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Google's Pixel Buds series has always been a worthy companion for its Pixel phones. The company only lacks a set of over-ear headphones to offer similar options to what Apple provides for iPhone users. Of course, Google got a later start than its rival, but like its Silicon Valley counterpart, the company has designed its earbuds to work best with its own devices. You'll need both a phone and earbuds from Google to get the best features. That's unlikely to change anytime soon. Like Apple, Google is now on version 2.0 of its Pro-series earbuds. The first model debuted in 2022, and delivered active noise cancellation (ANC) for the first time on a set of Pixel Buds. There were notable features missing at launch, like spatial audio, so the inaugural set of Pixel Buds Pro weren't yet at their full potential. With the Pixel Buds Pro 2 ($229), Google has its ducks in a row, shipping its new flagship earbuds with a powerful Tensor chip for the first time and providing a hands-free conduit to Gemini AI. There's a new design, longer battery life and updated acoustics, but once again, the company is asking you to pay more than the previous version for all of the new features. Design The first thing that struck me about the Pixel Buds Pro 2 is how small they are. While a 27 percent size reduction doesn't sound like a huge drop, it certainly is here. This model is tiny compared to the previous one, and Google shaved 1.5 grams off of the overall weight as well. The result is a much smaller earbud that sits more comfortably and securely in your ear. Google redesigned the overall shape here, too. To help trim down the overall size, the IP54-rated Pixel Buds Pro 2 are now more compact rather than elongated like their predecessors. Like many audio companies, Google says it analyzed millions of ear scans to arrive at this new shape. Additionally, the company conducted real-life wear tests" to make sure the earbuds wouldn't fall out easily. To keep the buds in place, Google opted for a twist-to-adjust stabilizer" on the back. Everyone's ears are different, and on mine, I don't feel like this adds any extra security. As far as I can tell, it doesn't tuck into the curves of my ears when I twist to lock in" as Google suggests. But, once I found the best ear tip size for me, a secure fit wasn't an issue as the Pixel Buds Pro 2 stayed in place just fine. What's more, the tiny footprint kept things comfy for long wear sessions, which hasn't always been the case for Google's earbuds. There's still a robust suite of onboard controls on the Pixel Buds Pro 2, but the smaller-sized earbuds will require some adjustments to your taps. Since the buds aren't as big, the touch panel offers less real estate. This means you'll need to be more precise with your fingers, which took some time for me to master. If there's an upside to larger earbuds, it's that you don't have to be as accurate with your control inputs to get them to register. Gemini AI and Tensor power Billy Steele for Engadget The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are Google's first earbuds with a Tensor chip. Apple has always been keen to discuss the audio processor inside AirPods by name, but this is the first time I can remember Google doing the same. Thanks to the Tensor A1, the company says it can provide ultra-low latency audio processing, including multi-path signal handling. Google says it created a highway lane" for music so that it's unbothered by the processing required for ANC. The chip's efficiency also allowed the company to increase battery life (slightly) despite the overall reduction in earbud size. Google is hyping the Pixel Buds Pro 2 as the first earbuds to work with Gemini AI. But, since Gemini has replaced Google Assistant on the Pixel 9, that's a bit like saying they're built for Assistant. Clearly, all Pixel Buds share that ability, so you'll want to look past the marketing-speak. It's true that the Pixel Buds Pro 2 work with Gemini for hands-free help with more complex tasks than Assistant and Gemini Live is here for more conversational interactions. Of course, you don't need the earbuds to use any of this, as you can just use a Pixel 9 on its own. Tensor and Gemini aren't the only notable features on the Pixel Buds Pro 2. You'll also get Conversation Detection, Hearing Wellness tracking, multipoint Bluetooth and the ability to customize the long press option (only two choices there though). You can also automatically switch between devices linked to your Google account, which won't be tremendously convenient if you prefer Pixel phones and MacBook Pros. Inside the Pixel Buds app, which is also accessible from the Bluetooth settings menu, you'll see battery levels and get ANC controls if you need to change those from your phone. Pixel Buds Pro 2 sound quality Overall sound quality on the original Pixel Buds Pro was an improvement over the Pixel Buds (2020) and the A-Series, both of which lacked sufficient low-end tone. There's plenty of bass on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 when a song demands it, but it's not constant or overbearing. Google says it redesigned the entire audio system to overhaul the acoustics and drivers for maximum efficiency. Its goal was to pass the audio signal to your ear as cleanly as possible so you get accurate, immersive sound without having to make further adjustments. I'm not sure the audio is a huge leap over the Pixel Buds Pro, but there is a noticeable improvement. That bass performance thumps when a Deftones alt-metal track or Kaytranada's electronic hip-hop beats demand it. There's not as much nuance to the low-end tone as on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, which are my current pick for best overall sound quality. There's enough to get the job done though, so the Pixel Buds Pro 2 remains a significant sonic improvement over Google's more affordable earbud models, especially when you factor in the crisp highs and adequate mid-range on display here. The synth-heavy tracks on Justice's Hyperdrama, for example, envelope you with gritty, textured riffs and driving beats. If you do feel the need to make audio adjustments, Google offers a full 5-band EQ in the Pixel Buds settings. There are also five presets, but none of those sound great. In fact, I think they all make things worse. There's also the ability to tweak the volume balance, if you need the volume to be louder in one ear than the other. Unlike the Pixel Buds Pro, this model is shipping with Spatial Audio ready to be put to work. However, there are some big caveats here. First, the immersive sound requires a Pixel 6 and up, and it doesn't work with A-Series devices. What's more, Spatial Audio is only available on compatible video apps. You won't be able to use it for music. And when it comes to Netflix, the streaming service requires that you also turn on head tracking. Google should've made things straightforward here, but instead, it's a mess. It's a solid addition if it works when you want it, but there will certainly be times when that's not the case. ANC performance Billy Steele for Engadget For the ANC setup on the Pixel Buds Pro 2, Google says it cancels twice as much noise thanks to its so-called Silent Seal 2.0 system. The company explains that it does this by blocking a wider variety of sounds than it did on the previous model, including higher frequency distractions. It's true that the Pixel Buds Pro 2 perform well with low-to-mid-range noise, blocking the constant roar of a car interior (passenger seat, obviously), loud fans and more. Where the Pixel Buds Pro 2 still struggle is with things like human voices. To be fair, lots of earbuds and headphones stumble trying to block out a noisy neighbor. Unless you've got music or a podcast going, you'll be able to hear nearby conversations, albeit moderately muffled. Call quality For calls, Google once again employs AI to make things sound better. And that applies to both ends of the call. The company says its Clear Calling feature has been improved, further reducing background noise on your end and any would-be distractions near the person you're talking to when the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are paired with a compatible Pixel phone. The earbuds do a good job of blocking background noise on their own. Even when you record a voice note or do some other activity that doesn't use Clear Calling, the AI-powered system reduces the roar to where you can barely hear it. What's more, Clear Calling doesn't just apply to phone calls, it works with apps like Google Meet and some third-party software (over Wi-Fi). And while I don't think the Pixel Buds Pro 2 will make you sound pristine, the heavy lifting they do (with the aid of a Pixel phone) to keep you clear of background commotion is commendable. Battery life on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 Google promises up to eight hours of battery life on a charge with ANC enabled on the Pixel Buds Pro 2. When you factor in the case and the buds, you're looking at up to 30 hours of noise-canceling use. During my tests, I didn't keep ANC on the entire time, but I also used transparency mode during calls and times I needed to listen out for my kids or the doorbell. I got just over eight hours with the volume at around 50-75 percent, which varied depending whether I was streaming from my Pixel 9 or MacBook Pro. The IPX4-rated Pixel Buds Pro 2 case supports both wired and wireless charging, so you've got an alternate option there. What's more, a 15-minute rest in the case will give the earbuds enough juice to last for up to three hours. The competition Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the best-sounding and most comfortable option in Google's earbud lineup. This makes them the best choice if you're into all of the integrations for Pixel phone owners. If you can live without all of that stuff, you'll find better sound quality and more advanced features elsewhere. Sony's WF-1000XM5 is my current top pick, thanks to the fit, audio performance, ANC quality and other tools the company offers. You'll get Speak-to-Chat automatic pausing for short convos and DSEE Extreme upscaling to recover detail that's typically lost to Bluetooth compression. There's also the ability to automate sound settings based on activity or location. If pure sound performance is what you're after, Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 4 is the best bet. These earbuds don't have the robust feature set that Sony has amassed, but the audio quality is the best in my opinion. The company also recently added Auracast support and a Find Headphones feature that's akin to Google's Find My Device. Wrap-up Like the Pixel Buds Pro were in 2022, the second version of Google's pricier earbuds are the best the company has to offer. They're more expensive than their predecessor, but they're also more powerful, more comfortable and last longer. There are some confusing caveats with Spatial Audio and the onboard controls may take some getting used to, but the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are an improvement in the places where it really matters. The same truth remains as it did two years ago though: these are earbuds built for Pixel phone die-hards, so if you're not one of those, you can find better audio performance and expanded features elsewhere. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/pixel-buds-pro-2-review-tiny-earbuds-with-big-sound-and-a-direct-line-to-gemini-170016328.html?src=rss

You do not need a PS5 Pro. The Pro is Sony's latest version of the PS5, offering more power and storage, faster Wi-Fi, and expanded support for tricks like advanced ray tracing, all for the audacious price of $700. That's nice, but if you already have a PS5, you do not need to rush out and snag the new console. The PS5 Pro is similar to the Steam Deck OLED in this way: It's a noticeable upgrade, but its existence doesn't diminish the appeal of the original model. The PS5 you've had for years remains very cool and impressive, and if you're content with it - or if you don't have the cash to spare - maybe just stop reading right here and go play Astro Bot with your bliss intact. Now that it's just us, let's really get into it. If you regularly play PS5 games and can afford to waste (at least) $700 on a more powerful console with extra gills, you absolutely should get a PS5 Pro. The PS5 Pro will ship on November 7 with a 2TB SSD, Wi-Fi 7, faster memory, improved rendering capabilities, and support for VRR, advanced ray-tracing and 8K gaming." With the Pro, Sony has introduced a proprietary upscaling system called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, which fills out details at the pixel level using machine-learning technology in a similar fashion to NVIDIA's DLSS. There's also PS5 Pro Game Boost, an enhancement suite that can apply to backward compatible PS4 games, stabilizing or upgrading their performance on the fresh hardware. Sony says this can also improve the performance of supported PS5 titles. These upgrades theoretically mean players no longer have to choose between a premium resolution and high, consistent framerates, so long as the game you're playing is updated to take full advantage of the console. On the standard and Digital Edition PS5s, players generally pick between Performance mode, which activates 60 fps or 120 fps at a lower resolution, or Fidelity mode, which offers crisp resolution at 30 fps. The Pro, thanks to the increased power and upscaling system, can easily handle simultaneous 4K output and 60 fps, and then some. PS5 Pro games In action, this means games look and feel exceptional on the PS5 Pro. I played a handful of titles on the Pro over two hours at Sony's San Mateo studio, and many of the setups included a second screen with the game running on existing PS5 hardware, for comparison's sake. Overall, the standard PS5 games never looked bad, but the Pro screens definitely looked better. More than anything though, the Pro games felt better. Hopping from 30 fps on the standard PS5 to 60 fps on PS5 Pro - at the same or an even higher perceivable resolution - was all the convincing I personally needed. The Last of Us Part II Remastered offered a poignant demonstration of this difference: I played for a minute in Fidelity mode at 4K/30, and then swapped over to the Pro at 4K/60, and the shift instantly felt right. I questioned how or why I'd ever played a game at 30 fps in my life. Why choose between image quality and framerate when you can have both, you know? Each developer approached the Pro's power from a bespoke angle. With Spider-Man 2, for instance, Insomniac was focused on improving draw distance and upgrading the resolution of far-away objects in expansive cityscapes. The result is a crisply detailed web-slinging experience around downtown Manhattan with none of the slight fuzziness that the standard version offers. Hogwarts Legacy developers at Avalanche Software wanted to improve the game's lighting and reflections, and they did: The Pro version presents a castle filled with slick stones and vibrant stained glass rainbows that ripple realistically as the player moves. F1 24, meanwhile, can now handle ray-tracing at 4K/60 during races, and the team at Codemasters built new fences and implemented more realistic, auto-generated reflections on the tracks. The difference between ray-tracing and none is stark, and the game's Performance mode can hit 4K at 120 fps on the Pro, rather than maxing out at 1440p on current models. A new Resolution mode outputs in 8K/60, but to experience that one, you'll first have to get your hands on an 8K TV. As with the last generation of upgraded consoles - the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro - a lot of the responsibility for making the PS5 Pro worthwhile lands at the feet of publishers and developers. At yesterday's State of Play event, Sony announced a second batch of titles that will be upgraded for PS5 Pro, including Stellar Blade, Alan Wake 2, Resident Evil Village and Dragon Age: Veilguard. That's a solid start, but anyone spending $700 on a console will rightfully expect many more upgrades over time. Talking with all of the developers at the event, there was a shared sentiment: This is an exciting era of experimentation and customization, and the Pro represents a chance for studios to create the definitive console versions of their games. We've only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Pro improvements - and, therefore, the future of console experiences in general. Designwise, the Pro is big, but then again, so is every version of the PS5. It looks enormous next to the updated Slim PS5, but side on and standing vertically, the Pro is the same height as the launch PS5 and it's only as wide as the current Slim version. This makes for an elongated, skyscraper kind of aesthetic that only highlights how intrusive the console truly is, but if you're a PS5 player, this is nothing new. The black gills slicing through the top half of the Pro do little to dispel the visual heft, but on top of providing necessary ventilation, they nicely mirror the look of the wider PS5 line. Jessica Conditt for Engadget The stand that allows the Pro to be positioned vertically is sold separately and costs $30. There's also an option to add an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive to the new console, just like the Digital Edition, and that costs $80. So if you're in the market for the full Pro package, you'll have to throw down $810. It's a beastly price tag for a beastly console, but thankfully that descriptor applies to performance as well as appearance. Sony is mining a niche market with the Pro, targeting dedicated PS5 players who happen to have money to burn. It's not for everyone, and Sony will need to convince lots of developers to support this small audience. But for the type of console player who doesn't balk at dropping $200 on a controller or $700 on a console - me, for instance - it feels like a worthwhile upgrade. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ps5-pro-preview-i-dont-need-it-but-i-want-it-150042508.html?src=rss

We first covered the Samsung 990 Evo SSD in January and noted its speed and efficiency. Just eight months after its release, Samsung has now revealed its 990 Evo Plus SSD. The company claims it's 50 percent faster than the previous model and is suitable for gaming, business and creative tasks.Samsung says the drive uses its 8th generation V-NAND technology, with a maximum sequential speed of 7,250MB/s for the 990 Evo Plus' 4TB model and a write speed limit of 6,300 MB/s. The SSD has a nickel-coated heat shield to prevent overheating and the company says it's 73 percent more efficient. For those looking for the random read and write speeds, they're 1,050K IOPS and 1,400K IOPS, respectively.Other than the 4TB model mentioned above, the SSD can come in 1TB and 2TB models. All three come with Samsung Magician Software and are capable of AES-256-bit full disk encryption.All the new drives will be available this fall from select retailers and Samsung's official website. The 1TB model will sell for $110, the 2TB model for $185 and the 4TB model costs $345.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/samsungs-new-990-evo-plus-ssd-is-50-percent-faster-than-its-predecessor-164354770.html?src=rss

Meta has secured deals with several actors, including Kristen Bell, John Cena and Judi Dench, to use their voices for the Meta AI chatbot, Reuters reports. Users will be able to talk to the chatbot while listening to answers in the voice of their favorite celebrities. Other celebrities include Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, a source told Reuters.Besides these five voices, the source also said that there are more generic voice options if users prefer them. All voices will be available this week in the US and other English-speaking regions, though the source didn't give any other specific locations.The news follows a report from last month which claimed Meta was negotiating with actors to secure the rights to use their voices for its AI projects. Now, the deals have reportedly been struck, and the chatbot found when using Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp could feature these famous voices soon. The company had intended to finalize agreements before the Connect conference, where Reuters' source says it will announce the new voice options.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-ai-chatbot-will-soon-speak-in-the-voices-of-john-cena-and-other-celebrities-160603365.html?src=rss

Starting on October 1, you'll be able to play Dead Space for free with your PlayStation Plus membership. Sony Interactive Entertainment has revealed additional titles to its PS Plus lineup, which includes the remake version of the sci-fi/horror classic. Dead Space for the PS5 (as well as for PCs and Xbox Series X|S) adds voiced lines for the previously silent protagonist Isaac Clarke. It was built from scratch to feature better graphics and lighting, new gameplay mechanics and a transition system that does away with loading screens between levels. Like the original release, the remake still revolves around Clarke, a starship engineer, as he explores an abandoned spacecraft taken over by undead monsters.In addition to Dead Space, subscribers will also get free access to WWE 2K24 for the PS4 and the PS5, particularly the "40 Years of WrestleMania" edition that comes with retellings of historic WrestleMania moments over the past four decades. Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!will also be added to the PS Plus Library. While its promotional materials make it look like an anime dating sim, it's actually a psychological horror with some pretty disturbing themes. Finally, those paying for the more expensive PlayStation Plus extra and premium subscriptions will also get access to The Last of Us Part I starting on September 26.SIE has announced new iridescent DualSense wireless controller and PS5 console cover color options, as well. Chroma Pearl, it says, moves through a range of chic pinks and creams, while Chroma Indigo shifts colors from deep blues to vivid purples, depending on how you look at it. Both options will be available on November 7. And then there's Chroma Teal, which was designed to look like anything from yellow-green to blue-green and will be released on January 23 next year. The new controller options will sell for $80, while the console covers will set you back $65.Sony Interactive EntertainmentThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/dead-space-leads-sonys-playstation-plus-lineup-for-october-160042239.html?src=rss

Update, September 25, 11:15AM ET: It's Meta's big day! You can follow the event as it happens with commentary from Karissa Bell and Devindra Hardawar in our Meta Connect 2024 live updates story. The original article follows below.In the past, the biggest AR/VR event of the year has been known alternately as Oculus Connect and then Facebook Connect. But whatever the name, Meta's fall event its primary showcase for the company's latest and greatest achievements in the virtual reality and mixed reality space. Much like last year, we can likely predict the biggest news coming out of Meta Connect 2024 with just two acronyms: AI and AR.Like every other big tech firm this year, Meta will be desperate to demonstrate how it plans to stay relevant in a future powered by AI. And now that we're seven months beyond the launch of Apple's Vision Pro, which arrived alongside a short-lived spike in interest in augmented reality (AR), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is likely eager to show off his own plans to make AR a reality.While Zuckerberg isn't as hot on the metaverse as he was when he renamed his company, the union of AI and AR is one way he can still make the dream of persistent virtual worlds come true. It might look less like Ready Player One, but if AR glasses actually take off, they could still let Meta control another piece of our digital world. And to help get them there, delivering an updated inexpensive VR headset couldn't hurt.With all of that in mind, here are a few things we expect to see at Meta Connect 2024, which kicks off virtually tomorrow - September 25 - and runs for two days. The show starts with a 1PM ET livestream, which is expected to run about an hour.Orion AR glassesAfter reportedly killing a pricey next-generation mixed reality headset, which was meant to compete with the Apple Vision Pro, Meta is instead focusing on a pair of augmented reality glasses, codenamed Orion, as its next innovation. As seen in the background of one Mark Zuckerberg photo (above), and later somewhat confirmed by him, Orion resembles a pair of chunky hipster frames.MetaUnlike the Quest 3, which fully consumes your vision and uses cameras to show you a low-quality view of the world, Orion could let you see the real world like a normal pair of glasses. But, like Magic Leap and Microsoft's HoloLens before it, Meta's glasses could layer holographic imagery on top of your reality. The key difference, of course, is that it appears to be far less cumbersome than those devices.The glasses are, I think, going to be a big deal," Zuckerberg said in an interview on the Blueprint Podcast (via RoadtoVR). We're almost ready to start showing the prototype version of the full holographic glasses. We're not going to be selling it broadly; we're focused on building the full consumer version rather than selling the prototype."Back at Meta Connect 2022, Zuckerberg showed off how the company was thinking of AR glasses, together with an intriguing wrist-based controller:"It's probably our most exciting prototype that we've had to date," Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth told The Vergelast year. "I might get myself in trouble for saying this: I think it might be the most advanced piece of technology on the planet in its domain. In the domain of consumer electronics, it might be the most advanced thing that we've ever produced as a species."According to a leaked Meta roadmap, the company plans to release a new pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses next year which would add a small built-in screen alongside its existing camera, speaker and microphone. That would be followed by Meta's first pair of consumer AR glasses in 2027. It makes sense that we'll see some sort of concept device this year. Much like Apple's Vision Pro was effectively that company's version of an AR/VR concept car to introduce developers to its notion of "spatial computing," Meta will need to give developers a way to use its platform so they can build their own AR experiences. Competitor Snap just debuted its fifth-generation AR Spectacles, and this version is oriented at developers (with a $99/month subscription fee).A cheaper Quest 3 variantInstead of an upgraded headset, all signs point to Meta releasing a stripped-down version of the Quest 3 called the Quest 3S, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Recent leaked images from Meta's own Quest Link application has confirmed the headset's existence. According to Gurman, the company is aiming to make it much cheaper than the current version, reportedly considering price points of $300 or $400, while still delivering an experience close to the Quest 3.Meta via Gary_the_mememachine/RedditThe latest leak suggests it'll start at just $299. A Reddit user shared a clip of an Amazon ad reportedly shown on Peacock that features the Quest 3S, complete with a price and storage (h/t UploadVR). Per the ad, the 128GB Quest 3S will cost $299, but there may be other storage options as well. It could potentially replace the Quest 2, which remains in the product line priced at $299 long after its 2020 release.So why would Meta do this? There's a huge performance gap between the Quest 3 and Quest 2, which makes life difficult for developers. With a cheaper device that's similar to the Quest 3, potentially using the same processor, it would be easier to build games that can scale across two price points. According to Bloomberg's Gurman, Meta has also considered releasing some models of the new headset without any bundled controllers, which would push the price down even further.More AI, of courseExpect Meta to show off even more ways it's taking advantage of AI across its Quest headsets and the Ray-Ban smart glasses. The company rolled out multi-modal AI search capabilities on those glasses in January, which allowed you to ask the Meta AI about objects or landmarks you were looking at, or for a quick translation. Based on our testing, though, those features were surprisingly half-baked.Meta will likely discuss ways it's improving those existing features by implementing its Llama 3.1 large language model (LLM), which it's positioning as an open source competitor to Google and OpenAI's LLMs. In particular, the company notes that Llama 3.1 offers dramatically improved translation, math and general knowledge capabilities. There's certainly room for Meta to introduce new AI capabilities powered by Llama 3.1 in the Ray-Ban smart glasses, but given their limited processing power and battery life, we'll probably have to wait for an updated model before we see anything truly groundbreaking.Karissa Bell contributed to this report.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/meta-connect-2024-cheaper-quest-3s-ai-ar-and-everything-else-you-can-expect-at-the-metaverse-event-130011659.html?src=rss

As world wide as the web is, language barriers still often limit how much of a site people can explore. Well, Reddit is using AI in an attempt to lessen this issue. The company announced Redditors across more than 35 countries will soon be able to automatically translate their entire feeds. The tool first launched in France earlier this year.The machine learning-powered feature is now available in Brazil and Spain, where Redditors can click a translate icon displayed in the overflow menu. This move will translate their entire feed, including comments, into Portuguese and Spanish, respectively. The setting also allows people to post and comment in their language and have it auto-translated into the community's set language. The key here is that unlike platforms like Instagram, for instance, which require you to click translate for each post, Reddit is automating the process. Redditors can access this feature on the app, mobile browser or desktop.In the coming weeks Reddit will expand its translation feature to Germany, Italy, the Philippines and countries across Latin America. The platform will also be adding a banner on any translated posts and a quick button to see the original content - helpful if a sentence gets a bit wonky in translation. Plus, Reddit is planning to roll out translated content on search engines.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/reddit-is-rolling-out-ai-powered-translations-to-35-countries-143055337.html?src=rss

Xbox is releasing new content this week. This Thursday, September 26, you can catch the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024 Broadcast, which will feature announcements from Xbox Game Studios, Activision, Blizzard Entertainment and Bethesda. The broadcast will also feature new games from Xbox's third-party retailers - primarily those based in Asia. Last year's show included a list of new titles coming to Game Pass and first looks at a few games.The Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2024 Broadcast will be available to watch on Tokyo Game Show's YouTube channel in Japanese, English and a range of other languages. It will also offer audio descriptions in both languages and Japanese and American Sign Language. You might have to wake up pretty early for it, though, as the broadcast airs at 7PM JST, which is 6AM ET or 3AM PT. Anyone based in the UK can catch it at a more reasonable 11AM.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/how-to-watch-xboxs-toyko-game-show-livestream-140057083.html?src=rss

Google has just made the history and geography nerd in me very happy. The company has announced that Google Earth is getting historical imagery of areas through satellite and aerial captures dating back 80 years. Google previously released a Timelapse tool that shows satellite images from 1984 to 2022.The new shots will include everything from changes in a California reservoir over five years to images of cities like London, Berlin and Warsaw at the start of World War II. There are also photos of American cities like San Francisco in 1938 and images of the city in 2022. It reminds me of another site I've spent much too much time on, 1940s.nyc, which uses the NYC Municipal archives to show photographs of buildings from 1939 to 1941.In addition to letting me nerd out about changes in water lines and cityscapes, Google is introducing new Street View images across nearly 80 countries. These photos show places such as Logstor, Denmark (pictured above), Oaxaca, Mexico and Tasman, New Zealand. According to Google, its newest camera weighs 15 pounds and can be mounted onto any car, allowing the company to expand Street View even further. Currently, Street View has over 280 billion images.Then, of course, it wouldn't be a tech update in 2024 without mentioning AI. Google has trained its AI model Cloud Score+ to recognize and get rid of things such as mist, cloud shadows and haze while creating brighter, sharper images on Google Earth and Maps.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-earth-will-show-historical-imagery-dating-back-to-world-war-ii-140028597.html?src=rss

Mozilla is the latest company to get in trouble with the EU. Austrian advocacy group Noyb has filed a complaint against Mozilla for setting a Privacy Preserving Attribution (PPA) feature to default without informing its users. Noyb claims the setting impacts millions of Europeans.According to Mozilla, PPA involves websites asking Firefox to remember ads they show and to potentially generate an interest report. Firefox creates the data but then submits it to an aggregation service, where the report is combined with similar ones. The company claims individual's browsing activity isn't shared with any third-parties, making it a safer system.Noyb's complaint alleges that this still interferes with EU users' GDPR-confirmed rights - while taking a dig at widespread tracking being the "norm" in the US. "Mozilla has just bought into the narrative that the advertising industry has a right to track users by turning Firefox into an ad measurement tool," said Felix Mikolasch, a data protection lawyer at Noyb, in a statement. "While Mozilla may have had good intentions, it is very unlikely that 'privacy preserving attribution' will replace cookies and other tracking tools. It is just a new, additional means of tracking users." Users wanting to turn PPA off must navigate to the browser's settings and click opt-out in a sub-menu.The complaint ends with Noyb requesting that the Austrian data protection authority investigates Mozilla's privacy settings. It also states that Mozilla should alert users about its data processing steps, use an opt-in system and delete "unlawfully" processed data. Noyb has previously lodged complaints against tech companies such as Microsoft, Meta and OpenAI.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/mozilla-faces-a-privacy-complaint-over-firefoxs-tracking-134047980.html?src=rss

Back in July, comic publisher Dark Horse leaked plans for a remaster of the two Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver games at San Diego Comic-Con. Now, the games' original developer Crystal Dynamics, along with Aspyr, have revealed that the remastered versions of the games are real and that the collection will be available on December 10. Further, while they announced the remastered bundle at a PlayStation State of Play event, it won't be coming out just for the PS4 and the PS5, but also for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC via Steam and Epic Games.The Soul Reaver titles are single-player action-adventure games, wherein the players control an "ex-vampire" named Raziel in the fictional land of Nosgoth. They were remastered by Aspyr, which recently released Star Wars: Bounty Hunter and which players may know as the developer behind the remastered versions of Tomb Raider I-III. The new remastered visuals feature enhanced textures, new models and visual effects, but players can switch to the original graphics if they want to play the games in the state that they were originally released in back in 1999 and 2001. They can also play with classic controls or switch to a new control scheme that suits modern controllers more.In addition to the improved graphics and controls, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered comes with a brand new map and compass, as well as a photo mode that will let players easily take screencaps. It's now available for pre-order on PC and PlayStation with a 10 percent discount until launch day. Xbox players can now also pre-order the collection, but Switch owners will have to wait a bit more before they can purchase it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-legacy-of-kain-soul-reaver-games-have-been-remastered-and-will-arrive-on-december-10-133039552.html?src=rss

Workout tracker app Strava has a history of being used to stalk people, identifying where they live or their typical running paths (take a look at this Reddit thread of people commiserating, for instance). While the platform has some safety features, a new tool should make it easier to confirm your privacy settings immediately following an activity. Strava is launching Quick Edit, which provides all users with immediate access to edit and privacy settings in the app after syncing an activity.Quick Edit lets you modify a few aspects of your activity, such as who can see your its details. It also gives you the option to hide certain information quickly, such as your start time, pace, or heart rate. You can even opt to hide your entire route and map. These features already exist in Strava, but Quick Edit could be helpful if you're running in a new place and forgot to change your settings or leaving from home and want to keep your address private. Basically, it can be that one extra reminder to check your privacy settings are as secure as you want. If you skip the Quick Edit screen, then Strava will apply your default settings.The new feature also has a few non-safety options to explore. Quick Edit will prompt you to customize your activity title and upload photos and videos you took while out exploring. Just remember, if you make your map private, don't counteract that by sharing anything that could identify exactly where you are. You can also access advanced edits like gear and specific workout types through the Quick Edit screen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/strava-makes-it-easier-to-keep-your-activity-data-private-130024746.html?src=rss

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed California's "click to cancel" Assembly Bill 286 into law to make it easier for consumers to opt out of subscriptions. The bill, introduced in April 2024, forces companies that permit online or in-app sign-ups to allow for online or in-app unsubscribing as well."AB 2863 is the most comprehensive Click to Cancel' legislation in the nation, ensuring Californians can cancel unwanted automatic subscription renewals just as easily as they signed up - with just a click or two," said California Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo.Like many, you may have signed up for a thing online and when you go to cancel it, are presented with a phone number. You then have to spend an hour on hold before being allowed to convince the person on the other end of a line that you can cancel a subscription that took five seconds to sign up for. California's new bill is designed to kibosh that sort of behavior, though companies have until mid-2025 to comply.Adobe is one of the more notable examples of this behavior, particularly since its subscriptions can cost $60 per month. Earlier this year, the FTC sued the company over early termination fees and roadblocks to unsubscribing, calling the practices "illegal."The FTC has proposed a similar law last year that would apply across the US, but the finalized rule is still to come. Meanwhile, if you're having trouble cancelling a subscription Engadget created a guide on how to do so with commonly used plans.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/californias-click-to-cancel-subscription-bill-is-signed-into-law-123058770.html?src=rss

I grew up on two of the most classic games in the Legend of Zelda series: A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. And while there have been a handful of Zelda games with the classic overhead view, those have been mostly relegated to systems like the Game Boy Advance and the 3DS. Mainline Zelda games that are a big event in the gaming world are in the 3D style so successfully introduced to the series way back in 1998 with Ocarina of Time. All this is to say that it's been years since I've played an entirely new Legend of Zelda game in the style of those classics I love so much. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (out tomorrow) has brought me right back. The game takes great advantage of the art style that Nintendo brought to the series with the Link's Awakening remake, but don't let the cute look fool you -this game is much tougher than Link's Awakening. And while it could serve as a good entry point for younger players, the challenge level and puzzle-solving skills needed means adults will have their work cut out for them as well. Nintendo Part of that challenge is because Echoes of Wisdom has a wildly different set of mechanics compared to any other Zelda game, 3D or not. That's because you're not controlling Link, the protagonist of literally every game in the series. Instead, you are finally in control of Princess Zelda herself as she tries to rescue Link (!) and bring peace to Hyrule. The big plot device this time out is a series of otherworldly rifts that have opened up throughout Hyrule, swallowing up huge parts of the land and the people who reside there. Zelda soon meets an adorable but ghostly creature named Tri who can heal the rifts. Tri gifts Zelda the Tri Rod, the single piece of equipment that makes this game so different from the rest. With the Tri Rod, Zelda can create echoes of dozens of objects and creatures she encounters throughout the game and use them to solve puzzles and battle monsters. Nintendo It's hard to overstate how much this fundamentally separates this game from all the rest in its series. Instead of gearing up with a sword and shield and augmenting them with a variety of other weapons and tools, Zelda is unable to directly fight at first. She can, at least, throw a rock or two at the first enemies she meets to defeat them. But once you defeat an enemy, you can clone it to your heart's content with the Tri Rod - and unleash those creatures on other monsters. Before long, I was in control of a gang of sword-wielding Moblins, or I could summon spiders to climb the walls to attack out-of-reach enemies. In underwater segments, I could deploy anglerfish to light the way forward. Above ground, I could summon birds to take on other aerial enemies. And while some monsters are more vulnerable to certain kinds of attacks than others, I'm pretty sure that everyone will end up with different strategies that work for their own playing style. Another power that Tri grants you is the ability to grab and move many objects around the world, letting you get around physical obstacles like giant rocks with ease. You can also grab monsters and echoes you create, an ability that isn't required but can make dealing with certain baddies easier (grabbing a Deku plant by the head and giving it a tug is a satisfying way to take them out). Nintendo Nintendo clearly put a ton of thought into designing how players could use echoes to both battle monsters as well as traverse the terrain of Hyrule. But there are also a host of frustrations that come along with this completely new system, making me more divided about this game than almost any Zelda game I've played. First off, relying on echoes of various monsters to do your battling for you can be incredibly frustrating. Put simply... they're just kind of stupid. They're often slow to attack and very hard to control. You can target enemies with the ZL trigger, and I've found that if you target and then summon an echo, it'll do a better job of honing in on that target, but it's a very imprecise system. I often found myself running around trying to dodge attacks while waiting for my monsters to do their dirty work. It's entirely possible that I wasn't picking the right monsters for the particular job, but that gets to a second problem. There are just entirely too many echoes in this game. I currently have more than 75 echoes in my notebook, and it's just very hard to remember them all or know what the right situation to use them is. For example, I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to make a mini-boss vulnerable to my attacks. I ended up feeding it an explosive bombfish (yup, it's a fish with a bomb in its mouth!), and it felt like an obvious solution in retrospect. But there are so many echoes that it's just hard to remember what's at your disposal at any given time. Nintendo You can pull up your list of echoes by holding right on the d-pad and scrolling through them; it's similar to how you can quickly pull up all your items in Tears of the Kingdom if you want to bind something to your arrows. As in that game, though, this menu contains so many items that it's a little cumbersome to dig through. You can sort by most-used, most recently used and a few other options, but those two are probably the most helpful. And you can always hit the plus button to jump into the game's menus to find exactly the right echo you're looking for. But the tyranny of choice here is real. Despite times where the game felt more like a frustration than a challenge, Echoes of Wisdom is also packed with tons of great a-ha!" moments when you naturally figure out exactly where the game is nudging you. But because of the completely different mechanics this game uses, it feels like a nice evolution of the standard Zelda format - even if it did give me moments of agita. Nintendo I should note that Zelda does get to wield a sword and shield, but it's different than in previous games. In the first dungeon, Zelda gains the ability to switch to swordfighter" mode, and she plays essentially like Link would in a similar game. However, Zelda has an energy meter that keeps her from staying in that form indefinitely. I definitely loved using that when I was overrun with enemies, and it's essential for slaying some of the bigger monsters you'll find in the game. But the energy meter keeps you from relying on it constantly, a limitation that I appreciated (even though I really wanted to just slash my way through baddies as much as possible). My main quibble with this mode is that the energy meter only refills when you pick up little light crystals dropped by defeated enemies - but as far as I can tell, these only appear when you're exploring the rifts around Hyrule or inside of a dungeon. And even then, it's easy to run out and find yourself unable to switch modes. There are potions you can purchase to refill your energy meter, but I wish it was a little easier to find those crystals in the Hyrule overworld. The game really doesn't want you spamming the sword, basically. Nintendo There's a lot more to Echoes of Wisdom than these new mechanics, though they're the most significant change here from the standard Zelda formula. By and large, the game feels like a solid remix of some of the Zelda series' greatest hits. The Hyrule overworld will feel familiar to anyone who played A Link to the Past, though it's hardly a one-to-one recreation. There's an extensive beach that isn't found in the older game, and there are new settlements for creatures like the Deku Scrubs and two varieties of Zora, just to name a few changes. As in many previous games, the main play pattern of explore area, find dungeon, clear dungeon" is intact, but the game also takes a nod from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The quests usually prod you to investigate a few different areas, which you can do in whatever order you prefer. After clearing a set, the story advances and you get a new group to discover. There's a formula leading up to each dungeon, though. You generally visit a settlement around Hyrule where a rift has opened and swallowed up residents and buildings - and the dungeon you need to explore to close the rift is hidden away inside. So there's a bit of pre-dungeon rift exploration to do, after which grateful citizens will generally give you what you need to progress to the dungeon proper. These rifts remind me most of the Dark World first introduced in A Link to the Past. They're shadowy worlds where pieces of the land are strewn about willy-nilly. There are some fun physics puzzles thrown in, as sometimes parts of the world that would usually be horizontal instead ascend vertically. So you're jumping up the sides of trees or swimming up" through water. It's a little hard to put into words, but the game does a good job of introducing these areas without making them immediately too confusing to know which direction to go. I've glossed over the visual design of this game, partially because it's a continuation of what Nintendo did in the Link's Awakening remake a few years ago. But as the first entirely new game to use this adorable style, it's worth digging into. It's a top-down Zelda game for sure, with a similar view, albeit one that isn't quite as bird's-eye as the older games. This gives the world more depth for its design to shine. It's colorful and detailed, with houses, characters, enemies and environments that feel like tiny toys; the tilt-shift style blurring at the top and bottom of the display adds to that effect. I feel like Nintendo's developers drew inspiration from The Wind Waker, not so much in the cel-shaded graphics of that title but in the whimsy found in the world. Both games could easily be described as cute, but not childish." Echoes of Wisdom definitely skews younger" in its presentation than any other Zelda short of Link's Awakening, but the level of detail and polish is something adults will appreciate. The music, as usual, is also outstanding throughout. Unlike the fairly minimal scoring that accompanies most of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, there's a rousing overworld composition that cleverly highlights the Princess Zelda-specific motif that has often accompanied the character for years now. It's a worthy entry into the long list of excellent overworld tunes, and each dungeon has its own score that fits its particular brand of creepiness well. It's not a surprise to say that this adds up to yet another delightful Zelda game that breaks the mold in a number of ways, despite the occasional frustrations. Echoes of Wisdom has far more of a classic linear structure than Tears of the Kingdom, but that's not a bad thing. Nintendo has changed up enough other parts of the formula for the game to feel both familiar and fresh. Being able to actually play as Zelda is long overdue, and I'm hopeful that we'll see her appear as a playable character in more games in the future (perhaps even in a massive, open-world style adventure). But a future title in the vein of Echoes of Wisdom would be welcome, too. I imagine Nintendo will learn a lot from Zelda's first proper adventure and use that to smooth out the rough parts in the echo system. But fans of the series shouldn't hesitate to check out Echoes of Wisdom - it's not perfect, but it's still a fresh and enjoyable remix of a classic Zelda game. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-legend-of-zelda-echoes-of-wisdom-is-as-familiar-as-it-is-fresh-120025682.html?src=rss

Meta's annual VR / AR shindig kicks off a few hours after this newsletter hits your inboxes. As usual, it'll lay down the direction of travel for the next year of strapping stuff to your face. So, before the awkward stage banter begins, it's worth reading up on what's to come. We've prepared our usual roundup of all the rumors, scuttlebutt and leaks about what we'll see.That includes Orion, a pair of Buddy Holly glasses offering augmented reality in a more user friendly package. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has already hinted about its potential, but he added we'll only see the prototype today. We can also expect a cheaper version of the Quest 3 and some more AI doodads to come to the Ray-Ban smart glasses.Once you've studied up, you can point your browser at our liveblog to get a blow-by-blow of the show the minute it happens. Everything kicks off at 1PM ET / 10AM PT, but the color commentary will start long before then.- Dan CooperAll the (mostly games) news you might have missed

X has published its most detailed accounting of its content moderation practices since Elon Musk's takeover of the company. The report, X's first in more than a year, provides new insight into how X is enforcing its rules as it struggles to hang on to advertisers who have raised concerns about toxicity on the platform.The report, which details content takedowns and account suspensions from the first half of 2024, shows that suspensions have more than tripled since the last time the company shared data. X suspended just under 5.3 million accounts during the period, compared with 1.6 million suspensions during the first six months of 2022.In addition to the suspensions, X says it removed or labeled" more than 10.6 million posts for violating its rules. Violations of the company's hateful conduct policy accounted for nearly half of that number, with X taking action on 4.9 million such posts. Posts containing abuse and harassment (2.6 million) and violent content (2.2 million) also accounted for a significant percentage of the takedowns and labels.While these numbers don't tell a complete story about the state of content on X - the company doesn't distinguish between posts it removes and those that it labels, for example - it shows that hateful, abusive and violent content are among the biggest issues facing the platform. Those are also the same issues numerous advertisers and civil rights groups have raised concerns about since Musk's takeover of the company. In the report, X claims that rule-breaking content accounted for less than 1 percent of all posts shared on the platform.XThe numbers also suggest there have been significant increases in this type of content since Twitter last shared numbers prior to Musk's takeover. For example, in the last half of 2021, the last time Twitter shared such data, the company reported it suspended about 1.3 million accounts for terms of service violations and actioned" about 4.3 million.X previously published an abbreviated report in a 383-word blog post last April, which shared some stats on content takedowns, but offered almost no details on government requests for information or post removals. The new report is a significant improvement on that front. It says that X received 18,737 government requests for information, with the majority of the requests coming from within the EU and a reported disclosure rate of 53 percent. X also received 72,703 requests from governments to remove content from its platform. The company says it took action in just over 70 percent of cases. Japan accounted for the vast majority of those requests (46,648), followed by Turkey (9,364).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-just-released-its-first-full-transparency-report-since-elon-musk-took-over-110038194.html?src=rss

There have been murmurings for some time that Pocketpair was planning to bring Palworld, one of the biggest games of the year, to PlayStation 5. However, it was a bit of a surprise to find out during Sony's State of Play stream that the action-adventure game is available for the console today.Palworld (which is often described as "Pokemon with guns") landed on Xbox and PC in Early Access in January and was an immediate hit, selling over a million copies in just eight hours. Within a month, it had reached more than 25 million players. According to Microsoft, it had the biggest ever debut for a third-party title on Game Pass.However, it quickly emerged that The Pokemon Company was investigating Palworld. Fast forward eight months, and the company and Nintendo filed suit against Pocketpair in Japan. In a post on X, the developer said that the PS5 version of the game is now available in 68 countries and regions around the world, but Japan isn't one of them. The release date for the country has yet to be decided."This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the grounds that Palworld, a game developed and released by the Defendant, infringes multiple patent rights," Nintendo said after filing the suit last week. Pocketpair's CEO said the game "cleared legal reviews" and the studio said it would "begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement."So it's not exactly ideal timing for Palworld to land on PS5. But hey, if you're willing to buy a game that could potentially be forced to shut down in a few months or years due to a lawsuit, you can now do that on your PlayStation.Update, Sept. 25, 2024, 3:13AM ET: Added information that Palworld for the PS5 is not yet available in Japan.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/palworld-suddenly-arrives-on-ps5-224601245.html?src=rss

Jan-Bart van Beek, Guerilla Games' art and animation director, has officially announced that a remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn is arriving on October 31. The game will feature over 10 hours of re-recorded audio, mocap, as well as improved character models, animation, lighting and textures that he said will bring it "to the same visual fidelity" as Horizon Forbidden West. That means it has been upgraded for the PlayStation 5 and compatible PCs, and it even supports the PS5 Pro, which will be available on November 7.In his announcement, van Beek explained that seven years is a long time when it comes to computer graphics and that a lot of technological improvements have become available since the game's original release. Nixxes, a Dutch video game developer, worked on the remaster, which will also feature improved audio and Atmos rendering that will make it more immersive. The remastered version will come with The Frozen Wilds expansion and all its additional lands, machines and skills, as well. Those who get the PC version can also expect support for ultra-wide resolutions and for performance-enhancing technologies, such as NVIDIA's DLSS 3 AI-based rendering accelerator.The original game's accessibility features, like its remappable controls and haptic cues, have been carried over to this version. In addition, there's a new optional accessibility feature that can notify players of interactable elements with sound and haptic feedback.Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will be available for purchase for $50, but those who already own the original game and the complete edition version can upgrade for $10, whether they're buying on the PS5 or on the PC via Steam or the Epic Games Store. The $10 upgrade will even be available to players who added the game to their libraries from one of Sony's Play at Home program giveaways during the pandemic lockdowns. Fans upgrading with a PS4 game disc will have to insert it into their console every time they play, though, so they cannot access the upgrade offer if they have the disc-free version of PS5. Pre-orders for both PC and PS5 will open on October 3.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/horizon-zero-dawn-remastered-arrives-october-31-on-ps5-and-pc-052407167.html?src=rss

The 2020 PlayStation hit Ghost of Tsushima is getting a sequel featuring a new protagonist, era and landscape. Ghost of Ytei is heading to PlayStation 5 in 2025.Ghost of Ytei stars a new Ghost, Atsu, who's journeying through the lands at the base of Mount Ytei in Ezo - modern-day Hokkaido - in 1603. This means the sequel is set 300 years after the events of Tsushima, which focused on the Mongol invasion of that region. In 1603, Ytei was not under Japanese rule, and the debut trailer shows vast, untouched grasslands, snowy forests and sun-drenched ridges dotted with wildflowers, a strong breeze blowing through each scene. There's a distinct cowboy twang to the music in the trailer, particularly as Atsu interacts with wild horses. She also meets a wolf, which is neat.On the PlayStation Blog, Sucker Punch noted that Ytei wasn't home to organized samurai clans like those in Tsushima, and said this formed the basis of the sequel's new, original story.This is the first game that Sucker Punch has built from the ground-up for PS5."We have massive sightlines that let you look far across the environment, whole new skies featuring twinkling stars and auroras, even more believable movement from wind on grass and vegetation, and more improvements we'll share in the future," Sucker Punch communications manager Andrew Goldfarb said. "Our new setting also gives us the opportunity to introduce new mechanics, gameplay improvements, and even new weapons."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/ghost-of-yotei-is-a-tsushima-sequel-coming-to-ps5-in-2025-231306124.html?src=rss

Charming 3D platformer Astro Bot just released earlier this month and the game is already getting a content update. Later this fall, the game is adding a free add-on of five levels designed specifically for speedrunning. The news kicked off Sony's September State of Play showcase. Check out the teaser above for all the cuteness to come.Inside the new levels, Team Asobi is also adding ten new robot pals to be rescued. These include bots designed after the futuristic armies of Helldivers II and Eve from Stellar Blade. The bots are a fun wink and nod to the PlayStation fandom, with familiar franchise stars alongside deeper cuts from the console's history.Basically, if you haven't already gotten on the Astro Bot hype train, now is the time.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/astro-bot-is-getting-a-free-update-that-adds-speedrunning-levels-224234066.html?src=rss

Lego Horizon Adventures is one of a very few first-party games that Sony is releasing this year, and now we have a release date, thanks to the State of Play the company aired on Tuesday. The kid-friendly spin on the Horizon series is coming to PlayStation 5, PC and Switch on November 14.The soonish release date isn't a huge shock, since the game was already lined up for a holiday 2024 slot. However, Sony jumped the gun by accidentally revealing the arrival date on the PlayStation website's a few weeks back. Whoops!We had the chance to try out Lego Horizon Adventures at Summer Game Fest in June and came away with positive impressions. It's generally faithful to the combat of the mainline Horizon games, with Aloy sneaking around for optimal angles from which to attack enemies and using her Focus to find weak spots on giant dinosaur-like machines. However, that's aligned with the kind of offbeat humor you'll find in many other Lego games rather than the broadly stoic seriousness of Horizon Forbidden West. Local and online co-op will also be available for the first time in a Horizon game.This is a chance for Sony to bring the series to a whole new audience. Until now, the Horizon series has only been available on PlayStation consoles and PC (and PS VR2 in the case of Horizon Call of the Mountain). This could also be a bit of a test run for Sony to see if some of its older games might find new digs, and many more players, on Nintendo systems.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lego-horizon-adventures-hits-ps5-pc-and-switch-on-november-14-223756234.html?src=rss

A US district court judge sentenced Caroline Ellison, the former advisor and ex-girlfriend to the convicted crypto fraudster and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, to two years in prison.The New York Times reported Ellison's sentence for her role in the $8 billion in fraud committed by the FTX crypto exchange that sent Bankman-Fried to federal prison for 25 years back in March. Ellison will also have to serve three years of supervised release once she's finished her prison sentence.Ellison pled guilty at the end of 2022 to seven counts of fraud just as Bankman-Fried was being extradited to the US from the Bahamas. US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director of Enforcement Sanjay Wadhwa said following Ellison's plea that she and Wang were active participants in a scheme to conceal material information from FTX investors."Ellison was also the former chief executive officer of FTX's sister company Alameda Research. Prosecutors said she diverted FTX customers' funds onto Alameda's books to hide risks from their clients. Ellison testified against Bankman-Fried, making her a key witness in his criminal fraud trial.Prosecutors also got Bankman-Friend's house arrest and bail revoked when a judge determined the FTX founder tried to hinder Ellison's testimony last year. Bankman-Fried tried to message FTX's general counsel on Signal and email in 2023 to influence Ellison's testimony who was only identified as Witness-1."Nine months later, Bankman-Fried showed a New York Times reporter personal writings from Ellison that prosecutors said were an attempt to damage her reputation especially amongst prospective jurors. The judge agreed both instances merited Bankman-Fried's arrest and jailing while he awaited trial. Bankman-Fried is currently serving his 25-year sentence in a federal prison in Brooklyn awaiting appeal for his conviction.Ellison issued a statement before her sentence apologizing for her crimes to the people she and her former firm defrauded. Prosecutors did not issue a recommended sentence and characterized her cooperation with investigators as exemplary" in a memo to the judge.Not a day goes by that I don't think of the people I hurt," Ellison said in court. I am deeply ashamed of what I have done."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftx-advisor-and-alameda-ceo-caroline-ellison-gets-two-years-in-prison-214828333.html?src=rss

SAG-AFTRA has called a strike against the video game League of Legends. Under this action, any union voice actors must cease working on the popular MOBA from Riot Games. The union said it has also filed a charge of unfair labor practice against Formosa Interactive, which provides voiceover services for League, with the National Labor Relations Board.Formosa Interactive was one of several high-profile video game companies named in a strike by voice acting talent earlier this year. SAG-AFTRA is working to negotiate with those developers for protections against AI replicas of its members, including those who perform in games.Today, the union alleged that Formosa attempted to cancel" a game that was included in the strike. "When they were told that was not possible, they secretly transferred the game to a shell company and sent out casting notices for non-union" talent only," according to the press statement. "SAG-AFTRA charges that these serious actions are egregious violations of core tenets of labor law - that employers cannot interfere with performers' rights to form or join a union and they cannot discriminate against union performers."League of Legends is just one of the titles where Formosa Interactive provides services. In addition to voiceover work, Formosa Interactive also offers services such as facial capture, sound design and mixing. It has credits on games including God of War Ragnarok, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Microsoft Flight Simulator.Riot Games has issued the following statement about the strike: "League of Legends has nothing to do with the complaint mentioned in SAG-AFTRA's press release. We want to be clear: Since becoming a union project five years ago, League of Legends has only asked Formosa to engage with Union performers in the US and has never once suggested doing otherwise. In addition, we've never asked Formosa to cancel a game that we've registered. All of the allegations in SAG-AFTRA's press release relating to canceling a game or hiring non-union talent relate to a non-Riot game, and have nothing to do with League or any of our games."Update, September 24, 2024, 5:47PM ET: Updated to include statement from Riot Games.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sag-aftra-strikes-against-league-of-legends-over-voiceover-company-actions-212839780.html?src=rss

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa. The lawsuit alleges that the financial firm holds a monopoly over debit network markets allowing it to charge banks and markets with exorbitant fees that get passed onto consumers and keep rival companies like PayPal and Square from competing on their level.Bloombergfirst reported on Monday that the DOJ planned to file an antitrust suit against Visa following a multiyear investigation into Visa's business practices starting in 2020. Visa attempted to acquire the fintech startup Plaid with a $5.3 billion bid but the DOJ filed a lawsuit blocking the deal claiming the acquisition would eliminate a competitive threat that challenged Visa's powerful control of debit markets.Visa dropped the bid a year later to avoid any further legal entanglements but the DOJ continued investigating Visa's business practices.The DOJ alleges in its latest lawsuit that Visa's web of exclusionary agreements" with banks and businesses helped strengthen its market dominance and smother" any potential competitors. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that Visa unlawfully amassed the power to extract fees that far exceed what it could charge in a competitive market.Merchants and banks pass along those costs to customers, either by raising prices or reducing quality or service," the statement reads. As a result, Visa's unlawful conduct affects not just the price of one thing - but the price of nearly everything."Visa's General Counsel Julie Rottenberg told Engadget in an emailed statement that the DOJ's lawsuit is "meritless" and that they plan to vigorously defend themselves in court."Today's lawsuit ignores the reality that Visa is just one of many competitors in a debit space that is growing, with entrants who are thriving," Rottenberg said by email. "When businesses and consumers choose Visa, it is because of our secure and reliable network, world-class fraud protection, and the value we provide. We are proud of the payments network we have built, the innovation we advance, and the economic opportunity we enable."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/visa-slapped-with-a-doj-antitrust-lawsuit-204710873.html?src=rss

Spotify's beta AI Playlist feature is now rolling out for Premium users in the US, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. It lets you create and refine custom playlists using text prompts. It initially arrived in April in the UK and Australia.The company describes it as a tool to effortlessly turn your most creative ideas into playlists." Spotify provided several examples, including Upbeat folk music for a scenic fall road trip" and 2000 era hype jams for the tailgate." If its initial results don't quite hit the mark, you can refine the playlist with further prompts, such as less peppy" or hold the Nickelback."SpotifySpotify says the feature leans on personalization, choosing tracks it thinks you'll like based on your listening habits. The company says the AI produces the best results with prompts about genre, mood or artists. But you can try topics like animals, activities, movie characters, colors and emojis, too.Premium subscribers will find AI Playlists in the Spotify mobile app. (Spotify appears to be rolling out the feature gradually, so you may need to wait for it to arrive.) Navigate to Your Library, tap the + button and choose AI Playlist." Then, use the pop-up chat tool to start generating your custom tracklists.Update, September 24, 2024, 4:05PM ET: This story has been updated to clarify that the feature is rolling out gradually and may not appear yet for all Premium subscribers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/spotifys-ai-playlists-are-now-available-for-premium-users-in-the-us-130008423.html?src=rss

Google announced today that the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 will be getting the new Watch OS 5. The latest operating system will roll out to Pixel Watches currently running Watch OS 3.5 and Watch OS 4 beginning today. Users will see a notification on their device as the update becomes available to them over the next week.The Watch OS 5 update will bring improved camera controls to the older versions of the smartwatch hardware, in addition to adding support for Pixel Recorder and the grid-view app launcher. While early reports said that Watch OS 5 would also be improving battery life, Google didn't specify whether the new operating system will provide a boost to how long these older devices can go before they need a recharge.Google recently released the Pixel Watch 3, which did impress us with its solid battery performance and other upgrades from last year's Pixel Watch 2. It was the first Pixel smartwatch to boast Watch OS 5 after the operating system debuted on the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch Ultra from Samsung.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/google-is-bringing-watch-os-5-to-the-pixel-watch-and-pixel-watch-2-200042070.html?src=rss

Google added some new features and updates to the video editor in Google Photos for Android and iOS users, according to the app's support page.The biggest update brings new AI-powered video presets" to both versions of the app. These new presets automatically trim the length of videos, adjust the lighting, change the speed and apply new effects with just a few clicks. Some of the AI-powered effects allow motion tracking, automatic zoom and slow-motion. The new presets" tab is located underneath the video timeline.This isn't the first AI feature added to the Google Photos app. Last May, Google added its Ask Photos" feature, a Gemini-powered AI chatbot that allowed for more detailed and conversational photo searches for US users.Google also tweaked and added some Android-specific features. The new trim tool has improved controls for more precise cuts. There's also a new auto enhance" feature that can automatically improve the colors and stabilize videos, and a new speed" tool that can ramp up or slow down the action.The new features start rolling out today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/the-google-photos-video-editor-is-getting-ai-because-of-course-it-is-180958935.html?src=rss

Yesterday, the US government announced the first-ever interagency sea level rise website. It's a result of the work of the US Interagency Task Force on Sea Level Change. The website is called US Sea Level Change. Honestly, we're kind of surprised that data on rising sea levels hasn't been easily accessible to the public until now.The website lets you check how much sea levels have risen in a given region, and even has predictions of how much the sea level will rise in the future. According to the home page, the data is federally supported and has explanations and science education to help communities prepare for challenges that will affect our coastal environments."We tested the sea level explorer and selected Pennsylvania as our target state. It showed that the sea level in PA is nine inches higher than in 1970, and from 2020 to 2050, it's expected to rise by 11 inches. Following these statistics are explanations and charts.The site is a project from the Interagency Task Force on Sea Level Change, which is comprised of representatives from the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency and NASA, among others. The site itself, besides showing specific sea level numbers, contains a variety of information for kids and adults on the causes of climate change (hint: it's people).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/new-government-website-shows-how-much-sea-levels-have-risen-173042808.html?src=rss

Duolingo just announced a portable piano. Yes, we are talking about the same app that's become synonymous with learning a foreign language. The app also has some music-learning courses, so this keyboard is intended for that and not for, uh, pushing down keys to trigger Spanish phrases. The company teamed up with Loog for this instrument, so this is basically a reskin of the pre-existing Loog Piano. It swaps out the red for a, dare I say, Brat green and it ships with a neat little smartphone stand, for keeping an eye on the app during practice sessions. Other than that, it looks nearly identical to the OG version. That's not a bad thing. The Loog x Duolingo Piano is a three-octave digital keyboard with built-in stereo speakers, wood sides and a rechargeable battery for portable use. The keys are likely one of the biggest selling points, as they allow for dynamics (piano to forte.) These Loog keyboards are pretty much the only digital pianos with velocity-sensitive keys at this size and price point. It doubles as a standard MIDI controller, via USB-C, and there's a sustain port and a headphone jack. This particular version also ships with Duolingo flashcards for budding piano players. Of course, it also integrates with the company's app, for on-the-fly tutorials. There's a Loog Piano app coming, but we don't know when. We reached out to the company for a concrete release date and confirmation that the Duolingo piano will integrate with the Loog app. We'll update this post when we find out, though I'd be extremely surprised if there isn't cross-app functionality. Just like the original Loog Piano, this one costs $249. Preorders are live right now, though it doesn't ship until November. If you really have a hankering for a student-grade portable piano, the standard Loog Piano ships immediately. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/duolingo-best-known-as-a-language-learning-app-now-makes-a-piano-172012643.html?src=rss

HP just announced HP Print AI, which is being advertised as the industry's first intelligent print" experience. Beyond squeezing in tech's two favorite letters (AI), the software looks to simplify and enhance printing from setup to support." There are several tools here, but the most interesting aspect is something called Perfect Output.This could actually solve the problem of printing from web pages, which typically produces something just a hair above absolute garbage. The company says the embedded algorithms will reduce all of that unnecessary white space and will get rid of ads.Image size will also be optimized, so printing from a website should look about as good as something that came from a word processor. HP says everything will fit perfectly on the page for the first time." Perfect Output isn't just for websites, as the company says it'll also make short work of spreadsheets, which are another frustrating thing to print out.This feature begins rolling out today, but only to select customers as a beta. HP told Engadget that Perfect Output will work with any of the company's printers, so long as the correct driver is installed and it's connected to a Windows 10 or Windows 11 machine. Once some customer feedback comes in, it should go into a wider release.HP Print AI will also use artificial intelligence to customize support for each user, with the company saying that its intelligent technology anticipates" the needs of consumers. HP says this will be especially useful when it comes to setup and for remembering user preferences. There's also a chatbot in there that allows for language-based queries, which runs off of a proprietary LLM the company calls a "print language model." So it's technically a, sigh, PLM.For now, these tools are tied to driver software. HP says that they'll be featured prominently in a forthcoming app update scheduled for next year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/hps-print-ai-will-offer-a-better-way-to-print-websites-170523565.html?src=rss

Alienware debuted its Pro Mouse and Keyboard in January at CES 2024, and now the company is introducing the Pro Headset as part of the series. As with the mouse and keyboard, Alienware worked with more than 100 esports competitors and streamers for their input before combining it with its technical knowledge. The result after 18 months of testing is a headset boasting up to 75 hours of battery life.That's an impressive figure, but it's not the whole picture. The headphones last 75 hours if you use them without active noise canceling and connecting via Bluetooth. The maximum battery life drops to 35 hours while using a 2.4GHz connection with ANC enabled. If you intend to use the microphone, battery life is 35 hours with ANC off; with it on, it drops to 25 hours.Alienware's ANC is effective at blocking out sounds, but users can turn Transparency Mode on if they need to be aware of their surroundings. In transparency mode, users can also adjust how much they want background noise attenuated.Alienware didn't stop there, as the 50mm drivers are coated with graphene to reduce distortion commonly found at higher frequencies. These drivers also work great with vertical and 360-degree audio. With clear audio, players can instantly pinpoint where enemies are when they make sounds.The microphone is detachable and can be stowed away if not needed. It has two mics, and both are capable of AI-powered noise cancellation, ensuring only your voice is transmitted to teammates.Besides beefing up the audio quality and mic capabilities, Alienware made sure it would be delivering a product that's comfortable and easy to use. Both memory foam earcups are easily replaceable, and there are physical control buttons for easy adjustment while gaming. In terms of connectivity, the Alienware Pro Headset supports Bluetooth 5.3, wireless 2.4Ghz and USB connections.Fans of Alienware's gear can get the Pro Headset this October at $230. Alienware didn't provide information on its specific launch day or availability in specific regions besides North America.Update 9/24/24 2:00PM: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the Pro headset was $150, the correct price is $230. Alienware's mid-range AW725H is its $150 headset model.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/the-new-alienware-pro-headset-has-graphene-coated-drivers-and-lasts-up-to-75-hours-164037094.html?src=rss

On Tuesday, HP unveiled its first 2-in-1 AI PC, the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch. The device has a 3K OLED display, a haptic touchpad and Intel's 200V Core Ultra series processors with a dedicated AI engine. Starting in late November, the PC will get Microsoft's Copilot+ capabilities as an update. The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch has a 2,880 x 1,800 touch-sensitive OLED display with a maximum 120Hz variable refresh rate. With a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, the PC is only 0.59 inches (15mm) thick and weighs 2.97 lbs (1.35kg). The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch starts at 512GB of storage, with 1TB and 2TB options also available. 16GB of RAM is standard, but more expensive tiers will boost that to 32GB. The 2-in-1 is rated for up to 20 hours of battery life, and it can fast-charge to about 50 percent in 45 minutes using its bundled 65W USB-C adapter. Its Intel AI processor can be configured with anything from an Ultra 5 226V up to an Ultra 9 288V. HP The device includes a 9MP camera with hardware-level low-light adjustments and Auto Switch HDR, which determines when HDR is needed (based on lighting conditions) and switches on the fly. Onboard AI features using the Intel chip's NPU include hand gesture support for scrolling through documents or webpages, adjusting volume levels and controlling media playback. The PC can also automatically lock when you leave and wake when you return. Once the Copilot+ update for Intel PCs is available, features like AI image generation and editing tools, live captions, Windows Studio effects, and Recall will be added. The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch is available today on HP's website. It starts at $1,450. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/hps-omnibook-ultra-flip-14-inch-is-its-first-2-in-1-ai-pc-162558218.html?src=rss

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has agreed a deal with Google Cloud to use the latter's Vertex AI to generate captions for programming across a variety of platforms. WBD claims that its Caption AI system can significantly reduce production time and costs while improving the accuracy of captions for US-based viewers.The tech will be used for unscripted programming at the outset, which could include news, sports and reality TV across the likes of Max, CNN and Discovery+. WBD claims the system can reduce the time it takes to create captions by up to 80 percent and captioning costs by up to 50 percent. There will still be a level of human review for quality assurance, and the company claims this approach will help refine and train Caption AI's workflow to improve it over time.However, captioning requires a lot of skill, especially for live TV where transcribers have to keep up with what's being said as accurately as possible. Unscripted programming also tends to include a lot of overlapping chatter and it's unclear just how effective AI will be at transcribing that accurately. However you slice it though, relying more on AI-generated transcriptions will mean less work for people in the space.It'll be interesting to see whether WBD expands this tech to subtitles for scripted programming. Subtitling (something I admittedly used to do for a living) is a skilled art. Among other things, it involves accurately capturing sound effects, music cues and non-verbal utterances; properly explaining idioms for localization purposes; and making sure subtitles are timed properly. There's a ton of nuance involved, and it would be difficult for AI to get it right.It's hardly surprising that WBD is looking at Caption AI as a way to save money. The company has been aggressively cutting costs (and trying to bolster its revenue) since it formed in 2022 with the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/warner-bros-discovery-teams-up-with-google-to-generate-captions-using-ai-161345238.html?src=rss

Monitor makers today compete with each other to create the best esports-worthy displays that are fit for competition use. Sony is no exception, as it introduced its Inzone headsets and displays in 2022, beginning with the M3 and M9. Today, the company is introducing the new Inzone M9 II and M10S gaming monitors to solidify its place in the competitive display space.The Inzone M9 II (pictured above) is an upgraded version of its predecessor, the M9. It shares many features but improves upon some weaknesses the older model had. This 27-inch 4K IPS display has a 160Hz refresh rate compared to the M9's 144Hz. The response time remains the same at 1ms GtG, but the maximum brightness is now 750 nits (up from 600 nits). In addition, the monitor has VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, which means it can play HDR content at 600 nits of brightness. It also has full-array local dimming and backlight scanning technology for better motion clarity.The M9 gaming monitor suffered from having a tripod that didn't allow for much adjustment. For the M9 II, Sony has replaced the tripod with a small disc stand with 180 degrees of rotation. This new stand doesn't require much desk room and allows for height, tilt and swivel changes.PS5 consoles can automatically recognize Inzone gaming monitors, which swap from Game Mode to Cinema Mode if users halt their gaming sessions and pop a movie in. Those who enjoyed the M9 will hopefully find the M9 II a significant improvement, something that could be especially true for PS5 owners.But the star of Sony's show is the Inzone M10S. This new powerhouse of a gaming monitor features a 27-inch 1440p OLED panel. The refresh rate of 480Hz is impressive (though there aren't exactly a ton of games that support it), and the 0.03ms GtG response time is nothing to scoff at. Moreover, the HDR peak brightness of 1,300 nits and DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification are two cherries on top of this monitor cake.Sony brought Fnatic's Valorant esports team in as consultants on the Inzone M10S (pictured below), asking them to provide feedback. Their expertise contributed to the creation of the FPS Pro+ and FPS Pro picture modes. The former mode highlights enemies with an outline color, while the latter simulates LCD monitors for those who are more used to older esports LCD monitors. In other words, FPS Pro mode is a solution for esports athletes who want to use new gear but are too accustomed to older equipment characteristics.SonyAnother feature the M10S has is a new heat sink design. It's made up of a multilayer passive cooling system consisting of multiple aluminum plates and thermal pads. This heat removal system is designed to reduce burn-in.Both 27-inch monitors feature a 24.5-inch display mode that slightly reduces the resolution, though the refresh rates and response times remain the same. The mode is intended to replicate the feel of using a TN 24.5-inch 1080p monitor and enjoy fast speeds and improved picture quality.The M9 II is available now on the official Sony website and from authorized dealers for $800, which is $100 cheaper than the M9's launch price. As for the M10S, you can get it for $1,100.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/sonys-latest-inzone-monitors-are-made-for-fps-and-ps5-gamers-160045831.html?src=rss

Rode, a company best known for its microphones, managed to successfully break into the creator tool market last year with its Duo podcast mixer. Today, the company is expanding its creator ambitions with the new Rodecaster Video production console. The Rodecaster Video doesn't only handle video production, as its audio production capabilities are also top-notch.First, though, let's look at the device's video production features. Those who want to capture video from multiple sources will be delighted to hear that the Rodecaster Video has four HDMI ports and two USB-C ports, all of which can be used simultaneously. The console can also perform green screen or blue screen background replacement to eliminate backgrounds. By using the Rode Central companion software, creators can customize the input-switching experience, as the console can automatically switch to an input covering whoever is speaking.Of course, there are physical keys on the console. These keys are easily customized as well, allowing users to create their preferred workflows. Powering these video features is a proprietary video engine built by Rode around a powerful eight-core CPU, which also handles the audio features.RodeAs for audio, the Rodecaster Video has two studio-grade Neutrik combo jacks promising extremely low noise levels, both linked to Revolution preamps to capture audio from XLR microphones, instruments and more. Those who own Rode wireless microphones can also seamlessly connect them to the Rodecaster Video.The console also boasts an array of audio effects, including a de-esser, noise gates and the Aural Exciter powered by the well-regarded audio signal processor Aphex. The Aural Exciter helps add some high-end frequencies to a muddy mix. It's also not the only Aphex-powered effect, as the Big Bottom and Compellor effects are also present. Plus, the console can capture nine stereo tracks at once.While Rode dropped plenty of details on what the Rodecaster Video is capable of, we don't yet know when it'll be on sale or how much it'll cost.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/the-rodecaster-video-packs-audio-and-video-production-features-into-one-mighty-console-160015714.html?src=rss

It's certainly taken a while, but Pokemon Sleep now offers smartwatch support for sleep tracking. This is fantastic news because, look, smartphones are good at many things, but tracking sleep from underneath a pillow isn't really one of them. Using a smartwatch should make for more accurate tracking which, in turn, will make Snorlax and his friends happy.The app works with all of the major smartwatch models, including the Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch and Pixel Watch. It also integrates with certain Fitbit devices. The sleep data syncs with Apple Health and the Android Health Connect app, for later perusal.

Fall is officially here, and it's time to get cozy on the couch with some tea and a portable game console. If you're looking for a new one or have yet to pick one up, check out the Nintendo Switch OLED. The device is currently on sale for $300, down from $350 - a 14 percent discount. The markdown is available on Woot for five days or until supplies last. Amazon owns Woot, so Prime members get free standard shipping (though Amazon's return policy doesn't apply). The Nintendo Switch OLED came out in 2021 as a minor upgrade to the original 2017 model. We gave it an 89 in our review thanks to upgrades such as its 7-inch OLED screen, increased from 6.2 inches. It also touts a better battery life, with greater efficiency pushing its lifespan to about seven hours rather than four to five. Plus, its stand makes tabletop mode easier to use. The big caveat here is that the Nintendo Switch 2 should - emphasis on should - be coming out soon. Rumors have circulated for years about the second-generation console, but multiple signs point to an announcement before the end of the month. This is all speculative, of course, so it's your choice whether to take this deal or wait and see what Nintendo might do. Keep in mind that The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom does come out later this week. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-nintendo-switch-oled-model-is-50-off-right-now-143759481.html?src=rss

TikTok Music is shutting down following an attempt to translate views on its base app to music streaming. The music arm announced the news that accounts will close by November 28, with all user data and login information deleted.Google subscribers whose subscription ends after November 28 should automatically get a refund or can request one through Google Play before TikTok Music shuts down. On the other hand, Apple users must request a refund through Apple support before the 28th to get one. Anyone who actually uses TikTok Music might want to wait a minute, though, as the premium service will no longer be available once a refund is processed. Speaking of deadlines, anyone who wants to transfer their playlists from TikTok Music to another music streamer has to do so by October 28.TikTok Music first launched in Indonesia and Brazil in July 2023. It replaced another music platform called Resso from ByteDance (TikTok's parent company). Around the same time, it became available as a closed beta test in Australia, Mexico and Singapore, fully launching in those locations that October. Despite ByteDance filing for a "TikTok Music" trademark application in May 2022, the platform never made it to the US.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/tiktok-music-is-on-its-way-out-143058957.html?src=rss

It's been a topsy turvy year for Dead by Daylight maker Behaviour Interactive, which has released two spin-offs, laid off dozens of workers and shut down a studio that was working on another offshoot of its tentpole project. Now, Behaviour is bringing another developer into the fold, as it has bought Darkest Dungeon developer Red Hook Studios.The Vancouver-based outfit will continue to operate as a fully independent studio," albeit under Behaviour's umbrella. Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but Red Hook likely won't have come cheap - nearly seven million copies of the Darkest Dungeon games have been sold to date. Behaviour has also kept on Red Hook's entire 29-strong staff.

We own many devices that run on batteries, and recharging them can be a pain. It's always welcome when a new device offers plenty of battery life. As if answering these prayers, Marshall has now released its new Monitor III ANC headphones, and you can expect them to run all day. Marshall says that you can enjoy up to 70 hours of playtime with active noise canceling (ANC) on. Deactivating ANC increases the maximum battery up to a whopping 100 hours. That's more than four days of continuous playback. It takes two hours and thirty minutes to fully recharge the headphones, a rather long time that's a necessary trade-off for the long battery life they offer. The ANC has also been significantly upgraded to block out sounds better than previous iterations of the technology. Besides long battery life, the Monitor III ANC headphones have an Adaptive Loudness feature that reacts to your surroundings and makes sound adjustments without quality loss. For those who want to mess around with the EQ settings, there's the M-button and Marshall Bluetooth app you can get on Android and iOS. The M-button is a physical button that users can customize to switch between three EQ presets or activate a smartphone's voice assistant. The app also has separate settings for voice assistants and Spotify Tap. The experience is similar to using Marshall's $179 Major V headphones, which the company released earlier this year. For the uninitiated, Spotify Tap is a feature that lets supported audio devices start a Spotify listening session with a single tap of the button. These Monitor III ANC headphones are comfortable and lighter than their predecessor, the Monitor II ANC headphones, weighing 250 grams. They even have built-in Bluetooth LE and Auracast support, which lets users connect to Auracast broadcasts nearby and listen in. Even the packaging is premium. The headphones come in a hard case with red velvet insides, an obvious tribute to Marshall's guitar amp-making heritage. The Monitor III ANC headphones are on sale now at Marshall's site and at selected retailers for $350. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/marshalls-latest-bluetooth-headphones-promise-improved-noise-cancellation-and-extreme-battery-life-140027657.html?src=rss

TikTok has announced in its US Elections Integrity Hub that it has removed accounts associated with Rossiya Segodnya and TV-Novosti, which own and run Russia state media outlets Sputnik and RT. The company said that it kicked the accounts off the social media platform for "engaging in covert influence operations" that go against its guidelines for spam and deceitful behavior. TikTok clarified that the accounts' content weren't shown in the For You feed under its state-affiliated media policy and were also labeled as such. Their videos were already restricted in the EU and the UK, as well, but now the accounts had been permanently banned and are no longer visible to anyone in the world.As CNBC notes, Sputnik has issued a statement on X that says "TikTok users and [its] 86,000 subscribers are no longer allowed to know the truth about most urgent geopolitical issues and laugh at Western politicians' gaffes in Sputnik International videos."TikTok didn't give specific examples of how the outlets are trying to spread misinformation and to manipulate this year's presidential elections in the US. But the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the FBI have just told reporters that Russia has generated the most AI content related to the election, so far. It has reportedly created and spread AI-made text, images, audios and videos online, mostly to "denigrate the Vice President and the Democratic Party" and to sow division by focusing on topics like immigration.Earlier this month, the US government formally issued sanctions against Rossiya Segodnya and TV-Novosti, accusing RT of moving "beyond being simply a media outlet." It said the Russian government embedded a cyber operational team with ties to Russian intelligence within RT, and that team allegedly focuses on "influence and intelligence operations all over the world." That team even pays social media personalities to spread "unbranded content" meant to influence foreign government elections, the feds said.Meta banned Russian state media outlets on its products, including Facebook and Instagram, "for foreign interference activity" shortly after the US government announced the sanction. It said it found evidence in the past that the outlets tried to hide foreign interference activities and that it expects them to continue with their deceptive practices.If you're wondering what kind of fake videos Russia has been releasing, Microsoft detailed a few in a recent threat analysis report. One video showed "Kamala Harris" attacking Trump rally attendees, while another video used an actor to accuse the Vice President of being involved in a 2011 hit-and-run incident that paralyzed a 13-year-old girl. There's also another fake video showing a New York City billboard claiming that Harris wants to change children's gender. The company warned that more Russian-made staged and AI-generated videos are bound to circulate online as the US gets closer to the election.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-removes-russian-state-owned-media-accounts-for-covert-influence-133006441.html?src=rss

The 2024 Roku Ultra is the latest update to the streaming player, announced today at the company's developer conference. The original version of this device was one of our top picks for a streaming device. The new model promises some nice quality of life upgrades, such as 30 percent faster performance in content loading and interface navigation thanks to a new quad-core processor. It comes with Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision for 4K and HDR10+ picture quality. The Ultra now supports Wi-Fi 6 and can also be directly connected via ethernet.This streaming device is also getting an updated controller. The Voice Remote Pro (2nd edition) has backlit buttons, USB-C charging, and direct access to a Live TV Guide and to a new feature called Quick Launch. This introduces a personalized screen of a viewer's most-used apps and voice commands. The remote also provides all the usual features for selecting content and controlling playback.Roku is also rolling out a new version of its operating system. Roku OS 14 is getting more customization, with thumbs up and thumbs down icons to provide feedback on programming, which should lead to users receiving better recommendations. The company is also making its Kids & Family content accessible from the main home screen and adding additional voice controls. The update will be applied to supported devices in the US "in the coming months."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/roku-says-its-new-ultra-streaming-box-is-30-percent-faster-130038051.html?src=rss

OpenAI opened a newsroom Twitter account earlier this month and it's already been hacked. The new handle was taken over by a crypto scammer promoting a fake OpenAI token that was in reality a scam to steal Bitcoins. That follows similar hacks of three key OpenAI employee X accounts over the last 15 months, including the one belonging to CTO Mira Murati.The fraudster enticed potential victims by saying the OpenAI token is somehow "driven by artificial intelligence-based language models." It then threw in a jumble of crypto and AI buzzwords that were probably enough to lure in some gullible users. Going to "token-openai.com" would show them a fake but convincing OpenAI site. Anything they click asks to connect to their wallet, then presumably steals everything inside it.Several fraudulent posts were visible for around an hour before being removed and the account seems to be back to normal. OpenAI confirmed the problem and said they were looking into it, according to Bloomberg. Yesterday, the company's security team reportedly warned employees to secure their accounts due to a rise in recent account takeovers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/openais-x-account-was-hacked-to-promote-a-crypto-scam-130020696.html?src=rss

It's the most powerful wearable tracking the most important organ in your body." Dr. Ramses Alcaide is explaining the electroencephalography (EEG) technology that his company Neurable uses to track activity with its brain-computer interface (BCI). Alcaide is the CEO and co-founder, and notes that a huge problem with EEG sensors is that they are often affixed to bulky, awkward-looking headsets - not exactly something you want to wear out in public. And to him, that's why the technology hasn't yet created the type of impact that they could [on] the world." Sure, we've seen a variety of headbands over the last decade, but those add an additional device to your bag. Alcaide argues there's a better way to use EEG tech that's even less intrusive. Neurable began at the University of Michigan in 2011 where its technology was initially created. The overall platform is an AI system that combines filtering to increase and boost the signal of brain data. The company spun out in 2015 and has been working to bring its EEG-powered tech to smaller everyday devices," as Alcaide describes them. [It] took a lot of time, but what we've been able to do is take what was traditionally these large systems and bring it down to everyday devices using AI," he says. Devices like headphones, earbuds, helmets, AR glasses and more can be equipped with EEG sensors so that they can track neurodegenerative diseases and neurodivergence based on brain activity. For example, the ability to track Alzheimer's or ADHD before a person knows they even have it is part of the plan for Neurable. Right now though, the company's first step is one of those everyday wearables" that can track decreases in focus to create what Alcaide calls good wellness hygiene." Billy Steele for Engadget The company's first device is the MW75 Neuro: a set of headphones built in collaboration with Master & Dynamic. Based on the existing MW75, this version has dry fabric EEG sensors in the ear pads, sending 12 EEG channels to the Neurable app for the software to do its AI analysis and signal processing. The app then interprets the data with high confidence" and lab-level accuracy," according to the company. The Neurable app is where all the data is displayed for the MW75 Neuro. First, it essentially gamifies mental hygiene with focus tracking. You earn points for high (2), medium (2) and low (1) focus levels, accumulating points throughout the day. You're then able to view comparisons week-to-week as well as individual session summaries with attention span graphs. During these periods, the system can prompt you to take a break when focus decreases, which Neurable says this should help with burnout to some degree. Of course, burnout" isn't something that's easy to quantify, or even tangibly measure, since there's more than your focus or attention at play. The MW75 Neuro isn't just meant to keep you working. The company says monitoring your focus levels can assist you with gaming, meditation, reading and even decision-making. Noise cancellation can block out distractions during periods when you need to be locked in, which doesn't only apply to the office. Neurable says no matter the activity, its app provides the data necessary to recognize your performance over time and identity when you need to take breaks or maybe find a different environment in order to be productive. This is just scratching the iceberg," Alcaide explains. We're not claiming or diagnosing everything, [but] it really shows you a glimpse of the future that these everyday wearables can deliver on." Billy Steele for Engadget Of course, the MW75 Neuro is a set of noise-canceling headphones, which means you'll get a host of audio features on top of the fancy brain tech. Master & Dynamic CEO Jonathan Levine told me that this version of the headphones has an identical industrial design to the regular MW75. 40mm Beryllium drivers carry M&D's trademark warm sound profile and four microphones are employed for active noise cancellation (ANC) and calls. There are still a host of sound modes and you can customize the EQ and more inside the M&D Connect app. Besides the ear pads, there are some other changes on the MW75 Neuro. Neurable's version supports Adaptive Transparency mode for starters, but the key difference is inside. The electronics were completely redesigned to add EEG processors that power the AI tech, including an ARM Cortex chip. Since the sensor-packed cushions on this model are fabric instead of leather, Levine says the variation does change the sound profile slightly. And during my testing I noticed that they aren't quite as comfortable as those on the original model either. If you pre-order from Master & Dynamic, the company will throw in non-EEG leather ear pads for free. There's a big hit to battery life, too. Neurable says the MW75 Neuro offers 10 hours of EEG tracking on a charge (8 hours with ANC on), compared to up to 28 hours with ANC on the regular version. I don't think you're going to use Neurable's features for more than a few hours at a time, but you should know they do impact longevity. Once you start a focus session, a timer begins in the app and continues until you turn it off. There's a button up top if you need to take a break, otherwise the headphones continue tracking your brainwaves until you tell them to stop. There's also an indicator on the timer screen to let you know if the sensors are properly connected. A reliable connection ensures optimal EEG signal quality during the session. Neurable During my tests, I used the MW75 Neuro to track short focus sessions. It's nice that the whole system runs in the background without any distractions - other than the break suggestions. Of course, you'll have to think back to remember if any dips lined up when you look at the graph, but I felt like the app's prompts to take a break were well-timed and probably overdue. The software can give you voice or push notifications (or both), and the app provides a separate 10-minute timer for the so-called Brain Breaks. I don't have any lab-grade tech to thoroughly evaluate what Neurable is doing on these headphones from a tracking standpoint. And I'll admit that my short time with the MW75 Neuro isn't enough time to fully evaluate their utility. But, I can begin to see how they could help over time, especially for those of us who are incentivized by streaks and daily scores. I found it interesting to see how much time I spent in high and medium focus, as well as trying to recall if a text or Slack message may have caused me to stumble during a session. Neurable is actually working to help with that common distraction. The company is allowing developers to build apps for the MW75 Neuro, including one in the works that will automatically pause Spotify when you lose focus. To help with messages, the company is working on a chat integration that allows you to respond with head movements while remaining in the productivity zone. Alcaide argues that 90 percent of text messages can be responded to in a simple manner with a response created by ChatGPT, so the headphones' accelerometer can be used to detect a nod or shake for automatic replies. This goes beyond what Apple is doing with Siri Interactions on AirPods since it helps facilitate an appropriate response. When the iPhone came out, a touchscreen was the interface," he continues. For [Neurable], it's going to be the neural interface and the accelerometer. It's going to enable us to do a lot of the same things we do with our phone with our everyday wearable." The MW75 Neuro is available for pre-order today in the US in silver, onyx, navy and olive color options for $699. Neurable plans to make the headphones available in Europe and the UK in 2025 for 729 / 629. That's a lot for a set of headphones, but the regular MW75 is $599, so there's only a $100 premium for Neurable's tech. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/neurables-brainwave-tracking-master--dynamic-headphones-tell-you-when-to-take-a-break-120004736.html?src=rss

At some point, we've all encountered someone who just doesn't get boundaries. They get too deep into our personal space, oblivious - or all too aware - of our discomfort. This problem is magnified online where there's instant access to someone's broader digital footprint, which can be a vector for abuse. It's why most platforms have some sort of block feature, enabling people to limit some user's access to their lives.Now guess which platform is ending the ability to block people. Yup, that one.Elon Musk announced a change to X's policies to enable users you've blocked to see your posts. They won't be able to interact with you, but they will see what you're posting to the platform. Musk has railed against the block feature before, saying users could already get around this by switching to a non-blocked account. Which is true, in the sort of tell-on-yourself way that suggests he's got form not respecting someone's boundaries.Obviously, the reasons this is a terrible, dreadful, no-good and generally bad idea are so long we'd be here forever trying to list them. But it's a good reminder that X is a place that thinks trust and safety are four-letter words.- Dan CooperAll the news you might have missedLogitech MX Creative Console review: An affordable entry point into edit panelsHow to watch Meta Connect 2024macOS Sequoia review: iPhone mirroring is more useful than you thinkReduce the number of screens you need to stare at each day.Photo by Devindra Hardawar / EngadgetThere's a new macOS out, and this one is actually rather nifty, according to Devindra Hardawar. The new operating system's killer feature is the ability to mirror your iPhone on your Mac, which helps you keep your eyes on one screen instead of two. Now, Dev uses it to play mobile games during meetings, but we don't recommend you do the same.Continue Reading.Telegram will now provide IP addresses and phone numbers in response to legal requestsCompany CEO Pavel Durov has seen the light.Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced the messaging app will now hand over the IP addresses and phone numbers of users when law enforcement requests it. It's amazing what a short stay in a French prison can do to change someone's long-held beliefs about privacy.Continue Reading.Biden administration seeks ban on auto software from ChinaOfficials say it's about security, not protecting Detroit.BYDThe White House has a plan to ban Chinese (and Russian) hardware and software from any internet-connected car in the US. Given the integrations necessary to make most EVs run, it's likely the move would act as a de-facto ban on Chinese EV imports.Continue Reading.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111548974.html?src=rss

Last year, Logitech leaped into the content creator market by acquiring Loupedeck, which makes control surfaces for apps like Adobe Lightroom. Now, the company has unveiled its first Logitech-branded control panel, the MX Creative Console, a $200 device that includes a keypad, dialpad and plugins for popular Adobe apps like Premiere Pro. Logitech is fighting rivals like the TourBox Elite controller and even its own Loupedeck CT, but its new offering is cheaper than the latter and sleeker than the former. The MX Creative Console features a modern design and a pair of slick control dials, along with dynamic display keys that change depending on the app and page you're looking at. I've tested a number of control panels going back to the original Loupedeck in 2017. To me, it always comes down to one main thing: Is this easier and faster than just using a keyboard and mouse? After over a week with the MX Creative Console, I found it to be powerful in some cases and too limited in others. Hardware The console comes in either pale gray or darker graphite and takes up very little space on your desk (3.8 x 3.1 inches for the keypad and 3.6 x 3.7 inches for the dialpad). A stand that angles the keypad or dialpad about 45 degrees toward you is also included. I prefer it flat on the table for speed, but the stand makes it easier to see the controls. The keypad has nine display keys, with the content changing based on the page and app you're using. There are two regular buttons below to change the pages and a USB-C port on the bottom. Steve Dent for Engadget Meanwhile, the dialpad's centerpiece is a large contextual dial" since its function changes depending on the action selected. Plus, there's a scroll wheel in the right top corner, two buttons on the top left and two buttons on the bottom in each corner. The bottom right button activates the dialpad's Actions Ring," an on-screen circular display that gives you another way to tweak things like colors and text. The keys require a light touch and have a smooth, clickless feel. The wheel on the dialpad has a nice amount of friction for precise work and lets you easily move frame-by-frame in Premiere Pro, or shuttle quickly through a timeline. It doesn't have any haptic feedback, though, like the TourBox Elite. There's a Bluetooth pairing switch on the bottom and a power switch on the back. It can connect to your computer either via LT Bluetooth or Logitech's Bolt dongle also used on its mice and keyboards (not included). Logitech says that the products are made with 72 percent post-consumer recycled plastics, low-carbon aluminum, micro textures instead of paint and FSC-certified responsible packaging. However, the dialpad uses AAA cells, either disposable or rechargeable. They'll last a couple of months, according to Logitech, but it's an odd choice for a product meant to be environmentally friendly. Setup Steve Dent for Engadget The MX Creative Console is plug and play for Adobe apps so you can start twiddling the dials out of the box. It's also customizable, letting you tweak settings within apps, create custom profiles and more. To set it up, I installed the Logi Options+ app on my PC (and Mac, I tested it with both), then connected the keypad via USB-C. I installed the dialpad separately by connecting it to my computers over Bluetooth. Once the devices are recognized, clicking on All Actions" installs the Adobe plugins. It also has direct support for apps including VLC media player, Spotify Premium, Capture One and Ableton. You can even use it to control apps without plugins like your browser for system volume, YouTube videos, emojis, screenshots and more. I found this useful just for the system volume alone (hello, terrible Windows 11 audio control). Changing the default settings is about as easy as it gets. When you open the customization page, it shows the devices to the left (dialpad, keypad and Actions Ring), while all the possible settings are to the right. To change or add a new setting, just grab the one you want from the list and drag it over to the virtual keypad on the left. Keys can be rearranged on the same page, but it's not easy to move a setting from one page to another. As a Premiere Pro user, the first thing I did was create a new keypad page and add buttons to switch between the source, program and timelines to avoid a mouse click for those actions. That was relatively easy to do, thanks to the search function and intuitive drag-and-drop interface. If you'd rather not futz around with customization, Logitech has a plugin marketplace in the Logi Options+ app. I wasn't able to use that ahead of launch, but it's supposed to allow users to purchase or share plugins, profiles and icon packs. Operation Logitech I primarily work on Lightroom Classic and Premiere Pro while occasionally making use of Photoshop and After Effects. All of those apps are supported natively by the MX Creative Console on Mac and PC. I started with Premiere Pro, testing it on both Windows and Mac. After some pondering, I placed the keypad to the left of the keyboard and the dialpad on the right between the keyboard and mouse. That worked well visually and let me finetune edits and do adjustments with my right hand and press buttons with my left - much as I already do with a keyboard and mouse. At first, I didn't think the console would speed up my workflow in editing mode since I've memorized most of Premiere's keyboard shortcuts. I was also worried that I'd be constantly jumping between the dial and the mouse. After playing around a bit, though, I noticed that scrubbing through the timeline with the dial offered finer and faster control than the keyboard and mouse, especially when using the scroll wheel to scale the timeline (I'd like to see faster scrubbing when I'm zoomed out though, Logitech). Building on that, I added the split function and other click-free mouse tools I hadn't touched in awhile. With that, I could work nearly as quickly as with a keyboard and mouse depending on the task, despite my previous fears. Though I'd be hesitant to use it myself for editing, I could see this being a good workflow for new Premiere Pro users as it visually shows actions so newbies don't need to memorize shortcuts. The MX Console is especially useful for color correction in Premiere. With a clip selected, you can click the bottom right dialpad button to activate the Actions Ring, move your mouse to one of the actions (exposure, contrast, whites, saturation, etc.) and turn the dial to adjust that setting. To avoid the mouse, you can also program major color adjustments into the keypad. Then, just hold the button on that setting while turning the dial. Steve Dent for Engadget Then it was on to Lightroom Classic. This app makes the most sense for the console, as you're primarily performing actions (color correction, cropping etc.) on a single image. Quick keys include Develop mode, White Balance Selector, Auto White Balance, Auto upright and rating tools. Once you've imported images into your library, you can jump into Develop, shuttle between images using the dial and then tweak colors using the Actions Ring as with Premiere. Again, if you'd rather keep your hands on the MX Console, you can program common functions (temperature, saturation, highlights etc.) into the keypad. The MX Console also has keys for copying and pasting Develop settings, before and after views, as well as cropping and opening images in Photoshop. A Lightroom power user could add more shortcuts to further boost efficiency. That makes it nearly as fast as the popular Loupedeck+ panel, but jumping between pages in the keypad can slow you down a bit. Unfortunately, I found the MX Creative Console to be the least useful for Photoshop. Control panels are best for single-purpose tasks like color correction and audio adjustments, but Photoshop is designed for more complex operations. That meant I was forever taking my hands off the keypad and dialpad and putting them on the mouse and keyboard, making me less efficient, if anything. It could have been useful in Photoshop's Camera RAW utility (which has Lightroom-like controls), but Logitech said that tool has no API and doesn't support plugins. Wrap-up Steve Dent for Engadget The MX Creative Console's main competition is the $268 TourBox Elite, which has three dials and ten buttons. Designed to work in concert with your keyboard and mouse, it's powerful for experienced editors, but looks a bit cheap. By contrast, Logitech's MX Creative Console is more polished, and the visual interface its keypad provides makes it better for novices. It's also worth noting that Elgato's similarly priced Stream Deck+ recently added an Adobe Photoshop plugin, despite mainly being designed for live streaming. It promises easy access to Photoshop tools and adjustments via four dials and eight display keys. Other options are more expensive, like the $529 Loupedeck CT, $395 DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor, $499 DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel and $595 Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard. Those are more powerful and look more professional, but will obviously cost you more. Logitech's MX Creative Console is a quality device with a fair amount of utility for apps like Premiere Pro and Lightroom Classic. Its usefulness will no doubt increase as Adobe adds more supported apps and the Logi Marketplace grows. However, it simply doesn't have enough buttons and dials to perform tasks in many Adobe apps without falling back to the keyboard and mouse. If you do use apps where it works well, like Lightroom, it could provide a boost to your productivity and look cool doing it. It ships next month for $200 and Logitech includes a free three-month subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/logitech-mx-creative-console-review-an-affordable-entry-point-into-edit-panels-070101321.html?src=rss

The days of the @[insert username] blocked you" page appear to be over. X owner Elon Musk announced a new change to the platform's blocking feature allowing blocked users to see posts of the accounts that blocked them.Blocked accounts still won't be able to interact with those accounts but they'll be able to see their posts. A source from X told The Verge the new blocked access feature is being implemented because users can already see and interact with accounts that have blocked them by switching to a non-blocked account.Musk has wanted to disable the block feature on X for awhile now. More than a year ago, he first expressed his disdain for blocking on X (or technically, Twitter) except for direct messages. He wrote that blocking would become deleted as a feature'" as well as saying It makes no sense."Last May, X's Engineering account announced it would implement the blocked viewer change to the platform without including a solid implementation or rollout date. The post said the change would be implemented to give users with blocked accounts the ability to identify and report any potential bad content that you previously could not view."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-nerfing-the-block-button-blocked-users-will-be-able-to-see-your-posts-214928396.html?src=rss

Amazon is hoping to get more people hooked on Music Unlimited with a pre-Prime Day offer. Those who haven't tried the service before can get three months of access for free. The offer is even better for Prime members who haven't checked out the music-streaming platform. They can use it for four months at no extra cost. Music Unlimited typically costs $11 per month without Prime and $10 per month for Prime members. The company isn't leaving existing subscribers entirely out in the cold. Those with an individual Amazon Music Unlimited plan can upgrade to the Family Plan at no extra cost for two months. Amazon Music Unlimited includes more than 100 million songs, many of which are available in high definition and/or spatial audio. The service also includes ad-free versions of many popular podcasts. While it may not be the first music streaming service that springs to mind for most folks, Amazon Music Unlimited may be worth checking out. The HD music selection is particularly notable, since Spotify has yet to offer that feature. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice in the lead up to October Prime Day 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/prime-day-deals-include-three-free-months-of-amazon-music-unlimited-for-new-users-184228736.html?src=rss

Tales of the Shire, a cozy life sim set in the world of Lord of the Rings, has gotten a new release date and a strange new name. It's scheduled for release on March 25, 2025 and it's now called Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, because apparently referencing the Shire wasn't enough to clue in fans. LOTR diehards are well known for being ignorant about the franchise they love. That was extreme sarcasm.Anyways, this information was served up during Private Division and Wt Workshop's Hobbit Day Showcase, which revealed a lot of new footage and included plenty of interviews with the game's designers. Wt Workshop is actually helping to develop the game, after making effects for all of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth films.Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game (that really rolls off the tongue) was supposed to come out in 2024, but it was delayed so the developers could iron out some bugs and present a fully realized version of their original vision. Here's hoping that translates to a polished gameplay experience in March.For the uninitiated, this is a cozy sim. There are elements of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and other games in the genre. There's farming, fishing and a deep character interaction system. Of course, there's also a big emphasis placed on cooking huge feasts. We all know how much hobbits love a good feast.The game looks cute enough and, heck, I'm always down for a new cozy sim. However, the developers have confirmed that there will be no romance, despite the emphasis on cultivating relationships and friendships. The developers say that romance simply doesn't fit the tone of the game. In any event, Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game will be released for PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's also coming to Netflix.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/tales-of-the-shire-a-the-lord-of-the-rings-game-is-now-due-out-in-march-2025-180726777.html?src=rss

With the Tokyo Game Show taking place this week, major publishers have lined up showcases for the coming days. Sony is getting the jump on its rivals as it will run its next State of Play on September 24 at 6PM ET.The company plans to shine the spotlight on more than 20 PS5 and PS VR2 games during the stream, which is set to run for over 30 minutes. You'll be able to watch the showcase on YouTube and Twitch in English or Japanese.It seems very likely that we'll get a release date for Horizon Lego Adventures, the final first-party game that Sony currently has on its slate for the rest of the year. We'll surely get another look at the Until Dawn and Silent Hill 2 remakes before they arrive in early October too. There's also chatter that there are remasters of Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone on the way, so Sony might spill the beans on those. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Marvel's Wolverine are among the other upcoming titles that could make an appearance.Here's hoping for a major surprise or two. Hardware news seems unlikely given that the PS5 Pro is coming soon. However, it's a good opportunity for Sony to remind everyone about those dope PS1-style 30th anniversary editions of the PS5 consoles and controllers. (For what it's worth, Sony may reveal the prices of those at the State of Play.)Meanwhile, let's not forget that September 26 is The Last of Us Day. If we don't hear anything about that franchise at the State of Play, Sony will certainly have something to say about it then. A release date for the PC version of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is possible, though we should at least get an update on season two of the HBO adaptation.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-next-state-of-play-stream-is-set-for-september-24-171708006.html?src=rss