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Meta's lineup of smart glasses could soon get a lot more capabilities. The company will begin allowing outside developers to bring their apps to its RayBan and Oakley smart glasses, Meta announced on the second day of its Connect event.Up to now, Meta has only had a limited number of third-party integrations for its glasses, with apps like Spotify and Audible. But Meta will now allow developers to start experimenting with apps that can take advantage of the built-in sensors and audio capabilities of its glasses. This means other companies will be able to create their own custom experiences that use Meta's multimodal AI features.The company is already working with a set of early partners, like Twitch, which is creating livestreaming capabilities for the glasses, and Disney, which is experimenting with an app for inside its parks. A demo video shows a visitor walking around Disneyland and asking the AI assistant about the rides she's seeing and other park information. 18Birdies, a golf app, is working on an integration that can give players club recommendations and yardage stats.Notably, these apps all seem like they work with Meta's non-display glasses, which means that even people who have first-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses could see a bunch of added new functionality. It's not clear if the company will also allow developers to also build experiences that can take advantage of the display on its newest Meta Ray-Ban Display frames, but that could open up even more possibilities.Meta's new set of tools, officially called the "Wearables Device Access Toolkit," will roll out as a limited developer preview ahead of broader availability in 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/meta-will-let-outside-developers-create-ai-powered-apps-for-its-smart-glasses-194159233.html?src=rss

Creators building experiences in Fortnite are getting a new way to earn revenue. Epic says developers will soon have the ability to make and sell in-game items in Fortnite, and earn a cut of the V-Bucks users spend to buy them. Previously, developers only earned money through Fortnite based on the amount of time users spent on their "islands," the in-game name for third-party experiences creators can offer through Fortnite.Developers will be able to create their consumable and durable in-game items using soon-to-be-released tools in Unreal Editor for Fortnite and a new "Verse-based API," according to Epic. The company also plans to be generous with the revenue split its offering, at least at first. Developers"will ordinarily earn 50 percent of the V-Bucks value from sales in their islands," but from December 2025 through the end of 2026, they'll get to keep 100 percent.Epic says its 50 percent cut - notably more than the 30 percent popularized by Apple's App Store - is to help "contribute to server hosting costs, safety and moderation costs, R&D and other operating expenses" of running Fortnite. It's also a make-good of sorts, since Epic claims it's been "investing and operating the business at a loss."How much 100 percent or 50 percent of "V-Bucks value" actually equals in real money unfortunately isn't as simple as converting Fortnite's digital currency to dollars, though. Epic offers the following explanation for how it calculates V-Bucks value:

The FTC and seven states sued Ticketmaster owner Live Nation on Wednesday. The lawsuit accused the company of knowingly allowing brokers to buy tickets in bulk. Ticketmaster allegedly then let them resell the tickets at a significant markup on its own second-hand market.The FTC claims Ticketmaster was aware that resellers routinely bypassed its security measures for these purchases. The company profits three times from resales. It collects fees at the initial purchase, followed by both buyer and seller fees upon resale. Between 2019 and 2024, Ticketmaster raked in $16.4 billion in fees, according to the FTC.The agency paints a picture of the company that epitomizes rampant corporate greed. The FTC claims an internal Live Nation review showed that five resellers alone harvested 246,407 tickets to 2,594 events. The agency accused Ticketmaster of admitting in an internal email that it "turn[s] a blind eye as a matter of policy."The company is said to even offer tech support to brokers through its TradeDesk app. The software is designed to consolidate and manage tickets purchased through multiple Ticketmaster accounts.Ticketmaster also allegedly failed to implement third-party identity verification tools that could have prevented the bulk purchases. Why? The FTC quotes the company as saying these tools would have been "too effective." The company is also said to have admitted to engaging in deceptive pricing. Their alleged reason: Customers were less likely to buy tickets when they saw the actual cost upfront.The FTC accused Live Nation of violating two laws: the FTC Act's ban on deceptive practices and the BOTS Act. The latter was signed by President Obama in 2016, just before leaving office. As its name suggests, it banned the use of bots or other software to obtain more tickets than is legally allowed. Earlier this year, President Trump issued an executive order to increase enforcement of the law.The suit was filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California. Joining the FTC in the suit are Virginia, Utah, Florida, Tennessee, Nebraska, Illinois and Colorado.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-ftc-sues-ticketmaster-for-allegedly-colluding-with-resellers-191337586.html?src=rss

Microsoft's Gaming Copilot AI assistant is officially coming to Windows PCs and the Xbox mobile app. The company has been testing the tool for PCs with Xbox Insiders, but now it's getting a broader rollout.To that end, it'll be available to players aged 18 and older on the PC Game Bar. The Xbox app version rolls out this October, for both Android and iOS, after a beta test took place earlier this year. Microsoft says that its Gaming Copilot will be available throughout the globe, except in mainland China.So what exactly is this thing? It's sort of like an AI version of those old Nintendo help phone lines. The chat box appears as an overlay on the screen and players can use it to ask questions or to get tips about a game. The company says it "knows what you're playing and understands your Xbox activity," as it uses in-game screenshots. It can also answer questions about an Xbox account and offer recommendations on stuff to buy.The official version also offers voice chat, so you can just ask the questions out loud. On PC, there's a "Push to Talk" hotkey that activates the bot, which is handy. The app includes a microphone button. There's a widget for the PC build that can be placed anywhere on the screen. This is useful for longer conversations.

In addition to new hardware announcements, Meta had software news to share during its Meta Connect 2025 conference today. The company revealed that Discord will be making a native app for the Meta Quest headset. According to Meta, the native window app will be available some time in 2026.The development makes sense. VR is a platform with a lot of gaming presence, so having Discord for easy social and voice connections while playing is a win for players and a natural match for the two businesses. Having a native app can make a big difference in the ease of use. I'm primarily a member of the PlayStation nation, and I swear I heard an angelic choir singing when the PS5 finally got call support.Meta positioned the upcoming availability of the native app as a boon for the developers of VR experiences to reach new audiences, thanks to Discord's more than 200 million monthly active players. We've reached out to Discord for additional comment and will update with any more details we receive.

Steam is officially dropping Windows 32-bit support at the end of this year, the company announced today. The only 32-bit version of Windows that is currently supported by Steam is Windows 10 32-bit. The company says 0.01 percent of systems reported through the Steam Hardware Survey are using that version of Windows. On any given day, Steam sees just over 36 million daily users, so it's safe to assume that this change will only affect a few thousand gamers.While this doesn't mean that your Steam client running on Windows 10 32-bit will self-destruct at midnight on January 1, it does mean that you will no longer receive updates or technical support. Microsoft is also sunsetting Windows 10 on October 14 of this year, which will similarly mean an end to security updates.Valve will still support Steam on Windows 10 64-bit for the time being. Windows 11 doesn't offer a 32-bit version, making it the first version not to offer 32-bit since the feature was introduced with Windows NT in 1993."Core features in Steam rely on system drivers and other libraries that are not supported on 32-bit versions of Windows," Steam explained in the announcement. Hopefully this change frees up enough bandwidth at Valve to get Half-Life 3 over the finish line.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/steam-is-ending-support-for-windows-32-bit-next-year-171057805.html?src=rss

Back at I/O 2025, Google began integrating Gemini into Chrome. At the time, you needed an AI Pro or AI Ultra subscription to access the AI assistant in the browser. That's changing today. Google has begun rolling out the tool to all Chrome desktop users on both Windows and Mac. Provided you have Chrome's language set to English and live in the US, you'll see a new sparkle icon at the top of the interface. Tapping it will allow you to start making requests of Gemini.You can also use the tool on a smartphone. On Android, you can do so by holding your phone's power button. On iOS, meanwhile, Google is working on bringing the assistant to the Chrome app.GoogleSince its introduction at I/O, Google has made some enhancements to how Gemini works inside of Chrome. To start, the tool can now work across multiple tabs, allowing it to compare and summarize information from different websites. At the same time, Gemini can access your browsing history thanks to a new recall feature. Google suggests this can be helpful in situations where you can't quite remember where you saw something online. Instead of manually sifting through your browser history, you can write a prompt like "what was that blog I read on back to school shopping?" and Gemini will take care of the rest.The new version of Gemini for Chrome also offers deeper integrations with other Google services, including Calendar, YouTube and Maps. For instance, you can ask the assistant to schedule meetings for you, and if you're working through a long YouTube video, Gemini can generate timestamps you can use to jump around the video.GoogleAt the start of May, Google began using Gemini Nano to upgrade Chrome's Enhanced Protection suite. On Thursday, the company said Gemini Nano would also soon work to protect users against websites that use fake viruses or giveaways to trick them. Google has also added an algorithm that will learn your preferences for granting permissions. When it determines you're unlikely to grant a website permission to access your computer's camera or location, it will present those requests in a less intrusive way. Similarly, Google will add an AI designed to make it easier to update compromised credentials through Chrome's built-in password manager. Starting with a handful of supported websites - including Coursera, Duolingo and Spotify - you'll be able to change your passwords with a single click.In the coming months, Google plans to bring agentic capabilities to Chrome, meaning Gemini will be able to complete tasks for you. For example, the company envisions people using this feature to do their weekly grocery shopping through Instacart. The company first previewed this capability with Project Mariner at the end of 2024. Over the last year, a few different companies have released their own takes on web-surfing agents with mixed results. For example, people have complained of OpenAI's Operator failing to complete some tasks.Google"Our hope is that by the time this gets to users, we've done away with many of the potential snafus," said Mike Torres, vice president of product for Chrome, during a media briefing Google held ahead of today's announcement. "This is an experimental experience we're continuing to improve. We're not going to do something that compromises the user experience."Last but not least, Google is adding an AI Mode mode shortcut directly to Chrome's address bar. If you need a refresher, AI Mode is Google's dedicated search chatbot. At I/O 2025, the company made it available to every Search user in the US. Now you can access it without navigating to Google first. When I asked Torres about the button, he was quick to note users don't have to use the shortcut. "What we're trying to do is maintain users' existing behavior," he added.As with any major update from Google, it may take a few days for the new features to roll out to your installation of Chrome.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gemini-in-chrome-no-longer-requires-a-subscription-170045611.html?src=rss

CoPilot+ PC owners have a new perk in the pipeline. Your AI PC will soon perform Notepad's AI writing features on-device - no subscription required. The app's summarize, write and rewrite options were introduced earlier this year.Up to this point, you've needed a CoPilot Pro or Microsoft 365 subscription to use Notepad's AI writing tools. So, if you've splurged on an AI PC, this could save you a few bucks each month. And if you have both a subscription and a CoPilot+ PC, it lets you choose between local and cloud generation.Microsoft is rolling out the new local AI feature now for its Windows Insider beta testers. It's available in English only, at least for now.MicrosoftPaint is also getting some love in the latest Insider builds. You can now save projects, Adobe-style. If you're in the middle of an edit, you can choose File > Save as project. You can then select a location to save the .paint file and pick up later where you left off.On top of that, Paint is also adding an opacity slider to the pencil and brush tools. Nobody in their right mind will describe MS Paint as a Photoshop rival. But at least the simple drawing and editing app is growing slightly more advanced. It's gotten a renewed focus from the company after adding AI image generation chops last year.Last but... definitely least is an update to Snipping Tool. Insiders will see a new quick markup option in the screenshot app. After snipping something onscreen, you'll find the feature in the capture toolbar. You can then scribble away before saving.All the Windows updates are available in the Canary and Dev Insider channels. Anyone with a Microsoft account can sign up for free. The company does occasionally cancel beta features before they're released to Windows proper. But that's more the exception than the rule.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/notepads-ai-writing-features-will-soon-run-locally-on-copilot-pcs-163518223.html?src=rss

A former lobbyist for Meta is now in charge of the EU's chief regulator for big tech firms, according to reporting by The Irish Times. Niamh Sweeney has been named commissioner of the Data Protection Commission (DPC), which is one of the largest EU data protection authorities.Prior to this, she worked at Meta for six years. Sweeney was director of European public policy at WhatsApp and head of Irish public policy at Facebook for many of those years. She becomes the third active commissioner of the regulatory body, joining Des Hogan and Dale Sutherland.As the responsibilities and scope of the DPC continue to grow, I am pleased that three commissioners will now lead and manage this key regulatory body," said Ireland's Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan.

China is ending its antitrust probe into Google, which had centered around Android's ubiquity in the mobile world and what impact, if any, it was having on Chinese phone makers like Oppo and Xiaomi that use the software. As reported by the Financial Times, this move comes amid ongoing discussions between the US and Chinese governments over TikTok, NVIDIA, tariffs and the broader trading relationship between the world's two largest economies.Google's search engine remains blocked in China, along with many of its other core products like Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps. Despite this, the tech giant still generates substantial revenue in the country through cloud services and ad sales to Chinese companies targeting overseas audiences.According to the Financial Times, the decision by Beijing to ease up on Google is a tactical move, as China increasingly flexes its regulatory scrutiny on NVIDIA as a negotiating tool during trade talks with the US.Earlier this summer NVIDIA struck a deal with the Trump administration to sell its pared-back H20 GPUs in China on the condition that it gives the US government 15 percent of the sales. Shortly thereafter, however, China began discouraging local companies from buying the H20 chips. Recently, the government outright banned Chinese tech companies from buying NVIDIA's newest AI chip made specifically for the region, the RTX Pro 6000D.In yet another move to exert control and flex power, Chinese regulators have accused NVIDIA of violating Chinese antitrust laws with its acquisition of chipmaker Mellanox. Were the chipmaker to be found in violation of China's anti-monopoly law, the company could owe fines between 1 percent and 10 percent of its 2024 sales.US and Chinese officials just wrapped three days of trade talks in Madrid, with President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping set to speak on Friday. The leaders are expected to discuss a supposed framework for a TikTok deal that would cede control of the company's US business to American companies, resulting in a roughly 80 percent stake in the entity domestically.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/china-closes-antitrust-probe-into-googles-android-operating-system-145815140.html?src=rss

If you've just shelled out thousands of dollars on one of Samsung's smart fridges, you'd be forgiven for expecting it to leave you alone, rather than encouraging you to spend even more money. But that is no longer the case - following a recent update, you'll start seeing ads on the fridge's display.According to Android Authority, the new software update is being rolled out to Samsung's Family Hub refrigerators in the US, and will now display ads and promotions while the display is idle. In a statement to the outlet, Samsung confirmed that it's conducting a pilot program as part of its commitment to (brace yourselves for this one) "enhancing every day value for our home appliance customers."The Cover Screen on which ads show up appears when a refrigerator is not displaying something else, such as Samsung's Art Mode or a photo album. Samsung told Android Authority that advertising won't appear when one of these modes is active, adding that specific ads can also be dismissed and won't appear again while the campaign is running.What the statement doesn't make clear is whether advertising can be turned off altogether, which again, seems like a reasonable option given that you can expect to pay anything between $1,800 and $3,500 for a Family Hub-equipped fridge. But it doesn't appear to be possible while the pilot period is live. It also isn't clear if any specific models are omitted from the testing.Back in April, Samsung's head of R&D for digital appliances, Jeong Seung Moon, told The Verge that at that time the company had no plans to bring ads to its smart home displays, but in the case of its refrigerators it appears to have changed its mind pretty quickly.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/samsungs-very-expensive-family-hub-fridges-will-now-treat-you-to-ads-on-their-displays-143529070.html?src=rss

With streaming service prices constantly on the rise, it can feel like good deals are few and far between. But they do come around every once in a while - such is the case with Paramount+ right now. You can get half off annual subscriptions through September 18; that brings the Essential (with ads) plan down to $30 for one year instead of $60, and the Premium plan down to $60 for the year instead of $120. This is a substantial deal that both new and returning subscribers can take advantage of; it's not uncommon for this type of serious discount to only be offered to a first-timer. Anyone who signs up for a year-long subscription to Paramount+ from now through September 18 will be able to get this pricing. The only real caveat with this deal is that you have to pay for the full year in advance; month-to-month subscriptions will still cost the usual rate. Paramount+ has some great programming options, particularly if you're a fan of anything involving RuPaul. It's also the home of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Lower Decks, which are arguably the best modern additions to the sci-fi show's canon, as well as the other past and present Star Trek series. The platform offers a solid lineup of sports as well. And if you opt to go for the Premium plan, you'll also be granted access to Showtime titles such as Yellowjackets and the rebooted Dexter: Resurrection. Check out our coverage of the best streaming deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/paramount-deal-its-the-last-chance-to-save-50-percent-on-annual-subscriptions-212655375.html?src=rss

Try as I might, turn-based strategy games don't usually do it for me. That's one reason I haven't yet dipped into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, many people's favorite of the year so far. I'd almost always rather be playing a more action-based game.But after trying the demo for Flick Shot Rogues on a whim during the most recent Steam Next Fest, the game hasn't been far from my thoughts. The debut title from Butter By The Fish, a three-person studio in Germany, arrived on Steam this week. Despite the likes of Hollow Knight: Silksong tugging at my attention, I keep turning back to this pirate-themed, turn-based roguelite.It's a bit like Subbuteo but with crabs, monkeys and lasers. Each level features several enemies on red discs that you have to take out by flicking your character toward them. One hero causes damage when you clatter into enemies, and another will smash every foe within a certain radius after they stop moving. My favorite, the Froggomancer, collects frogs and uses them to attack goons that they slide by or end up next to.You can take a couple of characters into each run (and swap to the other one before your turn) and equip each with a relic. These include fire damage, lightning attacks and sticky bombs. Many of these have chain effects, so you can use them to attack multiple bad guys in one turn. Since this is a roguelite, you'll upgrade your abilities as you go. After the first couple of stages, each level has at least one enemy or boss with a yellow disc. Once you take those out, you beat that wave or level.There are no prizes for guessing that putting together a strong build is a big part of this game. In one run, I tripled up on a trinket that gave me a 50 percent attack boost (so 150 percent extra damage) when I had full shields, making the first shot of each round all the more important.Flick Shot Rogues echoes one of my favorite games of 2023, Subpar Pool. I played quite a bit of snooker and pool growing up, and I always enjoyed figuring out the angle and power of my shot - executing it successfully was an entirely different matter. Being able to replicate that here is one reason why I'm digging this game so much.You can see where your character will end up after hitting a wall or enemy to help you better plan your turn. So, for once in a video game, I'm slowing down and taking more time to actually consider the consequences of my actions before doing anything.The tactility of slamming my character's disc into enemies and causing a killer chain reaction helps make Flick Shot Rogues feel more active and engaging to me than many other turn-based games I've tried. Each runs can take up to an hour or so, but they don't feel anything like that long.I do wish the game did a better job of communicating the enemies' next moves and how their attacks work. It's not clear to me, for instance, when a yellow-disc enemy is about to teleport to the other side of a level. You'll often get an indicator of what your foes are about to do, but not every time. That makes it a little more difficult to decide whether to attack, make a defensive move or reposition for a better angle on my next turn.But still, I keep coming back for more. Launching a barrage of fire-inducing frogs after squeezing through a narrow gap on a bank shot is pretty fun. I'm looking forward to finding out what other characters, relics and enhancements can do.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/flick-shot-rogues-is-the-rare-turn-based-game-that-my-brain-is-gelling-with-133020834.html?src=rss

Nothing has unveiled its latest premium earbuds, the Ear 3 ($179), which look ready to pair tastefully with its newest Phone 3. The company has refined its headphone series with an aluminum finish (in places) across both the buds and the case.Also housed inside the case is the Ear 3's new standout feature/gimmick: the Super Mic. It's like a walkie-talkie for your wireless headphones, pitched as a noise-banishing mic option - but I'll get to that later.A slightly revamped design apparently gives the Ear 3 20 percent more signal sensitivity for less audio dropout, something that the company's buds have occasionally been guilty of in the past. The design revamp should also mean the buds fit better. There's a more natural" stem angle, according to Nothing, and internal venting to reduce in-ear pressure.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetThe case is a similar blend of recycled aluminum and plastic, but made with a new nano-injection process that fuses together the metal and plastic parts. That means there's no glue, which normally means a win for repairability. However, you can wrench off glue. Fused-together plastic and aluminum will probably be far more challenging. Alongside the USB-C charger, there's the grill of the aforementioned Super Mic, small enough to be confused for a 3mm headphone jack. Another nice design touch is a lanyard loop on the opposite side of the ports. Companies like lanyards now.What is a Super Mic? It's a second pair of mics that live inside the charging case. The premise is that - thanks to beamforming tech and the ability to be positioned just like a traditional handheld mic - the Super Mic is better able to block out everything that isn't your voice. The process feels like you're still talking on earbuds, but with a walkie-talkie from the distant future. That distant future doesn't have full software support, however. Supported in-app calls include Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, WhatsAppand WeChat.However, voice recordings are a little different. There is support for native voice memos on both Android and iOS, as well as in Blackmagic's third-party video app. But if you like sending voice notes in Messages, WhatsApp and the like, you're out of luck. Nothing told me that it couldn't force the Super Mic to override the default mic inputs on smartphones. Likewise, you can't use it as a remote mic for video recording either - unless you use the Blackmagic app.In use, the Super Mic makes calls and voice notes sound clearer. That was the verdict from both my own iOS Voice Memos and a handful of calls I made with friends and family, switching between just the Ear 3 bud mics and the Super Mic. I was surprised that listeners didn't detect any significant reduction in environmental noise when I made calls in a coffee shop, but conversation partners said I sounded clearer. What I liked was being able to talk at a lower volume and still be picked up by the Super Mic - a notable difference from the buds.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetThere are upgrades within the buds themselves, too. Each has three directional mics and a bone conduction VPU (voice pickup unit) to improve how well it can pick up speech. We've seen countless bone conduction headphones and headsets over the years, but Nothing's implementation is a little subtler. The benefit of bone-conducted signals is that they're less likely to be affected by wind and other noises. Nothing says its noise cancellation tech can reduce external noise by over 25 dB.However, while listening to them over the last few days, the Ear 3 doesn't seem to isolate sound well enough from noise. I'd often hear an environmental hiss while using the ANC. Compared to recent buds I've tested like the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 2, the noise cancellation seems a little weak. Priced at $179, the Ear 3 aren't as keenly priced as its predecessors (Ear 2 launched at $149, while the Ear Stick was $99), which means expectations are higher.Nothing has improved the sound of the Ear 3, thanks to the redesign of the 12mm dynamic driver and other adjustments. I noticed far more prominent bass tones compared to the Ear 2, while trebles sounded richer and less whistly. You can also use Nothing X companion app to tweak the equalizers for your preferred listening experience.Image by Mat Smith for EngadgetThat's not the only software hook. Nothing has integrated a handful of AI features, but these require a recent Nothing phone to be used. Essential Space - the company's take on pulling together voice notes, reminders, screenshots and more - can be directly connected to the Super Mic. Outside of call apps, you can press and hold to record voice notes, which will sync and be transcribed automatically. (There's also ChatGPT functionality built in; by double-pinching, you can make requests to OpenAI's chatbot.)The Ear 3 lasts longer than its predecessor, too. On Nothing's Ear 2, you could expect around four hours of listening with ANC, with the case adding 22.5 hours of listening. On the upgraded model, Nothing estimates you'll get roughly 5.5 hours of ANC listening, and then a further 22 hours from the case. With a five-minute charge, Nothing claims the buds will last up to an hour of audio (without ANC).The Ear 3 will launch in both white and black colors on September 25 for $179, and preorders are open now on Nothing's site and retail partners.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/nothing-ear-3-buds-price-release-date-impressions-123006913.html?src=rss

NVIDIA has today announced it will invest $5 billion in Intel as part of a new collaboration between the two companies. In a statement, NVIDIA said it would work with its ailing rival to jointly develop multiple generations of custom data center and PC products." The partnership will focus on "seamlessly integrating" NVIDIA's class-leading GPUs and AI chips with Intel's ailing x86 CPUs. Some of that work will be based on harnessing NVLink, NVIDIA's existing system to marry-up x86 CPUs with its own silicon in big data center setups. And Intel will also be tasked with building NVIDIA-custom x86 CPUs" for integration with the latter company's AI products.More interestingly for consumers, however, is the news Intel will "build" what's being described as "x86 system-on-chips (SOCs) that integrate NVIDIA RTX GPU chiplets." The quote says these "RTX SOXs will power a wide range of PCs that demand integration of world-class CPUs and GPUs." Now, it's not clear if this means the end of Intel's in-house graphics silicon, or if they'll be built in Intel's own foundries. But the consequences of such a move could be wide-ranging if the focus is on broadening access to NVIDIA's high-end GPU technology.The statement includes personal remarks from both NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, who says the deal tightly couples" Intel's x86 CPUs with NVIDIA's AI technology. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, meanwhile, says the deal will combine its CPU know-how, its process technology, manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities" with NVIDIA's. If we take that at face value, it could be that NVIDIA has opted to use Intel's foundry - chip manufacturing for third parties - business to build some of its own silicon. But given Intel has struggled to find customers for that business, and the repeated failure of its ability to build its own chips, we'll be interested in seeing how this all shakes out. Especially if NVIDIA, for far less than the cost of buying Intel outright, has essentially turned its former rival into a sales front for its own tech.Intel's leadership space in the chip world has been eroded over the last two decades as momentum shifted toward its rivals. It developed, and then passed on, the EUV manufacturing technology that enables the chips found in most smartphones and GPUs. It was given the opportunity to invest and collaborate with OpenAI back in 2017, but passed on that and therefore missed its shot with the AI Boom. And, of course, its own engineering momentum slowed as it became harder to make faster chips with its older processes while TSMC, who went all-in on EUV, scored a galaxy of blue chip clients like Apple, Qualcomm and NVIDIA. Intel then fired then-CEO Pat Gelsinger at the end of 2024, who was widely known as the only figure who would have been able to pull Intel back from the brink. Meanwhile, rivals like Qualcomm and ARM began circling in the hope of buying some or all of the company.And while Intel has seen its previously-healthy revenues fall, NVIDIA has seen record profits on the back of the AI boom.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/nvidia-throws-intel-a-5-billion-lifeline-to-build-pc-and-data-center-cpus-122030186.html?src=rss

Uber Eats is testing out drone deliveries yet again, this time in partnership with Flytrex. To note, Flytrex is one of the drone operators behind Walmart's drone deliveries and already delivers food in some parts of the US. It's one of the four providers that received authorization by the FAA for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, in which pilots can't see the aircraft they're controlling directly. The partnership, the companies said, will enable Uber Eats customers to receive orders within minutes while reducing road congestion. They're planning to launch their drone delivery service for pilot markets in the US by the end of the year.As part of their partnership, Uber is also making an investment in Flytrex, giving it the resources needed to be able to accelerate the deployment of its drone technology in the US. "Autonomous technology is transforming mobility and delivery faster than ever before" said Sarfraz Maredia, the President of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery at Uber. "With Flytrex, we're entering the next chapter - bringing the speed and sustainability of drone delivery to the Uber Eats platform, at scale, for the first time."It sounds like Uber is expecting this pilot testing program to have a much wider reach that its previous attempt. Way back in 2018, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi talked about the possibility of starting a drone-based food delivery service by 2021. Uber, under a product called Uber Elevate, then made a few test deliveries in partnership with McDonald's in 2020, but the service didn't get a wide release. The company also unveiled its own unmanned aerial system capable of vertical take-off and landing that was designed to carry meals for two people, but it's unclear what happened to that particular project.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-will-once-again-test-delivering-food-by-drone-this-year-120017602.html?src=rss

At Meta Connect 2025's kickoff event, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a trio of new smart eyewear, including its first model with augmented reality. Meta's boss also announced the second generation Ray-Ban Meta, as well as a pair of Oakley-branded sunglasses designed for athletes. In addition, Zuckerberg launched Horizon TV, a new entertainment hub for the Quest headsets, which will give you easy access to Disney+, Prime Video and other streaming services in virtual reality. Here's everything you might have missed.Ray-Ban Meta "Gen 2"MetaThe second-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses come with improved battery life that the company says can now last up to eight hours with "typical use." Even their accompanying charging case provides an additional 48 hours of juice, compared to the previous version's 32 hours. The model is equipped with a 12-megapixel camera that can capture videos in 3K Ultra HD, with up to 60 frames per second and HDR support, as well as 32GB of storage. This fall, Meta will also roll out updates that will bring hyperlapse and slow-motion video capture to all its glasses, including this one. The Gen 2 Ray-Ban Meta glasses are now available with the same three base frames as their predecessor, namely Wayfarer, Skyler and Headliner, and will cost you at least $379.Read more: Meta unveils its second-gen Ray-Ban smart glasses at ConnectOakley Meta VanguardMetaUnlike the original Oakley Meta glasses, the Vanguard was clearly designed to cater to athletes. It features the wraparound frames Oakley is known for, with reflective swappable lens in different colors. Due to how it curves around the face, Meta placed its 12-megapixel camera in the center of the frames so that helmets and hats don't ruin your shots. The camera on this model has a wider 122-degree angle lens and adjustable video stabilization so that you can still take videos while moving. Meta told us that the device's battery was optimized for a wider range of temperatures, as well, allowing it to hold up better in harsh environments. In addition to the better battery life, the Vanguard also has louder onboard speakers and will come with integrations for Strava and Garmin. The Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses are now available for preorder for $499 and will be officially available on October 21.Read more: Oakley Meta Vanguard are the smart glasses athletes might actually wantMeta Ray-Ban DisplayMetaThe Meta Ray-Ban Display is the company's first pair of AR glasses. Its lenses function as translucent heads-up displays (HUD) that can show you texts, AI prompts, turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation and video calls. The dedicated EMG wristband it's paired with will allow you to interact with the HUD's interface and will even give you the ability to type out responses. Video calling didn't work properly during its on-stage demo, but Zuckerberg was able to play a song on Spotify, demonstrate a real-time subtitle feature that could be a huge help for those with hearing impairments, as well as capture and view images. The Meta Ray-Ban Display will be available through a limited number of brick-and-mortar stores, including Best Buy, LensCrafters, Ray-Ban and Verizon, since you'll have to be fitted for the wristband. You'll be able to get it for $799 starting on September 30 in the US and starting early next year in Canada, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.Read more: Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses offer an AR display for $799Meta Horizon TVMetaNear the end of the Meta Connect keynote, Zuckerberg announced a new entertainment hub for Quest headsets. Called Horizon TV, it's a unified interface for the streaming services available on the device, including Prime Video and Peacock. The Meta CEO also revealed that Disney+ is coming to Quest headsets.Read more: Meta Horizon TV is an entertainment hub for VR headsetsThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/everything-meta-announced-at-connect-2025-second-gen-ray-ban-meta-oakley-meta-vanguard-and-meta-ray-ban-display-100007120.html?src=rss

After revealing his company's latest augmented reality and smart glasses at Meta Connect this year, Mark Zuckerberg has introduced a new entertainment hub for its Quest headsets called Horizon TV. Zuckerberg said Meta believes watching video content is going to be a huge category for both virtual reality headsets and glasses in the future. Meta has already teamed up with several major streaming services to provide shows and movies you can enjoy in VR. One of those partners is Disney+, which will give users access to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on their headsets, as well as to content from ESPN and Hulu.Based on the interface Zuckerberg showed on the event, the unified hub will also give you easy access to Prime Video, Spotify, Peacock and Twitch, so you can watch shows, such as The Boys and Fallout on your virtual reality devices. In addition, Meta partnered with Universal Pictures and iconic horror company Blumhouse to give you exclusive access to horror flicks like M3GAN and The Black Phone on your Quest "with immersive special effects you won't find anywhere else."The Horizon TV hub supports Dolby Atmos for immersive sounds, with Dolby Vision arriving later this year for richer colors and crisper details. For a limited time, you'll be able to watch an exclusive 3D clip of Avatar: Fire and Ash on Horizon TV, as well, as part of Meta's partnership with James Cameron's Lightstorm Vision.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/meta-horizon-tv-is-an-entertainment-hub-for-vr-headsets-011216955.html?src=rss

The rumors were true. Meta's first pair of AR glasses with a built-in screen is the Meta Ray-Ban Display. They'll cost $799 and will come to a limited number of brick-and-mortar stores in the United States on September 30. Those retailers include Best Buy, LensCrafters, Ray-Ban and Verizon, and availability will expand to Canada, France, Italy and the United Kingdom in early 2026. The Ray-Ban Displays have a camera, audio functionality, and a translucent heads-up display that shows and allows the wearer to respond to text chats, AI prompts, directions and video calls. You're able to use gestures to interact with the HUD, including small actions like swiping your fingers to type out a chat reply. Each pair requires and comes with a dedicated EMG wristband, the Meta Neural Band, which enables these interactions. At least, that's what Meta promises. The glasses failed to receive a phone call in a live demo during their announcement at the Connect 2025 conference, but they did perform other actions just fine. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg opened Spotify and played a song, took and viewed photos, and successfully demonstrated a real-time subtitle feature that looks legitimately useful. As outlined by Meta, the HUD supports Meta AI with visuals, messaging and video calling, previewing and zooming in on photos, turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation, live captions and translations, and music playback. Connect 2025 kicked off with Zuckerberg streaming his POV from a pair of Ray-Ban Displays, including a HUD on the right side showing Spotify, calendar reminders, text chats and incoming images with options to respond by dictating a message, dropping an emoji or selecting a typed phrase. The glasses and wristband come in two colors, black and sand, and two sizes, standard and large. All pairs have Transitions lenses that automatically adjust to light conditions. The glasses' display is "extremely high resolution," Zuckerberg was stoked to report. The HUD is full-color and supports 42 pixels per each degree of the field of view - compare that with the Meta Quest 3S, which has 20 pixels per degree. The glasses boast "six hours of mixed-use battery life and up to 30 hours of battery life total," while the Meta Neural Band has 18 hours of battery life and an IPX7 water rating. The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses join a lineup of smart spectacles revealed at Connect 2025, including the second generation of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses (which also hilariously failed during a live demo of their AI assistant capabilities), and the sporty Oakley Meta Vanguard. A leak earlier this week spoiled the Meta Ray-Ban Display surprise, capping off a year of rumors around Meta's HUD-based efforts. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/meta-ray-ban-display-glasses-offer-an-ar-display-for-799-002921925.html?src=rss

When Meta announced its first pair of Oakley-branded sunglasses, the HSTN frames, earlier this year, it called them "performance AI" glasses even though they only came with modest upgrades compared with Meta's Ray-Ban lineup. But the new Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses, which were just unveiled at Connect, are much more clearly aimed at serious athletes and they have the features to back it up. The $499 sunglasses feature Oakley's familiar wraparound frames and shiny (swappable) lenses. They are the first of Meta's smart glasses to change the placement of the camera, which is now in the center of the frames above the nose. According to Meta, this should make it harder for a hat or a helmet to ruin your shots, which was a consistent issue for me with the HSTN glasses. Meta is making other camera adjustments that should make the glasses more reliable for capturing first-person action cam-style footage. The 12 megapixel camera now has a wider, 122-degree angle lens and adjustable video stabilization. There are also now dedicated modes for capturing slow motion videos as well as Instagram-ready hyperlapse slips. There are other spec upgrades too. Battery life has been improved to six hours of continuous music playback and nine hours of "mixed use". The charging case can provide another 36 hours of battery life. Meta also told me the glasses have been optimized for a wider range of temperatures, so the battery should hold up better in very cold or very hot environments. Meta The onboard speakers are more powerful. Mark Zuckerberg said during the Connect presentation that the open-ear speakers are 6 decibels louder than before. He said he took a call on a jet ski "a few weeks ago... it was great." When I cranked up the volume during my demo, I had to pause the music in order to hear the person next to me speaking. The glasses are also much more water resistant than their predecessors, with an IP67 rating that means they can be fully submerged. Meta has also changed up the button placement on the glasses, putting the capture button on the bottom right side of the glasses instead of the top. There's also a new "action button" that's particularly intriguing. This is a customizable button that users can program to trigger specific actions. For example, it could start playing a specific Spotify playlist or it could trigger a hyperlapse video. It can also be mapped to actions that take advantage of Meta AI, like providing a surf report or identifying what you're looking at. I'm not sure what I would use this button for, but I'm looking forward to trying it out when I get my hands on a pair for more than a few minutes. The Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses will come with integrations for Strava and Garmin. In my demo, I walked on a treadmill while wearing a Garmin watch and the Vanguard glasses. This meant I could ask Meta AI for info about my heart rate and my pace. If you're a Strava user, you can overlay photos and videos from your run onto the stats you get at the end of your run. Like the HSTN glasses, I have a feeling the Vanguard frames could be a bit... polarizing. Most people do not want to wear big wraparound sunglasses for daily activities. I definitely don't! But Meta has added enough new features that the $499 sunglasses might actually make sense for athletes. I've been wearing Oakley ski goggles for years and I suspect a pair of Vanguard glasses could easily replace them in most conditions. The Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses are available now for pre-order. They officially go on sale October 21. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/oakley-meta-vanguard-are-the-smart-glasses-athletes-might-actually-want-001511094.html?src=rss

As expected, Meta has introduced new smart glasses during its Connect conference today. The announcements included a Gen 2" of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which retail starting at $379.There are a bunch of upgrades over the $299 Ray-Ban Meta set that the duo released in 2023. Meta highlighted improvements to battery life, which it says now lasts up to eight hours with "typical use." The included charging case now provides an additional 48 hours of juice, versus 32 hours for the current one. The glasses can also charge to 50 percent battery in 20 minutes.The second-gen glasses are equipped with a 12-megapixel camera and offer 3K Ultra HD video capture, with up to 60 frames per second" and HDR support. Meta says it will release updates that add hyperlapse and slow-motion video capture to all of its AI glasses later in the fall. The second-gen Ray-Ban Meta has 32GB of storage and is IPX-4 rated for water resistance.On stage at Meta Connect, Mark Zuckerberg spoke about conversation focus," a new feature that will help you hear voices better in live environments. This feature will also be coming to the first-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses. There was also a demo of live AI" that... did not go well. It was supposed to show Meta's AI looking at ingredients on a table and helping to prepare a dish, but it appeared to skip forward a few steps and the demo ended unsuccesfully with a bad Wi-Fi" excuse.On the style side, the Gen 2 Ray-Bans be available with the same three base frames as the originals: Wayfarer, Skyler and Headliner. All three will be available with a range of lenses, including regular, polarized, transitions and prescription. Polarized lenses will cost an additional $30, while transitions add $80 to the bill. There's no set price for prescription lenses due to the innumerable ways our eyes can suck.The second-gen Ray-Ban Meta glasses are available to purchase now in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, UAE, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Mexico, India and Brazil will have access to the new glasses "soon."At least for now, it seems as though Ray-Ban and Meta will continue to sell its Gen 1 wearable at the same $299 price alongside the new model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/meta-unveils-its-second-gen-ray-ban-smart-glasses-at-connect-000834325.html?src=rss

Yesterday, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Tesla following a report by Bloomberg that its electric door handles could stop working when a vehicle's low-voltage battery fails. That created a safety hazard that the publication found could trap passengers when a Tesla car was in an emergency situation, such as a crash. Now, Bloomberg is back with the news that Tesla plans to redesign those problematic handles.Tesla design head Franz von Holzhausen appeared on Bloomberg's Hot Pursuit! podcast and said the company is considering a new approach that combines the electric and manual release mechanisms. "The idea of combining the electronic one and the manual one together into one button, I think, makes a lot of sense," he said. "That's something that we're working on." He didn't specify why Tesla was working on a redesign, but it's hard to imagine the timing of the federal probe isn't relevant.The company has already been in the NHTSA's sights this year. Last month, the regulator opened an investigation into how Tesla was reporting crashes with its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems. Although Tesla claimed the inconsistencies in reports were due to a system error that it has fixed, the NHTSA said it would continue the probe.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-exec-says-the-company-will-redesign-door-handles-that-reportedly-pose-safety-risks-225500245.html?src=rss

Dalia is a death cleaner.Death cleaning, as we know it, is the process of sanitizing and tidying the spaces where people take their final breaths, sometimes long after their bodies have begun to decompose. It's a job here on Earth in the year 2025, but Dalia's version of death cleaning takes place on the rings of Saturn in a distant future filled with space travel, interplanetary colonization and devastating disease outbreaks. In this scenario, death cleaning involves spraying chemicals over bulging piles of otherworldly contamination and avoiding their defense mechanisms, which can cause fires, explosions and electrical interference. Dalia learns from the alien material as she cleans, harvesting fruit from fungal mounds to create new options for her sprayer. She also listens to the last words of the dead.Ambrosia Sky is the first game from independent studio Soft Rains and its story trailer landed on Wednesday. In Ambrosia Sky, Dalia is cleaning the Cluster, an agricultural outpost on Saturn's rings that collapsed when a mysterious biological force subsumed the colony and its people. It's also Dalia's former home.As a Scarab with The Ambrosia Project, her job is to clear out the alien fungus, research its origins and perform Death Rites on the corpses she encounters. Scarabs operate in the shadowy spaces between science and mysticism, and The Ambrosia Project's goal is to discover a cure for mortality among the stars. Death Rites involve hearing the deceased person's Last Will and cremating their body with specialized spores, adding their DNA to The Ambrosia Project for further research. It's a ritualistic acknowledgement of a person's life as much as their death, and these small ceremonies are just as critical in Ambrosia Sky as the game's first-person cleaning mechanics.I really let myself and our team explore more mythological or fantastical elements, or even folkloric elements, because I think there's only so much we can know about outer space," Soft Rains narrative director Kaitlin Tremblay told Engadget. [Also] there are things that we know concretely about death, but there's so much about it we don't know. I think it's the same kind of interesting liminal space. What don't we know, and how do we tell stories and try to comfort ourselves and contend with that? That actually makes my brand of sci-fi and my approach on death really similar."Ambrosia Sky is an investigation of the universe and mortality alike, in the form of a first-person, speculative-fiction cleaning sim on Saturn's rings. It features zero-gravity scenes, crafting, equipment upgrades and classic FPS play, underpinned by a slowly unfurling story of lethal disaster.Soft Rains has been quietly working on Ambrosia Sky since late 2022 and formally announced the game in March 2025. The studio was founded by Tremblay - who was narrative designer on Watch Dogs Legion and Grindstone, and lead writer of A Mortician's Tale and Seasonala Cemetery - and other industry veterans from Bethesda, Ubisoft and indie teams.Ambrosia Sky's story trailer features a staticky, disembodied voice saying, Hey, Dalia. It's me. When I die, I want a Scarab called in. And I want it to be you." It's surprisingly heart-wrenching, for a two-minute teaser of a sci-fi clean-em-up.Soft RainsIt's just honest, right?" Tremblay said. We have a lot of emotions about death, and our own death and everything around it. Some of those emotions contain brightness and some of them contain darkness, and both are equally valid. Both can exist at the same time."Death is a regular visitor in Tremblay's writing. In particular, A Mortician's Tale is an acclaimed presentation of the business of mortality, and Seasonala Cemetery is a meditative experience about spending time in a graveyard. In a devlog entry on June 10, Tremblay compared the mortality angle in Ambrosia Sky to that of A Mortician's Tale, writing, With Ambrosia Sky, we wanted to have the opportunity to explore how we feel about our own death, rather than the death of our loved ones."I was struck by this distinction when I first read it, and because I'm also consumed by thoughts of my own inescapable expiration, I asked Tremblay for more. They said the following:

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) are leading a group of congressional Democrats in investigating White House Special Advisor David Sacks for possibly serving in his position for longer than he's allowed. Sacks, a former PayPal executive and venture capitalist at Craft Ventures, was originally picked by President Donald Trump to be the "White House A.I. & Crypto Czar" in 2024."Any effort to stay beyond the time limits imposed on you as a Special Government Employee (SGE) would raise additional ethics concerns for you and the Trump Administration," the group writes in a letter to Sacks,"particularly as it moves to implement recently enacted cryptocurrency legislation and put in place new rules for the crypto industry."Besides being friendly with the Trump campaign and allies like Elon Musk, Sacks was given his position because of his knowledge of the crypto and AI industries as an investor. That poses an obvious conflict of interest, something that's only waived during the 130-day limit that SGEs are supposed to serve. As Warren and the other Democrats backing the investigation note, though, it's possible Sacks has been working in his role for longer than that."If you have worked every calendar day since the presidential inauguration, your 130th day of work in this role was May 29, 2025," the group writes. "If you have worked every business day, your 130th day was July 25, 2025. As of the date of this letter, it is the 167th business day of this Administration."As part of the investigation, Sacks is expected to offer a more detailed account of when and how he works in his advisory role, including if he answers government emails while working in Silicon Valley. Congressional Democrats are trying to verify if norms have been violated to make sure that they won't be violated in the future, but there are larger ethical concerns to contend with, too.The second Trump administration has been friendly to the crypto industry, likely thanks in part to the influence of Sacks. Trump signed an executive order calling for the creation of a federal Bitcoin stockpile and signed the GENIUS Act into law in July, establishing a regulatory framework for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency typically tied to the value of the US dollar. Continuing to serve in his role without leaving his position at Craft Ventures or disclosing his investments would only raise more questions about how Sacks stands to benefit from advising on regulation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/democrats-are-investigating-trump-crypto-advisor-david-sacks-over-a-possible-sge-violation-215758087.html?src=rss

Get ready for a return to the life of Kazuma Kiryu, because it seems that a remake of Yakuza 3 is on the way. The leak was discovered on developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios' website. Fans noticed that there was an entry for Yakuza Kiwami 3 alongside the listings for the remakes of the first two Yakuza games - Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 - on the RGG site. Although the listing has since been removed, screencaps shared on social media documented the accidental reveal.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) has asked the CEOs of Discord, Twitch, Valve and Reddit to testify at a hearing on online radicalization. The hearing will be held on October 8, 2025, and is in direct response to the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk, an event some have tried to connect to the online communities the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, participated in."Congress has a duty to oversee the online platforms that radicals have used to advance political violence," Comer shared in the press release announcing the hearing. "To prevent future radicalization and violence, the CEOs of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit must appear before the Oversight Committee and explain what actions they will take to ensure their platforms are not exploited for nefarious purposes."Following Kirk's death, law enforcement, regulators and the press have exerted significant effort to both understand Robinson's actions and structure them into a coherent narrative. The fact that he seemingly engraved the bullets he used with references to furry memes and the game Helldivers implies he may have been immersed in online culture, and could have been influenced by who he interacted with there. But a recent report on his Discord chats suggests his motivations are hard to pin down, even for his friends.In general, online platforms don't escape scrutiny after tragic events, so these sorts of hearings are to be expected. Twitch and Discord were both investigated by the New York and New Jersey Attorney Generals following a 2022 shooting in Buffalo, New York, for example. Given the reaction to Kirk's death, though, it remains to be seen how much the House Oversight Committee actually wants answers from online platforms, and how much it wants to lay the blame at their feet.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/house-committee-asks-discord-valve-twitch-and-reddit-to-testify-on-online-radicalization-184100470.html?src=rss

Google is partnering with a UK nonprofit to fight non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). (You may know it better as revenge porn.) Over the coming months, the company will begin using StopNCII's hashes. These user-uploaded digital fingerprints can block individuals' unwanted intimate content from appearing in search results.StopNCII has a pretty neat system to combat revenge porn. Say you have some images you most definitely don't want surfacing online. Select the picture on your device, and StopNCII will create a digital fingerprint of the file. That hash will be uploaded to the service. The photo itself never leaves your device. The organization then shares the hash (again, not the spicy pic) with participating platforms.Then, if an asshole ex takes the liberty of uploading said photo to one of those companies' services, it should be removed automatically. If the platform uses real-time hash matching, it can even block the upload immediately before it reaches anyone's eyes. It's a pretty solid defense against an ugly problem.The system isn't bulletproof. First, it only works for known images. So, if someone else has an intimate photo that you don't have a copy of, you'll have to fight that using other means. StopNCII doesn't work for AI-generated images, audio recordings or saucy text chats.The system also won't help if the content is uploaded to a non-partner platform. In addition to Google, StopNCII partners with Meta, Reddit, Pornhub, OnlyFans, Snap, Microsoft Bing, X and more.This is far from Google's first move to combat NCII. A decade ago, it created a system for submitting revenge porn takedown requests. In 2024, it made it easier to remove deepfake NCII. On Wednesday, Google product manager Griffin Hunt explained that "given the scale of the open web, there's more to be done to reduce the burden on those who are affected by it."If you're 18 or older and have any photos of yourself that you want to flag proactively, you can start using StopNCII right now. Head to the org's website to create a case. Note that the service only works for pictures that are nude, semi-nude or show a sexual act. And remember, the photo itself never leaves your device, so your privacy remains intact.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-will-upgrade-its-revenge-porn-defenses-with-help-from-a-uk-nonprofit-181016291.html?src=rss

Logitech hosted its annual G Play showcase today and unveiled a collection of new gaming peripherals. The lineup includes headsets, mice and a keyboard.The G Pro X Superlight 2c is an even more compact redesign of the company's Superlight 2 wireless mouse. This version weighs 51 grams and has up to 95 hours of battery life. It will be available on October 21 and will cost $160. Logitech's other new gaming mouse is the G Pro X2 Superstrike, which boasts haptic feedback in its main click buttons and uses an inductive sensor system instead of traditional switches. This allows players to customize their actuation points, similar to what we've seen in recent analog gaming keyboards. It also has battery life of up to 90 hours and weighs 65 grams. There's no pricing information yet, and the release window is broadly set for the first quarter of 2026.LogitechThe company also announced a pair of headsets. The Astro A20 X is a mid-range model with the handy feature of being able to connect to two consoles or PCs at once. It has 40 mm PRO-G Audio Drivers, and RGB settings. Battery life is up to 40 hours with the RGB equipped or up to 90 hours without. The A20 X comes with the same microphone as Logitech's Astro A50 X model, which is one of our favorite gaming headsets. The A20 X will cost $180 and will be available on October 8. The other new headset is the G321 Lightspeed, a budget option at $60. This set has just 20 hours of battery life and emphasizes wearability in the design. It will be available starting sometime in October.The rest of the G Play lineup includes the G515 Rapid TKL keyboard, which has a low profile and magnetic analog switches. That's available today for $170. Logitech also added a new RS50 wheel setup and RS pedals for driving games. On the software side, the company has also added a game launcher to its G Hub portal. It supports Epic Game Store, GOG and WeGame libraries. The G Hub Games update will roll out during the holiday season.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/logitech-adds-new-devices-to-its-gaming-accessories-lineup-180138486.html?src=rss

It's somewhat ironic that Apple, the company that popularized the use of capacitive touchscreens with the iPhone and iPad, has been staunchly opposed to bringing our fingers anywhere near MacBook screens. Meanwhile, Microsoft and PC makers jumped at the opportunity to build touchscreen laptops years ago. The tablet-focused Windows 8 was a failure, sure, but touchscreens led to excellent convertible notebooks and hybrid tablets like the Surface lineup. Now, according to a new rumor from longtime Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple might finally be ready to bring touchscreens to the MacBook Pro.In a tweet posted this morning, Kuo wrote, "MacBook models will feature a touch panel for the first time, further blurring the line with the iPad. This shift appears to reflect Apple's long-term observation of iPad user behavior, indicating that in certain scenarios, touch controls can enhance both productivity and the overall user experience."

Google's Discover content feed is getting some new features. It'll soon include more than just articles from throughout the web. The company says the platform will be incorporating stuff like social media posts from platforms like Instagram and X along with YouTube Shorts.In our research, people told us they enjoyed seeing a mix of content in Discover, including videos and social posts, in addition to articles," the company wrote in an announcement. These changes will start showing up in the "coming weeks."However, that's not the only new tool arriving for Discover. Starting today, users can customize feeds in a number of ways. Folks can follow creators or publishers to see more content from them. Users can also tap the creator's name to preview social posts and articles before making a final decision. This is all similar to a recently-introduced feature for Search that lets people set preferred news sources.This is just the latest update to the company's Discover feed. Google recently introduced AI-generated summaries and a tool that automatically creates a podcast based on the feed.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-discover-is-going-to-start-showing-social-media-posts-and-youtube-shorts-175754283.html?src=rss

If you're in the market for an air fryer, first of all, welcome to the club. A world of perfectly- cooked fries awaits you. But which model to get? Well, you can save some cash right now if you pick Ninja's Foodi DZ090C 5-in-1 air fryer, which is down to $120 from its regular price of $180 when purchased directly from the brand. That's a sizable saving of $60. A smaller version of the air fryer we featured as the best dual-zone option in our 2025 air fryer buyers guide, the two-basket DZ090C lets you cook up two totally different foods in separate baskets simultaneously. And while its six-quart capacity isn't hugely spacious, you should have more than enough space for small or solo meals. And if you have a small kitchen, it's probably a more sensible pick than the DZ401 we highlight in our guide. If you're thinking about what to have for dessert, you might also be interested in Ninja's Creami, a 7-in-1 ice cream maker that also excels at smoothies, sorbets and milkshakes. We gave it a score of 90 in our review, praising its ease of use and versatility, which landed it a spot in our best tech of 2024 awards. At $200, it's currently $30 off. There are also a range of discounts to be found on SharkNinja's entire product lineup at the moment. Shoppers can save 10 percent on $150+, 15 percent on $250+, or 20 percent on $350+ on Ninja products, and 10 percent on $200+, 15 percent on $250+, or 20 percent on $300+ when shopping directly from Shark. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-the-best-ninja-air-fryers-for-small-kitchens-is-60-off-right-now-170505340.html?src=rss

Apple released an entirely new lineup of Apple Watches during its Awe dropping" launch event in mid September. There's now a new flagship, Apple Watch Series 11, a revamped entry-level model, Apple Watch SE 3, and the next generation of the premium wearable, Apple Watch Ultra 3. We didn't get a new version of either the SE or the Ultra last year, and Apple made up for the wait by giving those two significant updates. The Series 11 is still what we recommend for most people, but the other two are more compelling than ever. Here, we break down the differences between the models so you can pick the best Apple Watch for your wrist computer needs. Table of contents

Garmin just announced a refresh of its Bounce smartwatch for kids and the big headline is the exorbitant price. It costs $300, which is twice the cost of the previous generation and $50 more than an Apple Watch SE. The Bounce 2 still offers tracking and communication features, both powered by an LTE connection. The exterior has been completely redesigned, with a rounded 1.2-inch AMOLED display. The original model was square-ish, resembling an Apple Watch. Communication is better here, which is good as this is a smartwatch intended for parents to keep track of kids. Voice messages sent to the watch will be transcribed and can be read or listened to. It also allows for actual phone calls, which the original did not. The Bounce 2 offers GPS tracking and the battery lasts two full days between charges. It can play music, but only with an Amazon Music subscription. Also, all communication features require a subscription to one of Garmin's in-house smartwatch plans. These cost $10 per month or $100 annually. The Bounce 2 is available to order right now and comes in three colors. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/garmins-new-smartwatch-for-kids-costs-more-than-the-apple-watch-se-153134955.html?src=rss

When you enter the building that houses Apple's audio lab, venture just beyond reception and you'll encounter a massive vintage stereo setup. The deck and accompanying speakers were a gift from Steve Jobs to the team of engineers who work in this office. The group sees the old-school tech as a source of inspiration, but also as a reminder of Jobs' obsession with both music and sound.More than inspiration, though, the stereo is a reminder to the experts in software, acoustics and sound design how important sound is to everything Apple builds.Inside, I was led into a maze of nondescript halls, weaving from room to room with a trio of Apple engineers as my guides. I was in for a rare peek into the company's product development facilities - a step further behind the curtain than what's typically allowed during Apple events.Validating the AirPods hearing testBilly Steele for EngadgetAs Apple's audio team works to correct and calibrate the AirPods' fit for natural variations in ear geometry, they use a collection of audio metric booths to check their work. These rooms look like small, windowless offices. The walls are covered in sound-dampening panels and there's a single workstation with a Mac and various tools for hearing analysis. If you'll recall, one of the company's major ambitions with AirPods has been the end-to-end hearing health experience that it debuted last year. In order to validate its claims of a clinical grade hearing test," engineers use devices you might see in an audiologist's office, like audiometers. These spaces aren't unlike the small booths you've probably sat in for a professionally-administered hearing test.In one booth alone, the team ran thousands of tests on the feature to ensure that the hearing screening in your pocket was as accurate as what you could get from a doctor. Not only does this allow AirPods users to set up a hearing aid at home (if needed), but it also creates an accurate hearing profile so that you can hear music the way it was intended.Another important step in the product design process was making sure there was a tuning baseline for every person that listens to music with AirPods. Everyone hears various frequencies differently, so there needs to be an adjustment to achieve the desired consistency. With the hearing test and accompanying audio profile, Apple then has a starting point to make both technical and artistic decisions. It's here that the technology and liberal arts expertise among the audio lab team starts to mix.When your office is a tuning studioBilly Steele for EngadgetThe media tuning lab works on any product Apple makes that can reproduce recorded audio, including the iPhone, Mac and iPad. In order to bridge the gap between the art and science of that pursuit, this team comes from a variety of backgrounds - from live concert sound, to Broadway sound design and even traditional acoustic engineering. The various tuning studios in this area are set up like music creation rooms: complete mini studios with various instruments scattered around, a prime seat for listening in the back and a desk replacing the recording engineer's sound board. As a nice touch, they're all named after famous recording studios (like Abbey Road).The main idea there is that the tuning team needs to reference what the recorded content sounded like at the time it was created. That, in turn, provides a better picture of the artist's intention that can then be applied to products like the AirPods Pro 3. Due to the combination of the ear tips' seal and the computational audio inside Apple's latest earbuds model, the tuning engineers believe these AirPods provide the most authentic sound thus far in the company's lineup because the team has been able to reduce so much of the variation across users and fits.To create a sound profile that's exciting for customers and still maintains all of that authenticity, the media tuning team listens to thousands of hours of music, movies, podcasts and YouTube videos in mono, stereo and Dolby Atmos. There's also a lot of vinyl lining the shelves of these tuning studios. During the development process, the team will test multiple versions of hardware with tons of tuning variations using computational audio. The goal is for all of the tuning decisions to translate better to all users, with a desire that everyone hears the same sound from Apple's products.In addition to listening to music through speakers and headphones, microphones are also important to the tuning work. In order to create features like the studio-quality audio recording on AirPods Pro, the team captured clips from the earbuds in the studio and out in the real world before comparing them with benchmarks from high-end recording mics. That analysis allows the engineers to translate pro-grade audio features for consumer products like AirPods. Studio-quality audio, for example, replaces a lavalier with your earbuds for iPhone videos. It won't ever replace a studio microphone, obviously, but it does put more capable audio tools in your pocket.The completely silent roomBilly Steele for EngadgetAn important part of testing Apple's audio products, and features like spatial audio, is to use them in a completely silent room. Known as an anechoic chamber, it's a room within a room that's physically separated from the rest of the building. This is essential because things like footsteps in the hall or cars driving by outside can create vibrational noise that would otherwise be transmitted into the chamber.Inside, foam wedges on the walls, floor and ceiling absorb all sound that's emitted in the space. There's no echo (hence the name anechoic"), so voices and claps just die. In fact, you have to walk on a suspended grid that looks like wire fencing, because the true "floor" of the room is more foam wedges meant to absorb sonic reflections from below. It's an off-putting space to spend time in, since it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie - not to mention the lack of reverb.Over the decades that Apple has been designing and manufacturing electronics, the company has learned a lot about all of the unwanted noise that its devices make. The anechoic chamber allows a dedicated team of acoustic engineers to listen very carefully to products like AirPods to determine if any sounds are unintended. They collaborate with other engineering teams to make sure the product isn't doing anything the company doesn't intend for it to do.The anechoic chamber is also a vital part of spatial audio development. In its current configuration, there's a chair in the room with a ring of tiny speakers around it. Engineers study the variable physiology of test subjects, like the way sound bounces off the body and around the inside of their ears. To then create the perception of sound coming from a particular direction, the team uses computational audio and signal processing to create the ideal angle for a person's hearing signature. This sort of analysis was directly responsible for Personalized Spatial Audio, which takes a scan from an iPhone camera and analyzes it with various models and algorithms to tailor the sound to each person.Fantasia Lab: Verifying ANC, transparency mode and spatial audioThe last stop on my tour was the most visually and sonically appealing. This room is called the Fantasia Lab, named for the first film that used surround sound. The name also speaks to the Apple engineers' ability to generate (or simulate) any sound they can think of with the room's spherical speaker setup. The audio lab team used this room to verify features on the AirPods Pro 3, including transparency mode, active noise cancellation (ANC) and spatial audio.The array of dozens of loudspeakers enable the engineers to assess whether environmental sounds in transparency mode are as accurate and natural as possible. The team will have someone sit inside the sphere and have them indicate which direction the audio is coming from to eliminate any issues with the feature. To gauge ANC performance, different types of sounds at various volumes are piped in. This gives the engineers insight into the workings of the adaptation and oversight algorithms, the bits of software employed to make sure the ANC is steadily and effectively blocking as much noise as possible. And for spatial audio, the team will play sounds at different locations and angles from real speakers before trying to recreate the perception that sound is coming from the same place inside of the AirPods.I was able to take a seat for a few seconds to get a sense of what the Fantasia Lab is capable of. One of the engineers played a live recording of a concert in spatial audio. With speakers all around me, sound was coming from all directions - including the roar of the crowd singing along. I closed my eyes and I was there, vibing to Omar Apollo with tens of thousands of people. Except, of course, I wasn't. I was surrounded by speakers in a small room with four other people, through a maze of corridors, tucked into one of Apple's myriad buildings around Cupertino.Imagine my disappointment when I opened my eyes.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/inside-the-apple-audio-lab-where-airpods-are-tested-and-tuned-150025891.html?src=rss

Wacom has announced its latest beginner-friendly graphics tablet, the Wacom One 14. The obvious upgrade from its 2023 predecessor is a larger 14-inch IPS display, which gives digital artists a bit of extra space for their sketching. The bezels have been trimmed down to accommodate the bigger canvas, while keeping the design thin and compact enough to easily throw the Wacom One in a backpack.The 1920 x 1080 HD display's textured surface is supposed to replicate the feeling of drawing on paper, with an anti-glare coating that with an anti-glare coating that theoretically allow you to use it outdoors with minimal frustration. It'll resist fingerprints too, but unlike other tablets in Wacom's lineup, this one lacks multitouch tech. It's designed to be used strictly with the included battery-free pen, which has a 16ms response time and clips to the top of the tablet for easy access. It's pressure-sensitive and has two customizable buttons.Given it's marketed at amateurs just getting started on their artistic journey, you get a selection of bundled software that includes Skillshare lessons and a trial for Clip Studio Paint Pro. You can also use Foxit to edit and annotate PDF files, making the Wacom One a good pick for teachers who don't need the additional functionality of an iPad.You connect the Wacom One 14 to a Mac or PC by either using the provided USB-C cable, or via a Wacom converter to which you connect separate cables if your device isn't equipped with Thunderbolt or DisplayPort Alt Mode. You can pick one up now for $300.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/the-new-14-inch-wacom-one-ups-the-display-size-but-not-the-price-142322193.html?src=rss

Waymo is plotting a route for Tennessee, as it plans to bring its robotaxis to Nashville. The company expects to start autonomous driving operations in the city in the coming months before opening up to the public in 2026.At the outset, folks in the area will be able to hail a ride via the Waymo app. Down the line, Lyft will be able to match users with Waymo rides in Nashville.Waymo is currently up and running in five US cities: San Francisco (and other parts of the Bay Area), Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta. Along with Nashville, Waymo is planning to soon move into Denver and Seattle, where it started testing its vehicles this month, as well as Miami and Washington DC.The company also received permission from New York City in August to start test rides there, albeit with a human driver behind the wheel. In addition, testing is underway in Tokyo - Waymo's first international location - though human drivers are manually operating the vehicles at the outset.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/waymo-is-headed-to-nashville-in-2026-140807997.html?src=rss

Apple released its thinnest phone yet last week, the iPhone Air, and revealed the new iPhone Air MagSafe Battery alongside it. The existence of a specially-made battery pack wasn't a big surprise to me, because there had been rumors of the iPhone Air for months leading up to the event. Everyone was prepared for the thinnest iPhone ever to make some battery life sacrifices to achieve its svelte design.However, what was a surprise to me was how much Apple leaned on the new battery during the iPhone Air launch presentation. The company even lists battery life estimates with and without this optional battery pack in the iPhone Air specs. That tells me - and regular consumers - that the battery pack is a highly-recommended purchase on a good day and downright necessary on a bad day for all iPhone Air owners.So, folks spending $999 (or more) on an iPhone Air should plan to pony up another $99 for this specially designed battery pack? I'm here to tell you that's a ridiculous notion and that you shouldn't do it, especially when there are so many other options available at lower prices.To be clear, I personally haven't tried out the iPhone Air with this battery pack. My colleague Sam Rutherford has (check out his iPhone Air review), and he thinks it's a great fit for the iPhone Air. In particular, he likes some of the (admittedly) smart features Apple included like the battery's ability to charge itself and the phone simultaneously while the phone is plugged in, and that it can wirelessly top up a pair of AirPods Pro 3. However, he does acknowledge that the math simply ain't mathin' on this one when it comes to value for money.The $99 iPhone Air MagSafe Battery has a 3,149 mAh, according to the information written on the power bank itself. That comes out to about $0.03 per milliampere hours. Let's compare that to one of the top picks in our guide to the best MagSafe power banks, this Anker Nano battery: that 5,000 mAh pack is priced at $55, which comes out to $0.01 per milliampere hours. Even the watt-hour rating (Whr) on Apple's pack is lower: 12.26Whr, as compared to 25Whr on this Anker option. And don't forget, the Anker pack isn't exclusively made for the iPhone Air - it, like other magnetic power banks, can be used with other iPhones and smartphones.To add insult to injury, Apple's Air MagSafe Battery tops out at 12W wireless charging unless it's plugged in while powering the phone up and can employ help from passthrough USB-C charging. The Anker pack is Qi2-certified for up to 15W of wireless charging, and since the iPhone Air supports up to 20W of wireless power, that means Anker's accessory could deliver its full 15 watts when snapped to the back of the Air.Not only are you getting nearly double the mAh capacity for half the price with the Anker option (and faster charging to boot), but the numbers become even more ridiculous if you consider (hypothetically), what a larger Apple-made battery pack could cost. With those numbers, a 5K Apple MagSafe battery would cost $150 and a 10K bank would set you back $300. Imagine paying those prices for any other power bank made by any other company - it's laughable, and we should treat it as such.Now, is this out of character for Apple to make an overpriced accessory? Absolutely not. But this is different from a $99 Milanese Loop band for Apple Watch or even a $250 Magic Keyboard for iPad. This battery pack is so important to the overall iPhone Air story that the handset's power specifications can't be examined properly without it. That's insane.I used one of the picks from our guide as an example, but rest assured, there are plenty of other MagSafe battery packs available now made by reputable manufacturers with similar specs. Just look for any Qi2-compatible magnetic power bank that works with the iPhone Air, and you'll probably have a better value on your hands than Apple's in-house made pack. Those who want to overpay for sleekness and convenience can certainly do so, but don't let anyone convince you it's your best or only option.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/you-absolutely-should-not-buy-apples-iphone-air-magsafe-battery-pack-131009089.html?src=rss

Proton released Lumo - its privacy-focused chatbot built on open-source models- in mid-July, and, following an update in August that addressed some early issues, I find myself using it more often than ChatGPT or Claude. In a world where internet companies have done so much damage to our society, I'm trying to find more ethical tools. But when the competition offers flashier features in exchange for the low price of user data, does Proton seriously think it can compete?If Eamonn Maguire, Proton's head of machine learning, shares my concerns, he doesn't show it during the hour or so we chat over Zoom. If anything, I start to see why he believes Lumo has found a valuable niche.Proton began work on Lumo last year following the release of Scribe. The email writing tool was the company's first foray into AI. According to Maguire, the reception to Scribe was "better than [Proton] thought it would be." Soon enough, people were asking the company why the tool wasn't included in their Unlimited subscription. Internally, Scribe also changed how Proton thought about AI. Proton released its mail client in 2014, almost exactly 10 years after the debut of Gmail in 2004. Proton Drive, meanwhile, arrived in 2020 or eight years after Google Drive. The company felt it couldn't be late to chatbots too."We knew we needed to move faster on this because it's going to be a big privacy problem in the future," said Maguire, pointing to the monetization arc of past platforms like Gmail. After cornering the email market, Google turned to ads and selling user data to fund Gmail's operations. It's a familiar scenario, and one Maguire argues we're already seeing play out again with AI chatbots, with Elon Musk recently telling advertisers that xAI would display sponsored responses alongside regular content from Grok. In other words, the enshitification of AI chatbots has already begun.The growing strength of open-source models is one of the reasons Maguire believes Proton can compete against the likes of OpenAI and Google. Open systems, particularly those coming out of China, may lag behind proprietary models in user adoption but they're beginning to match them in testing benchmarks. For instance, Zhipu AI's GLM-4.5 currently sits top 10 overall on LMArena. At the same time, "all the top models are starting to cluster together in benchmarks now," Maguire says. Even accounting for some of the safety issues with Chinese models "Overall, open systems are competing, not just tailgating [closed models]."Lumo employs a combination of smaller open-source models that require fewer resources to run - specifically Nemo, OpenHands 32B, OLMO 2 32B, and Mistral Small 3. Maguire argues Proton's approach allows it to be nimble. That's important for a company that hasn't raised venture capital funding, and needs to think about building a sustainable business model from the start. "A lot of people think they need the best model to get the best responses. But I think it's been shown that you can get very capable responses from models that are smaller," Maguire said.For consumers, that also means Proton can offer Lumo for less. Like most chatbots, basic features are available for free, with the option to remove rate and token limits through a paid subscription. For Lumo, that costs $13 - less than $20 per month most AI companies charge for their basic paid plans, and substantially less than the $200 tier many of them have begun offering for nearly unlimited usage of their models.Maguire suggests thinking about it this way: You could drive a Formula One car to the grocery store, but that would be overkill. If you find LLMs useful in your workflow, there's a good chance a state-of-the-art model like OpenAI's o3 is similarly overkill for your needs. Unless you're a researcher, you probably don't need a system that can reason over many minutes to tackle a complex problem.Similarly, if you're just driving a sedan or crossover to complete errands, then what better represents the neighborhood you live in digitally than your email and, perhaps, your cloud storage. Lumo gains some benefit from being baked into that environment, in the same way many AI companies are attempting to layer their chatbots on top of desktop and mobile operating systems.The other reason Maguire feels that Proton has a shot against established chatbots is because, at the end of the day, they're all just tools -some better equipped for certain tasks than others. For example, Anthropic's Claude systems are great at coding, but they don't offer image generation. As platforms, chatbots also don't benefit from network effects in quite the same way (or sometimes at all, depending on their user data training policies) that social networks do.It should come as no surprise then at least one of the AI giants is trying to change that. In April, The Verge reported that OpenAI was testing a version of ChatGPT that includes a social feed to image generation. Whether users want such a thing remains to be seen, as gluing social elements to an unrelated product often fails (see: Google+). Without social features, maybe consumers will have an easier time jumping between these tools, especially as they become cluttered with ads or engage in more egregious privacy violations.At this point in our conversation, I'm still not convinced Lumo might carve out a niche for itself. I think of Mozilla and its recent string of bad news, from layoffs affecting its advocacy group to the shutdown of Pocket. Firefox is arguably a better browser than Chrome, with privacy features like robust anti-tracking built right into the app. However, it has a fraction of the market share.There's also the AGI-sized elephant in the room. In the pursuit of models that can match or exceed human intelligence at most tasks, AI companies are engaged in a contest where there can only be one winner, burning enormous sums of cash to exceed human intelligence through silicon and paying a king's ransom to hire the top minds in the field to achieve that. In that context, what chance does a small player like Proton stand?Once again, the family sedan stands to beat the sportscar, or perhaps a spaceship to extend the metaphor. "If your goal is to help people become more productive and learn better, do you need AGI? Probably not," said Maguire. "We're not under the illusion that everyone is going to switch from ChatGPT to Lumo. Our goal is to provide the best ecosystem where people can do the most amount of things within a privacy-preserving mantra."As of 2023, Proton Mail had 100 million users. It's a far cry from the more than 2 billion people using Gmail, but I don't think anyone could convincingly argue Proton Mail is a failure. The company is still going strong, and now competing in a space people like Sam Altman would have you believe requires a trillion dollars of investment. If Proton can prove AI doesn't need to be "the antithesis of privacy," as Maguire believes it can, that might be enough to call Lumo a success too.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/with-lumo-proton-thinks-it-can-carve-a-place-at-the-ai-table-130000740.html?src=rss

We were pretty underwhelmed by the iPhone 16e when it debuted earlier this year, mostly due to its $599 price tag, which makes it a poor replacement for the budget-oriented iPhone SE. And now that the iPhone 17 has debuted, the 16e makes even less sense. For $200 more, you get a larger and better screen with ProMotion, support for MagSafe wireless charging, a zippier processor, two cameras instead of one - and double the storage. Sure, that price difference hurts a bit, but I think the iPhone 17 is still a better deal since it's not nearly as limiting as the iPhone 16e, which should have been priced closer to $500 to take on something like the Pixel 9a.Last fall, I argued that the vanilla iPhone 16 was a smart buy given its revamped CPU and support for Apple Intelligence, and I think that remains true for the iPhone 17 with its many new features and identical price point. While I'm sure Apple would love for more customers to jump to the $999 iPhone Air or $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro, it's still hard for a lot of people to stomach spending four figures on a smartphone. The ultra-thin Air will likely be a hit with influencers and the style-obsessed, and power users will have a ball with the iPhone 17 Pro's more capable camera array. For everyone else, the iPhone 17 remains a solid device that will serve you well for many years. The addition of ProMotion support alone removes one of the feature gaps between the plain iPhone and the Pro models. It allows for a variable screen refresh rate of up to 120Hz, compared to the 60Hz limit of previous years. In practice, that means that scrolling through websites and your social media feeds will look smoother and less headache-inducing. You'll notice the difference immediately -- 60Hz screens look unbearably choppy and slow once your eyes have gotten used to something faster.And before Android fans jump in to brag - yes, we know that mid-range Android phones have offered high refresh rate screens for years. Apple is undoubtedly slow to react here, but the upgrade is still worth celebrating. The iPhone 17's screen isn't just smoother than before, it genuinely looks better, according to Engadget Senior Reporter Billy Steele. "The difference between this new model and my iPhone 16 Plus was immediately apparent," he wrote in his hands-on. "Colors are more vivid, details are sharper and it's just more pleasant to look at." iPhone 17 Sam Rutherford for Engadget When it comes to cameras, the iPhone 17 improves its ultrawide shooter to 48 megapixels, joining the 48MP main sensor. But the big camera upgrade is actually on the front of the phone, thanks to the new Center Stage camera. It's been bumped to 18MP from 12MP, but more importantly, Apple also introduced a square sensor that lets you jump from landscape to portrait orientations without rotating your phone. I've already gone deep on why the square selfie sensor (which is available on all iPhone 17 models) is a big deal, but here's one key takeaway: "By making it easier to take selfies, it follows that you'll start to take even more of them, ultimately tying yourself into Apple's ecosystem even further."And speaking of features available on all of the new iPhones, the vanilla iPhone 17 also supports Dual Capture, which lets you record video using the front and rear cameras at the same time. Center Stage keeps your face in the middle of the frame during those shots as well, which might make Apple's implementation of Dual Capture more effective than what we've seen from Samsung and other phone makers. I could have seen Apple gatekeeping this feature for the more powerful iPhone Air and 17 Pro models, but it's nice to see it on the vanilla entry. Similar to selfies, it only benefits Apple if you're using your devices more to produce content, and I could see Dual Capture footage becoming a big deal on Instagram and TikTok. While Apple is keeping the iPhone 16 around at $699, it genuinely makes more sense to jump straight to the $799 iPhone 17 for all of the reasons mentioned above. (But if you find a good deal on a refurbished iPhone 16, that's another story. It's still a very capable phone, and it's compatible with Apple Intelligence features as well.) Aside from lowering the price - something I don't see Apple ever doing - there's not much else the iPhone 17 is missing. And for anyone who needs something more fashionable or powerful, the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro are right there.The only missing hole in the iPhone lineup is a budget option that's cheaper than the $599 iPhone 16e - hopefully, that'll be something a future iPhone 17e might be able to solve.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-iphone-17-makes-the-iphone-16e-even-more-pointless-123000387.html?src=rss

Now's the time to be on the lookout for iPads deals as we get closer and closer to the holiday season. Whether you're looking for a new tablet for yourself or someone else, the next few months should present plenty of worthy discounts to consider. Case in point: this iPad Air M3 deal, which knocks $150 off the 11-inch Wi-Fi model, bringing it down to a record low of $450. We gave the iPad Air M3 an 89 in our review, thanks, in part, to its new chip. The M3 chip gives this generation's iPad Air a big boost over the M2 model - despite coming out less than a year apart. Plus, even without the discount, it's a more affordable option across Apple's iPad range. In fact, we named the iPad Air M3 as our choice for the best iPad for most people. Unless you plan to use your iPad as a substitute computer or really want a top notch screen, then you probably don't need the iPad Pro. The iPad Air M3 strikes a great balance of features for a lot less money. Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/pick-up-the-ipad-air-m3-while-its-150-off-right-now-133334122.html?src=rss

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has reportedly banned the country's local tech companies from purchasing NVIDIA's newest AI chip made for the region. According to the Financial Times, the internet regulator told Chinese tech companies, including ByteDance and Alibaba, to cancel their orders for and to stop testing NVIDIA's RTX Pro 6000D. After receiving the directive from CAC, the companies reportedly told their suppliers to stop all activities related to the GPU. As Reuters notes, the ban is stronger than the "guidance" the regulator issued against the company's older H20 chips for the country. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is disappointed by the ban, the BBC reports. "There are a lot of places we can't go to, and that's fine," he told reporters. He also said he would "support the US" as it resolves its geopolitical issues with China.Chinese companies had previously indicated that they would be ordering and testing tens of thousands of the AI chip based on NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture. Reuters recently reported, however, that it has received lukewarm demand and that some tech firms decided not to put in orders for the product altogether. Some of the companies are apparently holding out for NVIDIA's B30A, which is a more powerful model, to be approved for export by US authorities. The Times says Chinese regulators also recently concluded that local-made AI chips are now comparable to or have even exceeded the counterparts NVIDIA is selling in their country. They reportedly gathered domestic chipmakers, including Huawei and Baidu, to ask for a report on how their products compared against NVIDIA's.If you'll recall, the US put an export restriction on NVIDIA's H20 AI chips in April, out of concerns that China could use it to develop AI tech for its military. In July, the US government allowed the company to export the chips again, reportedly after closing a deal that would give it 15 percent of the sales. Huang also introduced the RTX Pro 6000D in Beijing during his visit at the time. It wasn't the comeback NVIDIA was hoping for, however. Chinese regulators issued a guidance, dissuading local companies from purchasing the H20 chips, allegedly because they were insulted by statements made by US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick. By the end of August, The Information reported that the company asked its suppliers to halt production related to the H20.This ban comes days after another Chinese regulator accused NVIDIA of violating China's antitrust laws over its acquisition of chipmaker Mellanox. The State Administration for Market Regulation said the company breached both national regulations and the conditions China set when it originally approved the acquisition. Those terms stated that NVIDIA must continue supplying GPUs and other products to the country and adhering to "fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory principles"This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/china-reportedly-bans-tech-companies-from-buying-nvidias-ai-chips-120143740.html?src=rss

DJI's flagship Mini 5 Pro consumer drone has arrived and it's the first in the series with a 1-inch sensor camera for improved low-light video. Nearly every other feature has been updated as well, including the obstacle detection, range, subject tracking and more - all for around the same price as its predecessor, the Mini 4 Pro. I've had the drone for just enough time to give some quick thoughts (stay tuned for a full review later), but so far it looks like DJI has outdone itself again.The Mini 5 Pro is a bit bigger and sits higher than the Mini 4 Pro, but it's still under 250 grams (249.9 to be exact) so you don't need a permit to fly it. A key new feature is the LiDAR sensors installed in the nose to detect and avoid obstacles when flying at night in light as low as 1 lux, while allowing RTH (return to home) in low light, even without a GPS signal. It also has six omni sensors to detect obstacles in every direction to keep the drone safe during ActiveTrack 360 and other types of flying in tight quarters.Steve Dent for EngadgetThe camera nacelle is noticeably larger to accommodate the 1-inch 50MP sensor that's a big step up from the 1/1.3-inch sensor on the Mini 4 Pro. It's the same size as the sensor on the Air 3S, bringing improved low light capability and finer detail to a lower priced drone. However, video resolution is only slightly up from the Mini 4 Pro to 4K at 120 fps max, up from 100 fps before.With 10-bit D-LogM capture, it promises dynamic range up to 14 stops for easier grading. The extra resolution also allowed DJI to boost zoom to 2x without any noticeable loss in resolution. The company also added an enhanced portrait mode that optimizes brightness, contrast and skin tone performance to the level of the company's best-selling Pocket 3 gimbal cam.DJI's Mini 5 Pro has improved ActiveTrack 360 capabilities for sports like cyclingDJIThe gimbal now rolls up to 225 degrees to allow true vertical video and let users capture rotating footage, while offering support for intelligent modes like QuickShot Rotate, Timelapse, Spotlight and Waypoint Flight. DJI also upgraded its ActiveTrack 360 function for tracking subjects while doing camera moves, making it safer and more stable while balancing speed and agility. Specifically, DJI says that during cycling it offers a "more agile response and keeps the target firmly locked."Battery life has improved to 36 minutes or 52 minutes with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus (available in the US but not Europe and elsewhere). However, it offers a noticeably shorter charging time of just 115 minutes for three batteries (38.3 minutes per battery) with the two-way charging hub and DJI 65W portable charger. The maximum transmission distance via DJI's O4+ system is unchanged at 20 km in the US (12.4 miles) or 10 km in Europe.DJIThe Mini 5 Pro ships with either the standard RC-N3 controller or the RC-2 screen controller that first appeared with the DJI Air 3 mid-sized drone. I'd recommend the RC-2 if you can afford it (it adds $129 to the price), as it's far more convenient and the screen is bright enough to use on sunny days.I received a Mini 5 Pro in the Fly More combo with three batteries, a charger and the RC-2 screen controller, along with with extra propellers and the ND filter kit, and flew it a few times to briefly test the video quality and ActiveTrack 360 capabilities. So far, I'm impressed. Video and photo quality has noticeably improved with lower noise, sharper detail and more accurate color rendering. Dynamic range is also higher in sunny conditions when shooting with the D-LogM setting.So far, the biggest difference appears to be shooting at dusk. Where the Mini 4 Pro delivered video with excessive noise or splotchy colors due to the aggressive noise reduction, the Mini 5 Pro offers relatively clean video up to ISO 3200 or even ISO 6400. While grain is very noticeable at the new highest ISO setting of 12,800, video is certainly usable with enough available light. Most importantly for many shooters, cityscapes at night are much cleaner than before with higher detail, lower noise and more saturated colors than the last model.DJI Mini 5 Pro drone video shot in the evening at ISO 3200 shows improved clarity and reduced noiseSteve Dent for EngadgetMy brief tests of DJI's new LiDAR and ActiveTrack 360 capabilities were also successful. The Mini 5 Pro did a better job of avoiding fine branches than before and its algorithms took it on smooth and safe trajectories when I manually set the camera angles. The result was smoother and more interesting footage of someone walking and running around trees. At night, the LiDAR did do a good job of keeping the drone away from obstacles, however I found it to be a bit too conservative. For instance, one time with no obstacles around it except a wall, it refused to move in any direction.Battery life, noise levels and other factors still require testing, but so far the Mini 5 Pro looks like a solid successor to the Mini 4 Pro, which sold like hotcakes. Once again, DJI hasn't officially released the drone in the US but like DJI's Mic 3, it could be available later at major retailers like Amazon. It's on sale in Europe for 799/689 with a battery, 999/869 in the fly More Combo with the DJI RC-N3 controller and 1,129/979 in the same combo with the RC-2 controller. More information about US pricing will be released as soon as it's available.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/djis-mini-pro-5-drone-is-the-first-in-the-series-with-a-1-inch-sensor-120026323.html?src=rss

Whether you're commuting, working in a bustling cafe or just trying to tune out the world, the best noise-canceling earbuds can help you focus on what matters - your music, podcasts or a bit of peace and quiet. With advanced noise reduction and features like active noise cancellation, these compact in-ear buds are designed to block out distractions and deliver immersive sound, even in the most noisy environments.

With so many options available today, choosing the best streaming services can feel overwhelming. Whether you're into blockbuster movies, reality TV, documentaries or just want access to news channels, there's a platform tailored to your tastes and budget. If you're looking to cut the cord completely, you might also want to explore live TV options that offer cable-like channels without the hassle. We've also put together a separate guide to the best live TV streaming services if you're after a full channel lineup that includes sports, local stations and breaking news. In this buying guide, though, we're focusing on the top on-demand streaming services worth subscribing to right now - whether you're binging shows solo or setting up family-friendly entertainment for the weekend. Best streaming services for 2025 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-streaming-services-154527042.html?src=rss

Gig economy platform Fiverr is laying off 250 employees as it pivots to being an "AI-first company," CEO Micha Kaufman shared in an essay on X. The move affects around 30 percent of the company's staff, The Register writes, and it's not uncommon among tech companies in 2025. Duolingo announced similar plans to become "AI-first" in April.Kaufman describes this process as returning to "startup mode" and writes that his ultimate goal is to turn Fiverr into "an AI-first company that's leaner, faster, with a modern AI-focused tech infrastructure, a smaller team, each with substantially greater productivity, and far fewer management layers." Part of the justification Kaufman offers for why Fiverr doesn't "need as many people to operate the existing business" is that the company has already integrated AI into its customer support and fraud detection programs.The first sign that Fiverr might justify layoffs with AI came when Kaufman was interviewed by CBS News in May 2025 about the danger the technology posed to employees. Kaufman specifically advised employees to "automate 100 percent" of what they do with AI, while also claiming that wouldn't make them replaceable because they were still capable of "non-linear thinking" and "judgement calls." That advice doesn't seem like it was ultimately helpful for Fiverr's own employees.The company's cuts affect fewer people than a larger firm like Workday, who announced plans to eliminate 1,750 roles in February 2025. Regardless of the size of the company or its level of investment in AI, though, layoffs have the same effect: More work has to be done by fewer people.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/fiverr-is-laying-off-250-employees-to-become-an-ai-first-company-215730063.html?src=rss

Who says journalism is dead? Less than a week after Bloomberg published a damning report about Tesla's "dangerous doors," the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is now looking into it. On Tuesday, the regulator said it opened an investigation into the automaker's electrically powered doors. The problem: They stop working if the vehicle's low-voltage battery fails.The NHTSA's probe will cover the 2021 Model Y, which covers an estimated 174,290 vehicles. But the agency suggested in a document that it could expand its investigation. That makes sense: Every Tesla ever made uses electrically powered door handles. So, this could potentially get very expensive for the otherwise perfectly lovable company.Tesla uses a flush door handle design for its vehicles. A 12-volt battery powers the door's ability to pop the handle and release the latch. It's one of the Apple-like design details that helped the automaker become a household name. But cars aren't iPhones, and sleekness can't take a backseat to safety in the auto space.Tesla vehicles have a mechanical backup system in the cabin that enables the doors to be opened manually in case of a power loss. But the manual release location varies by model and is often hard to find. And even if you do know where it is, that won't help if a small child or pet is trapped inside."Although Tesla vehicles have manual door releases inside of the cabin, in these situations, a child may not be able to access or operate the releases even if the vehicle's driver is aware of them," the NHTSA wrote in its public summary document.Mylo Kaye / UnsplashBloomberg's original report recounted some heinous stories of Tesla owners dealing with electronic door failures. There was an off-duty firefighter who struggled to break into a burning Model Y in 2023. The occupant was trapped in the passenger seat by airbags and couldn't reach the manual release. Losing precious seconds due to the door design, she suffered third-degree facial burns and had lasting lung damage from smoke inhalation.There are reportedly more. Last November in California, three college students died trapped inside a Cybertruck after it caught fire. The same month, five people in Wisconsin died inside a Model S. The cluster of bodies in the front seat suggested to the detective they may have struggled to escape.Then, this spring in LA, a star college basketball recruit managed to escape only after kicking out a Cybertruck window when it caught fire. "I try to open the door, and the door's not opening," Alijah Arenas said. He was placed in a medically induced coma due to extensive smoke inhalation.Bloomberg discovered that the NHTSA has received over 140 complaints about stuck Tesla doors since 2018. The regulator cited nine "failure reports" that led it to probe the company. In four cases, the people resorted to breaking the window. "Entrapment in a vehicle is particularly concerning in emergency situations, such as when children are entrapped in a hot vehicle," NHTSA said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/nhtsa-is-investigating-tesla-over-its-electronic-door-handles-203605393.html?src=rss

The plan to "save" TikTok is starting to come into focus. On Tuesday The Wall Street Journal reported more details about a deal between the US and China as the two sides are apparently "finalizing" specifics of the arrangement.According to the report, TikTok's US business will be owned primarily by a group of US investors, which will have a "roughly" 80 percent stake in the entity. The group includes longtime TikTok partner Oracle, as well as Silicon Valley VC firm Andreesen Horowitz and the private equity firm Silver Lake. Chinese shareholders will have a minority stake that keeps their ownership under the 20 percent threshold required by law. The US government will also reportedly get to choose one board member for the "American-dominated" body.Reports about such an arrangement have been swirling for months, with President Donald Trump saying in June that a deal could be "about two weeks" away. It seems that Chinese officials have finally signed off on the new arrangement, with a Chinese regulator saying earlier this week that the new US version of TikTok would continue to use the Chinese algorithm.Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that "TikTok engineers will re-create" the app's algorithm for a brand new TikTok app using technology licensed from ByteDance. The company is reportedly testing the new app. Oracle will oversee US user data for the operation; TikTok and Oracle have partnered on data security for years following previous negotiations between the company and the US government.Even though a final deal is apparently close, it could still take some time before it's finalized. In the meantime, Trump extended the deadline that would have banned the current version of the app in the US for a fourth time. On Tuesday he told reporters at the White House he planned to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday "to confirm everything."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/trumps-tiktok-deal-will-give-control-to-a-group-of-us-investors-report-says-201331190.html?src=rss

LimeWire has announced that it's acquired the rights to Fyre Festival, the disastrous, influencer-fueled 2017 music festival. The newly revived company - which now acts as a NFT music marketplace rather than a file-sharing service - bought the rights for $245,000 in an eBay auction, The New York Times reports. A separate plan to use the Fyre Festival name to launch a new music streaming service was announced in April 2025."Fyre became a symbol of hype gone wrong, but it also made history," LimeWire CEO Julian Zehetmayr shared in a press release. "We're not bringing the festival back - we're bringing the brand and the meme back to life. This time with real experiences, and without the cheese sandwiches."It sounds like LimeWire might want to turn Fyre Festival into a physical perk of the digital collectibles it sells through its NFT marketplace. The company is planning to reveal "a reimagined vision for Fyre" in the coming months that "expands beyond the digital realm and taps into real-world experiences, community and surprise." During the height of their popularity, NFTs were frequently sold as memberships to exclusive communities and events, so if that's the tack LimeWire takes, it wouldn't be a particularly original one.Of course, originality might not be the goal when a key strategy for your company is apparently acquiring and reinventing old brands. LimeWire's bet seems to be that the name recognition of buying a musician's NFT from LimeWire or attending a Fyre Festival event and not getting stranded in The Bahamas will be enough for some people.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/limewire-acquires-fyre-festival-has-vague-plans-to-offer-real-experiences-200158421.html?src=rss

The free Apple Sports app just added widgets, which has been a long-requested feature. This allows users to build their own custom widgets to follow the teams and organizations of their choosing. Once placed, it'll just take a quick swipe on the device to check out scores, statistics, upcoming matches and more.Widgets are available on iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. This feature will operate in addition to the pre-existing Live Activities tool, which also delivers live sports updates directly to the iPhone lock screen and the Apple Watch. That's also gotten a bit of a boost today, as Apple has announced that users can now schedule Live Activities in advance for upcoming events.There's no limit on the number of widgets that can be added at once, so go crazy and put up a bunch of teams and leagues. After all, the NFL season is about to start. The app is also expanding to eight new countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The platform has added new organizations to follow throughout these regions, which are mostly soccer-related.This is just the latest update for Apple Sports. The app recently started offering tennis scores and shareable game cards.It's also a big week for iPhones in general. The latest operating system, iOS 26, is now available and brings all kinds of stuff to the table. There's a new visual theme, an updated camera app, AI tools and a whole lot more.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/the-apple-sports-app-finally-adds-widgets-for-tracking-scores-and-schedules-191539074.html?src=rss

In what's most definitely (not) the biggest Hades news of the week, the acclaimed game is coming to Game Pass. Not the long-awaited sequel, mind you, but the 2020 original. At least subscribers can catch up on the first game while waiting out the sequel's Switch exclusivity window. Hades will be available for Game Pass Ultimate, PC, and Standard tiers.This isn't the roguelike's first Game Pass rodeo. It was on Microsoft's service from August 2021 to 2022. It returns this September 19, the same day Hades II launches on Switch 2 and Switch. The sequel also leaves early access then, jumping to version 1.0 on Windows and macOS. It will likely arrive on Xbox (and PlayStation) at some point, but developer Supergiant is mum for now.SupergiantGame Pass members who haven't played the original still get a phenomenal title as part of their subscription. You play as Zagreus, a godborn lad just trying to get the @#$! out of the underworld. (Aren't we all?) The dungeon crawler brought unexpected narrative depth to the genre, with well-developed characters and satisfying combat.On September 17, the Game Pass Standard tier will get some Call of Duty love. Although perhaps "hate" would be a better term for the largely maligned CoD: Modern Warfare III (2023). To say the game wasn't well-received would be an understatement. IGN scored it as "bad," describing its single-player campaign as "shallow," "dull" and "the worst Call of Duty single-player campaign I've played. Regardless, it arrives on the cheapest Game Pass tier after hitting the more expensive ones in mid-2024.Meanwhile, on September 18, Game Pass Ultimate members can play Frostpunk 2 on console. The post-apocalyptic city-builder will be available on Xbox Series X/S and via cloud streaming. Game Pass Ultimate members could already play it on PC, where it probably makes more sense. City-builders and gamepads can be a match made in... Hades.You can check out Microsoft's blog post for this month's complete list of arrivals and departures.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/hades-returns-to-game-pass-on-september-19-190055465.html?src=rss