We are rapidly approaching The Last of Us’ second season premiere, and HBO is starting to lift the veil on some of the big revelations we can look forward to. No, HBO’s latest trailer doesn’t get into The Biggest Reveal (if you know, you know), but it does hint at the show’s inclusion of some of the most iconic (and…
This week, we went hands-on with the imminentClair Obscur: Expedition 33 and think it could be a turn-based RPG classic. We also reminisced, eight years after the fact, about what made the launch of the Nintendo Switch so unforgettable, and gushed about why Monster Hunter Wilds’ Rove is easily our favorite new game…
PS Store has added a new free game with an easy Platinum trophy, but you’ll want to play this one alone. Developer Somequest is back with another easy puzzle game that combines jigsaw puzzles with digital romance in Dating Stories. As the name suggests, this one comes with a bit of sexual innuendo, but here at PlayStation LifeStyle at least, we don’t judge.
Dating Stories, which is available on both the PS5 and PS4, was added to the PS Store on Valentine’s Day, but I only just noticed it today sitting in the ‘New Games for You’ section. Somequest has made an effort to include a little bit of challenge, but it’s still a straightforward Platinum run that lasts 2-3 hours.
“Dating Stories combines the fun of solving jigsaw puzzles with the spicy excitement of romantic interactions with the sexiest women you can imagine,” the description reads. Like we said, we don’t judge but you probably want to play this one without any company.
Somequest might be onto something here. The dev has released Dating Stories for free and tried to make it enticing enough to download. It’s no surprise, then, that it comes with a dozen paid add-ons, all of which are “episodes” with more seductive AI ladies.
But that’s not why we’re here. We just enjoy easy Platinums every now and then, especially if they’re free.
The post PS Store Adds Another Free Game With Easy Platinum Trophy appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
This week, we got some insight into what prompted Ubisoft to add a “canon mode”—which strips out all narrative choices in favor of adhering to one set story path—to the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Also, we looked at 24 games coming out in this fairly packed month that we can’t wait to try, shared the details on…
It’s been a weird time to dip into graphics cards, GPUs and… another synonym for the GeForces and Radeons of this world.
AMD has tried for a while to undercut NVIDIA with slightly cheaper but less capable video cards — but this time, with the Radeon 9070 and 9070 XT, it might have got the recipe right, especially in 4K and ray tracing performance.
Devindra Hardawar says the $599 Radeon 9070 XT, in particular, is a solid midrange GPU with excellent support for 1440p gaming and a bit of 4K. It has better ray tracing support than before, it’s faster than the plain Radeon 9070 and it finally has AI upscaling built in too. Not to mention, NVIDIA’s similarly priced GPUs landed around the same time.
It’s a good strategy — better than fighting with NVIDIA at the extreme high end of GPUs. It makes more sense for AMD to focus on cards people can actually buy — if you can.
It’s a good time to look closer at that too. “Buy.” Hah! The gaming PC makers and people who need high-powered machines for their work know this already — it’s a mess.
Not only is it impossible to find NVIDIA’s 50 series GPU in stock, but as Igor Bonifacic noted, nearly every single model is way above NVIDIA’s suggested price. This isn’t a pandemic thing anymore, this isn’t a crypto thing anymore (although that’s stoked demand, of course).
It’s like Taylor Swift tickets or a PS5 disc drive when the PS5 Pro broke cover — it’s scalpers and opportunism from the middle-man companies that make the majority of GPUs out there.
— Mat Smith
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Is there a robot vacuum that won’t destroy phone cables? How is US trade policy going to affect the price of my next phone? Do I need another phone? Ask Engadget returns, with an entirely new email address: askmat(AT)engadget.com.
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A sub-$500 smartphone that Engadget can endorse is a rare feat, but Nothing might have nailed it. Despite a premium Nothing Phone 3 not even existing, the company’s see-thru phone series shoots straight for the cheap midrange. Many of the specs, like periscope zoom, a 120Hz 6.77-inch screen and a huge 5,000mah battery are typically in phones that are several hundred dollars more. It’s all wrapped in a design full of character too. Check out my first impressions and expect a full review very soon.
An upgraded laptop with a price drop? In this economy? The new MacBook Air, with an M4 chip, will retail at $999, down $100 from the previous starting price. There are still two size choices: 13-inch and 15-inch. RAM for the M2 and M3 laptops is 16GB by default, and the M4 model matches that standard. Apple is promising up to 18 hours of battery life, and the Airs will have support for Apple Intelligence. There’s also a new look in the lineup, with a sky blue color adding a new option beside the usual shades of gray.
Engadget has been testing action cameras for more than 16 years and with that experience, we can help you find the right model for your budget and needs. In the past, GoPro was the go-to choice for first-person action filming, whether it’s surfing, rock climbing or offroading. But now, you have more choice, with models also available from DJI and Insta360. We break down all the different form factors — and our best choices.
It's an exciting day if you're a fan of the BBC and the Google TV Streamer. BBC iPlayer is finally available on the streaming platform almost six months after Google launched it, 9to5Google reports. Google certified its TV Streamer for use with BBC iPlayer back in November 2024.
BBC One and BBC Two are now under the TV streamer's Channels tab, while BBC iPlayer appears on the Google Play Store with a new download option. BBC iPlayer allows anyone to pays for a TV license in the UK to watch their favorite shows and movies live, on-demand or downloaded to their device. It has already been available for use on Google TV and Android TV.
Google launched its TV Streamer in September as a replacement for the Chromecast line. It retails for $100 and features a smart home panel that allows users to see and control devices like lights, thermostats and doorbell cameras.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/hmMUXG3
Sony has officially brought PS5 / PS5 Pro, PSVR 2, and PS Portal rental service to the West following its success in Japan. The rental service launched in Japan via video game retailer GEO in late February, and became an instant hit. This morning, the service appeared in the United Kingdom.
Over on PS Direct U.K. website, Sony is advertising something called “Lease with Flex,” offering the following items for rent:
The following plans are offered:
There will, of course, be a price to pay for canceling a set lease early.
Worth noting that Sony is using a leasing partner, Raylo, to offer the service, and makes it clear that all of players’ communication and transactions will be with its partner. There’s a massive FAQ on PS Direct’s website explaining how it all works.
At the time of this writing, the service hasn’t appeared in the U.S. but I have a feeling that it will in the future. This is certainly one way of dealing with rising costs making it difficult for players to purchase pricey consoles.
Pretty smart of Sony to debut this service ahead of the PS6. According to Automaton, GEO’s PS5 rental service in Japan is completely booked right now.
The post Sony Brings PS5 Rental Service to the West After Success in Japan appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Whether you’re talking about the screen of an old laptop or that brand new OLED TV you just bought, all displays get dusty and dirty over time. You may be hesitant to give the screens in your home a thorough cleaning; the fact there are so many products claiming to do it best certainly doesn’t help. In my experience, the best approach is the simplest. If you want to refresh all of the screens in your home, I’ll outline the best way to clean them.
Before we get to how to clean a screen, there are a few ways you don’t want to go about the process. The first and most important is that you don’t want to clean any display using substances like isopropyl alcohol or Windex. Alcohol- and ammonia-based cleaners can damage a screen’s anti-reflective or glossy coating, and using those substances repeatedly can lead to clouding and the coating becoming uneven.
Companies like Whoosh make cleaning products that won’t damage your screen, but in my experience, you’re better off using distilled water. It’s more affordable than a dedicated cleaning agent. Plus, it’s more versatile since you can use it on a variety of surfaces. It also won’t leave behind any residue on your display, which is something I’ve seen products like Whoosh do occasionally. You can buy distilled water at a grocery store or make it yourself with some simple cookware.
It’s possible to use tap water, but we don’t recommend it. Depending on the hardness of the water in your area and how the municipality you live in treats it, there may be minerals and chemicals that will leave behind residue or, worse, damage your display.
Once you have some distilled water, you’ll want a separate spray bottle. One option is to reuse one you already have at home, but if you don’t have a spare, Muji makes handy travel bottles in 100ml, 50ml and 30ml sizes that are perfect for the task. You can also find similar options on Amazon.
Next, be mindful of what you use to wipe your screen. You want to avoid using paper towels, dish rags or anything else that may have an abrasive surface that will damage the display’s coating. You can use the sleeve of an old (but clean) t-shirt, but you’ll get the best results using a microfiber cloth.
Microfiber is extremely soft and good at attracting dust. We suggest buying a pack of rags so that you always have a clean one ready. The last thing you want to do is use a dirty one and transfer any dirt and grime onto your display.
Lastly, avoid spraying any liquid directly on a display. You’ll have a lot more control if you deposit it on your microfiber cloth and it’s much easier to avoid any of it making its way into the more sensitive parts of the display.
With all that out of the way, the actual process of cleaning a display is straightforward. If you’re only dealing with some dust, use a can of compressed air or an air blower to dislodge it. You can also turn to a dry microfiber cloth.
For anything more than that, dampen your microfiber cloth with a small amount of distilled water and then gently wipe the display. Once you’ve gone over the entire surface, turn over the cloth and use the dry side to remove any excess water. At this stage, avoid buffing the screen or using excessive pressure. You don’t want to work any particles into the surface of the screen.
That’s it. You should have a clean display now. Naturally, it will take longer to clean a bigger screen, but you can put to use the tips mentioned for all types of displays, including TVs, monitors and glass smartphone displays.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/UYEzTndWaymo and Uber's robotaxi service is launching today in Austin, exclusively in the Uber app. The companies announced their plan to expand to Austin and Atlanta in September 2024, and Waymo raised a cool $5.6 billion in October to help pay for it.
Unlike the Waymo One service offered to riders in San Francisco and Los Angeles, interested Austin riders will get a chance to ride in a Waymo just by ordering an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric ride, similar to how things are handled in Phoenix. You're not guaranteed to receive a Waymo when you do order one of those rides, but Uber says you can increase your chances of receiving one by changing your "Ride Preferences" in the app. Upfront prices remain the same whether you get a Waymo or not, though if you do end up in a robotaxi, you won't be prompted to tip. You'll use the Uber app to unlock the Waymo, open its trunk and start your ride, too.
Uber says Waymo One will cover 37 square miles in Austin, and in a first for the company, Waymo vehicles themselves will be stored, cleaned and maintained by a third-party partner, Avomo, theoretically making the experience even more taxi-like than before.
Waymo won't be the only major self-driving shop offering rides in Austin. Tesla's robotaxi service is supposed to launch in the Texas capital in June. They're not evenly matched so far, though. In May 2024, Waymo said it makes 50,000 paid trips every week. It remains to be seen how quickly Tesla will reach the same scale. For its part, Uber has expressed interest in offering Tesla rides through its app, too, though so far the EV company is operating on its own.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/qik0QHh
A bundle of two critically-acclaimed fan favorite action adventure games has been discounted by 85% in a limited-time PS Store deal. Players have until March 12 to grab Batman: Return to Arkham — which includes Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City — for just $2.99. This is practically a steal.
Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are widely regarded as Rocksteady Studios’ finest works. The former released in 2009 while the latter released in 2011 for the PS3. The Return to Arkham bundle was released for the PS4 in 2016 with fully remastered and updated visuals, and hold up well on the PS5 via backwards compatibility.
To be clear, players aren’t just getting two hit games for $2.99. The Return to Arkham bundle includes all previously released additional content, so this is the most comprehensive release of both games.
In some regions including the U.K., discount on Batman: Return to Arkham comes up to 90%. If you’re even remotely interested in Batman games, we highly recommend picking this bundle up now because it won’t get any cheaper than this, and each game comes up to a little over a dollar.
Keep an eye out on PlayStation LifeStyle for more deals and picks from the latest PS Store sale.
The post Hit Action Adventure Game Bundle Is 85% Off on PS Store appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
This week, we’ve got a host of Avowed tips to help you make the most of your sojourn to the Living Lands. We’ve also got some pointers for mastering Magik in Marvel Rivals, and for defeating Mortal Kombat 1's new pink-clad ninja boss, Floyd. (Get it?) Click on for these tips and more.
Amazon’s long-awaited update to its assistant is almost here. About 18 months after the company first previewed the “next-gen Alexa” built with generative AI, it unveiled Alexa+, and early access will be available starting in March. Alexa+ will exist alongside the older Alexa and will cost $20 a month, unless you have a Prime membership, which will make it free to use. The new assistant will come with all the modern upgrades that its contemporaries like the redesigned Siri or Gemini offer, like more conversational interaction, better contextual understanding and the ability to “summarize complex topics” and “make suggestions based on your interests.” But it does one thing differently, and it’s the way Amazon purports to integrate with third-party apps and the rest of the internet that could set it apart.
At the presentation, vice president of Alexa and Fire TV Daniel Rausch outlined three ways the new assistant can integrate with other services you use. Firstly, it already works with “tens of thousands” of integrations already available, with Uber, Sonos, Samsung and Xbox being a few of the many logos that were displayed when Rausch said this. Presumably, that means Amazon worked with these partners to get their apps to play nicely with Alexa+ through their APIs.
Secondly, for the large swath of the online world that doesn’t have apps or the resources to code an API just for Alexa+, the assistant should be able to scour the internet for their website and navigate it on your behalf. During the presentation, Rausch demonstrated how Alexa+ was able to go to the Thumbtack website to hire a professional to fix his oven. Instead of having to whip out a phone or laptop to click through menus himself, Rausch could just verbally tell Alexa+ what he needed and what times he was available, and the AI did the rest.
This example in particular struck me as very similar to Google’s restaurant-reservation system Duplex, which, since way back in 2018, could call businesses on your behalf to book a table. All you had to do was tell Google what date and times you were considering, how many people were in your party and it would make the call for you, even speaking in a human-sounding voice to the restaurant. The way Alexa+ would click around websites on your behalf seems like Duplex on steroids.
Finally, Alexa+ can work with the “AI agents” on other sites, so you can talk to just one assistant instead of dozens of chatbots. In the presentation, Rausch got Alexa+ to work with the AI music generator Suno to come up with a country-style song about bodega cats.
After the company’s presentation, I spoke with Rausch to get more clarity on how Alexa+ will work with the rest of the online world. For one, I wanted to know for sure if that third method would work with customer service chatbots from companies like Capital One, United Airlines and more. While Rausch said that he had no details to share on specific names or services, he did confirm that “the SDK is all about integrations like that,” saying it’s for people to use Alexa to connect with agents on their behalf to complete tasks.
Rausch is aware that any friction at all in the adoption and setup process can turn people away. To that end, upgrading to Alexa+ should not require any additional sign-ins or authentication. You should be able to have all your connected appliances, security cameras and home routines carry over without any effort.
“The reason that customers love Alexa is it takes away all the complexity,” Rausch said. People don’t need to remember the brand of the WeMo plug they bought, for example, to be able to tell Alexa to turn off a lamp. “We would never take that away,” he said. When you’re adding new services after upgrading to Alexa+, Rausch said you’ll either do so “in the ways that you do it today” or that it’ll get even easier, since “Alexa can walk you through those setups in many more cases.”
According to Rausch, instead of having to “dig around in the Alexa app, you just say ‘Alexa, I want to set up a streaming account with Hulu' or something.” You’ll be presented with a QR code on an Echo device with a screen to facilitate that, and the assistant should guide users along the way.
“We like to say Alexa is an expert, and now an expert on herself.”
Amazon isn't the only company that has made its assistant perform tech support for users. This approach is very similar to how Siri can teach you how to, say, shoot a video in Cinematic mode or create a Genmoji. Where better to get help about a product you’re using than the product itself? Why make me go to a different place for information?
“From a customer experience perspective, customers just want the thing done,” Rausch said. “They don’t have to be responsible or care about any of these things, right?” He believes people just want the plumber or a reservation booked, and don’t want to fuss around with websites and phone calls.
People do want their digital assistant to be helpful and easy to use, but isn’t it equally important that these AI services are accurate and reliable?
When I asked Rausch how Amazon worked around the tendency of generative AI to hallucinate and sometimes spread misinformation, he said “I actually think in the industry, there’s been a mistake of thinking a model is a product.” He also said “LLMs are at the foundation of the architecture, but they’re not the only thing answering the question.”
In other words, Alexa+ is using a combination of Amazon’s knowledge graphs, reliable sources on the internet and partnerships with authoritative outlets. “Other products will simply give you an answer out of the LLM. If you're asking for an authoritative answer, that's not actually sometimes the way to get one. and I think that's what you're highlighting,” he said.
Rausch added that Amazon has “taken great care” with Alexa. “Will it make mistakes? Every piece of software makes mistakes,” he said. “But we’re working hard to ground it in knowledge.”
I’ve yet to try out Alexa+ for myself, and everything we’ve seen so far has been in highly controlled demos, so it’s hard to tell what real world performance will be like. But if the new Alexa is truly able to work with third-party services in a way that’s seamless and effective, it would not only bring Amazon back into the consumer AI race, but could possibly give it an advantage over the likes of Google, Apple and OpenAI. Considering Amazon really brought the idea of a virtual assistant into homes around the world, this could also have an impact that goes beyond the tech-savvy users of today’s AI services.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/YW4GjzC
This week, Warner Bros. shuttered Monolith, the legendary studio responsible for games ranging from 2000's The Operative: No One Lives Forever to 2017's Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The closure means that the studio’s promising Wonder Woman game, first revealed in 2021, has been cancelled as well.
AMD's decision to start off with mid-range RDNA 4 GPUs now seems prescient. NVIDIA's high-end RTX 5090 and 5080 are already selling well beyond their absurdly high prices, if you can find any in stock at all. And while the RTX 5070 Ti impressed us, it's already selling for close to the 5080's $1,000 launch price. Now AMD's Radeon 9070 and 9070 XT, which are set to arrive on March 6, have the chance to swoop in and deliver some serious competition.
Based on early briefings from AMD, which include some impressive benchmarks (still untested by us), the RDNA 4 GPUs appear to be compelling 4K and 1,440p for discerning gamers who aren't ready to drop four figures on a video card. The Radeon 9070 starts at $549, but even more impressive, AMD managed to keep the 9070 XT at a very reasonable $599 launch price. Naturally, those prices will rise based on demand and the whims of card manufacturers, but they're still impressive compared to the RTX 5070 ($549 MSRP) and 5070 Ti ($749 MSRP).
On top of the usual raw performance upgrades, the major selling point for these new cards is AMD's Fidelity FX Super Resolution 4 (FSR4) upscaling technology. Unlike previous iterations, this time around it's powered by machine learning, similar to NVIDIA's DLSS. According to AMD, that allows for better image quality while upscaling from lower resolutions, as well as low latency and frame generation.
So what does that mean in action? AMD claims the 9070 XT can run Space Marine 2 at an average of 53fps in 4K, but with FSR 4 running that jumps to 182fps. That's similar to the leap in performance we've seen on NVIDIA's RTX 50-series GPUs, which can generate multiple frames. FSR 4 is supported on more than 30 titles at the moment, but for other games like Star Citizen and Forza Horizon 5, AMD claims its HYPR-RX driver-level upscaler can also improve performance by up to 3X.
While both the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT come with 16GB of VRAM (unlike the 12GB the RTX 5070 is stuck with), the latter card will likely do a better drop driving 4K 240Hz screens. The 9070 XT sports 64 RDNA 4 compute units, 64 hardware ray tracing accelerators and 128 hardware AI accelerators, while the 9070 includes 56 compute units and RT accelerators, as well as 112 AI units. The 9070 XT can also draw significantly more power — 304 watts instead of 220W — and has more than a 500Mhz boost clock lead. The standard 9070 will likely be better suited for players who game in 1,440p most of the time, but who may occasionally dabble in 4K.
Curiously, most of AMD's benchmarks compare the new cards to the $549 RX 7900 GRE, a slightly under-specced card originally meant for China. But the company did make a handful of comparisons to other cards: For one, it claims the RX 9070 XT is 51 percent faster than the Radeon 6900 XT on average across 30 games while playing in 4K with maximum graphics settings. It's also reportedly 26 percent faster than the RTX 3090 across those same 30 games. As for the RX 9070, AMD says it's 38 percent in 4K/max settings than the RX 6800 XT and 26 percent faster than the RTX 3080. Surely AMD could have compared these cards to the RTX 40 lineup and newer Radeons, but then those gains wouldn't be as high.
Beyond gaming, AMD says its new RDNA 4 media engine will be able to encode H.264 with better image quality, and it'll support up to 8K/80fps encoding and decoding. As for AI, the 9070 XT is 34 percent faster than the RX 7900 GRE while using Davinci Resolve's Magic Mask Tracking Tool, and it's 70 percent faster while using Procyon SD XL for generative AI.
If AMD can manage to keep the Radeon 9070 and 9070 XT in stock, and also hold prices close to their $549 and $599 launch figures, I wouldn't be surprised if some NVIDIA diehards jump ship. And if you're looking for something even cheaper, AMD says its RX 9060 cards will be coming in the second quarter.
Sony has finally fixed the PS Store wishlist feature on the PlayStation App, which had been busted for quite a while. Earlier today, a new PS Store sale went live, bringing with it discounts on thousands of items. Along with the sale came the pleasant surprise of wishlist notifications actually working as intended.
Those who’ve been using the PS App will know that for quite some time now, PS Store’s wishlist notifications have been nonfunctional. If players added a game to their wishlist, they’d have to manually check if that game was discounted in a new sale by going into the wishlist.
That changed this morning when PS Store’s Dealmania promotion started rolling out. Upon opening the PS App, I received quite a few notifications informing me that some of the games on my wishlist are now on sale, eliminating the need for a manual check or to boot up my PS5.
As someone who uses the PS App and looks for deals on the PS Store quite as bit, I find the notifications very handy as they ensure that players aren’t missing offers that they might be interested in.
Here’s hoping that this fix is permanent.
The post PS Store Wishlist Feature Finally Fixed on PS App appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
A major upcoming Xbox exclusive, which was also previously rumored for the PS5, has been delayed. Microsoft has announced that Fable — in development at Forza studio Playground Games — will now launch in 2026 instead of 2025.
Multiple reports previously claimed that Microsoft plans to release Fable on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 simultaneously. There are even reports of a potential Nintendo Switch 2 port. Microsoft did not provide a specific reason for Fable’s delay into 2026, but speculation suggests that its day-and-date PS5 launch is part of the reason.
Reliable insider NateDrake is one of those who believes that Fable’s delay could be partly down to Microsoft’s plans for a day-one PS5 launch. Although this is merely speculation and unlikely to be the main reason for the delay, NateDrake is pretty well connected and we suspect that this is informed speculation rather than just guesswork.
NateDrake further stated that Fable’s PS5 launch is all but confirmed, so rest assured, it’s coming.
Microsoft has pretty much eliminated the term “Xbox exclusive” as its games are expected to launch on rival platforms at some point. However, launching first-party games that were formerly exclusive day-and-date on a rival platform is new.
The next console generation will certainly be an interesting one, especially in the absence of rivalry over exclusives.
The post Next Major Xbox Exclusive’s PS5 Release Delayed – Report appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Apple is far from saintly, but, compared to its fellow tech giants, it did something right. The company's shareholders have voted to keep its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, following a push by conservative think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), to remove them, Reuters reports. The Center's proposal, Request to Cease DEI Efforts, failed 8.84 billion votes to 210.45 million votes — or about 2.3 percent of the vote.
Many of these programs emerged or expanded when the Black Lives Matter movement exploded onto the global stage in 2020. However, President Trump's criticisms and threats that DEIs could violate the law — along with spineless greed from executives — has seen companies like Meta and Google reduce or even fully remove these programs. Those in favor of the proposal at Apple argued that the company could face an uptick in discrimination cases if current policies remain.
At the meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that "strength has always come from hiring the very best people and then providing a culture of collaboration, one where people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives come together to innovate."
Now, none of this is to say that Apple has incredible DEI efforts. Previously, its shareholders rejected greater transparency about its racial and gender gaps. They also voted down a measure that would require Apple to further investigate the risks of its AI efforts.
Cook is also doing plenty of appeasing when it comes to Trump. The pair reportedly met last week and Apple has announced $500 billion in US-based spending over the next four years. He also donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration and attended it alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and other tech executives.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/Lm7GrD0Amazon doesn’t usually do device events in February, but in a year of turbulence, why not? The company is holding a presentation in New York, and, like in the past, Amazon won’t be livestreaming anything.
Engadget will attend, however, and liveblog the event so you’ll know what’s happening. Amazon has teased its next-gen Alexa for what feels like years, promising a conversational vibe and the ability to process and execute complex requests. Is it ready to chat? And what random tech will Amazon cram it into? Clocks? Microwave ovens?
Here’s what we’re expecting.
— Mat Smith
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Sigma’s newest camera is the BF, a 24.6-megapixel full-frame, mirrorless camera with a built-in SSD instead of a removable memory card. The BF is compatible with L-mount lenses, and as well as photos, its 35mm full-frame sensor can capture 6K video and supports things like HEVC encoding and capture speeds at up to 120 frames per second. At the highest settings, the camera can cram in up to two and a half hours of video footage — probably enough. The Sigma BF will be available, body-only, for $1,999 in April, in black or silver.
Google’s Veo 2 model, announced last December, now has pricing. At the moment, Veo 2 is limited to two-minute clips at up to 4K resolution — a lot more than ChatGPT’s 1080p 20-second snippets. It’s difficult to compare pricing as Sora is part of a subscription-based service. If you’re paying for a $200 ChatGPT Pro plan, that’s 500 videos per month, while the Plus plan caps at 50 videos at 720p and only five seconds.
Even if many don't bite at that pricing, Google is already testing its Veo 2 AI to generate backgrounds for YouTube Shorts.
In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Apple is readying itself for the launch of the upgraded laptop next month. The company is reportedly winding down inventory of the existing models. The M4 MacBook Air is expected to come in two sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch, like the previous model.
Last year’s M3 MBA launched awkwardly: Apple unveiled the M4 chip just a few months later.
Intuitive Machines, the company that pulled off the first-ever commercial moon landing this time last year with its Odysseus spacecraft, is gearing up for another shot at touching the lunar surface. Its second flight under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program is scheduled to take off no earlier than Wednesday February 26, launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The company is once again sending one of its Nova-C landers, this one nicknamed Athena. It’s expected to take about a week for Athena to travel to the moon, before it makes a landing attempt around March 6.
To the Moon! On Feb. 26, NASA science and tech are set to launch on @Int_Machines’ Nova-C lander, Athena. Watch live coverage of our second lunar mission with Intuitive Machines here on X. https://t.co/57Ug6tHsGd pic.twitter.com/MfsBQkh7Xn
— NASA (@NASA) February 21, 2025
Athena is carrying NASA instruments including a drill and mass spectrometer, which will be used to attempt “one of the first on-site demonstrations of resource use on the moon,” according to the space agency. These tools will measure volatiles in the soil at the landing site in the lunar South Pole. The mission also offers Intuitive Machines another chance at landing its spacecraft with all six feet on the ground. Odysseus, though successful in touching down on the surface, toppled over and ended up lying on its side.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/CBhzuqTWe may see the M4 MacBook Air as soon as March. In the Power On newsletter this weekend, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is readying itself for the launch of the upgraded laptop next month. The company is “preparing its marketing, sales and retail teams for the debut,” according to Gurman’s sources, and it’s letting inventory of the existing models wind down. The M4 MacBook Air is expected to come in two sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch, like the previous model.
Apple introduced the M3 MacBook Air last March, and unveiled its new M4 chip a few months later, bringing that first to the iPad Pro. In October, it refreshed the iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pros with the M4 family of chips. The MacBook Air is now due for its turn. While the laptop didn’t get the M4 chip in the fall, Apple did announce a long-awaited memory boost for the lineup at that time, with the M2 and M3 now starting at 16GB of RAM.
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This week, we’ll kick things off by answering the questions you may have about Obsidian’s new first-person role-playing game Avowed (and if you want more tips to help you get started strong, look no further than this spoiler-free collection of things to know before you start playing). We’ll also help you get rich in Ci…
In What We’re Listening To, Engadget editors and writers discuss the new music we can’t get enough of.
You don’t need me to tell you to go listen to Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS — if you’re on the internet enough, you’ve been told to do so already. But I’ll add to the pile-on and say that this is Bad Bunny’s most personal work yet. It showcases how modern pop, rap and R&B can be seamlessly combined with old-school, traditional sounds from different cultures (in this case, Puerto Rico) in a way that celebrates both camps. Bad Bunny has always been deeply connected to his island home and it’s come through in his music, but DTMF is on a whole other level.
For me, there are no skips on this album — but if you’re going to listen to just one song, make it the salsa hit “BAILE INoLVIDABLE.” Aside from that, my favorites are “NUEVAYoL” (if you live in the five boroughs, be prepared to hear this all summer long), “KETU TeCRÉ,” “CAFé CON RON” and “EoO.” — Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor, Buying Advice
The Weeknd is certainly going out with a bang with Hurry Up Tomorrow. Supposedly the pop star’s final record under his current pseudonym, Hurry Up Tomorrow also completes the trilogy that started with 2020’s After Hours and continued with 2022’s Dawn FM. It’s a massive (literally, at 22 tracks), cinematic album that serves as The Weeknd’s magnus opus, and without a doubt, his most personal project yet. His attitudes toward fame, legacy, suicide, past substance abuse, the fear of being alone and much more are all laid bare for listeners to hear, but in typical Weeknd fashion, he disguises it all in moody synths, thumping bass and top-tier vocals.
The first things I noticed during my initial listen were the transitions: they’re beyond smooth on this album, and they’re one of the reasons why the first five tracks make up one of the most energizing sequences I’ve heard start an album recently. I’d personally extend that to include the next two tracks, the final of which is “Open Hearts,” a song that’s cut from a similar cloth as “Blinding Lights” and will, no doubt, be a standout single from the record. My other top tracks are “Wake Me Up,” “Cry for Me,” “São Paulo,” and “Niagara Falls.” — V.P.
FKA twigs is truly in a league of her own. I’ve been mentally prepared to be changed by the new album ever since she released the genuinely jaw-dropping “Eusexua” music video back in September (which features two tracks, “Drums of Death” and “Eusexua”), but it’s even more magnificent than I was ready for. FKA twigs has described the state of “eusexua” as “pure presence. It's a moment of nothingness. Or it's the moment before a really incredible idea… it's this ego-less presence which is just filled with this kind of tingling clarity.” Call me corny, but listening to this album is a spiritual experience every time.
Eusexua ebbs and flows over the course of its 11 tracks, starting out almost angelic with the title track before transporting you right onto a throbbing, disorienting club dance floor with “Drums of Death” and “Room of Fools,” then back down to a softer, emotionally raw place with “Sticky.” “Childlike Things” feels like the onset of unexpected joy, almost out of place in between “Keep It, Hold It” and “Striptease” but in a way that’s really grown on me.
“Perfect Stranger,” toward the beginning, and the penultimate song “24hr Dog” almost feel like two sides of the same coin, the latter hitting like the vulnerable comedown from the former. I love every song on this album, but I especially can’t stop listening to “Girl Feels Good,” which sounds like it’s been transplanted into 2025 from the ‘90s and hits me in just the right way. Eusexua has kind of taken over my personality for the time being. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor
Honorable mentions: A bunch of singles have come out lately that have me so hyped for albums we’re going to see later this winter and spring. I’m apologizing in advance for the person I’ll become when Lady Gaga’s Mayhem drops, because “Abracadabra” has reawakened something in me. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve been obsessively listening to Bria Salmena’s brooding indie track, “Stretch the Struggle,” ahead of her debut album’s release at the end of March, along with “Sugar in the Tank” by Julien Baker and Torres, who have a country-leaning collaboration album coming out in April that I cannot wait for. All of the new SZA from SOS Deluxe: Lana (Deluxe?) has been a real treat too. — C.M.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/MJFm0YZASUS has launched a new mouse that comes with an built-in fragrance compartment that can be filled with aromatic essential oils. We don't know why you'd want a mouse that's also an oil diffuser, but, well... the option (for some reason) now exists. If you want to change scents, you can just wash the vial and refill it with a different one. Just take note that the vial is in a bottom compartment, so you'll have to take care not to accidentally damage it and smear aromatic oils on your desk. You also cannot use 100 percent pure essential oils and will have to refill the vial with oils for reed diffusers, ultrasonic diffusers and aroma stones.
The ASUS Fragrance Mouse has three adjustable DPI levels at 1200dpi, 1600dpi and 2,400dpi, letting you change sensitivity as needed across different screen resolutions or across different games. You'd want to use a higher DPI for games that need quick responses like first-person shooters. It also has both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity that you can use to connect to different laptops and PCs. The mouse isn't rechargeable, but ASUS says an AA battery can power it for a year. In addition, the company says the model's switches can last for up to 10 million clicks. ASUS has yet to announce how much the Fragrance Mouse will cost and when it will be available, but you can easily get a diffuser from Amazon if you're after the fragrance part of the product.
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This week saw many of the people behind smash hit Marvel Rivals, including the game’s director, get laid off by developer NetEase in a move the company says was made “for organizational reasons and to optimize development efficiency for the game.” Meanwhile Humane, the company behind a $700 AI pin, announced that next…
A surprising contradiction sits at the heart of PC gaming: the medium’s most open platform is nevertheless dominated by a single storefront. That storefront belongs to Valve, it’s called Steam, and despite plenty of challenges in the two decades since it launched, no one has yet come close to unseating the Counter-Stri…
Publisher Electronic Arts is going an extra mile to ensure that all players have a chance to try out its highly-anticipated upcoming PS5 co-op game. Made by the award-winning Hazelight Studios, Split Fiction is out on March 6, and the publisher has detailed its elaborate plans for virtually everyone to get their hands on it.
Those who’ve played Hazelight games before will be familiar with its Friend’s Pass system, which allows players to complete its co-op games with a buddy with only one copy of a game between them. With Split Fiction, the Friend’s Pass system will evolve further.
For starters, Split Fiction is going to be multiplatform unlike Hazelight’s previous games. This means that if a PS5 player purchases a copy of the game, their friend on Steam or Xbox can play with them at no additional cost.
But wait, there’s more. Players who are on the fence about Split Fiction can download the Friend’s Pass trial, which essentially allows two friends to try the game together completely free.
Once the Friend’s Pass trial is available, both friends simply need to download it and invite each other to play Split Fiction’s opening stages together. If you end up liking it, only one player has to purchase a copy, and the other can tag along for the ride.
And yes, Friend’s Pass trial is also multiplatform!
The post Highly Anticipated PS5 Co-op Game Offers Free Trial to All Players appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
After much anticipation, Apple finally announced the iPhone 16e yesterday. Looking at its position in the company's lineup, the 16e is a headscratcher. My colleague Ian Carlos Campbell already wrote about how strange it is that the phone is missing MagSafe, a feature universally loved by Apple users. However, the omission that stands out the most to me is that the iPhone 16e doesn't come with more than a single rear camera, and no, 2x telephoto cropping doesn't count.
Sure, if you put the 16e against its predecessor, the 2022 iPhone SE, it’s not a surprising omission — but when you consider today's broader smartphone market, it's a glaring weakness. At $599, the 16e is $100 more than the Pixel 8a, a device with two amazing rear cameras and an AI-capable processor (more on that in a moment). The 8a is also frequently on sale for as little as $399. Some people hate the Pixel comparison, so I'll give you another one. Last spring, Nothing released the $349 Phone 2a. Like the 8a, it has two rear cameras. Oh, and a fresh design that's not borrowed from 2020. At almost $200 more than the phone it replaces, the 16e is very much not a midrange device.
I know what you're thinking: what's wrong with one camera, as long as that camera is great? In the case of the 16e, I think the problem is that Apple is misreading the market and what people want from their next phone. All consumer devices are a compromise in some way. Those become more pronounced as you move down the market.
For most people, their phone is their primary camera and how they document their lives and memories. Think about what was the first thing you tested when you upgraded to your current phone. I bet it was the cameras. In that context, more are better, because they make it easier to capture moments that are important to you.
For a device some outlets are describing as "low-end," the iPhone 16e features a state-of-the-art chip. It might be cut down with one less GPU core, but the 16e's A18 is still a 3nm chip with 8GB of RAM to support the processor. Apple clearly felt the A18 was necessary to get its AI suite running on the 16e. But that means the rest of the phone had to suffer as a result, starting with the camera package.
I don't know about you, but if I were in the market for a new phone, I would want the most bang for my buck. The SE line had its share of drawbacks, including a dated design and a lackluster screen, but at $429, they made sense. For all its faults, the SE still felt like a bargain in 2022 because you were getting a modern chip, access to iOS and all the great apps that come with it and Apple's excellent track record of software support. With the iPhone 16e, you're not saving nearly as much off the price of a regular iPhone. Yes, everything I said about the SE's strengths is still true of the 16e and it even builds on that phone with additions like a better battery and an OLED screen, but the smartphone market has evolved so much in the last three years.
Again, I know people hate the Pixel comparison, but the 8a makes far fewer compromises. Not only does it feature a more versatile camera system, but it also comes with a high refresh rate OLED. The 8a's Tensor G3 chip is also fully capable of running Google's latest AI features.
I know offering the best hardware features for the price has never been Apple's approach, but that approach only made sense when the company had the best software experience. We can all agree Apple Intelligence has not met its usual quality standards. Just look at notification summaries, one of the main selling points of Apple Intelligence. Apple recently paused all news and entertainment alerts generated by the system to address their poor quality.
Right now, Apple Intelligence is not a compelling reason to buy a new iPhone, and its inclusion on the 16e at the expense of other features feels, at best, a cynical attempt to boost adoption numbers. If the 16e was $100 cheaper, maybe I would be less critical, but right now it feels like Apple missed the mark.
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