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Blizzard Entertainment has released the trailer for the second season of Diablo IV along with the announcement that it's arriving on October 17th. According to IGN, Rod Fergusson, who oversees the development of the franchise, players will get vampire powers and will face against a vampire lord in the new questline during the opening night of Gamescom 2023. Season 2 of the online action role-playing game is called "Season of Blood," because yes, it does feature vampires.Gemma Chan, actor and producer who starred in Eternals and Crazy Rich Asians, voices the vampire hunter companion Erys, who leads the fight against the new threat in the game's universe. The new season will also feature five new and returning endgame bosses, as well as updates to renown rewards, gem and stash storage, making it so that gems no longer take up space, as well as to resistance and status effects.The main Diablo IV storyline that came out earlier this year featured a tale that takes place decades after the end of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. It puts the player in the shoes of a wanderer who, due to certain circumstances, must now go after Lilith. That's the daughter of Mephisto, who was prominently featured in Diablo II as one of the Prime Evils the player must defeat. Diablo IV became the best-selling game in June when it came out, and Fergusson said the game, with the first season that's still ongoing, boasts 12 million players.We'll have to wait and see if the second season will add more players to that number. For now, fans can watch the trailer for it below:This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-second-season-of-diablo-iv-arrives-october-17th-065859953.html?src=rss

Hyper Light Breaker, the action rogue-lite previously scheduled to enter Steam Early Access this fall, has been delayed a second time. The launch window for the spiritual successor to 2016's Hyper Light Drifter is now rescheduled for early 2024.So we need just a bit more time on Hyper Light Breaker before we launch into Early Access," Alx Preston, founder and Creative Director for developer Heart Machine, said in a video announcing the delay. This means we'll be pushing our date to early next year in 2024." He said the additional time will allow us to bring the game to its full potential." Preston thanked fans for their patience and support, promising a new adventure that lives up to what fans expect from a Heart Machine title."Heart Machine / Gearbox PublishingHyper Light Breaker shifts gameplay from 2D to 3D while adding up to three players for co-op play. While the 2016 original honored elements from classic top-down Zelda games, the upcoming open-world installment incorporates some Breath of the Wild basics. These include exploring open countrysides scattered with ruins while soaring through the air with a glider and surfing down hills. However, Hyper Light Breaker uses procedurally generated environments, which should help with replayability. Its combat also appears to depart from Nintendo's modern Zelda games. The game's first trailer gives you a closer peek.We have a lot of wild ideas we want to put into the game, which is exciting and thrilling since the format and tech we've created allows so much possibility," said Preston. This short push will give us the best chance for a stronger first step into open development in early access next year."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hyper-light-breaker-early-access-pushed-back-to-early-2024-205056875.html?src=rss

Internet retailers are receiving questions over their approaches to recalled products. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has sent letters to Amazon, Ebay, Meta, Walmart and other online shopping portals asking about their efforts to thwart sales of recalled and banned goods on their platforms. They're particularly concerned that Meta allegedly failed to stop Facebook Marketplace sales of two recalled child products, the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play sleeper and Boppy Newborn Lounger.The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled the Rock 'n Play in 2019, and the Newborn Lounger in 2021. However, it says the takedown request rate (an average of 1,000 per month) hasn't slowed, and that there haven't been any "proactive measures" to bar sales. The Rock 'n Play has been linked to roughly 100 baby deaths. The members of Congress, including committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, are concerned that online marketplaces may be putting children and all users at risk by doing too little to stop these sales.The House representatives ask all the companies to detail their current efforts to block sales of recalled products, including the presence of dedicated staff. The politicians also want to know what the companies will do in the future and whether there's any legal uncertainty about how to tackle the problems. The letters ask if the companies are willing to work with the committee on a solution to the problem. The companies have been told to respond no later than August 31st.In a statement to Engadget, a Meta spokesperson says that sales of recalled goods aren't unique to Facebook Marketplace. The representative says Meta takes the issue "seriously" and pulls listings that violate its rules. Ebay tells Engadget it takes recalls "very seriously" and uses a combination of AI and investigators to spot potentially unsafe listings. It hoped to work with the House committee on these issues.The enquiries come just as Amazon is facing a potential antitrust lawsuit over its sales practices, and amid greater effort to scrutinize tech giants' behavior. Meta has also been scaling back some of its shopping features, including the shutdowns of live shopping on Facebook and Instagram. Those closures are cost-cutting efforts, but they also leave the company's remaining commerce initiatives in a more fragile position.Update 8/22 5PM ET: We've updated the story with a statement from Ebay.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-meta-and-others-face-scrutiny-for-allowing-sellers-to-list-recalled-products-202005944.html?src=rss

We'll soon learn if India will be the first nation to nail a soft landing on the moon's south pole. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission, which launched on July 14th and entered lunar orbit on August 5th, will attempt to touch down on Wednesday at around 8:34AM EDT. It follows Russia's attempt to beat India to the punch that ended badly. The ISRO's live telecast (watch below) is scheduled to begin at 3:50AM EDT.The Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander will try to touch down near the Moon's south pole, which is believed to contain water ice. It could provide crucial water, oxygen and fuel for future lunar missions and bases. However, touching down could prove challenging as the region is known for rugged terrain and shadowy craters. This mission's immediate predecessor, the Chandrayaan-2, crashed in 2019 as it descended to the lunar south pole.Chandrayaan-3 uses a failure-based design" to incorporate lessons from the 2019 hard landing." The new version includes an expanded landing area, software upgrades and more redundant systems to back up potential outages.The IRSO's X (formerly Twitter) account posted early Tuesday morning, The mission is on schedule. Systems are undergoing regular checks. Smooth sailing is continuing." It also posted pictures of the Moon's surface taken from orbit.You can tune in here early Wednesday morning (US time) to view the Indian lander's descent.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/watch-indias-chandrayaan-3-try-to-land-on-the-moon-here-at-834am-et-200053930.html?src=rss

Fighting game fans are eating well this year with the likes of Street Fighter 6, Mortal Kombat 1 and Guilty Gear Strive all arriving. The beat 'em up bonanza is set to continue at least into early 2024, as Bandai Namco announced at Gamescom 2023 that Tekken 8 will hit PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on January 26th. Pre-orders open today.The tenth overall entry in the long-running series includes 32 unique fighters (King is thankfully among them). The latest trailer notes that the game marks the beginning of "a new Tekken saga," while the series' long-term antagonist Heihachi Mishima is dead.Tekken 8 will also introduce a brand new single-player mode called Arcade Quest. You'll create a character and it appears as though they can go to a virtual arcade and compete in Tekken tournaments. It all seems quite meta.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tekken-8-will-arrive-on-january-26th-2024-191513374.html?src=rss

Not only does Little Nightmares III exist, but it's also bringing two-player co-op to the series for the first time. Little Nightmares III is due out in 2024, and it's heading to PC, Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Developers from Supermassive Games announced the new entry in the horror franchise at the very beginning of Gamescom Opening Night Live today.Little Nightmares III looks like the stuff of dreams, if you're a twisted horror fiend. The game's reveal trailer showcases two shrunken, puppet-like characters named Low and Alone navigating an oversized world filled with terrors - it's kinda like the grimdark version of It Takes Two, at least in this initial video. Players have to make their way past vicious creatures and murderous monsters, and finally make their way out of The Nowhere.Here's how publisher Bandai Namco describes the new game on the PlayStation Blog: "Low and Alone are each equipped with their own iconic items that will allow you to solve various puzzles and defend yourself against the new and dangerous challenges that await you. You'll be able to interact with the world using Low'sbow and arrowsand Alone's wrench, but you'll also need your wits, tenacity, and creativity to survive your trip across the Spiral."The game isn't co-op only - it also has a single-player mode, complete with an AI companion. The co-op is online, specifically (sorry, couch pals).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/little-nightmares-iii-will-let-you-drag-a-friend-through-the-nowhere-in-2024-184913722.html?src=rss

If there's one thing we can count on as a species is that people will figure out ways to squeeze ads into every single thing we look at. Case in point? TikTok is integrating ads into search results, so you'll get branded content every time you look for a hashtag, a specific user or anything else. These ads are pulled from sponsored videos hosted on the platform and exist as a way to further power brand discovery."Some users may find this annoying, but the announcement makes it clear that ads will be relevant to the search query and will be clearly labeled as a sponsored post. Ads will also likely be culled from your interests as represented by prior search queries and all of your various actions on the social media platform. In other words, the algorithm will do what the algorithm already does, but in a new location.Clicking on a sponsored post will not interrupt your search, which is nice. The ad mirrors the in-feed experience and allows users to continue scrolling through the search results, whether you click on an ad or not. There's likely to be no shortage of advertisers as TikTok says the feature is automatically enabled for pre-existing merchants. In other words, advertisers have to opt-out of appearing alongside search results.Having an ad-free search bar was fun while it lasted, but this move has been a long time coming. It was something of an inevitability, as competitors like Instagram started doing the same thing earlier this year. It's worth noting that ads already appear in the regular TikTok feed, nestled between videos posted by folks you actually follow. Don Draper's search-bar fever dream is rolling out now to global TikTok users.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-search-results-are-about-to-get-infested-with-ads-184446557.html?src=rss

Atari is teaming up with Plaion on a new retro home console after finally taking a mulligan on its last one. The Atari 2600+ pays homage to the original Atari 2600, which delighted children of the disco era starting in 1977, although this remake is based on the four-switch model from 1980. It plays both Atari 2600 and 7800 games. However, most buyers will want to track down physical cartridges as the retro system, which requires them to play, is only bundled with a collection of 10 titles that lacks system standouts like Pac-Man, Frogger, Space Invaders and Pitfall!The throwback console has been lovingly recreated to the same specifications as the original," although it's only 80 percent of the size. The console's plus" features come in the form of an HDMI output and widescreen support. The company says the system has an enlarged cartridge socket to reduce cartridge sticking. The Atari logo also lights up when powered on.Atari / PlaionThe system includes a modern remake of the classic Atari CX40 joystick, the CX40+. Although it supports two players, only one stick is bundled. (You can order an extra for $25.) The company says a CX-30 Paddle Controller remake is on its way as well.The system's free games are bundled on a 10 Games in 1" cartridge, including Adventure, Combat, Dodge Em, Haunted House, Maze Craze, Missile Command, RealSports Volleyball, Surround, Video Pinball and Yars' Revenge. Atari posted a complete list of compatible cartridges. Prospective buyers may want to consider that hunting down physical games (and potentially paying a premium for some) will be part of the journey.If the entire affair sounds familiar, that's because the classic video game maker launched the long-delayed Atari VCS just over two years ago. But consumer interest in that model seemed to fall off a cliff after the initial excitement, and the company discontinued the retro console in favor of reorganizing its hardware business while eyeing a new commercial strategy." We can only assume we're seeing the fruit of that today as it partners with Plaion.The Atari 2600+ launches worldwide" on November 17th for $130. (An optional second joystick adds another $25 onto that.) Starting today, the latest mini-retro system is available for pre-order on Atari's website.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ataris-2600-is-a-miniature-console-that-plays-2600-and-7800-game-carts-171014464.html?src=rss

It's that time of year again. The annual Gamescom trade fair opens its doors today, but you don't have to be in Germany to participate in the reveals and updates. All of the good stuff is being streamed live, beginning with the opening night event, hosted by Game Awards guru and former Spike TV personality Geoff Keighley. For those of us far from Europe, the event starts streaming at 2PM ET. Watch it right here.So what can we expect from the stream? We don't have to wonder, as Keighley took to Twitter/X and dropped a laundry list of titles that'll receive the spotlight during the event. Expect trailers or updates on forthcoming titles like Alan Wake 2, Sonic Superstars, Tekken 8, Mortal Kombat 1 and more. You can also expect some information on upcoming DLC content, like Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.Of course, these high-profile gaming conferences are all about generating buzz, so there should be a surprise or two, beyond the titles mentioned by Keighley. For instance, last year's opening night showcase dropped a new trailer and opened up pre-release orders for Dead Island 2. That title had been stuck in development hell for a decade, so nobody expected that kind of info-dump at Gamescom.Gamescom 2023 extends far beyond the opening night. There are more events and streams throughout the week, though many are intended for folks involved in the development side of things, via the affiliated Devcom sibling event. Gamescom is the world's largest gaming trade fair, measured by exhibition space and the number of visitors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gamescom-2023-opening-night-stream-watch-it-here-at-2pm-et-170020656.html?src=rss

After nearly a decade, the main Destiny story arc is nearing its conclusion. Bungie has revealed that Destiny 2: The Final Shape will be available on February 27th, 2024. You're tasked with nothing less than stopping The Witness from remaking the universe, and have to enter the Traveler itself to save the day. As you might guess, this involves both an amped-up story (Bungie has already confirmed the return of Cayde-6) as well as new gameplay mechanics.To start, your proximity to the Traveler gives you access to new Light powers, including some that augment the abilities of nearby players. You'll also see new weapons, such as a support rifle that can switch to healing teammates. Enemies can use new powers of their own, too. The company is also rethinking how it tells stories with The Final Shape - instead of four seasons, you'll see three large episodes divided into a trio of smaller acts. There could be a stronger incentive to stick around as the story unfolds, in other words.Bungie is still committed to finishing the current phase, and is kicking off the Season of the Witch this week. It sees Eris Morn take on Hive attributes to deal with a mounting threat. There are a few new systems to enhance your talents, and you can even craft hard-to-get exotic weapons after they've been unlocked through missions.Season 23 (that is, the season starting in November) will make it easier to complete cooperative events. There will be a dedicated Fireteam Finder to locate buddies for a mission, and everyone can boost to the Light level of the most advanced player in the team.The Final Shape isn't necessarily the end of Destiny 2. It does tie together many of the loose ends that have emerged since 2014, however. It also reflects Bungie's determination to evolve its brand - it's moving past Destiny to produce a Marathon follow-up and other projects.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/destiny-2s-main-storyline-comes-to-an-end-with-the-final-shape-on-february-27th-165616802.html?src=rss

The Game Awards has grown enormously and has become a much-awaited annual year-end celebration for video game fans around the world since it first took place in 2014. If you're looking forward to watching it this year, you can now fire up your calendars and add a reminder: The 10th annual show is scheduled to stream live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on December 7th, 2023. Just like in the previous years, the event will stream for free across various platforms, including Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok Live, Steam and X, the website formerly known as Twitter.Last year's show was the biggest one yet, with an estimated 103 million viewers tuning in, which was almost 20 million more than 2021's numbers. It also introduced the Best Adaptation category, reserved for projects that translate video games into popular media, like movies, TV shows and books. Plus, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, stars of The Last of Us, which fans were still looking forward to and had yet to premiere back then, attended the event to present an award. The organizers haven't revealed just yet whether they'll have big stars guesting again this year, but they did say that the event will feature musical performances by The Game Awards Orchestra and other artists. Of course, you can expect to see new game trailers and announcements for launch dates and expansions, among other things.Geoff Keighley, creator and executive producer of The Game Awards, said: "Each year, we look forward to hosting a show that honors the stand-out games of the year, while also announcing and previewing some of the world's biggest and most anticipated video games. With so many beloved video game franchises exploring new mediums and developers creating new experiences across platforms, whether in games, television, movies, and beyond, the industry continues to expand in many surprising ways, and we can't wait to honor the year's best games and to show viewers around the world what's next."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-game-awards-2023-will-stream-live-on-december-7th-160040230.html?src=rss

Microsoft is acting on its promise to bring PC Game Pass to NVIDIA's GeForce Now service. The companies have announced that Game Pass and Microsoft Store titles will be available to stream on GeForce Now starting August 24th. Not every title will be playable right away, but this will give Game Pass subscribers access to releases like Deathloop and No Man's Sky through NVIDIA's platform.The two companies have been forging a partnership for a while. Microsoft struck a deal with NVIDIA in February to bring Xbox games to GeForce Now for 10 years, and the first title (Gears 5) arrived in May. Bethesda's first games, including Doom Eternal and the Wolfenstein reboots, surfaced earlier this month. In that sense, PC Game Pass just expands the selection further.The pact was announced as part of Microsoft's bid to get regulatory approval for its purchase of Activision Blizzard. In theory, this shows that Microsoft won't have unfair dominance over cloud gaming. The company also plans to sell Activision Blizzard game streaming rights to Ubisoft to address UK officials' concerns, and has been signing smaller cloud deals in recent months.It may seem odd to access one streaming service's games through another, but there may be advantages. GeForce Now is aimed at enthusiasts who want maximum visual quality and reduced lag, with the Ultimate tier supporting 4K at 120 frames per second. If your PC and internet connection are up to the task, Game Pass might shine on GeForce Now where it would otherwise be limited.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-will-bring-pc-game-pass-to-nvidias-geforce-now-on-august-24th-151526248.html?src=rss

I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what would be the next vintage synth to get the Arturia emulation treatment. At this point the company has tackled many of the most iconic synths in history, and spent much of last year focused on its original creations like the Augmented series, Pigments, Fragments and Dist Coldfire. We did get a version of the Korg MS-20 in May of 2022 as part of V Collection 9, but otherwise things have been pretty quiet. Well, I feel slightly embarrassed because there was a pretty obvious gap in Arturia's lineup I had overlooked: The Roland TB-303.Arturia Acid V is probably one of the simpler instruments the company has made in recent years. In part because the original 303 is a reasonably simple instrument. It's a bass machine - monophonic with a single oscillator, a 24db lowpass filter and an envelope generator to manipulate the filter. That's kind of it. What made it special was its odd squelchy sound that, when paired with the slides in its sequencer, produced something totally unique and became the core of acid house, hence the name Acid V.ArturiaAs usual the company does a solid job bringing the TB-303's physical interface into a virtual space. But we all know Arturia can't stop there. There's the customary advanced tab. This is where you'll find the three modulation sources which go well beyond your standard LFO, the dedicated effects section (where you can combine up to four effects) and the sequencer.The sequencer on the 303 is part of what granted it squelchy super powers, it was also notoriously annoying to program. Thankfully Arturia recognizes that it's 2023 and there's no need to saddle its VST with some arcane 16-step logic puzzle in the name of authenticity. There's a pretty straightforward piano roll interface, with toggles under each step for slide, accent and vibrato. Across the top you can shift individual notes down an octave, up an octave or up two octaves, to get that signature jump that almost any good 303 bassline has.ArturiaOn the left you can lock the sequencer into a particular scale to simplify things, add swing, change the sequence length (up to 64 steps) and even generate random sequences. You can easily shift sequences up or down a note chromatically or to the left and right to change the note order. And there's even a polymetric option that allows you to change the sequence length of the notes, slides, vibrato and accents individually. This gives you a lot of power to build something that's constantly evolving, especially if you're taking use of the full 64 steps. Oh, and if that's not enough there are different playback modes so you can pingpong through a sequence, play it backwards or just bounce around randomly.Arturia didn't save all the upgrades for the advanced tab, though. The main instrument has added a few welcome amenities, including a sub oscillator with three selectable waveforms which gives the Acid V more oomph than the original ever had. Next to that you'll find the vibrato controls and then the dedicated distortion circuit. One of the most common tricks used on the 303 was to overdrive it into oblivion, and Arturia puts 14 algorithms at your fingertips for doing that. Some are better than others. For example, the crusher is fine, but there's a better bit crushing option in the effects section. And the destroy algorithm fails to live up to its name. Still, the tape, soft clip and overdrive are excellent.ArturiaAcid V goes a step beyond typical modern amenities. There's a little arrow over the name of the instrument in the top right hand corner, and if you click that you're in effect "opening" the machine. Here you'll find virtual trim pots for adjusting things like the pulse width of the square wave, the cutoff range of the filter, the pitch tracking off the filter, clipping level and even a bass boost knob.Of course, all the features in the world don't matter if the instrument sounds terrible. But, there was never much concern about that, honestly. Arturia has been in the game for a long time now delivering excellent quality plugins that a misstep would be a true shock at this point.I've never played an original TB-303, but I did briefly own a Behringer clone and I've tested the Roland Boutique TB-03. The Acid V compares pretty favorably to those. Being an actual analog synth, Behringer's TD-3 does sound slightly warmer than Acid V and the TB-03, but in the context of an actual song I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the three. And, as much as I love a good piece of hardware, if I had to choose between the three I'd probably opt for Arturia's plug in just because it's so much easier to use and has infinitely more sequencing versatility.Arturia Acid V is available now at an introductory price of $99. Or you can get it free when you buy the entire V Collection for $599, though, you're probably better off waiting for that to go on sale.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/arturias-acid-v-is-a-roland-tb-303-without-the-headaches-150035249.html?src=rss

Basketball season is fast approaching, and so is a new opportunity to virtually get in on the action: NBA 2K24 New Gen. 2K shared preliminary information about the game in July but has just announced new details about September 8th's NBA 2K24, including adding a LeBron Era. This new mode follows LeBron James' 2010 journey of leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat and leads into the already existing Modern Era. NBA 2K23 also introduced the Magic vs. Bird Era, Jordan Era and Kobe Era to the game.Another potentially exciting eras update (if you like being reminded about the passage of time) is an aging feature, which shows the athletes growing older as you play across a person's career. Other new era additions include curated reactions from spectators and journalists, depending on the time period you're in. After a game, you'll also see an article sharing a summary of your match - initially as a newspaper and, as time passes, a social media webpage.NBA 2K24 should also reflect aspects of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reached by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association and currently in place through the 2029 to 2030 season. These include each NBA team being positionless and shifting the Restricted Free Agent Right of Refusal Period to 24 hours.MyNBA online has some updates as well, including a range of roles for you to take on: commissioner, admin, gameplay tuner, time manager, designer, appearance editor or attribute editor. Each position has specific tasks, such as the designer, who can make and change logos, arenas and jerseys. Plus, there's now MyNBA Lite which removes some of the steps typically required for gameplay, such as CBA restrictions and scouting.WNBA gameplay also has new features coming on NBA 2K24, such as the ability to start as either a college basketball star or an up-and-comer. There's also "In Pursuit of Greatness," which has you play against rival players to be the best. These games, and those against a veteran of your team or a historic all-star player, allow you to earn badge perks. You can use these rewards to get updated 2K Breakthrough Skins and MyTEAM Jersey Cards.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nba-2k24-introduces-a-lebron-era-and-more-updates-140015258.html?src=rss

Now's a good moment to get a smartwatch that can easily handle your end-of-summer hikes. Amazon is selling the Apple Watch Ultra with a green Alpine Loop at a new all-time low price of $700, or $100 off, after a checkout voucher. That's the same price as a 45mm Series 8 in steel, making it the obvious choice if you want more rugged Apple wristwear.The Apple Watch Ultra remains the company's most powerful smartwatch, and it's the clear pick if you're an outdoor adventurer. The large, extra-bright screen makes it easy to read even in direct sunlight, and the added water resistance is helpful for recreational dives. The action button also comes in handy for marking hike waypoints or starting the next leg of a run. And it's hard to ignore the extra battery life - this watch can last an entire weekend without a charge, depending on how you use it.You'll need an iPhone to even consider the Apple Watch Ultra, of course. Its size may also be off-putting if you have thin wrists or simply prefer sleeker timepieces. There's also the question of timing - Apple might introduce a refreshed Ultra at an event that could be just weeks away. If you're more interested in value than having the absolute latest model, though, this discount is hard to top.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/the-apple-watch-ultra-falls-to-a-new-low-of-700-133522809.html?src=rss

Though it's not quite ready to usher in the Doolittle future we've all been waiting for, modern AI translation methods are proving more than sufficient in accurately transforming humanity's roughly 6,500 spoken and written communication systems between one another. The problem is that each of these models tends to only do one or two tasks really well - translate and convert text to speech, speech to text or between either of the two sets - so you end up having to smash a bunch of models on top of each other to create the generalized performance seen in the likes of Google Translate or Facebook's myriad language services.That's a computationally intensive process, so Meta developed a single model that can do it all. SeamlessM4T is "a foundational multilingual and multitask model that seamlessly translates and transcribes across speech and text," Meta's blog from Tuesday reads. It can translate between any of nearly 100 languages for speech-to-text and text-to-text functions, speech-to-speech and text-to-speech supports those same languages as inputs and outputs them in any of 36 others tongues, including English.In their blog post, Meta's research team notes that SeamlessM4T "significantly improve[s] performance for the low and mid-resource languages we support," while maintaining "strong performance on high-resource languages, such as English, Spanish, and German." Meta built SeamlessM4T from its existing PyTorch-based multitask UnitY model architecture, which already natively performs the various modal translations as well as automatic speech recognition. It utilizes the BERT 2.0 system for audio encoding, breaking down inputs into their component tokens for analysis, and a HiFi-GAN unit vocoder to generate spoken responses.Meta has also curated a massive open-source speech-to-speech and speech-to-text parallel corpus, dubbed SeamlessAlign. The company mined "tens of billions of sentences" and "four million hours" of speech from publicly available repositories to "automatically align more than 443,000 hours of speech with texts, and create about 29,000 hours of speech-to-speech alignments," per the blog. When tested for robustness, SeamlessM4T reportedly outperformed its (current state-of-the-art) predecessor against background noises and speaker style variations by 37 percent and 48 percent, respectively.As with most all of its previous machine translation efforts - whether that's Llama 2, Massively Multilingual Speech (MMS), Universal Speech Translator (UST), or the ambitious No Language Left Behind (NLLB) project - SeamlessM4T is being open-sourced. "we believe SeamlessM4T is an important breakthrough in the AI community's quest toward creating universal multitask systems," the team wrote. "Keeping with our approach to open science, we are excited to share our model publicly to allow researchers and developers to build on this technology." If you're interested in working with SeamlessM4T for yourself, head over to GitHub to download the model, training data and documentation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/metas-new-multimodal-translator-uses-a-single-model-to-speak-100-languages-133040214.html?src=rss

Last year, NVIDIA unveiled DLSS 3 with frame interpolation, which used its AI-driven rendering accelerator to add extra frames to games. Now at Gamescom it's introducing DLSS 3.5, which adds Ray Reconstruction, a new feature that will use the company's neural network to improve the quality of ray traced images. It'll be available for all RTX GPUs-unlike DLSS 3's frame interpolation, which only works with RTX 40-series cards.NVIDIA says Ray Reconstruction will replace "hand-tuned denoisers with an NVIDIA supercomputer-trained AI network that generates higher-quality pixels in between sampled rays." That's similar to NVIDIA's original pitch for DLSS - making low-res textures look better thanks to AI - and it could potentially lead to better ray tracing performance as well. In images shown to media, Ray Reconstruction appears to deliver sharper reflections and textures in supported titles. (See comparisons below.)According to the company, Cyberpunk 2077 in Overdrive Mode (its most powerful ray tracing offering) hit 108 fps with DLSS 3.5 and Ray Reconstruction, while the same system reached 100fps with DLSS 3 alone, 63fps with DLSS 2 (which lacks Frame Generation) and 20fps without any DLSS help.Just like previous DLSS releases, developers will have to manually implement support for Ray Reconstruction. Cyberpunk 2077 (and its expansion Phantom Liberty) will be the first DLSS 3.5 title in September, followed by Portal RTX and Alan Wake 2. NVIDIA will be showing off Ray Reconstruction at Gamescom this week, and hopefully we'll get a look ourselves sometime soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nvidias-dlss-35-makes-ray-traced-games-look-better-with-ai-130012143.html?src=rss

Valve may not have touched the Half-Life franchise in over a decade apart from releasing its VR-only game Alyx, but that isn't stopping enthusiasts from giving the game a visual overhaul. 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 Hammer editor) and rework materials with physical-based rendering properties. The result is what you'd expect. Where the original Half-Life 2 graphics look flat and otherwise dated, the RTX port is moodier and far more detailed. You might want to spend extra time inspecting Dr. Kleiner's desk or the pet headcrab Lamarr. Not surprisingly, the refresh makes use of additional NVIDIA tech like DLSS 3 upscaling, Reflex anti-lag and RTX IO GPU-accelerated storage.The project is only just getting started, and there's no tentative release date. Right now, this is more of a marketing showcase than a practical release. It comes alongside news of DLSS 3.5, which uses AI to improve ray-traced light quality by generating pixels between sampled rays. Titles like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty will support the feature on launch.The unofficial port is notable all the same. 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 set a new standard for modern first-person shooters between its tightly integrated story, expansive (and seamless) world and physics-driven gameplay. Now, it's getting an upgrade that could keep it relevant on modern PCs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/half-life-2-is-getting-an-unofficial-rtx-remaster-130006917.html?src=rss

After voicing Mario for 27 years, Charles Martinet will no longer play the plumber. Nintendo announced in a tweet yesterday that he'll move into a newly created Mario Ambassador role and "continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario," the company said. Martinet also voiced Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and several other Nintendo characters over the years, with a few cameo roles in the recent Mario movie, where Chris Pratt voiced Mario.Nintendo has confirmed to Kotakuthat he is not involved in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which comes out on October 20. It's the end of a gaming mascot era.- Mat SmithYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedThe best PS5 accessories for 2023Judge rules AI-generated art isn't copyrightable, since it lacks human authorshipTesla's iPhone app can now control your car through Siri Threads web app could arrive this weekOfficial Xbox Series X console skins are coming soon, starting with Starfield and camo options The cozy cat game that escaped from Valve Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into the MoonThe country's last attempt to reach the moon was in 1976.RoscosmosOver a week after its August 10 launch, Russia's state-run space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed its Luna-25 spacecraft had spun out of control and rammed into the Moon. "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon," Roscosmos explained in a statement. Luna-25 was heading to the south pole to find water ice and spend a year analyzing how it emerged there, and if there was a link with water appearing on Earth.Continue reading.Tesla says data breach was an inside jobThe leaks detail thousands of Autopilot complaints over the past years.A Tesla data breach earlier this year affecting more than 75,000 people was caused by "insider wrongdoing," according to a notification on Maine's Attorney General website. The 75,735 people impacted were likely current or former Tesla employees. In the employee letter, Tesla provided more information about the incident, confirming the May 10 breach date and that Handelsblatt had obtained Tesla confidential information. "The investigation revealed that two former Tesla employees misappropriated the information in violation of Tesla's IT security and data protection policies and shared it with the media outlet."Continue reading.Hard sail test aims to reduce cargo ship emissions by 30 percentWith 123-foot solid sails.BARA cargo ship equipped with rigid sails, each the height of a 10-story building, has departed on its inaugural journey. The Pyxis Ocean vessel will test WindWings sails, designed to harness old-school air power to help reduce fuel use - and the shipping industry's CO2 emissions. The sail's creators estimate the technology could decarbonize cargo ships by about 30 percent. The rigid sails are made from the same materials as wind turbines and can be added to cargo ships' decks, providing an option for upgrading older, less fuel-efficient vessels.Continue reading.YouTube wants to benefit from AI-generated music without the copyright headachesThe platform and Universal have unveiled principles for handling the emerging category.YouTube and partners like Universal Music Group (UMG) have unveiled a set of principles for AI music. In theory, the aim is to encourage adoption while keeping artists paid. YouTube also says AI music must include "appropriate protections" against copyright violations and provide "opportunities" for partners who want to get involved. While the video giant hasn't detailed what this will entail, it suggests it'll build on the Content ID system that helps rights holders flag their material. It's all rather vague at the moment, but at least the video service is aware of the incoming challenges of AI. Even if others aren't quite getting it.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-the-voice-of-mario-is-stepping-away-from-games-after-nearly-three-decades-111640482.html?src=rss

Meta will soon offer Stories and Reels in chronological order, among other changes, to comply with the European's Digital Services Act (DSA), the company announced. The changes were expected after the European Commission announced that it had reached an agreement in April to create new rules that would require platforms like Facebook to offer alternative systems "not based on profiling" as a key requirement.Meta said it has mobilized over 1,000 people to "develop solutions to the DSA's requirements." Some of the changes will increase transparency about how its systems work and provide users more options to tailor their experiences on Facebook and Instagram. At the same time, it's establishing an "independent compliance function" to ensure it meets ongoing regulatory obligations.Starting later this month, Meta will offer Reels, Stories, Search and other parts of Facebook and Instagram that are unranked by Meta using its AI recommendation process. "For example, on Facebook and Instagram, users will have the option to view Stories and Reels only from people they follow, ranked in chronological order, newest to oldest," wrote Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg.It's not clear how Meta will implement the change. The main Feed on Instagram already allows users to sort by Following instead of using the algorithm-based approach. However, the "Following" feature is effectively a secondary page on Instagram, and the app always defaults to the algorithmic "For You" option when first opened. Facebook is even more of a hassle, forcing you to select a menu, go into Feeds and tap "Friends" rather than "All."Users will also be able to view Search results based only on the words they enter, rather than results personalized specifically to them based on their previous activity and personal interests. The company is also providing more information about how its AI systems rank content via 22 system cards for Facebook and Instagram, adding to its "Why Am I Seeing This" feature."These cards provide information about how our AI systems rank content for Feed, Reels, Stories, and other surfaces; some of the predictions each system makes to determine what content might be most relevant to people; and the options available to help customize an experience on Facebook and Instagram," Meta said.Meta is also expanding its Ad library to display and archive all ads (for one year) that target EU users, including date run, parameters used for targeting (age, gender, location), who received the ad and more. It's also rolling out two new tools for researchers that include publicly available content from Pages, Posts, Groups and Events.The company said that it "welcomes the principles of transparency, accountability and user empowerment at the heart of the DSA," adding it has "long advocated for a harmonized regulatory regime." However, Meta previously expressed extreme displeasure when Apple introduced changes that allowed users to easily opt out of targeted advertising starting with iOS 14. To that end, observers will no doubt be keenly interested in how the changes are implemented and whether they follow the letter, if not the spirit, of the new law.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-and-instagram-will-offer-chronological-stories-and-reels-to-comply-with-eu-law-103612256.html?src=rss

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 post late yesterday. That would address a key concern of UK regulators, which blocked the deal in part become of Microsoft's potential dominance in cloud gaming - but nothing is likely to be approved until October 18th."As a result of the agreement with Ubisoft, Microsoft believes its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard presents a substantially different transaction under UK law than the transaction Microsoft submitted for the CMA's consideration in 2022," Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote.If the merger goes through, Microsoft would transfer "cloud streaming rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft Entertainment SA, a leading global game publisher. The rights will be in perpetuity," Smith added. That means Microsoft wouldn't be able to make Activision Blizzard games exclusive for Xbox Cloud Gaming, nor have any say on how they're released on rival services. It will also allow Ubisoft to offer Activision Blizzard cloud gaming services on Apple and other non-Windows systems.As for the terms of the transaction, "Ubisoft will compensate Microsoft for the cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard's games through a one-off payment and through a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports pricing based on usage," Smith said.

Those who follow publications like Engadget on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, will know that the articles they share on the platform appear with a text snippet, an image and a sometimes-truncated version of their headline. That may not be the case in the near future. According to Fortune, the company is planning to implement major changes to the way shared articles appear on a tweet (or a post, as it's now called) by removing their text elements and leaving just their lead images with an overlay of the URL. In a reply to a post about the update, Elon Musk has confirmed that X is working on the new format and that the idea came from him directly.

It might not be an overstatement to say Rode's original Wireless GO microphone system changed how a lot of YouTubers work. It wasn't the first wireless mic system, not by a long long shot, but its focus on creators made it incredibly popular. That success would inspire a lot of competing products - such as DJI's - which have since won over fans in a category that Rode arguably defined. Today, Rode fights back with the Wireless Pro - its new flagship wireless microphone system for creators.The headline feature is the inclusion of onboard 32-bit float recording which means you should no longer have to worry about setting mic gain levels (though it's probably best that you do). This feature means the onboard recording will be almost impossible to "clip" or distort through being too loud. Effectively you should always have a useable recording if things went a bit too loud on the audio in your camera, which will be a great anxiety reducer to anyone who's ever had a production ruined thanks to bad audio.The Wireless Pro could arguably help bring 32-bit float into the mainstream. There are specialist audio recorders out there that already offer this feature. And Rode already included it on its NT1 hybrid studio microphone, but given that you can plug a lot of different microphones into the Wireless Pro transmitters, this opens the door for recording a wide variety of audio content in 32-bit float - as long as you can feed it into a 3.5mm jack.In a further attempt at streamlining the creatory process, the Wireless Pro also has advanced timecode capability so you won't need an external device for this. Though you will need to set this up via Rode Central, the companion app for the mic (there's no option on-device for this setting).Photo by James Trew / EngadgetThe Wireless Pro borrows a few features from alternatives or aftermarket accessories by including a charging case as standard (Rode currently offers one as a standalone purchase). That case is good for two total charges of the entire system according to the company and comes as standard with the new model. The stated battery life for the transmitters and receiver is around severn hours, meaning the Wireless Pro should be good for at least 20 hours total recording onto the 32gb storage (good for 40 hours of material apparently).Another key upgrade is the improved range. The Wireless GO II, for example, has an approximate range of 656 feet (200 meters). The new Pro models expands that to 850 feet (260 meters) which is, coincidentally, a shade more than DJI's stated 820 feet (250 meters).When Rode unveiled its more affordale Wireless ME kit, it introduced the idea of the receiver doubling as a "narrator" mic via a TRRS headset in the headphones/monitoring port. That's a feature that carries over to the Pro meaning you can record up to three different speakers albeit one of them will be wired, rather than cable free.There are a couple of minor, but welcome quality of life updates, too, such as locking 3.5mm jacks so you won't rip your lav mic out and plugin power detection so the system can detect when the camera its plugged into is active, using that info to optimize power usage.At time of publication, DJI's dual-mic product retails for $330. The Rode Wireless Pro will cost $399. That's obviously a slice more, but the company decided to include two Lavalier II mics as part of the bundle. The Lavalier II costs $99 on its own, so from that perspective the entire bundle represents a decent value if you're looking for complete solution.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/rodes-wireless-pro-mic-kit-lets-you-forget-about-clipped-audio-000028417.html?src=rss

Over the weekend, many X users noticed that older Twitter images had mysteriously disappeared from the site. Now, the company has confirmed that an unspecified bug" is responsible and it's working on a fix.The issue first cropped up Saturday, when older tweets that had originally included images began to show as un-clickable t.co URLs instead. X now says the bug affected images from before 2014," but as The Verge previously pointed out tweets from 2014 - including the iconic Oscars selfie from Ellen DeGeneres - were also at least temporarily affected.The 2014 Oscars photo has since been restored but other older tweets still seem to have missing photos for now. We fixed the bug, and the issue will be fully resolved in the coming days," X said in a statement via its support account.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured extraordinarily detailed images published today of the Ring Nebula. The gaseous cloud, also called M57 and NGC 6720, contains 20,000 dense globules rich in molecular hydrogen. It sits about 2,500 light years away from Earth.The first image (above) was taken with the NIRCam (Near InfraRed Camera), one of the Webb Space Telescope's primary sensors. It is designed to detect light in the near-infrared spectrum and can capture remarkably detailed images. NIRCam also took the equally hypnotizing updated image of the Pillars of Creation.Meanwhile, the second image (below) was captured using the JWST's MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument). It better highlights the nebula's (roughly) ten concentric arcs beyond its outer edge, likely formed from its central star's interaction with a lower-mass companion in its orbit. In this way, nebulae like the Ring Nebula reveal a kind of astronomical archaeology, as astronomers study the nebula to learn about the star that created it," the European Space Agency wrote in a press release.ESA / Webb / NASA / CSA / M. Barlow / N. Cox / R. WessonThe Ring Nebula was discovered somewhat serendipitously in 1779 by French astronomers Charles Messier and Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix while they searched for comets. It's a planetary nebula, named as such because early researchers mistook their appearances for distant worlds. The Ring Nebula formed from a medium-sized star that shed its outer layers as it exhausted its fuel and approached its demise.The colourful main ring is composed of gas thrown off by a dying star at the centre of the nebula," the ESA wrote. This star is on its way to becoming a white dwarf - a very small, dense, and hot body that is the final evolutionary stage for a star like the Sun."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/webb-space-telescope-captures-the-ring-nebula-in-mesmerizing-detail-213005773.html?src=rss

Two of the standout indie hits of the past few years are Cult of the Lamb and Don't Starve Together. Now, the pair of critically-acclaimed darlings are teaming up for a new game mode, unique in-game items and even some character cameos. This crossover impacts both games, though each receives different perks.The biggest draw here is a brand-new game mode for Cult of the Lamb that's directly inspired by Don't Starve Together. The appropriately-named Penitence Mode ups the stress factor by giving your lamb protagonist the same mortal needs as your cute and poop-obsessed followers. In other words, you have to eat and shelter yourself, in addition to providing for your cult. You are given the same options as the criticality-acclaimed traditional game, so you can eat meat and veggies, or go at it Yellowjackets style (cannibalism.)The games also now share some items to create a unique look, so you'll be able to unlock decorations in Cult of the Lamb from Don't Starve, like pig heads on sticks, and vice-versa. Look for new chest skins, tabernacle decorations and more.Finally, there's some characters making their way through a crossover portal." Webber, from Don't Starve's Reign of Giants DLC, is now an unlockable cult member, complete with a new never hungry" trait so you can save that grassy gruel for someone that actually needs it. Additionally, Don't Starve's lamb-like ewelet critter/pets are getting even, uh, lamb-ier, thanks to clothing and design options inspired by the other game.The update is available now for PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The developers also note that a major content update is coming soon to Cult of the Lamb and that Don't Starve Together will continue to receive more content in its ongoing From Beyond story arc.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cult-of-the-lamb-and-dont-starve-together-team-up-for-a-creepy-cute-crossover-184518173.html?src=rss

Imagine a game that might be described as the opposite of Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. These are first-person shooters set in wartorn, post-apocalyptic cities, so their inverse might be a third-person game with no weapons at all, set in a warm, buzzing metropolis of friendly characters, maybe starring an adorable cat. Weirdly, the result could look a lot like Little Kitty, Big City, the first project from former Valve designer Matt T. Wood.In nearly 17 years at Valve, Wood helped build and ship the company's most notable titles, including Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2,CS:GO and both episodes of Half-Life 2. He was a founding member of the CS:GO project and worked on that series for six years; he was pivotal in crafting Portal 2's co-op mode, and he created choreography and combat scenes in Half-Life and Left 4 Dead. Level design was one of his specialties.Wood left Valve in mid-2019, and today he's the head of his own game development company in Seattle, Washington, Double Dagger Studio. He didn't plan on starting his own studio post-Valve, and he certainly didn't think he'd be building and self-publishing a game about an adorable cat. But, he is, and it's called Little Kitty, Big City.It really is more about cozy exploration," Wood told Engadget. The game has aspects of platforming, but it's very light platforming. It's more about exploring vertically, and exploring nooks and crannies. I've done a lot of things throughout my career, but one of the things I spent a lot of time doing was level design in video games, so I have a lot of personal interest in creating spaces that feel fun to explore, to sort of poke around in."Little Kitty, Big City has Saturday-morning-cartoon vibes, with hand-animated scenes and a clean, friendly art style. The main character, Kitty, has wide green eyes, inky fur and batlike ears, and they're on a mission to find their way home to an apartment complex in the center of a bustling downtown. However, procrastination is highly encouraged. Little Kitty, Big City is an open-world game filled with adorable animals to befriend, people to pester, quests to complete and hats to wear.The hats are embellished bonnets that come in various forms, including a fish head, a half-shucked corn cob, little devil ears, a cowboy situation, a hedgehog and even some root vegetables. Kitty's face endearingly pokes through the center of each hat, and they can be equipped at will throughout the game. Aside from a few unique cases, there are no stats attached to the hats - wearing the ladybug head doesn't grant Kitty movement speed, and the construction hat doesn't add bonus armor. Mostly, they exist to be cute.As a game designer, you kind of sit down and go, what is the purpose of this thing that you're doing?" Wood said. You always need a function, a purpose, a reason for doing the thing. I think 10 years ago, I would have said, OK, hats are gonna give you this ability, or, like, there's going to be all of this gameplay tied to all this stuff. And while that is true for some things regarding the hats, largely, they're cosmetic. It was refreshing to come to that conclusion to say, no, these are just for fun."Double Dagger StudioWood's long history at Valve contextualizes his current role as the founder of an independent studio, and his years inside the insular company have helped shape his approach to game design.Valve is a unique behemoth, even in the AAA space. It owns Steam, which functions as a bottomless bank; it's a private company, so it doesn't have shareholders to appease; and it's the steward of iconic franchises including Portal, Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress and Dota 2 (many of which are on Wood's resume).Valve is not a typical large game studio," Wood said. You have a lot of autonomy and freedom to do things there. But, you still sort of live within that direction that Valve goes in."Valve's internal structure has long been the subject of myth and legend among video game fans, with the company's founder Gabe Newell in the role of messiah and the Valve Handbook for New Employees as its sacred text. The handbook made its way online in 2012 and went viral for its Libertarian-inspired corporate ideals - it outlined a flat hierarchy at Valve, suggesting employees had the ability to manage themselves and work on their dream projects at any given time. This cemented Valve's reputation as an ultra-rad, super-coolvideo game company in the public eye, and this perception persists today.In practice, this structure has resulted in an incredibly rich company that doesn't produce much. It's a running joke that Valve can't count to three: Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Team Fortress 2 came out in 2007, Left 4 Dead 2 came out in 2009, and Portal 2 came out in 2011. In 2020, Valve debuted Half-Life: Alyx, a VR game exclusive to the studio's Index hardware, and after ignoring an extremely disruptive bot invasion, the company rolled out an update to TF2 this summer, largely comprising community-made maps and assets. Meanwhile, Steam has been printing money while maintaining Valve's deathgrip on the PC marketplace.Double Dagger StudioWhen Wood talks about the fun and freedom he feels building Little Kitty, Big City, he compares it with a top-down rigidity and complacent bureaucracy he experienced in Valve's production line. Here's how he described it:Valve talks a lot about, like, you can do anything you want. And it's like, well - that's never true. You know, Valve has a direction and they have a trajectory. And so, for me, it was realizing that the direction that Valve was going in was not a place that I wanted to be long-term. Because I'd been there for a long time and they were sitting on their laurels a little bit, and it's like they weren't really challenging themselves, taking risks or doing anything. Steam's making a lot of money so they don't really have to, but I was not OK with that. And after many years of trying to figure out how to manage that, I decided, you know, it's important for me to go and make my own decisions for a while."Wood made it clear that he appreciated the opportunities and stability that Valve provided him, and overall he called it a great company." It's easy to see why so many talented game developers are drawn to Valve, a studio with unlimited resources, a laissez-faire management style and a library of prestigious IP. Working at an established studio also means there are plenty of experts around to check your progress and offer advice, and these are fail-safes that Wood doesn't have any longer as an independent developer.That can be a bit scary," Wood said. But it's been great. I love working with a small team focused on a game where, to us, it's different. To me, it's a challenge."Double Dagger StudioWood said that even though he likely works more now, he also has more energy and passion for his projects than he did in his final five years at Valve. Little Kitty, Big City represents a litany of game-design firsts for Wood, including the fact that it's a mini open world and it has zero combat. There are now two full-time team members at Double Dagger, plus a handful of part-time developers and contributors, and they all found each other naturally, by Digital Age standards - Wood shared early ideas of Little Kitty, Big City on Twitter, and interested creators got in touch.At first I did reach out to some of my co-workers who had left Valve already and they were interested, but like - this was a common theme about reaching out to people who used to work at Valve, is that most people when they leave Valve, they're kind of done," Wood said.Despite the current surge of indie-focused publishers like Annapurna Interactive, Devolver Digital, Private Division, Humble, Netflix and Raw Fury, Wood is self-publishing Little Kitty, Big City under Double Dagger Studio. That's not to say he didn't explore a potential partnership - he actually made it all the way to final contract meetings with one publisher in particular, but in the end, he turned the deal down.It didn't make any sense," Wood said. Because what they were able to do, for me, absolutely did not justify the money that they were gonna take. And so it was really hard to find a publisher that made sense. I think that the difference between where I was in my career, and where someone maybe right out of school would be, is that I walked away from Valve with a chunk of money that I said, I'm gonna invest that into a company.' And so I didn't have to rely on a publisher to spend $100,000 on a year of development or whatever. I did have that freedom and space to say no."Double Dagger StudioThis year alone, Little Kitty, Big City was announced for Switch, it had a successful showing at Summer Game Fest, and it's getting some fresh swag in the form of a Makeship campaign offering an exceedingly cute Kitty plush and a salmon-shaped, zip-up catnip toy. The Double Dagger team is finishing the game while Wood oversees it all, no safety net in sight.When we first started talking, Wood described Little Kitty, Big City as something like Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz, a game about a lost soul trying to find their way home and meeting a colorful cast of characters along the journey. This may be Kitty's story, but at this stage in his career, it feels a lot like Wood's, too.Little Kitty, Big City is on track to come out in 2024 for Switch and PC - via Steam, of course.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-cozy-cat-game-that-escaped-from-valve-180052174.html?src=rss

Sony has been offering custom PlayStation 5 plates for quite some time now, including a recent version that brings a Spider-Man 2 look to the console. Microsoft, which has given away several custom Xbox Series S units in contests, is getting in on the action by selling official wraps for the Xbox Series X.Along with two camouflage colors, Arctic Camo and Mineral Camo, a Starfield-inspired wrap will be available. Pre-orders for the wraps are open now. The $50 Starfield one will ship in the US, Canada and Europe on October 18th, while the $45 camo options will hit those regions on November 10th (though fans in Europe will miss out on the Arctic option for now).

A cargo ship equipped with rigid sails, each the height of a 10-story building, has departed on its inaugural journey. The Pyxis Ocean vessel will test WindWings sails, designed to harness old-school air power to help reduce fuel usage - and the shipping industry's CO2 emissions. The sail's creators estimate the technology could decarbonize cargo ships by about 30 percent as the maritime sector tries to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The estimated reduction could be higher if paired with alternative fuels.The ship has been retrofitted with two WindWings, each measuring 37.5 m (123 ft) tall. The rigid sails are made from the same materials as wind turbines and can be added to cargo ships' decks, providing an option for older vessels to reduce environmental impact. The ship's maiden voyage will chart a route from China to Brazil.The project is a collaboration between BAR Technologies (which developed the sails), Cargill Ocean Transportation, Mitsubishi Corporation and Yara Marine. The Maritime Industry is an extremely hard industry to decarbonize," said Cargill president Jan Dieleman. So there's not many tools that you have. So it's really important that we as users of the maritime industry are also going to get involved in some of the innovation and really move the industry forward."BAR TechnologiesThe shipping industry agreed in July to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by or around, i.e., close to, 2050." The nonbinding agreement is essentially toothless but meant as a signal to governments of where to benchmark their (binding) targets, according toThe New York Times. The agreement would have been even more lax if not for a strong last-minute push" from small island nations and other less economically developed coastal countries, which led to a plan that provides a chance at limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. That's the threshold climate experts agree the world needs to avoid to spare Earth from the worst climate-change scenarios.We fought tooth and nail for these numbers," Carlos Fuller, Belize's representative at the United Nations, told the NYT last month. They aren't perfect, but they give us a shot at staying within 1.5 degrees Celsius. And that's what we came here to do."Wind power has the potential to help reach those goals, but adoption is a challenge. We have the number of ships using this technology doubling over the past 12 months," Stephen Gordon, managing director at maritime data firm Clarksons Research, told the BBC. This is from a low base, however. In the international shipping fleet and new-build order book of over 110,000 vessels, we have records for under 100 having wind-assisted technology today."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hard-sail-test-hits-the-high-seas-aiming-to-reduce-cargo-ship-emissions-by-30-percent-172738236.html?src=rss

YouTube is quickly becoming a home for AI-generated music, and the service is trying to strike a balance between the technology's fans and the labels eager to protect their copyrights. The company and partners like Universal Music Group (UMG) have unveiled a set of principles for AI music. In theory, the approach encourages adoption while keeping artists paid.To start, YouTube maintains that "AI is here" and that it must have a "responsible" strategy. Accordingly, it's forming a Music AI Incubator that will influence the company's strategy. UMG and artists it represents (including Rosanne Cash, Yo Gotti and Frank Sinatra's estate) will help gather insights from YouTube's AI experiments.YouTube also says AI music must include "appropriate protections" against copyright violations, and must also provide "opportunities" for partners who want to get involved. While the video giant hasn't detailed what this will entail, it suggests it will build on the Content ID system that helps rights holders flag their material. On top of this, YouTube claims it will scale its content policies and safety structure to adapt to AI. The firm already has systems in place to catch copyright abuse, misinformation and other violations, but intends to pour more resources into those methods.The principles are currently vague and don't do much to change YouTube's stance. More details are due in the months ahead, however, including policies, particular technologies and monetization for creators.Generative AI is increasingly popular for unauthorized collaborations and mashups (including for UMG artists like Drake and Frank Sinatra), but it's also finding legitimate uses. The surviving members of The Beatles are using AI to create a 'final' song from a John Lennon recording, while electronic artist Holly Herndon covered Dolly Parton using an AI voice. UMG itself is exploring AI-made soundscapes. YouTube's principles could help it profit from legal productions while dodging lawsuits from artists and labels worried about ripoffs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/youtube-wants-to-benefit-from-ai-generated-music-without-the-copyright-headaches-162247510.html?src=rss

As if October wasn't already going to be busy enough for new games. Publisher 505 Games has revealed that Ghostrunner 2, the sequel to a terrific cyberpunk platformer from 2020, will arrive on October 26th. It will be available on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and GOG), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Pre-orders are open and those who snap up the Brutal Edition will get access 48 hours early.The latest entry in the series takes place one year after the events of Ghostrunner. You'll once again play as Jack, a cyberninja who has to slice and dice his way up through an imposing tower. Ghostrunner is a fast-paced, often-tough game in which you parkour around treacherous environments. Jack dies often, but instant respawns, frequent checkpoints and accessibility options are helpful.The sequel from One More Level seems to build on that foundation with new features such as a motorbike and dialogue choices. This is one of my most anticipated games of the year, so it's a real shame that it might get buried under the onslaught of blockbusters that are arriving in October.Ghostrunner 2 will be going right up against Alan Wake 2 (October 27th) - Epic Games and Remedy last week delayed their game by 10 days to get out of the way of major titles like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Also coming in October are games including Assassin's Creed Mirage(which also moved release dates to stake out its own spot on the calendar), Detective Pikachu Returns, Forza Motorsport, Lords of the Fallen and Cities Skylines II.On top of those, many people will still be knees deep in the likes of Starfield,Armored Core VI and perhaps Immortals of Aveum by the time Ghostrunner 2 arrives. Given the abundance of games coming out in the next couple months, perhaps waiting an extra few weeks wouldn't be a bad idea.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cyberpunk-platformer-ghostrunner-2-arrives-on-october-26th-160645966.html?src=rss

A federal judge has agreed with US government officials that a piece of artificial intelligence-generated art isn't eligible for copyright protection in the country since there was no human authorship involved. "Copyright has never stretched so far [...] as to protect works generated by new forms of technology operating absent any guiding human hand, as plaintiff urges here," Judge Beryl Howell of the US District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in the ruling, which The Hollywood Reporter obtained. "Human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright."Dr. Stephen Thaler sued the US Copyright Office after the agency rejected his second attempt to copyright an artwork titled A Recent Entrance to Paradise (pictured above) in 2022. The USCO agreed that the work was generated by an AI model that Thaler calls the Creativity Machine. The computer scientist applied to copyright the work himself, describing the piece "as a work-for-hire to the owner of the Creativity Machine." He claimed that the USCO's "human authorship" requirement was unconstitutional.Howell cited rulings in other cases in which copyright protection was denied to artwork that lacked human involvement, such as the famous case of a monkey that managed to capture a few selfies. "Courts have uniformly declined to recognize copyright in works created absent any human involvement," the judge wrote.The judge noted that the growing influence of generative AI will lead to challenging questions" about the level of human input that's required to meet the bar for copyright protection, as well as how original artwork created by systems trained on copyrighted pieces can truly be (an issue that's the subject of several other legal battles).However, Howell indicated that Thaler's case wasn't an especially complex one, since he admitted that he wasn't involved in the creation of A Recent Entrance to Paradise. In the absence of any human involvement in the creation of the work, the clear and straightforward answer is the one given by the [Federal] Register: No," Howell ruled. Thaler plans to appeal the decision.According to Bloomberg, this is the first ruling in the US on copyright protections for AI-generated art, though it's an issue that the USCO has been contending with for some time. In March, the agency issued guidance on copyrighting AI-generated images that are based on text prompts - generally, they're not eligible for copyright protection. The agency has offered some hope to generative AI enthusiasts, though. "The answer will depend on the circumstances, particularly how the AI tool operates and how it was used to create the final work," the USCO said. "This is necessarily a case-by-case inquiry."The agency has also granted limited copyright protection to a graphic novel with AI-generated elements. It said in February that while the Midjourney-created images in Kris Kashtanova's Zarya of the Dawn were not eligible to be copyrighted, the text and layout of the work were.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/judge-rules-that-ai-generated-art-isnt-copyrightable-since-it-lacks-human-authorship-150033903.html?src=rss

You now have an easier way to control your Tesla from your iPhone. Not a Tesla Appnotes the latest version of Tesla's iOS software now supports Shortcuts actions, making some common tasks available through Siri in addition to on-screen taps and widgets. You can use Apple's voice assistant for simple tasks like opening the trunks or windows through to special modes. If you've ever wanted to activate Bioweapon Defense Mode by talking to your phone, it's now an option.Shortcuts also enable automations, so you can string together multiple tasks or perform those tasks on set schedules. You can create a panic mode that flashes lights, honks the horn and closes windows all at the same time, for instance, or automatically warm the cabin before your morning commute.The available commands aren't comprehensive, and include features you probably aren't going to use - you don't really need a shortcut for an emissions test. This could still be significantly more convenient than wading through the Tesla app, however. It's also notable that there isn't any official integration with Alexa or Google Assistant as of this writing, so Android users will have to put in more work to go hands-free.This app update doesn't give Tesla cars a built-in voice control system. You'll need to turn to cars from the likes of Mercedes or Volvo if you want to talk directly to your vehicle. It does bring voice into the equation, though, and may be appreciated if you'd rather not wade through the official app to handle common functions.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/teslas-iphone-app-can-now-control-your-car-through-siri-144718131.html?src=rss

After voicing Mario for the past 27 years, Charles Martinet will no longer be playing the character, Nintendo announced in a tweet this morning. He'll be moving on to a newly created "Mario Ambassador" role where he'll "continue to travel the world sharing the joy of Mario," the company said. There's no word about a replacement voice actor yet. Nintendo also announced that there will be a special video message featuring Martinet and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto coming in the future.

This is a good moment to boost your console's storage. Amazon is selling the WD Black 1TB C50 expansion card for Xbox Series X/S at a new low price of $127.49, or about 15 percent off. This is a lightning deal, so you'll want to act quickly if you're interested.Like Seagate's cards, the C50 expands your Xbox storage with a solid-state drive that's as quick as the one built into the system - necessary to play Series X and S games. While Microsoft supports USB drives, those can only be used to either archive games or play legacy Xbox One titles. You'll want a card like WD's if you tend to have numerous recent games on the go.This is a proprietary expansion format, so you can't simply reuse the SSD in your computer or a rival console like the PlayStation 5. WD also doesn't offer a 2TB card like Seagate does, so you'll need to consider the competition if 1TB just isn't enough. At this price, though, WD's option is an easy choice if you're happy with the extra headroom.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/wds-1tb-xbox-storage-card-is-cheaper-than-ever-131017540.html?src=rss

A Tesla data breach earlier this year affecting more than 75,000 people was caused by "insider wrongdoing," according to a notification on Maine's Attorney General website. The 75,735 people impacted were likely current or former Tesla employees. "While we have not identified evidence of misuse of the data in a manner that may cause harm to you, we are nonetheless providing you with this notice to ensure that you are aware of what happened and the measures we have taken," the company wrote in a letter to employees.The breach occurred on May 10th, when the German-language newspaper Handelsblatt said it received 100GB of data from "several informants" within Tesla. The "Tesla files" reportedly contained 23,000 internal files, containing 2,400 reports of self-acceleration issue and 1,500 cases of braking function problems. The latter included 139 complaints about unintentional emergency braking and 383 incidences of phantom stops from false collision warnings.In the employee letter, Tesla provided more information about the incident, confirming the May 10 breach date and that Handelsblatt had obtained Tesla confidential information. "The investigation revealed that two former Tesla employees misappropriated the information in violation of Tesla's IT security and data protection policies and shared it with the media outlet."The data also included employee names and contact information including physical addresses, email addresses and mobile phone numbers. "The outlet has stated that it does not intend to publish the personal information, and in any event, is legally prohibited from using it inappropriately," Tesla stated. It added that several lawsuits resulted in the seizure of devices thought to carry the data, and that it had "obtained court orders that prohibit the former employees from further use, access, or dissemination of the data."Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a probe into Tesla's phantom braking issue following owner complaints. And in August 2022, it was reported that Tesla is facing a class-action lawsuit over the same problem.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-says-data-breach-that-affected-over-75000-people-was-caused-by-insider-wrongdoing-121756644.html?src=rss

Elon Musk says the service formerly known as Twitter is getting rid of the option to block other users, except in DMs. There, you'll still be able to block unsolicited messages from anyone sending malicious, offensive missives, which is for some, the majority of their DMs.But Musk said it "makes no sense" to block other users instead of muting them. Outside DMs, the mute option will still be available. There is a wrinkle here, noted on Musk's own tweets. If the company did nix the ability to block users, it would violate policies for both Apple's App Store and Google Play Store. (A web app, however, would be unaffected.)In the spring, X killed off the platform's free API, which broke many third-party apps. Just one year earlier, Twitter (as it was known at the time) started recommending third-party apps to help mitigate harassment on the platform. Many of these, like Block Party, stopped working after those API changes.- Mat SmithYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!The biggest stories you might have missedSega completes purchase of Rovio for $776 millionHitting the Books: Why we haven't made the Citizen Kane of gaming The best wireless headphones for 2023Fans are adapting Twin Peaks into a PS1-style adventure gameAnd there's a demo.Blue Rose TeamA small French developer called Blue Rose Team has been prepping Twin Peaks: Into the Night for a while now, and it just dropped a demo of the fan-made game. The graphics are retro and decidedly PS1 flavored, which makes sense given how the show premiered in 1990. The gameplay looks to be full of exploration, complete with conversations with the town's many oddball residents, but there's a survival horror element reminiscent of the original Resident Evil titles. The scariest, most sinister threat, though, may be copyright law. However, the creators have announced the game will be free when/if it launches.Continue reading.Lamborghini's new all-electric concept car was inspired by spaceshipsThe Lanzador will influence models moving forward.LamborghiniAfter teasing the announcement a few days ago, Lamborghini revealed a new EV concept vehicle at Monterey Car Week. The all-electric Lamborghini Lanzador boasts all kinds of high-tech bells and whistles, with a design inspired by spaceships, but it won't actually ever hit retail. Instead, as is often the case with high-end concept cars, it'll inspire and inform future Lamborghini rides. The driver and passenger sit low to the ground, as if in a jet, with a center console between them. The company says the interior is unexpectedly roomy," despite a roof height of around 1.5 meters.Continue reading.Microsoft retracts AI-written article advising tourists to visit a food bank on an empty stomachHeaded to Ottawa? Here's what you shouldn't miss!'Microsoft reportedly published - and retracted - an AI-generated article that recommended people visit a Canadian food bank as a tourist attraction. The article recommended catching a baseball game, honoring fallen soldiers at a war museum and... swinging by the Ottawa Food Bank.It's a bleak mistake. Paris Marx first called out the story on X (formerly Twitter). People who come to us have jobs and families to support, as well as expenses to pay," the AI-written section about the food bank section read. Life is already difficult enough. Consider going into it on an empty stomach." The article was pulled when Microsoft was asked for comment. The article's author was merely Microsoft Travel, suggesting real people may not have been involved in its creation. We hope not.Continue reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-you-wont-be-able-to-block-elon-musk-or-anyone-else-on-x-111544892.html?src=rss

Dr. John Warnock, who co-founded the revolutionary company Adobe, has died aged 82, Adobe announced on Saturday. He is survived by his wife, Marva Warnock, and three children; no cause of death has been released."It is with profound sadness that I share that our beloved co-founder Dr. John Warnock passed away at the age of 82," wrote Adobe Chair and CEO Shantanu Narayen. "John has been widely acknowledged as one of the greatest inventors in our generation with significant impact on how we communicate in words, images and videos."Warnock created Adobe with the late Dr. Charles Geschke in 1982, and served as the company's CEO until 2000, remaining co-chairman with Geschke until 2017 (Geschke passed in 2021). The company's original logo was created by Marva Warnock, and Adobe released its debut product, the desktop publishing software Adobe Postscript, in 1984.Adobe went on to launch Photoshop in 1987. It subsequently developed the PDF file format, and released widely used applications like Illustrator, Lightroom, Premiere Pro and After Effects. To that end, the company helped launch the desktop publishing revolution in the '80s, and offers key tools used for the web, video/audio editing and visual effects used in film and television.Warnock was one of the rare CEOs with high-level technical skills. In his 1969 doctoral thesis, he invented the Warnock algorithm for hidden surface determination. He later worked with Geschke at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, but was unable to convince management to commercialize the InterPress graphics language. That led the pair to form Adobe, where they subsequently created PostScript and released it for Apple's LaserWriter in 1985. Warnock also invented Adobe Illustrator, a drawing program that uses vectors rather than pixels to describe images."My interactions with John over the past 25 years have been the highlight of my professional career," wrote Narayen. "At breakfasts with John and Chuck, we would imagine the future, however, it was our varied conversations on rare books, art, world history and politics that gave me unique insight into John, who was truly a renaissance man."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/adobe-co-founder-dr-john-warnock-has-passed-away-at-82-102540052.html?src=rss

Russia's first attempt to land on the Moon since 1976 has ended in disapppointment. Ten days after its August 10th launch, Russia's state-run space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed its Luna-25 spacecraft had spun out of control and rammed into the Moon. "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon," Roscosmos explained in a statement. The organization initially reported the incident as an "abnormal situation" before sharing news of the crash.Luna-25 was headed to the south pole to find water ice and spend a year analyzing how it emerged there and if there was a link with water appearing on Earth. It was also set to test drive technology and examine the regolith (the soil covering moon rock). The plan was for it to remain in the moon's orbit for five days before touching down on August 21st. Luna-25 took a range of images pre-crash, including one of the Zeeman crater, near the <oon's south pole.

Threads by Instagram will get a web version as soon as this week, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. Earlier this month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised a web version with better search functionality, and Instagram head Adam Mosseri recently said that one is in testing. Currently, a full version of Threads is only available on iOS and Android, with limited read-only functionality on browsers.A web version is near the top of the list of most-desired features for Threads, but the company is exercising caution with the release. "It's a little bit buggy right now, you don't want it just yet," Mosseri said Friday on Instagram. "As soon as it is ready we will share it with everybody else."Threads recently added new features to Threads like the ability to set notifications and view posts in chronological order. The company also started labeling state-controlled media outlets after some were seen posting propaganda. Another new update is the "repost" tab makes it easier to see all reposted content. (X, previously called Twitter, recently renamed "retweets" to the more generic "reposts," ironically following Threads' lead.)A web version would be coming at a good time for Threads. After a torrid launch with over 100 million users signing on in the first week, the number of daily active users (DAUs) dropped down to 80 percent by mid-August. Still, Threads is by far the most successful alternative to X, which counted around 238 million DAUs in August 2023 and 364 million monthly active users, X reported last year.In any case, the launch of a web version will be particularly useful for social media power users, just when X has put one of its key tools for those folks, Tweetdeck, permanently behind a paywall.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/threads-web-app-could-arrive-this-week-082645402.html?src=rss

Steven Spielberg's wholesome sci-fi classic, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, became a cultural touchstone following its release in 1982. The film's hastily-developed (as in, "you have five weeks to get this to market") Atari 2600 tie-in game became a cultural touchstone for entirely different reasons.In his new book, The Stuff Games Are Made Of, experimental game maker and assistant professor in design and computation arts at Concordia University in Montreal, Pippin Barr deconstructs the game design process using an octet of his own previous projects to shed light on specific aspects of how games could better be put together. In the excerpt below, Dr. Barr muses in what makes good cinema versus games and why the storytelling goals of those two mediums may not necessarily align.MIT PressExcerpted from The Stuff Games Are Made Ofby Pippin Barr. Reprinted with permission from The MIT Press. Copyright 2023.In the Atari 2600 video game version of the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Spielberg 1982), also called E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 1982), the defining experience is falling into a pit. It's cruelly fitting, then, that hundreds of thousands of the game's physical cartridges were buried in a landfill in 1983. Why? It was one of the most spectacular failures in video game history. Why? It's often put front and center as the worst game of all time. Why? Well, when you play it, you keep falling into a pit, among other things ...But was the video game E.T. so terrible? In many ways it was a victim of the video game industry's voracious hunger for sure fire" blockbusters. One strategy was to adapt already-popular movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark or, yes, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Rushed to market with a development time of only five weeks, the game inevitably lacked the careful crafting of action-oriented gameplay backed by audience testing that other Atari titles had. I would argue, though, that its creator, Howard Scott Warshaw, found his way into a more truthful portrayal of the essence of the film than you might expect.Yes, in the game E.T. is constantly falling into pits as he flees scientists and government agents. Yes, the game is disorienting in terms of understanding what to do, with arcane symbols and unclear objectives. But on the other hand, doesn't all that make for a more poignant portrayal of E.T.'s experience, stranded on an alien planet, trying to get home? What if E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a good adaptation of the film, and just an unpopular video game?The world of video games has admired the world of film from the beginning. This has led to a long-running conversation between game design and the audiovisual language of cinema, from cutscenes to narration to fades and more. In this sense, films are one of the key materials games are made of. However, even video games' contemporary dominance of the revenue competition has not been quite enough to soothe a nagging sense that games just don't measure up. Roger Ebert famously (and rather overbearingly) claimed that video games could never be art," and although we can mostly laugh about it now that we have games like Kentucky Route Zero and Disco Elysium, it still hurts. What if Ebert was right in the sense that video games aren't as good at being art as cinema is?Art has seldom been on game studios' minds in making film adaptations. From Adventures of Tron for the Atari 2600 to Toy Story Drop! on today's mobile devices, the video game industry has continually tried for instant brand recognition and easy sales via film. Sadly, the resulting games tend just to lay movie visuals and stories over tried-and-true game genres such as racing, fighting, or match 3. And the search for films that are inherently video game-y" hasn't helped much either. In Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Spider-Man ends up largely as a vessel for swinging and punching, and you certainly can't participate in Miles's inner life. So what happened to the Citizen Kane of video games"?A significant barrier has been game makers' obsession with the audiovisual properties of cinema, the specific techniques, rather than some of the deeply structural or even philosophical opportunities. Film is exciting because of the ways it unpacks emotion, represents space, deploys metaphor, and more. To leverage the stuff of cinema, we need to take a close look at these other elements of films and explore how they might become the stuff of video games too. One way to do that in an organized way is to focus on adaptation, which is itself a kind of conversation between media that inevitably reveals much about both. And if you're going to explore film adaptation to find the secret recipe, why not go with the obvious? Why not literally make Citizen Kane (Welles 1941) into a video game? Sure, Citizen Kane is not necessarily the greatest film of all time, but it certainly has epic symbolic value. Then again, Citizen Kane is an enormous, complex film with no car chases and no automatic weapons. Maybe it's a terrible idea.As video games have ascended to a position of cultural and economic dominance in the media landscape, there has been a temptation to see film as a toppled Caesar, with video games in the role of a Mark Antony who has come to bury cinema, not to praise it." But as game makers, we haven't yet mined the depths offered by cinema's rich history and its exciting contemporary voices. Borrowing cinema's visual language of cameras, points of view, scenes, and so on was a crucial step in figuring out how video games might be structured, but the stuff of cinema has more to say than that. Citizen Kane encourages us to embrace tragedy and a quiet ending. The Conversation shows us that listening can be more powerful than action. Beau Travail points toward the beauty of self-expression in terrible times. Au Hasard Balthazar brings the complex weight of our own responsibilities to the fore.There's nothing wrong with an action movie or an action video game, but I suggest there's huge value in looking beyond the low-hanging fruit of punch-ups and car chases to find genuinely new cinematic forms for the games we play. I'll never play a round of Combat in the same way, thanks to the specter of Travis Bickle psyching himself up for his fight against the world at large. It's time to return to cinema in order to think about what video games have been and what they can be. Early attempts to adapt films into games were perhaps notoriously bad" (Fassone 2020), but that approach remains the most direct way for game designers to have a conversation with the cinematic medium and to come to terms with its potential. Even if we accept the idea that E.T. was terrible, which I don't, it was also different and new.This is bigger than cinema, though, because we're really talking about adaptation as a form of video game design. While cinema (and television) is particularly well matched, all other media from theater to literature to music are teeming with ideas still untried in the youthful domain of video games. One way to fast-track experimentation is of course to adapt plays, poems, and songs. To have those conversations. There can be an air of disdain for adaptations compared to originals, but I'm with Linda Hutcheon (2012, 9) who asserts in A Theory of Adaptation that an adaptation is a derivation that is not derivative - a work that is second without being secondary." As Jay Bolter and Richard Grusin (2003, 15) put it, what is new about new media comes from the particular ways in which they refashion older media." This is all the more so when the question is how to adapt a specific work in another medium, where, as Hutcheon claims, the act of adaptation always involves both (re-)interpretation and then (re-)creation." That is, adaptation is inherently thoughtful and generative; it forces us to come to terms with the source materials in such a direct way that it can lay our design thinking bare-the conversation is loud and clear. As we've seen, choosing films outside the formulas of Hollywood blockbusters is one way to take that process of interpretation and creation a step further by exposing game design to more diverse cinematic influences.Video games are an incredible way to explore not just the spaces we see on-screen, but also the space of the mind." When a game asks us to act as a character in a cinematic world, it can also ask us to think as that character, to weigh our choices with the same pressures and history they are subject to. Hutcheon critiques games' adaptive possibilities on the grounds that their programming has an even more goal- directed logic than film, with fewer of the gaps that film spectators, like readers, fill in to make meaning." To me, this seems less like a criticism and more like an invitation to make that space. Quiet moments in games, as in films, may not be as exhilarating as a shoot-out, but they can demand engagement in a way that a shoot-out can't. Video games are ready for this.The resulting games may be strange children of their film parents, but they'll be interesting children too, worth following as they grow up. Video game film adaptations will never be films, nor should they be-they introduce possibilities that not only recreate but also reimagine cinematic moments. The conversations we have with cinema through adaptation are ways to find brand new ideas for how to make games. Even the next blockbuster.Yeah, cinema, I'm talkin' to you.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/hitting-the-books-the-stuff-games-are-made-of-pippin-barr-mit-press-143054954.html?src=rss

Cruise will temporarily be deploying fewer autonomous vehicles in San Francisco while investigators are looking into "recent concerning incidents" involving its fleet. According to The New York Times and TechCrunch, the California Department of Motor Vehicles asked the company to cut its fleet in half after an incident wherein one of Cruise's robotaxis collided with a fire truck at an intersection. The fire truck had its sirens and red lights on and was responding to an emergency at the time, while the robotaxi has passengers onboard who sustained non-life-threatening injuries. In another, perhaps less controversial, incident a few days before that, a Cruise vehicle got stuck in wet concrete.The DMV said in a statement that its primary focus is "the safe operation of autonomous vehicles and safety of the public who share the road with these vehicles." It also added that it "reserves the right, following investigation of the facts, to suspend or revoke testing and/or deployment permits" if it determines that a company's vehicles is a threat to public safety. The agency has asked Cruise to limit its driverless vehicles in operation to 50 during daytime and 150 at night, at least until the investigation is done.In an explanation about the collision posted on the company's website, Cruise's General Manager for San Francisco, Greg Dietrerich, said the robotaxi identified the emergency vehicle as soon as it came into view. It was also able to distinguish the fire truck's sirens "as soon as it was distinguishable from the background noise." However, it wasn't possible to see vehicles coming from around the corner "until they are physically very close to the intersection" where the incident happened. Further, the autonomous vehicle had trouble predicting the fire truck's path, because it moved into the "oncoming lane of traffic" to bypass a red light. Dietrerich said Cruise's AV identified the risk of a collision and hit the brake to reduce its speed, but it wasn't able to avoid the crash completely due to those conditions.The DMV's request comes just a few days after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted in favor of allowing both Cruise and Waymo to charge fares for fully driverless rides any time of the day in San Francisco. Before that, Cruise could only offer fared rides with no safety driver onboard in limited areas of the city between 10PM and 6AM. The only commissioner who voted against the companies' paid ride expansion argued that the CPUC didn't have enough information to accurately evaluate the impact of autonomous vehicles on first responders.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/california-dmv-is-investigating-a-cruise-robotaxis-collision-with-a-fire-truck-093037885.html?src=rss

Twitch announced this week that an upcoming change will allow streamers to block banned users from tuning into their streams. You can choose to have your banned chatters no longer be able to watch the stream," Senior Product Manager Trevor Fisher revealed on Twitch's Patch Notes podcast (viaTechCrunch), stressing that the feature won't be enabled by default. The new blocking feature will roll out in the next few weeks.The way that it will work is if you ban somebody and they're currently watching, then the stream playback will be interrupted for them so that they immediately lose the ability to view the stream," he explained. And then if you go offline, you stream again, they won't be able to watch your subsequent streams either until you choose to un-ban them." He said it would have the same effect regardless of whether the streamer or a moderator bans someone: That person can't watch your streams until they're unblocked.One significant limitation to the new feature is that it only applies to logged-in users: Anyone viewing a stream while logged out of their account can still watch it. Twitch isn't blocking IP addresses (at least for now), which leaves room for the noteworthy exception.Fisher stressed that this is an incremental change that only partially addresses some of the platform's moderation problems, including multiple women accusing Twitch streamers of sexual abuse and misconduct. Other moves to address the issue have included adding a one-button anti-harassment tool, enhancing its reporting and appeals process, rewriting its community policies and taking a stronger stance against deepfakes. We know that this is an area where people want us to do more, and it's just been shipping off one part of the problem at a time," Fisher said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-streamers-can-soon-block-banned-accounts-from-tuning-in-195923803.html?src=rss

Sega Sammy has completed its purchase of Angry Birds developer Rovio, officially plunking down a cool $776 million to acquire the company. The deal was first floated back in April, but both companies had to jump through some finalization and regulatory hoops. Sega's hoping the purchase will give them a stronger foothold in the mobile space, despite the golden days of Angry Birds fandom passing almost 15 years ago.However, Rovio is not just the one IP. Beyond Angry Birds and its many spinoff games, the company is known for the match-three puzzler Sugar Blast and the narrative mystery title Small Town Murders. Okay, those aren't exactly high-profile IPs, but Sega gets something beyond recognizable franchise titles with this purchase. It gets a ready-made infrastructure for developing, publishing and advertising mobile games. This means it can hit the ground running when making mobile titles based on its own IPs, like Sonic, Samba de Amigo, Persona, Football Manager and others. There's also hundreds of older games just waiting for mobile ports.Back in April, CEO Haruki Satomi said that the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been Sega's long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field."Beyond Sega's pre-existing franchises, the company will likely continue with more Angry Birds mobile games. Despite losing some of that late 2000s luster, Angry Birds is still a fairly hot commodity, with related movies, TV shows and even a bizarre restaurant in New York City. Maybe pairing up those annoyed avians with a certain blue hedgehog will bring the one-time mobile smash back into the collective consciousness. Now, who's up for flinging Knuckles into a bunch of pigs?This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sega-completes-purchase-of-rovio-for-776-million-191525883.html?src=rss

Elon Musk isn't quite done making major changes to X. The platform's owner and chief technical officer says the service formerly known as Twitter is getting rid of the option to block other users, except for when it comes to DMs. Musk, who has previously signaled his desire to remove the feature, suggested it "makes no sense" to block other users instead of muting them. The mute option will still be available.Many people use the block feature to protect themselves from harassment. It's long been a key safety feature of the platform and nixing it opens the door to users perhaps seeing more hateful content they don't want to deal with in their feeds and notifications. Moreover, as CNBC points out, some users block advertisers and brands they don't want to see, which (were enough people to do that) could have a notable impact on X's bottom line.

Microsoft reportedly published - and retracted - an AI-generated article that recommended people visit a Canadian food bank as a tourist attraction. The article Headed to Ottawa? Here's what you shouldn't miss!" included recommendations for catching a baseball game, honoring fallen soldiers at a war museum and... swinging by the Ottawa Food Bank. Paris Marx first called out the story on X (formerly Twitter). People who come to us have jobs and families to support, as well as expenses to pay," the AI-written section about the food bank section read. Life is already difficult enough. Consider going into it on an empty stomach."Before its retraction, the article appeared on Microsoft Start, the company's AI-aggregated news service that replaced Microsoft News in 2021. After The Vergereported on the article and its highly inappropriate recommendation about going into it on an empty stomach," Microsoft senior director Jeff Jones told the publication, This article has been removed and we are investigating how it made it through our review process."

Lamborghini, known for enabling many a mid-life crisis, revealed a new EV concept vehicle at Monterey Car Week, after teasing the announcement a few day ago. The all-electric Lamborghini Lanzador boasts all kinds of high-tech bells and whistles, with a design actually inspired by spaceships. This grand tourer (GT) vehicle features plenty of infotainment features, with a large Y-shaped center console bridge and a slim dashboard for making adjustments.The driver also has instant access to climate controls and various digital functions via an integrated pilot's unit." This unit also allows access to an array of driving modes via the company's ANIMA control system. There's even retractable displays that stream pertinent information to passengers regarding speed, distance, climate, entertainment and more.As for the design, the driver and passenger sit low to the ground, as if in a jet, and are separated by that center console. The company says the interior is unexpectedly roomy", despite a roof height of around 1.5 meters, further increasing the car's low-to-the-ground proportions. The rear space can be used to store luggage and other necessities, and there's a concealed trunk under the front bonnet for more storage options.Design is cool and all, but what about all of those internal speed-enhancing goodies? The Lanzador includes high-powered electric motors on each axle, with a peak power of over one megawatt. There's all-wheel drive with e-torque on the rear axle for improved cornering. Lamborghini says it's all powered by a new generation high-performance battery" and ensures a long driving range, but didn't announce the actual mileage per charge. The company also says that the car's aerodynamic design should further increase real-world mileage.Though strictly a concept car, Lamborghini says the Lanzador is not merely a whim of designers and engineers" and provides a concrete preview" of production vehicles that will begin rolling out in 2028. To that end, there's an emphasis here on eco-friendly design materials, like Merino wool, sustainably tanned leather and recycled carbon. This also adds further proof that the company is serious about going all-electric by 2030.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lamborghinis-new-all-electric-concept-car-was-inspired-by-spaceships-174550629.html?src=rss

You may have watched the original run of Twin Peaks so many times that you exclaim damn fine coffee" each and every time you grab a cup, but have you ever played the story through the eyes of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper? You'll soon be able to do just that via the magic of video games. A small French developer called Blue Rose Team has been prepping Twin Peaks: Into the Night for a while now, and it just dropped a demo of the fan-made game.The graphics are retro and decidedly PS1-flavored, which makes sense given how the show premiered in 1990. The gameplay looks to be full of exploration, complete with conversations with the town's many oddball residents, though there's a survival horror element reminiscent of the original Resident Evil titles. This is also an appropriate design choice, as the show pits Agent Cooper against foes both physical and supernatural. You should expect appearances from the infamous one-armed man, the chaos agent Bob, nefarious former FBI agent Windom Earle and, of course, plenty of owls.Beyond gameplay, there looks to be an array of video cutscenes culled from the show itself. The demo, released Tuesday, chronicles events from season one, in which Cooper arrives in Twin Peaks and begins unraveling the murder case of local teen Laura Palmer. The demo is filled with the kind of idiosyncratic quirks and metaphysical horror elements that made the OG show such a hit back in the day.The creators have announced that the game will be free when it launches, so that should clear up any potential legal hurdles moving forward. David Lynch is busy doing his daily weather reports on YouTube or whatever, so he won't complain, but ABC and Warner Bros. aren't quite as chill as the filmmaker/painter/meditation enthusiast.There's no official release date, but the demo should keep you busy for a while. Oddly, this will be the very first Twin Peaks video game adaptation, though there's a short VR experience. Despite never being officially adapted, the show has inspired plenty of games, from the Alan Wake series to a little-known title called The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. It also goes without saying that Twin Peaks: Into the Night doesn't delve into the events of Showtime's Twin Peaks: The Return, so don't expect to control Jim Belushi.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fans-are-adapting-twin-peaks-into-a-ps1-style-adventure-game-and-theres-a-demo-163643462.html?src=rss

Google Keep, the company's note-taking app, is getting a long-overdue feature that unfortunately doesn't seem fully baked. Google is adding a version history function, which could save you from having to manually retype a lot of text that you mistakenly deleted.The tool allows you to download a text file with previous versions of your notes and lists, according to a support page. The help document states that Google is gradually rolling out the feature to everyone, so it may not be live for you yet. When it is, you can access it on the Keep web app, by clicking on the three-dot menu at the bottom of a note.

This week's best tech deals include the 9th-gen iPad on sale for $250, which ties the lowest price we've seen. While the 10.2-inch slate is showing its age design-wise, it's still a good bargain for those who just need a tablet for the basics and want the most affordable Apple tablet possible. Elsewhere, Sony is still running a rare $50 discount on PlayStation 5, while Amazon's Fire TV Stick 4K Max is within $2 of its best price to date. We're also seeing all-time lows on the top picks in our gaming headset and microSD card buying guides, plus Apple's third-gen AirPods. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.Apple iPad (9th gen)The 9th-gen Apple iPad is back down to $250 at Amazon, matching its all-time low. You should see the full discount at checkout. Apple sells the 10.2-inch tablet for $329, though we've regularly seen it retail closer to $275.The entry-level slate is certainly getting long in the tooth, as its non-laminated display, thick bezels and Lightning port give it an altogether more dated design than newer iPads. Its 64GB of storage is low, too. At this price, though, the 9th-gen iPad remains one of the better values in the tablet market, with a sturdy aluminum frame, 10 or so hours of battery life and fast-enough performance for casual media consumption. There's always a chance Apple will introduce new iPads later this year, but if you just want the cheapest route into iPadOS, this model should be enough.Astro A40 TRThe Astro A40 TR is on sale for $100, which is $30 off its usual street price and ties the lowest price we've seen. The A40 TR is the top pick in our guide to the best gaming headsets, as its open-back design gives it a more spacious and enveloping sound that most competitors. It emphasizes the bass, but not to an overwhelming degree, and it's comfortable to wear to extended periods. That said, the built-in mic is just OK, and like any open-back headphone, the whole thing both leaks and lets in lots of outside noise, so it's not ideal if you usually play in a noisy room. In general, you can get better value from a pair of "normal" wired headphones than a dedicated gaming headset unless you need a mic. If you really want an all-in-one solution, though, the A40 TR is a worthwhile compromise.Samsung Pro PlusThe Samsung Pro Plus is the top pick in our microSD card buying guide, and right now its 128GB, 256GB and 512GB models are down to $12, $20 and $35, respectively. Each of those deals match an all-time low. The Pro Plus technically isn't the fastest microSD card you can buy, but at this price it's a fantastic value for a Nintendo Switch, GoPro or Android tablet, as it topped all the cards we tested in sequential write speeds and random read/write performance. It also comes with a 10-year limited warranty.Sony PlayStation 5The PlayStation 5 is still on sale for $449 at various retailers, which is a $50 discount. We highlighted this deal when Sony kicked off its latest summer sale a couple of weeks ago, but the company says that is scheduled to end on August 19. Discounts for the PS5 have been exceedingly rare since the console arrived in late 2020, so consider this a last-minute PSA. We gave the device a review score of 87 at launch, though it's become a much better value proposition over the last three years as it's built out its games library.Sony PlayStation 5 DualSense ControllerIn other PS5 deals, the DualSense wireless controller is still on sale for $49 in various colors. Depending on which model you pick, that's $20 or $25 off. This matches the lowest outright discount we've seen for the gamepad, which is also compatible with Steam. Elsewhere, console covers for the PS5 are down to $45 at the PlayStation Direct store. That's a $10 discount.PS5 and PS4 exclusive game saleA number of PlayStation-exclusive games we recommend are discounted as well, including God of War Ragnarok for $49 and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Moralesfor $20. The thrilling roguelike Returnaland the charming action game Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apartare both down to $29, while the open-world samurai game Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut is available for a buck more. Elsewhere, Death Stranding: Director's Cutis on sale for $19, while a PS4 copy of Horizon Forbidden West(which includes a free upgrade to the digital PS5 version) is down to $29. We've seen all of these deals before, but if you need something new to play, each matches or at least comes within a few dollars of the lowest price we've seen.Anker 622 Magnetic BatteryThe Anker 622 Magnetic Battery is back on sale for $40, which isn't quite an all-time low but still comes in $10 below the device's typical street price. This portable wireless charger has a slim frame that snaps easily onto the back of a MagSafe-compatible iPhone. It also includes a built-in kickstand for propping your phone up. This deal applies to the "Upgraded Version" of the battery, with a USB-C port on the side; an older variant places that port on the bottom, which is a bit less convenient for pass-through charging. Just note that, like many wireless power packs, the 622 can't deliver a particularly fast charge (only 7.5W), nor does it have a high capacity (5,000mAh). It can get hot, too. Still, if you want a truly cable-free way to extend an iPhone's battery on the go, it's a decent value at this price.Apple AirPods (3rd gen)The third-gen Apple AirPods are back down to $140, tying its all-time low. Apple sells the wireless earbuds for $169, though we often see them go for $10 or $20 less elsewhere. This open-back pair has a more balanced sound than most unsealed earbuds, with more bass depth than usual (albeit not a ton). There's no ANC, as expected, but you still get wireless charging, relatively intuitive touch controls and the usual Apple-friendly features like fast pairing and Find My tracking. Just note that the earpieces are a little large, so they may not fit well with certain ear shapes. This set is also pricey, and like any other open-back pair, it doesn't isolate much outside noise. Still, if you own an iPhone and hate the feeling of traditional in-ear headphones, it might work. We gave the AirPods a score of 88 in late 2021.Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K MaxThe Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is down to $27, which is $2 more than the lowest price we've seen but still roughly $20 below the 4K streamer's usual street price. This is Amazon's fastest streaming stick, with support for all the necessary apps and HDR standards, plus Alexa voice controls built into its remote. We generally prefer Roku's and Google's respective streaming platforms over Amazon's Fire OS, as the latter is more aggressive about displaying ads and promoting Amazon's own content across the UI. But if you just want an affordable device for casual 4K streaming, or if you regularly use Amazon services like Prime Video, this is a fine option.Amazon Echo StudioThe Amazon Echo Studio is on sale for $160, which is a $40 discount and within $5 of the smart speaker's all-time low. This is the largest and best-sounding option in Amazon's Echo lineup. Though we recommend the newer Sonos Era 100 to most people looking for an audio-focused smart speaker, the Echo Studio is still a strong alternative for those who want to save some cash or add a centerpiece to an existing set of Echo devices.Logitech Litra GlowThe Logitech Litra Glow is back down to $50, which is a deal we've seen a few times before but still takes $10 off the device's usual going rate. The Litra Glow is a USB-powered video light we recommend in our guide to the best game-streaming gear, as we found it to deliver relatively soft and pleasant lighting without harsh edges or shadows. The hardware clips onto the top of a monitor and is easy to rotate or tilt, and you can customize the lighting's brightness and color temperature through built-in control buttons or Logitech's companion software. While Logitech markets the device toward content creators, it can also be useful for those who frequently have to take Zoom calls in a room with poor natural lighting.Instant Pot Duo (3-quart)If you've been thinking about jumping on the Instant Pot bandwagon, the 3-quart Instant Pot Duo is now on sale for $60, or $20 below its typical street price. While that's not an all-time low, it does match the best price we've seen in 2023. We recommend this smaller variant to those who want an electric pressure cooker for individual use or smaller kitchens in our Instant Pot buying guide. It's one of the more basic options available, but it's still easy to operate, and it comes with modes for sauteing, slow cooking, steaming and making rice or yogurt, among others.Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5The 256GB Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is down to $900 at Amazon with an on-page coupon, which is a $100 discount for a phone that only went on sale earlier this month. If you shop at Amazon regularly, you can also get the foldable phone with a $150 Amazon gift card, but you'll have to pay the standard $1,000 MSRP. We gave the Galaxy Z Flip 5 a review score of 88 earlier this month, and we currently list it as the "best foldable for selfies" in our guide to the best smartphones. The big upgrades are a larger 3.4-inch cover display that's more useful for quickly checking notifications or using apps and a redesigned hinge that lets the device fold flat. You still give up some battery life and camera performance compared to more traditional flagship phones around this price, and like any foldable device, you have to take extra care when handling it. But if the idea of a phone you can fold in half appeals to you, this is the new leader in that market.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-102-inch-ipad-drops-to-250-plus-the-rest-of-the-weeks-best-tech-deals-151827317.html?src=rss