All the way back at CES in January, ASUS revealed a 17.3-inch foldable tablet PC called the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED, which raised a lot of eyebrows. Soon enough, you'll be able to own the device, as long as you have a few thousand dollars to spare. ASUS announced at IFA 2022 that the foldable will start at $3,500 (£3,300 in the UK) and start rolling out globally by the end of the year.
The Zenbook 17 Fold has a 4:3, 2.5K touchscreen with a 180-degree hinge that folds to effectively create dual 12.5-inch, 1920 x 1280 displays with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The screen has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut, 0.2 ms response time, 60 Hz refresh rate, up to 500 nits of brightness and TÜV Rheinland-certified low blue-light emissions (ASUS says it has 70 percent lower blue-light levels than an LCD display).
There's Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support. The Windows tablet has four Harman Kardon-certified speakers. It also has a 5MP webcam, a color sensor and an HD IR camera that will allow you to login with a face scan.
The device comes with a full-size ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard (with a built-in touchpad) that you can place on top of one half of the folded device. Alternatively, you can place the keyboard on your desk and keep the entire display visible.
The Zenbook 17 Fold is 17.4mm thin. It weighs 1.6 kg (3.5 pounds) without the keyboard and 1.99 kg (4.4 lbs) with the peripheral.
You can configure the system with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics, up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of NVMe M.2 SSD storage. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports allow for fast charging of the 75 Wh battery and they'll enable you to connect the tablet to external displays. The only other port is a 3.5 mm audio combo jack.
It's a fairly expensive device that seems to include an early adopter tax. Since we haven't tested the Zenbook 17 Fold yet, it remains to be seen how durable the laptop is in practice. We know all too well the kinds of problems a company can run into when they make an all-screen foldable for the first time, though hopefully ASUS has learned from the issues Samsung had with the first Galaxy Fold.
ASUS
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It only took about two years, but I finally bought an NVIDIA RTX 3070 last month. Along the way, I tried almost everything I could to get my hands on one at the actual retail price. I joined Discord servers dedicated to posting stock alerts. I found Twitter accounts that did the same for Canadian retailers. But no matter how persistent I was, I could never beat everyone else who wanted a 3070 just as much as I did. By the time summer came, I was ready to give up, and I would have if not for the crypto crash.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
If you haven’t followed the market, Bitcoin and Ethereum's slide has dramatically affected GPU prices, particularly on the NVIDIA side of things. The company’s add-in board partners, firms like ASUS and EVGA that produce the majority of GPUs you can buy, are reportedly struggling with overstock after crypto-miners flooded the used market with cheap 30-series video cards. According to some reports, the issue is so bad that NVIDIA may push back the release of its next-generation Ada Lovelace architecture to the end of the year to give its partners time to sell their existing stock. Either way, you can buy a current-generation GPU without jumping through hoops for the first time in nearly two years.
When I finally pulled the trigger on my ASUS Dual RTX 3070, I paid $740 CAD before tax or about $565 USD. I probably could have found a used model for less, but I decided I was okay with spending more to get a video card with a full warranty that someone hadn’t abused for crypto-mining.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
What you probably what to know is why I didn’t wait a bit longer for NVIDIA’s next-generation GPUs to arrive. The answer is twofold. Unless the US decides to regulate cryptocurrencies, it’s hard to see a future where the market doesn’t recover and mining becomes lucrative again. Even if that doesn’t happen, by the time NVIDIA’s new GPUs are available to buy, they might not be easy to find.
All signs point to the company opening the Ada Lovelace generation with RTX 4090, 4080 and 4070 models. Not only will those likely be more expensive than their 30-series counterparts, but you can also bet they’ll be in high demand among gamers who want the latest and greatest – particularly the 4070 as the most mainstream model of the trio.
For those reasons, I thought there would be a short window where I could buy a new GPU at a reasonable price. That I was running a GTX 1660 Ti with a QHD monitor made my decision easier. I was starting to see the 1660 Ti sometimes struggle to maintain a consistent rate of 60 frames per second in games like Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order at 1440p. The fact the 1660 Ti doesn’t include NVIDA’s DLSS upscaling technology also meant I was looking at a future where I would have to play some games at reduced quality.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
I can safely say I won’t regret buying the RTX 3070 with its successor right around the corner. Playing games like God of Warwith all graphical settings maxed out and without a single hiccup has been delightful. Even more revelatory has been revisiting games like Control and finally being able to experience them with ray tracing. Sometimes I think we get so caught up trying to pull off the perfect purchase that we don’t buy the product that would serve our needs well right now. I’m glad I didn’t fall into that trap.
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Look, it’s not a comfortable topic. But, unafraid as we are to cover the more controversial, divisive topics at Kotaku, we think it’s time to admit it: Some Pokémon are just kinda hot. And it seems even official Pokémon companies may be willing to acknowledge this.
God of War Ragnarok PS5 gameplay has been promised for September. PlayStation fans can expect to see four minutes of gameplay footage featuring Kratos and Atreus delivering sweet violent justice to a slew of enemies. Expect plenty of combat to be shown, details of which have already been shared.
God of War Ragnarok gameplay incoming!
The four-minute video showing off God of War Ragnarok PS5 gameplay footage has been promised by Game Informer’s Andrew Reiner. He tweeted: “Just to temper expectations, we have roughly four minutes of new God of War Ragnarok footage to share.”
That gameplay has been promised for September which, at the time of writing, begins tomorrow. As for which of the 30 days it lands on, that is still unknown. Here’s hoping it’s sooner rather than later, however, as I know fans are getting pretty desperate for a new look.
Leading up to the big gameplay reveal, Game Informer has published some exclusive details about Ragnarok’s combat system learned during a preview event. Highlights include the mention of how Kratos “plays with his food” and how the developers have leaned into finding “new toys and ways of playing with enemies and strategies,” which sounds especially menacing.
Another newly-revealed feature is the “Weapon Signature Move.” Both the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos can be infused with the power of ice or fire to freeze or burn enemies, respectively.
Shields have also been overhauled and players will get to choose whether they opt for a tanky shield that can absorb more damage or a less protective shield that rewards parrying pros.
Cruise ship giant Royal Caribbean has announced that it will equip its fleet with SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellite internet service. The dishes are designed to provide a "better onboard experience for guests and crews fleetwide," and will be installed on its Royal Caribbean International, Silversea Cruises and Celebrity Cruises ships.
Earlier this year, SpaceX unveiled Starlink Maritime for boats at a cost of $5,000 per month, on top of a hardware investment of $10,000. In comparison, the standard residential Starlink setup's hardware costs only $599, while the service costs $110 a month for 50 to 250 Mbps speeds (Starlink also offers a premium service that costs $500 per month with up to 500Mbps speeds). The Maritime service will deliver up to 350 Mbps download speeds.
The company tested the service earlier this year, offering packages called "Voom Surf" and "Voom Surf & Stream," according to Royal Caribbean Blog. That indicates that the service will likely be a paid upgrade, something that's usually not cheap on cruise ships. The testers saw respectable upload and download speeds and said they were able to watch YouTube and Netflix videos "with no lag or buffering."
Those speeds may change when the service is fully commercialized, though, depending on how popular it is and how many Starlink dishes Royal Caribbean uses on each ship. Depending on the line, the company's boats can carry anywhere from several hundred to nearly 7,000 passengers.
The cruise industry has struggled post-pandemic due to staffing, inflation and other issues. Starlink will be a good marketing point for Royal Caribbean, however, as cruise ships have notoriously poor internet service. Starlink, meanwhile, is aggressively pursuing the travel industry, announcing partnerships with Hawaiian Airlines and JSC, while also recently launching a Starlink service for RVs and campers.
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If you need extra storage to help you wrangle and organize all the files overtaking your computers and mobile devices, don't miss out on Amazon's latest one-day sale. The e-commerce website is selling a robust collection of SanDisk and Western Digital storage devices and memory cards at a discount right now, priced at up to 61 percent off. You can get SanDisk's 1TB Extreme Pro, which is currently listed for $160.49 or 48 percent off its regular price, if you're looking to bring a ruggedized storage solution everywhere you go.
It's encased in a forged aluminum chassis that acts as a heatsink enabling the device to sustain its read/write speeds that go up to 2000MB/s. The device can survive drops from up to 2 meters in height and is IP55 water-and-dust resistant — it even comes with a carabiner loop to prevent you from dropping it in the first place. And to protect the files you save, it also features 256‐bit AES hardware encryption.
Looking for an internal storage for your PC-building needs instead? The 1TB Western Digital SN770 NVMe Solid State Drive that was designed to enable a smoother gaming experience is also on sale for $80, which is $50 less than its usual price. It has a read speed of up to 5,150MB/s and uses an advanced thermal management technology to help it maintain consistent speeds.
If what you need is a memory card, the one-day sale has a number of them listed, as well. One of the models on sale is SanDisk's 512GB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card that's currently being sold for $58. That's $72 less than what the UHS Speed Class 3 and video Speed Class 30 (V30) microSDXC card usually costs. Amazon also has memory cards with smaller capacities on sale, though, if you're looking for something even cheaper.
Uber has announced some upgrades for its Safety Toolkit. Among the new features is a way to get live help from an ADT safety agent via phone call or text in the US. The agent can monitor a trip, stay in contact with the user throughout the duration and, if necessary, contact 911 on their behalf. The agent can provide authorities with the make and model of the vehicle, the license plate number and its GPS location.
On a similar note, Uber is expanding its text-to-911 feature across more of the US. The app can automatically populate a text with details about the vehicle and the ride, including the destination and current location.
Uber debuted the feature in Los Angeles, Minnesota and Indiana in 2019. It will now be available in almost 60 percent of the country, including New York City and all of California, as 911 call centers in those areas can receive text messages. Uber plans to expand the option to more regions where the technology is supported.
In addition, Uber has revamped the Safety Toolkit menu. There are large icons that show all the available urgent help options, such as an emergency button. "Our goal is to streamline access to and visibility of our most critical safety features because in an emergency, every second counts," the company said. Uber introduced the Safety Toolkit in 2018. Other safety features include the option to verify a ride with a PIN code and share the status of a trip with friends and family.
Giving riders and drivers more options for assistance is a welcome move, particularly given that Uber doesn't exactly have a spotless safety record. The company's most recent safety report, which was published in June and covers 2019 and 2020, notes that 99.9 percent of trips ended without a reported safety incident. However, there were 20 fatalities reported "in a total of 19 physical assault incidents in relation to Uber."
There were also 3,824 reports of sexual assault, compared with nearly 6,000 in 2017 and 2018. The company says riders were the accused party 43 percent of the time in sexual assault reports in 2019 and 2020. In July, more than 500 women sued Uber, alleging that they were attacked by drivers.
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Twitter’s feature for tweeting only to close friends is now available to all its users. After nearly four months of testing, Twitter Circle is rolling out for everyone to help people feel “more comfortable tweeting and expressing themselves.”
Twitter Circle is a bit like Instagram’s “close friends” feature.. Meant to be a sort of middle-ground between a public and private account, users can designate some tweets to be viewable only to a smaller “circle” of up to 150 followers. The feature could help address a long-running issue for the company: that many Twitter users simply don’t feel comfortable tweeting that much, either for fear of harassment or simply the pressures associated with public-facing accounts.
Interestingly, Twitter says that its early tests of the feature have shown that users with Circle tweet more overall, and get more likes and replies when tweeting to a smaller group. The company notes that it also reduces the need for users to have a secondary account or switching their accounts back and forth between public and private.
Twitter Circle is the latest way Twitter has tried to create spaces for users to interact with smaller audiences without making their accounts completely private. The company has also experimented with a Facebook Groups-like feature, called Communities, and subscriber-only content for creators with Super Follows. But Twitter Circle, which users can access directly from the tweet composer, is an even more accessible way of controlling the audience for each tweet. That may seem at odds with the “town square” vision of Twitter vaunted by its would-be acquirer, but increased engagement could also help the company’s bottom line.
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Sony improved upon its already stellar WH-1000XM4 headphones earlier this year by introducing their follow-up, the WH-1000XM5. The new cans make nearly everything about the previous model ever so slightly better, putting them in a class of their own — and their $398 price tag reflects that. But now you can snag the XM5 for roughly $60 less than usual thanks to a one-day sale at Woot that brings the black model down to $340. That's the best price we've seen since the headphones came out in May.
Sony did make some subtle changes to the design of the XM5. Compared to the XM4, the new headphones have a slimmed down headband and a more modern look overall. They only weigh slightly less than their predecessor, but they feel much lighter when you're wearing them, which should make them even more comfortable to wear for hours on end.
Somehow, Sony managed to make sound quality and active noise cancellation even better on the XM5. The headphones have new 30mm carbon fiber drivers that handle audio, which is well-tuned for a wide variety of genres and has better depth and clarity. ANC has improved thanks to additional processors and a total of microphones that help detect noise and block it out. Overall, the XM5 does a better job of blocking out things like nearby voices and TV noise than its predecessor.
The XM5 work with Sony's companion mobile app as well, which you can use do change settings and do things like enable multipoint connectivity, change voice assistants and more. As far as battery life goes, you'll get roughly 30 hours before you'll need to recharge them, and it'll only take three minutes to get three hours of playback time. Make no mistake, the Sony's WH-1000XM4 are still great headphones (which you can often find on sale as well), but the XM5 cans are the ones to get if you want all of the latest features and some of the best ANC you'll find on over-ear headphones.
Elon Musk has filed an updated notice to kill his $44 billion Twitter acquisition by citing whistleblower Peiter Zatko, Twitter's former head of security. In a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Musk alleged that Twitter "has not complied with its contractual obligations" due to the "extreme, egregious deficiencies" alleged by Zatko.
Musk filed his initial bid to terminate the acquisition agreement on July 12th because of "false and misleading representations" made by Twitter, alleging that it "dramatically" understated the number of spam and fake accounts. Twitter sued Musk in July to force him to honor his agreement, saying that he "apparently believes that he... is free to change his mind, trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value, and walk way." Musk filed a countersuit later that month.
With the updated filing, Musk's lawyers said that Zatko has revealed "additional and distinct bases to terminate the merger agreement," and that Twitter was in "material noncompliance" with its FTC obligations. Specifically, they said that Twitter is "uniquely vulnerable to systemic disruption resulting from data center failures or malicious actors," something the company "ignored and sought to obfuscate."
Yesterday, Musk subpoenaed Zatko for a deposition on September 9th, requesting materials related to how Zatko’s tenure at Twitter ended and what stock, if any, he owns in the company. It also requested documents that may indicate any illegal activity by Twitter. Twitter and its CEO Parago Agrawal have disputed Zatko's assertions, laid out in a lengthy whistleblower complaint against the company.
A court case between Musk and Twitter is set to go to trial in October. On top of that, US Senate and Congressional committee leaders announced that were investigating Zatko's claims, saying they "raise serious concerns" about the company's security and other issues.
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France’s Budget Minister Gabriel Attal announced plans for a lease program to open up EV use. “We know that for many French, [EVs] remain very expensive,” he said, adding the government was working to figure out how quickly it could implement the measure.
At the moment, under a subsidy scheme similar to the one introduced by the US Inflation Reduction Act, French car buyers can receive as much as €6,000 off electric vehicles less than €47,000. Under this new electric vehicle subsidy program, people could lease an EV for €100 ($100) per month.
You probably don’t think of cheap Windows laptops when you think of daily drivers. But it would be a big mistake to ignore these devices – if not for yourself, for someone close. There’s a reason the big PC companies, like Acer, ASUS and Dell, make Windows devices for under $500. We lay out what to look out for (things like an SSD with at least 128GB of space, a 1080p display and a mostly metal design) and share our top choices.
While Senior News Editor Billy Steele wanted a White Mountain ice cream maker, they’re hard to pick up. Eventually, he received Cuisinart’s Pure Indulgence two-quart ice cream maker as a gift. It’s a compact countertop model that takes up about the same space as a food processor. It has a bowl insert you stick in the freezer to chill, and a plastic dasher churns your ice cream. You just really need to ensure the mixing bowl is properly chilled and homemade ice cream is all yours.
Apple may again be looking to nail down "Reality" trademarks ahead of the launch of its much-anticipated AR/VR headset. While Apple didn't directly request the trademarks, law firms the company has previously used applied for "Reality One," "Reality Pro" and "Reality Processor" in the US, EU, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica and Uruguay. With realityOS as a potential name for the operating system, Reality One and Reality Pro could be naming options for the actual headsets. "Reality Processor” could be an M2-based chip to power those.
Sony has announced a fresh push into mobile gaming with the launch of a new division inside PlayStation Studios, aptly called PlayStation Studios Mobile, and the acquisition of Savage Game Studios. Sony said the new studio will be "providing more ways for more people to engage with our content.” Savage Game Studio doesn't appear to have produced any games yet, but its co-founders had a hand in mobile franchises like Clash of Clans and Angry Birds. It will join PlayStation Studios Mobile, which will operate separately from its console division and create "new experiences" based on PlayStation IP and franchises. You know, like all those movies.
Meta has followed through on its promise to bring NFT (non-fungible token) support to Facebook. Users can now post digital collectibles they have in their digital wallets across Facebook and Instagram. After they connect digital wallets to one app, they'll be able to access NFTs from both of them. Meta is moving deeper into NFT territory even though the market for the digital tokens has nosedived in recent months.
Logitech has refreshed its iconic gaming mouse, the G502, with lighter materials and new features while mostly keeping its design. The new lineup is called the G502 X, and it comes in a wired version, a base wireless form and another wired option with RGB lighting. Logitech used thin-wall exoskeleton and a lighter scroll wheel to reduce the wired mouse's weight to 89 grams. It also used an updated version of its proprietary Lightspeed wireless protocol to ensure that its wireless versions have a 68 percent faster response rate than the previous generation's.
All three versions use Lightforce hybrid optical-mechanical switch technology, which (as Logitech explains) combines the crisp tactile clicks of mechanical switches with the ultra low-latency/speedy performance of optical switches. They also use Logitech's Hero 25K gaming sensor — the company's most advanced mouse sensor — for max speed and accuracy. Plus, they come with a removable DPI shift button that lets you program the mouse to go faster or slower. You can either reverse the button's orientation to bring it closer to your thumb or replace it completely with the included blank cover if you don't think you need it.
The Plus wireless variant of the G502 X has all the features the other models offer, but it also comes equipped with a flowing 8-LED lighting strip that you can customize with effects and personalizations through the G Hub software. While it will likely use more battery than its less showy wireless sibling, it does have a play detection feature that switches the lighting off while your hand is covering it to conserve power.
Sony has started to sell a new PlayStation 5 model that may not necessarily improve performance, but will be lighter and possibly easier to produce, Press Start has reported. The CFI-1200A/B digital/disc models have started to appear in Australia with a significant loss in weight.
According to packaging information, the digital version is 200 grams lighter and the disc version weighs 300 grams less than last year's models, so the latter is roughly the same weight as the digital model was at launch. Whether that loss is coming from changes in the case design or internal components is not yet known, though — we'll have to wait for a teardown to confirm that. However, last year's CFI-1102 mode was lighter mostly due to a smaller heatsink.
The weight reduction could allow Sony to reduce production costs and possibly build consoles more quickly. Last week, Sony announced that it was raising PlayStation 5 pricing around the world but not in the US (€50 more than the original launch prices in Europe), due to "challenging economic conditions." It said last year that it's no longer selling the PS5 at a loss and was actually making money on the disc-based version.
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If the foldable phone life isn't for you yet but you still like Samsung gadgets, you can pick up one of the company's other flagships for some of the best prices we've seen. Amazon has discounted the entire Galaxy S22 lineup ahead of Labor Day, so you can get the Galaxy S22 Ultra for $930, the S22+ for $750 or the standard S22 for $650. Those are new record-low prices for the Ultra and the S22, and a return to its best price ever for the S22+.
Aside from the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the Galaxy S22 Ultra has all of the most advanced features Samsung has to offer right now. Its a hybrid device that marries features from both the S and Note families, with the result being a handset with a 6.8-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen that supports 120Hz refresh rates, a peak brightness of 1,750 nits and S Pen input. The stylus is built into the phone, so Note loves will be able to doodle, take notes and more wherever they may be.
The S22 Ultra also has a formidable triple rear camera system, consisting of a 108-megapixel main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide shooter and two 10MP telephoto lenses. We were impressed by the photos taken with the smartphone, plus improvements like better auto-framing and new features like Adaptive Pixel make it a great system for mobile photographers.
Overall performance is solid as well. The S22 Ultra runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and 12GB of RAM, and the base model has 128GB of storage. It handled everything we threw at it, and we rarely felt it get warm even under stress. While we wish the S22 Ultra's battery life was a bit longer, it's still enough to get you through the day.
Getting all of that for less than $1,000 is a great deal, but if you're on a tighter budget, either the Galaxy S22+ or S22 handsets would make great choices. Both earned a score of 87 from us thanks to their slick designs, lovely displays and strong overall performance — and if you spring for the S22+, you'll get additional perks like a longer battery life, faster WiFi speeds and support for UWB and WiFi 6E.
Smartphones aren't the only Samsung gadgets on sale at Amazon right now either. A bunch of Galaxy tablets are up to 30 percent off, so you can pick up the Galaxy Tab S7 FE for $500, or $180 off its usual price, and the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite for $300, or $130 off the normal rate. All of those deals expire today, though, so you'll have to decide soon if you want to pick one up. Also, the Galaxy Buds Pro are $60 off and down to $140, while the Galaxy SmartTag+ is $10 off and on sale for only $30.
Sony is making a push into mobile gaming with the launch of "PlayStation Studios Mobile" and acquisition of Savage Game Studios, it announced. Sony said the new studio will be "providing more ways for more people to engage with our content, and striving to reach new audiences unfamiliar with PlayStation and our games."
Savage Game Studio doesn't appear to have produced any games yet, but its co-founders had a hand in mobile franchises like Clash of Clans and Angry Birds. It will join PlayStation Studios Mobile, which will operate separately from its console division and create "new experiences" based on PlayStation IP and franchises. Savage is also currently working on a "new unannounced triple-A mobile live service action game," though it didn't offer any more details.
As a console maker first and foremost, Sony has a delicate balancing act with mobile, much as it did when it jumped into PC gaming with titles like Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. To that end, it was sure to note that any efforts beyond console "in no way diminish our commitment to the PlayStation community."
At the same time, Sony no doubt felt pressure to enter the very lucrative mobile space. Michail Katkoff, CEO and Co-founder of Savage Game Studios, said that Sony's PlayStation Studios "respects our vision for how we can best operate and succeed," and will let them "tap into PlayStation’s amazing catalog of IP." In that sense, Sony might take the same course Nintendo did when it brought Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem and other franchises to mobile.
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NASA has scrubbed the hotly anticipated launch of its Space Launch System rocket due to engine issues. "The launch of #Artemis I is no longer happening today as teams work through an issue with an engine bleed," the space agency tweeted. After attempting a series of fixes, was unable to get one of the booster's RS-25 engine down to the correct temperature, after facing a similar problem in June.
The scrub happened with 40 minutes left before launch, and isn't necessarily surprising or disconcerting. Last week, NASA's Artemis mission manager said that it "could scrub for any number of reasons. We're not going to promise that we're going to get off on Monday. We could have weather, we could have technical issues or we could have a range and public safety hold and or a combination of those."
Following months of tests and troubleshooting, NASA is getting close to launching its long-awaited Artemis 1 Moon mission. The plan was for the agency's next-generation Space Launch System rocket to blast off sometime after 8:33AM ET. However, during the night a lightning storm moved close to the Kennedy Space Center, forcing NASA to delay the start of propellant loading. The agency later discovered a hydrogen leak and had to troubleshoot through a communications issue with the Orion spacecraft the SLS is supposed to put on a trajectory toward the moon. In the end, other engine issues put a stop to the launch.
Liquid hydrogen replenish is closed and now in revert to troubleshoot the bleed on engine number 3. Teams are working to increase pressure in the bleed on engine 3 to continue conditioning the four RS-25 engines on @NASA_SLS for launch. https://t.co/wEUPRpb8q2
NASA has yet to set a new launch date, but the current window is open until September 6th. If the rocket is delayed beyond that date, the earliest we could see NASA attempt to put Artemis 1 in space again would be between September 19th and October 4th. Whatever happens over the next few hours, you can watch it all unfold on NASA's official YouTube channel.
Once it's underway, Artemis 1 will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a trip beyond the moon. If all goes according to plan, the capsule should return to Earth after spending 39 to 42 days in space. The mission is mostly designed to test NASA's latest hardware before a planned crewed spaceflight sometime in 2024.
Update, 8;36am ET: The launch is currently in an unplanned hold, NASA says, as it addresses an engine issue.
Update, 9:00 AM ET: The launch has been scrubbed due to engine issues. See the updated post above.
PlayStation mobile push has intensified with the acquisition of mobile developer, Savage Game Studios. Early this morning, Head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst took to the PS Blog to not only unveil the company’s newest acquisition, but also announce the establishment of PlayStation Studios Mobile Division, which will operate independently from the console business. Hulst also reassured fans that Sony’s still committed to console games and single-player experiences.
PlayStation mobile division will make games based on new and existing IP
Although it’ll operate independently, the newly-formed PlayStation mobile division will make games based on existing as well as new PlayStation IP. Savage Game Studios is a relatively new developer, having only been founded a few years ago. However, Hulst says that Savage is run by “hugely talented” creatives with experience making popular games enjoyed by players around the world. Savage’s website doesn’t reveal much, except that it has offices in Finland and Germany. A statement from its CEO and co-founder, Michail Katkoff, on the acquisition reads:
We made this deal because we believe that PlayStation Studios’ leadership respects our vision for how we can best operate and succeed, and because they too are not afraid to take chances. All of that, plus the ability to potentially tap into PlayStation’s amazing catalog of IP and the fact that we will benefit from the kind of support that only they can provide… The harder question to answer would be ‘why not?’ On behalf of everybody at Savage Game Studios, thank you for having us. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on!
Hulst added that Sony is committed to expanding beyond console, opening its IPs to a wider audience.
Released in 1992, a few years after the Super Nintendo console, Super Mario Kart was an odd proposition: Nintendo mascot Mario, his friends and enemies all get in go-carts, racing around flat, pseudo-3D tracks. It all seemed so silly, but Super Mario Kart was a critical and commercial hit, and became a formative gaming experience for many of us.
As we shake our heads in disbelief that it’s already been 30 years, we're sharing some of our memories of a game that’s now older than a lot of our readers – and even some of our writers.
More than 3,000 cinemas across the country are participating.
On September 3rd, to coincide with a newly announced National Cinema Day, more than 3,000 theaters across the US - including chains like AMC - will offer discounted $3 tickets. All the major film studios are participating, as well as more than 30,000 screens. The promotion comes at a time when the movie industry is still dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19. The pandemic saw movie studios like Universal significantly shorten theatrical windows, and many chains, including Regal Cinemas, struggled to stay open.
The new tier may arrive in some markets as early as this year.
Netflix’s incoming ad-supported tier could represent a significant discount on some of the company’s existing plans. According to Bloomberg, the streaming giant is considering a monthly price between $7 and $9. The company’s current “Basic” plan starts at $10 per month. Bloomberg reports that Netflix wants to avoid many of the complaints that frequently come up with other ad-supported streaming services.The company plans to show only about four minutes of ads every hour of streaming, while other reports suggest it won’t show ads during kids’ content.
When it comes to gaming monitors, you have to decide between a flat or curved display. Usually. Now Corsair is developing a monitor that can be manually bent and straightened. The Xeneon Flex is a 45-inch prototype with a pair of handles on its sides that allow you to adjust the curvature of its display panel up to a maximum of 800R. For now, the monitor doesn’t have a release date or price tag.
It looks like the tier will carry a 'Friends and Family' branding.
Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox Game Pass Ultimate family plan could allow you to share the subscription with your buddies. Frequent Microsoft Store leaker Aggiornamenti Lumia shared an image that indicates the tier will carry a “Friends and Family” branding. In the two regions where Microsoft is currently testing Game Pass Ultimate family plans, you can share your subscription with up to four other people, as long as they’re in the same country.
The $230 Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are Samsung’s best earbuds yet, and it’s not even close. Thanks to a huge improvement to sound quality, better noise cancellation and a host of handy features, this is the most well-rounded true wireless product from the company so far. But even with all of its gains, the best is still reserved for the Samsung faithful, which means these are only a truly great option if you already own a Galaxy phone. Read on for why.
For over a decade, Valve has offered access to Steam through Android and iOS clients. In recent years, however, the Steam mobile app hasn’t gotten much attention from the company. Not only does it look dated, but it’s also a pain to use. I only keep it on my iPhone to take advantage of Steam Guard verification.
The good news is that Valve is working on a new version of the mobile app. In a blog post spotted by PC Gamer, the company invited “invested Steam users” to beta test its redesigned Android and iOS client. “We’ve rebuilt the app on a new framework and modernized the design. (2015 called and wanted their app back,)” Valve wrote.
In addition to previously included features, the redesigned app adds more intelligent notifications, multi-account support and a new way to log into your Steam account. Instead of inputting your username, password and Steam Guard verification, you can use a QR code to simplify the process. It’s probably the most useful feature added by Valve.
The early consensus among testers is that the new app is a welcome improvement over its predecessor. It does have the usual blemishes you find in beta software, including sluggish performance and plenty of bugs, but it's a step forward. “The sooner we get your feedback on a product, the better,” Valve wrote. “This is especially important when the app can be used on so many different phones and devices.”
There’s no public release date for the redesigned app yet. However, the beta is open to anyone who wants to take part. You can find installation instructions on the Steam website, but note that the iOS beta is limited to 10,000 concurrent participants due to Apple’s TestFlight restrictions.
from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/YKxPOEy
For today only, Amazon has discounted a handful of Anker chargers and Soundcore speakers. Starting things off, there’s Anker’s 521 Charger. It’s a 40W power adapter with a pair of USB-C ports capable of charging two devices simultaneously. The company offers the 521 in four colors: Glacier Blue, Cool Lavender, Black Ice and Arctic White. The blue model is $9 off, making it $27 at the moment. Engadget hasn’t had a chance to check out the 521, but it has a five-star rating on more than 4,300 reviews. One thing to note is that it doesn’t come with a cable. Thankfully, included in today's sale is Anker’s 10-foot Nylon USB-C to USB-C cable. At the moment, it’s 30 percent off.
For something you can take on the go, consider the PowerCore Fusion 10000. It’s a 20W adapter that doubles as a 10,000mAh power pack. The Fusion 10000 features both a USB-C and USB-A port, with the former delivering 20W charging whether you’re using the adapter as a wall charger or battery pack. Based on the Amazon rating, the Fusion 10000 is another Anker product that people seem to like. It’s currently $37.49, down from $50.
If you’re looking for a wireless charger, Amazon has also discounted Anker’s PowerWave Magentic 2-in-1 Stand. The nifty thing about the PowerWave is that it can charge your phone and a pair of wireless earbuds at the same time – though you’ll need a Qi-compatible case for the latter. The PowerWave is currently $18 off from its usual $50 price. Note that you’ll need to buy a compatible power adapter separately.
A routine maintenance notice on Bloodborne has fans hoping for Bloodborne 2 news once again. A Twitter user posted a screenshot of an in-game message, which mentions that the game will be down for server maintenance for about four hours on August 31st, during which the online mode will be unavailable. Bloodborne undergoes server maintenance every couple of months so this message is nothing new but fans who are starved for information seem convinced that this has something to do with the rumored PlayStation State of Play event happening in September.
Sony has never expressed its position on Bloodborne 2 – not even a tease. The only thing we heard was the company stating that Bloodborne had exceeded sales expectations back in 2015. The last reported sales figure stood at over two million copies sold by September 2015, following which there has been no official update.
FromSoftware previously said that it’s up to Sony to greenlight a sequel as IP owner, and with the company choosing to stay mum, there really isn’t anything to go by except for baseless rumors and reports. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from getting their hopes up. From a 60 frames-per-second update to PC and PS5 ports – we’ve heard it all, but nothing has ever come out of these reports.
In light of this, it’s hard to say what Sony has in mind. There’s no doubt Bloodborne is one of the company’s best exclusive games to date, but with the focus being on high-selling blockbusters, one wonders if Bloodborne’s relatively lower sales is the reason Sony isn’t investing into the IP.
Hurricane season is currently in full swing across the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard. Following a disconcertingly quiet start in June, meteorologists still expect a busier-than-usual stretch before the windy weather (hopefully) winds down at the end of November. Meteorologists like Matthew Cappucci who, in his new book, Looking Up: The True Adventures of a Storm-Chasing Weather Nerd, recounts his career as a storm chaser — from childhood obsession to adulthood obsession as a means of gainful employment. In the excerpt below, Cappucci explains the inner workings of tropical storms.
Hurricanes are heat engines. They derive their fury from warm ocean waters in the tropics, where sea surface temperatures routinely hover in the mid- to upper-eighties between July and October. Hurricanes and tropical storms fall under the umbrella of tropical cyclones. They can be catastrophic, but they have a purpose—some scholars estimate they’re responsible for as much as 10 percent of the Earth’s annual equator-to-pole heat transport.
Hurricanes are different from mid-latitude systems. So-called extratropical, or nontropical, storms depend upon variations in air temperature and density to form, and feed off of changing winds. Hurricanes require a calm environment with gentle upper-level winds and a nearly uniform temperature field. Ironic as it may sound, the planet’s worst windstorms are born out of an abundance of tranquility.
The first ingredient is a tropical wave, or clump of thunderstorms. Early in hurricane season, tropical waves can spin up on the tail end of cold fronts surging off the East Coast. During the heart of hurricane season in August and September, they commonly materialize off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic’s Main Development Region. By October and November, sneaky homegrown threats can surreptitiously gel in the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean.
Every individual thunderstorm cell within a tropical wave has an updraft and a downdraft. The downward rush of cool air collapsing out of one cell can suffocate a neighboring cell, spelling its demise. In order for thunderstorms to coexist in close proximity, they must organize. The most efficient way of doing so is through orienting themselves around a common center, with individual cells’ updrafts and downdrafts working in tandem.
When a center forms, a broken band of thunderstorms begins to materialize around it. Warm, moist air rises within those storms, most rapidly as one approaches the broader system’s low-level center. That causes atmospheric pressure to drop, since air is being evacuated and mass removed. From there, the system begins to breathe.
Air moves from high pressure to low pressure. That vacuums air inward toward the center. Because of the Coriolis force, a product of the Earth’s spin, parcels of air take a curved path into the fledgling cyclone’s center. That’s what causes the system to rotate.
Hurricanes spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and clockwise south of the equator. Though the hottest ocean waters in the world are found on the equator, a hurricane could never form there. That’s because the Coriolis force is zero on the equator; there’d be nothing to get a storm to twist.
As pockets of air from outside the nascent tropical cyclone spiral into the vortex, they expand as barometric pressure decreases. That releases heat into the atmosphere, causing clouds and rain. Ordinarily that would result in a drop in temperature of an air parcel, but because it’s in contact with toasty ocean waters, it maintains a constant temperature; it’s heated at the same rate that it’s losing temperature to its surroundings. As long as a storm is over the open water and sea surface temperatures are sufficiently mild, it can continue to extract oceanic heat content.
Rainfall rates within tropical cyclones can exceed four inches per hour thanks to high precipitation efficiency. Because the entire atmospheric column is saturated, there’s little evaporation to eat away at a raindrop on the way down. As a result, inland freshwater flooding is the number one source of fatalities from tropical cyclones.
The strongest winds are found toward the middle of a tropical storm or hurricane in the eyewall. The greatest pressure gradient, or change of air pressure with distance, is located there. The sharper the gradient, the stronger the winds. That’s because air is rushing down the gradient. Think about skiing — you’ll ski faster if there’s a steeper slope.
When maximum sustained winds surpass 39 mph, the system is designated a tropical storm. Only once winds cross 74 mph is it designated a hurricane. Major hurricanes have winds of 111 mph or greater and correspond to Category 3 strength. A Category 5 contains extreme winds topping 157 mph.
Since the winds are derived from air rushing in to fill a void, or deficit of air, the fiercest hurricanes are usually those with the lowest air pressures. The most punishing hurricanes and typhoons may have a minimum central barometric pressure about 90 percent of ambient air pressure outside the storm. That means 10 percent of the atmosphere’s mass is missing.
Picture stirring your cup of coffee with a teaspoon. You know that dip in the middle of the whirlpool? The deeper the dip, or fluid deficit, the faster the fluid must be spinning. Hurricanes are the same. But what prevents that dip from filling in? Hurricane eyewalls are in cyclostrophic balance.
That means a perfect stasis of forces makes it virtually impossible to “fill in” a storm in steady state. Because of their narrow radius of curvature, parcels of air swirling around the eye experience an incredible outward-directed centrifugal force that exactly equals the inward tug of the pressure gradient force. That leaves them to trace continuous circles.
If you’ve ever experienced a change in altitude, such as flying on an airplane, or even traveling to the top of a skyscraper, you probably noticed your ears popping. That’s because they were adjusting to the drop in air pressure with height. Now imagine all the air below that height vanished. That’s the equivalent air pressure in the eye a major hurricane. The disparity in air pressure is why a hurricane is, in the words of Buddy the Elf, “sucky. Very sucky.”
Sometimes hurricanes undergo eyewall replacement cycles, which entail an eyewall shriveling and crumbling into the eye while a new eyewall forms around it and contracts, taking the place of its predecessor. This usually results in a dual wind maximum near the storm’s center as well as a brief plateau in intensification.
In addition to the scouring winds found inside the eyewall, tornadoes, tornado-scale vortices, mini swirls, and other poorly understood small-scale wind phenomena can whip around the eye and result in strips of extreme damage. A mini swirl may be only a couple yards wide, but a 70 mph whirlwind moving in a background wind of 100 mph can result in a narrow path of 170 mph demolition. Their existence was first hypothesized following the passage of Category 5 Hurricane Andrew through south Florida in 1992, and modern-day efforts to study hurricane eyewalls using mobile Doppler radar units have shed light on their existence. Within a hurricane’s eye, air sinks and warms, drying out and creating a dearth of cloud cover. It’s not uncommon to see clearing skies or even sunshine. The air is hot and still, an oasis of peace enveloped in a hoop of hell.
There’s such a discontinuity between the raucous winds of the eyewall and deathly stillness of the eye that the atmosphere struggles to transition. The eyes of hurricanes are often filled with mesovortices, or smaller eddies a few miles across, that help flux and dissipate angular momentum into the eye. Sometimes four or five mesovortices can cram into the eye, contorting the eyewall into a clover-like shape. That makes for a period of extraordinary whiplash on the inner edge of the eyewall as alternating clefts of calamitous wind and calm punctuate the eye’s arrival.
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Despite a star-studded cast, the Resident Evil Netflix show has been cancelled after only one season due to an abysmal view count. According to a report by Deadline, the streaming giant has decided not to order a second season after Resident Evil debuted at no. 2 with 72.7 million hours viewed in its opening weekend. That number might look good in isolation but compared to Netflix’s other hit series including Stranger Things, Resident Evil effectively tanked. After just three weeks, the show was nowhere to be seen in the top ten, resulting in its cancellation. Over the weekend, actor Lance Reddick took to Twitter to address the development.
Lance Reddick’s statement on Resident Evil Netflix cancellation
A special thank you to all the fans who watched #ResidentEvilNetflix, the showrunners, my castmates, executives and more. We worked our asses off and had a great time. pic.twitter.com/A98aQVuA7t
“As all of you are well aware by now, the show Resident Evil on Netflix has been cancelled,” Reddick said. “And the haters and the trolls notwithstanding, I want to give a special thank you to all the fans who watched the show and got what we were doing, and we really loved it because there are a hell of a lot of you.” He went on to thank the show’s production and executive team, as well as his co-stars.
A large number of Reddick’s fans responded by saying that they loved his performance but Resident Evil left much to be desired. The show holds a 55 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but viewers were harsher than critics, awarding it 27 percent audience score.
Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox Game Pass Ultimate family plan could allow you to share the subscription with your friends. In a tweet spotted by The Verge, frequent Microsoft Store leaker Aggiornamenti Lumia shared an image that indicates the tier will carry a “Friends and Family” branding. This is something we thought the company was working towards. In the two regions where Microsoft is currently testing Game Pass Ultimate family plans, customers can share their subscription with up to four other people, as long as they’re in the same country.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to Engadget’s request for comment. Before the start of testing, there were months of rumors that the company would introduce a family plan. Allowing customers to share its most expensive subscription offering with people outside of their immediate family would make a lot of sense for Microsoft. Not only would the feature encourage more people to try the new tier, but it would also likely earn the company goodwill since the industry standard in recent months has been to restrict account sharing.
Netflix’s forthcoming ad-supported tier could represent a significant discount on the company’s existing plans. According to Bloomberg, the streaming giant is considering a monthly price between $7 and $9. For context, the company’s current “Basic” plan starts at $10 per month and does not include HD streaming. You can pay as much as $20 every 30 days to access 4K content on Netflix.
The new tier could arrive in half a dozen markets before the end of the year, with a broader rollout planned for 2023. Bloomberg reports that Netflix wants to avoid many of the complaints that frequently come up with other ad-supported streaming services. At first, the company plans to show only about four minutes of ads every hour and won’t place any at the end of a show or movie. Additionally, most people will see the same selection of ads, mainly because Netflix wants to avoid a situation where people see the same few advertisements repeatedly.
Bloomberg previously reported that Netflix doesn’t plan to show ads during kids content or original movies. Code found within the app suggests the new tier could also drop support for offline viewing. Netflix described Bloomberg’s report as “all just speculation at this point” in a statement the company shared with The Verge, adding that it was “still in the early days of deciding how to launch a lower priced, ad-supported tier and no decisions have been made.”
If you’re an OG PC gamer you probably recall the neverending holy wars over console gamepads vs. PC-style mouse and keyboard setups. While the mouse and keyboard, with their fast turning and accurate aim, did have lots of benefits, one advantage only gamepads could offer was true analog character movement via analog…
The Last of Us 1 Firefly Edition, which went like hot cakes as soon as pre-orders went live, is being restocked in the United States. Developer Naughty Dog confirmed the news on Twitter alongside reassuring fans that it’s still working with Sony Interactive Entertainment to bring the special edition to Europe due to high demand. While Naughty Dog didn’t make any promises, it did say that it hopes to provide an update on a potential European release soon.
How to get The Last of Us 1 Firefly Edition in the U.S.
EU fans, we’re working with our partners at SIE, and hope to provide an update on what we can offer soon.
On September 2nd, The Last of Us 1 Firefly Edition will become available in the U.S. exclusively via PlayStation Direct. Naughty Dog has said that these will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis so if you miss out to bots and scalpers then tough luck. Previously, scalpers nabbed the Firefly Edition and put up eBay listings with ridiculous price tags.
As a reminder, here’s what’s included in the Firefly Edition:
The Last of Us single-player story and Left Behind prequel chapter for PS5
Limited edition SteelBook display case
The Last of Us: American Dreams Comics #1 – #4 with new cover art
Early unlock of the following in-game items:
Increased Crafting and Healing Speed Skills
9mm Reload Speed and Rifle Clip Capacity Increase Upgrades
Explosive Arrows Gameplay Modifier
Dither Punk Filter and Speedrun Mode
Six Weapon Skins: Black Gold 9mm Pistol, Silver Filigree 9mm Pistol, Rubber Tactical Shotgun, Sculpted Oak Shotgun, Arctic White Bow, Carbon Black Bow
Barring drying leaves and the uptick in yellow school buses come late August, the signal that a new semester was starting, to me, was the way the air started to smell. Post-graduation, I let the seasons change without fanfare.But usually, I’d notice that in summer, a puff of warm wind smells sweet and sunny, like…
A newly-released clip of Microsoft-exclusive High on Life is so cringey that it has the internet apologizing for mocking Forspoken dialogue. If you were wondering why High on Life and Forspoken were both briefly trending in gaming Twitter circles over the weekend, it’s because High on Life’s official Twitter account was one of those who apparently dunked on Forspoken a while ago when Square Enix released a trailer that quickly turned into memes. But a recently released video by IGN shows that High on Life tries hard to be funny but ends up falling flat.
Just yikes. And the internet didn’t waste the opportunity.
Reminder to folks that the twitter account for High on Life was one of the many folks that dunked on Forspoken’s cringe dialogue. And like, yes, Forspoken’s dialogue was really bad. Maybe Justin Roiland should overexplain a joke about a pot calling a kettle black on this one.
— Cereal Experiments Jules (@UncrownedJules) August 27, 2022
“Y’all have an issue with Forspoken dialogue but are okay with this??” quizzed one follower under the video above. Others quote-tweeted the video and pointed out that games like Saints Row reboot, Forspoken, and High on Life have missed the mark. Some users came to High on Life’s defense, stating that it doesn’t take itself seriously like Forspoken. However, others pointed out that there’s no nuance in how High on Life handles its humor and dialogue.
Personally, I find the IGN video above incredibly off-putting.
