up over 35TB of storage per license will receive a similar offer but for one year. Dropbox will work with them in the aim of finding a plan that works for everyone involved in the long run. All versions of the Advanced plan will max out at 1,000TB of storage.From today onward those who buy an Advanced plan with three licenses will get a total of 15TB of pooled storage. Every additional license will add 5TB of storage. Beyond that, starting on September 18th for newcomers (November 1st for current users), Dropbox will start offering storage add-ons. These cost $10 per month for 1TB on a month-to-month payment plan, and $8 per month if purchased annually.If that all seems necessarily complicated compared with the previous version of the Advanced plan, there's only one thing for it: blame crypto bros.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/dropbox-ditches-unlimited-storage-in-its-advanced-plan-because-of-crypto-goons-195335867.html?src=rss
NASA has published the first maps from its new space-based pollution instrument, TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution). Although you won't be shocked to learn it reveals higher pollution rates in metropolitan areas, the tool can help scientists better study North American air quality on an hourly basis. Neighborhoods and communities across the country will benefit from TEMPO's game-changing data for decades to come," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson wrote in a press release today.The instrument, which launched in April and orbits at 22,000 miles above the equator, can help scientists better study the health impacts of pollutants at the neighborhood scale." It can take hourly measurements, providing insights into the effects of rush-hour traffic, smoke and ash from forest fires and how fertilizer affects farm country. The tool measures sunlight bounced off the Earth's surface, atmosphere and clouds. Gases in the atmosphere absorb the sunlight, and the resulting spectra are then used to determine the concentrations of several gases in the air, including nitrogen dioxide," NASA explained.NASA says it will share its data with partner agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since taking the first measurements earlier this month, teams have been busy checking and calibrating the satellite's systems ahead of regular hourly operations kicking off in October. NASA views the data as a boon in its quest to reach the Biden administration's climate goals.NASAThe instrument beamed back its first images on August 2nd, showing the I-95 corridor in the Northeast (New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC areas), a slice of the South (central and eastern Texas stretching to New Orleans) and a section of the Southwest (Los Angeles to Las Vegas). As expected, the maps reveal heavy nitrogen dioxide density over cities and their suburban sprawl.Detailed views of three regions show high levels of nitrogen dioxide over cities in the morning, and enhanced levels of nitrogen dioxide over major highways," NASA wrote today. As the day progresses, the morning pollution often dissipates. Later in the afternoon, it will rise again as the cities enter their second rush hour of the day."This summer, millions of Americans felt firsthand the effect of smoke from forest fires on our health," said Nelson. NASA and the Biden-Harris Administration are committed to making it easier for everyday Americans and decisionmakers to access and use TEMPO data to monitor and improve the quality of the air we breathe, benefitting life here on Earth."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-reveals-pollution-maps-gathered-by-the-tempo-space-instrument-190539536.html?src=rss
The Call of Duty franchise continues its Fortnite-ification by announcing the latest playable character will be Tomb Raider star Lara Croft. The fictional grave robber will appear in Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare II, joining recent real-life playable characters like Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Durant and various characters from the Prime Video show The Boys, among others.Publisher Activision hasn't announced details as to how you get Lara Croft on your side, though it's likely you'll have to purchase some sort of bundle to access the renowned ruins ruiner. For instance, Minaj was available as part of the $10 season 5 battle pack. There will also likely be Croft-related items, skins and weapons for sale, though her signature dual-wielded pistols should be part of the initial buy-in.Additionally, the publisher hasn't announced when Croft would officially debut as a battle-tested combatant. There's a mid-season update coming for season 5, which would be as good a place as any to introduce the treasure hunter. Engadget reached out to Activision for clarification regarding pricing and availability.In related news, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare IIIis rapidly approaching, hitting consoles in November. As for Croft, the last mainline Tomb Raider game was 2018's Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Developer Crystal Dynamics, along with Amazon, announced in December that a new game is on the way and that it'll be a single-player, narrative-driven adventure" built using unreal Engine 5. Amazon is also making a Tomb Raider TV show, though who knows when that'll premiere.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tomb-raiders-lara-croft-joins-call-of-dutys-war-effort-184948028.html?src=rss
The long-awaited web version of Threads has finally arrived. After announcing that its Twitter competitor would be accessible from browsers earlier this week, Meta's rollout is finally underway. Instagram head Adam Mosseri confirmed Thursday the update is now live for all users.That means if you've been impatiently refreshing threads.net waiting for it to be available, you should check again. Up to now, many Threads users have been frustrated by the lack of a web version. Though it was possible to manually navigate to a specific user's profile, people have been unable to browse their feeds, post, reply or even log in to their accounts from browsers.As the app has seen a significant drop-off in engagement following its initial launch, many have viewed the lack of a web version as a significant barrier to the app. Both Mark Zuckerberg and Mosseri have been promising a web version was high on their agenda for Threads, though Mosseri recently said the team was working out some bugs with the experience.Now that the web version is finally live, it will be interesting to see which of the many missing" features Threads will get next. Users have also complained about the lack of content search - right now people can only search for users, not for specific posts - and hashtags, both of which help people discover new content on Instagram and Twitter.One feature, however, that seems unlikely is the addition of DMs. Mosseri has said he's reluctant to add another inbox to user's lives, though he recently raised the possibility of incorporating Instagram DMs into the Threads experience. But he did confirm that post-editing features are in the works, so at least Threads users won't have to wait more than a decade for an edit button.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-web-version-of-threads-is-finally-here-174909701.html?src=rss
Baldur's Gate III is arguably the game of the summer, and it isn't even out on consoles yet. Developer Larian Studios has taken a "it'll be out when it's ready" approach to releasing the game on various platforms. After becoming an instant hit on Windows when it came out of early access earlier this month, Baldur's Gate III will land on PlayStation 5 and macOS on September 6th. The exact Xbox release date is still unclear, but Larian has finally confirmed the massive RPG will come to Microsoft's consoles later this year.The main reason that Larian delayed the Xbox release (and thus making Baldur's Gate III a PlayStation console exclusive for a limited time) was due to Microsoft's rules about games having feature parity on Series S and Series X. The latter is the more powerful of the two consoles and tends to deliver visuals with higher fidelity and framerates, as well as ray-tracing.We have no exclusivity deal that prevents us from launching on Xbox," Michael Douse, director of publishing at Larian Studios, wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) last month. The issue is a technical hurdle. We cannot remove the split-screen feature because we are obliged to launch with feature parity, and so continue to try and make it work."
The US Department of Justice just sued SpaceX, alleging that the company engaged in discriminatory hiring practices against refugees and asylum seekers. The suit says that these practices occurred between 2018 and 2022 and that SpaceX wrongly claimed" that export control laws limited it to hiring US citizens and lawful permanent residents.The DOJ began its investigation in 2020 when the department's Immigrant and Employee Rights Section received complaints of employee discrimination. Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, said in a statement that the investigation found that SpaceX failed to fairly consider or hire asylees and refugees because of their citizenship status" going on to say that this amounted to a ban" regardless of their qualifications. This is a violation of federal law.The investigation also found that SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged" these people from seeking employment with the company.The DOJ lawsuit seeks damages and back pay for asylees and refugees who were deterred or denied employment at SpaceX." It also seeks civil penalties and hiring policy changes from the company. The Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) even alleges that SpaceX ignored a subpoena related to the suit in 2021, forcing the DOJ to request a judge order the company to comply with document requests.The IER opened this probe in 2020 after claimant Fabian Hutter alleged discrimination after losing a spot at SpaceX when asked about his citizenship status during a job interview. It's requesting other alleged victims to come forward and contact the department, particularly if they were discouraged from applying to SpaceX due to citizenship concerns.Is this the only Elon Musk-led company facing legal troubles regarding hiring practices and employee treatment? Of course not! The self-proclaimed Technoking of Tesla" faced penalties when a federal court found that Musk made unlawful threats surrounding employee compensation and unions. There's also a suit making its way through the New York courts that alleges Musk and Tesla fired workers in retaliation for union activity."Another big suit alleged a racist work environment at Tesla, which was recently settled for just over $3 million. Employees recently sued Twitter/X after Musk-led mass layoffs. The list goes on and on for the man who used to repeatedly state that he simply wants to save the world. Nowadays, he spends most of his time issuing controversial posts on X and being investigated for building literal glass houses using Tesla company funds.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-justice-department-sues-spacex-for-alleged-discriminatory-hiring-practices-172405156.html?src=rss
Uber has raised its minimum driver age in California to 25, up from 21, as initially reported byThe Associated Press. The company allegedly changed the policy because of climbing commercial auto insurance costs in the state. However, it only affects new signups; drivers already approved before Wednesday will remain eligible.In a statement to Engadget, Uber chalked the decision up to the state's insurance rates and litigation environment. California's insurance coverage requirements for rideshare are baselessly higher than nearly every other car on the road: up to 10 times that of taxis and thirty times that of personal vehicles," an Uber spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement to Engadget. As a result of these lopsided requirements, personal injury attorneys have created a cottage industry specializing in suing rideshare platforms like ours, pushing Uber's California state-mandated commercial insurance costs to rise by more than 65% in just two years. By increasing the age requirement for new drivers to 25, we hope to mitigate the growth of those costs."We hope to work with lawmakers, policy leaders, and industry experts to discuss legislative and regulatory changes that will improve the experience for all California drivers," the Uber spokesperson wrote.The new minimum age puts Uber on even ground with Lyft, which already required all US drivers to be 25 or older. The updated rules won't apply to Uber Eats drivers, who can still deliver orders as young as 19.Uber's business has bounced back since declining during the pandemic's peak. It reported its first quarterly operating profit earlier this month, crediting a 22-percent boost in trips.Update, August 24th, 2023, 5:22 PM ET: This story has been updated to change the previous driver eligibility age to 21 (rather than 19) and the comparison with taxi rates (10 times higher rather than 30 times) based on a corrected statement from Uber.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uber-raises-its-minimum-age-for-california-drivers-to-25-171116239.html?src=rss
Sony Interactive Entertainment (i.e. Sony's PlayStation division) is looking to make more waves in the audio space. It has struck a deal to buy premium headphone maker Audeze to help it "continue innovating when it comes to the audio experience of PlayStation games." Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed.Audeze will continue to operate independently and develop products for multiple platforms while "benefiting from being a part of the PlayStation ecosystem," SIE said. Audeze is a premier brand for headphones, and this acquisition highlights Sony Interactive's focus on innovation and providing the best audio experience to PlayStation players," Hideaki Nishino, SIE's senior vice president of platform experience, said in a statement. We're excited to bring Audeze's expertise into the PlayStation ecosystem, building on the great strides we've made with PlayStation 5's Tempest 3D AudioTech and the Pulse 3D wireless headset."Sony notes that Audeze's headphones use planar magnetic drivers to "deliver an outstanding sound experience" for consumers as well as audio professionals like sound engineers. This week, Sony revealed more details about new earbuds and a headset for the PlayStation 5 and the PlayStation Portal handheld. Both the Pulse Explore earbuds and Pulse Elite headset have custom planar magnetic drivers.SIE also said that both upcoming audio devices employ new lossless low-latency tech called PlayStation Link, which is primarily designed for PS5 and PlayStation Portal. The tech will also work on PC and Mac with the use of a USB dongle. The Pulse Explore and Pulse Elite will arrive later this year for $200 and $150, respectively.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/playstation-is-buying-premium-headphone-brand-audeze-170022395.html?src=rss
If you've been looking to pick up a spare gamepad for your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or PC, it might be a good time to pull the trigger, as Microsoft's official Xbox Wireless Controller is on sale for $44 at Amazon and Walmart. Microsoft itself has the device for a dollar more. While this isn't an all-time low - we saw the controller go for $5 less over Black Friday, for instance - the Xbox pad has typically retailed in the $50 to $55 range in recent months. Note that this price applies to the white, black and red models; the pink, green and "electric volt" colorways, which usually cost $5 more, are each on sale for $49.The Series X/S controller has the same broadly comfortable shape as older Xbox pads, with responsive face buttons and triggers, smooth joysticks and a pleasing sense of heft. Its d-pad is much more clicky than the one on Sony's DualSense PS5 controller, and it still uses an asymmetrical joystick layout, but whether those are negatives is largely a matter of preference. There's Bluetooth for pairing with a PC or mobile device, as well as a dedicated "Share" button for capturing screenshots and gameplay clips. While you don't get the advanced haptic feedback features of the DualSense, the whole thing is a bit less wide, and it's generally easier to use on a PC, especially if you use clients besides Steam. Alternatives like the 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller and Microsoft's own Elite Series 2 pad (which is on sale for $140) offer a wider array of features, but if you just need the basics, the standard Xbox controller should do the job.The main hang-up is that it still relies on AA batteries for power. That lets it last longer on a charge than the DualSense, but you'll have to buy a separate rechargeable battery pack if you don't want to swap out batteries on the regular. If you can live with that hassle, however, you can lessen the need to buy new batteries by grabbing a pair of rechargeable AAs like the Panasonic Eneloops.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/microsofts-official-xbox-wireless-controllers-drop-to-44-163108814.html?src=rss
CVS Health is launching a new subsidiary unit, Cordavis, that will collaborate with drug manufacturers to produce biosimilar products, or medications that are near identical to an already approved and existing drug. This unit will commercialize and co-produce FDA-approved biosimilar products to U.S. markets, which will likely have a trickle-down effect on the way consumers buy drugs by increasing competition and driving down prices.This subsidiary will not reinvent the wheel with new drugs. All the biosimilar products produced will be highly similar to an already approved biologic medicine but will still undergo testing and approvals to ensure they are highly comparable in terms of safety, efficacy and quality. If generic drugs are the Kirkland brand of medication - an identical product made cheaper through the expiration of a patent - biosimilars are more like Amazon Basics: less expensive, legally distinct but functionally the same as what they imitate. CVS claims that Cordavis will "help ensure consistent long-term supply of affordable biosimilars" when it officially debuts at the beginning of 2024.The first confirmed offering from Cordavis in the near future is Hyrimo, a biosimilar of the drug Humira. Humira is an injectable drug that is used to treat a range of diseases, including Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis in adults. The drug is a popular prescription that generated its maker AbbVie net revenues of $3.5 billion in global sales in the second quarter of 2023. It has a list price of nearly $7,000 a month, making it a prime drug worth diluting in the competitive pharmaceutical landscape. Cordavis says its biosimilar for Humira will list under a new private label and will be 80 percent cheaper than the current list price of the drug. This early offering gives just a snapshot of the kind of influence Cordavis can have on disruption in the drug manufacturing space.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cvs-health-will-begin-manufacturing-cheaper-biosimilar-drugs-153019696.html?src=rss
Discord started notifying users affected by a March data breach on Monday, about three months after the communications server went public about the attack in May. Of the 150 million monthly users that Discord reports to have, only 180 had sensitive information exposed in the attack, according to a data breach notification filed with the Office of the Maine Attorney General. That means if you're a Discord user, you're much more likely to be impacted by the Discord.io breach that impacted 760,000 users earlier this month, and ultimately led to the site shutting down.Discord.io let Discord users make custom links for their channels. On August 14, a major data breach caused by a vulnerability in the website's code let a third-party attacker steal information and put it up for sale on a breached data forum. That includes hashed passwords, billing information and Discord IDs."We have decided to take down our site until further notice," Discord.io wrote in a post. The company plans a "a complete rewrite of our website's code, as well as a complete overhaul of our security practices" as it looks for a way to mitigate the breach and prevent future problems.This is different from the Discord breach that the company may have reached out to you about this week. A separate incident, affecting Discord and not the separate Discord.io entity, happened earlier this year when an unauthorized user gained access to Discord data via a third-party service provider. The hacker stole data on service tickets, which included personal information like driver's license numbers, for 180 users. Discord is reaching out via email to let impacted users know about the incident, and offering credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to prevent further damage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/discord-data-breach-personal-information-discordio-shutdown-142950237.html?src=rss
CNN+ lasted barely over a month before Warner Bros. Discovery pulled the plug last year amid reports of abysmally lower viewer numbers. But the company still thinks there's room for live news from CNN on a streaming service.It's bringing CNN Max to all Max tiers in the US at no extra cost on September 27th. The new round-the-clock service will be part of an open beta for news that will enable experimentation with product features, content offerings and original storytelling, all with the input and feedback from the Max community," WBD said in a press release.CNN Max will feature original programming, as well as live programs from CNN US and CNN International. New shows include CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, Rahel Solomon, Amara Walker and Fredricka Whitfield and CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto. The streaming channel will feature several CNN tentpoles as well, like Amanpour, Anderson Cooper 360, The Lead with Jake Tapper and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.Meanwhile, WBD will rename Max's CNN Originals hub to CNN Max. Non-news CNN programming like Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown and Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy will be available through this hub, along with the new 24/7 channel and more than 900 episodes of new and classic programming.CNN Max is perhaps a less-risky bet for WBD than CNN+. CNN sank hundreds of millions of dollars into that endeavor. CNN+ was more personality-centric, while it seems CNN Max will be aligned with CNN proper's approach to news. Having a blend of CNN and original programming should help keep costs down too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/a-live-cnn-streaming-channel-is-coming-to-max-in-september-141316706.html?src=rss
Blink is today announcing its latest external security camera, the Blink Outdoor 4, which boasts better image quality, improved low-light sensitivity and a wider field of view. For the quality claims, the proof will be in the viewing, but in terms of hard figures, the field of view has increased from 110 degrees to 143 degrees. It says the better image quality both in day, and night, are thanks to the company's latest slice of custom silicon, which offers on-device computer vision. What hasn't changed is the claim of two years' battery life before you'll need to replace the pair of AA batteries nestled inside.It's the second Blink device to offer person detection after its wired floodlight camera, which was announced around this time last year. But that feature is only available if you opt for Blink's add on subscription plan, which will set you back $3 a month or $30 for the year. Do so and you'll also get the ability to get dual-zone motion detection and more fine-grain alerts depending on what's going on in your yard. It's available to order today, with $119.99 getting you one camera and a Sync Module 2, which enables you to hook the device to your local WiFi network.At the same time, the company has taken the time to brag about its surge in popularity in the last year. It claims a more than 40 percent increase in sales, with more than 60 percent of that being to customers new to the brand. Of course, that's probably aided in part by its focus on affordable hardware that's been supercharged by Amazon's regular, and generous, discounts on its first-party devices.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/blinks-outdoor-4-security-camera-offers-sharper-video-day-and-night-140100728.html?src=rss
Maybe it's from the years of Apple offering students a new pair every year with a Macbook or iPad purchase, but something about the end of summer makes a sale on Beats headphones feel right. The latest pair to tout a discount is the new Beats Studio Pro, an update six years in the making. Right now, its down from $350 to $250 - a 29 percent price cut - and its first sale since debuting in July.The Beats Studio Pro is a good over-the-ear, noise-canceling option - especially for $100 off. We gave it an 81 in our review and were especially impressed with its improved sound quality with dynamic head tracking. This upgrade provides a more immersive sound and really reignites some old favorite songs. The Studio Pro also has up to 40 hours of battery life, transparency mode and three EQ modes - Conversation, Signature and Entertainment - in USB-C audio mode. Though, they don't have automatic pausing or the most comfortable feel on the market.If you're looking for a cheaper option, the Beats Studio Buds + are another relatively new addition to the company's lineup and are currently 24 percent off - dropping from $170 to $130. These earbuds scored an 84 in our May review, partly because of their sticker price. The Studio Buds + also have enhanced noise canceling and sound quality compared to their predecessor. Plus, its battery life expanded by 16 percent and it got new air vents on its front and side.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/beats-studio-pro-headphones-are-100-off-right-now-131517683.html?src=rss
Has there ever been a game like No Man's Sky? It was dead on arrival when it launched seven years ago, but developer Hello Games has methodically updated the title, adding new features, steadily increasing its popularity and eventually surpassing the lofty expectations for the game's original release. To that end, there's already been three fairly beefy updates this year alone, but get ready for a fourth. The developer just dropped No Man's Sky: Echos to commemorate the seventh anniversary of everyone's favorite space sim.The update brings some nifty new gameplay elements, like a race of sentient robots that promise rich, new story content" and the ability to create your own robot avatar for battles and resource collection. Count on plenty of robot-centric missions and all kinds of affiliated resources to collect and use for building projects.Space combat also gets an overhaul here, with an emphasis on huge space battles" with pirate freighters. With Echos, freighters are able square up against other freighters for the first time, leading to some truly nasty and epic space-based encounters. There's also new mechanics for defending fleets from pirates.Those are the two big highlights, but the update doesn't stop there. Players can now find and trade scrap weapons, including the just-released Atlas weapon. There's also a new holographic museum that lets you display your favorite discoveries in your base for other players to visit.Beyond gameplay elements, Echos fixes bugs and improves rendering quality, stability and performance." PSVR2 players get a graphics boost via foveated rendering and Switch players get anti-aliasing for crisper visuals in both handheld and docked mode.Of course, there's likely a reason Hello Games is releasing this update now, at the end of August. No Man's Sky has never really had any competition in the fly around the universe and goof around" genre, but Bethesda's Starfield launches on September 6.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/no-mans-sky-update-brings-sentient-robots-and-freighter-to-freighter-combat-130022875.html?src=rss
Since it hit the roads last year, the Platinum edition has been Ford's top-spec trim for the F-150 Lightning. But sometime in early 2024, Ford is releasing the first buzz" vehicle for its electric truck which boasts an all-new color scheme that transforms the company's flagship heavy-duty EV into a truly menacing (but still stylish) machine.Limited to a run of just 2,000 vehicles with individually numbered badges, even though the Platinum Black edition is largely an appearance pack, it gives off a very different vibe than a regular model. The biggest change is the use of a matte black exterior wrap, which Ford says is the first of its kind on any of its production vehicles. However, the commitment to a new color scheme doesn't stop there, because Ford tweaked a ton of little elements to drive the design home.In front, Ford smoked out the Platinum Black's headlights to add a little extra drama. The company also updated basically all of the truck's badges, eliminating the blue background on the traditional Ford emblem along with the blue detailing on the Lightning logo on the bed, the tailgate and elsewhere. One small but notable design change from the standard model is that on the Platinum Black, Ford also got rid of the fake charging port on the right side of the vehicle, which is something I can get behind. If we can all agree that EVs don't need fake grilles in front, that's a pretty logical next step. After all, most ICE cars don't bother adding faux gas covers for the sake of symmetry, so EVs shouldn't either.Some small departures to Ford's matte color scheme are the use of glossy Agate Black paint on the side mirrors, door handles and running boards, which hide fingerprints better than flat black. Meanwhile on the inside, the F-150 Platinum Black features Nirvana black upholstery (with heated and cooled seats), which is exclusive to this trim. But what really completes the look is the Platinum Black's wheels which, as you've probably guessed, are also matte black including their matching black lug nuts.The rest of the car shares the same underlying tech and features as the standard Platinum model, which includes upgraded motors that deliver 580 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque along with Ford's extended battery that provides up to 300 miles of range. You also get the 15-inch touchscreen infotainment system, premium 18-speaker B&O sound system, support for Ford's Blue Cruise hands-free highway driving feature and more.The only real downside is that in addition to being limited to just 2,000 vehicles, the new top-spec version of Ford's flagship EV truck also commands a very premium price of $97,995. But if you have the funds and want to try to put your name down on the order sheet, you're going to have to pay close attention to Ford's website when pre-orders for the Platinum Black F-150 Lightning go live sometime later this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ford-f-150-lightning-platinum-black-first-look-a-menacing-new-trim-for-fords-flagship-ev-truck-130002999.html?src=rss
Amazon's latest deal makes it easier to secure your home without breaking the bank. The Labor Day sale includes 35 percent off the company's Blink Video Doorbell (reduced to $39 from its original $60). You can also order a bundle including the doorbell and one Blink Mini module to use as a chime for $64 (30 percent off its typically $95). In addition, Amazon has standalone Blink Mini deals starting at $25, and you can snag the Blink Wired Floodlight for $60 (40 percent off). Most of the deals approach Prime Day lows.The Blink Video Doorbell captures video at 1080p resolution. It has infrared capabilities for nighttime recording, motion detection and two-way audio. You can install the doorbell wired or wireless; it requires a Blink mini (bundled with the doorbell for $64) for an indoor chime if you decide not to use your home's existing wiring. It lets you view a live feed of who's at your door with a paired phone or an Alexa device with a display. The doorbell can provide alerts via Alexa devices, it runs on two (included) AA batteries and Amazon says it's sealed for protection against rain.Amazon also has several Blink Mini bundles on sale. You can pick up a single unit for $25 (typically $35), a two-pack for $46 (usually $65) or a three-pack for $64 (regularly $100). The Blink Mini is a wired entry-level indoor security camera that can outfit your home with live feeds on the cheap. The motion-activated cameras can record day or night, and they have built-in speakers and a mic for remote two-way audio.Finally, the Blink Wired Floodlight is available for $60 (40 percent off its regular $100). The device produces 2600 lumens of LED lighting with motion detection and a built-in siren. Its camera shoots in 1080p while providing a color nighttime view and two-way audio. The floodlight works with Alexa, allowing live view (for Alexa devices with screens) and voice-powered arming and disarming.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/blink-video-doorbells-and-cameras-are-up-to-40-percent-off-for-labor-day-130049836.html?src=rss
Nightdive Studios, a company known for remaking and upgrading old video games for modern consoles such as Quake II, has announced remastered versions of Star Wars: Dark Forces and Turok 3 Shadow of Oblivion. In the Dark Force's case, Nightdive worked in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games to breathe new life into the title using its KEX Engine.The Dark Forces is a first-person shooter developed by the now defunct LucasArts and first released almost 30 years ago in 1995. This new version supports 4K gameplay at 120FPS and features cut scenes that look like they came straight out of much newer titles. Players can earn trophies and achievements and, of course, it now supports gamepads for modern consoles, because it's "coming soon" to the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. Nightdive hasn't revealed an exact release date yet, but it has promised another announcement later this year.Meanwhile, Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion is a remastered version of the original first-person shooter released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64. Nightdive had also previously updated the first two games in the trilogy, Turok and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, for young gamers and those who want to play them again on newer devices. Like the Dark Forces, the company remastered Turok 3 using its KEX Engine. The game supports 4K resolution at 120FPS, features improved lighting and rendering, as well as upgraded gameplay and platform-specific features. According to IGN, the remaster contains some new content, including a new area and a new heads-up display (HUD) view. Nightdive doesn't have a release date for Turok 3 either, but those interested can now add it to their wishlist on Steam.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-wars-dark-forces-and-turok-3-to-be-remastered-by-nightdive-studios-114002864.html?src=rss
Several months back, Sony teased a dedicated remote-play device for the PlayStation 5. Now it's got a name and a price. The PlayStation Portal will cost $200 when it lands later this year,.Aesthetics-wise, it looks like a tablet wedged between two halves of a DualSense controller. The eight-inch LCD screen can stream games at up to 1080p visuals at 60 fps. The device also includes DualSense features, such as haptic feedback. It can stream games from your PS5 console, so when someone else is using the TV or you're in another room (or even traveling), you can still play remotely via WiFi.SonyBut it's shaping up to be a surprisingly limited device if you're outside of WiFi networks. PlayStation Portal doesn't run any apps locally, with everything pulled from your PS5. Handhelds like the Razer Edge can are able to run Android apps locally, while some third-party devices, think the ASUS ROG Ally or a Steam Deck, can remote-play your PS5, too.The biggest omission could be cloud game streaming, something available to PS Plus Premium subscribers with a PS5. Sony says cloud game streaming isn't supported on the handheld.- Mat SmithYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedArmored Core VI review: FromSoftware's latest challenge is surprisingly approachableSolo Stove cuts up to 40 percent off the price of its fire pits for Labor Day Apptronik's Apollo is the latest humanoid robot to beat Tesla to market Messenger's encrypted chats expand to more users ahead of full rollout later this year'Ahsoka' is both solid Star Wars and proof there's too much Star Wars Samsung's 57-inch ultrawide dual 4K gaming monitor arrives in October for $2,500Corsair made a huge standing deskYou can even extend the six-foot wide surface.CorsairWhen IKEA just isn't delivering, and you need your work desk to dominate your home, there's Corsair's Platform:6 Modular Computer Desk. It's six feet wide, with an additional one foot by two and a third foot extension. The flagship Platform: 6 Creator Edition desk also has a top-mounted pegboard for mounting cameras, controllers and other accessories. Every Platform:6 has a modular rail system, and you can include dual electric motors to adjust the height using an LCD controller. No price has been announced yet.Continue reading.Qualcomm's new Snapdragon G Series chips are for handheld and mobile gamingOne of the new chips is the follow-up to Snapdragon G3x, which powers the Razer Edge.Qualcomm has announced its follow-up to the Snapdragon G3x chip, which powers the Razer Edge handheld console. The company says the G3x Gen 2's CPU performance is 30 percent faster than its predecessor's, and its GPU performance is twice as fast. It's capable of powering a handheld device with cross-platform gaming capabilities, as well as devices used for Android, PC, cloud and remote console gaming.Continue reading.India is the first country to land at the Moon's south poleChandrayaan-3 is also India's first successful Moon lander.India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's Vikram lander has successfully touched down on the Moon, marking the country's first successful landing on the lunar surface. It's just the fourth country to do so after the Soviet Union, US and China. More importantly, it's the first country to land near the Moon's south pole - a difficult target given the rough terrain, but important for attempts to find water ice. Other nations have only landed near the equator.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-playstation-portal-is-a-ps5-game-streaming-handheld-111544269.html?src=rss
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air M2 is already more affordable than any other laptop the company has ever offered with this size of screen. Now, you can grab the 256GB model at Amazon for just $1,099 (in midnight and space gray), back down to the lowest price we've seen to date. And if you need even more storage, the 512GB model is available for $1,299 ($200 off), also an all-time low price.The 15-inch MacBook Air is more than just a larger version of the 13-inch model, as Engadget's Nathan Ingraham discovered during his review. While it's still as thin and light as you'd expect, he found that the combination of the large screen and powerful processing made it good enough that he could see using it as his only computer.That's in large part due to Apple's M2 chipset that gives the 15-inch Air a great price to performance ratio. It also offers a comfortable keyboard and trackpad, plus battery life that actually exceeded the company's 18 hour spec for video playback during out testing. The bigger screen has a 2,880 x 1,864 resolution, but it shares the same pixels per inch (224) as that of the 13-inch version. Though it lacks the punch of the mini LED displays found on the MacBook Pros, the Liquid Retina panel still offers 500 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate.While Apple's M2 chipset is a year old at this point, the 15-inch Air model only came out in June so it's unlikely to be refreshed anytime soon. If your focus is content creation, a MacBook Pro might be a better choice. But if you do a mix of things from productivity to video editing, the 15-inch Air is an great choice - especially for road warriors who want to carry the least amount of weight possible. If you want to grab either the 256GB or 512GB models, it's best to act soon, though, as stock tends to run out fast.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/apples-15-inch-macbook-air-m2-falls-back-to-1099-105550693.html?src=rss
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Toronto Cash's founders with counts of money laundering and sanction violations. The cryptocurrency mixer first faced US sanctions last year for allegedly laundering over $7 billion in stolen funds. The DOJ now alleges that Toronto Cash facilitated $1 billion in money laundering, including $455 million funneled through the mixer by a North Korean cybercrime organization, the Lazarus Group. The overall charges include "conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit sanctions violations, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business." Co-founder Roman Storm was arrested in Washington State, while the other half of Toronto Cash, Roman Semenov, is still at large.The US government is attempting to send a strong message about using cryptocurrency for illegal purposes. "These charges should serve as yet another warning to those who think they can turn to cryptocurrency to conceal their crimes and hide their identities, including cryptocurrency mixers: it does not matter how sophisticated your scheme is or how many attempts you have made to anonymize yourself, the Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for your crimes," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.If you're unfamiliar, a cryptocurrency mixer is a service that makes it harder to track funds from their origin to the new owner. Most blockchains, like Bitcoin and Ethereum, are visible, so a mixer helps individuals hide their money flow - whether it be for reasonable or illegal activities. Chainalysis, a cryptocurrency analysis firm, found that in 2022, crypto addresses known for unlawful activity used mixers in almost 10 percent of transactions.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/doj-charges-tornado-cash-co-founders-for-laundering-over-1-billion-in-crypto-101017912.html?src=rss
If you've been wondering who's making the most money from the AI boom, NVIDIA may have the answer in it's latest earnings report. The company announced revenue of $13.51 billion in the second quarter, more than doubling the $6.7 billion it made last year and crushing market expectations. On top of that, it earned $6.18 billion in GAAP net income, nine times the $656 million it made in Q2 2022.NVIDIA's gaming segment did pretty well too, thanks to $2.49 billion in Q2 revenue, up 22 percent from last year. During the quarter, it started shipping the budget-oriented GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, announced the Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE) for games and saw the addition of 35 DLSS games including Diablo IV. (Earlier this week, it unveiled DLSS 3.5 designed to use AI to make ray-traced games look better.)But it was very much the AI and data center segments that pushed NVIDIA to new heights. It saw a record $10.32 billion in revenue in that sector alone, up 141 percent from Q1 2023 and 171 percent from a year ago.Earlier this year, CEO Jensen Huang said that back in 2018, NVIDIA had a "bet the company" moment when it started using AI to power DLSS, "and while we were reinventing CG with AI, we were reinventing the GPU for AI." He later added that "the future is a large language model (LLM) at the front of just about everything," from VFX to heavy industry.NVIDIA's prescience is now paying off with the company's flagship H100 Tensor Core GPU. It's also been building more complex systems like the HGX box, which puts eight H100 GPUs into a single computer. All of that helped it create immense cashflows with top customers spending heavily on NVIDIA GPU tech to build complex AI models - like Microsoft with its Azure segment.In addition, the company's use of custom software and apps makes it difficult for customers to switch rivals like AMD. "Our Data Center products include a significant amount of software and complexity which is also helping for gross margins," said NVIDIA finance chief Colette Kress in an analyst call.All that led to a perfect storm of profit. "During the quarter, major cloud service providers announced massive NVIDIA H100 AI infrastructures. Leading enterprise IT system and software providers announced partnerships to bring NVIDIA AI to every industry. The race is on to adopt generative AI," Huang said in a statement. "Companies worldwide are transitioning from general-purpose to accelerated computing and generative AI." The company expects more to come, forecasting around $16 billion in revenue for Q3.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidia-records-mega-profits-thanks-to-its-ai-chip-business-084552302.html?src=rss
Apple officially endorsed Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman's Right to Repair Bill in California, according to iFixit. Reuters says the tech giant even sent legislators in the state a letter, urging them to pass Senate Bill 244, which requires companies to provide consumers and third-party providers the repair diagnostics and parts needed to be able to repair their products. iFixit's CEO Kyle Wiens called Apple's endorsement "a watershed moment for consumer rights." He said it "feels like the Berlin Wall of tech repair monopolies is starting to crumble, brick by brick," because the bill's passing could lead to a more competitive market offering cheaper repairs.If SB 244 becomes a law, the parts, tools and documentations needed to repair products that cost between $50 and $100 will have to be available in the state for three years after the last date they were manufactured. Meanwhile, repair materials for products over $100 will have to be available for seven years. With those rules in place, manufacturers can't refuse to make information or components available after people's warranty periods are over. Companies violating the law will be fined $1000 per day for their first violation, $2000 for their second and $5000 per day for more violations after that.As iFixit notes, Apple has had a long history of opposing Right to Repair rules and previously said that Nebraska would become a "mecca for hackers" when a bill was introduced in the state. Over the past few years, though, the tech giant has been showing signs of a change of heart. In 2021, Apple announced that it would start selling parts and tools directly to consumers and even offer repair guides to help them fix their iPhones and Macs on their own. "We support 'SB 244' because it includes requirements that protect individual users' safety and security as well as product manufacturers' intellectual property," Apple reportedly wrote in its letter.Whether Apple's endorsement can finally give the bill the support it needs to be approved remains to be seen. Eggman introduced the Right to Repair Act in California way back in 2018, but the bill was only able to amass significant backing this year. The Senate unanimously passed the bill, which will have its final hearing next week. After that, it will have to go to the floor and be approved for the final time by legislators before the governor can sign it into law.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-backs-right-to-repair-bill-in-california-072227964.html?src=rss
Amazon is still working on a Fallout TV series - and we'll finally find out next year whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. The company has revealed that the Fallout TV show will premiere on Prime Video sometime in 2024, over three years after it first announced that it was developing an adaptation of the franchise with the creators of Westworld. According to GameSpot, Bethesda's Todd Howard and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer presented a short teaser of the upcoming series at Gamescom's Xbox booth.
Back at CES in January, Alienware unveiled its first 500Hz Fast IPS monitor, which it designed for high-performance gaming. The Dell brand is set to release a new version of the display geared toward folks who have AMD graphics cards.Alienware notes that the monitor's AMD FreeSync Premium and VESA AdaptiveSync certification can enable tear- and stutter-free gaming. The AW2524HF has a low latency response time of 0.5ms which, according to Alienware, eliminates motion blur and ghosting effects.The monitor is HDR10-compatible and it has 99 percent sRGB color coverage. The Fast IPS panel is said to enable consistent visuals from any viewing angle. Alienware also claims the TUV-certified ComfortView Plus hardware feature reduces harmful low blue light while still ensuring the display delivers true-to-life colors.The monitor has a built-in retractable hanger for your headset and a height-adjustable hexagonal base that's designed to take up less space on your desk. As for connectivity, there are two DisplayPort 1.4 slots, one HDMI 2.1 port and five spaces for USB 3.2 cables.You can snap up the AW2524HF from Dell's website starting on September 12th. The monitor costs $650. Alienware will reveal UK pricing and availability later.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/alienware-is-releasing-an-amd-freesync-premium-version-of-its-500hz-gaming-monitor-040133349.html?src=rss
Meta is again facing allegations it's not doing enough to prevent the spread of hate speech and violent content in Facebook ads. A new report details eight such ads, targeting audiences in Europe, that were approved despite containing blatant violations of the company's policies around hate speech and violence.The report comes from watchdog organization Ek, which is sharing its work to draw attention to the social network's sub-standard moderation practices" ahead of the Digital Services Act (DSA) going into effect in Europe later this week. It details how, over a period of a few days in early August, the organization attempted to buy 13 Facebook ads, all of which used AI-generated images and included text that was clearly against the company's rulesEk pulled the ads before they could be seen by any users. The group requested exact wording of the ads be withheld, but offered descriptions of some of the most egregious examples. Approved ads included one, placed in France, that called for the execution of a prominent MEP because of their stance on immigration," as well as an ad targeting German users that called for synagogues to be burnt to the ground to protect White Germans.'" Meta also approved ads in Spain that claimed the most recent election was stolen and that people should engage in violent protests to reverse it.This report was based on a very small sample of ads and is not representative of the number of ads we review daily across the world," a spokesperson for Meta said in a statement. "Our ads review process has several layers of analysis and detection, both before and after an ad goes live. We're taking extensive steps in response to the DSA and continue to invest significant resources to protect elections and guard against hate speech as well as against violence and incitement."While there were a handful of ads that were stopped by Meta's checks, Ek says that the ads were prevented from running because they were flagged as political, not because of the violent and hate-filled rhetoric in them. (The company requires political advertisers to go through an additional vetting process before they are eligible to place ads.)Ek is using the report to advocate for additional safeguards under the DSA, a sweeping law that requires tech platforms to limit some kinds of targeted advertising and allow users to opt out of recommendation algorithms. (Several services, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have recently made changes to comply with the latter provision.) It also requires platforms to identify and mitigate "systemic risks," including those related to illegal and violent content.With a few clicks, we were able to prove just how easy it is for bad actors to spread hate speech and disinformation," Vicky Wyatt, Ek's campaign director, said in a statement. With EU elections around the corner, European leaders must enforce the DSA to its fullest extent and finally rein in these toxic companies."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-approved-hate-filled-facebook-ads-that-called-for-violence-in-europe-030015537.html?src=rss
Humans produce around 4.4 billion tons of concrete every year. That process consumes around 8 billion tons of sand (out of the 40-50 billion tons in total used annually) which has, in part, led to acute shortages of the building commodity in recent years. At the same time, we generate about 10 billion kilograms of used coffee grounds over the same span - coffee grounds which a team of researchers from RMIT University in Australia have discovered can be used as a silica substitute in the concrete production process that, in the proper proportions, yields a significantly stronger chemical bond than sand alone.The disposal of organic waste poses an environmental challenge as it emits large amounts of greenhouse gases including methane and carbon dioxide, which contribute to climate change," lead author of the study, Dr Rajeev Roychand of RMIT's School of Engineering, said in a recent release. He notes that Australia alone produces 75 million kilograms of used coffee grounds each year, most of which ends up in landfills.Coffee grounds can't simply be mixed in raw with standard concrete as they won't bind with the other materials due to their organic content, Dr. Roychand explained. In order to make the grounds more compatible, the team experimented with pyrolyzing the materials at 350 and 500 degrees C, then substituting them in for sand in 5, 10, 15 and 20 percentages (by volume) for standard concrete mixtures.The team found that at 350 degrees is perfect temperature, producing a "29.3 percent enhancement in the compressive strength of the composite concrete blended with coffee biochar," per the team's study, published in the September issue of Journal of Cleaner Production. "In addition to reducing emissions and making a stronger concrete, we're reducing the impact of continuous mining of natural resources like sand," Dr. Roychand said."The concrete industry has the potential to contribute significantly to increasing the recycling of organic waste such as used coffee," added study co-author Dr Shannon Kilmartin-Lynch, a Vice-Chancellor's Indigenous Postdoctoral Research Fellow at RMIT. "Our research is in the early stages, but these exciting findings offer an innovative way to greatly reduce the amount of organic waste that goes to landfill," where it's decomposition would generate large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/scientists-strengthen-concrete-by-30-percent-with-used-coffee-grounds-221643441.html?src=rss
Facebook's state-controlled media" labels appear to reduce engagement with content from authoritarian nations. A new study reveals that, with the added tags, users' engagement decreased when they noticed content labeled as originating from Chinese and Russian government-run media. However, the labels also appeared to boost user favorability of posts from Canadian state media, suggesting broader perceptions of the country play into the tags' effectiveness.Researchers with Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University and the University of Texas at Austin conducted the set of studies which explored the causal impact of these labels on users' intentions to engage with Facebook content." When users noticed the label, they tended to reduce their engagement with it when it was a country they perceived negatively.The first experiment studied 1,200 people with US-based Facebook accounts - with and without state-controlled media labels. Although their engagement with posts originating from Russia and China went down, it only had that effect if they actively noticed the label." A second test in the series observed 2,000 US Facebook users to determine that their behavior was tied to public sentiment toward the country listed on the label." In other words, they responded positively to media labeled as Canadian state-controlled and negatively toward Chinese and Russian government-run content.MetaFinally, a third experiment examined how broadly Facebook users interacted with state-controlled media before and after the platform added the labels. They concluded the change had a significant effect" as the sharing of labeled posts dropped by 34 percent after the shift, and user likes of tagged posts fell by 46 percent. The paper's authors also noted that training users on the labels (notifying them of their presence and testing them on their meaning") significantly boosted their odds of noticing them.Our three studies suggest that state-controlled media labels reduced the spread of misinformation and propaganda on Facebook, depending on which countries were labelled," Patricia L. Moravec, the study's lead, wrote in the paper's summary.However, the studies ran into some limitations in determining correlation vs. causation. The authors say they couldn't fully verify whether their results were caused by the labels or Facebook's nontransparent newsfeed algorithms, which downlink labeled posts (and make related third-party research exceedingly difficult in broader terms). The paper's authors also note that the experiments measured online users' beliefs, intentions to share, and intentions to like pages" but not their actual behavior.The researchers (unsurprisingly, given the results) recommend social companies clearly alert and inform users of labeling policy changes, explain what they mean, and display the labels in ways that users notice."As the world grapples with online misinformation and propaganda, the study's leads urge Facebook and other social platforms to do more. Although efforts are being made to reduce the spread of misinformation on social media platforms, efforts to reduce the influence of propaganda may be less successful," suggests co-author Nicholas Wolczynski. Given that Facebook debuted the new labels quietly without informing users, many likely did not notice the labels, reducing their efficacy dramatically."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebooks-state-controlled-media-labels-appear-to-reduce-engagement-212703277.html?src=rss
Mass Effect and Dragon Age studio BioWare is eliminating approximately 50 positions as parent Electronic Arts attempts to turn it into a "more agile and focused studio." The reorganization was unavoidable," according to BioWare general manager Gary McKay, as it was necessary in order to meet the studio's evolving needs."After much consideration and careful planning, we have built a long-term vision that will preserve the health of the studio and better enable us to do what we do best: create exceptional story-driven single-player experiences filled with vast worlds and rich characters," McKay wrote in the announcement. "This vision balances the current needs of the studio - namely, ensuring Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is an outstanding game - with its future, including the success of the next Mass Effect."McKay noted that BioWare is "committed to supporting" affected staff, adding that "we've chosen to act now in part to provide our impacted colleagues with as many internal opportunities as possible." The affected roles align with similar positions at other EA studios, and workers will be provided with professional assistance if they apply for any. While they will still be credited for their work on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, McKay wrote that it's "unlikely" that everyone affected will be able to find a new position at EA.The next Mass Effect game, which was announced in 2020, is still in pre-production with a team led by Mass Effect: Andromedaproducer Mike Gamble. McKay wrote that the studio's dedication to Dragon Age: Dreadwolf (which will be the first game in the series since 2014) "has never wavered" and that BioWare is "confident" of having enough time to make sure the next entry "reaches its full potential."The cuts are related to an announcement that EA CEO Andrew Wilson made in March. Wilson said the company would lay off around 6 percent of its workforce of its nearly 13,000 employees and reduce its office space footprint. BioWare is said to have around 250 workers.Along with news of the job cuts, it emerged that EA is severing ties with game services company Keywords, which was working with BioWare on Dreadwolf. EA was unable to reach a new agreement with Keywords, an spokesperson told GamesBeat, and the existing contract comes to an end on September 27th.Among other things, Keywords provides playtesting services. A group of quality assurance contractors in that part of the company voted to form the first video game labor union in Canada last year. EA has reportedly renewed contracts with Keywords since the June 2022 union vote, but it was unable to agree terms this time around amid the BioWare changes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bioware-cuts-around-50-jobs-to-become-a-more-agile-and-focused-studio-211513365.html?src=rss
Razer is releasing an Xbox Edition of its popular Kishi V2 mobile gaming controller. The device is available in two SKUs, for iPhone and Android phones, and brings plenty of Xbox-centric features into the mix. For instance, the controllers boast iconic Xbox branding and a white color-way to tie it all together.The Xbox integration isn't just cosmetic. There's updated companion software to make the most out of brand collaboration, including full integration with Game Pass and new haptics that correlate to AAA Xbox titles. That gives these controllers cross-compatibility with hundreds of games available via the platform and the magic of cloud streaming. Razer says this refresh has been optimized to ensure lag-free gaming and the various inputs have been enhanced for improved control and precision. There's also a dedicated Xbox button for powering on the controller and for initiating Game Pass.The exterior has been switched up for improved ergonomics during those lengthy Game Pass sessions. The analog bumper triggers are more pronounced and the whole thing has a soft feel that should make it rest easy in the hands during use.Of course, you aren't tied to Xbox games here. This is still a standard Kishi Pro controller that's powered by the Razer Nexus app, so you can play PC games, smartphone titles and more. To that end, there's a virtual controller mode that lets you map out buttons to match a specific game.Razer's Kishi controllers have been a big hit for the company, starting with an Android model and eventually including an iPhone version. This newest release accompanies a broader launch for the Kishi V2 Pro model, that features a headphone jack and the aforementioned haptics. The Pro controller isn't new, exactly, but it used to be exclusively tied to the Razer Edge gaming handheld device. Now you can buy it standalone in this Xbox format or via plainer options.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/razers-kishi-v2-controller-gets-an-xbox-edition-with-themed-colors-and-more-203721252.html?src=rss
208 episodes of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Three Tales of the Jedi shorts. Two episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. One movie. That's everything you'll need to see to truly understand everything going on in the new Ahsoka series on Disney+. For Star Wars diehards, especially those raised on the animated shows spearheaded by Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni, it's everything they've hoped for. Everyone else, though, may find themselves adrift.Ahsoka deftly brings animated characters to live action - Rosario Dawson remains a beguiling Ahsoka, and she's joined by Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, and Natasha Liu Bordezzo as the impulsive Sabine Wren - and it wastes no time introducing intriguing villains (especially Baylan Skoll, a former Jedi portrayed by the late Ray Stevenson). The series is a direct sequel to Rebels in almost every way. But while that's great news for fans, the downside is that newcomers to the wider Rebels verse, even those who've seen Ahsoka in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, will have a hard time finding any emotional stakes.Photo by LucasfilmWith the previous live action Star Wars TV shows (including the enjoyable-yet-unneccessary Obi-Wan Kenobi series), Filoni and co-producer Jon Favreau tried to ease general audiences into deeper aspects of Star Wars lore. That was most successful in the first season of The Mandalorian, which was filled with new characters and simple emotional stakes. (Protect Baby Yoda, no matter what it takes!) But Filoni eventually managed to bring in some characters from his animated shows, including the nefarious bounty hunter Cad Bane.For better or worse, Ahsoka feels like a riskier project than any of those other live action shows. Almost everyone refers to events and major characters from Rebels, without explaining much about who they are. We know that Grand Admiral Thrawn seems like a major new antagonist, but the show never says why. We later learn that Ahsoka is driven to find him because that may reveal the location of Ezra Bridger, the main character of Rebels who disappeared at the end of that series. Sabine and Ahsoka share some pensive moments reflecting on their lost friend, but we don't get much about their shared relationship beyond that.Photo by LucasfilmAt times watching Ahsoka is like being invited to a party where everyone else are old friends, and who refuse to explain their in-jokes or shared history. It's not their problem if you're not having as much fun as them. Deal with it. I had similar issues with The Mandalorian's third season relying too much on The Book of Boba Fett, but at least those were shows airing in close proximity. Ahsoka hinges on direct continuity from an animated series that began in 2014 and ran for four years.Of course, the series may get better down the line. Ahsoka is Filoni's baby, after all, and he's too talented of a storyteller to have her tread water for a season. And I'll admit, even the excellent Andor took a few episodes to really rev things up. I just hope this show weaves character motivations into its plot more effectively moving forward.In the first two episodes, Ahsoka is basically sent on a fetch quest when a new trio of villains pops up. There's some investigative work that sheds light on the post-Empire world (would former members of the Empire really want to support the New Republic?), but much of the time I felt like I was waiting for something, anything to happen. At least the handful of action scenes spice up the proceedings - Dawson's months of training really show in her lightsaber duels. And there are hints of interesting character dynamics moving forward.In the years since Rebels ended, it turns out Ahsoka started training Sabine as a Jedi, but then abandoned her. It's a reflection of Ahsoka's own story, where she started as Anakin Skywalker's padawan before a (very complicated) series of events pushed her out of the Jedi Order. Can Ahsoka make up for her mistakes, or is she doomed to fail her student like her master failed her?At the very least, Ahsokai's first two episodes are far more intriguing than the Book of Boba Fett or Obi-Wan's intros. Both of those shows felt superfluous - did we really need Boba Fett's backstory and redemption tale? Did seeing another Obi-Wan and Darth Vader duel really accomplish anything? At least Ahsoka is trying to push Star Wars into new territory. It's just too bad that everyone isn't invited for that journey.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ahsoka-review-star-wars-disney-193023619.html?src=rss
Google TV is about to get a heavy dose of NFL Sunday Ticket. The service, which Google won the bidding rights for last year, will soon be available (and likely promoted with gusto) on the platform. Google also offers the NFL subscription service on YouTube and YouTube TV.Starting this football season, NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube and YouTube TV will be fully integrated into Google TV in the U.S.," Google TV product managers Nick Staubach and Sal Altayyar wrote in an announcement blog post. This means you can now access live out-of-market Sunday afternoon games, see top highlights and get recommendations for top games of the week, all right on your Google TV home screen." The authors added that YouTube TV subscribers who add an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription would soon see the service in the app's live tabs.Google won the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, reportedly outbidding Apple and Amazon in late 2022 after DirecTV held the rights for nearly three decades. Annual packages for the service currently start at $399 through YouTube or $299 when bought alongside a separate ($73 / month) YouTube TV membership. Packages that include the NFL RedZone channel (for whip-around coverage of every game on Sunday afternoon") add an extra $40 onto each plan.Google also announced today that it's adding more than 25 new free channels to Google TV. The company (strangely) didn't specify the channels, but it mentioned that it would include shows like Top Gear and Baywatch. The unknown networks will join Google TV's lineup of over 800 FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-tv-is-integrating-nfl-sunday-ticket-ahead-of-the-new-season-190358886.html?src=rss
WhatsApp will now let you create small groups without first naming them. Mark Zuckerberg announced the new feature in a Facebook post (viaTechCrunch). You previously had to choose your group's name when setting it up.TechCrunch reports that unnamed groups have a cap of six members instead of the named groups' limit of 1,024 participants. In addition, WhatsApp will reportedly auto-generate placeholder names for unnamed groups based on their members. (For example, Rocco & Li-Chen" for a chat between them in Zuckerberg's sample image below.) Depending on how they've saved members' contacts, the group name will also appear differently for each member.Meta / Mark ZuckerbergWhen joining an unnamed group that includes people who haven't saved your contacts, it will reportedly display your phone number to the group. This suggests the feature is designed more for established friends, family or colleagues and less for strangers.TechCrunch reports that the feature will roll out globally over the next few weeks."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/whatsapp-lets-you-create-groups-without-naming-them-174420165.html?src=rss
Dr. Mario did not prepare us for this. In a pioneering effort, researchers from UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, in partnership with Edinburgh-based Speech Graphics, have devised a groundbreaking communications system that allows a woman, paralyzed by stroke, to speak freely through a digital avatar she controls with a brain-computer interface.Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are devices that monitor the analog signals produced by your gray matter and convert them into the digital signals that computers understand - like a mixing soundboard's DAC unit but what fits inside your skull. For this study, researchers led by Dr. Edward Chang, chair of neurological surgery at UCSF, first implanted a 253-pin electrode array into speech center of the patient's brain. Those probes monitored and captured the electrical signals that would have otherwise driven the muscles in her jaw, lips and tongue, and instead, transmitted them through a cabled port in her skull to a bank of processors. That computing stack housed a machine learning AI which, over the course of a few week's training, came to recognize the patient's electrical signal patterns for more than 1,000 words.But that's only the first half of the trick. Through that AI interface, the patient is now able to write out her responses, much in the same way Synchron's system works for folks suffering from locked-in syndrome. But she can also speak, in a sense, using a synthesized voice trained on recordings of her natural voice from before she was paralyzed - same as we're doing with our digitally undead celebrities.What's more, the researchers teamed up with Speech Graphics, the same company that developed the photorealistic facial animation technology from Halo Infinite and The Last of Us Part II, to create the patient's avatar. SG's tech reverse engineers" the necessary musculoskeletal movements a face would make based on analysis of the audio input, then feeds that data in real-time to a game engine to be animated into a lagless avatar. And since the mental signals from the patient were mapped directly to the avatar, she could express emotion and communicate nonverbally as well.Creating a digital avatar that can speak, emote and articulate in real-time, connected directly to the subject's brain, shows the potential for AI-driven faces well beyond video games," Michael Berger, CTO and co-founder of Speech Graphics, said in a press statement Wednesday. Restoring voice alone is impressive, but facial communication is so intrinsic to being human, and it restores a sense of embodiment and control to the patient who has lost that.BCI technology was pioneered in the early 1970s and has been slowly developing in the intervening decades. Exponential advancements with processing and computing systems have recently helped reinvigorate the field, with a handful of well-funded startups currently vying to be first through the FDA's regulatory device approval process. Brooklyn-based Synchron made headlines last year when it was the first company to successfully implant a BCI in a human patient. Elon Musk's Neuralink entered restricted FDA trials earlier this year after the company was found to have killed scores of porcine test subjects in earlier testing rounds.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/university-of-california-bci-study-enables-paralyzed-woman-to-speak-through-a-digital-avatar-172309051.html?src=rss
Epic Games is trying to secure more exclusive titles for its PC storefront with its latest proposals to third-party developers. The company is offering the makers of eligible games and apps 100 percent of net revenue for six months. After the exclusivity window ends, developers and publishers will still take away 88 percent of their projects' revenue, with Epic receiving a cut of 12 percent.An Epic spokesperson clarified to Engadget that net revenue the developers and publishers receive doesn't include things like taxes and refunds. Epic covers payment processing and CDN fees, as well as other marginal payments.The company, which says its launcher and store has 68 million monthly active users, will also give participants of the Epic First Run program extra exposure to get their wares in front of more eyes. The games and apps will receive "exclusive" badging and spots on the homepage. Epic will include them in various collections and promotions too.The program will be open to developers and publishers who are releasing eligible products on or after October 16th. A product will be eligible if it hasn't appeared on another third-party PC store or subscription services on said storefronts. Games and apps that already have exclusivity deals with Epic aren't eligible.Developers and publishers will still be able to sell games and apps that are included in the program directly to users via their own launchers and websites. They can also list their products on stores such as Green Man Gaming and Humble Store via the Epic Games Store's keyless redemption program.Epic already offered developers and publishers a more generous split of game and app sales than the likes of Valve, which takes a 30 percent cut of Steam sales. The promise of vacuuming up all net revenue for six months and getting extra promotion on the Epic Games Store might be compelling enough for more developers and publishers to take the exclusivity plunge there.Update, August 23rd, 2023, 3:13PM ET: The story has been updated with a clarification from Epic as to what net revenue entails.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/epic-offers-devs-100-percent-of-net-revenue-for-six-months-of-egs-exclusivity-171021764.html?src=rss
Don't tell anyone, but the Nintendo Switch emulation scene has been thriving pretty much since day one, due to an early hardware vulnerability. It's relatively simple to pirate Switch titles and play them on PCs, portable consoles like the Steam Deck and even lower-powered Android phones. This is a problem for the big N, and it's addressing it by partnering up with cybersecurity company Irdeto and its anti-tampering software suite Denuvo.Denuvo is one of the more popular software suites to minimize tampering and associated emulation. This is a middleware that developers pay for and integrate into the actual game code, thus making it much harder to emulate on other devices. The tools are common with PC titles but, until now, were unavailable for Switch developers.Though Denuvo is useful beyond the prevention of emulation, that seems to be the primary intent here, with Irdeto touting a new dev portal called the Nintendo Switch Emulation Protection program. The company calls it a revolutionary technology to protect games launching on Nintendo Switch from piracy." It also notes that Switch piracy hurts PC sales as well, as the games pirated from Nintendo's console are playable on PC, bypassing Steam, Epic and other official online retailers.Now, this might be good news for Switch devs, but Denuvo has a spotty track record, despite boasting that it has protected more than 1,000 games from emulation. This is DRM software, plain and simple, so it's known to slow down performance when installed, leading some publishers to actually remove the middleware post-launch. Additionally, there's been some high-priority misfires with the software, with hackers cracking Middle-Earth: Shadow of War in less than a day, and that's with Denuvo installed. It's also known for being quite expensive, likely putting the software out of reach for smaller studios and development teams.The Nintendo Switch is over six years old, with a successor expected in the nearish future. In other words, why did this take so long? Nobody knows. Like it or not, the developers portal goes live this week.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-switch-developers-can-now-use-denuvo-to-curb-piracy-170254484.html?src=rss
Apptronik unveiled a new workforce robot today. Named Apollo, the machine is designed to work in environments designed for, and directly alongside, humans." The android is initially intended to move and carry cases and totes in logistics and manufacturing settings. But the Austin-based Apptronik sees Apollo expanding into construction, oil and gas, electronics production, retail, home delivery, elder care" and more. Apollo follows Xiaomi's reveal of the CyberOne robot last year, which looked remarkably similar to the still-unreleased Tesla Bot.The 5-foot-8, 160-lb Apollo can lift up to 55 lbs. (Apptronik says it optimized efficiency by making its arms lighter than the weight they can lift.) It uses swappable batteries - running up to four hours per pack - which should provide more flexibility than robots that require wall charging before springing back into action. In short, this battery-based approach means greater work output for Apollo and greater operational efficiency for customers," Apptronik wrote in a press release today.ApptronikApptronik views Apollo as a robot that can adapt to the job. The company says it built modularity into Apollo's design, empowering users to decide whether Apollo is best used for their applications as a true bi-pedal walking humanoid, a torso that operates on wheels or one mounted in a stationary location." The robot has digital panels on its face and chest to provide a friendly, human-like countenance" to make workers feel comfortable working alongside it (as it potentially moves towards automating their jobs).Apptronik hasn't announced public pricing for the robot. You can read more about Apollo on the company's product page.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apptroniks-apollo-is-the-latest-humanoid-robot-to-beat-tesla-to-market-164246161.html?src=rss
Solo Stove might just come to your aid if you're hoping for a smoke-free fire in your backyard (or at the beach) this Labor Day weekend. The company is steeply discounting its fire pits ahead of the holiday, both for devices and bundles. The core Bonfire 2.0 is down to just $240, or 40 percent off. If you need more gear to improve portability and protection, the Backyard Bonfire Bundle 2.0 is nearly 50 percent off at $425 (normally $840) with an included lid, shield, stand and weather shelter.The Bonfire 2.0 is one of our favorite pieces of outdoor tech for the fall. You can burn virtually any wood you have in a clean, smokeless fire pit that's compact enough to fit on a patio. It's ideal if you're hoping to stay warm outside as the evenings get cooler, or to roast marshmallows without making a conventional pit. The Backyard bundle includes what you need to use the Bonfire on heat-sensitive surfaces, guard against stray embers and keep the fire going in less-than-pleasant conditions.The Bonfire is the medium pit, so you'll want to look at the Ranger 2.0 for greater portability or the Yukon 2.0 if you want the largest possible option. For most uses, though, Solo Stove's mid-tier model is more than enough.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/solo-stove-cuts-up-to-40-percent-off-the-price-of-its-fire-pits-for-labor-day-155628784.html?src=rss
Former OpenSea employee Nathanial Chastain has been sentenced to three months in prison over an NFT (non-fungible token) insider trading scheme. Chastain, who was found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering, used "confidential information about which NFTs were going to be featured on OpenSea's homepage for his personal financial gain," according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.Back in 2021, an X (then known as Twitter) user claimed that Chastain was buying NFT drops before the public could get their hands on the digital items. Chastain, who selected which NFTs would appear on OpenSea's homepage, was accused of selling the tokens he bought in advance for a profit after they became broadly available and interest in them soared. OpenSea admitted that Chastain had carried out such a scheme and said it would ban employees from using confidential information to trade NFTs.The incident caught the attention of federal prosecutors, who treated the case in a similar fashion to regular insider trading. The US Attorney's Office noted that Chastain sold the NFTs for between two and five times the original purchase price.Along with his prison sentence, Chastain must serve three months of home confinement and three years of supervised release. He also needs to pay a $50,000 fine and forfeit the Ethereum he obtained from his illicit NFT trading."Nathanial Chastain faced justice today for violating the trust that his employer placed in him by using OpenSea's confidential information for his own profit," US attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. "Today's sentence should serve as a warning to other corporate insiders that insider trading - in any marketplace - will not be tolerated."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ex-opensea-employee-receives-prison-sentence-for-nft-insider-trading-153628983.html?src=rss
In 2004, a young Hidetaka Miyazaki joined FromSoftware. Before becoming a household name in gaming circles, he cut his teeth working on the studio's long-running Armored Core series, serving as a planner on 2005's Armored Core: Last Raven and then as director on Armored Core IV and Armored Core:For Answer.Following the success of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, FromSoftware went on to release two more Armored Core games, though Miyazaki wasn't directly involved in those projects. Since then, the studio has been busy building on the Souls series, culminating with the runaway success of Elden Ring. Now, for the first time in nearly a decade, From is revisiting its mech franchise. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon also marks the directorial debut of one of the studio's most promising up-and-coming talents - Masaru Yamamura the lead game designer on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and a designer on Bloodborne. Armored Core VI is not a Soulslike, but a lot of its best ideas feel informed by Sekiro and Bloodborne. And if it's any indication of what's to come, Yamamura has a long career ahead of him as one of the studio's premier directors.If you're reading this review, there's a good chance that, like me, you haven't played an Armored Core game before. Even at its peak, the series never enjoyed the kind of global popularity Dark Souls achieved in the span of five years. But if you're curious if there's something here for you, the short answer is a resounding yes. However, as with almost all of From's games, a little - okay, a lot - of patience goes a long way.Here's the thing you need to know about Armored Core VI: It is uncompromising. Like Sekiro before it, prepare to be frustrated until you wrap your head around how Yamamura wants you to approach combat. I'll admit, I died about a dozen times to Armored Core VI's first boss, which appears at the start of the game before I managed to eke out a victory. Even then, it took me several more hours before I felt like I had a narrow grasp of AC 6's interlocking weapon, piloting and mech assembly systems.Part of what makes From's latest sointimidating is that there's so much going on all at once. To give you a sense of the complexity involved, the game's mechs - called Armored Cores - can carry up to four weapons, and fire them independently of one another. Moreover, there are dozens of different weapons archetypes, each with its own set of tactical considerations. Missile pods, for instance, fire a salvo of rockets either at a single target or multiple enemies simultaneously. Since most feature a lengthy reload or cooldown animation, you can't rely on any one weapon alone to win an encounter. Each requires thoughtful consideration and use, all while keeping a hulking robot skillfully evading fire.Movement is everything in AC6. Armored Cores have three different boosts available: one to increase their regular traversal speed, one to dash away from attacks and one that allows them to catapult themselves at enemies and quickly cover a lot of ground. They can also jump, and ignite their boosters to fly.All of an AC's more advanced movement abilities consume energy, which is represented by a bar along the bottom of the interface. Landing on the ground will begin to quickly replenish that resource. Most enemies don't have anywhere near the mobility of the player's mech, but some can hit hard if they're allowed to land a shot. There's also a stagger mechanic within the game that applies to both the player and opponents. One difference between AC6 and From's Soulsborne games is that dashing doesn't give invincibility frames. As a newbie to the series, the need to consider spacing on top of reacting quickly added to the game's learning curve.Since you're not tied to the ground like you would be in Dark Souls or Bloodborne, combat is far more vertical than in any of From's other recent games. A lot of enemies have access to wide, horizontal sweeping attacks that you can't avoid through lateral movement. Conversely, gaining the high ground on opponents is often the most effective way to dispatch them. Knowing when to take to the air is probably the most important skill to grasp in AC6, and, if you're a Soulsborne veteran, likely the most difficult to learn as well.How nimble an Armored Core is depends on the parts it's built from, and with hundreds of options to choose from, there's a lot of room for creativity. Some offer simple stat boosts while others change how a mech travels across the battlefield. For example, a set of quadruped legs allow an AC to hover in the air without consuming energy, a feature that's useful for missions that require a lot of aerial combat. By contrast, a mech with tank treads isn't great at getting off the ground, but it can drift after dashing and charge up a weapon without stopping.Like I said, there's a lot to learn and unpack. Thankfully, Armored Core VI is also one of FromSoftware's more accessible games. After the initial hurdle of the first boss, the first few missions that follow are smaller in scale, and feature less formidable enemies. At the same time, the game offers training missions that are there to illuminate the finer points of Armored Core VI's mechanics. At most, these take a few minutes to complete, and provide useful mech parts as rewards. It's a structure I felt eased me into the game before throwing harder challenges my way.Yamamura and company have also wisely done away with some of the series' more hardcore elements. Past games featured a system that allowed the player to go into debt if they didn't play well. That's not something that's present in AC6. I found I always had spare funds to modify my mech, thanks to the amount of credits the game doled out for completing missions and the ability to replay them for even more money. It also helps that every component available to purchase can be sold for the same price it costs to buy it. As a result, I found I was free to experiment with different loadouts to find the combination that suited my playstyle without having to consider a punishing in-game economy.AC6's mission structure also does a lot of heavy lifting to make the game more approachable. The inclusion of a checkpoint system meant I never lost much, if any, progress when I died (and I died a lot in my early hours). It's also possible to modify a mech between deaths without restarting a mission. Unless I was chasing an S' ranking when replaying a mission, that meant I was free to use one mech to reach a boss and another to defeat it. In fact, the game encouraged me to do exactly that after dying multiple times in a row to one boss I encountered midway through chapter one.Still, there were some frustrations. Boss battles felt overly difficult relative to every other enemy, perhaps to balance the game's checkpoint system. Most opponents - including opposing Armored Cores - have a limited pool of attacks. Bosses throw out that script. To give you one example, Balteus, the final boss of the game's first chapter, starts with a moveset that consists of about a dozen attacks, a few of which flood the arena with homing missiles. When the battle enters its second phase, Balteus's moveset doubles and the boss becomes even more aggressive. It's a punishing encounter and a brick wall of an early-game skill check.Sometimes the controls also don't feel up to the task of what AC6 is asking you to pull off. It's especially noticeable if you go with what's known in-game as a double trigger" build, which involves equipping an Armored Core with a pair of weapons that ideally should be fired in unison.By default, Armored Core VI maps all of a mech's weapons to left and right triggers, alongside the bumper buttons. The right analog stick, meanwhile, controls the camera and the square or X button is for dashing. The game includes a target assist mode that locks the camera to a single target, but it's not ideal to use when fighting more than one enemy. When I felt I struggled the most, it was because I had to give up control of the camera to boost away from an attack. It's possible to remap the controls, but I didn't find a configuration that worked as well as the default setup.Those frustrations aside, I never felt like Armored Core VI was anything short of compelling. Even in its most challenging moments, the game gave me little victories to celebrate. It is an incredible achievement in game design and thematic cohesion, and, I think, a promise of what we can expect from FromSoftware's next generation of talent.Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon arrives on PlayStation, Xbox and PCon August 25th.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/armored-core-vi-fires-of-rubicon-review-fromsoftware-mech-game-150015742.html?src=rss
Several months back, Sony teased a dedicated remote play device for the PlayStation 5 as well as new gaming earbuds. Now, the company has revealed more details about the device. It's called the PlayStation Portal remote player.The handheld looks a bit like a tablet wedged between two halves of a DualSense controller. It can stream games from your PS5 console, so when someone else is using the TV or you're in another room (or even travelling), you can still play remotely via WiFi without having to use your phone, tablet or computer. Sony says the snappily named PlayStation Portal remote player has an eight-inch LCD screen that delivers 1080p visuals at 60 frames per second. The device also benefits from DualSense features such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.There is a 3.5mm headphone jack too. That should come in handy as, according to IGN, there's no Bluetooth function. You'll either need to use Sony's new earbuds or headphones, or plug in a wired headset.Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's no support for PS VR2 games. You'll still need to hook your headset up to your PS5 directly to play VR games. Unfortunately, Sony says cloud game streaming through PlayStation Plus Premium isn't supported either. You'll have to install a game on a PS5 to play it remotely on the PlayStation Portal. That's disappointing, especially considering that the company is testing the ability to stream PS5 games to the console.In addition, you better hope your WiFi stays up. As IGN notes, the PlayStation Portal doesn't run any apps locally at all. Everything goes through your PS5 - you can watch movies and TV shows on the handheld via the console's media apps - so if your WiFi network's down, the PlayStation Portal will essentially be useless.Streaming-focused handhelds such as the Razer Edge are able to run Android apps locally. You can use third-party devices such as that, the ASUS ROG Ally or a Steam Deck to play your PS5 remotely too.The PlayStation Portal remote player will arrive later this year. It will cost $200 in the US, 200 in the UK, 220 in the rest of Europe and 29,980 Yen in Japan.Sony Interactive EntertainmentOn top of that, Sony has revealed more about its first wireless earbuds for PS5 and the PlayStation Portal remote player, as well as new headphones it designed for both systems. It says the Pulse Explore earbuds and Pulse Elite headset both support low latency lossless audio from PS5 and the handheld thanks to its new PlayStation Link tech.A USB adapter is needed to connect the earbuds and headphones to PS5 via PlayStation Link. The tech will also be supported on PC and Mac. The Pulse Explore earbuds and Pulse Elite include multipoint connectivity as well. You can connect them to both your PS5 and a Bluetooth device (such as your phone) simultaneously, so you can easily answer a call while playing a game.The earbuds and headset also each have custom-designed planar magnetic drivers (the first PlayStation audio devices to include them). Sony claims that it's one of the first companies to offer consumer earbuds with this tech, which it says delivers "an audiophile-level listening experience normally found in premium headphones for professional sound engineers."Sony Interactive EntertainmentThe Pulse Explore earbuds have dual mics and "AI-enhanced noise rejection" to filter out background noise. Naturally, they come with a charging case. The Pulse Elite has similar tech for handling background audio, along with a retractable boom mic. Sony is bundling in a charging hangar for the headphones too.The company hasn't announced a release date for either device, other than to say it will announce those details soon. Be warned, though: the Pulse Explore earbuds are fairly pricey. They cost the same as the PlayStation Portal remote player in the US, UK, Europe and Japan. The Pulse Elite, meanwhile, will set you back $150 in the US, 130 in the UK, 150 in the rest of Europe and 18,980 Yen in Japan.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonys-playstation-portal-remote-player-is-a-200-handheld-just-for-ps5-game-streaming-140704336.html?src=rss
Qualcomm has announced its follow-up to the Snapdragon G3x chip that powers the Razer Edge - along with two other platforms that serve as the first models to the company's new dedicated lines of Snapdragon gaming chips. Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 is the latest product under the flagship tier, which Qualcomm describes as something "purpose-built for enthusiast features and performance" and can handle the "most demanding cross-platform gaming titles."The company said G3x Gen 2's CPU performance is 30 percent faster than its predecessor's, while its GPU performance is twice as fast. It's capable of powering a handheld device with cross-platform gaming capabilities, as well as devices used for Android, PC, cloud and remote console gaming. The chip is also powerful enough to support ray tracing and to enable a user to livestream while they game. To ensure smooth cloud and remote gaming sessions, the chip comes with WiFi 7 and 5G mmWave connectivities.For less intensive games on devices with lower specs, Qualcomm created the Snapdragon G1 Gen 1 platform. It's meant for cloud gaming, as well as for remote console and PC gaming, on fanless dedicated handhelds. The chip supports images up to 1080p in resolution at up to 60 FPS, and it uses WiFi 5 for connectivity.Finally, the chipmaker has launched the Snapdragon G2 Gen 1 platform to serve as a middle ground between the two lines. It's also meant for use on fanless gaming devices, but specifically for those with higher specs to enable full-featured mobile and cloud gaming. The chip can power handhelds used for cloud and remote console gaming, through WiFi 6/6E and 5G mmWave, but also those used to play Android and PC games.In hopes of seeing high-end dedicated gaming devices powered by its new chip make it to market as soon as possible, the company has given select manufacturers access to a Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 Handheld Gaming Reference Design. It didn't reveal the company's names, but it promised that customer-specific product announcements will follow, which sounds like we're going to see more travel-friendly gaming devices like the Edge in the near future.Mithun Chandrasekhar, Qualcomm's senior director of product management, said: "Dedicated handheld gaming devices are the best way to experience mobile games. But gamers want to be able to play all their favorite games across devices and ecosystems, be it their console, PC, or on a cloud service. The new generation of Snapdragon G Series powered devices will be the best place for gamers to play their favorite titles, offering them the ability to choose from the cloud, console, Android, or PC while on-the-go."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomms-new-snapdragon-g-series-chips-are-built-for-handheld-and-mobile-gaming-140046277.html?src=rss
India just made spaceflight history in more ways than one. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft's Vikram lander has successfully touched down on the Moon, marking the country's first successful landing on the lunar surface. It's just the fourth country to do so after the Soviet Union, US and China. More importantly, it's the first country to land near the Moon's south pole - a difficult target given the rough terrain, but important for attempts to find water ice. Other nations have only landed near the equator.The landing comes four years after Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander effectively crashed. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) designed the follow-up with a "failure-based design" that includes more backup systems, a wider landing area and software updates.
The logical next step for widescreen gaming monitors is a model that can display the equivalent of two UHD (3,840 x 2,160) screens - and Samsung teased just such a thing earlier this year at CES 2023. Now, the Odyssey Neo G9 model has a price and release date, arriving in October 2023 for $2,500, Samsung announced.That's about what you'd pay for two really nice 4K monitors, but the price seems justified. It's a mini-LED with HDR 1000 support, meaning it offers 1,000 nits of peak brightness (or around 450 nits total on average) and 10-bit color processing, along with a 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, two HDMI 2.1 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port and a DisplayPort 2.1 input. Buyers will also get AMD's FreeSync Premium Pro variable refresh rate and of course an incredibly wide 57-inch (32:9) 7,680 x 2,160 aspect ratio with a fairly extreme 1000R curvature.It comes with picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture, giving you multiple inputs at a glance. Other features include an ergonomic stand, plus Core Lighting+ and CoreSync that offers ambient lighting working in unison with games and other visuals.Samsung talked up the value of DisplayPort 2.1, which has three times the bandwidth of DisplayPort 1.4 and allows for 4K 240Hz gaming. It has only been announced or seen on a handful of displays to date. The only way to make use of it so far, though, would be with AMD's latest Radeon RX 7900XT and RX 7900XTX GPUs (or its pro W7000 cards) - as the standard is nowhere to be found on NVIDIA's latest RTX 4000 series cards.As such, driving such a display at anywhere near the top specs for gaming would require an expensive PC setup. The monitor would be useful for other purposes, though, like as an incredible multi-tasking productivity display or a versatile content creation monitor (if you can handle the curve). As mentioned, it arrives in the US in October for $2,500.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsungs-57-inch-ultrawide-dual-4k-gaming-monitor-arrives-in-october-for-2500-121840286.html?src=rss
For Apple users, you know what you're going to get each new model of iPhone. Android users on the other hand have a ton of makes and models to consider. So when you get a new Android device, it's not always clear how to take a screenshot. For most, you can either use the physical buttons on the handset, or ask your handy virtual assistant to take one for you. Whether you have a Samsung, Google, Motorola or phone, here's how to take a screenshot on (almost) any Android device.How to take a screenshot using physical buttonsMost Android devices have a power button and volume key - phones and tablets alike. In order to take a screenshot on most of these, press the Power button and Volume Down button at the same time. The screen will flash and a preview of the screenshot will appear at the bottom right corner. The image will go straight to your designated screenshots folder.How to take a screenshot using gesturesWhile your Android phone may not have them turned on by default, you can use hand gestures to take a screenshot on many devices. On Samsung devices, turn on Palm Swipe to capture and then run your hand across the screen to take the screenshot.Google Pixel phones (starting from the Pixel 4a 5G and newer) have a gesture called Quick Tap. This allows you to perform certain tasks just by double tapping the back of the handset. To find it, go to Settings, scroll down to System and select Gestures. Hit Quick Tap to start actions" and toggle the switch to activate Quick Tap. This feature will default to taking screenshots, but you can change it to a number of other actions if you want.Photo by Julia Mercado / EngadgetHow to screenshot using a virtual assistantSamsung's Bixby and the Google Assistant can take screenshots for you. Just say Hey, Google" or Hi, Bixby" and instruct them to take a screenshot. On Google devices, you will automatically get the option to share the image on any app of your choice. For Bixby users, you can instruct the assistant to share via a specific app by saying Hi, Bixby. Take a screenshot and share it on Instagram," and the like.How to take a scrolling screenshotBoth Samsung and Google have built-in ways to take a scrollable screenshot. This means you no longer have to take multiple images of one, long webpage to share with your friends. To take a scrolling screenshot, press the Power button and Volume Down at the same time, then a preview of the screenshot will appear at the bottom left.On Google devices, it will give you the option to capture more." On Samsung phones, there will be an arrow pointing down. When you tap that, you will get a preview of the entire page where you can adjust the edges to include what you want.Photo by Julia Mercado / EngadgetA bonus for Samsung usersSamsung devices that come with an S Pen can take a screenshot using the stylus like a remote. Take out the S Pen, press and hold its button for at least three seconds and wait for the screen to flash. From there you can edit your image, annotating it with the pen or cropping it to your liking.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-android-120035005.html?src=rss
There are desks with just enough room to put a coffee next to your laptop without the risk of it spilling over the edge, and then there are desks that are big (and complex) enough that you could practically open up your own coffee stand. The upcoming Corsair Platform:6 Modular Computer Desk falls firmly in the latter category thanks to its six-foot wide surface, additional one foot by two and a third feet in extensions and further customizable options.Corsair's Platform:6 is a good option if you want a variety of features all from the same place - no cobbling around parts from different companies. Seriously, this desk might as well team up with Hasbro and learn to defend the planet because it would fit right in. It seems to have something for gamers, workers and creatives alike, with the last group getting flexible mounts for any 3D printing accessories they might want to use. The flagship Platform:6 Creator Edition also exclusively offers the new Elgato Multi Frame top-mounted pegboard for mounting anything from cameras to controllers.Every Platform:6 has a modular rail system, which brings an aluminum T-channel crossbar, side rails and a top-mounted rail. You can also opt to include dual electric motors for any Platform:6, adjusting the height using an LCD controller fitted with memory presets. Plus, each desk has plenty of wire storage, including a Corsair RapidRoute wire management tray that's big enough to hold power strips and a smaller in-desk cubby with USB Type-A and Type-C charging ports.The Platform:6 is available in sturdy black laminate or a more environmentally friendly classic dark walnut-stained rubberwood. You can pick one up sometime in Q4 of this year for a yet-to-be-revealed price (though our guess is this transformer won't come cheap).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/corsairs-first-standing-desk-is-a-huge-and-expandable-all-in-one-113519907.html?src=rss
Atari is launching another retro home console, after its last effort. The Atari 2600+ pays homage to the original Atari 2600, launched in 1977, but this remake echoes the four-switch model from 1980. (Of course, we're going to get specific.)AtariThe console has been lovingly recreated to the same specifications as the original" but is only 80 percent of its size. The console's plus features are the HDMI output and widescreen support. It'll have 10 titles in the box, but Atari die-hards will want to track down physical cartridges if they want to play the big hits of the era, like Pac-Man or Pitfall! The mini console also has a remade Atari CX40 joystick. The Atari 2600+ will launch worldwide on November 17 for $130, and pre-orders are already open. Now, to find a copy of E.T. the video game...- Mat SmithYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedThe best iPads for 2023Tekken 8 will arrive on January 26, 2024NBA 2K24 introduces a LeBron era and more updates The Apple Watch Ultra falls to a new low of $700 Microsoft will bring PC Game Pass to NVIDIA's GeForce Now on August 24 Meta's new multimodal translator uses a single model to speak 100 languagesNVIDIA's DLSS 3.5 makes ray-traced games look better with AIHalf-Life 2 is getting an unofficial RTX remasterThe community is using an NVIDIA toolkit to modernize the classic shooter.NVIDIAFrom cartridge games to ray tracing. NVIDIA has unveiled a community-led Half-Life 2 RTX: An RTX Remix Project that, as the name implies, will remaster the classic shooter for PCs with GeForce RTX graphics. The team isn't just adding ray tracing, though - this is an attempt to modernize the overall look and feel of the game.The ray-traced lights are the star attraction, of course, but the modders are also using an early version of RTX Remix to add extra model detail (through Valve's own Hammer editor) and rework materials with physical-based rendering properties. The RTX port, so far, looks moodier and far more detailed, with light sources bouncing and diffusing in a far more realistic manner. Existing RTX conversions, like those for Portal and Quake II, are pretty but limited by either the age of a game or its relative scale. Half-Life 2 is a much bigger challenge.Continue reading.X plans to remove news headlines and text in shared articlesElon Musk said it's his idea.According to Fortune, X (formerly Twitter) is planning to implement major changes to the way shared articles appear on a tweet, by removing their text elements and leaving just their lead images with an overlay of the URL. Musk confirmed the incoming change, saying it came directly from him, adding it would greatly improve the esthetics." It's the latest big change, following news that user-blocking will soon go. I'm taking bets on what the social network will strip out next.Continue reading.Microsoft will sell Activision Blizzard streaming rights to Ubisoft to win UK approvalIt said the deal makes for a 'substantially different transaction under UK law.'Microsoft is significantly restructuring its Activision Blizzard merger proposal by selling cloud gaming rights for Activision Blizzard games to rival Ubisoft, it wrote in a blog late yesterday. That would address a key concern of UK regulators, who blocked the deal in part because of Microsoft's potential dominance in cloud gaming. The UK regulator will now examine the restructured deal and deliver a decision by October 18.Continue reading.Facebook and Instagram will offer chronological Stories and Reels to comply with EU lawUsers will also be able to see search results not personalized to them specifically.Meta will soon offer Stories and Reels in chronological order to comply with the European Digital Services Act (DSA). The changes were expected after the European Commission announced it had agreed in April to create new rules, demanding social media platforms offer alternative systems "not based on profiling." Starting later this month, Meta will offer Reels, Stories, Search and other parts of Facebook and Instagram unaffected by Meta's existing AI recommendation process.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-ataris-new-miniature-console-plays-2600-and-7800-game-carts-111530150.html?src=rss
Meta is considerably expanding Messenger's encryption feature, rolling it out to "millions more people's chats" starting today, the company announced. The end-to-end encryption (E2EE) standard, which first arrived a year ago, will be available as standard to all users by the end of 2023. Meta also described how it made the transition, calling it "an incredibly complex and challenging engineering puzzle."The system keeps conversations safe from eavesdropping and interception using public key cryptography - meaning no one, even law enforcement, can access conversations. At the same time, your message history will also be encrypted. Meta first focused on WhatsApp, which now offers full E2EE, but Messenger will have the same level of protection by year's end.Getting there wasn't easy though, apparently. "It quickly became apparent that transitioning our services to E2EE would be an incredibly complex and challenging engineering puzzle," the company wrote. "We not only needed to transition to a new server architecture but to rewrite our code base to work on multiple different devices, rather than just the server."Citing an example of a rich preview from YouTube, Meta said its servers currently pull the URL data and then show the video preview in a Messenger chat. With E2EE, though, the app itself visits the shared URL, pulls the relevant image and text information, then sends it. That slows the process down a touch, but it means users still get a full feature set but with the privacy of encryption.Meta said it's also testing on-device recovery for encrypted chats, requiring users to set up a PIN or generate a code. It's also trialing an option to save chats on cloud storage services like iCloud. Meanwhile, Meta will complete its E2EE trifecta by also enabling it for Instagram DMs by the end of 2023.That will effectively catch the company up to services like Signal, bringing end-to-end encryption fully into the mainstream. It might also draw the ire of nations like Spain, which has advocated banning encryption within the European Union, ostensibly as a way to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and other criminal activities.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/messengers-encrypted-chats-expand-to-more-users-ahead-of-full-rollout-later-this-year-085324605.html?src=rss
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